Episode 201 | "Drink the Kool-Aid?" (Feat. NC1 Corey Brennen)

This week on Permission to Speak Freely, Damon and Damo sit down with NC1 Corey Brennan for a conversation that starts with Navy recruiting and ends up going way beyond it. Corey breaks down what life is really like on recruiting duty, from competing for contracts and managing Future Sailors to MEPS, waivers, Genesis, recruiting ethics, and the things recruiters deal with that the Fleet rarely sees. He also opens up about his transition from QM to career recruiter, his aspirations to make Chief, and the uncertainty surrounding his future in the Navy as he navigates the service’s beard and PFB policies. But somewhere along the way, the conversation leaves recruiting behind. The crew gets into social media, burnout, learning to take care of yourself when everyone depends on you, marriage, fatherhood, separation, and the challenge of finding space for yourself when life never seems to stop. Corey also turns the tables on Damo and Damon with a few questions of his own, leading to conversations about what the anchors actually give a Chief, leadership as access and influence, and what people really mean when they tell Sailors to “drink the Kool-Aid.” Plus: recruiting house calls gone wrong, a 47-pound applicant, Equinox refusing to leave Damo alone, expensive one-year-old birthday parties, and Damon reveals the veteran husband strategy of simply standing up when your wife starts cleaning. Another conversation that went exactly where it was supposed to go.   Do you have “Do Better” that you want us to review on a future episode? Reach out at ptstpodcast@gmail.com       Stay connected with us: https://linktr.ee/Ptsfpodcast       PTSF Theme music: Produced by Lim0