In this Heroic Plus One podcast episode, Brian Johnson shares a personal highlight from a Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week event in Orlando, where he interacted with General Brian P. Fenton, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. He describes the General’s extraordinary presence, humility, and the impact it had on him, leading Brian to keep a portrait of the General alongside philosophical icons as a daily reminder. Mid‑story, a security head named Joe, who thought Brian might be dead because a daily email hadn’t arrived, spots him live on air, giving Brian a goose‑bumps moment that underscores the importance of consistency. Brian distills the experience into two actionable principles: show up with extraordinary presence and maintain consistent daily habits. He closes with a call to subscribe, visit heroic.us for a library of his 20‑year‑old wisdom, and engage with Heroic’s training programs, framing the episode as Day 1 of an all‑in commitment to living heroically.
Chapters
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Heroic Plus One. In our last Plus One, we relaunched the Plus One series while doing the dishes. Now, as I typed out that Plus One, I thought of one of the highlights of my life. It was a couple years ago in Orlando, Florida, at a big Special Operations Forces event called SOF Week. Thousands of the most elite warriors in the world from dozens of countries gathered to connect. Now, I've had the privilege of serving some of the commanding officers of our military, and I was in attendance. General Brian P. Fenton, the four-star general who was commanding the United States Special Operations Command at the time, gave the welcome keynote with his right-hand guy, Command Sergeant Major Shane W. Shorter. After the keynote, I sent the general a text letting him know how much I appreciated his wisdom. Then I spent some time hanging out with my Spartan friend Joe DeSena, who happened to be there as well. Long story shorter. And getting to the point of my story, the general texted me back and encouraged me to cruise back so we could say a quick hello. So I followed his orders and dutifully returned to the main hall, and a lot of people were in line waiting to spend a minute or 3 with the general. And I vividly remember standing there in awe at the incredible presence with which the general connected with every single person. I literally got tears in my eyes typing that, thinking about his presence. Now, General Fenton, He's one of the most powerful military leaders in the world, and he's one of the most present, humble, loving human beings I've ever met. Ever since that day, I strive to be like him when I attend one of our heroic events and have the opportunity to connect with our community. And fun fact, I have a heroic portrait of the general on my office wall next to Maslow, Emerson, Campbell, and Epictetus as a reminder of the qualities I aspire to embody. So now for the lifetime highlight moment. I'm standing behind the scenes watching the General do his thing. Then out of nowhere, I hear someone yell in my direction, you're live! Got goosebumps typing that. And startled, I look around and I saw a guy walking up to me with a big smile. His name is Joe. He was the head of security for the General. And he tells me that in one of my plus ones, I said that if you don't get a daily email from me, assume I'm dead. He started his day so early that morning that our plus one hadn't been delivered yet, and he thought I was dead. So when he saw me, he was relieved I was alive. And I share that story because showing up with that type of consistency is one of the things I am most proud of and most committed to embodying again in these plus ones. And that's today's plus one. 2 things. Number one, here's to showing up. With extraordinary presence and love today. And number 2, here's to consistency. I'll see you tomorrow. Day 1, all in. Let's go. Hey, this is Brian. Thanks for spending a few minutes with me today. If you enjoyed it, please hit subscribe so that the best of the show keeps landing in your feed. Then head over to heroic.us. That's heroic.us, where you'll find the full library of wisdom I've created over the last 20 years. As well as the app, advanced training programs, coaching, and everything else we've built to help you optimize your life, actualize your potential, and live heroically. It is day 1. We are all in. Let's go.
