World Bridge Military Partners Podcast: Recent Episodes
Ryan Johns
We are focused on providing our nation's active duty military with 1:1 guidance and modern resources toward living a fulfilled life while they serve, not just after they discharge. So many service members are not optimizing their time while on active duty, therefore they experience difficulty transitioning to civilian life. They limit their options and opportunities because they become overly consumed with the comforts of traditional military life. "UNCLE SAM AIN'T TAKING CARE OF YOUR ASS FOREVER"
I had an opportunity to nerd out on fitness with my guest, Steve Hopingardner. Steve is an Owner Operator of the innovative fitness franchise, The Exercise Coach. He discusses his journey from Army Officer to Business Owner. Learn what skills translated well and which ones did not. This podcast is ideal for anyone currently serving on active that has a passion for wellness but not sure how to monetize it. The Exercise Coach is literally one of the COOLEST fitness business models that I've ever seen.
Follow Steve on LinkedIn and hit him up with any questions. https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevehopingardner
In this discussion I sit down with former Army Officer Robert Evans and his spouse Kedryn Evans. We talk military life and transition from the perspectives of an Active Service Member as well as through the lens of their spouse. What skills translated well into business ownership and where there were skills gaps. Robert and Kedryn offer insight and advice to Service Members on how to plan for transition. This process should start YEARS before the scheduled date of transition.
This is the final episode for 2021!
We decided to close out the year STRONG, with our very first military learning partner, FRANNET.
Listen to this super informative discussion with Leslie Kuban. Leslie is a 20+ year franchise owner and consultant with FRANNET.
FRANNET represents over 200 different brands across multiple industries.
There are many misconceptions about franchise ownership such as capital requirements, skills, resources, and experience. Leslie shares her decades of knowledge in the space and demystifies a number of the unknowns.
No matter where you are on your career journey, entrepreneurship is something that you should at least explore. You may be better equipped than you think...
Mental health is a must have, not a nice to have.
The strides that the Army is making around creating greater awareness toward mental health via the new field manual versus the people that are standing in the way.
Understanding that mentally fit soldiers are more productive and resilient soldiers.
The fear of silence and how to overcome it. Making time for silence and making it a priority.
The power of silence!
The difference between coping vs therapy.
It’s time for a NEW narrative and new approach to Military Recruitment. It’s time to phase out antiquated execution models and adopt a more scientific and data driven approach in order to modernize Military Culture.
2021 Annual Threat Assessment by the US Intelligence Community
9 April 2021
Major adversaries and competitors are enhancing and exercising their military, cyber, and other capabilities, raising the risks to US and allied forces, weakening our conventional deterrence, and worsening the longstanding threat from weapons of mass destruction.
As the global landscape continues to change, so must our approach to recruitment, training, and culture. The Department of Defense might want to consider partnering with key private sector orgs to develop a more modern strategy to protect our common nation interest. We cannot be more concerned with tradition than we are with progressive change.
Here are a few of my thoughts and ideas on how to approach it.
This is a deep dive discussion with former Army Green Beret, Blake Miles. Blake is now the Head of Education and Training for The Catalyst Program.
The Institution of the Military still has this perception that Military skill easily correlates with Civilian skill. In some ways they do, but unfortunately neither the Military nor the Civilian sector has figured out how to effectively translate those skills into one another’s language.
We must develop a universal skill language that both sides can agree on, and one that can be operationalized consistently. The current model that is being used to identify, assess, and map Military talent to the Civilian workforce is highly antiquated and far too limited in the variables that are being used.
Effective transformation and change cannot occur without first understanding what is fundamentally broken. It's time to create new awareness and achieve better outcomes by taking a more scientific approach.
About Catalyst:
The Catalyst Program is focused on combating under-employment among military Veterans through a unique 6-week program. They combine traditional in-class education, on-the-job shadowing, business training, and intense networking to allow for a successful transition out of the military for Veterans and spouses.
This discussion is with US Army Sergeant First Class Enrique Irby. A current active duty service member who's mission is to transform the culture around mental health awareness in the US Armed Services. He talks about his own experience with PTSD and other trauma's that caused him to make significant lifestyle changes.
Mental health is historically not something that has been a top priority for our nation's Military and it often gets swept under the proverbial rug. One of the main reasons is because of the lack of understanding around both the short and long term impact of poor mental health. In addition to that, the antiquated philosophy of mission first, no longer resonates in the same manner that it did decades ago.
There is a new breed of soldier entering the service today that is more conscious of "total wellness", and not merely the physical fitness that the armed services has mainly been known for. They are no longer the monolithic group of meatheads that many civilians assume them to be. It's time for a more modern support infrastructure that aligns with the needs of "today's military".
Tune in as we discuss proactive methods that people can use to "self assess" their own mental health without having to wait for signs of depression or anxiety to set in.
Sgt Irby is a strong advocate of taking "preventative measures" toward mental health. He has assumed the lead on driving change by sharing his message with various Military Commanders, the troops that he leads, as well as with a large following on social media.
This is a real talk, no cap, conversation between two military vets that have achieved success within the corporate sector, but not without massive trials and challenges.
Learn from the mistakes that we made throughout our military careers as well as the struggles that we experienced during our service transition.
Join Ryan Johns - Airforce Veteran and CEO of WBMP as he sits down with Kevin Dodson - Army Veteran and CEO of BMSO Consulting for a discussion about what really happens inside the proverbial walls of day to day military culture. The things that are rarely talked about. These are the root reasons why many service members struggle with making the transition into civilian culture.
If you are active duty military or someone thinking of joining the military, you need to hear this. This discussion will help you avoid some of the critical pitfalls that many service members make every single day. The more you know, the better decisions that you can make in life.
The purpose of our content is to provide what we refer to as "EduTainment" (Education + Entertainment). Mentorship and learning comes in many forms.
~RK Johns, CEO - WBMP