There are people who know a little about a lot. And then there are people like Pete A. Turner.
This week on Here’s What We Know, we sit down with a former Army counterintelligence agent who turned a life of asking hard questions into something unexpected: a podcast built on curiosity, connection, and listening.
What starts as a conversation about baseball and sports turns into something much deeper. We’ll talk about what it really means to pay attention. Not just hearing words, but understanding what’s underneath them.
Pete also shares how his time as a spy shaped the way he sees the world. How he builds trust, how he gets people to open up, and why the best conversations rarely go the way you planned.
And if you’ve ever wondered why some conversations stay with you long after they’re over, this episode might give you a few answers.
This episode is sponsored by:
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In This Episode:
- Why This Conversation Goes Off Script Fast
- Baseball, Obsession, and How Smart Minds Stay Engaged
- Why Sports Are More Than Games
- Why He Walked Away from Football
- The Problem With “Greatest of All Time” Debates
- What Makes Elite Athletes Different
- F1, Precision, and the Psychology of High Performance
- From Podcasting to 2,000 Episodes: How Pete Built His Show
- “I Was a Spy”: Pete Turner’s Counterintelligence Background
- Fear, Growth, and Why You Should Say Yes to Hard Things
- Near-Death Experiences and What Happens at the Edge of Life
- How a Spy Becomes a Great Podcast Host
- The Secret to Getting People to Open Up
- How to Ask Better Questions (And Get Better Answers)
Quotations:
“We don’t root against anybody. I love that about sport: you can just genuinely care about all 20 athletes and root for them. I think it’s neat.” – Pete A. Turner
“When you get to do these things, things that are scary to regular people are just normal for me. I don’t let fear dictate what I do. And if anything’s scary, I do it.” – Pete A. Turner
“I’m guilty of talking too much all the time, but when I get it right and I sit in the back seat, I let those guys ask each other those great questions.” – Pete A. Turner
“And I know how to be a great guest. That’s a spy thing. And so when you allow someone to be a great host, they’re a great host. And when you are a good guest, they want to be an even better host.” – Pete A. Turner
“I can always bring it because I’m the boss. I can always bring them back. I can always bring them over this way or rain them over that way. But I want to go where they’re excited to go.” – Pete A. Turner
Bio:
Pete A. Turner is a former U.S. Army counterintelligence agent turned podcast host and storyteller. As the executive producer and host of The Break It Down Show, Pete has led more than 2,000 conversations with a wide range of guests, from Nobel Prize winners to everyday people with extraordinary stories.
His background in espionage and global deployments across Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Egypt, and Germany shaped the way he listens, asks questions, and connects with people. That same approach now defines his work behind the microphone.
Whether he’s exploring geopolitics, personal resilience, or the human stories behind the headlines, Pete creates space for conversations that go deeper than most.
Guest Contact Info:
Website: https://www.breakitdownshow.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peteaturner/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breakitdownshow
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/peteaturner