Blake Hall

I got a little bit of poison ivy right at the end of bending phase. And I begged the medic to give me some steroids because I'm just super allergic to it. Didn't give me steroids. Poison ivy spreads all over my body. They see that. Then they finally give me the steroids. That weakens my immune system. I get bronchitis.

I got a little bit of poison ivy right at the end of bending phase. And I begged the medic to give me some steroids because I'm just super allergic to it. Didn't give me steroids. Poison ivy spreads all over my body. They see that. Then they finally give me the steroids. That weakens my immune system. I get bronchitis.

And you're carrying these 75 and 80 pound rocks up a mountain in mountain phase. And I could barely breathe. I would see starbursts of color as we crested a ridge because I just couldn't get enough So I was still so proud completing Mountain Phase just as a personal achievement, I think was where I had to dig deepest in terms of grit.

And you're carrying these 75 and 80 pound rocks up a mountain in mountain phase. And I could barely breathe. I would see starbursts of color as we crested a ridge because I just couldn't get enough So I was still so proud completing Mountain Phase just as a personal achievement, I think was where I had to dig deepest in terms of grit.

And it got to the point you jump into Florida Phase and we're jumping into the final phase of Ranger School. The doors are opening. And I just remember I got to this point where... I didn't care if my parachute opened or not because I was that miserable. I just had poison ivy everywhere. I felt terrible. I went at 195 pounds. I graduated at 162. So just starving.

And it got to the point you jump into Florida Phase and we're jumping into the final phase of Ranger School. The doors are opening. And I just remember I got to this point where... I didn't care if my parachute opened or not because I was that miserable. I just had poison ivy everywhere. I felt terrible. I went at 195 pounds. I graduated at 162. So just starving.

And I just remembered, I don't care if it opens or not. But I also realized I would die before I quit. And that's the purpose of that school and what it means to have a ranger tab is it separates people who are just psychologically really tough and resilient. And as a social signal to the men that you lead and to everyone who sees it, it is an indicator that you have grit. And so I think...

And I just remembered, I don't care if it opens or not. But I also realized I would die before I quit. And that's the purpose of that school and what it means to have a ranger tab is it separates people who are just psychologically really tough and resilient. And as a social signal to the men that you lead and to everyone who sees it, it is an indicator that you have grit. And so I think...

As far as what gives you the right to lead, you have to put yourself through a crucible where you can prove to yourself and to your team that you're worthy to lead that tribe. And so I'm super grateful to Ranger School for providing that to me. The other part after the sort of grit part is that the leader has to be the most skilled at whatever it is they do.

As far as what gives you the right to lead, you have to put yourself through a crucible where you can prove to yourself and to your team that you're worthy to lead that tribe. And so I'm super grateful to Ranger School for providing that to me. The other part after the sort of grit part is that the leader has to be the most skilled at whatever it is they do.

And when I showed up and talked to my men, I said, listen, I might not be the fastest. I might not be the best shooter. I might not be the best at combatives, but I'll be damned if I'm not top five and everything. And so you just have to be really good at at what you do across the board. And it's like sports.

And when I showed up and talked to my men, I said, listen, I might not be the fastest. I might not be the best shooter. I might not be the best at combatives, but I'll be damned if I'm not top five and everything. And so you just have to be really good at at what you do across the board. And it's like sports.

The team captain isn't necessarily the best player on the team, but they're one of the best players. And so I think that combination of grit and skill really matters. The hard part now about being a founder is if you're fortunate enough to scale, you take on more and more scope and the skills you need to be effective. And so you need to be a relentless learner.

The team captain isn't necessarily the best player on the team, but they're one of the best players. And so I think that combination of grit and skill really matters. The hard part now about being a founder is if you're fortunate enough to scale, you take on more and more scope and the skills you need to be effective. And so you need to be a relentless learner.

But I think at the core, if you care about people, if you have the grit yourself where you'll put in whatever hours it takes, you'll never give up. And then you are curious and you're capable of learning the skill that you need. You got to do all three and you've got to do it in an excellent fashion if you want to keep up with what is required to lead a team and to be an effective leader.

But I think at the core, if you care about people, if you have the grit yourself where you'll put in whatever hours it takes, you'll never give up. And then you are curious and you're capable of learning the skill that you need. You got to do all three and you've got to do it in an excellent fashion if you want to keep up with what is required to lead a team and to be an effective leader.

In Iraq, where the stakes were my men's life, there wasn't anything I wasn't willing to do to prepare myself for that. And I think those habits that were so deeply set from when I was a young man in my early 20s have carried through to today.

In Iraq, where the stakes were my men's life, there wasn't anything I wasn't willing to do to prepare myself for that. And I think those habits that were so deeply set from when I was a young man in my early 20s have carried through to today.

Yeah. My buddy, Phil Schneider, is my worst day in Iraq. We were in a neighborhood called Dora, which the LA Times referred to as Al Qaeda's Alamo in Baghdad. And we were 13 months into combat. We took more casualties in two weeks in that neighborhood, like a three by five kilometer box. And we take it in the 13 months. It was literally hell.

Yeah. My buddy, Phil Schneider, is my worst day in Iraq. We were in a neighborhood called Dora, which the LA Times referred to as Al Qaeda's Alamo in Baghdad. And we were 13 months into combat. We took more casualties in two weeks in that neighborhood, like a three by five kilometer box. And we take it in the 13 months. It was literally hell.