Outside the Secret Service Podcast

Former Special Agent Jason Russell recounts his unconventional path to the Secret Service beginning with a remarkably unremarkable high school tenure. When he took his first criminal justice course in college, his life's purpose came into focus. Passionate about service and law enforcement, Jason bookended his time with the US Secret Service with a local department and another federal agency. Each uniquely preparing him for that moment when preparation met inspiration. 

Jason shares how the tragic murders at Sandy Hook moved him to consider how he might prevent future such tragedies. Jason left government service and founded Secure Environment Consultants helping schools, childcare centers, and numerous other organizations with security assessments, emergency planning, and training—applying Secret Service methods and principles of resourcefulness and preparedness to protect our most vulnerable communities.

You can learn more about Secure Environment Consultants here: https://secprotects.com/

Today we site down with Retired Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Mark Youngblood, to re-trace his 23-year Secret Service Career.

Mark is a natural storyteller and this episode features vivid anecdotes - from getaway trips during training, Rwandan goodwill moments, airspace operations and the Bitcoin/Silk Road investigation fallout - as well as reflections on timing, teamwork, leadership, and the challenges that lead to retirement.

Mark also discusses his transition to the private sectore with American Global Strategies and the lasting lessons he took from life in the US Secret Service.

Today we sit down with Retired Assistant Special Agent in Charge Mark Youngblood to trace his 23-year Secret Service career.

Mark is a natural storyteller and this episode features vivid anecdotes — from getaway trips during training, Rwandan goodwill moments, airspace operations, and the Bitcoin/Silk Road investigative fallout — as well as reflections on timing, teamwork, leadership, and the challenges that led to retirement.

Mark also discusses his transition to the private sector with American Global Strategies and the lasting lessons he took from life in the US Secret Service.

Former Special Agent Tate Jarrow joins the podcast to share his journey from West Point to wiretaps. We talk about his path through combat deployments to the U.S. Secret Service, where he tackled major cyber investigations like the Liberty Reserve takedown and JPMorgan intrusion, served on the Counter Assault Team, and later transitioned to tech and startups focused on online safety.

This episode dives into polygraph myths, training realities, wild protection logistics (including a multi-boat extraction from the lawless tribal region of Nantucket), life-saving moments, and why personal privacy and consumer protection matter more than ever.

Tate is a natural and a cutting-edge leader in online safety and personal privacy. You can find his worthwhile offerings here:

https://onlinesafety.substack.com/

and here: 

https://trustrebound.com/

They tell you not to start a show with a "show stopper", so I saved this for Episode 2 of Season 2.

Barry Spodak is a mostly-retired clinical specialist, senior consultant and trainer, whose simulation-based training and collaboration with researchers shaped behavioral threat assessment and protective intelligence for the U.S. Secret Service.

The episode traces Spodak’s 40-year impact on generations of agents and officers: teaching them to interview people with mental illness, recognizing the ‘‘path to violence,’’ using realistic role-play simulations, and focusing on threat assessment and management to prevent targeted violence.

Here is a link to the US Secret Service's Exceptional Case Study Project that started it all: https://nij.ojp.gov/library/publications/preventing-assassination-secret-service-exceptional-case-study-project