Forging Mettle Podcast

Today we talk with a mental coach for aviators. You'll get a firsthand account of what it's like to be a female instructor pilot in the U.S. Air Force. But rest assured there is plenty of wisdom in our discussion for the non-pilots among us. We banter about self-confidence, finding root causes, trusting your brain, women in leadership and performing at your best under pressure. Enjoy the show and please leave us a rating and review! 

Our guest, Tammy Barlette retired from the Air Force in 2018 after 20 years of dedicated service. During her last assignment she was an  instructor pilot in the T-38 Talon. She has more than 3000 total flight hours and over 1500 hours of combat support time in both Iraq and Afghanistan. She is now a motivational speaker with years of experience teaching and empowering others to be their best.

Show notes:

Tammy's website: https://tammybarlette.com/

Athena's Voice: https://www.athenasvoiceusa.com/tammy-g-barlette

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammybarlette/

Former Green Beret Fran Racioppi joins us to discuss far ranging topics like quiet quitting, meeting people where they are, properly setting standards for yourself and those that you lead, navigating a complex world and a decision-making process to help you come out ahead more times than not. Thank you for listening. 

Show notes: 

Fran served 13 years in the United States Army as a Green Beret, deploying three times to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. In 2013, he deployed to Djibouti, Africa in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, where he coordinated Special Operations combating Al-Shabab throughout East Africa. In 2014, he planned and coordinated the Special Forces response to Boko Haram in West Africa, as well as oversaw the operations of Special Forces teams countering the Lord's Resistance Army in Central Africa and ISIS in North Africa. In 2014, Fran was selected to serve as the advisor and aide to the Commander of Special Operations Command Africa. Fran is a graduate of the US Army Ranger School, Airborne School, and several other Special Operations sponsored certifications.  

A lifelong sailor, Fran volunteers teaching Veterans to sail as the Race Director for Sailahead a Veterans service organization dedicated to reducing the Veteran suicide rate. Fran has also served as the Treasurer of the United War Veterans Council, a NYC-based non-profit focused on the wellness and healing of transitioning veterans, as well as the host of the annual NYC Veterans Day Parade. 

Fran's website FRsix: https://frsix.com/about

Jedburgh Podcast 

The Ballad of the Green Berets (song mentioned in the 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/

Today we talk with psychologist Paul Napper about the power of personal agency. What it is, and how we can cultivate more of it to help us face demanding situations in life. Like a global pandemic. You don't want to miss this fascinating discussion as you'll come away with actionable tools to "steer your ship" better when the storms of life descend upon us. 

Show notes: 

Dr. Paul Napper helps business leaders increase their effectiveness through focusing and strengthening their agency as leaders. His professional background includes extensive experience in assessment and the application of psychological principles to improve the performance of people and organizations. His client list includes Fortune 500 companies, financial firms, non-profit organizations, universities, as well as start-ups.

Dr. Napper launched his career as a Wall Street analyst, first with J.P. Morgan Investment Management in New York and, following that, with Crowell, Weedon and Company in Los Angeles. During his tenure as a securities analyst, he was responsible for research and investment strategy for several major industries. He subsequently launched Performance Psychology, a management psychology consultancy to a wide range of organizations and industries.

Dr. Napper earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania in International Relations and pursued his master’s degree in the same field at the University of Chicago. He received his doctorate in psychology from William James College in Boston, one of the country’s premier schools of professional psychology. As part of his training he was selected for an advanced fellowship in psychological testing and assessment during a three-year academic appointment at Harvard Medical School.

http://performpsych.com/

Buy the book, "The Power of Agency" 

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/

Today's guest has walked in the footsteps of Socrates and Plato. Literally. Donald Robertson visits the forge to discuss cognitive behavioral therapy and explain how it was derived from ancient Stoic philosophy. We discuss how our thoughts influence our emotions. Once we can begin to harness how we think, we can begin to unlock the secrets of high performance that ancient philosophers knew well.  Show notes: Donald is a writer, cognitive-behavioural psychotherapist and trainer. Donald specializes in teaching evidence-based psychological skills, and known as an expert on the relationship between modern psychotherapy (CBT) and classical Greek and Roman philosophy. He was born in Irvine, Scotland, and grew up in Ayr.  He worked as a psychotherapist for about twenty years in London, England, where he ran a training school for therapists, before emigrating to Canada in 2013 to focus on his writing and training courses. He now divides his time between Greece and Canada. He is an experienced public speaker.  His therapy practice specialised for many years in helping clients with social anxiety and self-confidence issues.  His work, and that of his colleagues, has often featured in the media of different countries, including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, etc. https://donaldrobertson.name/ Book: "How to Think Like a Roman Emperor"  Book: All others

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