No Way Out
No Way Out: The #1 Podcast on John Boyd’s OODA Loop, The Flow System, and Navigating UncertaintySponsored by AGLX — a global network powering adaptive leadership, enterprise agility, and resilient teams in complex, high-stakes environments.Home to the deepest explorations of Colonel John R. Boyd’s OODA Loop (Observe–Orient–Decide–Act), Destruction and Creation, Patterns of Conflict — and the official voice of The Flow System, the modern evolution of Boyd’s ideas into complex adaptive systems, team-of-teams design, and achieving unbreakable flow.
140+ episodes | New episodes weekly We show how Boyd’s work, The Flow System, and AGLX’s real-world experience enable leaders, startups, militaries, and organizations to out-think, out-adapt, and out-maneuver in today’s chaotic VUCA world — from business strategy and cybersecurity to agile leadership, trading, sports, safety, mental health, and personal decision-making.Subscribe now for the clearest OODA Loop explanations, John Boyd breakdowns, and practical tools for navigating uncertainty available anywhere in 2025.
The Whirl of Reorientation (Substack): https://thewhirlofreorientation.substack.com The Flow System: https://www.theflowsystem.com AGLX Global Network: https://www.aglx.com
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No Way Out
The Episode Where We Launch the Podcast as a Controlled Hallucination | Ep 1
In the inaugural episode, hosts Mark McGrath and Brian "Ponch" Rivera introduce themselves and the show, and explain the origin of the title, which was inspired by something they discovered in the John Boyd archives at Marine Corps University.
Throughout the episode, Mark and Ponch discuss the forces that shape our lives and the importance of understanding them in order to navigate them successfully. They also touch on the dangers of relying on so-called "experts" or "analysts," and instead advocate for a multidisciplinary approach to gain a broader range of perspectives and understanding.
In addition to exploring the applicability of John Boyd's theories to various industries, including the arts, business, sports, the market, and medicine, Mark and Ponch also delve into the importance of suppressing ego in order to become better versions of ourselves.
Be sure to use the Chapters Feature on Apple and Spotify to quickly browse and navigate to segments of this episode.
//Books and briefs mentioned in this episode//
Being You – by Anil Seth, PhD
How to Change Your Mind – by Michael Pollan
Livewired – by David Eagleman, PhD
Trauma – by Paul Conti, MD
Boyd: The Fighter Pilot who Changed the Art of War – by Robert Coram
“A Discourse on Winning and Losing” – John R. Boyd
“Information Warfare” – Marine Corps University Press
//Theories mentioned in this episode//
Entropic Brain Hypothesis – Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD
The Free Energy Principle – Karl Friston, PhD
Constructal Law – Adrian Bejan, PhD
//Tritone Paradox//
https://ccrma.stanford.edu/realsimple/mus_illus/mus_illus.pdf
http://ccrma.stanford.edu/realsimple/mus_illus/tritone.wav
//Animation: OODA and Perception as a Controlled Hallucination//
https://www.aglx.com/interaction-and-isolation-on-the-ooda-loop-the-free-energy-principle-and-the-dangers-of-a-polarized-political-environment/
John Boyd’s Conceptual Spiral was originally titled “No Way Out.” In his words:
“There is no way out unless we can eliminate the features just cited. Since we don’t know how to do this, we must continue the whirl of reorientation…”
Download a complete transcript of Conceptual Spiral for free by clicking here.
Stay connected with No Way Out and The Whirl Of ReOrientation
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- Long-form work on John Boyd, Orientation, and how to think and act inside the Guerrilla Information War.
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