About The Method

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In the relentless churn of the Pacific aboard the USS George Washington in 2008, a young junior officer—outmaneuvered by the squadron's "cool guys club"—faced his make-or-break moment. Assigned to his first fleet tour, he knew the Executive Officer's ear (and endorsement on his final FITREP) would define his future. Outgunned in charisma, he needed a way to stand out, to make a splash amid the salt spray and squadron swagger.

That's when a lifeline arrived from across the continent: his father-in-law, the trailblazing attorney behind the landmark Stella Liebeck McDonald's hot coffee case. A national litigator with a knack for turning underdogs into victors, he shipped crates of courtroom gold—opening statements, closing arguments, and a barrage of books on persuasion, psychology, power dynamics, and hostage negotiation. "Figure it out," he said. "Knowledge is your weapon."

Devouring them during endless watches at sea, one book lit the fuse: The Story Factor by Annette Simmons. Its truth was electric: Facts inform, but stories transform. Narratives don't just teach—they pierce defenses, shift mindsets, and command allegiance. Eager to test it, he hijacked a routine squadron brief on Operational Risk Management (ORM)—that soul-crushing GMT staple—and flipped it into storytelling insurgency. No dry slides. Just three raw tales from his life, each weaving the ORM steps (identify hazards, assess risks, decide), projected alongside whimsically irrelevant images: sunsets, stray cats, faded family snaps.

The payoff? The room—packed with his harshest critics—erupted in laughter and "aha" nods. His opener, a boyhood fiasco of re-shingling his great-grandparents' cabin, stole the show. Three generations atop a creaky roof: his ornery grandfather (six feet of Pall Mall-scented grit), dad, and a teenage him heaving shingle bundles skyward. Fifteen minutes in—crash—the roof caved, Grandpa tumbling through in a hail of splinters. "What went wrong?" he asked the squadron. Their verdict: Unidentified hazard, unassessed risk, disastrous decision. Laughter rolled; barriers crumbled. Peers swarmed him after: "How'd you do that?" Vindication surged—an obsession ignited.

The Navy's leadership canon—tomes of admirals' epics and "Team of Teams" heroics—offered valor, but not the how of influence. He craved the mechanics: Aligning brass to bold visions. Meanwhile, his father-in-law grappled the same puzzle in courtrooms—riveting juries from doubt to deliberation. Father-in-law for verdicts; son-in-law for voyages. Same war, different fronts.

They dove deep, raiding wisdom's edges: Therapists' guides for guiding kids through chaos; Living with a SEAL grit; Atomic Habits precision; The Way of the Superior Man depth; Parenting Teens with Love and Logic empathy; Harvard Business Review sales symphonies. Standouts scorched; overlaps confirmed truths—insights echoing across authors like unplagiarized thunder. No single sermon; just proven principles, battle-tested in briefs and benches.

From that shared forge rose Persuade & Prevail—our unyielding alliance of narrative mastery. We're the junior officers, litigators, and visionaries' secret weapon: A step-by-step methodology blending courtroom cunning with carrier-deck daring. We equip you to weaponize stories—not as fluff, but as the spine of sway. Turn compliance into connection. Juries into allies. Leadership into legacy.

Because if a collapsed roof and a rogue shingle can rewrite risk, your story can rewrite realities in the courtroom. Join us. Craft your splash. Prevail.