J.C. Ledbetter recently retired from being the Chief Operating Officer for Tactical Air Operations (TAO), located in San Diego California. TAO is the first civilian contracted parachute school for the United States Military and is responsible for training all US Navy and Air Force Special Operators – U.S. Navy SEALs, SWCC, EOD, and Air Force ParaRescue (PJ’s), and Combat Controllers (CCT’s) – in free fall and static line parachuting. While with TAO, JC oversaw the training of over 7000 Special Warfare Operators through 271,000 training jumps.

JC served twenty years in the United States Navy serving in the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Special Warfare Combatant Craft Crewman (SWCC) community, with five combat deployments in support of the war on terrorism. His service has been recognized with two Meritorious Service medals, Three Navy Commendation Medals (one with a V device for valor), Five Navy Achievement Medals, one Army achievement medal, Combat Action Ribbon, and four campaign Medals, among others.

After serving his combat tours for nine years, he was selected for a tour at the US Army Military FreeFall School as a Basic and Advanced Parachute course instructor, attended selection for an elite unit simply referred to as Orange or the Secret Army of Northern Virginia, before finishing his career at the U. S. Navy Parachute Team (The Leap Frogs), the US Navy’s prime recruiting unit for Naval Special Warfare, orchestrating and executing thousands of aerial demonstrations around the United States.

JC holds a United States Parachute Association “D” License, the highest-level license available. He holds a Professional Demonstration Skydiver (PR0) rating and is an appointed Safety and Training Advisor. He has every instructor Examiner rating for both civilian and military parachuting making him one of the most qualified parachutists the military has produced.

JC has over 20,000 skydives which equals 11 days and 13 hours of free fall and 2 months, 9 days, 10 hours, and 40 minutes under a parachute.

Though officially retired, he still performs demonstration parachute jumps with the Frog-X Parachute team for professional sporting events and directs many skydiving shows, in addition to his roles as a public speaker, demonstration skydiver, and team photographer/videographer. He is also an airplane pilot and boat captain and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from Arizona University.

In his public speaking, JC incorporates his vast personal experiences within the US military and civilian business environments, weaving a compelling narrative that identifies the important commonalities between personal, military, and business leadership in order to inspire his listeners to pursue excellence.

In this episode Steve and JC discuss:

• Overcoming Adversity 
• Military Service and Training Experience
• Becoming a Parachute Instructor & Extensive Skydiving Experience
• Small Attainable Goals for Success
• Helping Others Find Inner Strength

Key Takeaways: 

• Learn how to turn challenges into opportunities for growth and strength
• Uncover the power of your mindset in overcoming obstacles and achieving success
• Discover effective strategies for setting and achieving goals, even in the face of adversity
• Understand the universal experiences of adversity and how they can bring us closer to others
• Thrive under pressure and excel in intense situations

“Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Embrace the suck. Learn to push through hardships and set small attainable goals to achieve success.”

 - JC Ledbetter

Connect with JC Ledbetter:

Website: https://frog-x.com/the-team-1 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-l-828179178/

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking 

Email: [email protected]

Show notes by: Angelo Paul Tagama

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.