Warrior Dad: TJ Baird on 32 Years of Service, Reforged Through Fatherhood

In this powerful episode of the Positive Leadership Academy Podcast, Javier Llerena sits down with TJ Baird — a 32-year U.S. Army veteran with 20 deployments, author of Warrior Dad, and self-described "warrior poet" — for a conversation that moves from the front lines of leadership to the quieter battles fought at home.

TJ doesn't lead with the Army's textbook definition of leadership ("provide purpose, motivation, and direction"). He leads with a smile. After three decades in uniform, eight combat experiences, and a long road through TBI rehab and complex PTSD recovery, TJ has distilled leadership down to one question: How do you inspire others to want to achieve an objective with you — in a positive way?

Together, Javier and TJ unpack:

🪖 Why character beats competence — and why a smile is the first leadership tool you'll ever use

🧠 Discipline of thought, word, and deed — the difference between the art of leadership and the science of policy

🛡️ The armor metaphor — how high performers keep adding armor until it cracks, and what it takes to start taking it off

🔥 "Reforged" — TJ's award-winning poem and the framework for rebuilding yourself after trauma (you're not going back to who you were — and that's the point)

👨‍👧 Warrior Dad — the book TJ wrote for his daughter Veronica, his "V-Star," tracing a father's love across 14 years of deployments

💔 Complex PTSD, marriage, fatherhood — Javier and TJ both open up about the journey, the triggers, and why numbing the pain only infects the wound

This is an episode for veterans, military families, and any leader carrying weight they haven't put down yet. It's also for parents — because as TJ says, "90% of people I've met around the world just want to make a better life for their kids."

🔗 Connect with TJ Baird

🌐 Website: https://www.warriordadstories.com

📖 Book: Warrior Dad (free companion guide available on his site)

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-tj-baird/

✍️ Featured on his site: The Creative Forge — including his award-winning poem "Reforged"

🎧 Listen, Subscribe & Share

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. If this episode moves you, share it with a leader, a parent, or a veteran who needs to hear it.

Want to be a guest on Positive Leadership Academy – Inspires, Guides and Transforms? Send Javier Llerena a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/positiveleadershipacademypodcast