Life After The Military: Steve Sosland
Steve Sosland, Chief People Officer of the University of Texas Tech University System, and former United States Army Airborne Ranger Officer joins the Life After the Military podcast. Steve shares stories and talks about his military and corporate experiences; leadership, coaching, and mentoring; developing and sustaining a high-performing, values-based culture; personal and professional development; and gives a lesson on great whiskies and bourbons.
0:00 – 1:23 Introduction to podcast and Steve Sosland
1:58 – 7:16 Steve describes how his military experience and leaders shaped him
7:17- 11:00 Steve and Lee talk about the importance of strong team bonds
11:01 – 13:15 Steve and Howie talk about their personal mission statements
13:16 – 24:59 Steve talks about his experience at West Point, his early assignments, and his experiences with Brigadier General Herbert Lloyd, a military hero and legend
25:00 – 36:00 Steve describes his transition from the military and experience as a recruiter for military officers, talks about the impact of ego, and describes his work experience at KFC
36:01 – 44:44 Lee, Steve and Howie talk about leadership
44:45 – 47:00 Steve talks about his life’s purpose: developing and sustaining a high performing organization based on a strong set of core values
49:15 – 56:30 Steve defines the difference between mentoring and coaching
56:31 – 1:02:30 Steve talks about his entry into the healthcare field and building a values-based culture
1:07:30 – 1:16:15 Steve talks about being a life-long leader, the importance of self-development, and suggests four books to read
1:20:57 – 1:27:00 Steve shares his top picks for bourbon and whiskey
1:27:40 Lee gives Steve his book title
1:28:30 – 1:33:54 Steve shares his definition of mental fitness and what he does to strengthen his own mental fitness
1:35:30 – 1:36:40 Steve thanks all who were in uniform or are currently in uniform
1:36:45 Lee closes the episode
Steve’s Social Media:
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-sosland-58492010/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1039208053
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ssosland
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/stevesosland/
Defining and Maintaining Your Mental Fitness
“Different workouts work for different people; just as different therapy works for different people.” Sara Battista, Licensed Professional Counselor, and Saroya Tinker, NWHL defenseman, recent graduate of Yale, mentor and podcast host, share the importance of discovering the mental fitness approach that works best for you, tackle toxic positivity and social media impacts, discuss the connection between mental health and activism and advise on the importance of compassion and listening.
0:00 Intro
1:29 Saroya shares a little bit of history about herself, where she’s from, what she does, and also her podcast
2:37 Sara also shares a little bit of background about herself and also what she does as a career
4:42 Saroya talks about the term mental fitness and what comes to her mind when she first hears the term
5:40 Sara also talks about mental fitness, what the term means to her and what comes to her mind when she hears the word
7:26 Sara talks about what to do and what not to do for you to be mentally fit
8:15 Saroya talks about the importance of finding out what works out for you in terms of workouts and therapies so that you remain physically fit
9:16 Saroya shares memories that she has and experiences that she has had that challenge the qualities of resilience
10:24 Sara shares some of the things that the young generations are doing that are challenging the qualities of resilience
12:45 Sara talks about the importance of listening to others and being humbled by their experiences as a way to improve your mental fitness
13:34 Saroya also talks about the importance of listening to others and understand that your experience is not the same as theirs
15:39 Saroya talks about the impact of social media on mental wellness and why people should not post things for the satisfaction of others
17:02 Sara also talks about the impact of social media on mental fitness and why people should be mindful of what they do with their social media platforms
18:26 Saroya talks about the importance of looking deeper into why we’re following what we’re following on social media and how we want it to affect us
19:14 Sara also talks about how social media can cause depression and eating disorders and why you need to be mindful of how much you take in from it
21:51 Saroya talks about how her perspective and approach to mental health has evolved over the years
24:09 Sara also talks about how her perspective and approach to mental health has evolved over the years
27:48 Saroya talks about how the younger generation approaches mental health and what should be done
28:37 Sara also talks about how the younger generation approaches mental health and what she feels should be done
32:43 Sara talks about the importance of being open and having conversations about what you are feeling about mental health
34:20 Saroya and Sara talk about the importance of going for therapy and how that can improve your mental health and that of others
37:43 Sara and Saroya talk about why people should not compare themselves with others and understand that people are different and experience things differently
42:10 Saroya talks about some of the things that she does that she feels fuel her mental fitness muscle
43:01 Sara also shares some of the things that she does that she also feels fuel her mental fitness muscle
46:02 Saroya and Sara share their closing statements and advice that they feel listeners should know Books Mentioned: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
Shows Mentioned:
https://www.shutupandplaypodcast.com/
Quotes Mentioned:
“Different workouts work for different people, just as different therapy works for different people.”
“You get resilience and grit from compassion.”
“Just because you had an experience doesn’t mean that the other person had that same experience.” “Never judge a book by its cover.”
“Uncomfortable emotions are part of the human experience.”
“Everyone has to experience some kind of anxiety, but they don’t know how to name it.”
“Don’t make assumptions and don’t take anything personally.”
“Seek out mental health care, give it a try even if you think you don’t need it or there’s no point.”
Guests Social Media Links:
Sara Battista Website: https://www.sarabattistatherapy.com/
Email: SaraBattistaTherapy@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-battista-lcpc-lpc-43237151/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarabattistatherapy/?hl=en
Saroya Tinker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saroya-tinker-jc71/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saroya.tinker
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saroyatinker71/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/saroyatinker71
Life After The Military: Skate for the 22 Foundation
In this episode, we talk with Bobby Colliton and Jonathan Demers who started the Skate for the 22 Foundation. Bobby and Jonathan formed the Skate for the 22 Foundation to reduce the tragically high number of military suicides by providing hockey, learn to skate, and skills development sessions, at no cost to their players with the goal of getting veterans back into a supportive, team environment.
0:00 Lee intros the podcast
0:42 Lee introduces Jonathan Demers and Bobby Colliton from the Skate for the 22 Foundation
3:06 Bobby explains the purpose behind the Skate for the 22 Foundation
8:32 Bobby explains the use of hockey to help Veterans by creating a team environment that they miss after leaving the military
14:42 Bobby shares how he created Skate for the 22
19:19 Bobby and Jonathan talk about how Skate for the 22 is organized and how players may offer services to other players
28:12 Bobby shares how his military experiences prepared him to create the Skate for the 22
33:40 Bobby talks about how others may create a similar foundation that gets others involved
37:43 Jonathan talks about how his military experience helped him with his involvement in Skate for the 22
43:04 Bobby and Jonathan share their transition experiences and describe the huge value that their military leadership training brought them in the corporate world 53:50 Bobby talks about how to integrate veterans into the workforce
58:42 Jonathan talks about their podcast, Behind the Boots
1:03:35 Bobby and Jonathan define mental fitness and what they do to strengthen their mental fitness
1:07:30 Bobby describes how to get involved in Skate for the 22
1:11:32 Howie closes out the episode
Learning to Discover, Process and Communicate Our Best Way Forward
“First, the self has to be excavated and confronted before you can possibly confront the rest of the world.” Juliana Wexler, founder of Parama, and Jared Schuster, holistic life coach and founder of Sparks of Consciousness, join host Jenn Sherman in discussing the importance of examining our values and wielding our authentic emotions to create spaces in life and work that best serve us.
0:00 Intro
2:18 Juliana shares a little background about herself, her company and some of the things she went through that made her start her company
4:30 Jared also shares a little background about himself, his company and some of the things that he went through that made him start his company
12:59 Juliana talks about her approaches in helping people strengthen their mental fitness in details
14:55 Jared also talks about his approaches in helping people strengthen their mental fitness in details
19:59 Juliana talks about the issues that people seek her expertise to resolve and if they are personal or due to people’s pressure
22:22 Jared also talks about some of the issues that he is seeing with his clients that seek his expertise and if they are personal or due to people’s pressure
26:28 Juliana talks about how the pandemic has affected the relationship to mindfulness and career
30:17 Jared also talks about how the pandemic has affected the relationship to mindfulness and career and shares some examples
39:11 Juliana talks about some of the things that she does to fuel her mental fitness muscle so as to keep on doing what she does best
43:25 Jared also talks about some of the things that he does to help him fuel his mental fitness muscle to keep on doing what he does best
50:55 Juliana also shares her thoughts on emotions especially the negative emotions and her advice on that issue
Book(s) Mentioned: The 4-Hour Workweek Book by Tim Ferriss
Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of African-American slaves. It is also often observed for celebrating African-American culture. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it has been celebrated annually on June 19 in various parts of the United States since 1865.
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the world. We conduct public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis, and other data-driven social science research. We do not take policy positions.
Shamanism is an ancient method of healing found in many cultures that focuses upon the relief of spiritual pain and suffering through interventions in non-ordinary reality. Non-ordinary reality (see Castaneda, who originally coined the term) can be described as the dimension of the Cosmos that exists outside of and parallel to the linear time-space arena of ordinary awareness.
Black Lives Matter is a decentralized political and social movement protesting against incidents of police brutality and all racially motivated violence against black people.
Quotes Mentioned:
“A lot of us are working unfulfilling jobs, not aligned with a higher purpose just to pay bills.”
“Reflective journaling is one of the most powerful things that we can do, it gets ideas out of the mind and onto paper.”
“Everything that we already know or need to know is already within.”
“In Western society, we are reactive and we don’t treat until it’s a problem.”
“We spend one-third of our entire life at our job, one-third of our life sleeping and the other third eating, showering, watching Netflix, doing all this.”
“Everything that happens at work is reflective of what’s going on in the outside world and vice versa.”
“Covid has just brought up all the darkness and shadows that we were hiding from.”
“Have some gratitude that something shook you and gave you an opportunity to put you on your path.”
“Make lemonade out of lemons that you are given.”
“Start reframing what you’re speaking, because when you speak, you bring it into existence.”
“Gratitude is the highest form of consciousness.”
“Observe the noise from within without reacting right away.”
“Time is the only resource that we cannot get more.”
“Money is just one aspect of true wealth.”
“The problems are from the infrastructure and from the system and not the individual.”
“Nature is so healing and it’s something that we have become so disconnected from.”
Guests Social Media Links:
Juliana Wexler:
Jared Shuster
Email: Jared@sparksofconsciousness.com
Life After The Military: Natalie Oliverio
Natalie Oliverio, CEO of Military Talent Partners, joins the Crossing the Line of Departure: Life After the Military podcast to share how her time in the Navy helped her mature; how she helped veterans as a recruiter, talent manager, and mentor; how she started her own for-profit company which has helped well over 5,000 veterans and their family members in less than 3 years; explains the value of committing to goal-setting; and, shares how she strengthens her own mental fitness.
Military Talent Partners Natalie Oliverio's LinkedIn
Show notes
0:00 Introduction 0:28 Lee introduces Natalie Oliverio 1:30 Natalie explains how her Navy experience molded her 4:46 Natalie talks about her transition from the Navy 10:08 Natalie talks about her post military career, specifically working forNatalie Tennant’s run for West Virginia Secretary of State 11:23 Natalie talks about her other post military job experiences and theimportance of goal setting 16:45 Natalie explains her role as a mentor for Elite Meet 27:53 Natalie describes what her company, Military Talent Partners (MTP),does for veterans 32:24 Natalie tells some stories about veterans she helped at MTP 39:54 Natalie talks about her experiences with transitioning from onecompany to another 46:57 Natalie advises business owners on how and why to recruit militarytalent 50:45 Natalie defines mental fitness and shares what she does to strengthenher own mental fitness
Fueling Your Emotional State
“The more you can learn to plan for and manage your own emotional state, the more you actually show up and perform at work.” David Rusenko, GM, Commerce at Square Inc. and Meredith Goldberg-Morse, Senior Manager of Social Impact at MTV, join us in the launch of Season Four of We Are Everyone to address how mental health and wellness is impacting businesses and the workforce – a matter that is more important than ever as America enters back into the office. Meredith dives into how MTV helps content creators understand who can serve as that credible mental wellness resource or advisor so that they can pass the right and credible information.
0:00 Intro
5:09 David talks about how the media and social media are impacting mental health, wellness, and fitness, and the technological impact as well on mental fitness
10:14 Meredith talks about how addressing mental health and wellness is guiding her work and how it impacts the decision to run social impact campaigns around mental health
15:19 David talks about how addressing mental health and wellness impacts the decision to run social impact campaigns around mental health
16:43 Meredith talks about the different mental health campaigns or initiatives that MTV was a part of and the guidance that she got from that
20:06 Meredith talks about how their platform helps content creators understand who can serve as that credible resource or advisor so that they can pass the right information
25:30 David talks about work, life balance and what can be done better either from a managerial to a leadership position to ensure that employees are fueling their mental fitness muscles and not necessarily burning out
29:56 David talks about what mental fitness means at a more personal level and what he does to fuel his mental fitness muscles
35:08 David shares his last advice to people and understand that they are not machines and that they need to manage their emotional states every day
Shows Mentioned:
www.pivotalmoments.org
The American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. It’s some 38,800 members are mainly American but some are international.
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2018/stress-gen-z.pdf
Snapchat is an American multimedia messaging app developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before they become inaccessible to their recipients.
The Mental Health Storytelling Coalition encourages and empowers people to seek support and tell their story, aiming to a meaningfully shift.
Quotes Mentioned:
“There’s no stigma for going to the gym to try to be healthy.”
“The same way we take care of our physical health, we need to take care of our mental health in the same way.”
“Anonymous effect brings out the worst in people sometimes.”
“Gen Z is more open about mental health than previous generations.”
“Your expenses don’t wait.” “The more the merrier.” “People are mentally stronger because they’ve achieved something.”
“Work smarter not necessarily harder.”
“Don’t feel bad about taking time for yourself during the day.”
“Not everyone has the same needs, and your needs could also change day to day.”
“Taking care of your mental health should be viewed as a sign of strength and something that’s ultimately going to benefit the organization rather than a sign of weakness.”
“People respect you 10 times more when you say no and not yes all the time.”
“The more you can learn to plan for and manage your own emotional state, the more you actually show up and perform at work.”
Guests Social Media Links:
Life After The Military: Becky Margiotta
U.S. Army Veteran Becky Margiotta joined the podcast to share how her time in the military shaped her; the transformational work she did with the 100,000 Homes Campaign; starting her own non-profit, The Billions Institute, to help other non-profits scale to change the world; and, how she strengthens her own mental fitness.
View some of Becky’s Key Note Speeches
0:00 Introduction
0:28 Lee introduces Becky
2:00 Becky describes how her time in the military shaped her
7:21 Becky describes why she left the military and how she executed her transition
16:11 Becky defines transformational leadership and how to do it
21:41 Becky talks about the non-profit workspace and her experience finding homes for 100,000 people in 4 years
25:43 Becky talks about her pursuit of addressing homelessness and using “Housing as Healthcare”
30:14 Becky talks about how she started The Billions Institute and The Social Change Agency
38:17 Becky talks about her experiences with transitioning into organizations after she left the military and provides advice to leaders on how to integrate veterans into their organizations
51:34 Becky defines mental fitness and shares how she personally strengthens her own mental fitness
1:03:48 Lee closes out the podcast
Life After The Military: Rob Blake
Rob Blake, a veteran of the United States Air Force, joins the Crossing the Line of Departure: Life After the Military podcast to share his experiences working in the government contracting world. Rob, co-owner and co-founder of Verium, LLC, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, provides excellent insight into navigating the challenges of being successful in this workspace. Rob explains the challenges of the business development and capture management process and shares great stories on how to add value to your company and your government clients.
Key Takeaways:
0:00 Introduction
0:28 Lee introduces Rob Blake
1:22 Rob explains why he left the military
4:30 Rob shares his experiences about being a federal government contractor
8:00 Rob describes the challenges of working in a for-profit, government contracting environment
11:34 Rob talks about the value of networking with others
13:32 Rob gives great advice and insights into starting his own company
21:42 Rob encourages new business owners to consider having a complementary partner
24:45 Rob provides invaluable insights into the business development and capture management processes
31:17 Rob shares additional thoughts on managing the business development process
33:15 Rob tells a great business development story and the importance of bringing value
38:20 Rob provides advice to business leaders on integrating veterans into their organizations
40:15 Rob talks about his personal experiences when integrating into business organizations
42:52 Rob talks about what went right and what went wrong during his transition
48:51 Rob gives his definition of mental fitness and shares what he does to strengthen it
56:11 Lee close the episode
Life After the Military: JB Spisso
JB Spisso, a retired United States Army Sergeant Major and former member of the elite special operations unit, the 75th Ranger Regiment, joins the Crossing the Line of Departure: Life After the Military podcast. JB shares his stories and experiences of transition; how he consults with collegiate and professional sports teams, players, and coaches; and provides executive coaching to senior corporate leaders.
JB is the author of Warrior Leadership: Warrior Leadership: Steps to Success for Leaders on the Ground and owner of JBS Leadership Consultants, LLC
Key Takeaways:
0:00 Introduction
1:50 Mike shares his experiences at the White House Communications Agency when supporting President Obama and his administration
4:30 Mike talks about performing as a Corporate Chief Operating Officer
7:45 Mike talks about his formal education and the 5 F’s: Family, Flying, Fitness, Fairness, and Fun
12:58 Mike talks about how his military experience prepared him for his own transition
15:41 Mike discusses his role as a mentor to other veterans
18:51 Mike shares what went well and what did not go well during his transition
23:00 Mike talks about leading a high performing team in the private sector
28:25 Mike explains what he’d do differently if he were to transition again
32:22 Mike shares the key questions he asked himself to decide on what he wanted to do after the military
36:27 Mike provides advice to corporate leaders on how to integrate veterans onto their teams
44:02 Mike talks about the importance of a clearly defined vision and mission and his personal vision board
51:36 Lee closes out the podcast
Innovation and Mental Wellness
“I think it’s sort of a flywheel where we are possibly using social media and using the Internet in more and different ways.” Danny Dickstein, Brand Partnerships Manager at TikTok, and James Delattre, Associate Vice President for Research and Director of the Office of Entrepreneurship & Commercialization at Penn State join the podcast to discuss the pandemic-driven innovations impacting our relationship with mental wellness and the ways in which companies, future employees, students, and society may be stronger from such adaptations. Considering trends from the growth of fitness and mental health apps to telemedicine and social media use, they examine questions such as how will the market evolve, what will Gen Z’s connection to the digital and social media world teach future workplace teams and how will our understanding of one another shift?
Show Notes:
0:00 Intro
4:05 Danny talks about how the pandemic has caused an increase in innovation and creation of more companies around mental health
10:30 Danny talks about the most interesting innovations that he has seen that has come of year 2020
16:11 Danny talks about how a lot of people feel like they all want to fix the world in this time of the pandemic and how you can use all their ideas to come up with a solution
25:27 James also talks about the challenges he has experienced in the business over the last year and how he has tried to combat them
28:27 Danny talks about how the kind of companies that will be successful after the pandemic
31:02 James talks about the four different generations that are in the workplace and how they can effectively communicate with each other in regards to mental wellness
34:02 Danny also talks about the four different generations that are in the workplace and how they can better have communications about mental wellness
39:06 Danny shares his thoughts on what he feels should be done to improve the communication between the generations in the workforce
50:09 Danny shares some of the things that he does from home that helps him flex his mental fitness muscles
Books Mentioned:
Crisis of Disengagement book by Andrew J. Sherman
Shows Mentioned:
www.pivotalmoments.org Lululemon Athletica, styled as Lululemon Athletica, is an athletic apparel retailer domiciled in Delaware and headquartered in Vancouver. Founded in 1998 as a retailer of yoga pants and other yoga wear, Lululemon has since expanded to sell its products internationally in 491 stores as well as online. https://www.mirror.co/
Peloton Interactive, Inc. is an American exercise equipment and media company based in New York City. It was founded in 2012 by John Foley and launched with help from a Kick starter funding campaign in 2013. OpenTable is an online restaurant-reservation service company founded by Chuck Templeton on 2 July 1998 and is based in San Francisco, California. In 1998, the website began operations offering reservations at a limited selection of restaurants in San Francisco.
https://www.calm.com/ https://www.headspace.com/
Telehealth is the distribution of health-related services and information via electronic information and telecommunication technologies. TikTok, known in China as Douyin, is a video-sharing social networking service owned by Chinese company ByteDance. Clubhouse is an invitation-only social media app for iOS and Android where users can communicate in voice chat rooms that accommodate groups of up to 5,000 people. The U.S. Small Business Administration is a United States government agency that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Bullis School is an independent, co-educational college preparatory day school for grades K-12. The school is located in Potomac, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Signal is a cross-platform centralized encrypted messaging service developed by the Signal Technology Foundation and Signal Messenger LLC. Quotes Mentioned: “There are now over 10,000 different apps that are related to mental health.” “It will cost less for health care and for education with the digital transformation.” “The ones that are going to see the most success and most growth and the healthiest growth are the ones who understand that everybody is facing new challenges.” “Make lemonade out of lemons.” “Millennials are in a very interesting part of the life cycle of social media.” “Crisis of Disengagement is like it’s more of the survival of the fittest.” “Embrace the older traditions and match them with the newer traditions.” “Mental wellness, mental fitness for everybody comes at certain times.” “You’re only as happy as your least happy child when you’re a parent.”
Guests Social Media Links:
