He Wrote "Courage Can Save US." Can It Save Congress? With Rye Barcott

Today we're joined by Rye Barcott.

He's a Marine Corps veteran, author, and co-founder of With Honor, an organization working to bring more vets and servant leaders into public office.

Rye's career has taken him from leading Marines in combat to building a hospital in Nairobi, and now working with members of Congress at a time when bipartisanship itself can feel like an act of courage.

His new book asks a deceptively simple question.

What does courage actually look like in public life? And I'm not talking about the Hollywood version of courage, not the campaign trail version, but the harder kind.

The moral courage to work with people who disagree with you, to take risks for the common good, to put country above party, and to keep serving when the incentives all point in the opposite direction.

And that question matters far beyond politics, because whether we are talking about the defense industrial base, biotechnology, shipbuilding, national service, or the future of democracy, the through line is the same.

Institutions do not build themselves.

People build them.

And that requires trust, service, sacrifice, and leaders willing to do the hard, often unpopular work of governing.

In this conversation, Rai and I talk about stoicism, Marcus Aurelius, the legacy of military service.

What happens behind the scenes in Congress when the cameras are off? why bipartisan legislation is often the most durable, and why right now, in this special moment, at America's 250th anniversary, this should be a moment not just of celebration, but of recommitment.

At a time when the country can feel divided, Rye's message is a powerful one.

Courage can still save us, but only if we recognize it, practice it, and demand it from our leaders and from ourselves.

Let's get to it.