Passing The Torch with Martin Foster
Passing The Torch is a TORCH LEAP® long-form podcast exploring identity, purpose, leadership, and life after achievement.
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Hosted by Air Force veteran Martin Foster, each episode features honest conversations with leaders, elite performers, veterans, athletes, authors, entrepreneurs, and culture-shapers who have navigated success, failure, reinvention, and everything in between.
These aren't interviews about résumés. They're conversations about what happens after the medals, the promotions, the championships, and the uniforms, and the lessons worth passing on to the next generation.
Real Conversations. Lasting Impact.
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© 2026 TORCH LEAP®, LLC. All rights reserved.
Passing The Torch with Martin Foster
Ep. 76: Michael 'Rod' Rodriguez: Healing Through Action
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Background: Michael “Rod” Rodríguez joined the U.S. Army in 1992, becoming a Green Beret in 1997 and serving as a Sniper Instructor at Fort Bragg until his medical retirement in 2013 due to combat injuries. With ten deployments, Rod’s military career was marked by significant contributions. He joined the GWOT Memorial Foundation in 2016, serving as President and CEO from 2018-2020 and again from 2021. Rod has also supported veterans through the George W. Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative and was appointed a Fellow of the Explorers Club in 2013 for his research on traumatic brain injuries. He continues to assist veterans and charitable causes today.
The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Memorial Foundation was formed in 2015 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation by a small group of like-minded veterans, military spouses, and supportive Americans to honor the service and sacrifice of all individuals – both uniformed and non-uniformed – who have contributed to global counterterrorism efforts since September 11th, 2001. A distinguished Board of Directors comprised of individuals from military and non-military backgrounds leads the Foundation, with former President George W. Bush serving as the Foundation’s Honorary Chairman. Michael “Rod” Rodríguez, a former U.S. Army Green Beret who deployed ten times, is the Foundation’s President and CEO.
Connect with Passing The Torch: Facebook and IG: @torchmartin
More Amazing Stories:
Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure
Episode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way
Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel
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© 2026 TORCH LEAP®, LLC. All rights reserved.
