Fomer Undercover CIA Officer Rescuing Children | Founder and President, ARC

In this episode of The Jess Larsen Show on Innovation & Leadership, Jess sits down with Bazzel Baz, a former Marine Corps officer, former CIA Ground Branch operator, author, actor, filmmaker, and founder of the Association for the Recovery of Children. Bazzel shares his extraordinary path from the Marine Corps and counterterrorism work after the Beirut barracks bombing to his time in the intelligence community, where he served during some of the most consequential conflicts of the Cold War era. He reflects on the lessons he learned from quiet professionals, the importance of humility, and why real service often happens without applause or recognition. Jess and Bazzel also explore his unexpected move into Hollywood, including his work on The Blacklist and the story behind Hotel Tehran, a film connected to a real-life intelligence story involving hidden money in Iran. But the heart of this conversation is Bazzel’s mission through ARC, the Association for the Recovery of Children, where he has spent decades helping recover missing, exploited, and trafficked children. This episode is a powerful conversation about courage, faith, service, leadership, child rescue, and what it means to dedicate your life to the people most others are too afraid to go after. Bazzel’s message is simple but unforgettable: saving one child may not change the whole world, but for that one child, their entire world changes.

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