Episode 087 – Leading Through Chaos, Carrying the Burden, and Knowing When to Walk Away

In this episode of the JP Dinnell Podcast, JP and Lucas deliver one of their most transparent and hard-hitting conversations yet — tackling what it means to lead when the burden gets heavy, the mission gets messy, and the relationships around you start shifting.

Coming off a powerful FTX leadership training event, JP shares behind-the-scenes lessons on clarity under chaos, how most leaders fail when pressure hits, and why leadership isn’t just about serving others — it’s about protecting your standards, your team, and your time.

They also dig into the hard truth about relationships: not everyone can go where you're going, and sometimes, leadership means cutting ties with people who don’t align with your mission — even if they’re good people.
🔥 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What Extreme Ownership looks like in real-world leadership
✅ Why most leaders fall into chaos—and how to fight your way out
✅ When “servant leadership” becomes weakness, not strength
✅ How to tell if you're working harder than your team
✅ The importance of accountability with clarity in all communication
✅ How JP handled walking away from close relationships that weren’t mission-aligned
✅ The truth about value, loyalty, and leadership that lasts
💡 Who This Is For:

✔️ Business leaders, entrepreneurs, and team builders
✔️ Men seeking to lead their families with strength and purpose
✔️ First responders, veterans, and high-performers under pressure
✔️ Anyone trying to balance discipline, leadership, and self-worth
✔️ Viewers of the Jocko Podcast, Echelon Front, and Extreme Ownership content
📢 Join the Mission

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“Leadership will break you… if you let it. But if you carry it right, it will shape you into who you’re called to be.” – JP Dinnell

#JPdinnellPodcast #ExtremeOwnership #Leadership #DisciplineEqualsFreedom #ServantLeadership #FTX #MissionMinded #FaithAndLeadership #EchelonFront #JockoPodcast #MenOfPurpose

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JP Dinnell is a former U.S. Navy SEAL and now a Leadership Instructor, Speaker and Strategic Advisor with Echelon Front, where he serves as Director of Experiential Leadership Training Programs.

J.P. is also a pro team athlete and spokesperson for Origin Maine and Jocko Fuel, an American clothing and supplement company.

J.P. has a signature Energy Drink flavor “Sour Apple Sniper” with Jocko Fuel.
Jeremiah spent nearly a decade in the SEAL Teams with three combat deployments. Sent to the violent terrorist stronghold of Ar Ramadi, Iraq in 2006 with SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser, J.P. served as point man, machine gunner, and lead sniper for Delta Platoon opposite the American Sniper, Chris Kyle, who was in Charlie Platoon.

For his leadership and courage under fire, JP was awarded a Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars with Valor and the Army Commendation Medal with Valor helping Task Unit Bruiser to become the most highly decorated special operations unit of the Iraq War.

He worked closely with SEAL Officers Jocko Willink, his Task Unit Commander, and Leif Babin, and was the driving force on many of the daring combat operations Jocko and Leif wrote about in Extreme Ownership.

Upon his return, J.P. again worked directly for Jocko as a training instructor at Naval Special Warfare Group One Training Detachment, where he orchestrated realistic and challenging training scenarios for Special Operations Urban Combat training and Close Quarters Combat training to better prepare SEAL units for the real-world battlefield. He also served as a Combatives Instructor, Marksmanship Instructor and earned his Master Trainer Specialist qualification while helping Jocko rebuild and enhance these training programs into the highly effective platforms they are today.

J.P. brings exceptional experience and frontline leadership perspective from the winning mindset and culture of Task Unit Bruiser.