FF: Leadership Under Fire with Jeremy Stalnecker

Lions of Liberty Network

Lions of Liberty

News, Comedy, Politics, Business

4.8 • 676 Ratings

🗓️ 16 February 2026

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of Finding Freedom, host John Odermatt sits down with Jeremy Stalnecker, former US Marine Corps infantry officer, combat veteran, and executive director of Mighty Oaks Foundation. Jeremy shares his journey from leading Marines during the 2003 invasion of Iraq to struggling with identity loss after leaving the military, and ultimately finding purpose through faith-based veteran support work. The conversation explores how military service creates a deeply ingrained identity that can leave veterans lost when they transition to civilian life, often leading to anger, isolation, and even suicidal thoughts. Jeremy explains how Mighty Oaks Foundation addresses the root cause—identity crisis—rather than just treating symptoms, helping over 7,000 veterans, first responders, and their spouses rebuild their lives on a foundation of faith and purpose. The discussion covers leadership principles from Jeremy's book "Leadership by Design," emphasizing that true leadership is about serving others and helping them reach their potential, not about rank or authority. Jeremy advocates for a holistic approach to veteran care that combines clinical therapies with spiritual foundation, arguing that without clarity on identity and purpose, other interventions fall short. The episode concludes with information on how Mighty Oaks provides free five-day programs and ongoing aftercare to help those struggling with post-traumatic stress and transition challenges. CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Introduction: Real Leadership in Crisis 0:47 - Welcome & Episode Preview 1:07 - Sponsor: Fox and Sons Coffee 2:03 - Introducing Jeremy Stalnecker 2:20 - Jeremy's Path to the Marine Corps 3:04 - Commissioning & First Battalion Fifth Marines 5:31 - 9/11 and Deployment to Iraq 5:52 - Battle of Baghdad Experience 6:17 - Transition Struggles After Leaving the Marines 6:47 - Identity Crisis and Anger Issues 9:25 - Finding Help Through Community 11:12 - Universal Struggle with Identity Loss 12:00 - Mighty Oaks Foundation's Approach 12:07 - Identity, Purpose, and Hope Connection 13:30 - Suicide Prevention and Root Causes 14:38 - Military vs. Civilian Identity 17:18 - Faith-Based Identity vs. Job-Based Identity 20:32 - Offensive Faith and Leadership by Design 22:12 - Redefining Leadership 24:03 - Leadership Definition: Serving Others 27:55 - Creating Environments for Growth 31:31 - The Challenge of Comfort Culture 34:29 - Opportunity for Young People 36:18 - When to Let People Go vs. Perseverance 37:24 - Mighty Oaks Five-Day Program Overview 40:00 - Stories of Transformation 45:11 - The Foundation of Faith 46:10 - Funding and Government Support 50:24 - How to Support Mighty Oaks Foundation 51:57 - Final Thoughts & Closing LINKS: Jeremy Stalnecker & Mighty Oaks Foundation: https://mightyoaksprograms.org March or Die Podcast: https://www.jeremystalnecker.com/ John Odermatt on Twitter: https://x.com/JohnOdermatt John Odermatt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnodermatt/ Email: John@LionsofLiberty.com Newsletter: https://john-odermatt-finding-freedom.kit.com/105b53c794 SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by Fox and Sons Coffee – fresh, high-quality coffee shipped directly to your door, available as whole bean or ground to your preference. Get 15% off orders of $40 or more with promo code JOHN at checkout. Visit: FoxNSons.com SUPPORT LIONS OF LIBERTY: Help keep this podcast going! We rely on listener support to continue bringing you content on health, freedom, and personal empowerment. Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/lionsofliberty Support us on Locals: https://lionsofliberty.locals.com/ Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen – it makes a huge difference! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Real leadership isn't revealed when things are easy.
0:04.2	It shows up when everything is falling apart.
0:06.6	Today on Finding Freedom, I'll be joined by Jeremy Stallnecker to talk resilience, purpose,
0:13.7	and how to keep moving forward when quitting feels like the easiest option.
0:17.8	Music the easiest option. Hey, what's up, everybody, great to be back with you.
0:49.7	Welcome back to another episode of Finding Freedom.
0:52.8	I, of course, am your host, John Oder Matt, here on the
0:56.2	Lions of Liberty Podcast Network. Got another great show, but before we get into it, before I introduce
1:02.3	my guest for today, I got to tell you guys about Fox & Sons coffee. I have my mug of coffee
1:08.8	here today, drinking my coffee late today it's it's noon and just just delayed
1:13.6	with things didn't make the coffee right away in the morning but uh i always no matter what time
1:18.1	i drink it i always have at least one cup of fox and son's coffee you can get your own delivered
1:23.4	freshly to your door however you prefer it whole bean or ground, and choose from many,
1:29.1	many delicious flavors. Just go to fox and sons.com. That's f-o-x-n-s-o-n-s-o-n-s-s-o-n-s-com. You can get 15% off
1:39.7	an order of $40 or more by using promo code John, J-O-H-N. So go get some coffee today.
1:49.9	All righty, let's bring in my guest for today. My guest is Jeremy Stallnecker. He's a former U.S.
1:56.9	Marine Corps infantry officer, combat veteran, and Executive Director of Mighty Oaks Foundation.
2:04.1	He also has, I think, two podcasts that he's been doing for quite a while.
2:09.1	So we're going to be talking about leadership under pressure, resilience through trauma,
2:12.9	and how to move forward when your world is falling apart.
2:16.3	Jeremy, welcome to finding freedom. John, it's great to be with you, man. Thank you. I really appreciate the opportunity. I want to hear more about that coffee, but maybe we can talk about that later. That was pretty exciting. Coffee is always excited as as coffee. And so that was a man, that was exciting. I know if it weren't for coffee, I wouldn't be able to make it through any part of the day.
2:36.5	So, I mean, maybe that's a problem I have. I don't know. But, yeah, I get it. Yeah, for sure, for sure. All right, Jeremy. Well, let's get into you. My audience, I think most of my audience probably doesn't know a lot about you. So just as a, you know, introduction, you can go as brief or in-depth as you want.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Lions of Liberty, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Lions of Liberty and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.