NOT YOUR AVERAGE OPERATOR

Another week, another guest! The team welcomes one of Mike’s lifelong friends, Dr. “Tony”.

In this episode, Tony, and the team breach what some may call a tough topic to talk about…meeting in the middle on mental and physical health between medical professionals and patients.

Whether you are a doctor or a nurse that is administering medicine or facilitating care, or if you are the patient or veteran that is on the receiving end of professional care, there is a common goal. To live the best life that we can.

Tony and the team help break down some of the more common barriers that take place in this kind of environment and identify how both sides can meet in the middle to find a way to achieve a better reality and outcome.

We have all been exposed to these kinds of challenges in one way or another, whether it be with friends or ourselves. What are some of the stories you have or would like to share that maybe inspired you or unfortunately broke your trust with medical professionals? How do you think it could have turned out differently? We would love to hear from you!

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Paul “Melon” McFadden

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Raf Espinosa

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Mike

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This week, the team welcomes our honored guest and friend, United States Army combat veteran, “Kenny G”

Kenny is from the great state of Texas and currently resides there with his beautiful fiancé’ and his kiss stealing handsome son. He served in the United States Army as an 11- Charlie, which is a Mortarman in the infantry from 2004-2013. He deployed 3 times to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On his 3rddeployment, he was wounded 3 times due to enemy fire and received the purple heart for his actions.

In this episode, you will hear his story of selfless service, physical and mental hardship, amazing examples of his humility and determination, and ultimately his love for life, and how he has not just overcome DISABILITIES, but how he has used his ABILITIES to continue to succeed as man, a father, a fiancé, and as a teammate.

Please let us know how this episode has inspired you, gave some perspective, or just want to leave a message for Kenny. Being there for one another in both good and bad times is what the brotherhood and sisterhood of the military is all about, and this man is the living example of exactly that!

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The boys gather around the campfire to talk about professionalism, and what it means to them. They dissect the traits and habits of those around them that truly embody the epitome of the ultimate professional. Mike gives a searing anecdotal story wherein he witnessed a legend in his community impart pearls of wisdom by standing up when he was most vulnerable, and shifting an entire community’s mindset on redefining failure. Similarly, he emphasizes the importance of owning your mistakes, especially amongst your peers, and focusing on the “Why” of your efforts. Raf promotes gratitude as a way to turn problems into opportunity. He also emphasizes the importance of setting a foundation based on humility, ethics, and honesty, because he believes these tenets will afford you the most support from your teams when you’ve made errors. Melon elaborates on Alastair Cook’s philosophy of a professional being that person who can do their best work when they don’t feel like it. Furthermore, Melon talks about the importance of creating a ritual after a massive effort in preparation, like putting on a uniform, as a sort of metamorphose into that state to achieve what you’ve set out to achieve.

Please share your thoughts on the tools that have assisted you in achieving your highest levels of professionalism.  We encourage all of our listeners to reach out to us. We love reading your insights, feedback, and how we can add more value to your day.

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You’ve got questions? We have answers!

This week, the team is back at answering some insightful questions from our listeners out there in podcast land. No filter, no sugar coating, and all genuine responses.

Some of those questions you’ll hear are:

-Have you found it difficult to communicate to family friends spouse etc. about certain experiences you’ve had while training or deployed? And why?

-What were your perceptions of being in the military before enlisting VS how things really are?

-How do you prepare yourself for retirement or exiting the military altogether? How do you maintain the camaraderie,  brotherhood, the sense of purpose?….And more!

We love hearing your feedback, questions, and most of all, your stories! Please send us yours by email, in the comment section, or via private message. As Raf proudly states, we all stand in ranks. Nobody gets a pass in life. The team accepts this and wants to help lead by example and open up about some of the harder topics that all veterans and civilians can relate to.

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Paul “Melon” McFadden

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Raf Espinosa

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Mike

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Many of us can remember key conversations with influential people around career choices. During this episode, your team go over advice they would give someone looking to enter their profession. This is a great opportunity to hear some key pieces of advice from individuals who have enjoyed some measure of success in very demanding occupations. The information in this episode is likely to resonate widely. In addition to some specific details that will help people looking into these specific pathways, as is often the case, many areas of overlap arise that will be applicable to people from all walks of life.

Your team was lucky enough to be re-joined by Casey Ingraham (Instagram: casey_nw), former enlisted Marine who has transitioned into multimillion dollar construction manager. He put down the tools and gave up some precious family time to make a contribution to our community again.

You will hear key insights into how to pursue and then succeed in elite military aviation- air force and army- plus civilian flying; together with gaining entry into and then thriving in the heart of the exclusive Special Forces. When these insights are coupled with success at the absolute top of the specialist construction field, this is a fully packed episode that you don’t want to miss.

Let us know your thoughts, and please feel free to share this widely, as we would love to help people at any stage of their career path take it to the next level.

If you are wanting direct feedback from your team of elite performers, don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email or on the socials.

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The boys talk about the upside and downside that comes with a new year, and new goals. Many associate the new year with the window of big opportunity, but for too many, it’s the beginning of a fleeting goal that’s short lived. Mike speaks about how at the crux of it all, the best practice is to make any specific day unimportant. Simply, treat every day as a battle, and focus on conquering those goals now, not some special day in the future. Raf reveals that before he looks into the future, he analyzes the past.

He believes you should too. This forces you to dig up the foundation of why you failed to achieve the things that eluded you. Exercise real gratitude when you draw your goals up. Melon emphasizes the importance to make goals attainable, and if possible, structured. This helps keep your momentum going and keeps stoking the fire. Mike encourages everyone with the importance of being comfortable with being uncomfortable.

This mantra is a currency in his profession and has served them well. Raf discusses how he framed his goals for 2021 based off of what he lost in 2020. During that moment of clarity, he highlights the loss of the biggest commodity, that we have the least of, time. Finally, Melon falls back on sage advice partitioned by the great Stephen Covey. He categorizes his life as prescribed in, “To live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy.” Melon similarly brings up the value in making all his future goals principal based, versus outcome based. This, and allowing yourself flexibility gives you space to maneuver and not get anchored to a belief or goal that can quickly become archaic in the face of new information.

Please share your thoughts, and we encourage all of our listeners to reach out to us. We love reading your insights, feedback, and how we can add more value to your day.

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We know it has been a huge challenge for all of you. There have been trials, and in some cases we have found silver linings- either in the situation itself, or in the way we have developed and grown to deal with the tests we have been given.

As it’s New Year’s Eve, the guys relax the language a little, so please consider young ears- even though we don’t let Melon go full Aussie on you!

Come and join your team as they get together again from three different corners of the world- Saudi, Dubai and Pennsylvania. Take a load off and hear a few laughs, a few sad reminiscences, and some fairly heavy banter at each other’s expense. You’ll hear how they dealt with their hard times, and find some areas where they are thriving.

We started this project right back at the start of the Coronavirus period, and other than a break for Christmas, we haven’t let a week go by without an episode. We genuinely appreciate all of your support and will continue to make this undertaking happen as long as we feel that we are offering you all something positive. We do this in and around our commitments to family, work and community as a way to make some small contribution in thanks for all that we are grateful for.

All the best to you and yours for 2021. We are all in this together. Reach out if you need a hand.

We would like to thank our hosts at Heroes Media Group- Adam Bird has been an amazing support for us behind the scenes:  www.heroesmediagroup.com

Patrick Sowers is also working hard behind the scenes with the Not Your Average Operator web page and Facebook group, and runs several charity projects including his military charity: – Operation Once in a Lifetime: https://operationonceinalifetime.com/

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The question that your team address this week is a difficult one requiring some genuine introspection.

How am I complicit in creating the conditions I say I don’t want?

Recognizing that we contribute to generating our own negative situation is humbling. Owning those areas and getting behind them in some ways to find our underlying drivers is a task that we often shy away from. In this tough, but also humorous and ultimately uplifting conversation, your team cover the following areas:

Send in questions you would like the team to address, and share with us and your circle what you are dealing with in this area. If you are willing to, let us know how you have dealt with these challenges yourself and pay it forwards.

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The boys were honored, beyond measure, to have Casey Ingraham on the show. Casey, a loving father of 3 amazing boys, doting husband, Prior Enlisted Marine with an intrepid spirit, a talented custom home builder, and budding entrepreneur, led a tough conversation that many combat veterans have had behind closed doors. We sat back and sojourned through Casey’s journey that started with an unexpected non-combat injury, separating him from his unit down range. Something that initially seemed simple, and almost a godsend, plucking him out of the badlands of the Helmend, became the precipitous event which cascaded down a dark battle with PTSD. Casey daringly brings to bare how this undercurrent of battling PTSD steered him towards drinking, addictions to pills, and other self-destructive behavior. Fortunately, for Casey, and his family, this story is a story that celebrates the human spirit. More importantly, it’s a story of strength, the belief in the best version of yourself, and tenacity to not give in to our darkest impulses.

Please share your thoughts, and if necessary, feel free to reach out to us if you can relate to any of Casey’s story. It’s important for all of our listeners to understand that none of us are alone in our battles.

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