The MiddleGround Mic

On August 1st, President Trump called off what was set to be one of the largest military strikes in the Middle East. Why did he call it off, and how close was Iran to actually deploying a nuclear weapon.

Today, foreign policy expert Ron Bee joins Joseph on The MiddleGround Mic to pull back the curtain on the geopolitical chess match happening behind closed doors

Key Topics Covered:
• The Secret Pressure: Why Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar asked the U.S. to hold back.
• The 7-Day Window: Inside the intelligence that triggered Operation Midnight Hammer and the B-2 bomber strikes.
• China’s Hidden Role: Reports of 400 handheld missiles smuggled through Pakistan.
• The Economic Stranglehold: How the blockade on Iran’s $400M daily oil revenue changes the equation.
• The Border Ripple Effect: How European energy demands are driving crisis events across North Africa.

About the Guest:
Ron Bee is a leading foreign policy expert and author specializing in international security, nuclear non-proliferation, and Middle Eastern relations.

Connect with The MiddleGround Mic:
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In this investigative journalism episode of The MiddleGround Mic, 33-year senior CBS News and 60 Minutes Middle East producer Amjad Tadros pulls back the curtain to reveal the incredible stories viewers never saw on television.

Amjad spent four years hunting “Curveball,” the Iraqi defector whose fabricated WMD claims became a key part of the case for the 2003 Iraq War. He located Osama bin Laden’s former bodyguard in Yemen over trips to KFC, helped expose Abu Ghraib, and survived a U.S. cruise missile strike in Baghdad before receiving a hospital visit from Saddam Hussein himself.

He also explains why the aftermath of regime change in Iraq should serve as a warning when discussing Iran today, what Western audiences misunderstand about the Middle East, how warfare is changing through technology, and what three decades inside CBS taught him about today’s collapse in media trust. His message about modern journalism is simple: credibility is your only capital. Once you lose it, you’re done.

Amjad Tadros is the author of The Fixer: A Journalist’s Accidental Journey Through the Middle East.
📘 Get The Fixer: https://amjadtadros.com

☕ Buy me a cup of Coffee to keep powering the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tmgm

CHAPTERS
0:00 Curveball: The WMD Source Behind the Iraq War
1:33 What a 60 Minutes “Fixer” Actually Does
5:53 Finding Bin Laden’s Bodyguard
9:04 The 4-Year Hunt for “Curveball”
11:16 What Americans Get Wrong About the Middle East
16:10 Putting a Human Face on Terrorism
19:25 How War Is Changing
21:14 From Engineer to War-Zone Producer
25:40 Why Yemen Matters
26:43 “Fake News” and the Media Trust Crisis
32:41 Abu Ghraib
34:43 The Fixer

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Many men reach their forties and begin feeling tired, foggy, unmotivated, overweight, or simply unlike themselves. Because the change happens gradually, they often accept it as an unavoidable part of getting older.

Kevin Dahlstrom, founder and CEO of Bolt Health, joins Joe to explain why these symptoms deserve a closer look. Kevin describes building a successful corporate career while feeling miserable internally, walking away to rebuild his life around rock climbing and health, and eventually discovering that low testosterone was affecting how he felt and performed.

Kevin explains the common symptoms of low testosterone, why standard laboratory ranges may not tell the entire story, and why comprehensive blood testing can give men a clearer picture of their health.

The conversation also covers testosterone stigma, Bolt Health’s microdosing approach, the difference between sick care and health optimization, and the difficult first step of admitting that something may be wrong.

• Why successful men can still feel miserable internally
• Kevin’s corporate career and life-changing move to Colorado
• Common symptoms associated with low testosterone
• Why men gradually accept low energy as normal
• “Normal” testosterone results versus optimal health
• Comprehensive blood testing and knowing your numbers
• The free testosterone questionnaire at yourtscore.com
• Why Kevin founded Bolt Health
• Testosterone microdosing and personalized treatment
• The stigma connecting testosterone with bodybuilding
• Sick care versus preventative health optimization
• Why getting tested is often the hardest step
• Defining your ideal life and moving toward it

00:00 Men Forget What Feeling Great Feels Like
01:23 Meet Kevin Dahlstrom
02:35 Success, Rock Climbing, and Starting Over
05:51 The Symptoms Men Learn to Accept
09:41 “Normal” Results vs. Optimal Health
15:15 The Free Testosterone Questionnaire
17:25 Why Kevin Founded Bolt Health
20:17 A Responsible Approach to Testosterone
29:31 Sick Care vs. Health Optimization
33:34 The Hardest Step: Getting Tested
36:10 Building Your Best Life

Bolt Health:
https://bolt.health

Use code:
MIDDLEGROUND

Free testosterone questionnaire:
https://yourtscore.com

Follow Kevin Dahlstrom on X:
@Camp4

Kevin Dahlstrom is the founder and CEO of Bolt Health. He is a four-time founder, former chief marketing officer at three public companies, angel investor, and lifelong rock climber.

After experiencing symptoms of low testosterone in his late forties, Kevin began researching men’s hormone health and eventually created the men’s health service he wanted as a patient.

This episode is provided for general informational purposes and is not medical advice. Speak with a qualified healthcare professional before beginning, stopping, or changing any medical treatment.

This episode is brought to you by Brio.
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What happens when someone gets canceled — and there’s no way back?

Tim Kelley — MIT alumnus, former Navy commanding officer, global leadership advisor, and founder of canceledleader.com — joins The MiddleGround Mic to make the case that cancel culture’s real crisis is not the cancellation itself. It is the complete absence of any defined path to re-entry.

Tim and Joe cover why Kevin Spacey’s full exoneration in court bought him nothing in Hollywood, what happened to Puerto Rico Governor Ricky Rosselló when a manipulated chat log went viral before anyone checked the facts, why being innocent does not protect you when it becomes a competition of narratives, and what a real “uncanceled” system would actually look like.

If you believe in the political middle — that most people want accountability without permanent exile — this conversation is for you.

canceledleader.com | The MiddleGround Mic

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CHAPTERS

(00:00) Tim Kelley: MIT, Navy, and the Change Agent Mindset
(02:15) Cancel Culture’s Real Problem: No Sentence, No Re-Entry
(06:45) Kevin Spacey — Exonerated in Court, Still Exiled in Hollywood
(10:30) Ricky Rosselló — When a Manipulated Chat Log Ends a Career
(13:45) The Trauma of Ostracism: Why Being Canceled Hits Like Physical Pain
(20:00) False Accusers and the Accountability Gap
(27:30) Who Tim Works With — and Who He Doesn’t
(35:00) The Political Middle: Centrism Isn’t Standing for Nothing
(43:00) How to Actually Help Someone Who’s Been Canceled
(46:40) Find Tim: canceledleader.com

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GUEST

Tim Kelley is a leadership advisor, MIT alumnus, former Navy commanding officer, and founder of canceledleader.com. Tim has spent decades coaching leaders, executives, and public figures through career crises and is one of the leading voices on structured re-entry after cancellation.

Website: canceledleader.com
This episode is brought to you by Brio.
Most trimmers are built to fail after a year or two. Loose guards. Weak batteries. Uneven cuts. The Brio Beardscape V1 changes that completely with a ceramic blade system, powerful motor, long battery life, and the precision to hit the spots cheap trimmers always miss.
Use code MIDDLEGROUND for 10% off your order.
Brio Beardscape V1 
Support the show

Digital detox expert Colin Corby joins The MiddleGround Mic to talk about digital detox, AI dependency, smartphone habits, burnout, and how to get control back from technology without throwing your phone away.
Learn more about Colin Corby and his digital detox resources at thedigitaldetoxcoach.com.
Colin is the founder of Technology Wellbeing Limited and creator of The Digital Detox Coach. In this conversation, he explains why digital detox can be as simple as short offline breaks, why phones keep us from fully resting, how AI can make people dependent, and why being present is becoming harder in an always-connected world.
Joe and Colin also discuss phone addiction, screen time, kids and technology, loneliness, AI companions, and practical steps like the “Just One Thing” challenge and avoiding scrolling for the first 45 minutes of the day.
Learn more about Colin at thedigitaldetoxcoach.com.
CHAPTERS
00:00 — Intro: Digital Detox and AI Dependency
01:25 — What Digital Detox Actually Means
04:16 — Why Phones Keep Us From Resting
05:44 — Being Present With People Again
07:32 — The Attention Business Model
11:23 — What Tech Insiders Understand
12:09 — AI Detox and Outsourcing Your Skills
14:40 — Why AI Dependency Matters
19:48 — Warning Signs of Digital Burnout
22:11 — The Phone Test With Friends and Family
24:56 — The Just One Thing Challenge
27:09 — Stress, Burnout, and the Tipping Point
30:01 — Why Environment Changes Habits
32:40 — Accountability and Changing Habits
33:12 — Loneliness, Technology, and AI Companions
36:33 — Small Steps and the Marathon Mindset
40:42 — Kids Growing Up With Smartphones
43:54 — AI at Work and Why People Still Matter
47:51 — When Mistakes Live Online Forever
50:35 — Parents Have to Set the Example
54:51 — Where to Find Colin Corby
57:12 — The Five Day Digital Reset
58:13 — Final Takeaway: You’re Not Weak, You’re Outgunned

This episode is brought to you by Brio.
Most trimmers are built to fail after a year or two. Loose guards. Weak batteries. Uneven cuts. The Brio Beardscape V1 changes that completely with a ceramic blade system, powerful motor, long battery life, and the precision to hit the spots cheap trimmers always miss.
Use code MIDDLEGROUND for 10% off your order.
Brio Beardscape V1 
Support the show