A lot of young people feel like they are already late. Late to choose the right major, late to land the right job, late to make real money, late to figure life out. In this episode, I share the long arc of my own path, from joining the Navy at 19 to working IT support at 25, going back to college at 29, graduating at 32 with a newborn at home, serving in public health and emergency management through my late 30s, becoming an EMS Captain at 41, and eventually leading an enterprise IT PMO. Along the way, I also built strength in my 40s, earned my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blue belt, and continued to grow in faith and discipline. This conversation is a reminder that your twenties are not a deadline; they are a runway. You are not behind, you are building.

In this episode of People, Process, Progress, From the GWOT to Giving Back: How Clay Surratt Builds Others Through Martial Arts, host Kevin Pannell sits down with Clay Surratt, the founder of Guerrilla ATX. Together, they explore the transition from military service to civilian life and how the "mission" doesn't end when the uniform comes off—it just changes shape.

Clay opens up about his journey from joining the Army in the wake of 9/11 to finding a new calling in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). He shares how he uses martial arts as a restorative practice to build men up physically, mentally, and spiritually, creating a community where veterans and civilians alike can sharpen one another.

Resources mentioned:

Connect with Clay Surratt:

• Website: Guerrilla ATX
• Instagram: @conscious.clay

Support the Mission:

• Curtis Bartlett Fitness: Learn More
• Veteran Bushido Brotherhood: Support Veterans

This week’s episode, When the Bagpipes Play: Owning the Moment, Moving through the Weight, Anchoring What Comes Next, is about the weight of losing brothers and sisters in public safety, the responsibility of planning line of duty death services, and how to move through grief in a healthier way.

I break it down using a simple framework:

• Own where you are.
• Move through the weight together.
• Anchor what comes next with connection and support.

This one is for those who have carried the flag, stood watch, or covered a shift so others could grieve.

Godspeed y'all,

Kevin

In this Faith in Action Friday episod, Own. Move. Anchor. Lessons from The Burg Box, I follow up on my recent conversation with Jennifer Prevette, founder of The Burg Box, and reflect on what Own. Move. Anchor. really means in everyday life. I share how owning your mind is about learning to handle stress and regulate emotions, how moving your body is simple but powerful medicine for mental and physical health, and how anchoring your spirit helps keep the weight of decisions and expectations from becoming overwhelming. Jennifer’s approach to business, family, mental health, movement, and faith is a practical example of how these ideas can show up together without extremes or hype, just steady practices that support clarity, consistency, and perspective.

In this episode of People, Process, Progress of the New River Valley, I sit down with Jennifer Prevette, founder of The Burg Box, a locally rooted gift box company built around community, craftsmanship, and care.

Jennifer shares her journey from studying architecture at Virginia Tech to working in marketing, to becoming a full-time mom, and eventually building a business that connects people through thoughtfully curated boxes featuring local makers. We talk about faith, intention, and what it really looks like to build something meaningful and sustainable, one box at a time.

Connect with Jennifer and The Burg Box:

Start with the website to explore current boxes and local makers: https://www.theburgbox.com/

Follow on Instagram for new releases and behind-the-scenes updates: https://www.instagram.com/the_burg_box/?hl=en

Connect on Facebook for community updates and gifting ideas: https://www.facebook.com/theburgbox/

More conversations highlighting the people, process, and progress shaping the New River Valley at https://peopleprocessprogress.com

This short bridge episode, Why DRiVE Still Matters in Leadership, revisits key leadership lessons from Drive by Daniel Pink. The focus is on why autonomy, mastery, and purpose continue to shape motivation, engagement, and performance in modern organizations, especially in complex and remote environments. This episode also connects recent reflections with an upcoming conversation with Jennifer Prevette, Founder and Owner of The Burg Box.

Episode Highlights:

• Autonomy without trust leads to isolation
• Mastery stalls when growth paths are unclear
• Purpose fades when communication declines
• Remote work amplifies existing leadership gaps
• Motivation often declines before performance does

In this episode, I share seven books I read, or returned to, in 2025 that helped me stay disciplined, grounded, and clear-headed heading into 2026.

These aren’t trend-driven recommendations. They’re books focused on hardship, meaning, faith, resilience, and personal responsibility. Some pushed me physically, others reshaped how I think about suffering and connection. All of them helped me show up better in my life and leadership.

Books Discussed in This Episode

• The Stability Equation
• Discipline Equals Freedom Field Manual
• The Wim Hof Method
• What Doesn’t Kill Us
• Man’s Search for Meaning
• Lost Connections
• The Amplified Bible

Read the full post and resources:

https://peopleprocessprogress.com/2026/01/01/7-books-to-start-2026-strong/

Own your mind.

Move your body.

Anchor your spirit.

As of the end of 2025, What 2025 Taught Me and How I’m Setting Up 2026, People, Process, Progress has reached listeners and viewers around the world.

The audio podcast has generated approximately 78,000 total listens across 324 episodes and has been heard in 138 countries. Across the full catalog, the show maintains an average episode engagement of over 80%, meaning most listeners who start an episode stay with it. That matters because it signals relevance and trust, not just reach.

On YouTube, content across the channel has generated over 848,000 total views, reaching viewers in 128 countries.

The data reinforces a clear direction moving forward. Episodes built around clear problems, practical frameworks, and lived experience consistently resonate more deeply than generic motivation or surface-level commentary.

In 2026, the show will move into a steady rotation, alternating between short, structured solo episodes and conversations with leaders and business owners from the New River Valley who are quietly building, serving, and leading in their communities.

Same values. Clearer focus. More grounded conversations.

Godspeed y'all.