John Gretton "Jocko" Willink (born September 8, 1971)^[1] is an American retired United States Navy SEAL, podcaster, and author. He received the Silver Star and Bronze Star for his service in the Iraq War^[2] and was commander of SEAL Team Three's Task Unit Bruiser during the Battle of Ramadi. Willink is co-author of the books Extreme Ownership and The Dichotomy of Leadership (alongside fellow retired SEAL and former Task Unit Bruiser platoon commander Leif Babin) and is co-founder of the management consulting firm Echelon Front, LLC.^[3] Willink also hosts a weekly podcast with friend and Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner Echo Charles, called the Jocko Podcast.^[4]

Willink was born and raised in New England and played soccer in high school. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1990 and graduated from the University of San Diego in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in English.

After Navy recruit training and Radioman (RM) "A" School training, he then reported to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training at Coronado, California. Willink served eight years on active duty, as an enlisted Navy SEAL with SEAL Team ONE and SEAL Team TWO. Willink was part of the SEAL team that seized Russian Tanker Volga-Neft-147 in the Gulf of Oman which was carrying Iraqi oil in violation of a U.N. economic embargo. Willink earned his commission via Officer Candidate School and eventually served as a platoon commander. Willink completed multiple deployments to Asia, Middle East and Europe. During Operation Iraqi Freedom he deployed to the Iraqi town of Ramadi in 2006 with SEAL Team THREE as commander of Task Unit Bruiser, which included Marc Alan Lee, Michael Monsoor, Jonny Kim, Kevin Lacz, and Chris Kyle. Willink also served as a Navy SEAL instructor during his career. He retired in October 2010 after 20 years of service.^[5]

Willink is an avid Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and received his black belt from Dean Lister. Willink also owns Victory MMA and Fitness ^[13] in San Diego, California, and often trains and corners professional fighters.

Along with Leif Babin, Willink formed the company Echelon Front ^[14] , which offers "practical, experience-based solutions to complex problems based on our own lessons learned through a myriad of dynamic leadership challenges."^[6] Based on their careers in the United States Navy, he and Babin co-authored the leadership manual Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win.^[7] After appearing on the podcasts of Tim Ferriss, Joe Rogan, and Sam Harris to publicize his book, Willink started his own weekly podcast, The Jocko Podcast,^[8] with Echo Charles on December 22, 2015, covering topics from war, leadership, jiu-jitsu, exercise, and lessons learned as a Navy SEAL.

Extreme ownership is a philosophy coined in a book co-written by Willink. It is one commonly taught by Echelon Front (as detailed in the book Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win).^[2] Willink expands on the philosophy in the book Extreme Ownership, but it can be best summarized in the excerpt: "Leaders must own everything in their world. There is no one else to blame."

Willink lives in San Diego, California. On his September 25, 2015 appearance on the Tim Ferriss podcast, Willink stated that, after retirement, he does not drink alcohol but has nothing against others who do. He also said he is motivated to get up extremely early because it gives him "a jump on the enemy."^[9]