The Mettle of Honor Podcast: Stories of, Strength, Courage, & Perseverance™️

Shannon Polson, Optimist | Badass | Speaker | Veteran | Author of “The Grit Factor” (HBR Press) | Founder of The Grit Institute: building courageous, compassionate, creative leaders with a focus on grit and resilience in a time of challenge and change.

At age 19, Shannon Huffman Polson became the

youngest woman ever to climb Denali, the

highest mountain in North America. She went on

to reach the summits of Mt. Rainier and Mt.

Kilimanjaro and spent more than a decade

traveling the world. Yet it was during her experience serving as one of the Army's first female attack helicopter pilots, and eventually leading an Apache flight platoon on deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina, that she learned the

lessons of leadership that forever changed her life.

Where did these insights come from? From her own crucibles of experience - and from other women. Shannon Huffman Polson is the author of The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience and Leadership in the Most Male-Dominated Organization in the World, and the founder of The Grit Institute, a leadership institute committed to whole leader development and a focus on grit and resilience.

As one of the first women to fly the Apache helicopter in the U.S. Army, leading line units on three continents, Polson combines her passion and firsthand experience in and study of leadership and grit to deliver world-class keynotes and training to companies and organizations on leadership and grit.

After serving for a decade in the armed services, Polson earned her MBA at the Tuck School at Dartmouth and led outstanding teams in the corporate world at Microsoft. Polson lives with her husband and two boys in Washington State.

The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience, and Leadership in the Most Male-Dominated Organization in the World 

With its gripping narrative and relatable takeaways, The Grit Factor is both inspiring and pragmatic, a book that will energize and enlighten current and aspiring leaders everywhere—whether male or female.

Learn more from publisher Harvard Business Review  “Truly one of a kind, a giant and unique step forward” - Tom Peters, co-author, In Search of Excellence

“...will inspire and instruct new generations of leaders in any context. A must-read." — General Charles C. Krulak, US Marine Corps, Retired, 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps

SHANNON POLOSON'SCONTACT INFORMATION 

WEBSITE http://www.shannonpolson.com 

LINKEDIN http://linkedin.com/in/shannonhpolson 

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ABorderLife

ORDER THE GRIT FACTOR ON AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE, INDIEBOUND

Meet Marine Corps Veteran Amy Forsythe of San Diego, CA. Amy is a Communications and Visual Information Strategist. In the military, Amy served as a Combat Correspondent in the Marine Corps and currently serves in the Navy Reserves as a Public Affairs Officer. She is an award-winning digital media content creator. 

Amy is a multimedia journalist and military veteran with more than 25 years of experience in storytelling, public speaking, and multimedia content creation. TV anchor and host, global traveler, and adventure enthusiast. Amy Forsythe, a lifetime USMCCCA member, never goes anywhere without a camera. Her content has been published on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, Newsweek Magazine, Soldier of Fortune Magazine, Leatherneck Magazine, CENTCOM's Unipath Magazine, and many other news outlets. Multimedia Journalist: Experienced TV producer and reporter with expertise in shooting, editing, and distribution. Anchored lifestyle program called "North County's Endless Summer" for KOCT, general assignments reporter for NBC 7 San Diego, anchor, and correspondent for The Pentagon Channel.

As a public speaker and educator, she served as an adjunct professor creating curriculum and teaching social media, organizational development, and entrepreneurship at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels at California International Business University. Certified Instructor at Defense Information School(DINFOS), Fort Mead, MD.

Amy Forsythe is a writer, author, speaker, combat veteran, and global traveler. Her international travel includes Afghanistan, Argentina, Bahrain, Bahamas, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Niger, Palau, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, The Netherlands, and Switzerland. With all that travel, no wonder she takes her camera with her everywhere she goes.

Amy Forsythe Contact Information

http://linkedin.com/in/amyforsythe

https://twitter.com/Amy_Forsythe

In this week's episode, I speak with fellow Army Veteran Jeffery Knight of Salt Lake City, Utah. Jeff enlisted into the Army National Guard as a Carpenter and later transitioned to becoming a Human Resources Officer in the Army Reserves. In the last half of his career, he served in a special duty position and talks about the impact it had on him as well as the importance of exercising self-care. Jeff is the Co-Founder of Angels 14.

As if that weren't enough, Jeff does some freelance work in Leadership Development with Mission Six Zero is devoted to leadership training for corporate teams, professional sports and other organizations using Special Forces mastered techniques, particularly for enhancing performance in volatile, uncertain, complex, or ambiguous situations.  (https://missionsixzero.com) 

Mission 6 Zero https://missionsixzero.com

LinkedIn profile linkedin.com/in/jeff-knight

Chaplain (COL) Khallid Shabazz Ph.D, DMin | Command Chaplain at USARCENT | Sumter, South Carolina, United States

Shortly after converting to Islam, then-Sgt. Khallid Shabazz struggled to find his way while his devout Lutheran family and fellow Soldiers questioned his move. And with a few Article 15s for insubordination on his record, Shabazz, a field artilleryman at the time, wanted out of the military. Then, one day while training out in the field, an Army chaplain approached him and struck up a conversation. “Honestly, it was like a revelation from God,” Shabazz said. “When it hit my ears, I knew that was what I was going to do in life. It was incredible.” “I didn’t want to convert; I was happy where I was,” he said. “I’m a very inquisitive person. If I don’t know something, I’m going to get to know it.” While Shabazz found more peace and solace by switching faiths, which included the Islamic custom of changing his name, many people in his life stopped talking to him. His commander at the time, Shabazz said, even asked why he sided with the enemy. “I was so hurt by those statements,” he said. He eventually came to realize it was a lack of understanding some people had with Islam, which he was also guilty of until he studied it. Islam is sometimes distorted by extremist groups, he said, similar to how other religions can be twisted to incite violent acts. “Whether it’s the Bible, Quran, or the Torah, I want people to understand that religion really has nothing to do with violence,” he said. “99.9 percent of the people in religion are good people.” Chaplain Shabazz holds two doctorate degrees on top of four master’s degrees. He has written three books and teaches online courses at four colleges. He has 28 years of experience as a U.S. Army officer working at the highest level and is currently a fellow at the University of Texas studying senior-level strategy. I view myself as a competent, consistent, compassionate self-starter willing to tackle new challenges. If you are seeking an Instructor who is loyal and committed to achieving total success for your students and the university, please consider what I have to offer. Chaplain (COL) Khallid’s Profile linkedin.com/in/chaplain-col-khallid-shabazz-ph-d-dmin-701074a6 I also have twenty years of experience working with military adult learners that include active-duty soldiers, their spouses and family, and Department of Defense civilians. My Ph.D. was earned from Trident University. I would like you to consider my continuing Instruction with Adult learners which includes:  • Served as an Adjunct Faculty, Trident University, and American Allied University, Claremont Lincoln University for 10 years • Taught 50 classes with over 120 students in support of coordinating Professor 6 years • Conducted A philosophy and Ethics Professor with over 65 students for 3 years • Adult instruction for the last 17 years • Instruction Training, Supervision Methods • Myers Briggs Process Training • Instructional Training on PTSD, Suicide Prevention, Conflict Analysis • Primary trainer for over 4,500 soldiers, civilian and family members

Melissa Washington is a Navy veteran and the spouse of a Marine. Melissa is the Founder & CEO of the Women Veterans Alliance (https://www.womenveteransalliance.org), Listen in as she talks about her time in the Navy. 

Awards

2019 Department of Veterans Affairs Women Veterans Trailblazers: Women Breaking Barriers

2018 Sharif Jewelers Sacramento Kings Hometown Hero

2018 Cal Vet Trailblazer Award

2018 Tapestry Impact Award

2017 Sacramento's Women Who Mean Business

2016 KFBK (iHeart Radio) Hometown Hero

2016 Congressional & Assembly Award and Recognition. Name listed on Congressional Record.

Veteran Community

Founder and Chairperson  Women Veterans Giving

Special Advisor American Veteran Organization of Women Magazine (AVOW)

Advisor and Former Co-Chair VA Community Veteran Engagement Board (CVEB)

Board Member of Lincoln Veterans Memorial Coalition

Member of Military Women Coalition &  Women Veteran Speakers

Member of the Military Family Research Institute Advisory Council, Purdue University

Charter Member- Women in Military Services of America (WIMSA)

Veterans Foreign Wars (VFW) Lifetime Member & American Legion Member

Former Chair California Women Veterans Leadership Council

Former Board Member Placer County Veterans Stand Down

Author

Get Back to Work: Smart & Savvy Real-World Strategies to Make Your Next Career Move, 2014

Meet John Roth, USMC Veteran, the Founder and President of Recalibrate. He served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves 2007-2018. While serving, he served in two back-to-back deployments- the first to Iraq and then Afghanistan- and obtained the rank of Sergeant (E-5). John is currently a Police Officer at the Jackson Twp. Police Department as a patrol officer. He serves as one of the department’s Resiliency Officers. He also is a mentor for the Veteran’s Diversion Program at the Ocean County Prosecutors Office since 2016. He currently assists in teaching for the Ocean Crisis Intervention training.  This training shapes mental health training for local police and clinicians in the community.

John currently serves as the Chair on the 2019/2020 New Jersey Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), PTSD/Mental Health advisory board. He is a certified Mental Health First Instructor, teaching community leaders to address signs and symptoms of mental illness.

John enjoys spending time with his wife Jamie, working out, BJJ, and yoga. His love for learning led him to found a men’s book club held once a month.

“My passion and purpose after military life is to become an asset to the veteran community and the broader community at large. My goal is to try and make this world better than how I found it.”

John Roth's Contact Information:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-roth-iii-051bb7163          Website: recalibrateusa.org

Facebook facebook.com/johnny.roth.37           Instagram: instagram.com/johnny_recalibrate/

Upon his return from his deployment, SFC (retired) Patrick Skluzacek said the nightmares started. “I was scared of closing my eyes.. “I'd wake up thrashing and sweating. And Veterans Affairs didn't have a cure for it. They just had people with nightmares, people killing themselves, and they didn't understand why."

Tyler, Patrick’s, 27-year-old son told CNN, “I was just 13 when he came back from Iraq, but I knew he was a completely different person. He used to be so active and happy. After the war he was just depressed, lethargic, irritable, and the worst part is he wasn't sleeping. It was hard seeing my Dad like that."

Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, his father had nightmares that haunted him for years.

Nightwear CEO, Grady Hannah and Chief Medical Officer Dan Karlin will be doing an interview about the watch created by Tyler for his father with PTSD.

---

This episode is sponsored by

· Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

---

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mettle-of-honor/message

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mettle-of-honor/support

Meet Navy veteran Adam Cole of Arlington, VA. Both as an enlisted Sailor and a Naval Officer, Adam served in the Navy in the Public Affairs Office (PAO).

Join the Journey (JTJ) is a Christ-centered empowerment organization that seeks to uplift entrepreneurs facing extreme poverty by helping them launch businesses. JTJ formed in 2009 as an advocacy-through-media organization with a heart for Christ and compassion for the least.JTJ's focus shifted to Haiti when founder Adam served in the earthquake relief efforts with the U.S. military and returned in September 2010 with JTJ. On that 2010 trip, he came in contact with the needs of the tent village of Capvva, a camp of displaced and homeless Haitians. Capvva members eventually received grants from the U.N. to relocate but the experience of serving in the depths of poverty has forever shaped the organization. We remain committed to uplifting—now through micro-loans—the poorest of the poor.

We exist to serve the ‘least of these’ by restoring hope and dignity. We have formed a band of brothers & sisters—the majority of whom have served and still serve in the military—to go to remote villages where three meals a day is a luxury. Our model is simple: provide seed capital and business mentorship to mothers, widows, and dedicated dads who will sacrifice everything to feed their families. We partner with the local church who equally share love and compassion with those in the community—leading to individual growth in Jesus Christ.

Adam Cole Contact Information

LINKEDIN (Personal): Adam Cole | LinkedIn

LINKEDIN (Company): Join the Journey: Overview | LinkedIn

COMPANY WEBSITE: Join The Journey 

Join the Journey

3439 N. Powhatan St.

Arlington, VA 22213

E-mail: [email protected]

It has been such an honor to speak with veterans across all branches of the U.S. Military. At the launch of season one, we talk with veterans who share about with their transition into the military and perseverance through their transition from the military to civilian life. In this “Season 1 Preview” you will hear a sampling from a few of these episodes along with some veterans sharing what it means to them to be a veteran.

We open this podcast preview with retired Navy SEAL Team Commander.

Mr. Jon Macaskill | Retired Navy SEAL Commander | Deputy Executive Director and Podcast Host for Veteran’s PATH | linktr.ee/JonMacaskill  | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonmacaskill/ 

Dr. Dondi E. Costin | Major General, Retired as the Air Force Chief of Chaplains | President of Charleston Southern University | www.linkedin.com/in/dondi-e-costin-ph-d-major-general-retired-97119b46 

Mrs. Annette Whittenberger | U.S. Army (RET) MAJ/Mental Health Speaker & Coach | CEO+A Wild Ride Called Life | awildridecalledlife.com

Dr. Trillitye Paullin | FL ARNG Engineering Tech Specialist | linkedin.com/in/trillitye-paullin | CEO & Founder of Free to Feed  | https://www.freetofeed.com/

Mr. James McNeill | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslmcneil/ 

---

This episode is sponsored by

· Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

---

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mettle-of-honor/message

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mettle-of-honor/support