Hardcore and At Ease - powered by Others Over Self®

Mission Ambition, LLC
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How come some people are always winning? Like they're just running downhill, loving life, while others of us are over here thinking, "if I take a break, everything will break." Are you delivering results from a constant state of urgency? And are you tired of feeling like you're the only one who actually cares about doing exceptional work? The Problem Most Leadership Advice Won't Solve: You're not broken, you're just Hardcore without being At Ease. While leadership wisdom is timeless, today's ambitious leaders face unique modern challenges that require ancient principles applied through current experience. Hardcore and At Ease gives you timeless wisdom applied to modern leadership challenges. Host Shelly Rood and her guests are actively leading teams, building organizations, and implementing proven frameworks right now—bridging ancient principles with current implementation. Join candid conversations with people who are obsessed with excellence as we share what to do every day to minimize stress, make smarter decisions, and finally get the people around us to match our energy. These are raw, candid conversations with current leaders who've figured out how to harness their drive as a competitive advantage. We'll explore how to keep your edge without going over the edge, why your ambition is your greatest asset but can become your biggest liability without the right approach, and how to finally get people to match your energy without burning them out. You'll hear about the Others Over Self® advantage that multiplies impact instead of just creating results, and discover the difference between working harder and working with unstoppable impact. This isn't surface-level business advice. Drawing from 16 years in Military Intelligence and active leadership experience, Shelly addresses the moral, spiritual, and existential challenges high-performers face—from survival guilt and hyper-vigilance to the stigma around seeking help when you're supposed to be the strong one. About Your Host: Shelly C. Rood is a certified business coach, former Military Intelligence Captain, and current leader who's walked the path from frustrated urgency to authentic confidence. She specializes in applying timeless leadership principles to modern team challenges—implementing the Hardcore and At Ease Framework with real teams facing real challenges. Join the thousands of mission-driven leaders who have figured out how to keep their edge without going over the edge. Connect with this community at join.othersoverself.com where you can dive deeper into past episodes, ask questions, and get direct access to additional resources. New episodes every Tuesday.

  1. 5h ago

    Show Up Anyway: What to Do When You Feel Like You Don't Belong

    Ep65: Show Up Anyway: What to Do When You Feel Like You Don't Belong Hardcore and At Ease - powered by Others Over Self® Mitze Alexander's first supervisor told her women didn't belong in the military. She had no barracks, no female support, and no one to tell, and she knows what it's like to feel like you don't belong somewhere you know you're supposed to be. She stayed anyway, and built a twenty-year career to prove him wrong. Episode Description Mitze Alexander knows what it feels like to walk into a room that's already decided you don't belong there. At her first duty station, an all-male aviation unit in Korea with no barracks and no female support, her supervisor told her outright that women didn't belong in the military. She stayed anyway. That decision sits underneath everything she's built since: twenty years in the U.S. Army and Michigan Army National Guard, seven years as a Muskegon patrol officer, and, for close to two decades now, a licensed trauma therapist specializing in PTSD, depression, and anxiety with military women. Host Shelly Rood and Mitze connected through Mission Ambition's second location in West Michigan, which provides tailored support to veterans across Muskegon County and the surrounding area. In this episode, Mitze talks through what it actually takes to stay somewhere you've been told you shouldn't be, what that moment still demands of her to this day, and what she'd tell a woman living through the same thing right now. Chapters 00:00 Carrying Others’ Weight 03:47 Meet Mitzi Alexander 05:45 Private Practice Realities 10:21 Military Woman’s Journey 25:26 National Guard Growth 27:12 From Policing to Social Work 34:11 Therapy Fit and Boundaries 45:12 Closing Reframe and Challenge In This Episode You'll Discover Why absorbing third-party trauma for a living requires real, enforced boundaries, not just good intentionsHow the old operating system of "if I can hold it, I should" differs from Lived Authority's "I can hold it, and I still decide when I put it down"What it took for a first-time enlistee to walk into an all-male unit with no barracks, no female support, and a supervisor who told her she didn't belongWhy Mitze left law enforcement to work in social work and clinical therapy insteadA concrete, repeatable way to release the weight of a hard day without waiting for it to pile up Featured Guest Mitze Alexander is a licensed therapist based in Muskegon, Michigan, specializing in trauma, PTSD, depression, and anxiety, with a focus on military women. She spent four years on active duty in the U.S. Army and twenty years in the Michigan Army National Guard, retiring at the rank of E6, followed by seven years as a patrol officer with the Muskegon Police Department. She now runs a private practice out of Just Us Divine Health and Wellness in Muskegon Heights. Host Shelly Rood, Host / Hardcore and At Ease | Veterans Radio / Co-Founder Mission Ambition, LLC Resources & Links Mission Ambition, LLC — West Michigan location serving veterans across Muskegon County: missionambition.org Others Over Self®: othersoverself.com Mission Wildflower Substack: shellyrood.substack.com Subscribe & Connect Subscribe to Hardcore and At Ease on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Keep the conversation going at join.othersoverself.com.

    Show Up Anyway: What to Do When You Feel Like You Don't Belong

  2. 6d ago

    How to Become a Lived Authority Without Anyone's Permission

    Ep64: How to Become a Lived Authority Without Anyone's Permission | Hardcore and At Ease - powered by Others Over Self® Episode Description How does someone become a lived authority without anyone else's permission? Right now, someone with real judgment, earned the hard way, is waiting for a stranger to say it's allowed before they act on it. In this solo teaching episode, Shelly Rood explains why the ten thousand hour rule and formal certification were never built to answer that question, and what it actually takes to claim self-directed decision-making over your own life. Drawing from her own path to military chaplaincy, her time in the fitness industry, and stories from Category Pirates co-founder Christopher Lochhead and retirement coach Markham Rollins, Shelly names the exact moment lived experience turns into lived authority. Chapters 00:00 Question of the Day 14:21 Defining Lived Authority 14:21 Owning Your Experience 14:21 Self Direction 14:21 No External Certification 14:21 Trusting Your Inner Compass 14:21 Closing Takeaway In This Episode You'll Discover Why the ten thousand hour rule was never built to measure authority over your own lifeThe difference between being qualified and being fit, and why lived authority requires bothHow self-directed decision-making replaces waiting for someone else's permissionWhat shifts once you stop outsourcing your judgment to people who haven't lived your life Mentioned in This Episode Christopher Lochhead, co-founder of Category Pirates and host of Follow Your DifferentMarkham Rollins, retirement and identity coach, Retirement Transformed Resources & Links Lived Authority: Defining a New Construct for Self-Directed Decision-Making (the clinical companion article): https://othersoverself.com/learn/lived-authority-defining-a-new-construct-for-self-directed-decision-making/The original Lived Authority Substack piece, "Lived Authority: The Permission We Keep Waiting for Someone Else to Give Us": https://missionwildflower.com/p/lived-authority-the-permission-weCategory Pirates mini book, "Podcast Category Design: 6 Principles and 6 Donkey Traps to Turn Trapped Wisdom Into Digital Treasure"Outliers by Malcolm GladwellWildflower Assessment for Women Veterans: https://othersoverself.shop/products/wildflower-assessment-for-women-veterans Frequently Asked Questions What does it mean to be a lived authority? It means recognizing your own accumulated experience as legitimate authority for directing your own life, without needing someone else to keep certifying it. How is lived authority different from confidence? Confidence is believing you can do something. Lived authority is about who holds the pen on your own life, not how capable you feel holding it. The distinction is between lived experience, which is why people want to hear from you, and lived authority, which is choosing not to hand your judgment about your own life to someone who hasn't lived it. What is the ten thousand hour rule, and why doesn't it answer this question? The ten thousand hour rule comes from Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers, built off research on elite violinists. It measures mastery of a skill through hours of deep, focused practice. It was never built to measure something else: a person's own judgment over their own life. What does it mean to be "qualified and fit" as a lived authority? Qualified means you lived it, not read about it or watched a video on it. Fit means you're the right person, in the right moment, for the room in front of you. Both have to be true at the same time for the claim to hold. Does lived authority mean credentials don't matter? No. The episode doesn't argue that licenses, degrees, or certifications should disappear, they matter for a surgeon, for example. It argues that a lot of the most consequential work in life, parenting, entrepreneurship, guiding someone through grief, happens with no third party ever signing off on it at all. This is about human systems and credentialing bodies specifically. It has nothing to do with spiritual authority, which operates on its own terms and isn't something this episode claims to replace or diminish. Subscribe & Connect Keep the conversation going at join.othersoverself.com. Follow Hardcore and At Ease wherever you listen to podcasts, and share this episode with someone who's still waiting on a permission slip.

    How to Become a Lived Authority Without Anyone's Permission

  3. Sep 1

    Michigan's Defense Leadership, From Two Different Chairs

    Ep63: Michigan's Defense Leadership, From Two Different Chairs | Hardcore and At Ease - powered by Others Over Self® Michigan's defense leadership doesn't come from one seat. This week you'll hear host Shelly Rood interview two entirely different chairs, and uncover what holds both of them up when nobody's checking the work anymore. This episode is dedicated to Julie Fathbruckner, a founding member of Women in Defense who spent years working alongside AUSA and NDIA on behalf of Michigan's defense community. She will be deeply missed. Episode DescriptionScott Davis, President of NDIA Michigan, the National Defense Industrial Association's Michigan chapter, spent 30 years in the U.S. military including time as a Army Reserve officer and a program executive officer at the Detroit Arsenal before leading BAE Systems' combat vehicle division. He talks candidly about the two-billion-dollar-a-year funding shift threatening Michigan's ground vehicle industrial base, and why the instincts he built in uniform are the same ones guiding NDIA's advocacy today. Chuck Cogger, Chapter President of the Arsenal of Democracy Chapter of the Association of the United States Army, AUSA, spent 23 years of active duty as a field artillery officer. He shares how the planning discipline he built in the military now runs an all-volunteer chapter of over 1,600 members, and why leading through trust instead of rank has made Michigan's AUSA chapter a model the national organization points to. Two different roles, two different organizations, and the same underlying thread: judgment built while earning a title doesn't expire the day the title does. Shelly calls this Lived Authority. It's still yours to use, whether or not anyone is still checking. Chapters(00:00) Show Intro and Premise (01:11) When Orders Stop (01:53) Remembering Julie (03:03) Meet Scott Davis (04:13) Michigan Defense Legacy (07:41) Scott's Career and Deployments (11:19) NDIA Leadership Path (13:37) Arsenal Funding Risks (20:08) Getting Involved With NDIA (27:34) Sponsor Break and Return (29:04) Meet Chuck Cogger (51:17) Final Reflections and Homework In This Episode You'll DiscoverWhy Michigan's defense industrial base is facing a two-billion-dollar-a-year funding shift, and what it means for the state's workforceHow Chuck Cogger leads an all-volunteer chapter of 1,600-plus members through trust instead of rankWhat Scott Davis learned bridging both sides of the industry-government divideWhy the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition, October 12-14 in Washington, D.C., matters for Michigan's defense community Featured GuestsScott Davis - President, NDIA Michigan. 30-year Army Reserve officer, former Detroit Arsenal program executive officer, former VP of combat vehicle systems at BAE Systems. Connect: https://ndia-mich.org/ Chuck Cogger - Chapter President, Arsenal of Democracy Chapter of AUSA. 23-year field artillery officer. Connect: https://www.ausaarsenalofdemocracy.org/ | presidentaod@ausa.org | membership.aod@ausa.org Resources & LinksPortions of this conversation are featured in A&D Intel, the newsletter Macomb County's Chamber of Commerce publishes for the aerospace and defense community. Subscribe: https://macombcountychamber.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=794f0be43deedac8bc379a174&id=48431cb0b8 Explore membership: Arsenal of Democracy Chapter of AUSA (https://www.ausaarsenalofdemocracy.org/) | NDIA Michigan (https://ndia-mich.org/) 2026 AUSA Annual Meeting registration: https://www.ausa.org/news/registration-opens-2026-ausa-annual-meeting Learn More: Hardcore and At Ease Framework: https://www.othersoverself.com | Personal Mission Statement Workshop / Strategy Session: info@missionambition.org Affiliate Disclaimer: I only recommend products I genuinely use. Full disclosure: https://othersoverself.com/affiliate-disclaimer/ Get the Gear: Business Report: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/biz-report | StoryBrand.ai: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/storybrand-ai | Business Made Simple: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/bms | Flight School: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/flight-school | Marketing Report: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/marketing-report Subscribe & ConnectListen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify (https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/listen) | YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbwdY5eMeQlCbUmUIAmiiedzPazjuPBxG) | https://othersoverself.com Connect: LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/missionambition/) | Instagram @TheShellyRood | Twitter/X @OthersOverSelf Email: info@missionambition.org | Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts | Work with Shelly: info@missionambition.org

    Michigan's Defense Leadership, From Two Different Chairs

  4. Aug 25

    The Leadership Job That Never Clocks Out

    Ep62. "The Leadership Job That Never Clocks Out" with Guest Brigadier General Daniel J. Kramer II, Assistant Adjutant General, Michigan Air National Guard The meeting won't end. The phone buzzes through dinner. And somewhere along the way, you started believing that if you were doing this right, you'd have this balanced by now. The more responsibility a leader carries, the more the job follows them home, and it never fully clocks out. This episode sits inside that trade with someone who's lived almost thirty years of it: Brigadier General Dan Kramer of the Michigan Air National Guard. You'll hear why balance was never actually the finish line, what a one-star general still hasn't solved about leadership and time, and a concrete way to protect the hours you already have instead of chasing more of them. Brigadier General Kramer leads Selfridge Air National Guard Base, a 3,000-acre installation that just secured a second flying mission after years on the chopping block. His candor about what rank actually costs a family, and what he protects instead, anchors this conversation. CHAPTERS & TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Responsibility vs Balance (01:13) Meet General Dan Kramer (03:36) Michigan Roots and Homecoming (09:04) Career Growth at Selfridge (13:07) Purpose Built Leadership (21:38) Protecting Time and Connection (31:29) Mission Next and Final Takeaways IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL DISCOVER ✓ Why balance was never the real target for leaders carrying genuine responsibility ✓ What a Brigadier General still hasn't solved about leadership and time, and why that matters for you ✓ A simple weekly practice for protecting the hours you already have ✓ Why full presence in limited time beats chasing more hours every time FEATURED GUEST Brigadier General Dan Kramer — Michigan Air National Guard, Selfridge Air National Guard Base Leads a 3,000-acre installation that just secured a second flying mission for Selfridge after years of uncertainty. Almost thirty years of service across active duty and the Michigan Air National Guard, including postings in Texas and Germany. RESOURCES & LINKS Learn More: Hardcore and At Ease Framework: https://www.OthersOverSelf.com | Join the community: https://join.othersoverself.com A&D Intel Newsletter (Macomb County Chamber of Commerce, for the aerospace and defense community): https://macombcountychamber.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=794f0be43deedac8bc379a174&id=48431cb0b8 Affiliate Disclaimer: I only recommend products I genuinely use. Full disclosure: https://othersoverself.com/affiliate-disclaimer/ Get the Gear: My Business Report: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/biz-report | StoryBrand.ai: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/storybrand-ai | Business Made Simple: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/bms | Flight School: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/flight-school | My Marketing Report: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/marketing-report SUBSCRIBE & CONNECT Listen: Apple Podcasts: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/listen | Spotify: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/listen | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbwdY5eMeQlCbUmUIAmiiedzPazjuPBxG | https://othersoverself.com Connect: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/missionambition/ | Instagram: @TheShellyRood Email: info@missionambition.org Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts Work with Shelly: One-on-One Coaching | Personal Mission Statement Workshop | Team Training. Book a discovery call: info@missionambition.org

    The Leadership Job That Never Clocks Out

  5. Aug 18

    Selfridge's $2 Billion Build-Out: The Judgment Call No Committee Could Overrule

    Ep61: Selfridge's $2 Billion Build-Out: The Judgment Call No Committee Could Overrule | Hardcore and At Ease - powered by Others Over Self® with host Shelly Rood Vicky Rowinski's team got told no twice on the F-35. Her read on the numbers never changed anyway, and neither did the outcome for Selfridge. A few times a year, Shelly Rood checks in with Vicky Rowinski, head of economic development for Macomb County, to hear where things stand at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. This time, there's two billion dollars on the table for infrastructure tied to the F-15EX Eagle II mission, and years of setbacks that came before the momentum finally showed up. You'll hear how Selfridge lost the F-35 beddown twice before landing the mission driving this build-out now. You'll get the real mechanics behind how a two-billion-dollar infrastructure project gets built, county by county: industry days, funding pipelines, and a small business success story with SAPA that grew from 13 employees to a 350-person expansion. And you'll hear what it looks like to hold your own judgment steady through years of no before the yes finally comes. Vicky Rowinski leads economic development for Macomb County, Michigan and has spent over a decade building the relationships and track record behind Selfridge's current momentum. She first joined the show back on Episode 36 and returns here with a full update. Chapters (00:00) Earned Judgment Intro (02:14) Selfridge Mission Next Overview (05:26) Runway Expansion and Local Impacts (10:55) Industry Days and Funding Pipeline (15:10) Resilience Through Setbacks (25:39) SAPA Small Business Win (36:05) Trust Your Own Authority Outro In This Episode You'll Discover Why Selfridge losing the F-35 beddown twice didn't shake Vicky Rowinski's read on the numbersHow a $2 billion infrastructure project gets built, from industry days to funding pipelinesThe small business story behind SAPA's growth from 13 employees to a 350-person expansionWhat it looks like to hold your judgment steady when the official answer keeps coming back no Featured Guest Vicky Rowinski — Head of Economic Development, Macomb County, Michigan Vicky leads economic development for Macomb County and has spent over a decade building the county's role in Selfridge's infrastructure growth. Returning guest, first featured on Episode 36. Connect: SelfridgeMissionNext.com Resources & Links Hardcore and At Ease Framework: https://www.OthersOverSelf.com Personal Mission Statement Workshop: info@missionambition.org Book a Strategy Session: info@missionambition.org Affiliate Disclaimer: Shelly only recommends products she genuinely uses. Full disclosure: https://othersoverself.com/affiliate-disclaimer/ Get the Gear: Shelly's Business Report: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/biz-report | StoryBrand.ai: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/storybrand-ai | Business Made Simple: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/bms | Flight School: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/flight-school | Shelly's Marketing Report: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/marketing-report Subscribe & Connect Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | https://othersoverself.com Connect: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/missionambition/ | Instagram: @TheShellyRood | Twitter/X: @OthersOverSelf Email: info@missionambition.org Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts Work with Shelly: One-on-One Coaching | Personal Mission Statement Workshop | Team Training — Book a discovery call: info@missionambition.org

    Selfridge's $2 Billion Build-Out: The Judgment Call No Committee Could Overrule

  6. Aug 11

    How to Write a Personal Manifesto That Holds Steady When Life Won't

    Episode 60 - "How to Write a Personal Manifesto That Holds Steady When Life Won't" Hardcore and At Ease - powered by Others Over Self®, Hosted by Shelly Rood You can't conquer a season that refuses to end, but you can write a personal manifesto that holds steady when life won't. This episode teaches you exactly how. Some seasons don't have a finish line. You can grit your teeth, keep your head down, and wait for it to be over, but terrain like that doesn't respond to force. In this episode, host Shelly Rood walks you through the exact workshop she taught this weekend: how to write a personal manifesto, a short list of things you know to be true on the days nothing else agrees with you. Shelly shares three real lines from her own manifesto, the story behind each one, and the circle of control tool that helps you know exactly where to aim your energy when so much of what is happening is outside your hands. By the end of this episode, you will have everything you need to start writing your own manifesto tonight, something that holds steady no matter what today throws at you. In this episode: Why "conquering" a season that won't end doesn't work, and what to do insteadHow to write a personal manifesto: three real lines from Shelly's own manifesto and the story behind each oneThe circle of control: sorting what's actually yours to act on from what isn'tHow a personal manifesto becomes the practical output of your Tactical Center work Chapters: 00:00 When Everything Hits 01:43 Why I Spoke Up 03:57 Listener Shoutout 05:46 Wilderness, Not a Fight 09:23 Write Your Manifesto 10:07 Three Lines That Hold 25:05 Circle of Control Wrap Learn More: Hardcore and At Ease Framework: https://www.othersoverself.com The full written version of this workshop (publishes Wednesday): https://missionwildflower.com Personal Manifesto Workshop / Strategy Session: info@missionambition.org I only recommend products I genuinely use. Full affiliate disclosure: https://othersoverself.com/affiliate-disclaimer/ Get the Gear: 📊 My Business Report: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/biz-report 🎯 StoryBrand.ai: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/storybrand-ai 📚 Business Made Simple: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/bms 🚀 Flight School: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/flight-school 📈 My Marketing Report: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/marketing-report Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | https://othersoverself.com Connect: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/missionambition | Instagram: @TheShellyRood | Twitter/X: @OthersOverSelf Email: info@missionambition.org Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts Work with Shelly: One-on-One Coaching | Personal Manifesto Workshop | Team Training — book a discovery call at info@missionambition.org

    How to Write a Personal Manifesto That Holds Steady When Life Won't

  7. Aug 4

    What Advancement Demands of the Person Leading It

    Episode 59 - "What Advancement Demands of the Person Leading It," with guest Stacey Eeman Sound familiar? You're pushing your whole team forward in manufacturing, aerospace, or any high-pressure industry, and somewhere along the way you've quietly decided one of them is never going to catch up. On this episode of Hardcore and At Ease, host Shelly Rood sits down with Stacey Eeman, Director, Industry Strategy at SME, for a conversation about leadership, change management, and technology adoption inside one of the most demanding industries in the country: aerospace and defense manufacturing. This episode continues Season 2's look at the unwinnable situations leaders are still inside, not the ones they've already solved. Advancing anything, a team, a company, an entire manufacturing industry, never happens on one single timeline, and sometimes that means leaving someone behind, whether it's said out loud or not. Listeners will hear the real numbers Stacey uses to describe who adapts, who struggles, and who simply doesn't come along, and why she refuses to let any of it turn her hard. The conversation also covers how a commercial pickup truck platform became a U.S. Army vehicle, and one small, specific move any leader can make this week with the person whose pace has been testing their patience most. ABOUT YOUR HOST Shelly Rood is the host of Hardcore and At Ease and co-host of Veterans Radio. A former U.S. Army Reserve Captain of Military Intelligence and Distinguished Military Graduate, she spent years as a broadcast television executive before becoming a certified Business Coach and StoryBrand Guide. Shelly has candid conversations with leaders who haven't lost themselves, sharing proven strategies so listeners can choose to live a better story. FEATURED GUEST Stacey Eeman is Director, Industry Strategy at SME, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the nonprofit association advancing North American manufacturing technology, talent, and workforce development. She has spent over 40 years in the manufacturing industry, from CNC machining to injection molding to inventing one of the first online Kanban systems, and now works at the exact intersection where aerospace, automotive, and national defense manufacturing collide. Connect: sme.org | advancedmanufacturing.org WHAT DOES SME STAND FOR? SME stands for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, a 90-year-old nonprofit association representing manufacturers, educators, and professionals across North America. Its mission is to accelerate the adoption of manufacturing technology and build the talent pipeline the industry depends on, work that shows up directly in this conversation. WHAT IS THE ISV VEHICLE? ISV stands for Infantry Squad Vehicle, a lightweight U.S. Army transport vehicle developed by GM Defense. It's built on the same platform as the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, a commercial truck, making it a real-world example of the commercial-to-defense pipeline discussed in this episode. CHAPTER 00:00 Who Adapts to Change 00:49 Leadership in the Gap 01:22 A Cautionary Tale 04:47 Meet Stacey Eaman 08:25 SME and Smart Tech 16:56 Defense Manufacturing Reality 35:46 Closing Lessons and Challenge IN THIS EPISODE LISTENERS WILL DISCOVER ✓ Why advancing a team sometimes quietly means leaving someone behind, and what to actually do about it✓ The real percentages Stacey uses for who adapts, who struggles, and who never comes along✓ What the ISV vehicle reveals about commercial manufacturers dipping back into national defense✓ One small, specific move to make this week with the person testing a leader's patience most TOPICS COVERED Manufacturing leadership, aerospace and defense manufacturing, workforce development, technology adoption, change management, Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), GM Defense, Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), Others Over Self®, Hardcore and At Ease Framework RESOURCES & LINKS Hardcore and At Ease Framework: https://www.OthersOverSelf.com Macomb A&D Intel Newsletter: https://macombcountychamber.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=794f0be43deedac8bc379a174&id=48431cb0b8 GM Defense Infantry Squad Vehicle: gmdefensellc.com Book a Strategy Session: info@missionambition.org Affiliate Disclaimer: Shelly only recommends products she genuinely uses. Full disclosure: https://othersoverself.com/affiliate-disclaimer/ SUBSCRIBE & CONNECT Listen: Apple | Spotify | YouTube | https://othersoverself.com Connect: LinkedIn | Instagram @TheShellyRood | info@missionambition.org Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, it helps other mission-driven leaders find this show. Work with Shelly: One-on-One Coaching | Workshops | Team Training. Book a discovery call: info@missionambition.org Mentioned in this episode: Notion Design Group - Sites That Drive Sales  notiondesigngroup. com "Violent Positivity," by Doug "Odie" Slocum   📍 www.violentpositivity.com

    What Advancement Demands of the Person Leading It

  8. Jul 28

    Friendship and Leadership Are Not the Same Thing

    Ep58, Friendship and Leadership Are Not the Same Thing You can lead a team through anything. Run a program with a hundred moving parts. So why does female friendship keep being the terrain you get wrong? Episode DescriptionLeadership and friendship are not the same skill, and for most of her adult life, host Shelly Rood confused the two. In this solo episode, she names two women veteran friendships that ended in recent years, the wilderness underneath both, and what she's still learning about presence, agency, and boundaries. This isn't a story about failure. Both women knew what they wanted from the relationship, and both had the courage to act on it. Shelly walks through the difference between a friendship running on a rhythm mismatch, two women built for different paces who are both still fully in, and one that's become imbalanced, where one woman is doing all the giving. You'll leave with a question to sit with, not a tidy answer, and permission to pause a friendship if you're standing in your own wilderness right now. This episode connects directly to Chapter 12 of The Wilderness and the Wildflower: Naming the Language of Women Veterans, "The Long Campaign," and sets up next episode's harder conversation: when it's time for a boundary instead of patience. In This Episode You'll DiscoverWhy leadership skill doesn't automatically transfer to friendship skill, and how that misunderstanding shapes women veterans' relationshipsThe difference between a rhythm mismatch and an imbalance, and the one question to ask before you assume eitherWhy peer groups exist to help you find friends beyond the person who led you there, and what that means for Be At Ease, Woman Veteran™Permission to pause a friendship when you're navigating your own wilderness, without assigning malice to the woman on the other side of it Chatpers 00:00 Leadership vs Friendship 02:39 Honoring a Listener 03:33 Nancy Dakin's "The Quietest Flight" 05:25 Story One The Silence 09:05 Story Two The Grief 5:08 Reframe and Next Steps Featured StoryNancy Dakin, retired Air Force Colonel, Mission Ambition FCOO, and 3,000+ flight hours across three weapons systems, shares "The Quietest Flight," publishing this Sunday, August 2, 2026, on Mission Wildflower 🌻. Subscribe now and it lands in your inbox that morning, or find it in the archive after. Next Episode PreviewNext Solo Episode: Chapter 13 picks up where today leaves off, when the rhythm isn't the problem anymore and it's time for a boundary instead of patience. Resources & LinksLearn More: Hardcore and At Ease Framework: https://www.othersoverself.comMission Wildflower (Nancy's story, "The Quietest Flight," Aug 2): missionwildflower.comBe At Ease, Woman Veteran™ gatherings: join.othersoverself.comBook a Strategy Session: info@missionambition.org Affiliate Disclaimer: I only recommend products I genuinely use. Full disclosure: https://othersoverself.com/affiliate-disclaimer/ Subscribe & ConnectListen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | iHeart Radio | https://othersoverself.com Connect: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/missionambition | Instagram: @TheShellyRood | Twitter/X: @OthersOverSelf Email: info@missionambition.org Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts Work with Shelly: One-on-One Coaching | Personal Mission Statement Workshop | Team Training — book a discovery call: info@missionambition.org

    Friendship and Leadership Are Not the Same Thing
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How come some people are always winning? Like they're just running downhill, loving life, while others of us are over here thinking, "if I take a break, everything will break." Are you delivering results from a constant state of urgency? And are you tired of feeling like you're the only one who actually cares about doing exceptional work? The Problem Most Leadership Advice Won't Solve: You're not broken, you're just Hardcore without being At Ease. While leadership wisdom is timeless, today's ambitious leaders face unique modern challenges that require ancient principles applied through current experience. Hardcore and At Ease gives you timeless wisdom applied to modern leadership challenges. Host Shelly Rood and her guests are actively leading teams, building organizations, and implementing proven frameworks right now—bridging ancient principles with current implementation. Join candid conversations with people who are obsessed with excellence as we share what to do every day to minimize stress, make smarter decisions, and finally get the people around us to match our energy. These are raw, candid conversations with current leaders who've figured out how to harness their drive as a competitive advantage. We'll explore how to keep your edge without going over the edge, why your ambition is your greatest asset but can become your biggest liability without the right approach, and how to finally get people to match your energy without burning them out. You'll hear about the Others Over Self® advantage that multiplies impact instead of just creating results, and discover the difference between working harder and working with unstoppable impact. This isn't surface-level business advice. Drawing from 16 years in Military Intelligence and active leadership experience, Shelly addresses the moral, spiritual, and existential challenges high-performers face—from survival guilt and hyper-vigilance to the stigma around seeking help when you're supposed to be the strong one. About Your Host: Shelly C. Rood is a certified business coach, former Military Intelligence Captain, and current leader who's walked the path from frustrated urgency to authentic confidence. She specializes in applying timeless leadership principles to modern team challenges—implementing the Hardcore and At Ease Framework with real teams facing real challenges. Join the thousands of mission-driven leaders who have figured out how to keep their edge without going over the edge. Connect with this community at join.othersoverself.com where you can dive deeper into past episodes, ask questions, and get direct access to additional resources. New episodes every Tuesday.

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