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In this episode, Michael Reddington engages in an incredible conversation with Shaun Haines, a remarkable multilinguist. Shaun shares his unique language learning journey, starting with sign language and expanding to Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and more. Discover how Shaun's motivation, focus, and passion for grammar made learning languages as an adult easier, while also exploring the profound connections language creates between cultures. Additionally, Shaun shares his diverse career path, from supporting the disabled to serving in the military and becoming an attorney, which has shaped his empathy and understanding for others.

Timestamps: 

• (00:00:16) - Introduction to Shaun Haines
• (00:08:24) - Working with adults with disabilities and its impact
• (00:23:10) - Being a 31-year-old in boot camp: the challenges and rewards
• (00:27:31) - Young soldiers with attention problems and disciplinary issues.
• (00:32:51) - The importance of connection and understanding differences.
• (00:41:14) - Law student finds success through investigative work.
• (00:50:03) - Learning languages as an adult.
• (01:01:34) - Understanding and valuing communication across languages.
• (01:06:56) - Closing sentiments and thank you to the sponsors.

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Podcast Production Services by EveryWord Media

Joe Bass enjoyed the wrestling spotlight in Lancer Hall (now Willett Hall).  With a career record of 48-25, he qualified for the NCAA DII regionals and was a key part in a young program. After retiring from the Army, Joe went back to his family roots and owned and operated restaurants.  Now, as a full retiree in Burke Virginia, Joe reconnects with other Longwood wrestlers and plays golf.   

In this new Pivotal Moments Media Charlie Mike Channel episode of Life After the Military, Lee and Howie speak with Sergeant Major (Retired) Jose Velazquez.

Jose provides invaluable insights into his military transition preparation and execution.

Jose wisely advises transitioning service members to apply the skills they learned in the military to own and execute their transition. 

Jose shares the importance and value of eliminating debt to lower the stress of the transition period. 

Jose also describes the invaluable role that his spouse played in their steps to execute their transition. With his wife taking part in all transition briefings and classes, she brought a perspective to the process that really helped Jose plan more effectively. 

Jose also shares the importance for him to seek a post military role that enabled him to find purpose and value in what he wanted to do in broadcasting and teaching. 

Jose and Howie describe the value they received by completing the Leader Transition Institute course “Changing Focus from We to Me” and highly encourage all transitioning service members to take this course.

Jose expands on the importance of finding and using mentors to leverage their lessons learned. When he decided to pursue his entrepreneurial spirit and start his own business, he leaned on several mentors to show him the way. 

Although struggling with some mental health challenges resulting from leading men and women in combat, Jose candidly shares the value of seeking and asking for help and being there for others when they need someone to talk to. 

Show Notes:
2:00  Jose discusses his personal transition out of the military 
10:15 Howie discusses the value of reducing debt to create breathing room during transition 
12:51 Finding purpose and fulfillment after the military15:18 Jose elaborates on becoming an entrepreneur
20:31 Discussion around “Owning the Process” of transition and asking for help.
36:49 Jose explains the Leadership Transition Institute and going from “WE” to “ME”
45:39 Howie expands on his experiences transitioning and the tools he finds value in today
55:01 Lee Discusses helping yourself before helping others
1:01:45 Jose describes his mental fitness journey 
1:15:20 Jose shares a personal story about reframing his experiences through a redefinition of strength

Hello & welcome back to another episode of Well, Not Perfect. 

Today’s guest is someone who knows first hand what it’s like to overcome a seemingly impossible challenge. 

Nick Lavery is an active-duty member of The United States Army Special Forces. In 2013, on Nick's second combat rotation to Afghanistan, he and his Detachment fell victim to an insider attack ultimately resulting in the loss of his leg. Following a year of surgeries and recovery, he returned to his Detachment and was deployed once again. Nick is considered the first Special Forces operator to return to combat as an above-the-knee amputee and I was honored to hear his story.

This episode gives listeners an in depth look into the mindset Nick relies on to continuously achieve his goals. His story and outlook on life are testament to the power of committing to your purpose and developing a strong sense of self. 

Nick’s perseverance, humility, and intelligence were evident to me throughout our conversation. I know that you will walk away feeling inspired by his attitude and motivated to prioritize your own growth, too. 

In this episode, you will learn:

1. How to compare yourself to others with gratitude instead of self-pity;
2. How to become more systematic about achieving your goals; and
3. How to let go of distractions and focus on what truly matters most to you.

Welcome to another episode of Well, Not Perfect.

To connect with Nick, you can find him at:

• Website: http://www.machinenick.com
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKNVniNJKTYRZpTmfyJJjtA
• Instagram: @nick.machine.lavery
• Book: Objective Secure

If you are a transitioning service member getting ready to exit the military, check out our latest episode of Life After The Military with LTC (Retired) Pete “Aloha” Tingstrom.

In this episode, Pete candidly admits that he waited way too long to start his planning to exit the military and what that cost him by creating unnecessary stress.

Pete shares how he leveraged the use of veteran services organizations to help him develop and execute his transition plan.

Learn how Pete used the power and value of networking, which not only helped him find his first job after military retirement, but also led him to start his own business as an entrepreneur.

Pete gives great insight on the different work experiences he had that included government contracting, entrepreneurship, and taking on the challenge offing the campaign manager for an Army veteran running for Governor of the State of Hawaii, Lynn Mariano.

Learn how Pete uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to strengthen his mental fitness and deal effectively with his challenges.

In this week’s episode of Life After the Military, Lee and Howie interview Sergeant Major (Retired) Michael Quinn. An absolute MUST listen for transitioning veterans and their family members. 

Michael is a 2X LinkedIn Top Voice who created HireMilitary, the Digital Networking Professional Program and Tenova, LLC to aid and bring value to transitioning military veterans and their families at no cost to the veterans they help.

HireMilitary is a veteran staffing company that provides the direct placement of veterans and military spouses and heavily leverages the DoD SkillBridge Program. The Digital Networking Professional Program trains and certifies individuals to leverage LinkedIn in support of personal or corporate branding, growing a network, engaging with content and leveraging their free tools. Tenova LLC is a service-disabled veteran owned small business that brings the unique quals of HireMilitary and the Digital Networking Professional Program, couples them with training, communications, and change management, to support government and commercial clients of all sizes.

“Use your last job in the military to prepare for your next job after you get out of the military” is one piece of advice Colonel (Retired) Jeff Worthington shares in this week’s episode of Life After the Military. Jeff, a 30-year Army veteran who recently retired in May of 2021, thoughtfully planned, prepared for and executed his transition which included use of the DoD SkillBridge Program. 

Jeff also talks very powerfully, candidly and courageously about how he overcame suicidal thoughts, depression and how he now manages and strengthens his mental fitness by telling others about his story. 

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-worthington
CrowdStrike: https://www.crowdstrike.com/

Show Notes:
0:00 Lee opens the podcast
00:26 Lee introduces Jeff Worthington
02:00 Jeff describes how his military service shaped him
06:02 Jeff shares great advice about how he thoughtfully prepared for and executed his transition to the private sector
21:31 Jeff talks about how he used the DoD SkillBridge Program to help him prepare for his successful transition 
26:30 Howie reinforces some of the things that Jeff did to prepare for his transition like developing his network and profile on LinkedIn
29:01 Jeff describes the screening criteria and decision-making process he used to make his post military employment decision
34:28 Jeff shares the “dirty secret” about the DoD SkillBridge Program – he describes how he set up his own program with CrowdStrike 
41:08 Jeff describes his role at CrowdStrike (formerly McAfee)
44:35 Jeff talks about the strategy behind setting up his own limited liability company (LLC)
48:00 Lee gives Jeff his book title
51:07 Jeff talks very candidly and transparently about how he overcame suicidal thoughts and how he now manages and strengthens his mental fitness
58:04 Lee and Howie thank Jeff for being so thoughtful and vulnerable by sharing his story
1:11:38 Lee closes out the episode

In the latest episode of Life After the Military, COL (Ret) Fran Trentley provides spot-on guidance and advice for transitioning veterans. Listen to Fran describe his challenges with the transition process and upgrading the communications infrastructure at the White House Communications Agency in support of the President of the United States. 

You’ll also learn about the techniques he used to decide to work for Akamai Technologies for over 15 years – he did his homework and made a great decision! Listen and learn from Fran. 

Fran’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frantrentley/

Show Notes:
0:00 Lee opens the podcast
00:31 Lee introduces Fran Trentley
02:51 Fran describes how his military service shaped him
26:35 Fran talks about upgrading the communications capabilities of the White House Communications Agency in support of the President of the United States
43:40 Fran shares his transition experience, creating evaluative criteria, gives examples of risk and reward, and provides great perspective for others going through the process
54:00 Fran reinforces the need to evaluate an organization’s leadership team and culture before you decide to join them 
58:22 Fran describes why and how he worked for Akamai Technologies for 15 years
1:06:22 Fran shares how he applied the leadership and team building skills he honed while in the military to create success at Akamai
1:17:55 Fran provides insight into the corporate advisory work he does with Squirrel Compliancy Solutions 
1:22:20 Lee gives Fran his book titles
1:24:10 Fran talks about how he manages and strengthen his mental fitness
1:32:00 Lee closes out the episode

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 #BlackHawkDown, and how he maintains #mentalfitness

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.

For any of you who have previously been or are currently being chastised for your addiction to first-person shooter games, the United States Army has your six.

The Army recently announced that it will begin testing robotic combat vehicles that are remote-controlled by crews from the back of modified Bradley Fighting Vehicles dubbed Mission Enabler Technologies-Demonstrators, or MET-Ds. The tests are scheduled to begin next March at Fort Carson, Colorado. 

Crews will acquire and fire at targets with M113 armored personnel carriers that been retrofitted with the MET-D system. These RCVs utilize 360-degree situational awareness cameras and a remote turret for the 25 mm main gun.

Additionally, each MET-D will have a crew comprised of a driver in the aforementioned Bradley, another soldier responsible for the main gun, and four other soldiers controlling two additional vehicles performing platoon-level maneuvers, and providing cover fire with 7.62 mm machine guns. After these tests, the Next-Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team, as part of the Army Futures Command, will use soldier feedback to improve the vehicles and design future evaluations.

Additional tests scheduled for next May will see how the RCVs work in unison with a light infantry unit in performing reconnaissance and basic security tasks. Initial feedback has the chain of command impressed with how quickly the crews have gotten a feel for the MET-D controls. 

 Looking even further forward, the Army sees three RCV variants: a light version transportable by helicopter; a mid-sized version that can fit on a C-130 aircraft; and a heavy model that would require a larger aircraft for transport. Infrared vision kits with a target range of at least 8.5 miles are also on the wish list.

The main goal is to develop robotic combat vehicles that utilize soldier skills without placing them in the direct line of fire.

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