Cast Your Light

You are equipped with the most powerful weapon ever known to man—and it has nothing to do with rank, title, or uniform. It is your willpower, and when you learn to aim it with intention, you can change your life, your family, and your world.

In Cast Your Light, Gunnery Sergeant (Ret.) Kevin J. “KJ” Carleo draws on twenty years in the United States Marine Corps and a lifetime of personal trials to deliver a raw, practical, and deeply spiritual blueprint for becoming the greatest version of yourself—one deliberate “30 inch step” at a time. This is not theory from the sidelines; it is hard earned wisdom forged on yellow footprints, in the crucible of leadership, and in the quiet, private battles of the heart and mind.

Built on a simple but demanding premise—that you are not just a citizen of a nation, but a GLOBAL CITIZEN with the power to SHAPE YOUR LIFE and the lives around you—this book calls you out of drifting and into ownership. Through thirty focused chapters such as “Your Leadership,” “Your Willpower,” “Your Identity,” “Your Relationships,” “Your Purpose,” and “Your Journey,” Carleo walks you through every arena that truly defines you: what you answer to, how you think, what you value, how you love, and what you leave behind.

Each chapter begins with clear definitions and the often surprising origins of key words—leadership, inspiration, motivation, purpose—then pushes you to look in the mirror with ruthless honesty. You will confront your excuses, examine your beliefs, and separate what you say you want from what you truly intend to create. Along the way, Carleo weaves together stories from his Marine Corps career, his journey of faith, and his own struggles with loss, abandonment, and identity, showing how the darkest moments can become fuel for the brightest light.

Though Cast Your Light was born in the Marine Corps, it is written for anyone who feels called to more: Marines and veterans, first responders, leaders, parents, teachers, coaches, and everyday warriors fighting silent battles no one sees. If you have ever felt stuck between who you are and who you know you could be—caught in a loop of “should,” “would,” and “could”—this book is your invitation to finally move from “I wish” and “I want” to “I INTEND” and “I DID.”

Instead of offering quick fixes or empty motivation that fades after a seminar high, Carleo teaches you to distinguish between external motivation and true inspiration—the difference between being pushed from the outside and being pulled by something deep within. You will learn how to realign your thoughts, values, and decisions so that your daily actions match the person you say you want to become, even when fear, fatigue, or doubt try to drag you back.

Drawing from what he calls the “Titans of Truth”—Sun Tzu, Marcus Aurelius, Lao Tzu, Zig Ziglar, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Rhonda Byrne, Dr. John Demartini, Neale Donald Walsch, and others—Carleo distills timeless principles into direct, accessible guidance you can use immediately. You will see how concepts like personal responsibility, the law of attraction, gratitude, servant leadership, and values driven living can be translated from lofty ideas into concrete daily behaviors.

Cast Your Light is meant to be carried, marked up, and returned to through every season of your life. On your best days, it will push you to raise your standard; on your worst days, it will remind you that you are not alone, that your story is not over, and that your next 30 inch step still matters. For Marines, this book is a love letter and a challenge—to honor the legacy of those who came before by the way you live after you hang up the uniform. For all mankind, it is a call to stop waiting for conditions to change and start becoming the light you have been searching for.

If you are ready to stop asking “Can I?” and start answering “WILL I?”, this book will meet you where you are and refuse to leave you there. Open these pages, take a breath, and take that next step. The world does not just need more titles, more noise, or more success stories. It needs your light—fully owned, fully alive, and cast FAR and WIDE.