The Four Star Leadership Podcast: Core Principles of Leadership with General Tommy Franks

2025 Four Star Leadership Alumni, Andrew Rodriguez talks about his leadership journey since attending Four Star and his plans for the future.

Kelsey is a senior at Eagle River High School in Alaska. Last year at Four Star, she earned the top honor and was awarded the $5,000 Four Star Leader of the year scholarship. The award is given to the outstanding leader who exemplifies the core characteristics of a Four Star Leader, but most importantly, it is voted on by the Four Star Leader students in attendance. Kelsey has recently been notified she earned a congressional appointment to the United States Air Force Academy and will continue her journey of service this summer after graduating high school.

In this episode, Dr. Jim Hess discusses

Haley Dunn speaks about teaching leaders to be their best while creating high performing teams from her experience as an elite professional shooter.

David discusses his time in the military and how working at GTFLIM gives him the same purpose he felt in the military

Vivika talks about her leadership journey since attending Four Star Leadership

Oklahoma based Attorney and Translator Hiba Jameel, who was born in Iraq, discusses her life growing up under the Dictatorship of Sadaam Hussein and her road to becoming an American citizen.

Marine Officer and Team USA Bobsledder Riley Tejcek talks about her journey of becoming a Marine Officer all while competing as an elite athlete.

Dr. Jones discusses his time in education and how he still continues to mentor both students and teachers.

President of Northern Oklahoma College Diana Morris discusses the importance of standing on your values while adapting and growing as a leader.

2024 Four Star Leader Alumni, Elliott Yi discusses his time since Four Star and using what he learned from Four Star has helped prepare him for the next chapter in his leadership journey.

Servant leadership starts by being involved in the community, putting others before self.

Taya Kyle, widow of Navy Seal Chris Kyle, known from the movie and book, American Sniper discusses how his tragic murder thrust her into the spotlight she never sought. Taya talks about the decision to rise above the grief and heartbreak with her kids to build their own American Legacy while continuing the legacy Chris built as one of America's greatest heroes.

General Matlock discusses his time at West Point, his 36-year military career and how some decisions that leaders make will not be felt or come to fruition for years.

Larry discusses why having a mentor in your life, no matter your age, is crucial in order to grow as a person and why he is such a believer in the Four Star Leadership with General Tommy Franks program.

Ambassador Curry discusses how leaders need to make sure they take care of themselves in order to take care of their team.

Chief Warrant Officer, Nick Lavery talks about determination, never giving up and how his belief in himself helped him become the first Green Beret to return to combat after an above the knee amputation.

Bill discusses how his small town values were the basis of his successful career at the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics

Coach Coale discusses building winning teams and creating a winning environment.

Manu discusses how the youth led nonprofit BridgeUSA is bringing people together to discuss political views in a safe way to promote democracy with empathy and understanding.

Col. Nichols discusses his transition from F-16 pilot to his current position as President of the Folds of Honor Foundation. The passion and care that he led with in the military is easily shown as he shares the stories of the Folds of Honor scholarship recipients.

Joshua Elias, 2023 Four Star Alumnus from Pennsylvania shares an update on how his senior year is going, and talks about the impact Four Star Leadership with General Tommy Franks has had on his leadership journey.

Shannon Huffman Polson, one of the first female Apache Helicopter Pilots in the US Army, author, and founder of The Grit Institute shares how to find your grit through identifying your purpose, which is the core of your story.

In this episode Gary Sinise, actor, author and servant leader, shares his story of how he found his true calling in life by dedicating his time to serving and honoring our nation's heroes and their families. About Our Guest: Gary Sinise, actor, director, musician, and humanitarian, has been an advocate for America's veterans for nearly forty-years. He's best known for his roles in award-winning movies Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Ransom, Of Mice and Men, Truman, George Wallace, and The Green Mile, and in the hit TV shows CSI: NY and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. Gary has won an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was nominated for an Oscar. He's the founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation, which serves and honors America's defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need. He's the leader and bass player for the Lt. Dan Band, which has entertained more than half a million troops around the world. He is the co-founder of the prestigious Steppenwolf Theater of Chicago. Gary has been presented with many awards, including the Spirit of Hope Award by the Department of Defense. He was named an honorary Chief Petty Officer by the United States Navy, was pinned as an honorary marine, and received the Sylvanus Thayer Award at West Point, given to a civilian "whose character, service, and achievements reflect the ideals prized by the US military Academy." He's the recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest civilian honor awarded to citizens for "exemplary deeds performed in service of the nation."

Four Star alumna and UCU scholarship winner Katie Hewlett talks about how her program experience elevated her leadership skills and led to the creation of an impactful service club, Monsters for Munchkins. Get inspired by this young leader! About Our Guest: Katie Hewlett is a native of Honeyville, Utah. She is a Four Star 2022 alumna and the 2023 Understanding Community Understanding scholarship winner for her Monsters for Munchkins initiative, a service club that has made and donated more than 1,000 felt monsters to hospitals.She has served as both HOBY and RYLA ambassadors and served as a state 4-H ambassador and a state 4-H FCS ambassador. She also attended Georgia’s National Congress, the National Youth Summit Series in Washington, D.C., 4-H Nationals in Denver and FBLA Nationals in Chicago. In addition, Katie started her own business called Creative Book Folding. This business works to save books from landfills by creating beautiful works of art out of recycled books.​She plans to attend Utah State University in the fall to study business management human resources and minor in communications. 

Piyush Patel, the founder of Dream Big and the best-selling business author of Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work. Patel has become an innovator in corporate culture as he grew his former company, Digital-Tutors, into a leader throughout the world of online training. Patel has worked with industry leaders including Pixar, Apple, Ford and NASA, and has been featured in Inc., Forbes, Fast Company, TechCrunch and Entrepreneur Magazine.  After selling Digital-Tutors, Patel continues to advise other companies and is an angel investor, helping start-up businesses make their mark. Patel spends his time helping companies grow their revenue by leveraging their greatest asset - their employees. Episode details are on the podcast landing page: https://www.fourstarleader.com/podcast.html

Join us in a lively and heartfelt discussion as James (Jamey) Slife explains how perspective is the game changer of life and offers three key points for managing it. Jamey is a Retired Marine Veteran now serving as a leadership instructor for The Program LLC. Listen to this lively and hearfelt discussion as Jamey explains how perspective is the game changer of life and offers three key points for managing it. "If your going to be a lion, do lion things" - Jamey Slife

Stacy Anders, President, Blue Star Mothers discusses her journey with Blue Star Mothers. Join us as we uncover the multiple ways Blue Star Mothers support our Military and each other how they are organized, and the sisterhood they share. "God Bless America and especially our Blue Star Mothers as we honor them for the month of May."

Mo Anderson shares her inspirational story outlined in her book, "A Joy Filled Life: Lessons from a Tenant Farmers Daughter," and her underlying foundation of high standards, integrity and philanthropy.

John Ottoson, President of William Penn University shares great words for all leaders: “You're more prepared than you think you are when it comes to working through the hard things. Maintain your values and don’t be paralyzed by being afraid to make a mistake. Develop your confidence through the process and never wait to make a perfect decision.”

In this episode, David Sampson offers sage advice for students and professionals alike to “listen to wise people who offer you advice, and take the hard jobs no one else wants.” He emphasizes that the character and commitment of whom you work for is vitally important as well as the people you surround yourself with. “It all begins with the tone at the top,” he says. David also shares a personal experience that was so empowering, it became his north star for the last 17 years. This episode is packed with wisdom derived from experience and great inspiration that you won’t want to miss.

Bill will share his three principals of leadership: Strategy, Culture and Execution, and how a positive attitude is critical in building a spirit of entrepreneurship.  He encourages listeners to take chances, get out of their comfort zone, be resourceful and how to create value in what you do by doing what others can’t or won’t do. In this episode, Bill Raaths discusses how growing up on a dairy farm in rural Wisconsin; his education; military service and early job experiences gave him the confidence to lead three companies and own another. About our guest: Bill Raaths is currently the Chairman of the Board of Great Northern Corporation (GNC), a significant player in the higher-end packaging industry. He had previously served as GNC's CEO as well as CEO/President of sizable companies in the Food and Tissue industries. He started his career as an entry level customer service employee after returning from Vietnam in 1971. Bill received a BS degree in Economics from the U of Wisconsin, Madison and later earned his MBA at the U of Wisconsin, Oshkosh and Executive Program at the U of Virginia Darden School of Business while working full time. Bill is on non-profit and for-profit boards. He has taught a strategy course at the university level and mentors emerging leaders within family businesses. Bill and his wife Natalie have been married 51 years with two adult married sons and 4 grandkids. Listeners interested in obtaining Bill’s book Farm to Wall Street and Back can email [email protected]

Season 2, Episode 22 - Insights to the Importance of Selfless Service in Developing and Leading a Team with Dr. James Carafano  In this episode, Dr. James Carafano shares how being an effective leader requires that you never compromise the most important things: God, country, community and your stakeholders. The idea of selfless service is always to put yourself last, earning the respect and honor of your team because they understand that you're trying to do the right thing for the right reasons. In doing this, you are being true to what really matters, fulfilling the commitment to your mission and job. The notion of selfless service is a requirement for leadership or getting people together to accomplish difficult things. About Our Guest: Dr. James Jay Carafano currently serves as The Heritage Foundation’s Vice President, Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy. He is a leading expert in national security and foreign policy challenges, an accomplished historian and teacher and a prolific writer and researcher. Carafano is a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point and served 25 years in the US Army, retiring as a Lt. Colonel. He holds a master's degree and a doctorate from Georgetown University as well as a master's degree in strategy from the U.S. Army War College. His recent research has focused on developing the national security required to secure the long-term interests of the United States — protecting the public, providing for economic growth and preserving civil liberties.

2018 Four Star Alumnus and Four Star Speech and Star Leadership Scholarship winner David "Tre" Edgerton III offers inspiration to students and adult listeners: “Never quit”

2016 Four Star alumna Riley Juenemann shares her experiences since Four Star, the take-aways, her top 3 pieces of advice: how to connect life experiences, share your why and how to use these experiences going forward.  

In this episode, Martin Edelman, longtime friend of General Franks, and hugely successful New York Lawyer specializing in International Real Estate, offers insights on the importance of family, and building relationships both personally and professionally, crossing cultures and borders as recounted in his personal journey. 

In this episode, we learn about Jack’s childhood and sense of community that formed his character and the trajectory of his life.

This podcast interview features Byron Hogan an emotional intelligence coach and animal behaviorist.  "Emotional Intelligence is the number one factor in personal and professional success.  It keeps us connected in our disconnected world.  It is the ability to read other people's emotions while note being ruled by our own."  Byron grew up riding and training horses.  His interest in wild horses and self-improvement began when he was asked to develop programs for veterans and troubled youth.  He quickly realized the missing link horses provide which is discovered through his workshops.  Hogan offers professional development workshops, including teacher in-service training, corporate teams, private family events and at risk groups. 

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn shares how the community values she grew up with in rural Mississippi of "Give Back More Than You Take" shaped her future. We share her journey to the U.S. Senate, fulfilling all core principals of Leadership; Caring, Communication, Common Vision and Character.   

TW Shannon discusses building trust through consistency and time and championing common sense solutions for community issues.  Shannon urges students and listeners alike to lean into their own authenticity as relationships are the currency of life. 

Think BIGGER With Bill White Chairman & CEO of Constellations Group ATL-NY-DC, Bill White, talks about the networking opportunities afforded to him as a result of growing up in his family business and how those relationships catapulted his career to a national level by a prompt to “think bigger