Forging Mettle Podcast

In today's grind-it-out, never ask for help, always on, stuff it down, culture, we need more discussions like this one. We candidly discuss different ways to frame "asking for help" to make it a bit easier to do, and even fun when approached in the right way. We also have a lively back and forth chat about how to better deal with the life trauma we all carry. You're going to find real value in what Abigail has to say about healthy habits and self-limiting beliefs. Thanks for tuning in.

Show notes:

Abigail G. Manning is the founder of “Create Awareness, Change Lives” and speaks internationally on professional development and personal empowerment. She is an impactful storyteller, weaving together true life stories with powerful key takeaways. Abigail shares insights from her Indiana University double major in Cognitive, Communication and Behavioral Sciences along with hard lessons learned from the trenches of life. She learned to thrive, not in-spite of, but because of the  obstacles she has faced. It is her mission to offer insights, inspiration and innovative life skills so we each can create the best path forward to lead more effectively and live more powerfully.

Abigail's website: https://abigailgmanning.com/

Special Operators Transition Foundation - SOTF (as mentioned in the podcast): https://www.sotf.org/

Please check out episode #47 with Kim "KC" Campbell

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Please leave us a review so that we may reach more people. We need you...to start a revolution. 

Thank you for listening and we'll see you next week. 

Forging Mettle Academy www.forgingmettleacademy.com

Today we discuss many topics related to managing the mental side of performance in difficult situations. Our guests train special forces candidates to get through the demanding selection process. What can we learn from those who do hard things? Topics such as the big five personality traits, emotional regulation, using humor to blunt the effects of hardship, and who survives, who fails, and why. 

Building the Elite 

www.buildingtheelite.com

If you’re reading this, you are likely pursuing a challenging path. BTE was founded to help people like you develop the skills you’ll need to overcome those obstacles as efficiently as possible.

Both of us (Craig and Jonathan) have overcome many needless obstacles that could have been avoided with a more robust approach. As we struggled with these setbacks, we tried to understand why they were happening, and how to avoid or overcome them more effectively in the future.

After ten years of research and helping thousands of clients with the tools we’ve developed along the way, we founded BTE to share that knowledge with people like you.

The process and principles outlined in our book and throughout our site aren’t limited to the small world of military special operations. These principles will help you get more out of every aspect of your life.

Craig Weller

Craig is a former USN SWCC (Special Warfare Combatant Crewman). He is also certified under the Department of State’s Worldwide Personal Protective Service-2, and spent nearly two years on the High-Threat Protection team for the U.S. Ambassador to Baghdad in Iraq. 

In Special Operations and in subsequent private deployments, Weller held a variety of instructional and diplomatic security roles in locations including Kenya, the Philippines, Central America, South Sudan, and Iraq. 

Along with Jonathan Pope, he co-founded Ethos Colorado Training Center, a full-service strength and conditioning facility based in Denver. Prior to that, he founded Barefoot Fitness in South Dakota, with two training facilities based on minimalist principles developed while training SOF personnel in austere locations.

Jonathan Pope

Jonathan is a strength and conditioning coach based out of Denver, Colorado with over ten years of coaching experience and a BS in Exercise Science. Along with Craig, he co-founded Ethos Colorado Training Center in 2010, where he is the lead coach and oversees operations. 

When not working he can be found chasing ski mountaineering objectives all over the world or competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Buy the book! 

https://www.buildingtheelite.com/about-the-book/

Caleb Campbell achieved his childhood dream. To play football in the NFL. Only to have his world come crashing down around him. His dreams shattered. He now says those shattered dreams are what saved his life. This is a man who knows what it means to be tested by the fire and emerge stronger. Listen in to hear his struggles, triumphs and life lessons so that we can all lead better lives and be better humans. 

Show notes:

A short video about Caleb's story: https://vimeo.com/697427004 

In 2008, I graduated the United States Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army with 972 other cadets. The difference between me and them is that while the majority of them were sent to war, I went to the NFL. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was about to fight my own battle—in my own inner war—and it almost cost me my life.

Caleb's website: https://www.calebcampbell.me/

How many times have you been told, "you're just not very good at that." Today we discuss how words matter, and to use them carefully. We all have superpowers and they may not be what you think they are. Hidden in what might called a weakness, may actually be a strength. Life is full of paradoxes, we highlight some of those in our chat. 

Show notes:

Juliet Hahn grew up in Moorestown, New Jersey, a quaint town just outside of Philadelphia. She had a fulfilling childhood and her parents, Marc and Barbara, showered their five children with love, support, and humor. Juliet enjoyed being active which led to her year-round involvement in sports. She brought her love of athletics to Rowan University where she starred as a two-sport athlete. After graduation, she moved to New York City and began a career in advertising. Juliet embraced New York City’s culture, diversity, and energy and made it her home for fourteen years. It also happens to be where she met her future husband, Dan. Currently, they reside in Remsenburg, New York with their three children: Montgomery (16), Truman (14), and Penelope (12) and two Boxers.

https://www.iamjuliethahn.com/

"Your Next Stop" podcast

How many of us have been directly or indirectly impacted by cancer? My guess is, almost all of us have some form of cancer story. Today's guest wrote a book that looked closely at our relationship with cancer. From all perspectives; survivors, caregivers, friends, and those we've lost. It is a heavy conversation, while inspiring and uplifting at the same time. 

About David:

As a former sedentary, overweight, smoker, David knew that he needed to focus not on what others wanted out of him, but on what he wanted out of life. Through lessons learned in business and sport, David introduces the concept of the “middle of the pack” and discusses how to get more out of ourselves than ever imagined. He applies this concept to life and business and adds value to the people he works with coming from the perspective of the “middle of the pack.”

https://david-richman.com/

https://david-richman.com/cycle-of-lives/#

www.cycleoflives.org

Do we truly know what will deliver happiness to our doorstep? Everyone is searching, but few are finding it. Perhaps our happiness model is broken? I'll discuss this as a teaser of my upcoming TEDx talk. I'll also expand on my thoughts of "empathize and empower" from Julie Lythcott-Haims. 

If you like the show, please give us a 5-star rating and review. 

Visit Forging Mettle: www.forgingmettleacademy.com 

This is a far ranging, passionate discussion that you are sure to enjoy. We explore topics like free range kids, stranger danger, overprotecting. How to empathize and empower not only our kids but also adults. How to become stronger in the face of the storm. This is a discussion we all need right now. 

Show notes: 

I believe in humans.

I’m rooting for all of us to make it.

I’ve come to appreciate that despite our innumerable differences, we all want to be treated with dignity and kindness. We all yearn to know that we matter. We all want to be seen, accepted, and loved simply as we are.

I’m interested in what gets in the way.

Sometimes the obstacle begins within: our ego, fear, and shame can eat at us and make it difficult for us to be kind even to ourselves let alone to others. Each of us is also implicitly biased in favor of and against groups of humans based upon our upbringing, lived experiences, and the ideas to which we have been exposed. And over the decades and centuries of our modern existence, we’ve built societal mores, rules, policies, structures, and systems that preference some while demeaning or excluding others.

There is so much work to do, at all levels, to build a human community in which we all matter. I want to do my small part.

As someone who has the privilege of writing and publishing books, I’ve decided that the twin practices endemic in American publishing of describing characteristics of race, class, sexual orientation, and other identities only when deemed “the other,” and of assuming that all readers belong to a particular demographic group are no longer tolerable. I’m using my newest book Your Turn: How to Be an Adult to demonstrate that we can, and must, write inclusive books. You can read about how I’ve attempted to do that, here.

It’s up to you and me to treat all humans with dignity and kindness and to inspire others to do the same. We can do this. It’s well past time.

Website: 

https://www.julielythcotthaims.com/

Books: 

"How to Raise and Adult: Break Free from the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success"

"Your Turn: How to be an Adult"

What is your philosophy of life? We all have one, but many of us don't give it a second thought. We will discuss what makes a good life, how to cultivate excellence, preparing for the worst, what is a good death, nailing the job interview and surviving the pandemic. All with the guidance of a fascinating 2500 year old philosophy.

Show notes:

Prof. Pigliucci has a PhD in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut and a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Tennessee. He currently is the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. His research interests include the philosophy of science, the nature of pseudoscience, and practical philosophies like Stoicism and New Skepticism.

Books:

"How to be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life"

"A Handbook for New Stoics: How to Thrive in a World out of Your Control"

"How to Live a Good Life: A Guide to Choosing Your Personal Philosophy"

"A Field Guide to a Happy Life: 53 Brief Lessons for Living"

Blog:

Philosophy as a way of life