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Background: April is the Month of the Military Child.

According to Defense.gov, Military families move every two to three years on average, and military children change schools an average of six to nine times from the start of kindergarten to their high school graduation. This year an estimated 30 percent of military service members will move to a new installation.

Each year   , April is set aside as a military child appreciation month, officially known as the Month of the Military Child. With its creation in the mid-1980s, the Pentagon and other military support organizations and agencies use the month to recognize military kids for their sacrifice and bravery on the Homefront.

There are over 1.6 million military children serving alongside our nation’s service members.

The term "military brat" is a badge of pride worn by generations of kids who traveled the world with their parents, moving into adulthood with the knowledge that they have the strength to handle anything. Military children deal with separations, deployments, frequent moves and even their parents' injuries as part of the life they were born into or entered with their families.

SHOW NOTES:

• Something cool and different about military kids
• Military Kids that have become lifelong friends
• Something unique she learned due to being a military kid
• What people can do to best support military kids
• The purpose of the purple regarding Month of the Military Child 
• If a movie were made about her life, what would the movie be about and who would star

Quote: Military kids say goodbye more often in their first few years than some people do in a lifetime

Quote by Haley: If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for you

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More Amazing Stories:

Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure

Episode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way 

Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel

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Bio: Travis Chappell is a door to door salesman turned founder, investor, speaker, and podcaster. He is the founder and CEO of Guestio.com, the highest quality guest and show booking marketplace in the industry. He's also the co-host off the top ranked podcasts Build Your Network and Figuring It Out where he's interviewed people like Shaquille O'Neal, Rob Dyrdek, Grant Cardone, Josh Peck, Molly Bloom, Jasmine Star, John Maxwell, and hundreds of others. In addition to being a guest on top podcasts like Bigger Pockets, EOFire, and Born to Impact, Travis has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, TechCrunch, Bloomberg, and dozens of other media outlets. When he's not working on his dreams, Travis can be found at the golf course, or playing pick-up basketball, and at his home in Las Vegas with his high school sweetheart and two kids.

Background: Travis Chappell is a podcast consultant and professional connector. He is the creator and host of Build Your Network, a Top 25 Business podcast that is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs cultivate strategic and meaningful relationships.

After years of podcasting and hundreds of interviews with some of the most influential and well respected entrepreneurs in the world, he found that he kept on getting the same question over and over. “How were you able to book the quality of guests you have on your platform?” Instead of just ignoring it, he decided to take action and build a solution to the problem. That solution is Guestio. He’s poured countless hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars into producing the highest quality platforms with the most value possible, and he’s passionate about helping others build their platforms as well.

SHOW NOTES: 

• What is on his mind
• After interviewing so many titans of industry, athletes, celebrities,  Advice on Asking for Stories and Not Just Answers
• Biggest project and challenge at the current moment
• Outside of his content and growing business, what Travis is currently celebrating 
• Current mental model or mindset that helps prioritize while balancing family with personal aspirations
• What the first hour of his day looks like
• 3 things grateful for
• Piece of advice that hit Travis like a lightning bolt
• AHA moment
• Best and most fulfilling investment
• Where Travis gets his confidence from
• Advice for handling pressure when expectations continue to rise
• Historical figure Travis most identifies with
• What would Travis' billboard message say

More info about the guest:

• Website: https://travischappell.com/
• Check out his podcast Travis Makes Friends – available on all podcast platforms. 

Books and People mentioned:

• Chris Van Vliet
• Book – The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
• Brad Lea
• Shaquille O’Neal
• Nikole Mitchell
• Grant Cardone
• Marcus Aurelius
• Winston Churchill
• Teddy Roosevelt
• Leonardo Da Vinci

Quote:“Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.”. - Tim Ferriss

Support the show

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More Amazing Stories:

Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure

Episode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way 

Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel

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Bio – Ben Seekell is an active-duty Chief Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force and recipient of the Purple Heart, which is the oldest Military Decoration and given to those who are wounded or killed while fighting the nation’s wars. The Purple Heart is a solemn distinction and means a service member has greatly sacrificed themselves, or paid the ultimate price, while in the line of duty.

Show Notes

Life Balance

Life before the military and where he was during 9/11 

Fateful day of May 8, 2011 and recalling the entire day prior to the mission 

View of the word perspective 

Childhood memory that helped him persevere during this time 

What society can do to help heal invisible wounds 

Perseverance being taught 

Where a Purple Heart Recipient gets his mental toughness from 

Words of wisdom to share with other people that lost limbs and advice to families 

Unexpected sources of help that kept him going 

 Life Starting over after May 8, 2011

Turning personal tragedy into triumph 

Naming chapters in a book about his life  

Something new he learned about himself since 2011 that has improved his life 

Daily Rituals 

A new belief and behavior that has helped his life most 

What he conveys to people 

FUNNIEST THING Ben has told a child when asked about his leg 

Support the show

Connect with Passing The Torch: Facebook and IG: @torchmartin

More Amazing Stories:

Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure

Episode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way 

Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel

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Background: 

Brenden Kumarasamy is the founder of MasterTalk, a popular YouTube channel and coaching practice he started to help the world master the art of public speaking & effective communication. As an experienced speaker and facilitator, Brenden understands that audience members need to walk away captivated, and above all, inspired to master the art of communication. It should be seen as something to look forward to rather than a burden that must be overcome.

Show Notes:

• Intro
• Mastering the art of public speaking
• Advice to people seeking the ability to deeply connect with others through public speaking
• Practical Public Speaking Tips & Tricks Someone Can Apply IMMEDIATELY and ADVANCED Public Speaking Tips People Can’t Get Anywhere Else
• How Brenden organizes his speeches
• On public speaking magnifying one’s ability to do almost everything else
• Pre-speech rituals utilized to prepare for speaking engagements 
• Personal story about doing presentations in a language he did not know 
• Example when bad communication hindered friendships and work environment
• How a failure, or apparent failure, set Brenden up for later success and a favorite failure 
• 2-3 books and listening techniques Brenden has learned the most from and recommends to people
• Being grateful for failures, freedom to do what excites him, and direction
• On starting an executive communication tips and coaching YouTube channel at age 22, Brad Pitt, Justin Bieber, dancing in his room, living with his mother and not driving the car he owns all make sense

More info about the guest:
Website :https://www.mastertalk.ca

Brenden Kumarasamy on Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/brendenkumarasamy

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MasterTalks

FREE WORKSHOP to improve your communications skills https://www.rockstarcommunicator.com/?r_done=1 

 Socials:

• IG: https://www.instagram.com/masteryourtalk/
• FB: https://www.facebook.com/mastertalkyt/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/masteryourtalks

Books and People Mentioned: 

•  Tony Robbins
• Ben Horowitz
• Book – Thirst By Scott Harrison

Quotes:
“Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel”.  

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“It’s not the lack of resources, it’s your lack of resourcefulness that stops you”.

- Tony Robbins

“It's not about finding the silver bullet, it's about throwing a bunch of lead bullets”

- Ben Horowitz

“The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will”.  

- Chuck Palahniuk

“Be Insane of be the same”.

-Brenden Kumarasamy

Support the show

Connect with Passing The Torch: Facebook and IG: @torchmartin

More Amazing Stories:

Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure

Episode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way 

Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel

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Bio: Mary Polanco is a retired Air Force Veteran, Author, experienced leadership trainer and curriculum developer. Her expertise in leadership and personal growth is evident through her hands-on approach through individualized workshops and personal one-on-one instruction.

Mary served 23 years in the United States Air Force. Her final assignment was as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Air Force Resilience Directorate, at Headquarters Air Force, located at the Pentagon.

She continues her passion for resilience as an Adjunct Trainer for the Resilience Building Leadership Program and also holds a position with Small Business Consulting Corporation, where she serves the Air Force Global Strike Community as a Leadership Development Instructor for first-time supervisors. 

Mary draws from her two decades of experience leading multicultural teams, as well as her personal experiences in adversity, to share her message of prioritizing self-health, well-being and resilience. She has helped countless people through her authentic, compassionate approach and continues her dedication to serving others through her outreach on multiple online forums.

Show Notes:
Describing what she does when first meeting someone
Joining the military without a plan and what about the environment that turned her into someone with a clear vision and goal in mind
Epiphany
What Mary Polanco would tell her younger self after the first big life rejection
The impact waiting for a particular time in our lives to start designing the life we desire can have on someone’s mental and emotional health
Something specific Mary wishes she started five years ago
If designing the life we desire was easy, what that process would look like
When working on a new project, the method used to organize and plan
Movie image that demonstrates a healthy state of mind
Gratefulness and Billboard message

People Mentioned:
Susan Mace, Lacey Alexander, Heather Graham, Anna Faris, Todd Simmons, David Satchell “Satch” and Sarah Sparks

More info about the guest:
www.marypolanco.com
IG: @marypolancolivewell
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@livewellmarypolanco
Mary Polanco on Linkedin
Connecting on all platforms: https://www.liinks.co/marypolanco

Quote:
“Believe you can and you are halfway there”- Theodore Roosevelt

Support the show

Connect with Passing The Torch: Facebook and IG: @torchmartin

More Amazing Stories:

Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure

Episode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way 

Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel

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Lacey Alexander, is a 21-year veteran of the United States Air Force. After retirement, Lacey spent 6 months of intentional work to transition from SMSgt Alexander to Lacey Alexander. Through coaching, self-reflection, and continuous learning she was able to define her values and vision to launch her own business and refine her focus to live in her purpose.

In this episode, Lacey discusses trends from military personnel as they transition from uniform to the civilian sector. Additionally, Lacey highlights how she reinvented herself and brought different parts of her experience to the business side.

Lastly, Lacey shares the knowledge passed to her from people she encountered during this journey and how a past failure benefitted her today.

Biography:

She now operates her Coaching, Consulting and Leadership Development business, Creative Solutions A2Z, focused on helping individuals and organizations succeed. Lacey also holds a number of roles in executive coaching, writing curriculum, doing instructional design, and teaching courses in partnership with companies such as Sayge, Resilience Building Leader Program (RBLP), Rutgers University, Freedom Learning Group and The Ira C. Eaker Center for Leadership Development. Her overarching goal is to live a life continuing to grow, and supporting others on their growth journey.

Lacey is focused on helping others through the process of discovery while partnering with clients to uncover their values, strengths and goals to identify gaps and provide development opportunity. Lacey uses the art of education to help people grow to be better communicators, team players, and leaders. This endeavor is achieved by cultivating Lacey’s experience with cross-cultural competence embedded a passion to embrace diversity and foster inclusive environments to genuinely connecting with people.

More about Lacey Alexander

• Website: https://www.creativesolutionsa2z.com
• Link tree: https://linktr.ee/CreativeSolutionsa2z

Social Media:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creative_solutions_a2z/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWGB8f6_9y9Sdwuzgwh5zKw

Support the show

Connect with Passing The Torch: Facebook and IG: @torchmartin

More Amazing Stories:

Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure

Episode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way 

Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel

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Summary - Black Then 

A history podcast from Passing The Torch Podcast Network.

Join Martin Foster and a rotation of guest hosts to celebrate and uplift the talents of African Americans throughout military history. Tune in to hear a quick synopsis of heralded and unheralded patriots.

A world-famous flier before World War II, Chief Anderson became the first African American to earn a commercial pilot license. In 1940 the Tuskegee Institute hired him as its chief flight instructor to develop its pilot training program. The U.S. Army Air Corps awarded Tuskegee the contract to provide primary flight training in February 1941.

Charles Alfred Anderson, often called the “Father of Black Aviation” was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb, on February 9, 1907.  His parents were Janie and Iverson Anderson. Charles Anderson earned the name “Chief” because he was the most experienced African American pilot before coming to Tuskegee Army Air Field in 1940.  He had amassed 3,500 hours of flight which prompted most of his contemporaries and students to call him by that name as a sign of their respect for his accomplishments.  Anderson was also the chief flight instructor for all cadets and flight instructors at Tuskegee, Alabama during World War II.

After World War II, Chief Anderson continued to provide flight instruction at Moton Field, which remains an active airport and is the location of the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site.

Support the show

Connect with Passing The Torch: Facebook and IG: @torchmartin

More Amazing Stories:

Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure

Episode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way 

Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel

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Summary - Black Then 

A history podcast from Passing The Torch Podcast Network.

Join Martin Foster and a rotation of guest hosts to celebrate and uplift the talents of African Americans throughout military history. Tune in to hear a quick synopsis of heralded and unheralded patriots.

What has been pieced together paints a picture of a young man who showed an early skill for buying and trading goods. He seemed unafraid of the consequences of escaping the bonds of slavery. Historians have theorized that Attucks was the focus of an advertisement in a 1750 edition of the Boston Gazette in which a white landowner offered to pay 10 pounds for the return of a young runaway enslaved person.

Attucks, however, managed to escape for good, spending the next two decades on trading ships and whaling vessels coming in and out of Boston. He also found work as a rope maker.

• Fast forwarding, As British control over the colonies tightened, tensions escalated between the colonists and British soldiers. Attucks was one of those directly affected by the worsening situation. Seamen like Attucks constantly lived with the threat they could be forced into the British navy, while back on land, British soldiers regularly took part-time work away from colonists.
• On March 2, 1770, a fight erupted between a group of Boston rope makers and three British soldiers. The conflict was ratcheted up three nights later when a British soldier looking for work reportedly entered a Boston pub, only to be greeted by furious sailors, one of whom was Attucks.
• The details regarding what followed are a source of debate, but that evening, a group of Bostonians approached a guard in front of the customs house and started taunting him. The situation quickly escalated. When a contingent of British redcoats came to the defense of their fellow soldier, more angry Bostonians joined the fracas, throwing snowballs and other items at the troops.

Attucks was one of those at the front of the fight amid dozens of people, and when the British opened fire he was the first of five men killed. His murder made him the first casualty of the American Revolution. Quickly becoming known as the Boston Massacre, the episode further propelled the colonies toward war with the British. 

Accomplishments and Legacy

Attucks became a martyr. His body was transported to Faneuil (like Daniel) Hall, where he and the others killed in the attack were laid in state. City leaders waived segregation laws in the case and permitted Attucks to be buried with the others.

In the years since his death, the legacy for Attucks has continued to endure, first with the American colonists eager to break from British rule, and later among 19th-century abolitionists and 20th-century civil rights activists. In his 1964 book Why We Can't Wait, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lauded Attucks for his moral courage and his defining role in American history.

Reference: 

Citation Information

Article Title

Crispus Attucks Biography

Author

Biography.com Editors

Website Name

The Biography.com website

URL

https://www.biography.com/military-figure/crispus-attucks

Access Date

July 13, 2022

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Support the show

Connect with Passing The Torch: Facebook and IG: @torchmartin

More Amazing Stories:

Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure

Episode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way 

Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel

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Andrew Bustamante is a former covert CIA intelligence officer, decorated military combat veteran, and successful Fortune 10 corporate advisor. After 20 years leading human and technical intelligence operations for corporate and government clients, Andrew founded EverydaySpy.com - the first-ever online platform designed to teach elite spy skills to everyday people. Featured in both US and International media, Andrew’s training content has been praised for its innovative, authentic, and life-changing impact. When he isn’t giving interviews, running spy exercises, or supporting private intelligence contracts around the world, Andrew lives with his wife (also an ex-CIA Officer) and two children in Florida.

In this episode, we discuss TOP SECRET: Mental optimization hacks reserved for the intellectual elite to control any situation.  Additionally, we cover DECLASSIFIED: ways to solve everyday problems like a spy would in life OR in a life or death situation. ELITE TRAINING: Unpacking the routines, exercise & nutrition necessary to shortcut daily peak performance.

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Time Codes:

00:00 Former CIA officer teaches spy skills to all.

04:31 Struggling with step-parent dynamic and negative assumptions.

09:27 CIA focuses on human intelligence collection.

12:19 Spotting lies: logical, emotional, repetition questioning tactics.

16:26 Use empathy to unlock hidden conversations.

18:09 Passing wisdom and mentoring relationships are key.

23:16 Show empathy, fulfill needs, build influence effectively.

26:24 Answering questions fulfills human nature and releases dopamine.

29:20 Improv comedy has had significant personal impact.

32:38 Prioritize sleep to retain information and succeed.

36:42 Afternoon fatigue due to glucose depletion from lunch.

38:30 Replace afternoon coffee with natural energy sources.

44:15 Rich is waking up without an alarm.

46:30 Spy movie: You, stapler, complete badass. Leadership message?

===
Connect with Andrew Bustamante:
Website: https://everydayspy.com/

Support the show

Connect with Passing The Torch: Facebook and IG: @torchmartin

More Amazing Stories:

Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure

Episode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way 

Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel

------------

© 2026 TORCH LEAP®, LLC. All rights reserved.

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About the guest Trevor Blake:

Trevor G Blake, a serial entrepreneur and New York times best- selling author, who over the last ten years has gone from starting his first business with just a few hundred dollars to creating and successfully selling and exiting three separate companies for over $300 million, all while never hiring a single employee and does this all working only 5 hours a day.

Trevor grew up extremely poor and made the shift from humble beginnings to now achieving great success with balance. He joins Passing The Torch to help listeners accomplish a balanced and successful life with financial independence

Trevor has been featured in major media outlets such as Business Insider, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Inc. & more. Trevor is also the author of Secrets to a Successful Startup: A Recession-Proof Guide to Starting, Surviving & Thriving in Your Own Venture & Three Simple Steps: A Map to Success in Business and Life.

Show Notes

• Accomplishing working five hours a day with zero employees (01:30)
• Thoughts on office mindset shifting due to COVID (04:30)
• Advice to people who desire a balanced and successful life while also having financial independence (07:30)
• Managing energy which in turn has directly impacted time management and production (10:00)
• Life lesson learned during time in the Royal Navy outside of discipline and structure that has helped Trevor (13:00)
• Importance of people defining their actual rich (17:23)
• How people can take back control of their individuality (26:40)
• Finding support in the moments when you are emotionally feeling lonely (32:31)
• Using one word, what is the secret to those in need of healing (37:33)
• Billboard Message (44:10)

Connect with Trevor Blake:

• WEBSITE AND FREE RESOURCES: https://www.trevorgblake.com
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/trevorgblaketgb
• Instagram - http://instagram.com/trevorgblaketgb
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevorgblake
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZahkks3ChVDwGibzJaKINw

Trevor's Books:

• Secrets to a Successful Startup & Three Simple Steps

Special Audience Giveaway:  Five Hour Workday

Connect with the Passing the Torch podcast:

LIKE & SHARE FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/passingthetorchwithmartinfoster/

SUBSCRIBE on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/passing-the-torch/id1338122884?mt=2

WEBSITE: https://www.podpage.com/passing-the-torch/

People mentioned:

• Madam C.J. Walker
• Richard Branson

Support the show

Connect with Passing The Torch: Facebook and IG: @torchmartin

More Amazing Stories:

Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure

Episode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way 

Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel

------------

© 2026 TORCH LEAP®, LLC. All rights reserved.