People Process Progress

In this episode, I share seven books I read, or returned to, in 2025 that helped me stay disciplined, grounded, and clear-headed heading into 2026. These aren’t trend-driven recommendations. They’re books focused on hardship, meaning, faith, resilience, and personal responsibility. Some pushed me physically, others reshaped how I think about suffering and connection. All of them helped me show up better in my life and leadership. Books Discussed in This Episode Read the full post and resources: https://peopleprocessprogress.com/2026/01/01/7-books-to-start-2026-strong/ Own your mind. Move your body. Anchor your spirit.

As of the end of 2025, What 2025 Taught Me and How I’m Setting Up 2026, People, Process, Progress has reached listeners and viewers around the world. The audio podcast has generated approximately 78,000 total listens across 324 episodes and has been heard in 138 countries. Across the full catalog, the show maintains an average episode engagement of over 80%, meaning most listeners who start an episode stay with it. That matters because it signals relevance and trust, not just reach. On YouTube, content across the channel has generated over 848,000 total views, reaching viewers in 128 countries. The data reinforces a clear direction moving forward. Episodes built around clear problems, practical frameworks, and lived experience consistently resonate more deeply than generic motivation or surface-level commentary. In 2026, the show will move into a steady rotation, alternating between short, structured solo episodes and conversations with leaders and business owners from the New River Valley who are quietly building, serving, and leading in their communities. Same values. Clearer focus. More grounded conversations. Godspeed y'all.

In this Faith in Action Friday episode, Faith Lived Through Discipline, Structure, and Service, I reflect on my recent conversation with Adam, a police officer, jiu jitsu black belt, and gym owner. His story highlights how faith is often lived out through consistent action, structure, and service, not loud words or perfect belief. Faith doesn’t always show up as certainty or comfort. Sometimes it shows up as discipline, restraint, and choosing to do the right thing when it would be easier to shut down. We explore Psalm 34:19 and what it really means to walk through hardship without becoming hardened by it. This episode is about resilience, accountability, and faith expressed through daily choices. Key Themes: Call to Action: Listen to the full interview with Adam and share this episode with someone who needs structure more than motivation.

In this episode of People, Process, Progress, I talk with Adam, a police officer, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, gym owner, and MBA graduate, about leadership shaped by real-life experience. Adam shares how growing up with instability and the impact of a compassionate police officer early in life set him on a path into law enforcement. We discuss his journey from the jails to patrol and SWAT, the weight of critical incidents, and responding to the death of a close friend. We also explore how Brazilian Jiu Jitsu became a foundation for discipline, humility, and resilience, ultimately leading Adam to open Blue Gorilla BJJ and build a community rooted in accountability and respect. This episode launches the People, Process, Progress of the New River Valley series, focused on the people doing meaningful work in our region. Watch the full video interview on the People, Process, Progress YouTube channel, or listen on your favorite podcast platform. For more interviews and insights, visit peopleprocessprogress.com. People first, process aligned, progress together.

Growth can’t be rushed. In this Faith in Action Friday episode, Kevin reflects on a lesson drawn from farming and from life experience: you can do the right work and still harm the outcome if you try to force progress. Using Psalm 126:5–6, this episode explores the difference between sowing well and harvesting too early, and what patience, consistency, and faith look like in 2025.

Life in the New River Valley has shaped me in ways I never expected. In this Season 9 opener, I share how the move, the mountains, the community, and the challenges along the way changed my approach to family, leadership, health, and resilience. This season, I will be talking with people across the region and sharing my own reflections as we explore the real stories and steady progress happening here.

In a world accelerated by AI, leadership still comes down to human judgment. Today’s episode looks at how President Kennedy used quiet moments during the Cuban Missile Crisis to think clearly and choose restraint, and how we can do the same. This week’s tool from The Stability Equation is The Mental Stop Sign a simple way to slow down, breathe, and make decisions from calm rather than pressure. Takeaways • A pause can shift an entire day • The Mental Stop Sign settles your mind fast • Prayer and mindfulness strengthen leadership • AI can inform us, but wisdom guides us One pause, one breath, one clear decision.

AI is no longer just an operational tool. It’s becoming one of the most important strategic lenses healthcare leaders can use. In this episode, Kevin explains how AI can sharpen decision-making, strengthen business cases, highlight opportunities you can’t see from the boardroom, and help leaders measure progress with smarter, predictive metrics. You’ll hear how executives can use AI to guide portfolio decisions, forecast ROI, identify gaps across the system, and build KPIs that actually show future impact. Kevin also shares how governance and a focused analytics team can turn AI into a leadership advantage rather than a scattered set of tech projects. If you want to bring more clarity to complex decisions and lead with greater purpose, this episode is for you.

Shake It Off, Step Up | Faith in Action Friday 03 Some weeks feel like life is throwing dirt straight onto our backs. Stress, pressure, grief, fear, and the quiet battles no one sees. In this Faith in Action Friday episode, we walk through the donkey-in-the-well parable and connect it to the real experiences many of us face. I share how I didn’t always “shake it off” or climb. I didn’t always have strong faith. I blamed others, blamed circumstances, even blamed God. But over the last four or five years, I’ve learned the tools that help me rise when new dirt hits my back. This is a message for anyone who’s felt buried, overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure of the next step. You’re not alone, and you don’t have to climb alone. ⚓ Anchor Actions from the Episode: If this episode encourages you, share it with someone who may feel buried today. Own your mind, move your body, anchor your spirit. 

A clear definition of done can make or break a project. In this episode, How to Make "Done" Mean Done, I share lessons from projects where success was obvious, as well as moments where even well written requirements failed to reflect what the customer really needed or what the leader intended. I also talk through how expectations get added quietly, why shadow scope appears, and how to protect the finish line so teams can deliver with confidence. What You Will Learn: Resources: People Process Progress: https://peopleprocessprogress.com The People, Process, and Progress of Project Management: https://a.co/d/49be40g People first, Process aligned, Progress together.

Faith in Action Friday 02: Faith in the Right People Sometimes people are at their lowest, and one moment of noticing can steady them. I share two moments that shaped me. A dad at daycare who saw I wasn’t ok as a new father, and a stranger during my midlife crisis who told me, “God will get you through this.” Those moments reminded me that faith in people is found in small acts of attention. This episode connects to the full episode, How to Get the Right People in the Room so Progress Happens. Progress requires trust, the right voices, and the courage to invite people back into your life. Today’s question: Who do you need to invite into your world again? People first, process aligned, progress together, so that YOU can; Own your mind, move your body, anchor your spirit.

Most meetings look right on the surface, but progress slows when the people who understand the work are not in the room. In this episode, How to Get the Right People in the Room so Progress Happens, I share how to identify the real business owner, balance the right voices, set expectations that matter, and protect the purpose of the meeting. You will also hear why strong leaders do not sit in every meeting, and how trust and presence shape better decisions and better outcomes. What You Will Learn Resources People Process Progress: https://peopleprocessprogress.com The People, Process, and Progress of Project Management: https://a.co/d/5MN3yEm People first, Process aligned, Progress together.

In this first Faith in Action Friday episode, Lessons in Faith from Viktor Frankl, I share how Viktor Frankl’s experience in the worst human conditions helped me reconnect with my own faith. Not religion, not routine, but real faith in meaning, faith in people, and faith in myself. Frankl’s story reminds us that even when everything is taken from us, we still have the power to choose our response. In this short reflection, we explore people, process, and progress through the lens of faith and consider where a little trust could lighten the load we carry. Key Points: Listener consideration: Where in your life have you been carrying the weight alone when a little faith could lighten the load? Closing message:

When a project starts to slip, silence is the real risk. In this episode, Kevin Pannell shares how to escalate early, run real-time retros, and rebuild the plan using the KISS method, keeping it simple and strategic. Learn how to make escalation collaborative, protect team trust, and turn failure into alignment. Based on the Progress section of The People, Process, and Progress of Project Management.

In 1985, forty-six of the biggest names in music walked into a studio on Sunset Boulevard after the American Music Awards. No press, no leaks, just purpose. We Are the World was not just a song, it was a project. A one-night mission to create something that would feed millions of people suffering from famine in Africa. In this episode of People, Process, Progress, Kevin revisits the story he first explored in a March 2024 Hope is NOT a Plan episode, this time through the lens of leadership, culture, and the Seven Project Pillars. Through the calm and clarity of Quincy Jones and the creativity of Lionel Richie, this team turned ego into empathy and chaos into collaboration. You will learn how thought leadership, intentional communication, and structured coordination helped them pull off one of the greatest overnight projects in history, and how those same lessons apply to your projects and teams today. Episode Quote: “Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie did not lead through control, they led through trust, and they showed us that people will rise to the mission when the purpose is clear and the tone is right.”

In The Right People on the Bus, I share how a Nick Saban clip popped up in my algorithm this week, and it hit home. His message about getting the right people on the bus, and the wrong people off, speaks directly to project leadership. As project managers, we build our own teams every day, and success depends on who is on board, how we support them, and when we recognize it is time for someone to move on. In this episode, I share what Saban’s philosophy means for project teams: how to foster high performers, coach those who need direction, and help those who are ready to get off at their own stop. Leadership is about alignment, accountability, and care, not control. ???? Takeaway: Make every effort to keep everyone on the bus, but recognize when it is time for someone to find a different route. ???? Learn more about my books and podcast at https://peopleprocessprogress.com ???? The Stability Equation: 7 Pillars for a More Balanced Life ???? The People, Process, and Progress of Project Management ????️ Own your mind, move your body, anchor your spirit.

In Build the Sidewalk Where People Already Walk, we explore what happens when project teams design based on real behavior instead of assumptions. Drawing from a Lean Coffee discussion and PMI’s survey findings that the customer is the ultimate indicator of success, this episode challenges leaders to define “done” through the eyes of the end user. Kevin shares how observation, empathy, and feedback lead to better requirements, stronger outcomes, and lasting trust. Learn how to build projects that people actually use and appreciate.

We already know what to do and what not to do in our lives, but when our intent drifts, so does our progress. This Focus Friday builds on When Strategy Fails: Fix the Intent Gap by combining principles from The Stability Equation and The People, Process, and Progress of Project Management to help you reset your intent, align your people and process, and move forward with purpose.

Most failed strategies don’t collapse because of evil plans or poor execution. They fail because the intent behind them was never clear. In this episode of People, Process, Progress, I unpack what I call the Intent Gap: the disconnect between leadership vision and team understanding. Drawing from The People, Process, and Progress of Project Management, I share how defining intent early gives teams direction, how to test for alignment, and how to fix the gap before it derails execution. If your projects feel busy but not aligned, this episode will help you rebuild clarity and momentum from the top down. Dive deeper in the book at https://a.co/d/eQKtRpI

One week ago I was crawling because I couldn’t walk. The pain reminded me of when a back injury led to discovering my kidney cancer. I panicked, then focused on my breath and what I could do with what I had. In Build Resilience Ahead of Time Not During the Emergency, I share how preparation, mindfulness, and PACE planning help us recover faster in life, leadership, and project management.