Life After The Military: Mark Greene
Listen to retired Navy SEAL officer, Mark Greene talk candidly and transparently about his challenges with transition, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress, and how he sought help consistently throughout his life to overcome obstacles and achieve success in everything he did.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-greene-mba-mpa-2aaa2a9/
Dominion Energy: https://www.dominionenergy.com/
Show Notes:
0:00 Lee opens the podcast
00:42 Lee introduces Mark Greene
01:54 Matt describes how his service as a Navy SEAL shaped him
10:26 Howie and Mark reinforce the value of military service and overcoming adversity
17:40 Mark shares his challenges and stories about transition from the military and his experience at the University of Southern California
40:40 Mark expands on his work at USC and helping their student veteran community and their families
47:40 Mark, Howie and Lee reinforce for veterans the need to plan for their transition at least 2 years out and never fear to ask for help
57:47 Mark describes his concept of being a life coach for student athletes
1:14:50 Mark explains how he learned about Dominion Energy and chose to work for their corporate security team
1:22:40 Lee gives Mark his book title
1:25:18 Mark shares a story about a public speaking engagement at the Smithsonian
1:30:15 Mark defines what mental fitness means to him, personal challenges he had and what he does to strengthen his own mental fitness
1:35:00 Lee and Mark discuss the difference between fearing failure and hating to fail
1:43:50 Lee closes out the episode
A Mental Fitness Journey Through Music with Cecily - Part 1
“How do I use my voice to enable others to find healing in some way?” Cecily, a musician, writer and healer, joins We Are Everyone for a special two-part discussion on the power of discovering your voice and silencing that inner critic. In this episode, she shares her journey as a vocalist and songwriter including how shifting her focus to music allowed her to explore new ways to bring people together and the themes that she portrays through her work.
Guest Social Media Links
Website – http://cecilymusic.com/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/cecilyalexa/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/CecilyAlexa
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/CecilyMusic
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/CecilyMusic
2:33 Cecily tells us about herself and her mission
5:45 Words on patience
7:00 Cecily gives us her definition of mental fitness
10:00 Cecily shares her art inspirations and her journey from political science to healing music
13:16 How Cecily’s conceptualization of love and her latest album were framed by studying three of the most popular books ever created on love
17:30 Cecily tells us how learning the themes of healthy love carried over into her music and her overall life purpose
19:20 Jenn reminds us of love and all its forms, and how that plays into mental wellness
21:59 Cecily tells us how the the dynamics of being an artist online and in the world affect and contribute to a self love journey
Music Mentioned
Songs of Love and Freedom – http://cecilymusic.com/music/songs-of-love-and-freedom/
Awakening PT. 1 – http://cecilymusic.com/music/awakening-pt-1/
Books Mentioned
The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship: A Toltec Wisdom Book – Don Miguel Ruiz https://www.amazon.com/Mastery-Love-Practical-Relationship-Toltec/dp/1878424424
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) – Don Miguel Ruiz https://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319
How to Love (Mindfulness Essentials) – Thich Nhat Hanh
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Mindfulness-Essentials-Thich-Nhat/dp/1937006883
All About Love: New Visions – Bell Hooks
https://www.amazon.com/All-About-Love-New-Visions/dp/0060959479
Quotes Mentioned
“How do I use my voice to enable others to find healing in some sort of way?”
“Really looking at the reasons why you’re on this earth, and being able to find your voice [that early] is really beautiful.”
“Mental fitness is a continuum.”
“Mental fitness is retraining yourself out of your continuous mental critic”.
“How can I replace this negative self critic with someone who is more compassionate, more kind, more patient, more reassuring..”
“I always wanted to be the kind of person to bring people together and to build people up.”
“You have to choose love in every moment”.
“You learn that any type of vitriol has to be an automatic response. No, that’s something completely within my control”.
“All human beings learn a lot about what love is supposed to be through the media. As a black woman who makes soul music, it’s my job to carry all these themes that are changing my life, through music.”
“Media is BS a lot of the time, but music is coming from the soul.”
Finding Your Cause
Mara Gubuan, the Founder of Equality League takes us on a journey of how she went from being a tax accountant to finding her purpose by starting multiple nonprofit agencies focused on advancing women’s rights and gender equality in sport. Mara shares with us the incredible work she is doing to help save Afghan women athletes and their families and how she supported a coalition of women to end a 40 year stadium ban for Iranian women. Mara inspires us with her passion and relentless fight to drive equality.
Guests Social Media Links:
Website: https://weareeql.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/equalityleagues
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mara-g-bb9a68132/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equalityleagues/
Key Takeaways:
0:00 Intro
1:06 Mara explains the stresses of the current Afghan crisis and what EQL is doing to get involved
2:39 Mara gives examples of current success stories with refugees in sport that the EQL has been able to help with
5:33 Mara talks about the dangers these people face as high level athletes and how their accomplishments are now harming them
7:26 Mara details the start of the EQL and how it came to be and their original focus on Muslim female athletes
12:35 Mar talks about the struggles the EQL faces in terms of short staffing and needing help with the current Afghan crisis
16:32 Mara talks about how she really found cause during the quarantine when kids lost sports and tried to find a way to give that back to them
19:34 Mara talks about the EQL’s youth council and what they advocate and fight for
23:43 Mara details the toughest project she’s had to work on though EQL
26:53 Mara talks about a current evacuation of 100 people in conjunction with their partner FIFA
30:22 Mara explains a project and accomplishment she is most proud of
32:44 Mara talks about the EQL and where you can find out more information online
Resources Mentioned:
FIFA – FIFA is a non-profit organization that describes itself as an international governing body of association football, futsal, and beach soccer. It is the highest governing body of association football.
Equality League – Equality League is comprised of leaders from sport, human rights, and the media working to advance gender equality in and through support. We create and support campaigns to advance access, equality and safety in sport for women and girls worldwide.
Champion Women – Champion Women is a non-profit organization that provides legal advocacy for girls and women in sports.
Nancy Hogshead-Makar – Founded in 2014 by 3-time Olympic gold medalist, Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Champion Women is dedicated to advocating gender equality in sports for girls and women
Quotes Mentioned:
“One person in the right place with the right intentions can make a difference. And even what I tell the Youth Council is that if you are just authentic in what you’re attempting to do, people want to be part of your team where they want to help you, where they see their deficits.”
“It is very difficult to field message after message. You’re my only hope. When is it my turn? What happens next? And we’re working with a wonderful ally, but they can only do so much because are tremendous negotiations with different countries and the Taliban that are underway so we can only try to be supportive.”
“The FIBA hijab ban overturned, another recent victory was the overturn of the 40 year old ban on Iranian women. The 41 million Iranian women and girls were not allowed to enter stadiums to watch men’s football matches. And so you’re exactly right where I see that there is an egregious problem, we try to help solve it because we know with my powerful board and our community that we can reach the decision makers.”
WIN: Championship Traits for Life - Matt Eversmann
Courage, commitment, and teammates can be found on sports fields and battlefields.💪 US Army First Sergeant (R) & American Hero, Matt Eversmann, joins WIN! Learn about his story of survival, how it became the source material for Black Hawk Down, and how he maintains mental fitness.
How do you define the word “Courage?” Our guest today, First Sergeant retired Matt Eversmann, will provide you with an answer.
Matt served in the US Army from 1987-2008 and spent time with the 75th Ranger regiment and the 10th Mountain Division.
While his entire term of service was admirable, his time in the military will forever be immortalized through the events of October 3, 1993. Matt was placed in charge of a group of Army Rangers to lead a daytime raid against an eager enemy militia. Matt experienced the horrors of war when he and his fellow soldiers were trapped in a hostile district of Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia, and marked for death by an angry mob. His inspiring story of survival became the source material for, Black Hawk Down, which recounts the harrowing experience. For his actions on the battlefield he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device.
Matt illustrates the importance of duty, courage and selfless service to succeed when ordinary circumstances become extraordinary challenges and we are honored to have had him with us on WIN.
Matt defines the word courage: 2:40
Matt discusses being a quiet professional rather than a loud motivator: 8:57
Matt talks about leadership and accountability: 18:51
Matt shares his cornerstone leadership tips: 37:17
Matt discusses the importance of showing that you care about those you lead: 44:26
Matt dives into bringing calm to the chaos of the events on October 3rd, 1993: 53:09
Matt defines mental fitness and shares how he practices it: 1:02:18
Matt talks about being played by Josh Harnett in Black Hawk Down: 1:07:17
WIN: Championship Traits for Life - Brian Covey
What is the first thing you tell people about yourself? Is it your accomplishments? Is it what you do for a living? Is it about your family?
Our Guest today, Brian Covey, will make you rethink how you approach people in sport, business and life with his thoughts.
Brian’s resume is one that will get our audience excited. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Brian played soccer at the pro and Olympic levels before taking on a career as an influencer, speaker, top-rated podcaster via “The Brian Covey Show”, an author through his book “Conversations with Covey”, and a wealth Advisor while serving as the VP of one of the largest mortgage companies in America, loan-depot.
But beyond his professional accolades and titles, Brian is all about balance in fitness, wellness and life. One of the things that stood out to me when doing research, is that Brian always lists himself as a father, husband and family man first.
– Brian discusses being a family man first and foremost: 1:42
– Brian talks about the importance of a team bond and how to strengthen them: 7:38
– Brian shares a time where he faced adversity, what he learned, and how he overcame the obstacles: 11:53
– Brian discusses a collective responsibility for a team to keep team culture in check: 17:57
– Brian expands on his five tenants that are a pathway to success on the field and the importance of also utilizing this skill set off the field to be successful: 22:37
– Brian shares what it is that draws people in to work for him: 30:09
– Brian tells why its important to understand what motivates others: 36:32
– Brian shares what he would write in a text he would send to his younger self and defines mental fitness/how he practices it: 42:53
Unwritten: This is Dharavi - Lightbeam
Dharavi does not typically make it onto the “must see” list for visitors, but Noa Iimura challenges these preconceptions with an intimate portrait of the local lifestyle through the eyes of selfless children.
Life After The Military - Matt Kellam
In this exceptionally powerful and informative episode of Life After the Military, Lee and Howie talk with former Marine, Matt Kellam. Matt serves as the Dominion Energy Military and Recruitment Program Coordinator. Dominion Energy, a veteran friendly company, historically hires 1 of every 5 employees with a veteran background. Dominion Energy has been in the top 10 of veteran friendly employers since 2008. Matt talks eloquently and with vulnerability about how he strengthens his mental fitness and how committed he is to help Dominion Energy take great care of veterans, their families, and create partnerships with the communities they serve.
Matt’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-kellam-178013b/
Dominion Energy: https://www.dominionenergy.com/
Troops to Energy Jobs: https://www.troopstoenergyjobs.com/
0:00 Lee opens the podcast
00:42 Lee introduces Matt Kellam
02:22 Matt describes how his service in the Marine Corps shaped him
10:26 Lee reinforces the value of military service
15:12 Matt shares his experiences and stories about transition from the military and his experiences and struggles as a student veteran
26:55 Matt describes how he began to work with Dominion Energy and his family’s history with the company
32:24 Matt explains how Dominion Energy created strategic partnerships with the communities they serve
40:17 Howie and Matt talk about the Dominion Energy leadership team’s commitment to helping veterans
1:00:44 Matt describes the Troop to Energy Jobs Program which helps other employers build a military veteran friendly transition and hiring program
1:03:40 Matt shares Dominion Energy’s charitable commitment to veterans with a partnership to host an annual senior PGA tournament in the Richmond area
1:07:00 Lee gives Matt his book title
1:08:03 Matt defines what mental fitness means to him, personal challenges he had and what he does to strengthen his own mental fitness
1:20:02 Lee closes out the episode
The Grounded Canary
Beth Shaha, Certified Life Coach and Founder of The Grounded Canary shares with us her journey of how a mission trip to Romania changed her forever and led her down a path of leaving her career in the higher education industry to becoming a certified life coach. Beth provides great insights on how we can start being more curious about who we are and show compassion versus judgement. She encourages us to think about our internal narratives and change our perspective on how we approach our lives.
Guests Social Media Links:
Website: https://www.thegroundedcanary.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-shaha-4aa96095/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegroundedcanary/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegroundedcanary/
Email: beth@thegroundedcanary.com
Key Takeaways:
0:00 Intro
0:55 Beth talks about the term wayfinder, what it means and the kind of things a wayfinder does
2:54 Beth shares her journey of where she came from, why she decided to pivot and build her company Grounded Canary and become a certified life coach
11:18 Beth also shares advice to people who haven’t found their purpose yet and those that have the purpose but are afraid to make the transition
14:02 Beth talks about how people put shackles on themselves without even noticing, what they need to do to realize the limiting beliefs they have and how they can change that
18:21 Beth talks about why people should be compassionate about themselves rather than be judgmental towards themselves
21:58 Beth talks about ways to realize that you’re in a bad situation, how to not beat yourself about it, and how to be curious to know what you can do to get out of it
25:58 Beth shares a technique you can use to help be able to pull yourself out of a situation that you are in and look at it from a different angle to help you solve the problem
29:32 Beth shares some resources that people can learn from more about some tools and tricks to use to better themselves
Books Mentioned:
The Work by Byron Katie: https://thework.com/
Walking Back The Cat: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/173806.Walking_Back_the_Cat
Shows Mentioned:
Kristin Neff: https://self-compassion.org/
Positive Psychology: https://positivepsychology.com/
Quotes Mentioned:
“Where you are is a great place to start.”
“The power of story is inevitable.”
“Fear screams, intuition whispers.”
“Basic pausing and noticing is the first step towards finding your way and finding your purpose.”
“Limiting beliefs could be about anything and they’re beliefs that keep you shackled.”
“Knowledge is power, knowledge is truth, and knowledge helps us to see.”
“If we use our now to inform our then, it’s freedom.”
“Create a space that allows you to look at a situation rather than be in it.”
“An emotion only lasts 90 seconds, the only reason it would last longer is if you continue to re-engage.”
Understanding What’s Happening on the Other Side of the Keyboard
“During the pandemic, you kind of had to face your mind.” COVID-19 was certainly a strain on all of us in one way or another and forced us to reckon with the importance of mental health. This re-evaluation was particularly prevalent in the transitioning workplace. Rayne Steinberg, Co-Founder and CEO of digital asset investment firm Arca, joins Jenn to talk about his own mental fitness journey as well as his team’s approach to fostering a company culture that emphasizes clear communication, ownership and an open awareness of the evolving ways to support employee wellness.
:49 Rayne shares a little bit of background about himself and his business and family
1:50 Rayne’s definition of “mental fitness” in relation to ARCA
3:44 Rayne discusses that being part of a well-known family sometimes affected his mental wellness
7:26 Rayne explains how he implements mental fitness as a leader, how mass media and popular sentiment skew the realities of leadership, and how a public family controversy helped him to deal with internal struggles
12:57 Rayne discusses that his team has strategized and evolved with the society and the shift to promoting mental health in the workplace
15:07 Rayne outlines his company’s culture, where people feel like owners
17:55 Jenn and Rayne stress the importance of and value of clear communication at the workplace
20:24 At Arca, Slack and email are limited to informal messages, fostering clearer conversations
22:57 Rayne gives his view of the future of mental fitness/mental wellness in the workplace and details the successful company culture at ARCA
26:23 Rayne shares how taking distance from work to let the mind regenerate benefits his company
31:20 Rayne shares encouraging words for the masses, “its okay”
Books Mentioned:
Marc Randolph – That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QLL7N7D/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0
The Four Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005BSQWVM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1
Quotes Mentioned:
“Mental wellness is really a very pliable, healthy mind, that helps you deal with a very changeable world. A well balanced healthy mind is able to cope with adversity.”
“Flexibility and optionality are super important in this world and you can’t do that without a healthy mind”.
“During the pandemic, you kind of had to face your mind”.
“Everyone is having their own human experience”
“..In an increasingly optic-driven society, where we have a lot of exposure to success stories. We only get to hear the books of those who made it, so there’s a real survivorship bias on these things. People don’t realize how much good fortune and luck goes into these things. ”
“With the way I was raised in this very public way, one of the most helpful things is that we had a disintegration of that, very publicly as well, and that was no longer a pressure that was on you… I was forced to face what was going on internally and have people see very bad things going on, and it wasn’t fatal.”
“Be comfortable with things that weren’t as great, but not letting them be paralyzing.”
“Skills and aptitude’s are different, not necessarily better than the other”
“It hard to understand how much human interaction goes on in the workplace…. It’s hard to quantify, but you feel it in its absence.”
“The less context you have in interactions, the more you’re able to fill in on your own”
“You have to understand what’s going on, on the other side of that keyboard”
“Communication is a two way street. Whatever you say doesn’t matter, you’re looking to communicate something on the receiving end.”
“This virtual world has made the labor pool fluid and almost infinite…. But there’s also an incredibly broad pool for the applicant…”
“Find something that works for you, that you see the good results in, and be honest with it.”
Alternative Happiness, Diego Chi: Mentoring Young Kids in Music - Lightbeam
Diego Chi is a musician and composer who found happiness by pursuing a lifestyle that allows him to live out his dreams. Now, he’s sharing the power of music with young people through a non-profit mentorship program!
