EP. 199 – Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander on Leadership, Transition, and What Really Matters

Retired Navy SEAL Louis Cervantes joins the Transition Drill Podcast to share his compelling story of leadership, purpose, and identity. With over two decades in Naval Special Warfare, Cervantes reflects on his early drive to serve, the relentless pace of SEAL life, pursuing his education including an MBA, his transition struggles and experiences in the corporate world.

This conversation is a masterclass in quiet professionalism, stoic leadership, and rediscovering mission beyond the uniform. Whether you're in the middle of your military service, preparing to transition, or already navigating civilian life, Cervantes’ wisdom will resonate.

Topics include:

• Discovering a calling beyond status

• Balancing humility with leadership in elite environments

• Reframing transition as a process of growth

• Building a resume by seeking education

• The importance of staying grounded post-service

Don’t miss this episode. Follow the Transition Drill Podcast and share with someone who needs to hear it.

The best podcast for military veterans, police officers, firefighters, and first responders preparing for veteran transition and life after service. Helping you plan and implement strategies to prepare for your transition into civilian life.

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Round 74 Master the Micro-Moments Tactical Transition Tips for Veterans & First Responders returns to the standard format and delivers a powerful reminder: transition doesn’t always arrive with fanfare—it arrives subtly. Whether it's a comment from a teammate or a moment of exhaustion you can’t shake, small signals mark the beginning of change.

This episode helps you build a foundation by mastering those moments:

Close Range: Carve out 10 minutes a day for focused reps. It’s your pre-transition insurance plan.

Medium Range: Observe your patterns. Audit what’s become routine and whether it’s helping or hindering future growth.

Long Range: Track what sparks your curiosity now. These data points help you chart a more informed pivot later.

When transition eventually hits, these tiny actions compound into readiness.

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In this debut episode of The Mindset Debrief, host Paul Pantani explores a hard truth: culture does not change through complaints, it changes through personal action. Drawing from over 30 years of leadership in law enforcement and inspired by stoic philosophy and modern behavioral science, Paul shares practical insight on what it takes to truly influence your environment. This solo episode challenges listeners—especially military veterans, first responders, and professionals across all sectors—to stop blaming circumstances and start leading themselves.

This podcast speaks directly to those who want to improve their workplace culture, lead with clarity, and take full ownership of their lives. Whether you are transitioning from the military, navigating a new career, or simply seeking more discipline and control, this conversation will help you reframe your approach. If you have ever felt frustrated with the way things are, this episode offers a mindset shift that starts with one question: what standard are you accepting?

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EP. 198 – Perry Yee | Navy SEAL to Servant Leader: Faith, Brotherhood & Building Legacy

Perry Yee’s story doesn’t end with his Navy SEAL Trident, it begins again with faith, service, and a powerful mission to continue leading off the battlefield. In this episode, Perry walks us through his path from joining the Navy post-9/11, surviving the grind of BUD/S, serving with SEAL Team 7 in Iraq and Afghanistan, and how his exit from the teams led him into a much deeper calling.

He opens up about the mental toll of transition, the challenge of losing the brotherhood, and how faith grounded him through the uncertainty. Perry is now the founder of Active Valor, a nonprofit that connects Gold Star children with veteran mentors. His approach to community, responsibility, and personal growth offers a blueprint for any military veteran or first responder looking for purpose beyond the uniform.

This conversation is packed with authenticity, reflection, and straight talk about the weight we carry and the ways to lay it down with purpose.

Topics Discussed:

• Why Perry joined the Navy after 9/11 and how BUD/S shaped his grit

• The impact of combat and the emotional cost of transition

• How his faith redirected his post-service mission

• The origin and mission of Active Valor

• The difference between “help” and “healing” in post-military life

Whether you're in the early stages of planning your transition or knee-deep in the mental fog post-service, Perry's story offers hope, structure, and proof that purpose never ends—it just evolves.

The best podcast for military veterans, police officers, firefighters, and first responders preparing for veteran transition and life after service. Helping you plan and implement strategies to prepare for your transition into civilian life.

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Round 73 | Stay Future Focused – Tactical Transition Tipsfor Veterans & First Responders

Whether you're 12 months out or 12 years in, this episode isyour wake-up call. In Round 73 of Tactical Transition Tips, I break down how toshift your mindset from survival mode to strategy. Transition doesn’t wait—andit doesn’t reward status. It rewards readiness.

·      Close Range Group: Focus your job hunt onwhere your industry is headed, not just what’s available now.

·      Medium Range Group: Start filling yourresume and building your portfolio—while you still control the narrative.

·      Long Range Group: Use your time to buildidentity beyond your uniform and prepare now for an unexpected pivot.

This isn’t about panic—it’s about power. Stay ahead of thecurve before the curve defines your next move.

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Round 73 | Stay Future Focused – Tactical Transition Tips for Veterans & First Responders

Whether you're 12 months out or 12 years in, this episode is your wake-up call. In Round 73 of Tactical Transition Tips, I break down how to shift your mindset from survival mode to strategy. Transition doesn’t wait—and it doesn’t reward status. It rewards readiness.

·      Close Range Group: Focus your job hunt on where your industry is headed, not just what’s available now.

·      Medium Range Group: Start filling your resume and building your portfolio—while you still control the narrative.

·      Long Range Group: Use your time to build identity beyond your uniform and prepare now for an unexpected pivot.

This isn’t about panic—it’s about power. Stay ahead of the curve before the curve defines your next move.

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197 – Sobriety, PTS & Reclaiming Life After Law Enforcement

What happens when the weight of service becomes too heavy to carry—and you don’t know how to ask for help?

In this gripping episode, retired Nashville Police Sergeant Scott Cothran shares his powerful story of trauma, addiction, and recovery. From the outside, he was a squared-away, decorated officer. But behind the badge was a man unraveling. Drinking himself into isolation, crushed by the accumulated weight of PTS, grief, and emotional suppression.

In this conversation, Scott opens up about:

• His almost 20 year law enforcement career and the unseen emotional toll of policing

• The moment he knew alcohol had taken over his life

• Surviving a suicide attempt—and the call for help that saved him

• The path to sobriety and how he rebuilt his life from the ground up

• How he now helps first responders navigate PTSD, addiction, and healing

This episode is for any veteran or first responder who’s struggling behind closed doors. It’s a message of truth, hope, and the reminder that no one fights alone.

The go-to podcast for military veterans, police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and first responders preparing for life after service. Hosted by retired law enforcement leader Paul Pantani, the Transition Drill Podcast delivers real conversations about transition, identity, and what comes next after wearing the uniform.

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Round 72 – Tactical Transition Tips | Transition Blueprint Week 8

Theme: Upgrade Your Operating System

This week’s episode dives into a key truth many veterans and first responders learn the hard way: the rules change after service. The way you led, operated, and responded in uniform doesn’t always land the same way on the civilian side. That’s not failure. That’s friction between systems.

In this episode, Paul Pantani walks through how to upgrade your internal operating system for long-term success across three transition stages:

• Close Range (less than 1 year out): Learn to build civilian emotional intelligence and shift from command presence to connection.
• Medium Range (5 years out): Begin practicing adaptive thinking through humility, small talk, and exposure to civilian leadership styles.
• Long Range (10+ years out): Start mental conditioning habits, clarify your personal philosophy, and build a support system outside the uniform.

This is not about softening who you are. It’s about refining how you show up. Because you won’t rise to the occasion, you’ll fall back on your training. Time to retrain for what’s next.

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In Episode 196, Juan "Gonzo" Gonzalez—a retired Navy SEAL with prior service as both a Navy corpsman and Army infantry medic—joins Paul to talk about his extraordinary journey. From growing up an Army brat in South and Central America to completing one of the toughest selection processes in the military, Gonzo’s story is one of discipline, adversity, and ultimately transformation.

He opens up about failing out of BUD/S his first time due to illness, coming back stronger two years later, and what it really takes mentally to make it through SEAL training. But as Gonzo explains, becoming a SEAL was just one chapter. His story offers a front-row seat to the challenges of identity loss, faith struggles, and finding purpose again after the adrenaline of combat and high-performance teams fades.

Paul and Gonzo explore:

• The institutional habits that make it hard for veterans to ask for help

• How the absence of community after transition amplifies mental strain
• Why learning to fail fast was critical in BUD/S and life
• The overlooked value of silence, reflection, and knowing who you are

This is an episode for any veteran, first responder, or purpose-driven professional who feels like the mission ended—and needs to find their next one.

The go-to podcast for military veterans, police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and first responders preparing for life after service. Hosted by retired law enforcement leader Paul Pantani, the Transition Drill Podcast delivers real conversations about transition, identity, and what comes next after wearing the uniform.

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The Transition Drill Podcast Tactical Transition Tips | Round 71 – Transition Blueprint Series (Week 7)

Whether you're weeks away from leaving the job or just beginning to think about your next chapter, this episode delivers practical advice tailored to military veterans, police officers, firefighters, and first responders preparing for civilian life.

Host Paul Pantani, a retired law enforcement officer, shares three tactical tips based on your stage of transition:

• Close Range (0–12 months): Embrace the Pause Before You React

• Medium Range (2–5 years): Schedule a “Silent Strategy Day”

• Long Range (10+ years): Learn to Sit With Discomfort

This is Week 7 of the 9-week Transition Blueprint Series, designed to help you build clarity, confidence, and long-term momentum—no matter where you are in your service journey.

If you're serious about navigating veteran transition, first responder retirement, or planning your next mission in life, this episode is for you.

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