502: Chris Power—The Other Hadrian's Wall

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Roman Emperor Hadrian built a wall to protect the empire's northern frontier. Today, another Hadrian is building something very different—but with a similar purpose: helping protect America by rebuilding its industrial strength. Chris Power is the founder and CEO of Hadrian, an advanced manufacturing company using AI and automation to produce critical components for America's aerospace and defense industries. Born in Australia, Chris believes America is the greatest country in the world—and he's determined to help keep it that way. His mission is to reinvigorate America's industrial base, starting with the Defense Industrial Base. Chris joins Mike to discuss manufacturing, national security, and why America's ability to defend itself ultimately depends on its ability to make things. Because sometimes the best defense isn't another wall. It's the ability to make what you need, when you need it. Many thanks to our excellent sponsors GoodRanchers.com/ROWE—100% of their meat from American farms and ranches and delivered straight to your door. Start your plan and get a free Ground Beef Bundle with your firs order. Good Ranchers—American meat delivered. ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe—The recruiting site that really is the smartest way to hire. Post a job for FREE and find a qualified candidate in 24 hours.

Andy Stumpf knows what it takes to operate when everything goes wrong. A former Navy SEAL who served with SEAL Team Six, Stumpf spent 17 years in the military, including a tour as a BUD/S instructor responsible for training hundreds of aspiring SEALs. He was also shot at close range by an Iraqi insurgent with an AK-47—and somehow came back to serve again. In this episode, Andy pulls back the curtain on the world of special operations and the psychology of becoming a SEAL. He reveals what he learned about the candidates who ring the bell, the methods he used as an instructor to get them to keep going—or make them quit—and what it really feels like when an AK-47 fragment shatters your sciatic nerve. It's a conversation about fear, pain, endurance, and the strange things that happen in your head when the stakes couldn't be higher. Andy is the host of Cleared Hot, one of the most popular podcasts devoted to military life, special operations, and the people who have lived it. Big thanks to our terrific sponsors American-Giant.com/Mike—American Giant makes clothes that last, and they make them 100% in America.Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order. American Giant—American Made. K12.com/Rowe—Find a K12-powered school near you and see what's possible for your child with K12's Career and College Prep. Digs.com/MIKE—Less rework. Less confusion. And a much smoother build experience for homeowners. Get 40% offyour first 3 months

What happens when your son drops out of MIT at 19, starts a defense company in his twenties, and sets out to reinvent the way America builds weapons? If you're Tamara Thornton, you get a job. In this episode, Mike sits down with the Head of Marketing and Communications at Mach Industries, Tamara Thornton, who also happens to be the mother of the founder and CEO, Ethan Thornton. Ethan's decision to leave MIT and pursue his vision for Mach has led to a company now valued at $1.8 billion. But the story gets more interesting when you hear it from his mother—and learn what Ethan was like long before he became a CEO. It's a revealing and often surprising conversation about family, ambition, risk, failure, manufacturing, and the remarkable journey from a kid who liked to blow stuff up to the leader of one of America's fastest-growing defense companies. At the center of it all is a fascinating question: What happens when the son you raised becomes your boss? Shout out to our great sponsors PureTalk.com/ROWE—Switch your phone service today and enjoy your first three months of talk, text, and data for just $15 a month regardless of which plan you choose. BuildFreedom.us—The best place to find a six-figure, AI-proof job. Build your future. Rebuild America.

What do a Home Depot employee and a satellite have in common? More than you might think. In this episode, Mike Rowe talks with two CEOs about the people and technology quietly building the future around us. First, Mike sits down with Ted Decker, CEO of The Home Depot, to talk about workforce development, the company's "inverted pyramid" philosophy—where frontline associates and customers sit at the top and management exists to support them—and why developing people from the ground up is central to the company's success. Decker also explains the story behind Home Depot's Kids Workshop program, which has introduced generations of young people to tools, building, and the satisfaction of making something with their own hands. Then Mike talks with Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree Ian Cinnamon, CEO and co-founder of Apex, a company tackling one of the space industry's biggest challenges: making satellites faster and at much greater scale. Cinnamon explains just how many aspects of everyday life depend on satellites—from communications and navigation to weather and national security—and why getting more capable spacecraft into orbit is becoming increasingly important. From the aisles of Home Depot to the edge of space, this is a conversation about building things, building people, and building what comes next. Shout out to our great sponsors K12.com/Rowe—Find a K12-powered school near you and see what's possible for your child with K12's Career and College Prep. ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe—The recruiting site that really is the smartest way to hire. Post a job for FREE and find a qualified candidate in 24 hours. GoodRanchers.com/ROWE—Sourcing 100% of their meat from American farms and ranches and delivering straight to your door. Get $50 off anything on their site and get DOUBLE the FREE meat with every order when you start a plan. CamelCityMill.com—The last work sock you'll ever need. 100% American made with a 10-year warranty.  Use code ROWE for 10% off Mike's favorite work sock.

What exactly is communism—and why has it failed so spectacularly everywhere it's been tried? Bill Whittle has spent years answering those questions, and in this episode, he makes the case in a way that's hard to misunderstand. Bill is a writer, filmmaker, and political commentator whose work includes Empire of Terror, a detailed examination of the history and ideology of communism. Here, he breaks down the fundamental differences between individualism and collectivism, explains how free markets actually work, and makes the case for capitalism and the constitutional republic that makes it possible. Using simple analogies, memorable examples, and plenty of common sense, Bill tackles some very complicated ideas without burying them in complicated language. Why does individual freedom matter? Why do markets work without a central planner telling everyone what to do? And what happens when a government decides that the collective is more important than the individual? If you've ever wondered why capitalism works, why communism doesn't, or how the two systems actually differ in practice, Bill Whittle has a few answers—and he makes them surprisingly easy to understand. Big thanks to our terrific sponsors PureTalk.com/ROWE—Switch your phone service today and enjoy your first three months of talk, text, and data for just $15 a month regardless of which plan you choose. NetSuite.AI/MIKE—The #1 Cloud ER. If your revenues are at least in the seven figures, try NetSuite Nextfor FREE. AuraFrames.com—Named the #1 digital picture frame by Wirecutter. Use code MIKE to get $35 off select frames plus FREE shipping. Digs.com/MIKE—Less rework. Less confusion. And a much smoother build experience for homeowners. Get 40% offyour first 3 months

Ethan Thornton doesn't shy away from problems—he goes looking for them. At just 22, the founder of Mach Industries is tackling some of the biggest challenges in American defense manufacturing, rethinking how weapons are designed, built, and produced. In this episode, Ethan takes Mike deep into the problem he believes America can no longer afford to ignore: How did we get to a place where China has such an enormous advantage in manufacturing, production capacity, and the ability to produce things at scale? And, more importantly, what are we going to do about it? Ethan explains why the future of American defense may depend less on building increasingly sophisticated—and increasingly expensive—weapons, and more on figuring out how to build more capable weapons that cost dramatically less. He breaks down the theory behind that approach, why affordability and scale can be weapons in their own right, and why innovation in defense manufacturing isn't simply about creating better technology—it's about changing the economics of warfare. And that may be the biggest problem Ethan is trying to solve: not simply how to build the next generation of weapons, but how to build them faster, cheaper, and at a scale that can restore America's manufacturing advantage. Because when it comes to solving big problems, Ethan doesn't just like a challenge—he likes a lotta problems. Big thanks to our awesome sponsors ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe—The recruiting site that really is the smartest way to hire. Post a job for FREE and find a qualified candidate in 24 hours. American-Giant.com/Mike—American Giant makes clothes that last, and they make them 100% in America.Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order. American Giant—American Made. GoodRanchers.com/ROWE—Sourcing 100% of their meat from American farms and ranches and delivering straight to your door. Get $50 off anything on their site and get DOUBLE the FREE meat with every order when you start a plan. K12.com/Rowe—Find a K12-powered school near you and see what's possible for your child with K12's Career and College Prep.  

For decades, Americans have been told that cholesterol is public enemy number one. But cardiologist and heart surgeon Dr. Philip Ovadia says we've been fighting the wrong battle. Despite decades of lowering cholesterol with drugs and dietary advice, heart disease remains the #1 killer in America—and Dr. Ovadia believes it's time to rethink what's really making us sick. After losing more than 100 pounds by adopting a diet centered primarily on meat, Dr. Ovadia began challenging conventional wisdom about cholesterol, nutrition, and metabolic health. Mike sits down with the bestselling author of Stay Off My Operating Table to discuss why he believes insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction—not cholesterol—are driving the epidemic of heart disease. They also dive into his new book, Stay Off My Kitchen Table, available today, and explore why his message has become one of the most talked-about—and controversial—in modern medicine. Tip o' the hat to our excellent sponsors Pure Talk—Switch your phone service today and enjoy your first three months of talk, text, and data for just $15 a month. Go to PureTalk.com/ROWE NetSuite—The #1 Cloud ER. If your revenues are at least in the seven figures, go to NetSuite.AI/MIKE and try NetSuite Next for FREE. GoodRanchers.com/ROWE—Sourcing 100% of their meat from American farms and ranches and delivering straight to your door. Get $50 off anything on their site and get DOUBLE the FREE meat with every order when you start a plan.

Todd Rose, bestselling author of Collective Illusions, former Harvard professor, and co-founder of Populace, joins Mike for a conversation about the surprising gap between what people really believe and what they think everyone else believes. Together they explore the collective illusions that shape our society, the barriers that keep us from living our best lives, and the disconnect between public perception and private conviction. They also dive into Todd's newest brainchild, Be The People, a growing movement that empowers ordinary citizens to bridge divides, strengthen their communities, and prove that meaningful change often begins with one good thing. Follow Be The People on Instagram to see how Americans are coming together to solve problems, strengthen their communities, and help one another. You might even find your own way in. Today's episode is sponsored by ZipRecruiter—The recruiting site that really is the smartest way to hire. Post a job for FREE and find a qualified candidate in 24 hours. Good Ranchers—Sourcing 100% of their meat from American farms and ranches and delivering straight to your door. Use code MIKE for free meat for life and $50 off your first order. K12 Powered Schools— Find a K12-powered school near you and see what's possible for your child with K12's Career and College Prep at https://k12.com/rowe

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joins Mike for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of the U.S. economy, the ideas behind his influential speech While America Slept, and the policies he believes can restore long-term American prosperity. Then they take a deep dive into the new Trump Accounts—how they work, who qualifies, and why Secretary Bessent believes they could give the next generation a stronger financial foundation. Many thanks to our excellent sponsors Pure Talk—Switch your phone service today and enjoy your first three months of talk, text, and data for just $15 a month. Go to PureTalk.com/ROWE An Army of Normal Folks—The feel-good podcast that makes being of service easier for all of us. Digs—Less rework. Less confusion. And a much smoother build experience for homeowners. Visit Digs.com/Mike to get 40% off your first 3 months

Vice President JD Vance joins Mike for a wide-ranging conversation about faith, family, and the future of America. From the dignity of work and the lessons he learned in the Marine Corps to his return to Christianity and the deeply personal journey that inspired his new book, Communion, Vance reflects on the people and experiences that shaped him. He also explains why America's energy future may determine whether we can keep pace with China in the decades ahead. Big thanks to our terrific sponsors K12 Powered Schools— Find a K12-powered school near you and see what's possible for your child with K12's Career and College Prep at https://k12.com/rowe An Army of Normal Folks—The feel-good podcast that makes being of service easier for all of us. Good Ranchers—Sourcing 100% of their meat from American farms and ranches and delivering straight to your door. Use code MIKE for free meat for life and $50 off your first order. ZipRecruiter—The recruiting site that really is the smartest way to hire. Post a job for FREE and find a qualified candidate in 24 hours.