The Quiet Professional

Original Recording Date: 2026SEP24.
Co-host John Simpson
Audio editing by Stephanie Bosch.
Views and opinions of the participants are their own.
 
Find #TheQuietProfessional across all podcast platforms and more content through the convenient Linktree ▶️ https://linktr.ee/tqp780 ◀️
 
Guest:
Master Sergeant (Ret.) Tom Gould joined the U.S. Army in 1973 under the Ranger option, initially serving in B Company before moving to 2nd Battalion, Rangers. He later reenlisted to pursue Special Forces and spent the remainder of his military career in SF, including 11 years serving in classified units. After retiring from the military in 1994, he established Montana’s first JROTC program. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1996, he returned to JROTC in 2000 and continued serving until his second retirement in 2006. He subsequently worked with the private security firm MPRI in Africa, where he spent approximately a decade. In 2016, he returned to the United States and now resides in Montana.
 
Topic:
Tom’s journey of service in the U.S. Army and beyond.
 
References & Resources:
Tom is off-grid. Enjoy the podcast!
John Simpson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-simpson-b6114b59
John Simpson’s books are available below!
Foundations of Patrol Rifle Marksmanship
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G2T629L6
https://blue360media.com/products/foundations-of-patrol-rifle-marksmanship
 
Foundations of Sniper Marksmanship
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G2T1QN2X
https://blue360media.com/products/foundations-of-sniper-marksmanship
 
Snipers Notebook
Send check or money order for $30.00* to:
Simpsonian Institute
2774 N. Cobb Parkway, Suite 109 #141
Kennesaw, GA 30144
 
For more information, contact the author at: the-institute@live.com
* This pricing includes shipping within the United States. GA residents add 4% sales tax. Copy of police or military ID required for purchase. Orders will not be processed without a copy of your credentials. Add $10.00 for a Supplementary CD-ROM that expands on the book. International sales please contact for shipping prices.

Original Recording Date: 2026SEP23.
Co-host John Simpson
Audio editing by Stephanie Bosch.
Views and opinions of the participants are their own.
 
Find #TheQuietProfessional across all podcast platforms and more content through the convenient Linktree ▶️ https://linktr.ee/tqp780 ◀️
 
Guest:
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Ken Tovo culminated his 35-year military career in 2018, serving as the commander of the US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). He was responsible for manning, training, equipping, and providing strategic direction to all the Army’s Special Operations forces (Green Berets, Rangers, Special Ops Aviation, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations), a combined organization of over 34,000 people. Ken is the President and CEO of DOL Enterprises, Inc., and the Chairman of the Green Beret Foundation.
 
Topic:
Ken’s journey of service in the U.S. Army and beyond.
 
References & Resources:
Ken Tovo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-tovo-4468107/ 
Green Beret Foundation website: https://greenberetfoundation.org/
Ken Tovo on Wikipedia.org: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_E._Tovo
John Simpson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-simpson-b6114b59
John Simpson’s books are available below!
Foundations of Patrol Rifle Marksmanship
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G2T629L6
https://blue360media.com/products/foundations-of-patrol-rifle-marksmanship
 
Foundations of Sniper Marksmanship
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G2T1QN2X
https://blue360media.com/products/foundations-of-sniper-marksmanship
 
Snipers Notebook
Send check or money order for $30.00* to:
Simpsonian Institute
2774 N. Cobb Parkway, Suite 109 #141
Kennesaw, GA 30144
 
For more information, contact the author at: the-institute@live.com
* This pricing includes shipping within the United States. GA residents add 4% sales tax. Copy of police or military ID required for purchase. Orders will not be processed without a copy of your credentials. Add $10.00 for a Supplementary CD-ROM that expands on the book. International sales please contact for shipping prices.

Original Recording Date: 2026OCT02.
Co-host Sgt. Ben Klick (Ret.), Canadian Armed Forces
Audio editing by Stephanie Bosch.
Views and opinions of the participants are their own.
 
Find #TheQuietProfessional across all podcast platforms and more content through the convenient Linktree ▶️ https://linktr.ee/tqp780 ◀️
 
Guests:
Dr. Andrew Burtch has been the Historian, Post-1945 at the Canadian War Museum (CWM) since 2006. His main areas of research include Cold War history, nuclear civil defence, United Nations peacekeeping missions, the Korean War, war and memory, and oral history. Dr. Burtch is one of the key voices in the CWM’s podcast series, The Long War: Canada in Afghanistan.
 
Topics:
In 2001, Canada went to war in Afghanistan. Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States, Canada joined a coalition to pursue al-Qaeda and unseat the Taliban. Canadians served across Afghanistan, from the rural battlefields of Kandahar to the bustling city of Kabul, until 2014 when Canada ended its presence there.
 
More than 40,000 Canadians served in Afghanistan. More than a thousand were wounded. A diplomat and 158 soldiers died.
 
The consequences of the war in Afghanistan continue to ripple through our politics, the military, and the lives of those who served. The Long War: Canada in Afghanistan tells their stories. We examine why Canada went to war in Afghanistan, what happened there, and the war’s complicated legacy.
 
References & Resources:
Canadian War Museum, The Long War: Canada in Afghanistan — website and social media: https://www.warmuseum.ca/dod/podcasts/the-long-war
Canadian War Museum, In Their Own Voices exhibit website: https://www.warmuseum.ca/your-stories/in-their-own-voices
Ripples of War: The Canadian Veteran Experience, from UBC Press: https://www.ubcpress.ca/ripples-of-war 
 

Original Recording Date: 2026OCT01.
Audio editing by Stephanie Bosch.
Views and opinions of the participants are their own.
 
Find #TheQuietProfessional across all podcast platforms and more content through the convenient Linktree ▶️ https://linktr.ee/tqp780 ◀️
 
Guests:
Chris Aboussafy is a retired Phoenix Police Department officer with more than 31 years of law enforcement experience and the founder of Bishop One, a training organization built around Trapdoor Tactics and the Why Here, Why Now? risk assessment framework.
 
Topics:
⚔️ Inside the Modern Battlefield of Policing – From training grounds across the U.S. to the sharp edge of small-team tactics, Chris shares what is really shaping officer survival and performance today.
🚨 The Cost of Waiting for a Crisis – Why does meaningful training so often arrive only after tragedy strikes? We examine the enduring struggle between front-line realities and organizational inertia, and ask whether the cycle can ever be broken.
🧠 Mental Management Wins the Fight First – Before tactics, tools, or physical skill, there is mindset. Chris explains why mental preparation is often the deciding factor between control and chaos, and how neglecting it can put officers, partners, and the public at risk.
 
References & Resources:
Bishop One website: https://www.bishoponetraining.com/
Bishop One on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bishoponetraining/
Chris’ book, Why Here, Why Now?: Assessing Risk Without All the Clutter on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0aGfu0pq
Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-aboussafy-84a29785/ 
 

Original Recording Date: 2026SEP16.
Audio editing by Stephanie Bosch.
Views and opinions of the participants are their own.
 
Find #TheQuietProfessional across all podcast platforms and more content through the convenient Linktree ▶️ https://linktr.ee/tqp780 ◀️
 
Guests:
Miranda Spivack is a veteran reporter and editor who spent 20 years at the Washington Post. She is the award-winning author of Backroom Deals in Our Backyards: How Government Secrecy Harms our Communities and the Local Heroes Fighting Back.
 
Topics:
Backroom Deals in Our Backyards – A journey into the shadows behind Miranda’s investigations, exposing the hidden influence shaping communities from behind closed doors. Meet the ordinary people who chose to stand up when looking away would have been easier.
The Walls Around Information – From trade secrets to deliberate cover-ups, powerful barriers are built to keep the truth out of reach. We examine the tactics used to control the narrative and silence scrutiny.
The Cost of Fighting Back – The price of resistance goes far beyond money or personal risk. When reputations are attacked and those you're fighting for turn against you, the battle can become a lonely one.
 
References & Resources:
Miranda’s website: https://www.mirandaspivack.com/
Miranda on Substack: https://backroomdeals.substack.com/
Book info: https://thenewpress.org/books/backroom-deals-in-our-backyards/
Use discount code ‘Backroom30’ at checkout.
Buy the book at Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/backroom-deals-in-our-backyards-how-government-secrecy-harms-our-communities-and-the-local-heroes-fighting-back-miranda-s-spivack/a8d510bdbc184f26
 

Original Recording Date: 2026SEP16.
Audio editing by Stephanie Bosch.
Views and opinions of the participants are their own.
 
Find #TheQuietProfessional across all podcast platforms and more content through the convenient Linktree ▶️ https://linktr.ee/tqp780 ◀️
 
Guest:
Joe Adam George is a researcher at the Middle East Forum where he covers the Muslim Brotherhood and allied Islamist groups, their illicit activities in Canada, and their impact on North American security. His work has been featured in major outlets like the CBC, CTV News, National Post, The Globe and Mail, and The Hill.
 
Topics:
The Muslim Brotherhood — A stark descent into the movement’s origins, its shifting ideologies, and the quiet influence it projects across borders.
Legitimization & Financing — From infiltration to subversion, the machinery behind radicalization moves in shadows. The networks, the money, the unanswered questions, and the unsettling reality of how few are truly watching.
Canada’s Response — Or Its Silence — While other nations confront these threats head‑on, Canada drifts in hesitation. Identification, action, accountability: all overdue in a landscape where complacency carries consequences.
 
References & Resources:
Joe at the Middle East Forum: https://www.meforum.org/joe-adam-george
Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeadamgeorge
Joe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joeadamgeorge/
Joe on X: https://x.com/JoeAdamGeorge 
ISGAP Report: https://isgap.org/post/2026/08/new-isgap-report-examines-systemic-islamist-influence-in-canadian-civil-society-and-higher-education/