Team,

To be real, #realtalk, I don’t spend all of my free time on JOF, but I do spend lots (probably too much) of my free time on the internet. The term “influencers” is big in recent years as social media has… meh… too much. We’ll leave it at this: It’s not new. Joseph Klapper (sp?) turned the phrase with his work on “mass communication” back in the 1960’s. What I want to know is who is influencing you/us? It should NOT be all military. “Leader Huddle” podcast is dope! But, so are a thousand other outlets from really smart, really insightful “influencers.” Below is my curated list of “influencers” and why I like their content. If any of these names are new to you, take a look.

Physical Training:

I’m going to start controversial, Brooke Ence. Brooke is boss @$$ in the gym, but she’s also real as eff in these videos. Her YouTube channel might be better in the “Lifestyle” category, but she’s a CrossFit athlete. So, I put her here. Do I do follow her workouts? No. Do I use them to motivate me in the gym? Yes. Do I aspire to a life like hers in sunny Santa Cruz… #theburritosarecalling

The Army is a full-contact profession, and many days you play hurt. Tweaks, tears, dislocations… it’s for the love of the game. The team @ChiroStrength put out #killer Insta content on pre-hab/re-hab/mobility/flexibity… all the stuff with the foam rolling and warrior pose… all of it.

Nick Bare is a former infantry officer. Now, he owns a successful supplements company. He also puts out workout plans that are legit. I appreciate his transparency in his business and product development. #respect Try the marathon training plan, I dare you. Also, try the overnight oats recipe, it’s delicious.

Mountain Tactical Institute has SO much, you just have to go there to find what might work for you. They also have some active YouTube and Twitter channels with #protips and so forth.

Productivity:

I really like the productivity content from Thomas Frank. The techniques he presents are straight forward and researched. The pomodoro technique is a game changer. Name one thing that significantly improved your productivity –> A kitchen timer sitting on my desk. #JustTryIt

My brain won’t let me walk and chew gum at the same time, but I also have trouble getting into a work “flow” without some sort of ambient sound. If the jam is too good I’m motivated but distracted. If the jam is too mellow I’m drooling on the keyboard in ten minutes. So, for me, Greenred produces the right type of study/work music. I also like that it’s 3-hour clips. There are others like AlexRainBird, totally my jam, for low-intensity work and writing on the weekends.

Eating Well:

I am NOT “paleo,” but I found Paleo Nick’s content one day and I LOVE the videos and recipes. You can subscribe or something for money. I wait around for the free content every week. Meal prep. Chef skills. Simple recipes. Healthy eating. It’s all there.

I am also NOT “vegan,” but I also don’t eat a steak every night for dinner. So, when I find a yummy vegan recipe I’m down for grubbin’ and the recipes from the “Vegan Stoner” never let me down. #flavortown

Lifestyle:

Pick Up Limes belongs in the “eating well” and “lifestyle” categories. Sadia has content on just about every social media platform and it is all good. The recipes are great. The productivity tips are simple. The zen is so ohmmmmmmm…

I (like all millennials) am into the whole DIY-“builder” thing. I have Ryobi tools and stuff. There are about a half-dozen “influencers” I follow for this. But the videos I enjoy the most are definitely the videos from Chris Salomone. Thanks to his great editing, his videos are always marvelous. #workshopfantasy

Professional Education:

There is no such thing as unbiased news. Some news sources are a bit more biased than others. You figure out where the outlets lean and how to curate your news through healthy exposure to content. Professionals stay informed on world events, but you don’t need a graduate degree in global politics. Here are some straight forward news sources – Reuters, AP Newsfeed, BBC.

Covered before, but there are a number of quality security and defense, leadership, professional article type of blogs worth getting in your inbox once a week. I don’t read every article, but there’s usually something of interest. I’m not going to link all these, you can google them easy enough. Small Wars Journal, War on the Rocks, Strategy Bridge, From the Green Notebook, Military Leader… I have all these come to a specific folder in my inbox. I go to that folder once a week and either read or save to Evernote articles I like.

Finally, an oldy but goody, Tim Ferriss. I actually don’t consume much of his digital content, but I own all of his books and use them as resource material for #lifehacking or whatever. The dude’s been in the game for a hot minute and has quality content on every platform. As a final bonus, @GaryVee’s always got some no-holds-barred daily motivation poppin’ hot on Instagram.

That’s it from me.

What’s influencing you?

~Jeff

BOLC Topic Lead