Author Archives: schoultz

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About schoultz

CEO of Fifth Factor Leadership - Speaker, consultant, coach. Formerly Director, Master of Science in Global Leadership at University of San Diego; prior to that, 30 years in the Navy as a Naval Special Warfare (SEAL) officer.

Hyperion, by Dan Simmons

Posted on September 14, 2025 by schoultz

Why this book: My Sci Fi reading group I’m in selected this book as part of our project to read some of the most highly regarded science fiction literature of the last decades.  Hyperion won the Hugo Award for best novel … Continue reading →

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Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby van Pelt

Posted on September 9, 2025 by schoultz

Why this book:  I listened to a preview of it on audible, in the voice of an octopus in a tank in an aquarium.  Since reading Soul of an Octopus and watching the movie My Octopus Teacher, I’ve been very … Continue reading →

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Shadow Divers – Two Americans who risked everything to Solve a Mystery of WWII, by Robert Kurson

Posted on August 26, 2025 by schoultz

Why this book:  Proposed multiple times by several participants in my SEAL reading group, and finally selected,  Summary in 2 Sentences:  Three men who were leaders of the elite wreck diving culture of New England discover a German Submarine in … Continue reading →

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On Character – Choices that Define a Life, by General Stanley McChrystal

Posted on August 23, 2025 by schoultz

Why this book: Selected by the SEAL book club as our selection for summer of 2025. I and many of us had worked with Stan McChrystal in our careers.  Summary in 3 Sentences:  A thoughtful meditation on values that help drive … Continue reading →

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The Shipping News, by Annie Proulx

Posted on July 30, 2025 by schoultz

Why this book: Selected by my literature reading group – several had already read it and wanted to read it again.  It is one of a handful of novels that won the American Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize in … Continue reading →

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Woman, Captain, Rebel – The Extraordinary True Story of a Daring Icelandic Sea Captain, by Margaret Willson

Posted on July 24, 2025 by schoultz

Why this book: I was planning to travel to Iceland for a hike and wanted to learn about the people and its history. This book was strongly  recommended by two women on the hike. Summary in 4 Sentences:  The book … Continue reading →

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How Iceland Changed the World – The Big History of a Small Island, by Egill Bjarnsason

Posted on June 22, 2025 by schoultz

Why this book:  I’m preparing to hike for a week in Iceland with NOLS,  and this book comes strongly recommended by a friend who has done that hike. I listened to the book which served me well.  Summary in 4 … Continue reading →

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The Japanese Lover, by Isabel Allende

Posted on June 20, 2025 by schoultz

Why this book:  Selected by my literature book club. Summary in 3 sentences:  There are two  key protagonists in this novel, beginning with a young woman Irina who is working in a retirement home in the early 21st century in the … Continue reading →

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The Tiger – A True Story of Vengeance and Survival, by John Vaillant

Posted on June 8, 2025 by schoultz

Why this book: Highly recommended by Ryan Holliday.  Selected by my “literature” reading group and was a near select by my SEAL reading group. Summary in 3 Sentences: This is the author’s account of his research into how the Russian … Continue reading →

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Beyond the Trident, by Tom Murphy

Posted on May 21, 2025 by schoultz

Why this book:  I had briefly met Tom Murphy during my career in the Navy, and I recall that he had a reputation as an unusually intelligent and gifted SEAL Officer.  I was very interested in his perspective on the … Continue reading →

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