Welcome to "Your Thoughts, Your Reality with Mike Cole," the podcast that shines a compassionate light on the journey of veterans battling through life's challenges. Michael Cole, a Certified Elite Neuroencoding Specialist, dedicated to guiding military veterans as they navigate the intricate pathways of post-deployment life. Join him as we delve into the profound realm of Neuroencoding science, empowering these brave individuals to conquer universal battles: procrastination, self-doubt, fear, and more. Together, let's uncover the strength within you to re-engage with families and society, forging a new path forward.
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November 12, 20261 min
Welcome to Your Thoughts, Your Reality: Veterans, Mindset & The 10 Silent Wars (Trailer)
What happens when the uniform, the title, or the mission is gone? Your Thoughts, Your Reality is a mindset and personal growth podcast for veterans, military families, first responders, leaders, and high performers navigating military transition, identity, purpose, and life after service. Host Michael Cole, veteran mindset coach and founder of Empower Performance Strategies, sits down with veterans and experts for honest conversations about The 10 Silent Wars: Identity, Mission, Connection, Control, Trust, Self-Worth, Emotional Armor, Direction, Fear, and Legacy. In this trailer you will hear from guests including retired Lieutenant Colonel Tina Parker, Michael Pope, and Cindy Gould. Follow the show so you never miss an episode, and start here: 👉 Take The 10 Silent Wars Assessment: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment 👉 Join the community: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/ 👉 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@YourThoughtsYourRealityPodcast Because your thoughts shape your reality. #Veterans #MilitaryTransition #Mindset #Identity #Purpose #The10SilentWars #YourThoughtsYourReality Send us Fan Mail Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=postroll Support the show
November 12, 2026Episode 17333 min
What Can You Actually Control? | Control & Self-Image — The 4th Silent War | Christina Boukaram
What do you actually control when life refuses to cooperate? She fled a war at 11 with only a backpack. At 24, she lost her father without warning. For veterans, military families, and high performers going through a major life transition, mindset coach Christina Boukaram shows how to take back control when life feels chaotic. In this episode of Your Thoughts, Your Reality, Michael Cole sits down with Christina Boukaram , a mindset and personal development coach whose work centers on self-image, paradigms, and consistency. Christina began studying personal development with Bob Proctor at fourteen and later studied through the Proctor Gallagher Institute. Together, Mike and Christina explore Control — The 4th Silent War : how self-image, beliefs, repetition, and intentional action help you regain agency without pretending you can control everything. Christina's family left Lebanon with backpacks on their backs and arrived in France with nothing. She grew up in poverty, feeling like "an immigrant in my own country," with almost everything outside her control. Then her family watched The Secret, and Bob Proctor said your results are a reflection of what's going on inside of you. But visualizing alone didn't work. Personal development, she says, is work. She explains the knowing-doing gap : you know what to do with your money, health, and relationships, and you still don't do it. Your paradigm works like a thermostat. Set at $100K, willpower may push you higher for a while, until the car breaks down or the bills hit and life pulls you right back. When her father died, Christina was angry at life. Then she realized she was the one giving that loss its meaning. Looking for the good in it was the hardest thing she's done, and the turning point. Mike adds a key piece of brain science: what you focus on is what you see . Celebrate the good, and your brain looks for more. This conversation connects to several of The 10 Silent Wars: Control — The 4th Silent War : "Why does life feel chaotic?" Identity — The 1st Silent War : "Who am I when everything familiar is gone?" Direction — The 8th Silent War : "Do I know my next step?" Fear — The 9th Silent War : "What am I avoiding?" For veterans leaving military structure, life can feel out of control even when you're finally free to choose. Christina's answer isn't more motivation. It's courage, going forward regardless of fear, and small habits that outlast the bad days. In this episode, you'll learn: Why information alone doesn't change your results How your paradigm works like a thermostat, and how to reset it Why self-image is the lens you see everything through Why "readiness is a decision" How imperfect action, built brick by brick, beats waiting for the whole plan How Mike's "toxic ten" fears keep people stuck A simple exercise: write down what you want, then pick one thing Why habits, not motivation, carry you through the hard days Before moving on, ask yourself: What am I trying to control that I can't, and what am I ignoring that I can? If that question hit harder than expected, start here. Take The 10 Silent Wars Assessment and discover which Silent Wars may be shaping your identity, sense of control, confidence, and direction: 👉 https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment Join the Your Thoughts, Your Reality community: 👉 https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/ Watch full conversations and subscribe on YouTube: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@YourThoughtsYourRealityPodcast Connect with Christina Boukaram: 👉 https://my-infinite-life.com 👉 https://www.instagram.com/christinaboukarampro/ Go deeper with Michael Cole at Empower Performance Strategies: 👉 https://empowerperformancestrategies.com/ Because your thoughts shape your reality… And you may not control what happens to you, but you always get to decide what it means and what you do next. #Control #SelfImage #Mindset #MilitaryTransition #Veterans #Resilience #TheFourthSilentWar #The10SilentWars #YourThoughtsYourReality Send us Fan Mail Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment and find the Silent War costing you the most: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=midroll Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=postroll Support the show
November 5, 2026Episode 16231 min
Who Are You Without the Team? | Identity — The 1st Silent War | Joe Marzocco
Who are you when the team is gone? When the title changes, the daily conversations disappear, and nobody is waiting for you to make the next decision? For veterans, executives, leaders, and high performers, leaving a leadership role can create more than a career transition. It can create an identity crisis . In this episode of Your Thoughts, Your Reality , Michael Cole sits down with Joe Marzocco , founder of LionShare Growth Partners , experienced business leader, mentor, coach, husband, and father. Together, Mike and Joe explore Identity — The 1st Silent War and what happens when someone who has spent years leading teams suddenly has to answer a different question: Who am I without the people, responsibility, authority, and problems I used to solve every day? Joe describes leaving corporate leadership as something surprisingly similar to a grieving process . What he missed most was not the title. It was the people. The conversations. The collaboration. The opportunity to help. Being “in the fight” with a team solving problems together. That loss is something many veterans and leaders understand. When the role disappears, the skills remain—but the environment that constantly reinforced your identity is suddenly gone. Joe’s message is not to pretend that transition is easy. Don’t fight the gravity of it. Recognize the loss. Work through it. Then begin looking at the opportunities that still exist and ask: Who can I help with what I already know? This conversation connects directly to several of The 10 Silent Wars : Identity — The 1st Silent War: “Who am I when the team and title no longer define my day?” Mission — The 2nd Silent War: “Where can I use my experience to help someone now?” Connection — The 3rd Silent War: “What happens when the people I interacted with every day are no longer there?” Trust — The 5th Silent War: “Have I created an environment where people can honestly tell me when I’m wrong?” Direction — The 8th Silent War: “How do I use what I’ve learned to build the next chapter?” Joe also shares powerful lessons about authentic leadership, integrity, ego, vulnerability, and trust . One principle stands above the rest: Great leadership is about doing the right thing—not needing to be right. Joe believes leaders must be willing to admit mistakes, ask their team for feedback, and create enough psychological safety that people can challenge them honestly. His warning is equally clear: Ego is not your friend. A leader who believes they must always have the answer eventually creates a team afraid to give the real answer. Joe describes intentionally testing this by occasionally suggesting an obviously bad idea in meetings. If everyone immediately agreed, he knew there was a trust problem. Because great leadership is not having people who tell you what you want to hear. It is having people who trust you enough to tell you the truth. The conversation also becomes deeply personal when Joe talks about fatherhood. When his son AJ was born, Joe experienced what he describes as a nervous breakdown. The responsibility of becoming a father overwhelmed him in a way professional leadership never had. It forced him to redefine success . Career achievement still mattered—but not if professional success left him unable to be the husband or father his family deserved. That realization changed the scoreboard. Because companies, titles, and jobs may come and go. The most important team may be the one waiting for you at home. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why leaving a leadership role can create a genuine identity struggle Why transition can feel similar to grief How to rebuild purpose when the team and title disappear Why integrity is foundational to authentic leadership Why great leaders focus on doing right instead of always being right How ego can destroy trust inside a team Why vulnerability makes leaders stronger, not weaker How psychological safety allows people to challenge bad decisions How fatherhood forced Joe to redefine success Why your professional achievements should never cost you the people who matter most Before moving on, ask yourself: If my title and team disappeared tomorrow, what would still be true about who I am? And if that question hits harder than expected, start here. Take The 10 Silent Wars Assessment and discover which Silent Wars may be shaping your identity, mission, relationships, confidence, and direction: 👉 https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment Connect with the Your Thoughts, Your Reality community: 👉 https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/ Watch the full conversations and subscribe to Your Thoughts, Your Reality on YouTube: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@YourThoughtsYourRealityPodcast Learn more about Joe Marzocco, LionShare Growth Partners, leadership coaching, and business growth: 👉 https://lionsharegrowthpartners.com/ 👉 https://joemarzocco.com/ And when you’re ready to go deeper and create meaningful change: 👉 https://empowerperformancestrategies.com/ Because your thoughts shape your reality… And when the team changes, the leader you became doesn’t disappear with it. #Identity #LeadershipTransition #AuthenticLeadership #MilitaryTransition #Leadership #Veterans #ExecutiveLeadership #TheFirstSilentWar #The10SilentWars #YourThoughtsYourReality Send us Fan Mail Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment and find the Silent War costing you the most: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=midroll Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=postroll Support the show
November 3, 2026Episode 16931 min
Who Gets the Real You? | Connection & Authentic Relationships — The 3rd Silent War | Cindy Gould
What happens when you stop performing—and realize some people only knew the version of you that you were performing? People-pleasing, emotional armor, fear of rejection, and always being “the strong one” can make relationships look connected on the outside while leaving us feeling unseen on the inside. In this episode of Your Thoughts, Your Reality , Michael Cole welcomes back Cindy Gould , a joy catalyst, reinvention strategist, Extraordinary Life Mastery Coach, founder of She Reign, and Dual Elite Certified Neuroencoding Specialist. Together, Mike and Cindy explore Connection — The 3rd Silent War and what it really takes to build authentic relationships based on trust, vulnerability, honest communication, and belonging . The central question is: Who gets the real you? Cindy explains how people-pleasing and perfectionism can teach us to become different versions of ourselves depending on who is in the room. We may believe we are creating connection when what we are actually creating is acceptance of an edited version of ourselves. And when you begin growing, changing, and showing up more authentically, some relationships may change too. That does not always mean someone is wrong. Sometimes people simply grow in different directions. The challenge is learning how to recognize that without shrinking yourself just to preserve an old relationship. This conversation connects directly to several of The 10 Silent Wars : Connection — The 3rd Silent War: “Where do I belong when I stop editing myself to fit?” Trust — The 5th Silent War: “Can I safely let someone see what is really happening inside me?” Self-Worth — The 6th Silent War: “Do I believe I am enough to show up as myself?” Emotional Armor — The 7th Silent War: “Does always being strong prevent anyone from truly supporting me?” Identity — The 1st Silent War: “Who am I underneath the person I became for everyone else?” Mike and Cindy also explore what happens when you are always the strong one . If you constantly carry everyone else’s emotional weight, people may never learn how to support you. Real connection sometimes means being able to say: “I only have 20 percent today.” And trusting someone enough to let them answer: “I’ve got the other 80. I’ve got you.” That is vulnerability. That is trust. And that is a very different kind of strength. The conversation also tackles forgiveness and broken trust . Cindy makes an important distinction: You can forgive someone without trusting them again. Forgiveness does not mean the behavior was acceptable, and it does not require restoring the relationship. Sometimes forgiveness leads to reconciliation. Sometimes it allows you to release the emotional weight and move forward separately. Mike and Cindy also discuss something easily overlooked in conversations about mental health and relationships: joy. Laughter, music, play, traditions, and shared experiences can create powerful connection. Not every relationship breakthrough requires another heavy conversation. Sometimes connection happens when we allow ourselves to be present enough to laugh, play, and experience life together. In this episode, you’ll learn: How people-pleasing can create acceptance without authentic connection Why showing your real self can change existing relationships How always being “the strong one” can create emotional distance Why vulnerability is essential to trust and healthy relationships How communication affects emotional connection Why forgiveness and restored trust are not the same thing How joy, laughter, play, and shared experiences strengthen relationships Before moving on, ask yourself: Who in my life actually gets the real me? Not the polished version. Not the strong version. Not the version who always says everything is fine. The real you. And if that question was harder to answer than you expected, start here. Take The 10 Silent Wars Assessment and discover which Silent Wars may be affecting your identity, relationships, confidence, direction, and next chapter: 👉 https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment Then connect with the Your Thoughts, Your Reality community and continue exploring The 10 Silent Wars : 👉 https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/ Watch the full conversations and subscribe to Your Thoughts, Your Reality on YouTube: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@YourThoughtsYourRealityPodcast Connect with Cindy Gould: 👉 Instagram: @iamcindygould And when you’re ready to go deeper and create meaningful change: 👉 https://empowerperformancestrategies.com/ Because your thoughts shape your reality… And real connection begins when someone finally gets to know you—not the version of you created to keep everyone else comfortable. #Connection #AuthenticRelationships #Trust #Vulnerability #PeoplePleasing #EmotionalArmor #SelfWorth #TheThirdSilentWar #The10SilentWars #YourThoughtsYourReality Send us Fan Mail Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment and find the Silent War costing you the most: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=midroll Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=postroll Support the show
October 30, 2026Episode 16836 min
Can Hope Become Legacy? | Legacy — The 10th Silent War | Anne Jolles
What do you do with fear you cannot fix? For military families, veterans, caregivers, and anyone living through uncertainty, there are seasons when you cannot control the deployment, the danger, the diagnosis, the grief, or what happens next. You can only decide what you do with everything you are carrying. But sometimes, the practice that helps one person survive a difficult chapter grows into something much bigger. Sometimes hope becomes legacy. In this episode of Your Thoughts, Your Reality , Michael Cole sits down with Anne Jolles , creator of Grace Trail , award-winning author, life coach, TEDx speaker, cancer survivor, and military mother. Together, Mike and Anne explore Legacy — The 10th Silent War through the story of how five simple questions Anne originally used to help herself navigate fear and uncertainty eventually became a nationwide tool for resilience, reflection, connection, and hope. Grace Trail is built around five words: G — Gratitude: What am I grateful for? R — Release: What do I need to release? A — Accept: What do I need to accept? C — Challenge: How do I need to challenge myself to move forward? E — Embrace: What can I embrace as possible? Anne first discovered these questions during a difficult period in her own life. Years later, when her son Rob deployed to Afghanistan, the fear and uncertainty of being a military mother brought Anne back to them. Then she read an article about veterans walking the Appalachian Trail after war. Anne remembers thinking: “Where do I go to walk off my war?” She was not comparing her experience to combat. But internally, she was struggling with a battle of her own—the fear, helplessness, and emotional weight of having a son deployed into danger. So she created her own trail. Anne placed five rocks along the harbor in Plymouth, Massachusetts, wrote one Grace Trail question on each, and began walking. She expected it to remain personal. Instead, people started showing up. Military families. Veterans. People grieving. Cancer survivors. Families. Couples. Students. What had become a lifeline for Anne was becoming a path other people could use to find their own footing. Today, Grace Trail has expanded into communities, schools, healthcare settings, veteran-focused spaces, and organizations—including a Grace Trail being established at a VA campus in Massachusetts. That is where this episode becomes a conversation about Legacy — The 10th Silent War . Legacy does not always begin with a plan to change thousands of lives. Sometimes it begins because you found something that helped you survive—and then chose to make it available to someone else. This conversation also connects naturally to several of The 10 Silent Wars : Legacy — The 10th Silent War: “What can I create from what I have lived through that may continue helping others?” Control — The 4th Silent War: “What is actually within my control, and where should I put my energy?” Emotional Armor — The 7th Silent War: “What have I built around myself that I may finally be ready to examine?” Direction — The 8th Silent War: “What is the next challenge I choose—not simply the next task on my list?” Connection — The 3rd Silent War: “What happens when someone listens without judging, fixing, or giving advice?” Anne explains that release is not pretending difficult things do not exist. It begins by separating what is within your control from what is not. Put your precious energy toward what you can influence. Even a caregiver who cannot change the situation may be able to create one hour of freedom. That hour matters. Her approach to acceptance is equally important. Acceptance does not mean approving of what happened, surrendering, or pretending everything is okay. Anne describes a spectrum from denial to acceptance and argues that the first step is often simply acknowledgment : “This is what is.” Acceptance may take months or years. It cannot be forced. She shares the story of a veteran in a wheelchair who realized while walking Grace Trail that after years of anger, he had finally reached a place of greater acceptance. She also shares the story of Chris, a man who had survived suicide attempts and initially thought Grace Trail sounded “woo-woo.” He kept walking it anyway. Over time, he credited the practice of walking, reflecting, and repeatedly asking the five questions as one part of his path toward better health. Grace Trail is not about someone else giving you the answers. In fact, Anne has a rule: No judgment. No criticism. No advice. Ask the question. Walk. Listen. Let people discover their own answers when they are ready. One veteran explained to Anne that anger had fueled his success in the military. It helped him power through circumstances others could not. But later, that same anger became increasingly heavy to carry. Recognizing that was the beginning of release. Because a strength that served you in one chapter may not be what you need in the next. Perhaps the most powerful evidence of Anne’s legacy comes from children. Elementary school students are now using Grace Trail questions in classrooms and on school grounds. One group even incorporated Grace Trail into a legacy mural they created before moving on to middle school. The questions that once helped a military mother find hope are now being carried forward by another generation. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Anne Jolles created Grace Trail during periods of personal struggle and her son’s military deployment The five Grace Trail questions: Gratitude, Release, Accept, Challenge, and Embrace Why gratitude can create a starting point even during fear, grief, or uncertainty How to separate what is within your control from what is not Why acceptance does not mean approval, surrender, or giving up hope How walking, nature, silence, and powerful questions can create space for reflection Why the challenge question is about intentional direction—not another item on your to-do list How asking “What can I embrace as possible?” opens the door to imagination and hope Why listening without fixing, judging, or giving advice can create deeper connection How something created to help one person cope can become a legacy that helps thousands Before moving on, take five quiet minutes and ask yourself the five questions: What am I grateful for? What do I need to release? What do I need to accept? How do I want to challenge myself? What can I embrace as possible? You do not need all the answers today. Just be willing to ask. Start by connecting with the Your Thoughts, Your Reality community and explore more conversations around The 10 Silent Wars : 👉 https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/ Watch the full conversations and subscribe to the Your Thoughts, Your Reality YouTube channel: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@YourThoughtsYourRealityPodcast Learn more about Anne Jolles, Grace Trail, the book, trail kits, community installations, and how organizations can bring Grace Trail into their own spaces: 👉 https://gracetrail.com/ And when you’re ready to go deeper and create meaningful change in your mindset, identity, and direction: 👉 https://empowerperformancestrategies.com/ Because your thoughts shape your reality… And sometimes legacy begins with the questions that helped you find hope—and your willingness to leave that trail behind for someone else. #Legacy #TheTenthSilentWar #AnneJolles #GraceTrail #MilitaryFamilies #Veterans #Resilience #Hope #MentalWellness #Caregivers #PersonalGrowth #The10SilentWars #YourThoughtsYourReality Send us Fan Mail Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment and find the Silent War costing you the most: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=midroll Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=postroll Support the show
October 28, 2026Episode 17035 min
What Survives Business Failure? | Legacy — The 10th Silent War | Ken Wimberly
What happens when the business you believed in fails—and takes hundreds of thousands of dollars with it? For entrepreneurs, veterans, leaders, and high performers, success can become deeply connected to identity. The business. The income. The achievement. The next win. But when the thing you worked hardest to build disappears, a much harder question remains: What survived the failure? In this episode of Your Thoughts, Your Reality , Michael Cole sits down with Ken Wimberly , a U.S. Navy Gulf War veteran, entrepreneur, commercial real estate professional, husband, father of three, and co-founder of Laundry Luv . Together, Mike and Ken explore Legacy — The 10th Silent War through a brutally real conversation about entrepreneurship, business failure, resilience, family, service, purpose, and redefining what success actually means. Ken’s relationship with structure started early. Growing up in an unstructured single-parent household, he asked to attend military school at only 12 years old. He eventually graduated valedictorian at 16. Then college gave him freedom—and things changed. Ken struggled academically, eventually failing out of Texas A&M before rebuilding his grades and continuing his education. When the Gulf War began, he enlisted in the Navy. Military service brought structure, discipline, and focus back into his life. When Ken returned to college, the student who had once failed out finished with a 4.0. But military service also reinforced something that would shape his entrepreneurial future: Ken wanted the opportunity to be rewarded for what he could build, create, and contribute—not simply how long he had occupied a position. That drive eventually led him into entrepreneurship. Years later, fatherhood changed the way Ken thought about success again. When his daughter Grace was young, Ken began writing journal entries to her. His son Knox was still in the womb when Ken began doing the same for him. The idea was simple: Capture the moments. The memories. The lessons. The things his children might someday wish they could ask their dad. Ken planned to give each child 18 years of their life through his eyes when they graduated from high school. That personal practice eventually became Legacy Journal , a technology company designed to help other families preserve memories and life lessons for future generations. Ken believed deeply in the idea. So did his investors. Over roughly four years, approximately $800,000 in personal and investor capital went into trying to make the company work. It didn’t. Ken eventually had to make one of the hardest decisions of his entrepreneurial life: shut the company down. Then came the calls. One by one, he personally called the people who had trusted him with their money and explained that their investment had gone to zero. The investors responded with grace. Ken did not extend that same grace to himself nearly as easily. He describes the following six to twelve months as one of the darkest periods of his life. Because he had not simply invested money into Legacy Journal. He had invested part of his identity into it. That is where this conversation becomes about much more than business. This episode directly connects to several of The 10 Silent Wars : Legacy — The 10th Silent War: “What survives when the original thing I built does not?” Identity — The 1st Silent War: “Who am I when something I tied my identity to fails?” Mission — The 2nd Silent War: “What am I called to build next?” Self-Worth — The 6th Silent War: “Does a failed outcome mean I am a failure?” Direction — The 8th Silent War: “What can this experience teach me about where I go from here?” Ken and Mike talk honestly about the grieving process that can follow a failed business, dream, career, relationship, or major life plan. You do not always immediately find the lesson. Sometimes you first have to grieve what you lost. But eventually, Ken began asking different questions: What did this teach me? What can I see now that I couldn’t see then? What will I do differently next time? His belief is that failures often teach us more than successes because we are far more likely to study what went wrong. And the most interesting part of Ken’s story may be this: The company failed. The legacy did not. Ken still journals for his children. His older children have received the journals he began writing for them years ago. He continues documenting memories, lessons, wisdom, and moments for his youngest son. The business model did not survive. The reason he created it did. At the same time Ken was building Legacy Journal, another business was beginning: Laundry Luv . Today, Laundry Luv is intentionally built as more than a laundromat. Its locations are designed as welcoming community spaces with children’s literacy and play areas, community giving initiatives, food assistance, holiday programs, and a focus on helping customers feel seen and valued. Ken describes the philosophy simply: Do good by doing good. For him, that is what the second half of life is increasingly about—family, service, giving back, and using business as a vehicle for community impact. That may be the biggest lesson in this conversation. Legacy is not necessarily the company that survives forever. It is what the experience builds in you, what you pass to your family, how you treat people along the way, and what you choose to build next. In this episode, you’ll learn: How military structure and discipline helped Ken rebuild after struggling in college Why becoming a father completely changed his definition of legacy How a simple monthly journaling practice grew into Legacy Journal What it felt like to lose approximately $800,000 in personal and investor capital Why shutting down the company created a genuine grieving process How tying identity to achievement can make failure even more painful Why Ken believes failures often teach us more than successes How to examine a setback without allowing it to define your self-worth Why taking action on meaningful ideas today matters more than waiting for the perfect time How Laundry Luv combines entrepreneurship, literacy, community service, and purpose Why a failed business does not necessarily mean the mission behind it failed How Ken now thinks about family, service, entrepreneurship, and the legacy he wants to leave Before moving on, ask yourself: If the thing I am building disappeared tomorrow, what would still survive in me—and in the people I’ve impacted? That answer may tell you more about your legacy than the achievement itself ever could. Start by connecting with the Your Thoughts, Your Reality community and explore more conversations around The 10 Silent Wars : 👉 https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/ Watch the full conversations and subscribe to the Your Thoughts, Your Reality YouTube channel: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@YourThoughtsYourRealityPodcast Learn more about Ken Wimberly, his entrepreneurship, real estate, family, and business work: 👉 https://kenwimberly.com/ Learn more about Laundry Luv and its community-focused laundromat model: 👉 https://www.laundryluv.com/ Explore Laundry Luv franchise opportunities: 👉 https://www.laundryluvfranchise.com/ And when you’re ready to go deeper and create meaningful change in your mindset, identity, and direction: 👉 https://empowerperformancestrategies.com/ Because your thoughts shape your reality… And sometimes your greatest legacy is not the thing that succeeded. It is what survived the failure—and what you chose to build because of it. #Legacy #TheTenthSilentWar #KenWimberly #BusinessFailure #Entrepreneurship #VeteranEntrepreneur #Resilience #Leadership #FamilyLegacy #MilitaryTransition #PersonalGrowth #The10SilentWars #YourThoughtsYourReality Send us Fan Mail Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment and find the Silent War costing you the most: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=midroll Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=postroll Support the show
October 17, 2026Episode 16737 min
Who Carries It Forward? | Legacy — The 10th Silent War | Rick DellaRatta
What does it really mean to leave a legacy? Is legacy what people remember about you after you are gone—or is it what you build now that other people can carry forward? In this episode of Your Thoughts, Your Reality , Michael Cole sits down with internationally recognized jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and Jazz for Peace founder Rick DellaRatta for a conversation about legacy, purpose, service, music, peace, and turning adversity into meaningful action . Together, Mike and Rick explore Legacy — The 10th Silent War and an important question for veterans, leaders, high performers, and anyone entering a new chapter: How do I take what I know, what I care about, and what I have lived through—and turn it into something that continues serving beyond me? Rick’s story changed dramatically on September 11, 2001. From a rooftop less than a quarter mile from the World Trade Center, Rick witnessed the events of 9/11 unfolding. Without a piano in front of him, words began moving through his mind. He started writing them down. Those words became a poem called “Jazz for Peace.” Rick then faced a choice. Would the poem simply remain words on a page—or would he try to live what he had written? He chose to act. That decision eventually grew into Jazz for Peace , a global initiative using music to support peace, education, fundraising, grassroots organizations, and causes around the world. The organization has now supported hundreds of benefit events while creating opportunities for other people to participate in something larger than themselves. That is where this conversation becomes bigger than music. Rick’s message is that legacy requires participation . It is easy to care about a cause. It is easy to admire someone doing meaningful work. It is easy to say that something should change. But eventually, the question becomes: What am I willing to do? This conversation connects directly to several of The 10 Silent Wars : Legacy — The 10th Silent War: “What am I creating that someone else can carry forward?” Mission — The 2nd Silent War: “What am I willing to contribute my time, talent, or experience toward?” Connection — The 3rd Silent War: “How can what I do bring people together rather than push them further apart?” Direction — The 8th Silent War: “What is one meaningful action I can take next?” Identity — The 1st Silent War: “Am I living according to what matters to me—or only thinking about it?” Rick also shares his belief that music is far more than entertainment. Across languages, cultures, religions, and backgrounds, music can create connection where words sometimes cannot. He describes it as a vehicle for creativity, healing, education, human consciousness, and ultimately peace. Mike and Rick discuss something equally important for anyone wondering whether they are capable of creating meaningful impact: You do not need to start a global movement. Contribution can begin much closer to home. Help a legitimate cause in your community. Support someone doing work you believe in. Use a skill you already possess. Do something kind for another person. Take the first action. Rick describes this as creating “wealth inside.” We spend enormous energy pursuing financial wealth, status, accomplishments, and external success. But Rick challenges listeners to consider another form of wealth: What are you doing that makes your soul richer? That question sits at the heart of this episode. Because legacy is not only about what you leave. It is about what your actions make possible while you are still here. Rick also shares practical ways people can participate through Jazz for Peace—including simple actions designed to help individuals and organizations support worthwhile causes without requiring enormous amounts of money, influence, or time. And to close the conversation, Rick gives listeners something special: a live musical performance and his Jazz for Peace poem—the words that helped begin a mission he has now carried for 25 years. In this episode, you’ll learn: How witnessing 9/11 led Rick DellaRatta to write Jazz for Peace Why he chose to turn a poem into a 25-year mission What legacy means when other people can participate and carry the work forward Why music can connect people across cultural, religious, and language barriers The difference between caring about a cause and actually participating Why meaningful contribution does not require creating a global organization How adversity can become the beginning of something constructive Why service and contribution can create a different kind of personal wealth How ordinary people can begin supporting causes they genuinely believe in Why the first small action may matter more than having the entire plan Before moving on, ask yourself: What do I already have—an experience, skill, talent, relationship, or cause—that I could use in service of something bigger than myself? You do not need to know where it will lead. You only need enough willingness to begin. Start by connecting with the Your Thoughts, Your Reality community and explore more conversations around The 10 Silent Wars : 👉 https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/ Watch the full conversations and subscribe to the Your Thoughts, Your Reality YouTube channel: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@YourThoughtsYourRealityPodcast Learn more about Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace , its 25-year mission, benefit programs, music, and ways to participate: 👉 https://jazzforpeace.org/ Explore Jazz for Peace’s Easy Ways to participate: 👉 https://jazzforpeace.org/easyways.pdf And when you’re ready to go deeper and create meaningful change in your mindset, identity, and direction: 👉 https://empowerperformancestrategies.com/ Because your thoughts shape your reality… And real legacy may not be what you leave behind. It may be what you inspire someone else to pick up and carry forward. #Legacy #TheTenthSilentWar #RickDellaRatta #JazzForPeace #Purpose #Service #MusicForPeace #September11 #PersonalGrowth #Veterans #The10SilentWars #YourThoughtsYourReality Send us Fan Mail Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment and find the Silent War costing you the most: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=midroll Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=postroll Support the show
October 16, 2026Episode 16632 min
What Did Survival Hide? | Emotional Armor — The 7th Silent War | Eugene Yeskov
What happens when survival mode keeps running even after the immediate danger has passed? When fear, trauma, war, or major adversity takes over, emotional armor can make sense. We compartmentalize. We stay useful. We keep moving. But eventually the crisis changes—and the armor does not always get the message. In this episode of Your Thoughts, Your Reality , Michael Cole sits down with Eugene Yeskov , a transformational coach from Ukraine whose perspective on resilience, purpose, fear, and personal growth has been shaped by experiencing the impact of war firsthand. Eugene now lives in Greece and helps people who feel lost, stuck, or disconnected from themselves reconnect with their values, inner strength, purpose, and direction. Together, Mike and Eugene explore Emotional Armor — The 7th Silent War and an important question: How do you move forward without allowing what you survived to decide who you have to become next? Eugene describes what happened when war began in Ukraine. For days, his world narrowed to survival. Sleep changed. His attention became intensely focused on danger, safety, and getting through what was directly in front of him. The bigger questions about purpose, fulfillment, and the future temporarily disappeared. He also shares the story of a friend in Mariupol who, under extraordinary circumstances, became almost unrecognizable compared with his normal personality—taking charge and helping more than 100 people escape danger. It illustrates one of the central ideas in this conversation: Survival can activate parts of us we never knew were there. But what protects us during crisis may not be what we need once the crisis has changed. This conversation directly connects to several of The 10 Silent Wars : Emotional Armor — The 7th Silent War: “What did I build to survive that I may still be carrying?” Identity — The 1st Silent War: “Who am I beyond what happened to me?” Mission — The 2nd Silent War: “What gives my life meaning when survival is no longer the only goal?” Fear — The 9th Silent War: “Am I building my life around what I’m afraid of—or what I actually want?” Direction — The 8th Silent War: “What is pulling me forward now?” Eugene’s own search for purpose began before the war. He built a successful career in technology and economic cybernetics. By conventional standards, he had accomplished many of the things that were supposed to create fulfillment. He had the career. He had the apartment. He had the car. And he still felt empty. That realization led him to begin asking different questions: Why am I here? What actually fulfills me? What would make my life meaningful? Eventually, Eugene discovered coaching and what he describes as his mission: helping other people uncover their own sense of purpose. Mike and Eugene discuss why purpose can become especially important after adversity. When life has been organized around surviving the next day, moving forward may first require reconnecting with gratitude, relationships, values, and the things that make life worth living. Eugene explains that when he works with someone who is deeply stuck, he does not immediately begin by asking them to discover their life mission. He starts smaller. What went well? What are you proud of? Who do you love? Who loves you? From there, people can begin reconnecting with what matters before trying to answer the larger question of what comes next. They also explore Eugene’s approach to uncovering the deeper “why” behind a goal. The first answer is rarely the whole answer. Why do you want success? Why do you want money? Why do you want recognition? Why does that matter? By continuing to ask why, Eugene believes people can move beyond the surface-level answer and discover the values and emotional needs underneath it. The conversation then returns to emotional armor. Eugene suggests beginning with a deceptively simple question: “Does this behavior actually feel like me?” If anger, withdrawal, defensiveness, control, revenge, or disconnection does not feel aligned with who you want to be, the next questions become: When did I start doing this? What was I protecting? And do I still need that protection in the same way today? Mike and Eugene also discuss how to find meaning after painful experiences without pretending the pain was necessary or minimizing what happened. The goal is not to romanticize trauma. It is to recognize that the past has already happened—and ask whether there is wisdom, strength, awareness, or direction you can carry forward from it. In this episode, you’ll learn: What survival mode can do to your priorities and sense of purpose Why emotional armor can protect you during crisis but create disconnection later How Eugene experienced the beginning of the war in Ukraine What extreme adversity can reveal about human resilience and resourcefulness Why purpose often disappears when survival becomes the immediate priority How gratitude, love, and values can help someone begin reconnecting with themselves Why asking “why” multiple times can uncover what you actually want How to recognize behaviors that may have developed as emotional protection Why focusing entirely on what you fear can keep your attention anchored to fear How to begin separating what happened to you from who you choose to become next If this conversation resonated with you, don’t immediately move on. Ask yourself: What protected me during survival—but may be keeping me from fully living now? You do not have to tear the armor off all at once. Start by noticing it. Then ask what you actually want your life to move toward. Start by connecting with the Your Thoughts, Your Reality community and explore more conversations around The 10 Silent Wars : 👉 https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/ Watch the full conversations and subscribe to the Your Thoughts, Your Reality YouTube channel: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@YourThoughtsYourRealityPodcast Connect with Eugene Yeskov on Instagram and follow his work around purpose, values, and transformational coaching: 👉 Search Eugene Yeskov on Instagram And when you’re ready to go deeper and create meaningful change in your mindset, identity, and direction: 👉 https://empowerperformancestrategies.com/ Because your thoughts shape your reality… And the armor that helped you survive does not have to decide who you become next. #EmotionalArmor #TheSeventhSilentWar #EugeneYeskov #Trauma #SurvivalMode #Resilience #Purpose #Ukraine #Veterans #MilitaryTransition #PersonalGrowth #The10SilentWars #YourThoughtsYourReality Send us Fan Mail Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment and find the Silent War costing you the most: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=midroll Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=postroll Support the show
October 14, 2026Episode 16138 min
When Trauma Rewrites Tomorrow | Direction — The 8th Silent War | Faust Ruggiero
What happens when you survive the trauma—but lose your sense of where life is going? Trauma does not only change how you remember the past. It can change how safe the present feels, how much you trust yourself, and whether the future still feels possible. In this episode of Your Thoughts, Your Reality , Michael Cole sits down with Faust Ruggiero, a therapist whose career spans more than four decades, including approximately 35 years working with veterans and first responders. Faust is the creator of the Process Way of Life , the author behind the Fix Yourself Empowerment Series , and the author of The Fix Your PTSD Handbook , a practical guide designed to help people better understand trauma, PTSD, and the steps involved in moving toward recovery. Together, Mike and Faust explore Direction — The 8th Silent War and why finding direction after trauma often requires more than simply setting another goal. Sometimes you first have to understand what is happening inside you. Faust shares how his work with veterans began early in his career when a Vietnam veteran and former prisoner of war came to him carrying severe trauma and suicidal thoughts. That experience taught him something that would shape the next several decades of his work: Before you can help someone move forward, you have to earn enough trust for them to believe they are no longer carrying everything alone. Faust explains why trauma can become “stuck,” how painful experiences can replay internally, and why PTSD may begin affecting far more than memories—relationships, employment, anger, isolation, substance use, self-perception, and the ability to imagine a meaningful future. The conversation also addresses one of the most difficult parts of military transition: The person who returns home is not simply the person who left. Military training intentionally builds a soldier capable of functioning under circumstances most civilians will never experience. But when service ends, the behaviors, vigilance, identity, and survival responses developed in that environment do not disappear with the discharge paperwork. Faust argues that reintegration needs to be treated as a genuine process—not an expectation that someone should simply “go back to normal.” This conversation directly connects to several of The 10 Silent Wars : Direction — The 8th Silent War: “How do I create a future when trauma keeps pulling me backward?” Identity — The 1st Silent War: “Who am I when being a soldier is no longer my daily role?” Trust — The 5th Silent War: “Can I believe someone will actually stay with me through this?” Emotional Armor — The 7th Silent War: “What did I learn to suppress in order to survive?” Connection — The 3rd Silent War: “How do I reconnect when I feel like nobody truly understands me?” Faust also explains the approach behind The Fix Your PTSD Handbook . Rather than offering one template for everyone, he emphasizes individualized, step-by-step progress . Build trust first. Understand the trauma. Look at how it is affecting the rest of life. Then create practical actions small enough to actually take. Mike and Faust also discuss the power of internal language . Trauma can create painful beliefs such as: “I’m a bad person.” “I don’t deserve forgiveness.” “If people knew what I had done or seen, they would look at me differently.” Faust explains that healing is not simply replacing a negative statement with forced positivity. His approach is to begin separating emotional conclusions from facts—understanding how someone arrived at those beliefs and changing the internal dialogue from there. That becomes especially important when discussing the movement from victimization toward empowerment . The message is not that someone caused or chose their trauma. It is that what happened does not have to be given permanent authority over what happens next. You cannot rewrite what occurred. But with the right support, understanding, and action, you can begin reclaiming authorship of tomorrow. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why trauma can affect your ability to imagine a future How trust becomes foundational when helping veterans process trauma Why PTSD can show up through relationships, anger, isolation, substance use, and hypervigilance The difference between surviving an experience and actually processing it Why military identity does not simply disappear after discharge Why Faust believes reintegration should include individualized psychological support How the Process Way of Life approaches change through incremental action Why there is no single treatment roadmap that fits every veteran or trauma survivor How internal language can reinforce shame and self-punishment Why replacing emotional conclusions with facts can help change the conversation inside How someone can begin moving from surviving the past toward creating direction for the future If something in this conversation felt familiar, don’t immediately move on. Ask yourself: Is something from my past still deciding what I believe is possible for my future? You do not have to solve everything today. Take one action. Have one conversation. Ask one question. Take one step forward. Start by connecting with the Your Thoughts, Your Reality community and explore more conversations around The 10 Silent Wars : 👉 https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/ Watch the full conversations and subscribe to the Your Thoughts, Your Reality YouTube channel: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@YourThoughtsYourRealityPodcast Learn more about Faust Ruggiero, the Process Way of Life, the Fix Yourself Empowerment Series , and The Fix Your PTSD Handbook : 👉 https://www.faustruggiero.com/ Faust Ruggiero And when you’re ready to go deeper and create meaningful change in your mindset, identity, and direction: 👉 https://empowerperformancestrategies.com/ Because your thoughts shape your reality… And trauma may have rewritten part of your story—but it does not have to write the rest of it. #Direction #TheEighthSilentWar #FaustRuggiero #PTSD #TraumaRecovery #MilitaryTransition #Veterans #FirstResponders #MentalHealth #Identity #The10SilentWars #YourThoughtsYourReality Send us Fan Mail Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment and find the Silent War costing you the most: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=midroll Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=postroll Support the show
October 8, 2026Episode 16538 min
Why Are You Still Waiting? | Fear — The 9th Silent War | Clifford Sosamon
What if fear isn’t actually the thing keeping you stuck? Sometimes fear looks responsible. We research a little more. We wait for better timing. We tell ourselves we need more clarity. We keep preparing. But eventually, preparation can stop helping us move forward and start protecting us from having to act. In this episode of Your Thoughts, Your Reality , Michael Cole sits down with Clifford Sosamon, a Marine Corps veteran, entrepreneur, writer, leadership speaker, creator of the Action Under Friction Method , and host of the Tailgate Chat podcast. Cliff served six years on active duty in the Marine Corps, including deployment to Haiti and Marine Security Guard assignments in Bangkok and Rio de Janeiro. After leaving the military, his path moved through business, nonprofit leadership, operations, veteran advocacy, entrepreneurship, and his own difficult transitions. Together, Mike and Cliff explore Fear — The 9th Silent War and a question many veterans and high performers need to ask themselves: Am I really waiting because I’m not ready—or am I waiting because taking action would force me to face uncertainty? Cliff talks openly about what happened when he took off the uniform. For a Marine, service is more than a job. The identity, community, mission, structure, and camaraderie become deeply ingrained. Cliff describes leaving active duty as almost hanging his identity in the closet along with the uniform. He eventually found purpose again through veteran service organizations and helping other veterans. But when that role later ended, he found himself back in what he describes as a dark valley. That experience taught him an important lesson: When your identity becomes completely attached to a role, transition becomes much harder when the role disappears. But this conversation goes even deeper into the ways fear prevents us from building what comes next. Cliff calls one of those patterns productive hesitation . You may look extremely busy. You may be researching, planning, learning, organizing, tweaking, or preparing. But nothing is actually moving. Cliff shares how this showed up when launching businesses, beginning his podcast, and writing his book. At one point, only about ten pages into writing, he spent an entire day researching literary agents. It felt productive. But it wasn’t moving the book forward. He experienced the same pattern while launching a staffing company with his wife. Instead of filing the LLC, finding an office, or getting clients, he spent days developing the perfect acronym for the company name. The work itself wasn’t useless. The timing was. That is where productive preparation can quietly become avoidance. This conversation directly connects to several of The 10 Silent Wars : Fear — The 9th Silent War: “What am I avoiding because I’m afraid of failure, rejection, success, or uncertainty?” Identity — The 1st Silent War: “Who am I when the role I built myself around changes?” Mission — The 2nd Silent War: “What am I moving toward now?” Control — The 4th Silent War: “Am I trying to eliminate every unknown before I allow myself to act?” Direction — The 8th Silent War: “Do I need the entire roadmap—or just enough direction to take the next step?” Cliff breaks down his Action Under Friction Method into a practical process. First, acknowledge what is happening. Say it. “I’m hesitating.” “I’m afraid this will fail.” “I’m afraid people will reject me.” “I’m afraid this might actually succeed and I won’t know how to handle what comes next.” Then understand where the friction is coming from. Finally, move forward . Not by solving the entire problem. By taking one step. That first imperfect action creates information, confidence, and clarity that another week of thinking may never provide. Mike and Cliff also discuss why capable people can know exactly what they need to do and still freeze under pressure. The brain can create entire future scenarios around rejection, conflict, embarrassment, and failure—many of which never actually happen. Sometimes the most useful question is simply: Is what I’m telling myself actually true? And Cliff gives listeners a practical challenge they can use immediately. Write down the thing you have been avoiding. Then answer: What is the benefit of moving it forward? What is the cost of not moving forward? What action will I take? When will I complete it? How will I hold myself accountable? You do not need to become fearless first. You need to learn how to move while the friction is still there. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why fear can disguise itself as preparation and productivity What Cliff means by productive hesitation How military transition can disrupt identity, mission, and belonging Why fear of failure, rejection, and even success can stop capable people How Cliff’s Action Under Friction Method helps identify what is really creating resistance Why waiting for complete clarity can keep you stuck How taking action can actually create the clarity you were waiting for Why imperfect execution often teaches more than endless preparation How to recognize when you are researching instead of progressing A simple exercise you can use today to turn hesitation into action Before moving on, ask yourself: Am I waiting—or am I acting? And if you already know what the next step is, you probably don’t need another week to think about it. Take the step. Start by connecting with the Your Thoughts, Your Reality community and explore more conversations around The 10 Silent Wars : 👉 https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/ Watch the full conversations and subscribe to the Your Thoughts, Your Reality YouTube channel: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@YourThoughtsYourRealityPodcast Learn more about Clifford Sosamon, the Action Under Friction Method, and his Execution Under Pressure work: 👉 https://executionunderpressurespeaker.com/ Listen to the Tailgate Chat podcast: 👉 https://tailgatechatpodcast.com/ And when you’re ready to go deeper and create meaningful change in your mindset, identity, and direction: 👉 https://empowerperformancestrategies.com/ Because your thoughts shape your reality… And sometimes the thing standing between you and the next chapter isn’t fear itself. It’s waiting for the fear to disappear before you move. #Fear #TheNinthSilentWar #CliffordSosamon #ActionUnderFriction #ExecutionUnderPressure #MilitaryTransition #Veterans #Leadership #FearOfFailure #PersonalGrowth #The10SilentWars #YourThoughtsYourReality Send us Fan Mail Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment and find the Silent War costing you the most: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=midroll Take the free 10 Silent Wars Assessment: https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/assessment?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=postroll Support the show
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