Rick Hoppe

Most people know revolutions only after they explode into the headlines. I spent more than thirty-five years in Army intelligence and counterintelligence learning how to recognize the warning signs long before that happens.

My career took me from tactical units to senior headquarters during the Iraq Surge, where understanding people, leadership, legitimacy, and conflict wasn't an academic exercise—it mattered. After retiring, I earned a master's degree in Homeland Security Policy and began turning those experiences into books, articles, podcasts, and public education.

I'm the author of Eight Stages: A Primer on Modern Revolution, a practical framework for understanding how societies become unstable, why governments lose legitimacy, and how ordinary people can recognize patterns that are often overlooked until it's too late. My goal isn't to convince audiences what to think. It's to give them better tools for thinking.

While those subjects form the foundation of my work, I enjoy conversations that go far beyond geopolitics. I've spoken about leadership, military history, decision-making under uncertainty, critical thinking, resilience, faith, writing, creativity, storytelling, and what decades in intelligence taught me about human nature.

Podcast hosts often tell me they appreciate that I don't deliver rehearsed talking points. I enjoy genuine conversations where ideas develop naturally, stories illustrate principles, and listeners leave feeling they've learned something useful.

Whether your audience is interested in current events, history, leadership, veterans' issues, writing, or simply understanding why the world seems to be changing so quickly, I'd be honored to join the conversation.

If your goal is to give your listeners an engaging discussion filled with practical insights, real-world experience, and a few good stories along the way, I'd love to be a guest on your show.