Jocko Willink


John Gretton "Jocko" Willink Jr. is an American author, podcaster, and retired United States Navy officer who served in the Navy SEALs and is a former member of SEAL Team 3. He is also on the board of directors for the Major League Soccer club San Diego FC.
Willink's military service includes combat actions in the Iraq War, where he commanded SEAL Team 3's Task Unit Bruiser, the unit that fought in the Battle of [Ramadi (2006)|battle] against the Iraqi insurgents in Ramadi. Willink received the Silver Star and Bronze Star Medal for his service and achieved the rank of lieutenant commander.
Willink co-authored the books Extreme Ownership and The Dichotomy of Leadership and co-founded the management consulting firm Echelon Front, LLC. Willink hosts a weekly podcast with Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Echo Charles, called the Jocko Podcast.

Early life

John Gretton Willink Jr. was born on September 8, 1971, in Torrington, Connecticut, and is of Dutch descent. He has two siblings. He played soccer in high school and holds a B.A. in English from the University of San Diego.

Military career

Willink wanted to be in the military from an early age, and he enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 19. After Navy recruit training and Radioman "A" School training, Willink reported to United States [Navy SEAL selection and training|Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training] training at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. Willink graduated BUD/S class 177. Following SEAL tactical training and completion of six-month probationary period, he received his trident insignia. Willink served eight years on active duty, as an enlisted Navy SEAL with SEAL Team One.
Willink earned his commission via Officer Candidate School and served with SEAL Team TWO and later SEAL Team SEVEN as a platoon commander. Willink earned a degree from University of San Diego in 2003. Willink completed multiple deployments to Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Willink was part of the SEAL team that seized the Russian Tanker Volga-Neft-147 in the Gulf of Oman, which was carrying Iraqi oil in violation of a United Nations economic embargo.
During Operation Iraqi Freedom he deployed to the Iraqi city of Ramadi in 2006 with SEAL Team Three as commander of Task Unit Bruiser, which included Leif Babin, Seth "Stoner" Stone, Marc Alan Lee, Michael Monsoor, Jonny Kim, Kevin Lacz, Ryan "Biggles" Job, JP Dinnell, Tony Eafrati, Jason Hogan and Chris Kyle.
Willink also served as a Navy SEAL instructor during his career. He retired in October 2010 after 20 years of service.

Post-Navy career

After retiring from the Navy, Willink co-founded the leadership consulting firm Echelon Front along with Leif Babin, who served with him in the SEAL Teams. The firm hosts conferences and seminars to teach leadership skills. He and Babin also co-authored the leadership manual Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win.
In addition to his work in consulting and authorship, Willink instructs jiu-jitsu at Victory MMA & Fitness in San Diego and co-owns Origin USA, a company based in Farmington, Maine, which produces lifestyle apparel, nutrition supplements, and fitness equipment, as well as being one of the only manufacturers of jiu-jitsu gis in the United States. Willink has a chapter giving advice in Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu career

Willink started practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Fabio Santos while in active service, and continued training after retirement from the military. He obtained his black belt from the well-known MMA fighter and grappler Dean Lister. Since then, Willink has been a prominent figure in the sport, has competed against big names such as Jeff Monson and has taught many grapplers. Willink promoted his own daughter to blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in September 2022.

Writing

Willink has authored numerous fiction and nonfiction books. His 2015 book Extreme Ownership reached #13 in the audio nonfiction category of the The [New York Times best-seller list|New York Times best-seller list]. The book describes leadership lessons using examples of real-world missions and combat encounters. In 2017, he published Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual, a collection of healthy living routines and mindsets for productivity.
He authored the children's book series the Way of the Warrior Kid, which is intended to present the life lessons Willink received from SEAL training in a way that is digestible and applicable for children., Way of the Warrior Kid was reportedly being adapted into a feature film starring Chris Pratt and scripted by Will Staples.

Podcast

After appearing on the podcasts of Tim Ferriss, Joe Rogan, and Sam Harris to publicize one of his books, Willink decided to start his own weekly podcast, The Jocko Podcast. On December 28, 2015, Willink launched the podcast on YouTube, with an accompanying website., his YouTube channel has about two million subscribers. Willink films the podcast at the Victory MMA & Fitness studio in San Diego.

Adult nonfiction

  • Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win
  • Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual
  • The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win
  • Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Field Manual
  • The Code. The Evaluation. The Protocols: Striving to Become an Eminently Qualified Human

Adult fiction

  • Final Spin: A Novel

Children's books

  • Mikey and the Dragons

''Way of the Warrior Kid'' (2017–22)

  1. The Way of the Warrior Kid
  2. Marc's Mission: Way of the Warrior Kid
  3. Way of the Warrior Kid 3: Where there's a Will...
  4. Way of the Warrior Kid 4: Field Manual
  5. Way of the Warrior Kid 5: Letters from Uncle Jake