On Confidence and Family with Jose Mercado

Jose Mercado is a U.S. national security and foreign policy expert with 30 years of U.S. government service. He's a U.S. Air Force Veteran and Diplomatic Security Special Agent, specializing in democracy, human rights, and crisis response, and recently serving as Deputy Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. He's also a father, son, husband, friend, and a true public servant at heart.

Jose happily shares the twists and turns of the military and diplomatic chapters of his career, and bravely uncovers the many layers of his experience with service: uncertainty, inspiration, pressure, pride, imposter syndrome, and confidence. We talk about TV and movies, soft power and hard power, regional and functional bureaus, and so many other things.

This guy's family gave him roots and wings, and this episode is a bit of a tribute to them, to him, and to public servants everywhere.