Forged with Pasha & Mick

Anybody Can Get Up, But Not Everyone Stands Up with Colonel Greg Gadson

pasha@pashapalanker.com (Pasha Palanker) — Wed, 9 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Some people survive the worst day of their life. Colonel Greg Gadson (U.S. Army, Ret.) decided to keep living his. A West Point linebacker turned field artillery officer, Greg served this nation for more than 25 years and was commanding the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery in Baghdad in May 2007 when an IED took both of his legs above the knee and the normal use of his right arm and hand. He took 129 pints of blood. He died on the table six times. And then he went back to work, serving another seven-plus years in uniform, leading the Army Wounded Warrior Program, and retiring as Garrison Commander of Fort Belvoir. Along the way he became the spark behind the 2007 New York Giants’ improbable Super Bowl run (two rings, and Mick still hasn’t forgiven him), starred in a major motion picture, wrote Finding Waypoints, and became one of the most respected voices in the veteran community. In this conversation with Pasha and Mick, Greg gets underneath the highlight reel: the humbling of needing help to eat, the faith that lifted hate off his heart before he even knew he was healing, and why he says he is freer now than he ever was with two legs. This one will sit with you.

What This Episode Will Forge In You:

No Single Moment Defines You; Your Decision Does: Greg is clear that there is no magic in one bad day. Adversity always carries the potential to change you, but the direction is yours to choose. Victim or conqueror, quit or keep going, that’s a decision you own in every circumstance, and it gets easier to make when you’ve done the work and surrounded yourself with the right people.
It Takes Courage to Ask for Help: Going from battalion commander to needing help eating and getting to the bathroom was the most humbling stretch of Greg’s life. His challenge to the rest of us is blunt: if you’d gladly help someone else but refuse the same help yourself, look at why. Asking is the first and most significant step, and the idea that you’ve done any of this alone was never true to begin with.
Resilience Is Built Long Before You Need It: Resilience isn’t a switch you flip on the worst day, it’s character you deposit into daily by challenging yourself and holding yourself accountable. And part of that account is acceptance. Greg credits his faith for lifting hate off his heart, because holding on to “why me” drags an invisible anchor that bleeds the very resilience you’re trying to spend.

Quotes That Hit Like A Hammer:

“Sometimes you’re the victim or you’re the conqueror. You quit or you keep going on. Those are all decisions that we own in every circumstance.”

“It takes no courage not to ask for help. It takes courage to ask.”

“Our lives are not about what we accomplish or what we achieve, they’re about what we leave. And that is the definition of legacy.”

Questions This Episode Answers:

Does one moment really define who you become or is it what you decide afterward?
How do you keep an injury, a loss, or a setback from becoming your identity?
What’s the difference between getting up and standing up?
Why is asking for help harder than giving it, and where do you find the courage?
What do most people get wrong about resilience?
How do you let go of “why me” without ever getting an answer?
How does a wounded battalion commander end up sparking a Super Bowl run?
What should service members be doing before the uniform comes off?
What does legacy actually mean if it isn’t your list of accomplishments?
How do you stay present when your mind keeps dragging you backward or forward?

Connect & Discover Greg:

Book: Finding Waypoints: A Warrior’s Journey Toward Peace and Purpose

Publisher: schaffnerpress.com/books/finding-waypoints

Speaking: leadingauthorities.com/speakers/greg-gadson

Speaking: apbspeakers.com/speaker/colonel-greg-gadson

Organizations Greg Stands Behind:

These are the five Greg named on the episode organizations he says use every donation the right way.

Robert Irvine Foundation: robertirvinefoundation.org

Hope For The Warriors: hopeforthewarriors.org

Gary Sinise Foundation: garysinisefoundation.org

Vail Veterans Program: vailveteransprogram.org

Semper Fi & America’s Fund: thefund.org

FOLLOW FORGED:

Pasha Palanker

Website: pashapalanker.com

Instagram: @pashapalanker

Mick Hunt

Website: MickHuntOfficial.com

Instagram: @mickunplugged

LinkedIn: @mickhunt

If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs it. And do something, a call, an email, a shout-out, a hello. Everything doesn’t have to be a monetary investment. Let’s support humans doing great things.

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From Rock Bottom to Purpose with Pasha Palanker

pasha@pashapalanker.com (Pasha Palanker) — Wed, 2 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000

In episode two of Forged, Mick Hunt turns the mic on his co-host and digs into the origin story of Pasha Palanker. A Soviet-born immigrant who chased strength through the U.S. Army and special operations, Pasha came home from combat decorated as a hero and quietly carrying wounds no one could see. This conversation goes to the places most people never talk about: the suicide bomber two feet from his vehicle, the years of neglected PTSD, the breakdown that landed him in a psychiatric ward during the isolation of 2020, and the single decision to get in his car that changed the trajectory of his life. Pasha shares how he rebuilt himself through running, journaling, vulnerability, and a hard-won belief that the most important person to show up for you is you. This is a raw, honest look at how the darkest moments can forge the strongest version of who you are meant to become.

Forging Moments:

0:00 Welcome to Forged and Why Pressure Forges Character

0:37 Setting Up Pasha's Origin Story

1:54 Who Were You Before the World Knew Your Name

3:04 What Shaped Pasha Growing Up

5:25 Chasing Acceptance and the Urge to Serve

7:44 Learning What Manhood Looks Like Without a Dad

8:50 Into the Forging Moment

10:10 Face to Face With a Suicide Bomber

11:50 The Imprint Combat Left Behind

12:51 Hitting Rock Bottom

15:25 The Shift Before Driving to Walter Reed

16:10 His Kids, Flawed Logic, and Nothing to Lose

18:31 Inside the Psychiatric Ward

20:40 The Puzzle That Settled His Mind

23:10 Naming the Real Rock Bottom

25:00 From Forging to Rebuilding

25:58 The Forrest Gump Run That Became a Lifeline

27:26 The LinkedIn Post That Reached Half a Million

30:18 Why the Most Important Person Is You

33:17 Legacy, Impact, and What He Fights For

35:20 Changing the Perception of Hard Moments

38:33 The Scar He Is Most Proud Of

41:42 Closing Words and the Scotland Yomp

45:19 The Fire May Be the Forging Thing You Need

What This Episode Will Forge In You:

• Real strength is built inward, not in combat: Pasha chased toughness through the Army and special operations, but discovered that the strength he was looking for was only forged when he was forced to face himself. That inner journey is available to everyone, no uniform required.

• One small decision can change everything: Between believing his family was better off without him and choosing to drive himself to the hospital, something shifted. The lesson is that you do not have to solve everything at once, you just have to take the next small step.

• The most important person to show up for is you: Pasha credits a circle of people who stood beside him, but insists the foundation was learning to show up for himself, even through gestures as small as a daily walk. Self-belief is what makes the rest possible.

Quotes That Hit Like a Hammer:

“Pressure doesn't just reveal character. It forges it.”

“All the things that I was searching for in joining the army and becoming a man, that's where they were born. It was in that struggle.”

“It's amazing how a small decision to get in my car changed the trajectory of my life.”

“The most important person to be there for you is you.”

“The scar I'm most proud of is invisible.”

Questions This Episode Answers:

• Who was Pasha Palanker before he became a special operations veteran and speaker?

• What did Pasha learn about real strength that combat never taught him?

• How does years of neglected PTSD lead to a breakdown, and what are the warning signs?

• What shifted in Pasha's mind in the moment before he drove himself to get help?

• What actually happens inside a psychiatric ward, and how did a puzzle help him heal?

• How do you begin rebuilding yourself after hitting rock bottom?

• Why does Pasha say the most important person to show up for is you?

• How can the hardest moments of your life become the thing that forges your purpose?

• Why is Pasha so committed to talking openly about mental health and veteran suicide?

This episode discusses mental health, PTSD, and suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (dial 988) in the US for free, confidential support, available 24/7. Veterans can press 1 after dialing to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.

Connect & Discover Pasha:

Website:pashapalanker.com

Instagram:@pashapalanker

LinkedIn:Pasha Palanker

FOLLOW MICK ON:

Spotify:MickUnplugged

Instagram:@mickunplugged

Facebook:@mickunplugged

YouTube:@MickUnpluggedPodcast

LinkedIn:@mickhunt

Website:MickHuntOfficial.com

Website:howtobeagoodleader.com

Website:Leadloudseries.com

Apple:MickUnplugged

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The Promise That Forged a Leader with Mick Hunt

pasha@pashapalanker.com (Pasha Palanker) — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000

In the very first episode of Forged, Pasha Palanker turns the mic on his co-host and asks the question everyone wonders but rarely gets answered: who was Mick Hunt before the world knew his name? What follows is raw, unscripted, and real. Mick walks back to the moment at ten years old when he watched his mother almost give up, and the promise he made that day that would shape every decision since. From becoming the quietest, most observant kid in the room to nearly losing a team of 500 employees as a CEO who got leadership wrong, Mick lays out the two forging moments that built him. This is a conversation about responsibility, presence, emotional intelligence, and the kind of leadership that only comes from looking in the mirror and choosing to change. If you are in a hard moment right now, this one is for you.

Forging Moments (Chapters):

0:00 Welcome to Forged: Why Pasha and Mick Built This

1:12 The Format and the First Episode Twist

1:40 Who Were You Before the World Knew Your Name

1:58 The Promise at Ten Years Old

3:10 Where a Kid Finds That Kind of Strength

4:13 Becoming Observant and Understanding Emotions

5:22 Taking Responsibility Before You Know How

7:08 Was It Innate or Learned

7:59 Advice for Anyone Forging Through It Today

10:40 Did You Ever Think It Would Break You

12:52 Carrying It Alone at Ten

15:48 The Habits That Started Then and Still Hold

18:11 How Pasha and Mick Met in Philadelphia

21:18 From Self to Family to Millions, On Legacy

24:08 The Scar He Is Most Proud Of

24:35 The CEO Who Almost Lost 500 People

26:17 The Resignation That Changed Everything

27:33 Three Questions in the Mirror

29:06 One Night to Become a New Leader

33:03 Why the Childhood Awareness Did Not Translate

35:30 Fixed on Paper, Worsened the Culture

36:35 Advice for Anyone in a Forging Moment Now

37:23 Why You Should Journal

38:50 Progress Over Perfection

40:24 What Forged Is Really About, And It Is About You

What This Episode Will Forge In You:

• Responsibility forges you before you know how to carry it: Mick made a promise at ten without a roadmap. The lesson is that taking ownership of a hard situation comes first, and the how reveals itself through action over time.

• Presence and emotional intelligence are built in the hard moments: Reading a room, sensing intent, and being truly present for people are skills Mick developed out of necessity as a kid. They became the superpowers he leads with today.

• Getting results is not the same as leading people: Mick turned a company around in 60 days and nearly lost his whole team doing it. Real leadership meant apologizing to 500 people and rebuilding himself around empathy, not just metrics.

Quotes That Hit Like a Hammer:

“Everything for me started when I saw my mom almost give up.”

“It wasn't about me, so it couldn't break me.”

“I had one freaking night to come back a totally different leader that they could see, that they could feel, and that they would want to show up for every day.”

“Things that fix on paper always don't fix culturally.”

“Make a promise, remember the promise, deliver on the promise.”

Questions This Episode Answers:

• Who was Mick Hunt before he became the voice of modern leadership?

• What promise did Mick make at ten years old, and who was it for?

• How do you take responsibility for a situation when you have no idea how to fix it?

• Can hard moments actually break you, and what makes the difference?

• What habits from childhood adversity carry into adult success?

• How does a results-driven CEO almost lose a team of 500, and how do you come back from it?

• What three questions should every leader ask themselves in the mirror?

• Why does fixing something on paper sometimes destroy the culture?

• What is the one piece of advice for anyone in a forging moment right now?