Brandon Webb on Raising Resilient Kids
in a World That’s Protecting Them to Death

A generation of children is growing up anxious, fragile, and unprepared for the real world. Brandon Webb thinks he knows why — and it has everything to do with what well-meaning parents are doing wrong.

In this episode of FOMO Sapiens, Patrick McGinnis welcomes Brandon Webb, former U.S. Navy SEAL, Course Manager of the SEAL Sniper Program, and New York Times bestselling author, to discuss his new book Puddle Jumpers. Brandon’s career trained him to perform under the most extreme pressure imaginable, and to train others to do the same. What surprised him was how directly those lessons translated to raising his three kids — all of whom grew into confident, capable, self-directed adults.

The conversation covers:

• Why the “everybody gets a trophy” culture that shaped Millennials, and the fully digitized childhood that defines Gen Z, have both contributed to an epidemic of anxiety that previous generations simply didn’t experience
• The biosphere experiment in Arizona that became a metaphor for Brandon’s entire parenting philosophy: trees grown without wind develop no root strength, and children shielded from struggle develop no resilience
• How the mental management principles of Olympic gold medalist Lanny Bassham — visualization, self-talk, performing under pressure — transferred directly from sniper training to parenting
• Why consequences matter, the danger of bailing kids out, and what Charlie Sheen’s own admission about growing up consequence-free reveals about the real cost of overprotection
• The discipline checklist Brandon developed to remove emotion from parenting decisions and get to the root cause of behavior, rather than just punishing the surface
• What “ordinary magic” looks like in practice: daily tasks, summer jobs, subways taken alone, sleepovers survived, and how small, stacked experiences build real confidence over time
• How Brandon navigated divorce as a co-parent, chose the long game over ego, and came to see supporting his ex-wife’s stability as the most courageous parenting decision he made

Patrick and Brandon Webb also reflect on the broader cultural shift happening around kids, the difference between love and protection, and why manufacturing a little hardship early — when the stakes are low — is one of the most generous things a parent can do.

Meet Brandon Webb:

Brandon Webb is a former U.S. Navy SEAL and Course Manager of the elite SEAL Sniper Program, where he trained some of the most accomplished snipers of the 21st century, including Marcus Luttrell and Chris Kyle.

He left the Navy in 2006 and has since built multiple successful media and entrepreneurial ventures, including SOFREP, a leading special operations news and culture platform.

A New York Times bestselling author, he has written The Red Circle, Among Heroes, and The Making of a Navy SEAL. His new book, Puddle Jumpers, draws on his career in elite performance and his experience as a father of three to make the case for raising resilient, confident children through preparation rather than protection. The audiobook features his co-parent, Gretchen, and all three of their children. Brandon can be found at brandontylerwebb.com and on social media at @brandontwebb.