People. Process. Progress.

What should you do during your first days as a leader? Many new managers and executives feel pressure to prove themselves by introducing new processes, reorganizing teams, or making immediate changes. But what if the best first move is something different? Inspired by Bruce Lee's famous advice to "be like water," Kevin Pannell explores why effective leadership begins with observation, curiosity, a...

The traditional project management Big Three of Scope, Schedule, and Cost are foundational. They are not going anywhere, and they should not. However, those metrics primarily measure the process. If you only look at data on a digital dashboard, you are missing the human element that determines whether a project succeeds or fails. In this episode, we break down how to augment your traditional const...

A 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 massiv...

Welcome 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...

At 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 you...

There 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 co...

In 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 scro...

Magic and Logic: What Project Leaders Can Learn from Coach’s Billion Dollar Growth In 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 e...

What 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 be...

Most 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, consi...

What 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 manageme...

What 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-...

When the System Fails, Your Skill Shows If 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...

What You Say Yes To Trying 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 progress How attention and capacity affect outcomes at work and in life Practical ways to choose what deserves your focus If you feel busy but not ef...

You Can’t Do It All, So Do What Matters We 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 commitments The difference between activity and real outcomes How to make better decisions about what...

Why Caregivers and First Responders Feel It After You’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 moment The impact of adrenaline, cortisol, and staying “on” too long A simple reset to manage stress and stay steady If you’re the one people rely on in em...

This 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 wh...

Are 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 sha...

The 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 you...

Move Your Body: From Optional to Non-Negotiable Building fitness into who you are will always outperform trying to motivate yourself every day. In this episode of Own. Move. Anchor., Kevin breaks down how movement shifted from survival and identity to something many treat as optional, and why that needs to change. From ancient culture to modern convenience, this episode connects movement to clarit...

This Foundation Friday, Control Your Reactions Before They Control You, builds on the concept of the space between reaction and response and brings it into real life. Through a simple but relatable moment at home, Kevin walks through how quickly reaction can take over and how a brief pause can completely change the outcome. He connects this to leadership, meetings, and high-pressure situations whe...

Stop reacting and start responding. In the premiere of the rebranded Own. Move. Anchor., Kevin Pannell explores the life-changing power of "The Space Between"—the split-second where you reclaim control, even when circumstances feel overwhelming. Drawing on the profound survival insights of psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, this episode breaks down why we default to "automatic" reactions and how that cyc...

Most teams plan to 100% capacity and call it efficiency. In reality, that’s where things start to break. In this episode, I walk through a better way to think about capacity, not as a percentage on a heatmap, but as a balance between people, workload, and real-world unpredictability. You’ll hear how experienced and developing project managers handle workload differently, why not all work should be...

Many projects struggle not because of poor execution, but because alignment was never built at the start. In this episode, The First 30 Days Will Make or Break Your Project, Kevin Pannell shares practical leadership lessons on why the first 30 days of a project matter most. Drawing from experience in healthcare IT, emergency management, and cross-organizational initiatives, he explains how clear i...

A lot of young people feel like they are already late. Late to choose the right major, late to land the right job, late to make real money, late to figure life out. In this episode, Why Feeling Behind Is Killing Your Progress, I share the long arc of my own path, from joining the Navy at 19 to working IT support at 25, going back to college at 29, graduating at 32 with a newborn at home, serving i...