Podcast
People. Process. Progress.
Hosted by Kevin Pannell, PMP, CSM, Prosci · EN
Helping leaders and teams move through change with practical leadership, disciplined execution, and steady progress.
Every organization, every career, and every life follows a rhythm.
Ideas become opportunities. Opportunities become priorities. Priorities become plans. Plans become action. Action becomes progress. Progress becomes experience. Those experiences shape what comes next.
The People, Process, Progress podcast explores that journey.
Hosted by Kevin Pannell, Director of an IT Project Management Office, former healthcare PMO leader, U.S. Navy veteran, emergency management professional, and author, each episode helps leaders navigate change with practical leadership, disciplined execution, and purposeful progress.
Drawing on experience leading enterprise portfolios, responding to disasters, serving in healthcare, training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and building resilient teams, the conversations connect leadership principles with real-world application.
Throughout the year, the podcast follows the natural rhythm of organizational leadership and portfolio management:
• January–March: Discovery & Demand
• April–June: Planning & Prioritization
• July–August: Execution & Governance
• September–October: Go Live & Operational Readiness
• November: Portfolio Performance & Lessons Learned
• December: Continuous Improvement & Planning Ahead
Every episode is viewed through three lenses:
▸ People: Leading with empathy, building trust, developing teams, and strengthening partnerships.
▸ Process: Applying practical leadership, portfolio management, governance, and execution practices that help organizations succeed.
▸ Progress: Learning, improving, measuring outcomes, and moving forward, personally and professionally.
Whether you're a CIO, PMO leader, project manager, executive, first responder, or someone navigating change in your own career or life, you'll find practical conversations designed to help you lead well, execute with discipline, and keep moving forward.
44episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
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
Transcribe →When the System Fails, Your Skill Shows
May 600:05:46Tap to summarizeWhen 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.
Transcribe →What You Say Yes To | Five-Minute Friday
May 100:03:19Tap to summarizeWhat 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.
Transcribe →You Can’t Do It All, So Do What Matters
Apr 2800:07:30Tap to summarizeYou Can’t Do It All, So Do What MattersWe commit to too much, then wonder why nothing moves the way it should. This episode is about being honest about capacity and making better decisions so the right work actually gets delivered.In this episode:Why portfolios fail when capacity doesn’t match commitmentsThe difference between activity and real outcomesHow to make better decisions about what to start, stop, and prioritizeIf you’re managing portfolios, programs, projects, or just your own time, this will feel familiar.If this helps, share it with someone who’s trying to do too much.
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Why Caregivers and First Responders Feel it After | Five Minute Friday
Apr 2400:03:14Tap to summarizeWhy Caregivers and First Responders Feel It AfterYou’ve carried others through their worst days. Now do the work so you can carry yourself through yours.In this episode:Why caregiver stress and first responder burnout often show up after the momentThe impact of adrenaline, cortisol, and staying “on” too longA simple reset to manage stress and stay steadyIf you’re the one people rely on in emergencies, at work or at home, this will feel familiar.If this reminds you of someone, send it to them.
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When Everyone Relies on You: How to Show Up Without Burning Out
Apr 2100:11:59Tap to summarizeThis episode is for the "anchors"; those in scrubs, uniforms, or family living rooms who step in when it gets real. From navigating a cancer diagnosis in the family to managing sudden cardiac emergencies at home, we discuss the "invisible toll" of being the person everyone looks to. Learn how to stay steady, process the stress that lives in your body, and ensure you don’t become the next person who needs a rescue.Key Discussion Points:The Weight of the Anchor: Why the emotional toll often hits you years after the crisis is over.Medical Realities at Home: Navigating post-surgery recovery and high-stakes heart monitoring (V-Tach).The Oxygen Mask Principle: Why sleep, diet, and training are requirements for quality care, not rewards.Skills Over Pills: Transitioning from just "surviving" to building a mindset that sustains the load.The Takeaway:Being a provider is an identity, not just a job. Whether you are professional medical staff or a family member stepping up, this conversation provides the tools to manage the silent pressure and the physical stress that stays in your body long after the work is done.Connect & ShareKnow an "anchor" who is carrying more than they let on? Send this episode to them. Subscribe for more direct, practical conversations on resilience and being ready for when it counts.
Transcribe →Dad Bod to Athletic: 3 Strength Standards for Men 40-50 | Five Minute Friday
Apr 1700:04:48Tap to summarizeAre you a physical liability or a protector for your family? In this high-speed "Five Minute Friday" episode, Kevin Pannell breaks down the objective strength and agility standards every man in his 40s and 50s needs to meet to stay capable and dangerous. We move beyond vanity and focus on functional fitness for men, longevity, and the discipline required to lead your home with composure.Kevin shares his personal journey of re-starting his fitness lifestyle at 40 and beginning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) at 44. Now a 52-year-old purple belt, he explains how to use the "Prescribed Burn"—a physical stress-management tactic—to incinerate mental anxiety and decision fatigue before they turn into a wildfire at home or work.What you’ll learn in 5 minutes:Tier 1: A Little Dad Bod Action – The absolute "floor" for foundational strength and situational awareness.Tier 2: Do You Workout? – Developing musculature and why combat sports like BJJ are the ultimate mental anchor.Tier 3: The Athletic Guy – The elite 50+ standard for bodyweight strength, explosive agility, and total readiness.The Prescribed Burn – How to use heavy lifts and hard rounds to clear mental "brush" and lead with a quiet mind.Connect, follow, and share at https://ownmoveanchor.com/
Transcribe →The Discipline of Daily Movement
Apr 1000:03:37Tap to summarizeThe Discipline of Daily Movement Movement is not about motivation, it is about identity and standard. In this Foundations Friday episode, Kevin focuses on why men, especially fathers and leaders, need to stop treating exercise as optional and start using it as a tool to build strength, resilience, and clarity.This episode connects physical training to real life pressure, showing how pushing your body prepares your mind to handle stress at work, at home, and in leadership.What you’ll take from this episode:Why strength is a visible and practical signal, not vanityHow training builds your response to stress and pressureThe connection between movement and better decision makingA simple standard to remove decision fatigue and stay consistentCall to Action:Today or this weekend, do something physically challenging. Notice how your mind responds, then carry that into the rest of your life.
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