My guest is Michael Cadenazzi, and he's got what might be the best job in the Pentagon. He's responsible for helping rebuild America's Defense Industrial Base, which is a long way of saying he's trying to make sure we can still build things we need to defend ourselves. Not someday but right now. On paper, that might sound like a conversation about bureaucracy. It's not. It's a conversation about reality.

We're talking about hundreds of thousands of open jobs that nobody seems to be filling, a growing dependence on other countries for the materials we rely on, and a skills gap that has quietly turned into something far more consequential than most people realize. Along the way, we get into the rare earth minerals, modern warfare, the future of manufacturing, and why the entire conversation around work has changed in the last few years.

What struck me most about Mike is that he's not speaking in theory—he's in the middle of it. He sees the gaps, the urgency, and the opportunity all at the same time. And whether you care about national security, the future or work, or just where the next real opportunity might be hiding, there's something in this conversation that's going to make you think. I went into this one with curiosity, and I came out of it convinced we're standing in the middle of a shift most of us don't fully understand yet. I like Mike, and I think you will, too.