A Veteran Podcast

Real Talk.Real Veterans.Real Stories.

Three veterans. No filters. No polish. Just the honest conversations about leadership, living your values, and building something that matters.

1+Episodes
0+Monthly Listeners
3Veteran Hosts
We're not here to glorify the uniform. We're here to talk about what happens when you take it off.

— The UnPolished Boots Crew

The Hosts

Three Veterans. One Mission.

Everybody teaches you the values. The Corps teaches them. Church teaches them. Corporate America paints them on the lobby wall. Not one of them teaches you how to actually live them on a Tuesday when everything around you is pushing the other way. That gap is the show.

Bryan Jefferson
Co-Host

Bryan Jefferson

U.S. MARINE CORPS — 6.5 Years

Bryan Jefferson, USMC veteran. He's built companies and lost them, been robbed by a mentor he trusted, and held a line at work that cost him the job. A finance and operations guy by trade, he's writing "What's In Your Cup?" — a book about how hard it actually is to live the values everyone already taught you. FOCUS Marines Foundation Instructor Married thirty years, father of five girls.

Todd Nicely
Co-Host

Todd Nicely

U.S. Marine Corps — ?? Years

Cpl. Todd Nicely, USMC. On March 26, 2010, leading his unit through Helmand Province, Afghanistan, he stepped on a 40-pound IED and lost all four limbs. He has spent the years since as a speaker and author making one argument: your choices change lives — not only your own, but everyone's around you. Author of "Your Choices Change Lives: A Marine's Journey of Rising from the Ashes." FOCUS Marines Foundation mentor.

Bret WaLterman
Co-Host

Bret WaLterman

U.S. Marin Corps — ?? Years

Bret Waelterman — Marine veteran, husband, dad, photographer, videographer, drone pilot, business owner, and a guy who can somehow turn a simple hobby into an expensive full-scale operation. I’m the founder and owner of Mile High Productions LLC, formerly known as Mile High Photography. It started out pretty simple: buy a camera, take some cool pictures, and see where it goes. Well...it went.   FOCUS Marines Foundation mentor.

Featured Episodes

EP. 047

When the Mission Ends

Col. Ray Hutchins (Ret.)

What happens when the structure that defined you disappears overnight? Ray talks about identity, purpose, and rebuilding after 24 years of service.

1h 12mListen →

EP. 038

Building a Business Without a Safety Net

Sarah Tran, Founder of VetBuild Co.

Sarah went from supply sergeant to CEO with $800 and a truck. No investors. No safety net. Just grit and a plan that kept changing.

58mListen →

EP. 031

The Family You Come Home To

Dr. Keisha Monroe

The hardest battles aren't always overseas. Dr. Monroe breaks down what families need to hear — and what veterans need to say.

1h 04mListen →