THE EVOLUTION

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"What happens on Monday?"

In this crossover episode my friend Eddie Lowery - host of "Off The Deep End Podcast" [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eddie-lowery-off-the-deep-end/id1636443104] turns the microphone around and interviews me. What I would encourage you all to focus on is less about me and my story.  Pay close attention to the hard earned wisdom from great triumphs but also great defeats.  We are all always in constant evolution and if we stop and notice we can learn, heal, optimize and then pay it forward. As always any feedback is greatly appreciated and I can be found at https://www.flow.page/jeffbayless_

The how and why behind "The Most Challenging Road / Beach Race on the East Coast! https://www.sea2c.org/oceanviewstormthebayraceseries https://runsignup.com/Race/Volunteer/VA/Norfolk/TheOceanviewStormtheBayRaceSeries https://runsignup.com/Race/VA/Norfolk/TheOceanviewStormtheBayRaceSeries

When you think you've been knocked down, always remember you've got one more round! In this episode I talk with Thomas Hicks - President of Tidewater Striders, Navy Veteran and all around good American. We cover everything from working for General James Mattis to breaking running records with a multiple sclerosis diagnosis. This conversation will definitely shape your perspective on resilience for the better - enjoy! https://www.tidewaterstriders.com/

You are who you are (a spiritual being having a human experience) - not what you do (good or bad).

Continuing on the series with retired Admiral Erik Ross we bring in retired Captain John Cordle to discuss all things mental health and how these stressors apply to our military careers and civilian lives.  I believe this episode is not only applicable to those in the service but also to all humans battling in the arena.

“Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape.”  - Charles Dickens

My thoughts on gratitude while navigating through the COVID experience.

"To realize that you are not your thoughts is when you begin to awaken spiritually." - Eckhart Tolle

In this second episode with retired Admiral Erik Ross we discuss cumulative stress and how to combat these factors in an effective and productive manner.

Erik Ross is a retired Admiral in the United States Navy but there's so much more to his story than that.  In this episode Erik shares some of his most vulnerable and unfortunate circumstances that led to him learning a great deal about himself and others.  In an effort to help anyone going through some challenging times I think it is imperative to share that not only are you not alone but that no rank or status is immune to suffering or making mistakes.  Open your mind and listen intently - you just might glean a little wisdom through Admiral Ross' introspective journey.

However glorious an action in itself, it ought not to pass for great if it be not the effect of wisdom and good intention.

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Kirk was born in DaNang, Vietnam in the summer of 1969 during the height of the Vietnam War. Immediately after being born, he was taken to the Sacred Heart Orphanage on the order of his Vietnamese grandfather, who felt shame from his daughter’s pregnancy by an American military service member. In 1972, he was adopted by a US Army Major that was serving in the Vietnam War and was raised in a wonderful loving adoptive family. As a military dependent, he has lived all over the globe but spent most of his formative years in Texas and South Korea. Kirk spent the first 48 years of his life believing that his birth parents were killed in the Vietnam War. In 2017, on a whim he submitted to a DNA test simply to learn more about his true ethnicity which led him to the discovery of his birth mother and father, whom were both alive and well and living in the US, and birth siblings he didn’t know existed. Since then, he has reconnected with his birth family and in 2019, his life came full circle when he returned to Vietnam and reconnected with his Vietnamese relatives as well as two Catholic nuns who cared for him at the orphanage. Kirk has an AA in Photojournalism and BA in Communications from Austin Peay State University. His diverse professional background includes a storied career in Law Enforcement, Photojournalism, and Multimedia Marketing for Non-Profit Organizations. He is currently a Communications Professional and UAS Pilot for the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Kirk resides in the beautiful coastal community of Norfolk, Virginia with his wife Madeliene and their children.  He volunteers in his local community by serving as an Executive Board Member for the "East Oceanview Civic League" . In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of  Tim Lai which is a partnering 501(c)(3) NPO with SEA2C.  Tim Lai has many missions that parallels the missions of SEA2C and the collaboration and sharing of resources between Tim Lai and SEA2C is going a long way to positively impact lives. When he's not working, he enjoys long distance running, fishing, surfing, boating, and most importantly of all, quality family time. Through the SEA2C Foundation, Kirk seeks to share his blessings by reuniting war orphans with birth families and veterans separated by the war and to help each find healing from a lifetime of stigmas attached to being a part of that tumultuous time in our history.  He is also passionate about giving back to our active duty military personnel and Veterans who have served honorably in combat to maintain the freedoms that are so often taken for granted. Kirk is the Director and Co-Producer for the SEA2C in-house documentary series production, "Intersections".  He also serves as the Race Director for the Ocean View "Storm the Bay" Race series which makes it's debut in Ocean View, Norfolk, Virginia in Fall 2022. This race series benefits the military centric programs of SEA2C. Links: mailto:Kirk@SEA2C.org https://www.sea2c.org/sea2c-features?wix-vod-video-id=d2356bbf94bf4197bb3ab5b09c4be15c&wix-vod-comp-id=comp-kom5ig3n&fbclid=IwAR0hSfuW8NAjskJOrHfcPRuzlhKkTuCq2sFoqKpGubKEpdsV7aKx1ijwP7k https://www.sea2c.org/saltwater-therapy?fbclid=IwAR3othD0ponUqbb4cw4PU3tJ56Q2FsV82Etf2twT7UF4xPt71Xd3gcDvxD4 https://www.sea2c.org/our-philosophy?fbclid=IwAR0y1y3Cwq_7swMJOL55iCrP-6HTa4odHX1azT96iPvNNKjlL-LpSDjmERM https://www.sea2c.org/post/to-close-your-eyes-will-not-ease-another-s-pain-chinese-proverb?fbclid=IwAR26tVVgPftyW0vK6Bxjs40iur-qdNl0Tu4FILIGPDv1UQFhU1EJ1nXmHpo

Don’t wait for the storms of your life to pass.  Learn to dance in the rain.

Care Competent Consistent Compass

In what areas of your life have you conformed against your better judgement? In this episode I attempt to articulate the 4th dimension model of thinking and how just noticing is so important to growth.

In this JTHC Collab, Jeff and David discuss how to respond to “it is what it is”. Topics include: * Focusing on what you can control vs. what you can’t * Learning vs. ruminating on the past * Communication skills and skillful language: “here’s what we can do” * “Voting” for the world we want to live in Please subscribe to this show and connect with us here: David: @droojitsu | https://www.instagram.com/droojitsu Jeff: @jeffbayless_ | https://www.instagram.com/jeffbayless_

Originally from Saint Remy, New York, Robert Jordan graduated from the State University of New York at Albany, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science, and was inducted into the Golden Key National Honor Society in December 1992. In February 1993, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Robert Jordan’s duty stations include overseas analytical assignments, Naval Special Warfare support; served as a Naval Instructor, a Master Training Specialist, and Department Head at the Intelligence Specialist A School, and served aboard USS WASP LHD 1, USS SAIPAN LHA 2, and two tours of duty aboard USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER CVN 69. Throughout his career, he deployed throughout the Western Pacific, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Arabian Gulf and later supported Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, completing five tours of duty with ground units supporting combat operations in Afghanistan; supported contingency operations in eastern Africa, and supporting Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, Operation ODYSSEY RESOLVE, and Operation OAKEN STEEL. As an enlisted Sailor, he served as a plank owner and Master Chief Petty Officer and again as a Chief Warrant Officer at Navy Expeditionary Intelligence Command. Recognized for his excellence in Intelligence instruction, leadership, and mentorship, Chief Warrant Officer Jordan has been awarded the VADM Rufus B. Taylor Award, the RADM Edwin T. Layton Award, and the Military Intelligence Corps Knowlton Award. In addition, Chief Warrant Officer Jordan was awarded the 2010 and 2012 Department of Defense HUMINT Collector Team Award, Joint Operating Base-Afghanistan. Additionally, recognized for superior afloat intelligence, information warfare readiness, and performance, the USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER received the 2016 COMAIRLANT Excellence in Intelligence and Information Warfare Award. Having completed a distinguished naval career, serving as a Senior Enlisted Leader and as a Chief Warrant Officer, he retired from the Navy, in October 2019, after serving as the Navy’s Counterintelligence/Human Intelligence Program Coordinator at the Naval Intelligence Activity, the Pentagon Building, Washington DC. Today, Robert works at the Christian Broadcasting Network’s Operation Blessing and serves as an International Disaster Relief Operations Manager. He also offers dedicated discipleship as a men’s ministry leader for Celebrate Recovery offered at Essential Church, Virginia Beach. Additionally, Robert completed his Master of Arts in Applied Theology at Regent University and is a published author of the book titled Faith, Flag, and Family: A Purposeful Guide for Selfless Service.