For H-Hour #284, I welcome Rohan Byfield, former Paratrooper with 24 years in 1 Para and SFSG, now founder of R2Bean2 coffee (try his signature Dark Lord Reserve blend), for a wide-ranging conversation on military life, mindset, leadership, and transitioning to civilian success. We discuss SFSG’s origins from ad-hoc support ops like Exercise Chameleon to formalizing after Iraq rescues (including smashing a Warrior through a police wall), his 2005 deployment overlaps, and how Paras’ aggressive ethos — “close with” — made Taliban avoid them while fostering battalion rivalries that sharpen skills. Rohan explains cultural clashes with Marines (less NCO autonomy in O-groups) and RAF Regt, why Paras formed SFSG’s core amid defense cuts, and the treadmill of service that RAF Brize Norton breaks; he shares on owning mistakes vs excuses, elitism’s necessity for shock troops, and adapting leadership — “autonomy, accountability, treat people with respect you’d expect.” We cover coffee’s origins, rage-mode Paras struggling post-service, and end with patron Q&A. https://r2bean2.com/
Join the H-Hour Patron Community at patreon.com/hkpodcasts
- H-Hour on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWSj4p05MUbVlHmFu3y
- H-Hour on iOS: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/h-hour/id1388879117
- H-Hour on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HHourPodcast
- H-Hour on Substack: https://substack.com/@hughkeir
- H-Hour on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xePDvrT2Iwuon3O0Mc5ll?si=2d7953259cda4e07