Many military veterans transition to successful second careers after leaving the military, often learning a new trade or skill in the civilian sector. But Jocko WIllink, a retired SEAL Officer, found that much of his knowledge could be applied directly to business and life. He has used that application to become a leadership consultant, bestselling author, top-rated podcaster, and multi-channel business owner. His latest endeavor, a clean energy and supplement company called Jocko Fuel, aims to reshape how we think about nutrition.
However, Jocko Fuel’s mission — to make clean, healthy nutrition supplements more accessible than ever — wouldn’t be what it is today without founder Jocko Willink’s backstory. Willink says that his military background has shaped both his own philosophy of life and the approach he takes to Jocko Fuel.
“The military played a huge role in my life, and that is reflected in everything I do, including Jocko Fuel,” he explains. “The principles of hard work, discipline, efficiency, constant improvement, and a bias for action are embedded in the DNA of the company, the team, and the products.
“Our products are built differently than other brands, and the people that are part of the Jocko Fuel Community are built differently as well. They work harder, don’t make excuses, and take ownership of their lives.”
Willink leads his life with discipline, focus, and an open mind, which certainly were critical attributes in the SEAL Teams. He led troops in combat, including commanding SEAL Team Three, Task Unit Bruiser in the Battle of Ramadi, which resulted in that unit becoming the most highly decorated special operations unit of the Iraq war.
It was around this time that Willink started to notice that most energy drinks on the market did not supply the clean, healthy energy many people think they do. “Jocko tells a story about the energy drinks that his fellow Navy SEALs were throwing back while on tour in Ramadi,” says Cam Fischer, Jocko Fuel’s Director of Brand Marketing.
“It was one of the most dangerous battle zones in the Iraq war. There were bullets flying and enough hazards out there already. And these energy drinks were incredibly over-caffeinated with really bad-for-you ingredients — extra hazards that were totally unnecessary in that kind of environment. But there weren’t any other options. So Jocko made one.”
That experience was certainly an impetus for developing clean, transparently labeled energy drinks and nutritional supplements. However, Willink dove headlong into the leadership field before pivoting to the world of nutrition and supplements.
He co-wrote the book “Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win.” In it, he helped outline critical leadership principles and explained how to apply them to both military and civilian life. These are the principles taught by his leadership consulting firm Echelon Front, which has a dozen leadership instructors conducting training with scores of companies around the world. .
Eventually, Jocko Willink took the leadership skills he’d spent a lifetime building and applied them to creating a business. The unhealthy energy drinks from his time in the Navy were still at the back of his mind, but Willink had another disappointing experience that pushed him to start making his own energy drinks, protein supplements, and other health supplements.
His entire family shared a love of a popular brand of protein drink. Like most people, they thought it would support their health. However, after a study revealed that the product contained excessive amounts of heavy metals, Willink realized the supplements may have been doing more harm than good.
“It inspired our good-for-you philosophy,” Cam Fischer says. “We wanted to make sure we could replace the bad supplements with products that are truly good for you. A good-for-you energy drink, a good-for-you protein drink, a good-for-you protein powder, a good-for-you pre-workout.”
Willink has gone to great pains to source the ingredients for Jocko Fuel’s products. However, while he maintains a focus on excellence, he has another goal that not all supplement manufacturers do: accessibility. Just recently, select Jocko Fuel products, including protein drinks, protein powder, and pre-workout, have launched at Walmart locations across the country. This expansion coincides with the ongoing 4:34 Tour, where Jocko Fuel brought its mission of clean energy and discipline to communities nationwide, reinforcing its commitment to fueling peak performance for athletes and everyday warriors.
For Willink and the rest of the Jocko Fuel team, this new partnership is critical. “Walmart is the next step in achieving our goal of bringing clean fuel to everyone,” he says. “Our mission at Jocko Fuel is to give as many people as possible healthier options when it comes to how they fuel their bodies and minds. There is no better way to do this than partnering with the biggest retailer in the world.”
Ultimately, for anyone who appreciates the importance of high-quality, healthy nutritional supplements, the future just got a little brighter — and it might be coming soon to a shelf near you.
M&F and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.
