Own. Move. Anchor. with Kevin Pannell

The Discipline of Daily Movement



Movement is not about motivation, it is about identity and standard. In this Foundations Friday episode, Kevin focuses on why men, especially fathers and leaders, need to stop treating exercise as optional and start using it as a tool to build strength, resilience, and clarity.

This episode connects physical training to real life pressure, showing how pushing your body prepares your mind to handle stress at work, at home, and in leadership.

What you’ll take from this episode:

Move Your Body: From Optional to Non-Negotiable

Building fitness into who you are will always outperform trying to motivate yourself every day. In this episode of Own. Move. Anchor., Kevin breaks down how movement shifted from survival and identity to something many treat as optional, and why that needs to change.

From ancient culture to modern convenience, this episode connects movement to clarity, stress management, and how you show up in life and leadership. Drawing from his experience at 52, Kevin shares how consistent training, strength, endurance, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu have helped him...

This Foundation Friday, Control Your Reactions Before They Control You, builds on the concept of the space between reaction and response and brings it into real life.

Through a simple but relatable moment at home, Kevin walks through how quickly reaction can take over and how a brief pause can completely change the outcome.

He connects this to leadership, meetings, and high-pressure situations where tone, control, and clarity matter most.

You’ll learn how to recognize that space, how to use it, and a simple breathing tool to...

Stop reacting and start responding. In the premiere of the rebranded Own. Move. Anchor., Kevin Pannell explores the life-changing power of "The Space Between"—the split-second where you reclaim control, even when circumstances feel overwhelming.

Drawing on the profound survival insights of psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, this episode breaks down why we default to "automatic" reactions and how that cycle shapes our leadership, relationships, and results. You don’t rise to your plan when pressure builds; you fall back to the systems you’ve built.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Most teams plan to 100% capacity and call it efficiency. In reality, that’s where things start to break.

In this episode, I walk through a better way to think about capacity, not as a percentage on a heatmap, but as a balance between people, workload, and real-world unpredictability.

You’ll hear how experienced and developing project managers handle workload differently, why not all work should be treated as a project, and how shifting repeatable work back to operational teams can free up meaningful capacity.

I also break down...

What does leadership look like in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) at the purple belt level?

It’s not just better technique; it’s how you show up, how you train, and how you influence the people around you.

In this episode of You-Jitsu, I break down five practical ways leadership shows up on the mats:

This isn’t theory, it’s built from time on...

Many projects struggle not because of poor execution, but because alignment was never built at the start. In this episode, The First 30 Days Will Make or Break Your Project, Kevin Pannell shares practical leadership lessons on why the first 30 days of a project matter most.

Drawing from experience in healthcare IT, emergency management, and cross-organizational initiatives, he explains how clear intent, open communication, and shared expectations set the tone for successful work. If you lead projects, teams, or initiatives, these early conversations can determine whether your work moves forward smoothly or spends months correcting...

A training partner recently caught me with a north-south choke I knew was coming.

That’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

“My opponent is my teacher, my ego is my enemy.” — Renzo Gracie

I’m fortunate to train at Team Mannon BJJ in Blacksburg under Professor Tim Mannon, who earned his black belt directly from Renzo Gracie. The culture there reinforces a simple idea: your training partners help you improve.

Learning research calls this productive failure. Struggling and adjusting build stronger skills over time. Jiu-Jitsu does this...

If you’re in your 30s, 40s, 50s, or beyond and think you missed your window to start Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, this episode is for you.

In Episode 003 of You-Jitsu, Kevin breaks down the real issue midlife men face: comfort disguised as responsibility. Backed by research on aging, adaptation, and resilience, he explains why your body and mind are still capable of growth, why consistent training beats intensity, and how five years of showing up compounds into strength, composure, and capacity.

This isn’t about belts. It isn’t about...

Why do some grapplers improve faster while others stay stuck collecting techniques?

In this episode of You-Jitsu, we break down the 80/20 Rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, and how it applies directly to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training.

At the highest levels of competition, a small handful of submissions account for most finishes. The greatest to ever compete are not magicians with endless techniques; they are masters of the fundamentals. The same principle applies to everyday grapplers training before work, balancing careers, families, and aging joints.

We discuss:<...

It’s been a minute.

You-Jitsu started as a way to help white belts not quit. It grew into structured conversations about fundamentals, plateaus, and survival. That still matters.

But this version is different.

At 52 and now a purple belt, I’m less interested in collecting techniques and more interested in building a game that fits who I am right now. This episode resets the direction of the show around longevity, alignment, and the long game of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

We t...

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, Why Feeling Behind Is Killing Your Progress, 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.

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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...

This week’s episode, What Grief Teaches You About Strength, 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:

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

In this Faith in Action Friday episod, Real Lessons From Building Something That Matters, 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 pr...

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.

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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:

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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

As of the end of 2025, Most People Drift Into the New Year, Don’t, 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 co...

In this Faith in Action Friday episode, Discipline Is What Makes Faith Real, I reflect on my recent conversation with Adam, a police officer, jiu jitsu black belt, and gym owner. His story highlights how faith is often lived out through consistent action, structure, and service, not loud words or perfect belief.

Faith doesn’t always show up as certainty or comfort. Sometimes it shows up as discipline, restraint, and choosing to do the right thing when it would be easier to shut down.

We explore Psalm 34:19 and what it...

In this episode of People, Process, Progress, I talk with Adam, a police officer, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, gym owner, and MBA graduate, about leadership shaped by real-life experience.

Adam shares how growing up with instability and the impact of a compassionate police officer early in life set him on a path into law enforcement. We discuss his journey from the jails to patrol and SWAT, the weight of critical incidents, and responding to the death of a close friend.

We also explore how Brazilian Jiu Jitsu became a foundation for...

Growth can’t be rushed.

In this Faith in Action Friday episode, Why Patience Beats Force Every Time, Kevin reflects on a lesson drawn from farming and from life experience: you can do the right work and still harm the outcome if you try to force progress.

Using Psalm 126:5–6, this episode explores the difference between sowing well and harvesting too early, and what patience, consistency, and faith look like in 2025.

Life in the New River Valley has shaped me in ways I never expected. In this Season 9 opener, I share how the move, the mountains, the community, and the challenges along the way changed my approach to family, leadership, health, and resilience. This season, I will be talking with people across the region and sharing my own reflections as we explore the real stories and steady progress happening here.

In a world accelerated by AI, leadership still comes down to human judgment. Today’s episode, One Pause Can Save You From This, looks at how President Kennedy used quiet moments during the Cuban Missile Crisis to think clearly and choose restraint, and how we can do the same.

This week’s tool from The Stability Equation is The Mental Stop Sign

a simple way to slow down, breathe, and make decisions from calm rather than pressure.

Takeaways

• A pause can shift an entire day

•...

AI is no longer just an operational tool. It’s becoming one of the most important strategic lenses healthcare leaders can use. In this episode, AI Is Changing Leadership, Here’s What Matters, Kevin explains how AI can sharpen decision-making, strengthen business cases, highlight opportunities you can’t see from the boardroom, and help leaders measure progress with smarter, predictive metrics.

You’ll hear how executives can use AI to guide portfolio decisions, forecast ROI, identify gaps across the system, and build KPIs that actually show future impact. Kevin also shares how governance and a focuse...

Today, in When You Feel Off, Do This, I’m talking about what it means to step up when life hits you harder than you planned for. I’ll share a moment where I felt worn down, what helped me regroup, and the simple steps you can take to steady your mind and move forward. We’ll look at this through people, process, and purpose so you can respond with clarity instead of frustration. By the end, you’ll have one action you can use today to get back on track.

Most teams think “done” means the same thing until a deadline hits. Then you find out it doesn’t.

In this episode I break down why “done” falls apart on teams and how you can fix it with clear expectations and steady communication. I’ll share a moment where my own project drifted because I assumed everyone shared the same definition. We’ll walk through how to line people up, how to simplify the process, and how to follow through without micromanaging. This is a practical episode you can put to work today.

When life shakes you, trusting the right people can be the difference between staying stuck and stepping forward.

This is an episode about leaning on the people who show up when it matters. I share a personal moment when I needed support and how one steady voice made all the difference. Through the lens of people, process, and purpose, we’ll talk about how to recognize who’s truly in your corner, how to let them help, and how faith plays a part in keeping you grounded.

Today in, Your Team Isn’t the Problem, This Is, we dig into why progress slows when the right people aren’t part of the conversation. I’ll share a moment where a project stalled because the wrong voices were leading, and what happened when we finally aligned the room. You’ll learn how to choose the right stakeholders, how to guide tough conversations, and how to move teams from confusion to action.

Some lessons hit you years after you read them. Frankl’s did that for me.

In this episode I reflect on a lesson from Viktor Frankl that changed the way I view faith, purpose, and suffering. I’ll share how it helped me during a tough season and how it can help you hold steady when life feels heavy. We’ll talk about meaning, resilience, and the inner posture that keeps you from getting swept away by the moment.

Today in Don’t Lose Your Team Trying to Fix the Project, we dig into how to pull a project back from the edge without burning out the people doing the work. I’ll share a moment where tension was high, trust was low, and what it took to turn things around. You’ll learn how to reset intent, create calm, and give your team a path forward that feels doable and honest.

This episode, What the Greatest Night in Pop Teaches About Leadership, breaks down what made that night work, how big personalities stayed aligned, and what leaders today can take from it. We talk vision, humility, coordination, and how to rally people toward something bigger than themselves.

You can’t move toward progress if the wrong people are sitting in the front seat.



In this episode I talk about why choosing the right people matters more than choosing the direction. I share a moment when I learned this the hard way and how it changed the way I build and lead teams. We look at trust, readiness, talent, and the quiet signals that tell you whether someone is the right fit.

This episode, Stop Forcing Change, Build Where People Already Move, focuses on designing processes and solutions that match the natural flow of how people work. I share a moment where following human patterns, not idealized ones, turned a project around. You will learn how to observe behavior, simplify decisions, and build systems that actually stick.

A small reset can change the direction of your entire day.

Here I walk through a few grounded tools that help you reset your intent when things feel off. These are practices I use in my own life when the week gets noisy or I start drifting. We talk grounding, clarity, and momentum, and you will leave with one small shift you can use today.

This episode, Strategy Didn’t Fail, This Did, walks through how to recognize the intent gap, how to close it, and why it derails even good teams. I share a moment where strategy was not the issue at all and what happened once the intent was reset. You will learn how to bring people back to the why before you ask them to execute the how.

Resilience is built long before the stress shows up.

This episode shares lessons from healthcare, emergency management, and personal experience on how to build resilience into your daily routines and team culture. We talk preparation, mindset, and the habits that make you harder to knock down.

Most problems get harder the longer you wait.

This episode focuses on leading early before tension or confusion take hold. I walk through the cues that tell you when to step in and how early action prevents bigger issues later. You will get a clear practice you can use to stay ahead instead of catching up.

Pressure rises from every direction when you lead portfolio work.

In this episode we talk about how to stay calm, create clarity, and set a tone of confidence when expectations stack up. I share lessons from healthcare IT, emergency response, and large scale programs that help you guide teams with steadiness and purpose.

Grief shows up uninvited, and it doesn’t leave on our timeline. But we can own how we respond.

In this Reset Friday episode, Owning Your Response to Grief, of People, Process, Progress, I share tools that helped me face grief and keep moving forward: journaling, routines, connection, and honoring those we’ve lost.