OWN. MOVE. ANCHOR.

Hosted by Kevin Pannell

Management EducationExplicit

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Episodes

300

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

OWN. MOVE. ANCHOR. is a podcast about navigating the second half of life with purpose, perspective, and practical action. Hosted by Kevin Pannell, husband, father, former Navy Hospital Corpsman, emergency manager, project management leader, author, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, the show explores the real challenges many of us face as we get older. From aging parents and raising adult children to career transitions, health, faith, leadership, grief, resilience, and finding purpose beyond a job title, each episode offers practical lessons drawn from experience, not theory. The OWN. MOVE. ANCHOR. framework is simple: Own your mind. Move your body. Anchor your spirit. Whether you're navigating a major life change, trying to improve your health, preparing for retirement, supporting family members, or simply looking for a steadier path forward, this podcast provides honest conversations and actionable ideas to help you prepare for life's next chapter. Because hope is not a plan, and the second half of life deserves just as much intention as the first. Practical lessons for the second half of life.

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60 recent

June 5, 2026Episode 19 min

Fighting for the Gray Matter | Men's Mental Health Month 2026

At 52 years old, Kevin Pannell could absolutely kick his 30-year-old self’s ass, both physically and mentally.In this premier episode of Season 11, Kevin strips away the tough-guy illusions of midlife and confronts the male mental health crisis. Drawing from his own experiences with enterprise work burnout, anxiety, and grief, Kevin delivers an operational briefing on how to proactively train your mind, optimize your life portfolio, and build a foundation that lasts. This is a tactical breakdown of how to weaponize midlife friction using proven psychological frameworks, deliberate physical recovery protocols, and radical accountability.Key TakeawaysPost-Traumatic Growth: How to use extreme stress, burnout, or grief as the ultimate catalyst to restructure your life portfolio.Cognitive Reframing: A proven CBT technique to dismantle automatic negative thoughts and view challenges as simple operational constraints.Fatherhood as Coaching: Moving from an authoritarian stance to an active coaching role that builds self-reflection in young teenage men.The Math of Recovery: Kevin’s exact protocol for a 52-year-old garage gym athlete, including three rounds of Wim Hof breathing and cold plunge down-regulation.Professional Superpowers: Shifting from executive authority to trust-based leadership through coordination and partnership.If this episode challenged you, share it with a friend who needs to hear it. Stop reacting to your days, execute your strategy, and build a foundation that lasts. Get after it this week.

June 1, 2026Episode 186 min

The Hardest Leadership Skill: Letting Go

There is a fine line between helping someone and stealing their growth. On this episode of the Own, Move, Anchor podcast, we dive into the discipline of stepping back so the people we lead, mentor, and parent can find their own grit. From the battlefields of Glory to the BJJ mats, the boardroom, and the limits of medical intervention in EMS, we break down why true leadership means letting go of control.Key Takeaways:OWN: Redefining fatherhood boundaries and corporate leadership. Why over-managing creates bottlenecks, and how to transition to solutions by exception.MOVE: Embracing the grind of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Understanding the "Breathe, Frame, Survive" framework and using the Seven Pillars to get back to center when heavy emotions break through.ANCHOR: Building "2 AM" friendships by exception, grounding yourself in faith, and learning the ultimate power of presence during my father's final months.Connect with the Show:Share this episode with a leader, parent, or friend who needs it today.Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

May 26, 2026Episode 1810 min

Why So Many People Feel Off Right Now

In this episode of OWN. MOVE. ANCHOR., Kevin Pannell reflects on why so many people feel mentally overloaded, emotionally fragmented, physically disconnected, and spiritually exhausted right now.After standing at attention with his family before completing Memorial Day Murph, Kevin began thinking about the contrast between real human experiences and the nonstop noise of modern life. Constant scrolling, outrage culture, comparison, divisiveness, endless notifications, and the pressure to always stay connected are leaving many people anxious, distracted, and disconnected from the things that actually ground them.This episode explores:Something feels off.The dashboard indicators of lifeMost people are trying to find stability in a very noisy world.Technology has become some people’s belief system.Not everything deserves access to your attention.Thank you for being who you are.Kevin also shares personal reflections on family, leadership, fitness, Jiu-Jitsu, project management, faith, and listener feedback that continues to reinforce the importance of helping real people through real struggles.If life has felt “off” lately, this episode is a reminder to simplify, reconnect, and return to the things that truly steady us.Website: https://ownmoveanchor.com/Instagram & X: @thekevinpannellThat is who I am, thank you for being who you are, and remember each day to own your mind, move your body, and anchor your spirit.Godspeed y'all,Kevin

May 22, 2026Episode 184 min

What a Billion-Dollar Coach Can Teach Project Leaders

Magic and Logic: What Project Leaders Can Learn from Coach’s Billion Dollar GrowthIn this episode of OWN. MOVE. ANCHOR., Kevin explores the balance between “magic” and “logic” in leadership, project management, and organizational growth.Inspired by a story shared on Masters of Scale episode featuring Lew Frankfort and the rise of Coach from a $6 million company into a global public brand, this episode breaks down what leaders can learn from combining people, purpose, momentum, standards, and repeatable systems.Topics include:• Why project leadership is more than timelines and metrics• How “magic” creates momentum, culture, and belief• Why “logic” builds scalability, trust, and consistency• The importance of understanding the “why” behind the work• Leadership lessons from Simon Sinek and Viktor Frankl• How portfolio and project leaders can build stronger, healthier teamsStrong organizations need both structure and humanity. This episode discusses how leaders can bring both together to improve delivery, engagement, and long-term success.References:Master's of Scale: How Coach scaled from a single store into a global iconWebsite: ownmoveanchor.comInstagram and X: @thekevinpannellThat is who I am, thank you for being who you are, and remember each day to own your mind, move your body, and anchor your spirit.Godspeed y'all,Kevin

May 19, 2026Episode 179 min

What Matt Serra Taught Me About Building Great Teams

What can PMO leaders, healthcare IT teams, and organizational leaders learn from UFC Hall of Famer Matt Serra’s approach to onboarding new Brazilian Jiu Jitsu students?Quite a bit.In this episode, What Matt Serra Taught Me About Onboarding Teams, Kevin Pannell reflects on lessons from BJJ, emergency management, healthcare IT, and PMO leadership to explore why new employees are basically white belts and why good onboarding matters more than most organizations realize.The conversation covers:• onboarding and organizational culture• confidence through repetition• balancing accountability with support• psychological safety and leadership• progressive exposure versus overwhelming people• lessons from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Incident Management TeamsA central theme throughout the episode: “New people do not need to be tested immediately. They need to be developed.”Own your mind. Move your body. Anchor your spirit.Godspeed, y’all.

May 15, 2026Episode 160 min

The Internet Lied to You About Success

Most real progress is not flashy.The internet sells nonstop motivation, hacks, shortcuts, and perfect routines. Real life usually looks different.This morning my phone died overnight. I overslept, missed Jiu Jitsu, and missed my workout.That happens.The goal is not perfection. The goal is resetting before one bad morning becomes a bad week.Real progress is often boring: sleep, movement, consistency, hard conversations, discipline, faith, and showing up again tomorrow.The basics still work.Own your mind. Move your body. Anchor your spirit.⌚️Get up ????????Give thanks ???????? Get after it ???? Godspeed#OwnMoveAnchor #Mindset #Consistency #MensMentalHealth #Leadership

May 12, 2026Episode 169 min

Busy Isn't Productive: Organized Urgency vs. Wasted Effort

What do ICU medicine, Incident Management Teams, PMO leadership, coaching soccer, fatherhood, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and fitness all have in common?More than most people think.In this episode, Systems Under Pressure | Organized Urgency vs. Wasted Calories, Kevin Pannell reflects on lessons learned from serving as a U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman in critical care, working in EMS and emergency management, leading PMO teams, coaching youth sports, raising sons, and training on the mats and in the garage gym.The conversation focuses on the repeatable systems and leadership principles that help people stay steady under pressure:• repeatable processes• organized urgency• clarity and communication• mastering basics• letting others lead• movement as maintenance• anchoring through faith, gratitude, and purposeA key theme throughout the episode:“Organized urgency is focused power. Chaotic urgency is wasted calories.”This is not a motivational talk about becoming unstoppable. It is a grounded conversation about sustainable readiness, leadership, and becoming the kind of person people can trust during difficult moments.Key themes from the episode:• Calm is contagious• Projects are incidents without sirens• Organized urgency is focused power• Chaotic urgency is wasted calories• Leadership follows you home• Movement is maintenance• The environments change. The leadership lessons don’t.Reflection prompts from the episode:What was your happiest moment this week?What was your hardest physical effort this month?What made you feel anchored this year?OWN your mind.MOVE your body.ANCHOR your spirit.Breathe, frame, keep showing up, survive. Godspeed y’all.

May 8, 2026Episode 156 min

A Great Project Manager Doesn't Need Fancy Tools

What happens when the dashboards, templates, and systems are no longer enough?This Five Minute Friday focuses on the difference between visibility and true alignment, and on why strong project managers lead people through communication, ownership, and calm decision-making rather than relying solely on tools and methodologies.Drawing from project leadership, emergency response, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kevin Pannell shares why the best leaders simplify under pressure and help teams move forward with clarity.In this episode:Why dashboards do not tell the full storyHow passive communication creates uncertaintyThe difference between managing tools and leading peopleWhy calm communication matters under pressureHow experienced leaders create alignment without overcomplicating the work

May 6, 2026Episode 145 min

The Skills That Matter When Everything Falls Apart

When the System Fails, Your Skill ShowsIf technology, dashboards, and systems disappeared tomorrow, could you still do your job?This episode explores why core skills, communication, and fundamentals matter more than tools when pressure is high. Drawing from emergency response, critical care medicine, project leadership, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Kevin Pannell shares why strong professionals fall back on training, assessment, and clear decision-making when systems fail.In this episode:Lessons from The Pitt and mass casualty responseWhy firefighters needed whiteboards and pizza before planning meetingsHow strong project managers lead without relying on dashboardsWhy fundamentals matter more than flashy techniques in BJJ and leadershipIf you want to improve your ability to lead, adapt, and stay steady under pressure, this episode focuses on the skills that actually hold when things get difficult.

May 1, 2026Episode 133 min

Every Yes Costs You Something

What You Say Yes ToTrying to do everything spreads your attention thin. This episode focuses on choosing the right things to say yes to so your time, energy, and effort actually lead to results.In this episode:Why doing too much leads to less real progressHow attention and capacity affect outcomes at work and in lifePractical ways to choose what deserves your focusIf you feel busy but not effective, this will help you reset your priorities.