Podcast
People. Process. Progress.
Hosted by Kevin Pannell · EN
Why do some teams consistently move forward while others stay busy but struggle to make progress?
People. Process. Progress. explores leadership, organizational effectiveness, project and program delivery, communication, prioritization, change, and the realities of helping people and organizations move forward.
Hosted by Kevin Pannell, an IT PMO leader, former healthcare leader, Navy Corpsman, EMS Captain, emergency manager, author, and speaker, the podcast focuses on the lessons that appear across industries, teams, and life itself.
Whether the topic is project management, organizational change, leadership, fitness, resilience, customer alignment, or team performance, the same principles often emerge.
People matter.
Process matters.
Progress matters.
Each episode examines what gets in the way of progress, what creates alignment, and what leaders can do to help individuals, teams, and organizations achieve meaningful outcomes.
No buzzwords. No corporate theater. No silver bullets.
Just practical conversations about people, process, and progress.
41episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Visibility vs. Alignment: Why Green Dashboards Lie
1w ago00:09:13Tap to summarizeA project is marked green on the tracker, the meetings are happening, and the status reports look perfect. Then, the delivery day arrives, and the end users are completely unprepared. What happened?In this premiere episode of People. Process. Progress., veteran IT PMO Director Kevin Pannell breaks down the metric trap of green dashboards and explains why your tracking tools might be hiding massive execution risks. We explore the critical gap between visibility and true human alignment, drawing on historical engineering lessons such as the Challenger disaster and applying them directly to modern white-collar leadership.You will learn why methodology cannot solve human misalignment, why data points are just proxies for reality, and how to use the weekly Stand Up audit to check your unverified assumptions.Stop confusing activity with progress. It is time to double down on the fundamentals of your people, your process, and your outcomes.Key TakeawaysThe Metric Trap: Why a green dashboard only tells you that tasks are being checked, not that your team is actually aligned on the objective.Proxies vs. Reality: Software tools show you the work; real human connection and honest conversations move the work.The Stand Up Audit: How to strip away documentation theater and test whether your stakeholders are actually ready for deployment.The Core Lesson: Visibility is what we see on a screen. Alignment is what happens when real people understand the mission, trust the process, and execute horizontal communication. Never mistake a green status slide for a successful outcome.Connect and Share: If you found value in this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this link with a leader who needs to audit their corporate dashboards this week.
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Trailer. The Shift Back to People. Process. Progress.
1w ago00:02:24Tap to summarizeWelcome to the relaunch of the podcast. Host Kevin Pannell announces the official pivot back to the foundational framework: People. Process. Progress.In this brief trailer, we are stripping away the corporate fluff, trendy management fads, and endless debates over methodology to focus on how real work gets done. If you are tired of counting checkboxes, hiding behind software proxies, and watching green dashboards lie to you, this show is your new weekly resource for raw, real-world operational execution.Subscribe now and look for Episode 1 dropping alongside this trailer to start moving the needle.
Transcribe →Fighting for the Gray Matter | Men's Mental Health Month 2026
3w ago00:09:55Tap to summarizeAt 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.
Transcribe →The Hardest Leadership Skill: Letting Go
3w ago00:06:32Tap to summarizeThere 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!
Transcribe →Why So Many People Feel Off Right Now
May 2600:10:07Tap to summarizeIn 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
Transcribe →What a Billion-Dollar Coach Can Teach Project Leaders
May 2200:04:23Tap to summarizeMagic 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
Transcribe →What Matt Serra Taught Me About Building Great Teams
May 1900:09:58Tap to summarizeWhat 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.
Transcribe →The Internet Lied to You About Success
May 1500:00:49Tap to summarizeMost 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
Transcribe →Busy Isn't Productive: Organized Urgency vs. Wasted Effort
May 1200:09:23Tap to summarizeWhat 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.
Transcribe →A Great Project Manager Doesn't Need Fancy Tools
May 800:06:22Tap to summarizeWhat 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
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