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Behind The Shield

Rob Sweetman II (Sleep for Performance, Robots in War and Honouring Navy SEAL Ryan Larkin) - Episode 1224

Behind The Shield

James Geering

Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Fitness

4.9695 Ratings

🗓️ 7 April 2026

⏱️ 100 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Rob Sweetman is a former Navy SEAL turned sleep scientist, dedicated to optimizing human performance through the science of sleep. With firsthand experience in high-stakes, sleep-deprived environments, Rob transitioned from special operations to research, earning his MBA and becoming a leading advocate for sleep as a cornerstone of health and readiness.

In this second conversation we discuss his perspective on the pandemic, robots in war, sleep as a performance enhancer, suicide in uniform, 62 Romeo, the Ryan Larkin Invitational Adventure Race and so much more.

As the founder of Sleep Genius, Rob has pioneered innovative sleep solutions tailored for military personnel, first responders, and high-performance professionals. His work bridges cutting-edge technology with ancient wisdom, integrating biometric monitoring, AI-driven optimization, and behavioral science to enhance sleep quality in extreme conditions.

Rob’s expertise extends beyond research—he has advised policymakers, military leaders, and corporate executives on the profound impact of sleep on decision-making, resilience, and longevity. His insights have shaped sleep programs for the military, tactical athletes, and professionals operating in high-risk environments.

Rob created the 62romeo sleep program. The initial pilot study was an instant success. Since then Rob and his team have graduated hundreds of students and help thousands of people, primarily Veterans and First-Responders. Rob was named the "Sleep Genius" after helping a cohort of active duty Navy S.E.A.L.s in the 62romeo program. Since then he has taken on private clients for Sleep Coaching and Keynote Speeches.

​​Rob spends most of his time Sleep Coaching and empowering others to teach sleep science in their circles. Recently, he acquired Happy Canyon Ranch near Telluride Colorado, where he is hosting retreats to help people get back into balance.

https://www.sleepgeni.us/

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to the Behind the Shield podcast. As always, my name's James Gearing. And this week, it is my absolute

0:04.3

honor to welcome back onto the show, Navy SEAL veteran, entrepreneur, and the founder of 62 Romeo,

0:12.9

Robert Sweetman. Now, in this conversation, we discuss a host of topics. From his perspective of the

0:19.9

pandemic, robots in war, the acute and chronic

0:24.7

effects of sleep deprivation, using sleep to forge performance, the Ryan Larkin

0:31.2

invitational adventure race, and so much more. Now before we get to this incredible conversation, as I say every week,

0:39.1

please just take a moment. Go to whichever app you listen to this on, subscribe to the show,

0:45.7

leave feedback and leave a rating. Every single five-star rating truly does elevate this podcast,

0:53.3

therefore making it easier for others to find.

0:56.2

And this is a free library of over 1,200 episodes now. So all I ask in return is that you help

1:05.1

share these incredible men and women's stories so I can get them to every single person on planet Earth who needs to hear them.

1:14.1

So with that being said, I welcome back onto the Behind the Shield podcast.

1:45.2

The last time we spoke was episodes 376.

1:48.6

I'm over 1,200 now.

1:50.2

So that was November 2020.

1:51.9

So we got a lot to catch up on.

1:53.5

So I want to start by welcoming you again.

1:55.6

Thank you, brother.

1:56.3

Thank you for having me.

1:58.0

So where on planet Earth are we finding you this afternoon?

2:00.3

Well, I'm in this

2:01.6

podcast trailer, which could be anywhere technically because now I have Starlink and all the

...

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