Grit Machine DNA: Recent Episodes
David Morales
Welcome to Grit Machine DNA.Through this series we interview everyday Americans who lead remarkable lives and serve as powerful examples of faith, family and grit. The goal of Grit Machine DNA is twofold…first to inspire all Americans to dream big, do more, become more and understand that great things happen when we assume personal responsibility. The second goal of the series is to introduce people to silent heroes everywhere -our neighbors, our teachers, first responders, coaches, fathers, mothers- who are doing powerful things without fanfare and whose lives offer us lessons and values we can all learn from. Join me in this wonderful journey as we discuss what it means to build Grit Machine DNA by hearing from people who do it every day. To learn more, please visit my website: davidamorales.com The song at the end of the video is played by Grupo Mapeyé, La Orquesta Criolla Nacional de Puerto Rico.
Our new Grit Machine DNA podcast features a conversation with Radhames Nova, the President & CEO of Junior Achievement of Greater Boston.
Born in the Dominican Republic, Rad immigrated to Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1989 and has enjoyed a fruitful and inspiring journey to success. From growing up in a hardworking family in a low-income city, to his rise to a prosperous career, Rad's story and perspectives will inspire you.
This episode of Grit Machine DNA features the incredible Kerry McDonald. Kerry is an authority on education and serves as a Senior Education Fellow at FEE and host of the weekly LiberatED podcast. She is the author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (Chicago Review Press, 2019). Kerry's research interests include homeschooling and schooling alternatives, self-directed learning, education entrepreneurship, parent empowerment, school choice, and family and child policy.
In addition to her role at FEE, Kerry is also the Velinda Jonson Family Education Fellow at State Policy Network, an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, and a regular Forbes contributor. Her articles have appeared at The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, Newsweek, NPR, Education Next, Reason Magazine, Washington Examiner, City Journal, Entrepreneur, and the Journal of School Choice, among others.
This episode of Grit Machine DNA features Liseth J. Velez. A wonderful example of the American dream, Liseth is an immigrant from Colombia who continues to thrive by creating new opportunities with resilience, tenacity, grit and passion for excellence.
Liseth is a bold entrepreneur who wears many hats. She served in both the US Army National Guard and Air National Guard – U.S Air Force, founded LJV Development, a very successful construction company, and is also an ardent supporter of educational opportunities for others.
In fact, Liseth is a very public advocate for US Veterans and students. As a BunkerLabs Ambassador, Liseth supports military veterans and spouses in their pursuit of growing their businesses. As part of her service to students in their early career exploration, she Co-Founded the nonprofit organization, LIT Conversations. LIT helps inspire student success and career readiness by developing conversational skills.
A genuine trailblazer, Liseth is sure to inspire you with her tenacity, passion, love of country and her desire to serve.
Miguel Martinez is one of the most sought-after percussionists in the region. He has been playing Latin percussion since the age of 12 and has mastered many styles including, Jazz, World Music, R&B, Salsa, Merengue, among others. But his real passion is playing the guiro, a native instrument from Puerto Rico and a key instrument in traditional music from Puerto Rico, known as música típica.
At the age of 4, Miguel began to extremely impress his family with musical actions towards his first instrument the “Puerto Rican guiro”. Miguel taught himself to play the guiro, congas and other percussion instruments around him.
Now as a consummate music professional, he has shared the stage with legendary performers such as: Jerry Rivera, Andy Montañez, Ismael Miranda, Tony Vega, Jose Alberto “El Canario”, Grupo Mapeyé: Orquesta Criolla Nacional de Puerto Rico, Ecos de Borinquen, Omar Santiago, among many others.
Miguel is an extraordinary example of how faith, family and grit will take you to places you never imagined possible.
Samanda Morales.
Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, Samanda is a living testament to the adage that hard work and perseverance always pay huge dividends. Entrepreneur, founder, angel investor, certified personal finance consultant and money coach, Samanda is a giant among giants.
Her journey from the Dominican Republic to the US and her remarkable achievements as a first-generation immigrant is a powerful example of the importance of faith, family, grit and perseverance.
In addition to her work as an entrepreneur and financial coach, she is a Trustee and graduate of Salem State University, a member of the North Shore Chamber’s board of directors, an active THRIVE Advisory Council member and also serves as a board member of Bethany Congregational Church in Lynn, MA.
When Samanda is not managing money, helping others manage their money, or mentoring young adults, she spends time with her husband and their two sons.
On this episode of Grit Machine DNA we speak with Stacy Ennis, one of the most inspirational people I have met on my life journey. Stacy is an entrepreneur, incredibly successful author, and trailblazer.
Along with my wife Samanda, Stacy was one of the key people who both helped me write my book, but also inspired me to use my experience and voice to do good and inspire others. Her story is one of empowerment, self-agency and integrity. As she says, "anchor within yourself!"
To learn more about Stacy and her remarkable and powerful story check out her website.
This episode of Grit Machine DNA features Colonel Eric J. DiNoto. Father, husband and entrepreneur, Eric wears many hats. He serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Logistics for the Massachusetts Army National Guard, he is co-founder of Regimental Whiskey, an adjunct professor at Northeastern University, emcee, community leader, and a humble American.
His story is one of resilience, service and determination. As he states: “This world owes you nothing. If you really want it bad enough don’t ever go through this life thinking you deserve a single thing. You don’t. You have to work for it. You have to earn it.”
On this Grit Machine DNA episode we talk with Skip Soderholm, one of the most powerful, yet humble Americans I know.
A father, husband, retired Special Forces veteran and now entrepreneur, Skip embodies resilience and perseverance. Today, Skip is the COO of Red Research Group, LLC, a communications company in Southern Pines, NC that specializes in manufacturing proprietary radio antennas for government radio systems.
But there’s more. He is a retired Command Sergeant Major, a decorated combat veteran with over 25 years of service to the US Army and US Special Operations Command, where he spent 20 of those years serving in the Army’s elite Special Missions Unit (SMU) where he served as an Operator, Team Leader, Instructor, Troop Sergeant Major, Operations Sergeant Major, and Command Sergeant Major and deployed 11 times and participated in over 1,000 combat missions. He has been awarded 10 Bronze Star medals, twice for “Valor”, 3 Purple Heart medals.
This conversation will leave you wanting more, as we touch on family, service, perseverance, grit, the ongoing evolution of change, as well as learning from failure.
On today's Grit Machine DNA podcast we interview Patrick McNamara, the President of the State Police Association of Massachusetts. A force of nature, Patrick is a veteran of the US Army where he completed US Army Airborne, Air Assault, Pathfinder and Ranger school and where -as part of the 101st Airborne Division- deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
A father, husband, State Police Trooper and a leader in many aspects of life, Patrick is an impressive American who lives by a principle I embrace, "family always comes first." To learn more about Patrick and his ongoing journey to serve his family and America, listen to the episode.
Meet Karim Gibson, the latest guest on my podcast, Grit Machine DNA. Born and raised in Lynn, MA, Karim is one of the many success stories from my high school. Karim was and remains one of the most caring, humble and intelligent people I grew up with. He excelled at athletics in high school and was offered a full scholarship to University of Rhode Island. Today, he is a father, husband, path setter, role model; and as the Dean of Students at Galvin Middle School, he is empowering our next generation of great Americans.
In this episode of Grit Machine DNA we chat with Tony Negron, a retired 26-year Air Force Pararescueman who has a passion for helping veterans find their purpose post-service and is the embodiment of faith, family and grit.
He is a dedicated father and husband who is happily married to an incredible wife and has raised four incredible sons. How to balance family and business? Tony says you have to prioritize and make sacrifices. “You go in the direction where you decide you want to go.”
In addition to serving as President of S.E.I. a New Hampshire-based Special Operations Force training company, he is also a board member for the Pararescue Foundation, and co-founder of another New Hampshire-based company Fusion Cell - which connects employers around the country with veteran workforce talent.
This episode of Grit Machine DNA features Damon Patton, Esq. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Damon is my brother in Christ and a daily seeker of heavenly wisdom.
A lawyer in Washington DC, Damon is one of the most thoughtful men I know. His perspective and his views have been shaped by his incredible upbringing and by his incessant reading of economists like Milton Friedman and Thomas Sowell.
Becoming a lawyer and moving to Washington DC was not Damon’s original plan, but after facing a few obstacles and realizing what he wanted our of life, dedication and perseverance led him down this incredible path
In addition to being super intelligent, he is also a competitive amateur bodybuilder.
Faith + family + grit = Damon!
This week’s Grit Machine DNA features Sergeant Major (retired) Kyle Lamb. He needs no introduction. But in case you don’t know of him, here are a few things to know:
- Retired US Army & member of the most elite special forces unit in the Army
- Deployed multiple times to some of the most dangerous places in the world
- Husband, father, friend & brother in Christ
- Author of 2 books (my favorite: Leadership in the Shadows)
- Entrepreneur and CEO of Viking Tactics
We discussed his life, his purpose, leadership and how clearly understating your mission is crucial to being an effective leader at work and at home.
What would Kyle Lamb tell young kids today? “Write the book you want to read”.
On this episode of Grit Machine DNA I talk with Coach Brian Smith, who was a classmate of mine at Lynn Classical High School. Brian's journey has been nothing short of remarkable…from poverty in the streets of Lynn to one of America’s best high school football coaches, to fatherhood…Brian is a living testament of what faith, family, integrity and perseverance produce.
If you’re looking for inspiration from someone who has come from nothing and continues to inspire hundreds of kids every day, Brian is your guy! His message is to live by the 3 P's of life:
1. Pride - be proud of who you are and where you're from and be prideful in everything you do
2. Passion - have grit, tenacity and determination to succeed at anything you do
3. Poise - always have an understanding of circumstances and have poise under pressure
He currently serves as the Head Coach and Athletic director at C.E. Murray High School in South Carolina. He is the winningest coach in school history and was recognized in 2015 as the statewide Coach of the year. He is a husband, father, son and one of the most humble, kindest and hardest people I know. I am proud to call him my friend. Meet Brian Smith on this episode of Grit Machine DNA.
On the latest episode of Grit Machine DNA I feature Stephen Archer, Fire Chief in Lynn, MA, who is a powerful force for good and one of the most humble people I have ever met.
In addition to serving as the Fire Chief, he is a dedicated father and husband, lifelong Lynn resident and a true believer and follower of Jesus Christ. Faith drives Steve’s path every day and has prepared him for unexpected obstacles and challenges along the way.
Steve is a true example of a servant leader, influencing those around him in a positive direction to pursue the same goal. Having a common mission is priority to Steve’s definition of leadership.
Andrew, who overcame incredible challenges during his youth, is an example of what one can accomplish with empathy, leadership and by serving others. His ability to stay positive regardless of the circumstances and turn the negative into a positive is uncanny and a learning lesson for everyone.
Of the many important lessons I have learned from him, I cherish this one: nobody should expect more from you then you expect from yourself.
Through Grit Machine DNA we interview everyday Americans who lead remarkable lives and serve as powerful examples of faith, family and grit. The goal of Grit Machine DNA is twofold…first to inspire all Americans to dream big, do more, become more and understand that great things happen when we assume personal responsibility. The second goal of the series is to introduce people to silent heroes everywhere -our neighbors, our teachers, first responders, coaches, fathers, mothers- who are doing powerful things without fanfare and whose lives offer us lessons and values we can all learn from.
Coach Dempsey was my high school football coach and continues to serve as my lifelong mentor.
Along with my father, Coach Dempsey taught me how to be accountable, how to serve others, how to lead from the front, how to live with integrity, how to stand up for what’s right and to never, ever back down especially if God is on your side.
Coach Dempsey is a man of few, but powerful words. Although he coached me well over 30 years ago, I still adhere to many of the lessons he taught me about life on and off the football field. He is one of the many angels God used to help shape me and guide me.
One of the many incredible things about Coach Dempsey is that he helped hundreds of men and women like me go to college. His legacy has impacted hundreds of people to this day and he is not done!
Coach Dempsey has a lot of memorable lessons that I still cherish, and I use them still to this day. He even coined the phrase Grit Machine DNA when I was in high school to define the type of grit we were building.