Episode 102: Lessons from the Battlefield to Business and Life | Tom Hruby

Tom Hruby, ex-Navy SEAL, entrepreneur, author, and former Division I football player, joins Bo for a conversation about discipline, purpose, leadership, and building a meaningful life after the military. Tom shares his journey from working construction in Northwest Indiana to pursuing the SEAL teams after 9/11, surviving the grueling BUD/S pipeline, deploying to Afghanistan and Iraq, and eventually accomplishing another unlikely goal—playing Big Ten football at Northwestern in his 30s. 

In this episode, Tom shares the mindset that helped him push through seemingly impossible challenges, what his military career taught him about leadership, and why those lessons have to be adapted rather than blindly copied into civilian life. He also discusses entrepreneurship, taking over his family’s childcare business, protecting curiosity and confidence in young children, rethinking traditional education, and writing The Breacher’s Playbook series as a way to explore lessons about service, purpose, and life through fiction. 

Guest Resources

Instagram: @thruby33
Website: tactical16.com 
Books: The Breacher’s Playbook series — available through Tactical 16 Publishing, Amazon, and other book retailers. 

Value Bombs

Decide Before It Gets Hard: Tom’s ability to endure difficult challenges came from deciding what he was going to accomplish before the obstacles arrived.

Refuse to Be Meaningless: After standing on the sidelines during a painful high school football loss, Tom decided he would put himself in positions where he could contribute and make a difference. 

If Someone Else Did It, There’s a Path: When recruiters made becoming a SEAL difficult, Tom’s mindset was simple: someone else had accomplished it, which meant he could find a way too. 

Hold the Vision: Big goals require maintaining a clear vision long enough for other people to understand it, buy into it, and help make it real. 

Adapt Leadership to the Environment: Military leadership principles can be valuable in business, but methods designed for SEAL teams don’t automatically translate to civilian teams.

Hardship Can Build Teams: Shared difficult experiences create bonds, but great leaders must find productive and sustainable ways to create those experiences outside the military. 

Protect Childhood Curiosity: Tom believes young children naturally possess curiosity, excitement, and openness—and adults should preserve that spark for as long as possible. 

Nothing Is Truly Wasted: Experiences that look like failures can be recycled into future ideas, lessons, opportunities, and growth. 

Sponsors

Grit Fitness
Elevate your fitness with cutting edge training and expert coaching.

D3 Capital
Unlock sophisticated investment strategies designed to protect and grow your wealth.

Show Notes

00:00 – Tom’s upbringing, working construction, and how 9/11 solidified his decision to pursue military service.

08:00 – Inside BUD/S, its extreme attrition rate, and the physical and psychological challenges of becoming a Navy SEAL.

18:00 – How David Goggins pushed Tom to pursue his dream of attending Northwestern and playing Division I football in his 30s.

23:00 – The high school football loss that shaped Tom’s refusal to feel helpless or meaningless again.

29:00 – Deploying with SEAL Team One to Afghanistan and supporting operations connected to the search for Osama bin Laden.

37:00 – Looking back on Afghanistan, foreign intervention, and why lasting change ultimately has to come from within.

46:00 – What the SEAL teams taught Tom about leadership—and why military methods must be adapted for civilian life and business.

52:00 – Tom’s post-military entrepreneurial path through solar distribution, mining, real estate, and eventually his family business.

57:00 – Taking over his family’s childcare center, creating meaningful experiences for children, and preserving their natural curiosity.

01:08:00 – Alternative education, creating new pathways for kids, Tom’s books, and why meaningful change requires someone willing to challenge the status quo. 

Killer Resources

D3 Capital eBook: Master tax reduction and long term wealth strategies.

Grit Fitness Blog: Training, recovery, and performance insights from elite coaches.

Performance & Wellness Picks

Mental Commitment: Physical ability matters, but deciding that quitting is not an option can change what you’re capable of enduring.

Purpose-Driven Performance: Tom’s biggest accomplishments came from attaching difficult goals to a larger sense of purpose rather than chasing achievement alone.

Adaptability: Whether moving from the SEAL teams to business or taking over a decades-old family company, success requires keeping the useful lessons while letting go of approaches that no longer fit.

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