S5:E137🎙️ LIVE with MAJ E. Sean Lanier, USA (Ret.) (MULTI TRACKS AUDIO)

Hi, I'm John Maxwell. When the top companies in the world are looking for trainers, speakers, and coaches, there's one name that stands above the rest, and that's Maxwell Leadership. Our certified team members have gotten proven results for companies all over the globe, and our reputation I'm proud to say, is second to none. Some of our members have risen to the top of their profession, including the one you're going to meet today.

I proudly introduce you to my friend, Bob Fabien Zinga. Welcome to the Leadership and Success Podcast with your host, Coach BZ, where we help you lead with purpose and succeed with impact. If you're ready to grow into the kind of leader others want to follow, this podcast is for you. If you're determined to elevate your success and leave a lasting legacy, this podcast is for you. As my mentor, Dr. John C. Maxwell, reminds us, everything rises and falls on leadership. Our goal is simple: to inspire you, challenge you, and equip you with insights that can transform the trajectory of your leadership journey. Welcome aboard to another episode of the Leadership and Success Podcast. The World Tonight podcast with Coach Beasy. Welcome back to The World Tonight here on BNC. A retired Army veteran sees military training as a way to develop the skills that lead to economic and professional success in corporations, as entrepreneurs, or as military officers. E. Sean Lanier— Lanier, rather— spent his career as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, but he launched Resolve Solutions Incorporated 3 years ago to help students get ROTC scholarships or enter one of the 5 military service academies. Joining us now is E. Sean Lanier, founder and executive director of Resolve Solutions Incorporated. Sean, good of you to join us. First of all, thank you for your service. As a vet and a graduate of Virginia Military Institute, tell us why you see military training as a generational wealth creator? Well, first of all, thank you for having me on this day special. And it kind of ties in with Dr. King and what he was saying, that one of the messages lost for economic justice. And people kind of forget in the African-American community that the military was often used as a stepping stone to get into the middle class. And right now, we know that 29% of kids are not eligible for military service due to obesity, criminal records, and drug usage. But, and even now with the COVID pandemic, you're gonna see probably in the next 5 years with long haulers, an increased number of diabilities that's disqualified. And for a lot of these kids that's out here, that's generational wealth creation through home ownership and using the VA certificate to purchase a home with no money down. That's the equivalent to about $1 million over the course of a lifetime, or being able to use a GI Bill benefits to raise their lifetime earned income level by getting an advanced degree or passing that benefit on to a spouse or passing it on to their kids in order to save college costs, or just simply for themselves, just coming out of college with reduced college debt. You know, Sean, what you just said is—

All right. Thank you for watching our next episode, our second episode. Today we have a very special guest waiting for you right now. And before we get started, as you know, Our custom here is to start with what we call moment of gratitude. Just like earlier today, I am really grateful for freedom. We just passed on June 19th and we are heading toward July 4th. And I believe I am so, so grateful to live in freedom, right? America, the land of the free, the home of the brave. And something I'm so grateful for. So let us know in the comment where you are watching us from, what city, what state, and if outside of the US, which country. Let us also know what you are grateful for today. And if you have a question for my guest, please type it in the comment and we will be answering live. So without any further ado, let me see if I can properly introduce our guest today. I'm gonna be speaking to Major Ishan Lanay, US Army retired, 24-year US Army veteran, former Black Hawk pilot, Presidential Leadership Scholar, and founder and executive director of Resolve Solutions Incorporated. Sean's journey is a powerful example of what happens when leadership is rooted in service. From flying helicopters and leading soldiers around the world to helping hundreds of students access life-changing educational opportunities, Sean has dedicated his life to developing leaders, who will serve something greater than themselves. Through Resolve Solutions, Sean has helped more than 500 students. Let me repeat that, 500 students earn millions of dollars in scholarship, ROTC opportunities, and service academy appointments while building a pipeline of future military officers, public servants, and community leaders. This is a conversation about leadership, resilience, mentorship, service, and leaving a legacy that outlasts your own career. Part of what you're gonna be learning today is on leadership lessons from 24 years of military service service, but also how each of us can help create opportunities for the next generation. And I'm going to give you an opportunity to help Sean with all of the work he is doing toward the end of the podcast. So without any further ado, please help me welcome to the Leadership and Success Podcast, the one and only Major Sean Lanier. Good afternoon, sir. How are you doing today, Sean?

I'm doing well, yes, sir. Thank you for this opportunity, and thank you for your service to our nation.

Thank you. And what is one thing you are grateful for today?

I'm actually dialing in from here in Petersburg, Virginia, where I grew up at. I'm grateful that I'm visiting my mom, who unfortunately has advanced dementia, and her husband is recovering from prostate cancer. So I'm grateful to be able to spend some time with them while I'm here and where I kind of grew up and where a lot of this kind of started for RSI.

Yeah, I wish her well, and I hope your mom and husband get better, uh, soon. Uh, is there something about you that most people may not know, kind of like your superpower or something unique?

Uh, I think, I think my superpower honestly is just being able to— it sounds weird, but able to think, um, simultaneously, like tactically, uh, operationally and strategically simultaneously. I have a, I have a way that I, I'm not gonna say that it's unique But I just have a high empathy quotient. I understand people's perspective. I meet people where they're at, but I also understand what their motivations are, but also what's that ecosystem around them that got them to that point. And that resonates a lot with me because a lot of what I learned was through my grandmother. And it's hard to unlearn what you was taught as a child. At the core, at the end of the day, I'm here in Petersburg. I'm not E. Sean Lanier. I'm Miss Peach's grandson, Miss Alice D. Lanier. And her passion to help kids went off of me. So we're not— I'm not measured necessarily by what rank I achieve, what degrees that I get, but more about how people are impacted, how many people help, because that was her passion. And this kind of trickled down to me.

Wow, that is so powerful. I think that's really true leadership. Can you tell us more about the impact of your grandmother on your life? That's really fascinating.

Well, my grandmother, um, she was As far as I remember, she was always about, I hear her voice every day, think about the children. But I know that she tried to get a law passed for National Children's Day, which wasn't successful at that time. But I just— it was just something about her energy that, you know, almost every family has that matriarch in the family where they're kind of like the glue that binds everyone. And she was that one, whether it was family driving down from Pennsylvania just to come to get her rolls as they came out of the oven, you know, and getting that and this all sitting together. Or just her kindness with others. And she, she never met a stranger as far as I know. And there was no child that was ever left behind or not thought about and not cared for, even if, you know, not understanding where her means came from. But it was just always— you never felt like anyone that met her was— never felt like they were unloved.

That is really amazing. Do you come from a military family? Because you spent 24 years in the Army, which is really awesome, and retired as a major in the most powerful army in the world.

I do come from a military family. My father was a medevac pilot in Vietnam. After Vietnam, he was, he was reactivated. So we grew up here, but military being right next to Fort Lee, Virginia, you were always surrounded in the military, some shape, form, or fashion. For myself, I was exposed to aviation very early. I was probably about 4 years old when I went to my first air show. Imagine that kid going to, you know, this sneaking underneath the ropes, touching the aircraft, sticky paw prints and everything. I was that kid. And my father, my father took me flying for the first time. I think I was probably about 6 or 7, but up to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and one of those old MASH helicopters. And once I saw that, I was hooked. So, um, wow.

That is just amazing. So who is Sean when you take away the rank, the resume, and the title?

E. Sean Lanier is just a, I'm just a servant leader at my core. I've always been motivated by helping other people discover opportunities that they didn't always know existed, whether it was a cadet at VMI, whether it was in one of my enlisted time in the National Guard and Army Reserves, or as an Army officer, or even leading results. The mission has always been the same, help others achieve their potential. And I tell kids all the time, your daily job is to make people around you better in some shape, form, or fashion. So the titles change, the mission never changes.

Wow. So just like me, you are a Mustang. What was your last enlisted rank before you became a second lieutenant?

Well, technically, I was an E-5. I enlisted as an E-3 because I was in JROTC in high school. But then when I went into the simultaneous membership program, SMP, E program, by default as a cadet you were technically paid as an E-5 from there, and then I commissioned.

Wow. I, I don't know, there are a few people who make it, decide to become an ensign.

Don't do that.

But, uh, if it was me, because when I was—

I went to—

and, uh, back then I, I made up my mind I would be a Yeah, if I had made it to E7, I would have—

anyway, thank you for your service. I think it does make a difference in my mind being in this process, seeing the other side.

I don't think it's possible They make you a better officer, but that's okay.

So, uh, what did that young boy who wanted to become a pilot— I mean, it's, it's pretty simple. Um, continue to dream, you know. Uh, the young boy that believed anything was possible. Uh, life taught me that dreams require sacrifice, discipline, resilience. But it never taught me to stop, stop dreaming. Um, today I try to inspire and enable others to pursue their dreams that may seem impossible from where they currently stand. And a lot of times, a lot of kids, you have to dream for them. There are things that they're capable of, places they can go in the world that they hadn't even thought about. So sometimes it's just planting those seeds and asking that question, hey, have you thought about this? Or hey, have you ever thought about going there and just planting that seed. And then that inspired a new dream.

That is really, really powerful, especially, you know, in this country for people of color. I would include women also. They tend to grow up with kind of like a limited mindset, what they can do or achieve, which I believe is just an illusion. So for the Black, brown people, people of color and women who are listening right now, who feel like there is a ceiling, to what they can do? What would you tell them?

Be open-minded. Don't create an artificial— don't self-eliminate. Don't take yourself out of something and eliminate yourself. Because a lot of times, you know, especially where you grow up at and what you're exposed to, is very limited to what the possibilities are in the world.

Yes, yes.

So a lot of times, being open-minded to what's possible— like, I'll use an example. You'll talk to a young lady, young man, say, what do you want to be when you grow up? Say, well, I want to be a physical trainer. Um, I want to do, um, I want to do forensics. And I'm like, like, hold on a second, forensics? So what, you want— you've been watching CSI? Yeah. So I'm like, well, do you want to be the person that— that job that got the, the glasses on, they got the lab coat in? They're like, yeah, they get excited. Yeah. I'm like, well, have you ever noticed a guy that comes in with a gray suit or a dark suit that comes in there He reads the report because he's running things. And they say, yeah. I said, well, what would you rather be? You want to be the one in charge of things, or you just want to be the one with the lab coat? And a lot of times no one ever asks them that question. But I think that a lot of people are natural leaders or want to lead. You just got to frame the question. Otherwise, they're going to settle for just wearing the lab coat. And there's nothing wrong with being a technician and being a lab coat in the lab. But if you can aspire and want to be more, Yes.

Go for it. That is really something, aspiring to lead, aspiring to be more. I think that is so critical. Like, you know, in the Navy, for example, I'm sure it's very similar with the Army. It's only 80 years ago or so that Blacks were allowed to become officers, right? The first Black naval officer, the Golden 13, I think I have them up there. They, yeah, it was in 1943, right, that they started, and then January 1st, 1944, only about 80 years ago. My father was born in 1943, so it's only one generation. It's really amazing how far we have come. And I am just so grateful for the work you do. Like I said in the intro, you've helped more than 500 students join the military as officers. That's just amazing. And that's just one organization. And wow, that is, that is just mind-boggling because not only you are changing the life of a student, but you're really changing their entire legacy, right? Their descendants, the people after them, because for sure they are going to be in the upper middle class if they stay 24 years like you or 21 years like me in the Navy, in the military. They get a pension, you know, as a commander, as a major or a colonel. I mean, that's going to be a lot of money until they die, and that's going to have a huge impact on their legacy. So I think it is a very big deal.

Yeah, I mean, you know, um, and I'm kind of humble about it. I should say I'm very humble about it because I faced a lot of academic setbacks at VMI, right? And I wasn't the best student. I was a classic underachiever in high school. So a lot of people— there are a lot of people out there that may see this podcast and say they remember me at that point in time where you were a little bit above average student in high school or you went to VMI, and they remember me, um, getting academically disqualified for VMI, or they remember me for my low GPA my freshman year. But you know, you can't give naysayers, doubters and naysayers fuel for fire. The part that they miss is the continual lifelong learning. They miss out on opportunities that it took me to get back into VMI and then continue education, whether it's going for a master's degree or going to other education programs and to keep rebuilding yourself. So, you know, so all that comes back to— we always talk about it like resilience. I struggled academically, was, uh, academically separated. I had to fight my way back. Um, oftentimes, one point I enlisted into the National— uh, in the Army Reserves, which switched over to the Guard when I went back to school. But at that time, I had to go to 3 different schools in order to get the classes I needed to graduate. And I was working part-time. Well, I should say part-time. I was working between 38 to 44 hours a week, going to 3 different schools to get the classes that I want to go to. Oftentimes waiting for my mom to get home at night, reading homework in the car with a flashlight when she got off work, studying there. But that experience taught me that setbacks don't define you, your response does. And every challenge that became challenge becomes more motivation to prove more to myself, more than anyone else, that I was capable of more. And if you have that internal belief in yourself, then, you know, whatever the naysayers have, this serves as fuel for your fire to keep proving them wrong.

That's really amazing. From academic setback to hanging out with the commanders-in-chief of the most powerful country in the world.

Wow.

Only in America. But, but tell me about that period, though. Uh, what did that season teach you about resilience? And by the way, VMI is, I think, Virginia Military Institute, right?

Yes, yes.

So what, what, what did that, uh, season of academic setback teach you about being resilient?

I think the number one thing that I realized that I had my priorities were in order. Um, I was a— I was on the track team. I went to VMI because I wanted to run Division I track. They had great academics, and they had all the commissioning sources at that time. You can commission Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine.

Wow.

Uh, at that time, directly from there. So that option appealed to me. But when I was a cadet, my priority shifted more toward running track. And that, you know, and not that the, uh, the academics wasn't as important, it just wasn't high on a priority. And I talked to kids now about keep the main thing the main thing. But once I got back in that season that you mentioned, I had to focus more on getting back because there were a lot of people that when I went back home said, hey, you know, those people up there, they didn't want you up there anyway. You couldn't do it. And I'm like, no, it had nothing to do with the people up there. I didn't study. I didn't prioritize my time. I didn't make academics a priority, my focus, and understand that, hey, the academics— for my ultimate dream in order to become a pilot, you have to have the academics first, and the athletics part was part of the equation but not a significant part of the equation to achieve the ultimate goal. There are things that you get from athletics— teamwork, camaraderie, perseverance, working through, work ethic, drive, competition, those type of things. But if you don't have the academics as the foundation for that, you need to build off of— you can't apply those skills to help you achieve your goal and then bring those combined experiences. So when I was away from school, um, I just put my head down. I mean, when you're working that many hours during the day Yes, you're studying, you don't have a whole lot of time to deal with naysayers, you know, and doubters. You know, you have some other challenges trying to get past this test, you know, get through the weekend, you know, for next week, trying to figure out how you can get some more hours so you put some more change in your pocket so you can have money to go back to school. But the more, um, you know, in life you have a lot of clutter out there, but if you fill that with more positive things, focus on your goal, you ignore a lot of the clutter. And that was what the thing that taught me, taught me that experience.

That is really, really powerful because I remember interviewing the very first, I think is the only Muslim chaplain at O-6 level, Colonel, US Army, Colonel Khalid Shabazz. And he was a high school dropout. Now he has two master's degrees, two doctorate degrees, and he's working on his third one. I'm like, man, this is just Amazing. So when did you realize that your struggle was not a failure? Because maybe it's a mindset. Some people, they kind of struggle a little bit and then they just quit and they stop, but you did not. But you felt like it was really preparation for your future mission. How did that happen for you?

I think that it clicked for me when, um, when I was going to those 3 different schools working 38 to 44 hours a week and I made the Dean's List, right? Because I didn't—

I had 3.0 GPA, right?

3.0 GPA. That's amazing. But it was the combined grades from all schools, and I was like, oh wow, I actually did it. It sounds very trivial, but it was like a breakthrough, that glass ceiling. That experience showed me that my problem wasn't the ability, it was maturity, discipline, and finding the right approach, you know. Wow. That's amazing. So when I was readmitted to VMI, I realized that the adversity had been preparing to help me help students.

That's amazing. Almost kicked out of VMI. Aren't you on the board of registrar, the board of director for the school?

Later on, yes. I was in the Alumni Association for 6 years, and then I was also on the Board of Visitors. That's crazy. So it is. I really don't think about it that way, but it is kind of crazy that you almost got flunked out of the school for being here. You were on the Board of Visitors where you appointed the previous superintendent to the school.

That's crazy because you can actually hire and fire who is in charge of a school at this point. Wow, only in America. So what would you tell to a Black kid or a female who's really struggling into some type of academic river at VMI or some of the other military institutes across the country? What would you tell them to encourage them?

Well, interestingly enough, out of the 530+ students that we help, about 100 have gone to VMI.

Wow.

70% have graduated, uh, and 60% have gone on to commission. So that's an easy question for me. What do I tell them? And I tell them the same thing. The school is based off of academics, athletics, and military experience, but the academics is the baseline. The ultimate goal at the end of the day, whether it's a military school, HBCU, Federal Service Academy, is for you to graduate. That's it. All the other stuff, you know, all the accoutrements, the academic awards, athletic achievements, yes, that'll come, but it doesn't come unless you graduate. So what we, we found over time is that you have to, in, before their freshman year or first year, is identify any academic weaknesses you can. And a lot of times that's through the summer bridging program at VMI. It's called SCP, the Summer Transition Program, where you get the kid on campus, get the academic confidence up, teach them how to build a relationship with the faculty, introduce them to other students and other alumni during that time, so when they show up in the fall, they're not an unknown. Yeah, very well, it's part of the equation. And then summer school after your freshman year because sometimes, you know, you may not— your academic foundation may not be as strong. So going to summer school, and then when you're not in that military environment, getting up on your own, getting yourself to class on time, figuring out your study habits, you're conditioning your mind and then using it as a muscle to build muscle memory. So now if you've had a semester before your freshman year, or two semesters your freshman year, and then, uh, one session or two sessions after your freshman year, now you're more going into your second year thinking like you would as a junior or senior. Wow. Have that down. So that's what we emphasize more, because a kid at any school, normally by their junior year, the second semester of their junior year, those last 3 semesters, they're normally academically very strong. The question is, how do you push the needle to the left from 2 to 3 semesters?

Wow.

The overall, um, the overall baseline is that much stronger.

Yeah, definitely. You, you mentioned the Green Room Summer School is important. There is some— something else you, you mentioned about going abroad that could really make a difference in a student's life?

Well, there's another thing that, you know, I was very fortunate in my career. I had duty assignments in South Korea, Germany, and Italy, and I also had deployments to Bosnia and Herzegovina twice. And on all four of those instances, I picked up a little bit of the language, um, while I was there. So for me, bringing that globalistic mindset and using the world as your playground We introduce kids to opportunities like the DOD Project Global Officer, and then we have a program called Power Language Immersion through an organization by Nancy Foreman called Language Liaison. But essentially, we can send a kid overseas to study completely immersed in a language for 3 weeks and get them up to 200 level of a language.

Wow.

In 3 weeks. And what we found is that kids who study abroad, the graduation rate goes up to about 100%. Very kid.

That's amazing. Wow. So what did your Army career shape? How did it shape your definition of leadership?

Well, the Army definitely taught me a lot of humility. Every rank level. But as I mentioned, assignments in, you know, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, It exposed me to different cultures, exposed me to different challenges, different leadership styles. It forced me to be more adaptable and resilient while reminding me how small I am in a very large world.

That's so important. Yes.

Leadership becomes less about authority and more about responsibility. And I think that a lot of times people think the military is about jumping out of planes, ODAR 30, shooting bad guys in the head. But I tell people all the time, it really comes down to leadership and responsibility and accountability at the baseline. And that's in or outside of combat situations.

That is really something. Now, as a kid, you dreamed about flying Black Hawks helicopters, and you finally did it. So what did flying Black Hawks teach you about trust, discipline, and decision-making?

Well, On the first day of flight school, they tell you that, hey, this is a flying— aviation is an inherently dangerous business. Look to your left and your right, one of you will not be here, or you're going to know someone, each of you're going to know someone that's going to ultimately die from this business.

Wow.

So that kind of leads into competence and trust at the very core things. Interesting enough, I originally wanted to fly Apache helicopters. My dad was a medevac pilot. So I didn't want to be the guy getting shot at. I want to be the guy doing the shooting, right? So, um, so when I went to flight school, I was selected to fly Apaches. Um, for all the kids out there, congressional shutdowns are nothing new, right? Congress shut down, I lost my, uh, I lost my, uh, Apache slot, and something opened back up for Blackhawks. I didn't get it, and I was disappointed for a large part of my aviation career because I didn't feel that that community was my tribe. The mission set was different. But looking back, it taught me that sometimes your path changes for reasons that you don't understand and you have no control over. So as a Black Hawk pilot, you know, lives depended on our preparation, discipline, and teamwork. You learn quickly that excuses don't matter when people count on you. You know, like when someone's, you know, like the guys that on the, on the hilltops of South Korea along the North Korean border, Yes, they didn't really care if Ishan there wanted to fly patches. They want to know that he picked up and get back, get back home. When we had an opportunity to fly the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, they didn't care if I wanted to be there. They wanted to make sure that they were safe and they can get to the next destination and get back to the States.

Yes. Wow, that is really amazing because you've served through multiple deployments. What did combat teach you? About the human spirit?

I think that the human spirit is remarkably resilient. You know, um, combat teaches that survival is often about perseverance, teamwork, and mental toughness. Um, people are going to do way more, far more than what they think, what they can imagine. Uh, one lesson I learned was a simple one: don't be a hero, survive, right?

Wow. Say that again, please. That, that's important, especially for all those young men out there with too much testosterone. Say that again, please.

Don't be a hero. Survive. You can't continue serving others if you're not here.

Yes.

Your family, even though they may get a folded flag for you and people say thank you for your service, I have not met one family that would not rather have had their child back. So don't be a— don't be don't be a hero. Your instincts were going to kick in when the time is needed to take actions. But dreaming about being a hero and doing these things, it, from my experience, it causes more harm than good.

Yes, I think I met a colonel who once told me that dead is a long time for being stupid. Some, something like that. I always kind of remembered that. But wow.

One of my, um, one of my, um, instructor pilots in flight school used to have the same— there's old pilots and there's bold pilots, but rarely do you see any bold old pilots.

Wow, that teaches, man. What leadership lesson did you learn from serving under senior leaders like General Petraeus?

Well, I served for, um Then Brigadier General David Petraeus in Bosnia with Serbia, uh, with Serbia, he was a deputy COM S4 of all NATO forces. But the biggest thing that I learned from at that time, never stop learning. Um, General Petraeus demonstrated that education is not about collecting degrees. Obviously he's well renowned for having a PhD from Princeton.

Mm-hmm.

But what he was always, what I learned from is about challenging assumptions and continuously improving. The best leaders that I've seen throughout my career and post-career remain students throughout their lives. They're constantly learning, challenging their own self-assumptions, and growing, and never thinking that they know everything.

Man, that humility again, that is powerful. Wow. And one thing you've said is we should not discard talent. What, what do you see in young people that institutions miss?

Grit, character, resilience. Many institutions focus heavily on standardized metrics. I know a lot of people moved away from institutions, moved away from SAT and ACT, but some of the most successful students I worked with weren't obvious candidates on paper. Yeah, but what separated them was their perseverance, adaptability, determination, And potential often hides behind imperfect transcripts.

Yes, I like that. I like that. Why are underrepresented students still falling through the cracks in college ROTC and service academy pipelines, you think?

Um, I'll keep it simple. I think it's 4 main reasons: preparation, awareness, um, finances, and then fit. Many students simply don't know opportunities exist. It's not— has nothing to do with their core capability. Yes, other students don't know how to prepare. You know, they want, they want certain things, I say a goal, but they're not— don't know how to get there. Um, some people— affordability— some people can't afford the participation costs. Uh, we have kids that earn ROTC scholarship that can be ranging value from $150,000 up to $300,000. But they don't understand that getting that life insurance policy on the front end, going to summer school, spending $3,000 is going to protect that investment.

Yes.

And many, and many people choose pathways that aren't the right fit for their goals. Um, sometimes people go to the institution for a certain amount of prestige and they, and they're not really prepared for all the intel, the work that's required to achieve that. That, you know, just simply getting in doesn't— what the things that requires you to get in are not the things that's going to help you to see that institution. You have to level up your game. So our job is helping bridge those gaps, identifying those gaps where students may potentially fall through it, see the issue before it becomes a problem. Because as you know, issues are solvable, problems require help, right? So let's solve issues before it becomes a problem.

I, uh, like that. Let's talk about your nonprofit. Uh, what problem was Resolve Solutions created to solve?

Um, originally, um, I started off as a volunteer alumni recruiter, trying to— when we started off, it was focused on recruitment. Um, then, but getting the kids, getting the horses in the paddock and letting them run a race, you got to also get them around the track. So then it shifted to retention. And then if you improve the retention rate, that leads to graduation, which leads to employment. Now we're just focusing on building the ecosystem that supports students throughout the entire journey. Hmm. So the mission that continues to evolve is as we learn where the barriers actually exist. So it's a nonstop process. It's always more tools in the tool kit, you know, that you put in the kit bag, but it's a constant process of evolution. And, uh, I think the thing that pains me the most about what we do is that I'll find out about opportunities. Today that would have served a kid 2, 3 years ago if I had known that information.

Wow. So what makes your model different from traditional recruiting or scholarship programs out there?

We're holistic. Most organizations focus on getting students to the front door. We focus on helping them to see after they arrive. Recruitment without retention doesn't solve the problem. Scholarships without graduation doesn't solve the problem. We focus on outcomes. Like, I talked to a student this weekend at the Adidas Outdoor National Championship, a meet for high schoolers, and I tell them all the time, I'm not as interested in their 4 years in school. I'm interested where they're going to be 7 to 10 years after they graduate from school.

Wow, that is different. I know we said in the intro you've helped more than 500 kids earn millions in scholarship opportunities. Is there maybe a couple of stories that still bring tears to your eyes today?

Not one story, but I'll just say in the whole graduation and commissioning ceremonies get me every time. You know, when you see that kid get their diploma and they hold it up in the air and they point to their family in the stands and you see the family's stunned look on their face, or you see them pointing at each other, cheering. That kind of hits you to the core. Or when they pin on their gold bars and you see a grandfather that was a Vietnam veteran pinning bars on his granddaughter, and she's, and she's crying in tears, that hits you. Or you see a young man that's graduating, I mean, he's commissioned, and his brother gives him his first salute.

Wow, that's amazing.

Or you see, you know, another gentleman, his father you know, did not serve for 20 years, and then father's military career ended, but they have a chance to renew their family legacy through that student, and he's giving the first salute, and, you know, and the father's in, not in uniform, but in his civilian attire.

Amazing.

So all those things taken, you know, when you see those family photos that you're taking, you know that that's gonna be in that bookshelf or in that home when they come in, because that's a generational memory that's gonna last for generations. So those moments remind me why this work matters.

Wow, this is just amazing. I must tell you, when I was doing the research for this podcast, I saw so many pictures of you with young people getting commissioned. I'm like, how many kids does he have? My goodness. It was like, wow.

No, I have a lot of bonus kids, and I get a lot of Happy Father's Day texts, even though I don't have any biological kids. I get a lot of— Happy Father's Day. So yeah, it means a lot.

This is a legacy. I mean, you are really doing God's work out there. It's just amazing because you're not just changing a life, you are really changing an entire legacy. Uh, because I mean, being in the military, especially as an officer, that means these people are going to be at least in the middle class, upper middle class, and their family tree is going to be changed forever. And you had a very, very important part to play in that. Wow. That is amazing. So what, what does mentorship look like? Looks like you become an expert mentor, and that's part of what you do with your nonprofit.

I think it's a, it's a cycle. Um, the mentor teaches, the mentee learns, eventually the mentee becomes a mentor. Yeah, the goal isn't dependency, the goal is multiplication.

Hmm, I like that, multiplication. Yeah, one of my primary mentors, Dr. John C. Maxwell, he always says that you really don't become a leader until you have other leaders following you. It's not about being an influencer and having people who are, you know, just following you that you can always teach or inspire, but eventually you really want them to become leaders too who are gonna then create other leaders. That is really the epitome of leadership. Wow, that is powerful, powerful. So how do you identify great character and leadership potential in a young person, even though their academics may not be where everybody says it should be?

For us, we believe that it takes 2 to 3 adults to be in a kid's life. With an adult in the room may or may not be the parent, So we talk to the local champion. That can be a principal, it can be a counselor, a college career counselor, athletic director, it could be a coach, it could be a JROTC instructor, you know, people who know the student, you know, so, you know, they're going to speak to those, on those underlying character things that you're talking about. I also watch students, I watch students compete. I mentioned this weekend, that I was at a track, uh, track meet, um, and people ask, why do you go? Well, I participate in track. I love the sport, but I love seeing people compete. And there's certain things you can tell about them. You can— and I was talking to one parent, and it's like, hey, I'm, you know, I'm just watching, you know, what are you looking for? I said, well, you're looking for see how the kid compete. Are they willing to, you know, lose a lung to catch someone? Are they going to go beyond their limitations? Are they going to run faster? They thought they can go before. But I'm also looking for, do they celebrate with their teammates? Do they celebrate with their teammates? Do they, or do they just run up in the stand to be with their parents and their other teammates go over there? Are they cooling down after they run with their teammates? Are they listening to their coaches? Did the coaches talk to them 5 or 6, 7 times to go cool down or get you ready for the race? So there's a lot of things more than just a competition is saying someone runs fast, and it's the same thing When you go to JRTC competitions, you see the different drill meets. Are the students self-led? Do you have a leader within there, or is the JRTC instructor telling them what to do? Who's that one kid that's got everyone together, that's checking out uniforms, making sure that they're on time, making sure they're checking in? You know, a lot of things that people in the stands don't really pay attention to, but you see those things because you can see different qualities of characteristics. When they speak, do other people listen?

Powerful.

You know, so those things all factor in, man.

And service has really been a part of your life. You mentioned, uh, in the introduction, your grandmother growing up, but then in uniform, and even now out of uniform, you are still serving. Why is service such a powerful pathway for leadership development, you think?

Because service teaches you that life isn't about you, you know. It teaches responsibility, accountability, sacrifice, and teamwork. It sounds cliché, but leadership grows when people learn to contribute to something larger than themselves. It's pretty straightforward.

That is really powerful. And in everything you have done so far, what should parents and teachers and veterans and really the community at large, community leaders understand about opening doors for students? Especially Black student, uh, women?

They have to know the student, uh, not just that they're talented or they're a great kid. Understand why they're talented, what makes them great. Understand what motivates them, uh, understand what support that they need, uh, because relationships matter more than transact— than transactions. Um, yes, when I'll go to a meet and I'll talk to a coach about a kid, they'll tell me about a time Well, I can go on the website and figure out what their time is, figure that out. But are they a good kid? Did they show up to practice on time? Are they forgetful? Did they— you got to tell them the same thing 4, 5, 6 times. You know, what do they want to be when they grew up? What are they interested in studying? Because it's more opportunities out there than necessarily track scholarship. The kid could be academically strong and qualify for these other buckets, or their parents may come from minimal needs, they may qualify for these things, but Those are things that I look for that, you know, so I can understand along that spectrum. Yes. Where do they fit in? A kid may qualify for 5 different buckets of funding, not just the athletic funding.

Yes. Wow, that makes a big, uh, difference. And of course, in, in the military, generally speaking, you know, it's not always like, like this, but I think in, in general that's true. Usually when you are enlisted, you're very tactical, and then when you become a junior officer, it's more like the operational level of war. I mean, as a senior officer, O-4 and above, is more like becoming more and more strategic. And you often talk about thinking tactically, operationally, and strategically all at the same time. How does that apply to our nonprofit leadership?

Um, tactically is helping one student today. Operational is building systems to help hundreds. Strategic is changing the ecosystem to help thousands. But, uh, leaders must be able to zoom in and out simultaneously. Like, as easily as I can go down to a track meet or go to drill competition and talk to the individual kid, talk to that parent, I'm also have maintaining our systems where we're helping hundreds of kids. But then also trying to look at in the future of how do we use AI, how do we use other technologies so we can have thousands of kids. But at the same time, I have to be back and pivot. Like, I can end this podcast right now and go talk to a parent, they're still going to focus on their kid. And my ability to not talk about the strategic but focus on them and be hyper-focused and meet where they're at, that pulls me back down to the tactical. And I have to constantly go back and forth with that. I think the military, those different levels, rank structures, different deployments, experiences help you to be able to adapt to that. The key is not being a fixed mindset. You get locked into this one thing you got to meet people where they're at and be able to adjust. It's easier for me to just to meet people where they're at than to get them to scale up to where I want to be.

That's really powerful. That really takes emotional intelligence, doesn't it?

It requires a couple of brain cells. Yes.

Yes. Wow, that is really, uh, amazing. And, uh, what has been one of the hardest parts of building Resolve solution, and how can my audience help even in some small ways?

The hardest part of building RSI is helping people believe winning is possible. Uh, many communities have experienced disappointment for so long that success feels unfamiliar. Uh, changing mindsets can be much harder than solving technical problems. Um, we, we have a saying that sometimes people have been doing wrong for so long they don't know what right feels like. Wow. But that's, that's been the hardest thing of this, achieving, achieving things that people didn't think that's possible. And we talk about all the time, hey, these institutions, not— they're not going to ever going to change. Well, look at our numbers and look at some of these institutions, they've already changed. You didn't even notice it.

Wow. For example, at VMI, you told me in the green room, how has the representation of minority students changed? There, for example?

Uh, I think when I got involved, um, probably about 2013, um, '14, I think the African-American population was 3% African-American. But I think since 2022, it's been about 40% women, minorities total.

That's amazing.

Um, so there's a lot of things that can still change, but change doesn't have to be bad. Change doesn't have to be difficult. It can be very subtle things and you can be much better than where you started. And I look at a lot of institutions, not for where they were, but what it can be. And that's what keeps you kind of going. And you have to— and that goes back to dreaming. You have to dream it for others that didn't experience it themselves, but for the next generation that they can continue that dream and improve it from there.

Yes. And you just mentioned artificial intelligence, AI. How are AI and digital transformation kind of helped you scale Resolve solution?

Well, I think for me, it's been more relatively new, particularly with going to courses like you see in my bio, the TEP program, the executive program at UV Darden School of Business, or most recently, Presidential Leadership Scholar Program. I've been able to test a lot of things out. I think that— and that's where hopefully if we can get more funding, we can implement some of these solutions., but I'll just put it in conceptual where ideally we would like to have 11 staff members. That's about $500,000. I think we can probably save that by 85 to 90% just using AI agents and implementing things, still getting the right people to run those things. So you still need that human input and interaction and those ideas, but instead of applying for, you know, 10 grants, you know, because of the time consumption of it, being able to apply for hundreds, if not thousands of grants from there. Um, you know, we're also looking at systems like, hey, you know, because I stated earlier, sending the kid to summer school is either $3,000 for in-state student or $5,000 for out-of-state student, or send them abroad, you know, to study abroad. But what if we had a technology solution that we can, as we take in their data and have the system and teach them how to find their own funding so they can become self-funded? Ideas so that they were, you know, it's great to go out and go out to community foundations and talk to alumni and build up support from there. But what if you're teaching students to become more self-reliant and they're getting those things? How much more of that confidence goes back? And that goes back to my going back to 3 different schools and working 38 to 44 hours a week. There's a certain sense of empowerment when you're part of the solution and helping yourself to the table.

Well, and you, you mentioned the Presidential Leadership Scholars experience. First, what is it? And then second, what did it teach you about building an institution that outlasts the founder?

Well, the Presidential Leadership Scholarship program is a bipartisan leadership program where you have about 60 members that selected. It's been in existence for 11 years. Wow. About 650 people have gone through But it teaches you about, uh, it teaches you about leadership through the lenses of four presidents. Um, um, President, uh, Lyndon B. Johnson, uh, uh, Bill, uh, Bill Clinton, and both of the Bush presidencies, uh, from there. It's not meant to be, uh, political, but it's, they teach you to find commonality with peers and find out, yes, you can be on different sides of the aisle, but what's the commonality in order to focus on solutions, uh, from there. So The biggest thing that I learned from it, that institutions survive because of values, culture, and systems, not necessarily personalities. What PLS did is reinforce that leadership is about building something durable to continue well after you're gone.

Wow, that is quite, quite powerful. And I believe both Bush-Clinton and also Biden, they met at the Obama Was it the presidential center and library during Juneteenth, which was really, really good to see. When you're talking about value, right, whether you are Democrat or Republican, Black or white, it doesn't matter. Together having a common vision for America, I think that's really, really powerful even when you apply those principles to your nonprofit or whatever organization you work for.

Wow.

So what, what does, uh, succession mean to you as a founder?

Um, the mission matters more than the founder. You know, when, when the purpose of a nonprofit is to provide a solution for a problem that exists, and if he wants you— the problem no longer exists, you shouldn't have the, the organization, uh, unless it— the problem set is so big that it goes on in perpetuity. But nonprofits aren't designed that If Resolve Solutions can't survive without me, then I haven't built it. I haven't built it right. I haven't built an institution. I built dependency. So whenever system that you have talked to kids about this, whenever you're building a system, you have to build a system in a way that endures with or without you. Yes. And not that it's dependent upon you.

That is really legacy, isn't, isn't it? What kind of national movement would you like to see around service? Citizenship and opportunity.

Uh, well, my, uh, my personal leadership project or PLP at the Presidential Scholar Program was civics, to service to community. So I, I envision a movement that treats service as a pathway— military service, public service, community service— different pathways, same purpose: developing citizens and leaders.

I love that. I love that. I kind of also like the idea of the Peace Corps. I think they really did a lot of great, great work around the world. I don't know, in America, you are not required to join the military after high school or when you turn 18. But in many other countries, like in France, you have to do military service for at least 2 years. It is a requirement. And if you don't want to do it, they could actually jail you. But I don't know, but I do see the great benefit though of someone going out there and serving an idea bigger than themselves. And then after they do that, go back to whatever they wanted to pursue. I think it's really going to help us become better citizens and have a better sense of why we are doing what we are doing and how it impacts not just me, myself, and I, but all of the other people, my community, and my fellow citizens. That is quite powerful. What is a message you would give to a young person who has talent but doesn't have access?

Don't confuse your circumstances with your potential.

Hmm, I like that.

Find mentors. And the people always say that, but your mentor doesn't mean it's something someone that's necessarily in your direct career track. There's a lot of mentors around you can learn life lessons, leadership from, that can get you towards your track. So don't self-eliminate for that when you say mentors, because I think more oftentimes than not, you're surrounded by mentors, you just don't see them that way. Yeah, they got to work hard. You know, people say that all the time, it's cliché, you can't get around it, you have to work hard and achieve it. You gotta stay prepared and when the opportunity arise, be ready. And this, this kind of ties back to the question about, um, about AI, you know, technology expands capacity, executive education expands perspective. Uh, together they allow a small profit to operate more effectively and reach more students without losing human connections.

Yes.

Students can learn that. Now with AI a lot faster than we can as adults. You know, they're there a lot of times. Kids ask me all the time about questions, and I'm like, hey, Google this, read up, and then, then ask me your questions. 95% of time they solve it themselves, or they find another question. Now you're teaching them, and they're thinking at a higher level. And that's where you— that's where the true engagement and learning comes from.

Wow, I really love that. I think we have about 5, 7 minutes left as we wind down. For this last segment, I kind of want to get into what you have learned, all of the leadership principles that you know that could help our audience. One of the first questions I want to ask then is— oh, actually, before I do, we have our first question from the live audience. We have Daniel from Midland, Florida. He's asking Major Lanier, you've turned a career of high-stakes aviation and service into a pipeline that's helped hundreds of students earn ROTC scholarships and service academy appointments. When you think about leadership as a system, what are the non-negotiable habits or structures you put in place so this impact outlasts you? Did you, did you hear the Question?

Yes, I got it. We think about leadership as a system. I think that the biggest thing is getting— you got to understand, less than 2% of our nation is served in the military.

Yes.

And no one likes to do paperwork. I don't care if you're a private. But the thing is that we talk about leadership, these opportunities, you got to understand the rules of the game. Everything has an opening and has a close. You got to be prepared when the opportunity is open. We tell students this all the time. When the application— I say, hey, when this application— first thing to ask is, when is it due? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. When is it open? Yeah, change your mindset. Because if you're there— because some things in life are time-based, some things are based off of population. And, you know, Department of Navy, they only have a certain amount of scholarships. They may open up in the spring of their junior year But they only got 10 boards. If they meet their requirements and people say, hey, I'm gonna do it, they cancel the last 3, 4, 5 boards. Mm-hmm. Wait until the last second. So, so really just getting people to understand that, you know, hmm, I like that. Maybe artsy, yes, you may be engineer, you still have to— everything requires a certain amount of systems thinking. It's the same thing with AI. You got to build the prompt correctly. You got to know to ask the right question. Otherwise it's garbage in, garbage out. To get outcomes. So, you know, so as you're building these things, I'm not speaking to it directly, but I talk to students in a way that is systems-oriented to achieve outcomes. What is your goal? Okay, then what's A to Z? Yeah, don't focus on X, Y, and Z. We already know what Z is, but let's focus on A, B, and C.

Wow, I like that. Hmm, focus. So let me ask you this. What do you— okay, What is one of the greatest lessons you have ever learned, whether in life, in leadership, or just in general?

It comes down to people. Um, teamwork comes down to people. If the people around you believe in you and believe that you're competent, then they trust you more. Uh, you know, that's what it is. You can't— it's a saying that you can't tell someone how much you care unless you show them how much you care. Man, so a lot of times when I go to events and people are like, well, why would you drive down to Greensboro, North Carolina? Why would you drive to Vermont? Why would you fly to California to talk to one kid? Wow. Well, that one kid scholarship may be worth $300,000. That one kid could be generational impact in their families for generations, you know, from there. Or, you know, you may drive to an event, the kid that you're looking for, you may find 4 or 5 others that you weren't expecting. So 90% of life is showing up. That's the biggest thing that I have. You have to be present, otherwise, you know, you don't create your own opportunities.

I like that. I like that. And like, uh, Oprah said, right, success is when preparation meets opportunity. So you have to be ready when opportunity comes. So what do you think is the secret to your success, right? You went from E3 to, uh, uh, O4. That's only like, no, 3 promotions away from becoming a flag officer, a general, and then from almost failing at VMI to becoming on the board of their registrar. It's, I mean, this is just an amazing life you're doing. And then what you're doing now to help students really achieve and excel. Why are you so successful, you think?

I think I continue to dream. It sounds very cheesy, but the thing that got me there through those days that I wanted to I wanted to be a pilot, and somehow it just stuck, you know, um, from there. And once you— the thing is, once you achieve that dream, the hard part is figuring out what the dream makes. And that's where the opportunity working with kids— because it really wasn't about me at that point, but how can I help others achieve their dream? And you constantly hear about, you know, you mentioned something earlier about the first Black officer coming in Navy in like late '40s. My grandfather served in the Navy. He never saw a Black officer in his time in a career, or probably, you know, maybe 40, 50 years after he graduated, he never saw a Black officer personally. So sometimes, you know, you have to dream for others even when it doesn't exist. And notice, well, and, you know, and separate yourself from being that, hey, it's not impacting me, or that's not what I want. Well, sometimes it's not about you, it's about enabling others.

So, so true. And representation does matter a lot. I must tell you, uh, one person I, I eventually got to meet him, but General Colin Powell inspired me for a very, very long time. Every time I thought about quitting, I'm like, okay, no, this Black dude did it. He became a 4-star general and chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff in the most powerful military in the world. I'm like, no, if he can do it, I can do it too. It really does make a big, big, big, big, big difference. Wow, that is amazing. So what, what are you learning this day? I know our leaders are learners. What are you learning now?

Um, I'm learning, I spend a lot of time with understanding AI, the applicability. There was a, um, there was a business owner that stated one time at a meeting that AI is not going to take people's jobs, the people who understand how to use AI are going to take people's jobs. And it's always stuck with me from there. Um, and just as I use that, the more that I research it use it in the practicum. I find more— I mean, AI can be your greatest hype man, right? The thing I love about it, you know, you can, you can come up with 99 reasons not to, not to do something. AI is going to find that one or two to tell you why you can't and how to get there. So I think that has forced me to really readjust my thinking is re-envision what's possible. But, but at the same time, you can't let the machine drive it. You have to build a machine and prompt with the prompts and, and figure out what your outcomes are going to be, how you're going to apply it, how does it make an impact, how it makes a difference. And that becomes intoxicating in itself, because the more people you're willing— that you're able to help, the more that you want to do it. It's like Pringles, you can't have one. Yeah, I can't just have help. Um, what's that? What's that about the kid on the beach and they know and his father tells him, "Hey, you can't save all the starfish." Well, I saved that one. That's a very noble thing. I don't want to save one starfish.

Yes, no, no, this is really, really great. And what about failure? We always talk about success and we really overemphasize that in America, I think. But what about failure? What has failure done to shape your life?

I tell their people all the time, because I failed in life more often than I succeeded. It's that, it's that simple. You find this a lot with businesses if you look back on it. Even people that do— all the kids out there that do TikTok videos, there's hundreds of recordings that you never see to get that perfect video that you need to see. It's hundreds of videos that they create to get the algorithm right, to build the audience to feed off of it. So don't be afraid to fail. Be more interested in how do you respond to it. You know, it's like you get knocked down to the mat Are you just going to lay down and take the 10 count? Yeah. Or are you going to take the 10 count to the maximum effect, know that you stand up, you can get another 10 count to gather yourself, and then re-engage?

Re-engage. That is, that is, uh, powerful. Like, when you shared your story, what was that in you that made you feel like, I am not going to give up? Yeah, I may not be really academically where I need I need to be— like, you work in 3 jobs, right? 3 jobs. And yet you made the Dean's List. What was it? Because most people would have just quit and just say, the heck with it, you guys don't even want me to be here. But you just persisted. You just kept showing up over and over again. Where did that come from, you think?

I think when I got suspended academically and my mother did not believe that I was gonna, was gonna finish. She thought I was done, and it was very hard. I wasn't upset with her, and it's very careful for people to understand, I wasn't upset with her. I was more upset with myself because I had not given her things to believe in. I had poor, um, grades my first semester. Uh, they slightly improved, but they were poor my second semester. And then I went to summer school and I failed one letter grade short. So in theory, I went to 2 sessions of summer school, then with the one letter grade short. So in theory, I had 4 semesters where I had not proven or demonstrated a desire, commitment to exceed the standard, and which is the pass. So I couldn't be upset with her, but it wasn't— and it wasn't a matter of disappointment in her. I said that wasn't it. She wasn't disappointed because this is my mom. She still loved me. And from there, but I think what tripped me was with it, the her level of acceptance that I had settled for mediocrity, and she accepted that I accepted mediocrity. And that was the truth. She didn't say it, but, you know, your mom is always going to love you, you can always come home. But allowing me to settle for mediocrity, that's what really flipped the switch for me. No, um, as hard as she works, she deserves to see me going up on stage, as much as I need to earn it from herself. She needs to see me to go across that stage. She needs to be the one to be there. Um, she deserves— she deserves to cry on that day. She deserves to cry not in summer school, but in May, where everybody else is there and witnessing in those tears from there. So, and I, and I talk about that to students all the time, that that's important for you to graduate, not necessarily on time or summer school or in the end of the fall semester, No, you need to graduate in May and April where everybody is there and everyone can achieve in that moment.

That is so powerful because it's true. Sometimes it's a great leadership principle. Sometimes we do much more, not just for ourselves, but for the people we care a lot about. I know in the Navy there were sometimes, again, I felt like maybe I need to quit, but I was thinking about my daughters. What would they think? You know, I cannot let them see Daddy like this. And that just gave me enough motivation to just go just one extra mile, just, you know, One more time, give him— give me just one more, one more inch, and then eventually, you know, I made it. But yeah, wow, powerful. Okay, uh, if you could choose 3 people to have dinner with, uh, who would you choose and why? They could be alive, dead, or even a fictitious character.

I think, uh, Thurgood Marshall, uh, one Uh, I would say Lewis Hamilton, uh, will be another. And then, um, hmm, I think the most recent brother that was an astronaut.

Oh yes, yes, uh, yeah, I know who you are talking about. Yes, yes. Oh, I should know his, uh, his name. Okay, yeah, definitely have a lot of questions for him for sure. Yeah, not only he was— yes, no, but he was the, uh, captain too, right? He was, uh, in charge of the cruise. Just, uh, Amazing. Wow, how far we have, we have come. It's, it's, uh, incredible. Is, is there a book you would recommend for my audience to read?

It sounds very simplistic, but, uh, Making Your Bed by Admiral Craven.

It's already on our digital book book list. Yeah, very powerful.

Yeah, I give it, I give it away as a gift to, um, to a lot of the kids. You see, you know, graduation gift from there. Because it's so simple, and sometimes the simplest ideas are the greatest ones. It doesn't have to be overly complex. Sometimes it's getting back to the basics and just getting up in the morning and getting one thing accomplished, which is making your bed. It just brings more sense to so many other things.

So true. Yeah. One of the best commanding officers I've ever worked for, she used to give away that book to our best division officers. Every month she had the book to give away, which was really wonderful. As we come to a close here, if you had one and only one day to live, what would you have liked your final contribution to be?

I think my final contribution, I think, would— ideally would be to know that others are continuing on the legacy. It's not about me. They're doing those things. If they're doing those actions, if they're doing those deeds that back up what their words are, that would be my contribution.

Powerful. And if you had the magic wand, right, you could solve any problem in the world, what is the one problem you'd like to solve first thing tomorrow morning?

Um, I think the one problem that comes to mind, so, would be like, um, the shortage, water shortage. So you can get rid of the, um, a lot of, a lot of deserts out, uh, deserts out here, but the water, uh, water capacity, because it's like that notion, water, water, everywhere, not a drop to drink. And look at the, the amount of water on the planet, but it's obviously, you know, uh, the desalinization process and all that is very extensive and time-consuming. And if you can solve that, that can solve a lot of issues and potential hotspots. In the globe. And I think that's going to be one of the challenges going forward, those hotspots with the border insecurity.

Absolutely. So as we, we come to a close, how can we add value back to you and support your nonprofit as well?

I think 3 things, you know, obviously, you know, become a donor. Our goals is to have 1,000 donors monthly, recurring donors. From there, that helps us get out to different locations, you know, across the nation and meet these meet these students and more importantly, not meet the students, but meet the local champions that have access to students so we can build those relationships. Become a connector. If they see someone that's aligned with our mission, please reach out and connect with us. It's always become a mentor. Everyone that's a mentor doesn't mean that they're good at it, but it doesn't mean that you can't grow to be a great mentor. Sometimes, Understanding that, uh, you want to mentor, the mentee has to want to be mentored as well. And sometimes there's a relationship, so be understanding of that. But if enough people— people each do a little, together we can change thousands of lives. I mean, I love 500, um, plus kids over 8 years. How do we get to 500 kids annually? How do we get to 1,000 kids? That's, that's where our mindset is at. Help us get to that point.

Powerful. And as we come to the end of the show, is there a question I should have asked you I didn't get a chance to ask? Anything else you wanted to share today?

Sean, what keeps you going?

Yes, what keeps you going?

Excellent question. It's the students. Every scholarship, every graduation, every commissioning, each success changes a family's trajectory. That's what, that's what keeps this going.

That's amazing, amazing, amazing. All right, uh, one question I like to ask to, uh, every guest, maybe one of the most important questions: if you could go back and give a piece of advice to your 17, 18-year-old self, probably right out of high school, standing at the edge of this incredible career in life you've had in the U.S. Army and beyond, what would you say to 17, 18-year-old Sean?

Don't stop dreaming.

Don't stop dreaming.

I think if there is one thing I could— one thing I hope people remember is that talent is universal, but opportunity is not. The mission of Resolve Solutions is to ensure that where your young person starts in life does not determine how far they can go. Powerful. So if they keep dreaming, then no telling where we can go. Powerful.

Okay, we are going to end in a couple of minutes. Uh, what did you want to be when you were a kid?

Oh, wanted to be— since I was 4 years old, wanted to be a pilot.

Well, you were a pilot.

I wanted to fly. That's it.

Fantastic. 3 adjectives describing you as a child.

Um, persistent. Um, resilient. Is stubborn.

Okay, what about as an adult?

Persistent.

I'm very consistent.

Yeah, resilient. Yes. And, and also stubborn.

Let's say wiser. Wiser. I don't like my kid to call me stubborn. I'm wiser. Yeah, we have that in common.

But, but you have to be when you look at some of the challenges that you, you see what we have today in our society. You look at some of the problems. You go back 40, 50, 60 years and beyond, there's some persistent problems. So you have to be persistent, you have to be resilient, but also understand that, you know, progress, you know, progress takes time. You know, it can be done sooner if you have more help to do things, you can do it a lot sooner. But, you know, you just have to, and you have to be willing to sacrifice part of yourself. And I think it's hard for a lot of adults that just because these opportunities— I mean, we get it all the time. Hey, Sean, why— yeah, man, I wish you were around when we were— when I was a kid. Well, I can't do anything about that, but I can do it for the kid that I meet tomorrow and the kid after that. So sometimes, you know, it's not about you. I hate to use that term, but, you know, think about sometimes how many impacts you can help for others, even if you don't directly see it with your own eyes. Trust up.

Awesome.

That your impact is going to help others that you may not see. And we, we have a saying here at RSI, let their story become your story.

Wow.

So even if you know this, read about their stories, learn about what they do, and share that with someone else, and it may inspire them.

Powerful, powerful, powerful. Okay, I do like to end the show on, um, with an optimistic note. So what are you feeling optimistic, positive about these days?

Um, just from this weekend alone, every time I go out, you know, a lot of people's audio don't match my video. And what I mean that, and I'm quoting Lieutenant Colonel, uh, Lieutenant General Retired Gwen Bingham, you know, a lot of things what people say is not what I'm seeing. A lot of things say about this next generation of kids that they're, you know, they're selfish, they can't think, they can't do they're too glued to their phones. I see a lot of kids that are brilliant. Um, they're very, um, determined to be successful. They want to find pathways. So I focus on them. I focus on what I'm seeing. And then when I listen to them, their hopes and their dreams, and, you know, that's, that's what motivates me. So sometimes the— I'm not sure where everyone's seeing those kids at, but I can I can assure you that the kids that I see and some of the kids that you put up on the screen, our future is very bright. I can sleep well at night knowing that we're creating future leaders that's going to solve some of these problems that I won't be able to finish.

So powerful, so powerful. By the way, I'd like to get General Gwen Benham on this podcast. I think she's thinking about it, but it would be great if I could really talk to her for even just 30 minutes, if she can do an hour, because I know she's super busy. But, uh, Wow, what, what a wonderful, wonderful podcast. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you for being one of our master teachers today. The very last question is one word that represents our shared experience on this podcast today, and this is it. One word.

Thanks.

Wow. I am so, so grateful to Major Ishan Lanier, U.S. Army retired. Thanks so much for your wisdom and especially for the work you are doing for the future generation of the military. I think you're going to have a huge, huge impact on the future of our armed forces, especially in this time that we are living in now, where it seems like Blacks are having a ceiling on their promotions again. But I know we are, we are going to get through this and the work you are doing is definitely going to have a huge, huge impact on the future. So thank you, sir, and really appreciate your wisdom today.

Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure meeting you.

All right, everybody, this is one for the book, and I would like for everybody to please support the Major. Follow him on LinkedIn, so that's N-E-N-L-297-AB87, and it's a nonprofit, resolvesolutions.org, and you can make a monthly donation there as well. And as we entered today, I said in the podcast earlier, today we are honoring the very first African American CL. And, uh, it's just, uh, amazing, amazing, amazing, uh. And, uh, Bill, uh, Gones, William, William, William Gones, uh, it's, it's, it's just has an amazing story. And I think I have a short, uh, video I am going to play to celebrate him. Uh, I don't think I'm gonna have a podcast tomorrow, but this weekend we're gonna go back to the Book of Proverbs. Not a religious podcast at all. We're going to be talking about Proverbs Chapter 26. This is going to be about ancient wisdom and leadership lessons from the Book of Proverbs, a book written more than 2,000 years ago. But I believe those leadership lessons are still relevant today in 2026. Okay, I'm going to play this quick video and that's going to be the end of the show today. Thanks again for watching. Bye for now.

The Teen Navy SEAL: The William Goin Story. Picture this. It's 1955. America is still gasping in the thick smog of segregation. Brown v. Board of Education may have been passed, but change hasn't touched most streets, not in the South, and certainly not in places like Lockland, Ohio, where William Goines grew up. The town pool was drained and filled with rocks rather than let Black children swim in it. That wasn't an exaggeration. That was life. William Harvey Goins had been born there in 1936, deep in the heart of this quiet Midwestern hostility. Though Ohio didn't fly Confederate flags, its racism ran cold and institutional. In his own childhood, Goins once swam at a public pool. The next day, the white owner drained not cleaned it, drained it, because Black children had touched the water. That left a mark, he later said. It wasn't just about swimming. It was a brutal public reminder that even the basic pleasures of youth were not meant for him. In Lochland, they didn't need signs to remind you that you were unwanted. They showed it with silence, policy, and humiliation. And still, at just 19 years old, William Goynes enlisted in the United States Navy. He hadn't grown up around military brass. He didn't come from a family of decorated officers. What he did have was a vision, sparked by a war movie called "The Frogmen," of diving into the deep, silent world of underwater demolition. He wanted to be one of them. What he didn't yet realize was that the men on screen were part of a pre-SEAL era. The Navy SEALs didn't even exist yet. But William Goynes? He would be there when they were born. A Family Legacy of Passing Pride and Pain. William Goynes was born into a world where survival often meant shapeshifting. His father, Luther Harvey Goynes, was a light light-skinned Black man who could pass for white, and sometimes did, just to get work. Luther worked in the automobile industry and even co-owned a gas station. But the illusion could only stretch so far. When his white co-workers discovered that he was married to a Black woman, they demanded answers. William remembered the confrontation vividly. His father stood tall, and replied, "That is no maid, that's my wife. I'm a black man." He was promptly fired. Imagine being a young boy and watching that. The humiliation, the bravery, the consequence. Goins didn't grow up in a world where being black was an asset. He grew up in one where being black got you fired, locked out, or left behind. But his father's bold refusal to Deny his truth planted something powerful in young William: a lifelong refusal to back down or shrink himself to fit anyone else's version of what was acceptable. The racial landscape of the 1950s and '60s. In states like Ohio and Virginia, Jim Crow laws may not have always been spelled out on the books, but their consequences were deeply felt. Segregation was enforced not only through institutions institutions, but through social customs, housing policies, and unspoken rules of exclusion. For a young Black man entering a nearly all-white combat force, the challenges didn't stop on the battlefield. They followed him to the barracks, the streets, and even to the bar. In a state with a long history of segregation, Mr. Goines at times struggled to even find a place to wind with his fellow SEALs. On one group excursion to a bar in nearby Norfolk, he was denied entrance until fellow team members threatened to leave. The bar relented and even set him up with free drinks. Norfolk was really tough back in those days, he later said. I helped integrate a lot of places, not on purpose. He didn't ask to be a civil rights pioneer, but his very existence existence in white-dominated spaces made him one. Just showing up, just refusing to vanish, became its own quiet revolution. The Warning: Don't do it, you'll end up a steward. Before he ever touched the water, Goynes was warned. A fellow Black serviceman told him not to pursue underwater demolition training. Don't go into that, the man said. They'll put you in as a steward. That warning wasn't unfounded. In the newly integrated Navy of the 1950s, Black sailors were overwhelmingly funneled into steward roles, jobs that involved cooking, cleaning, and serving white officers. These positions were holdovers from segregation-era policies that kept Black servicemen in subordinate roles regardless of their skills, intelligence, or potential. Becoming a steward meant being assigned to officers' quarters, preparing meals, shining shoes, and making beds. It wasn't about combat or command. It was domestic labor in uniform. And for decades, it was the only path the military would offer Black men who enlisted. But William Goines refused to accept that fate. He took the risk. He trained anyway, and he proved them all wrong. Segregated ranks, unbroken will. By the time Goynes entered the Navy, only a sliver of Black men had broken into advanced operational tracks. Goynes wasn't just pushing against the odds, he was forcing open a door that had long been sealed shut. He applied for the Navy's elite underwater demolition training. Navy SEAL training, a precursor to what would become the SEALs. The training took place in Malta, where 85 men started the course. Just 14 graduated. William was one of them, the only Black man, not just in his class but for years. He later revealed that not all the discrimination came from his peers. At one point, a commanding officer tried to get had him reassigned to steward duty solely because of the color of his skin. It took another officer standing up on Goin's behalf to stop the attempt. That was the reality. At any moment, even brilliance could be erased with the stroke of racism. Birth of the SEALs, and Goin's is right there. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy formally created the Navy SEALs, SEALS as a new elite fighting force specializing in unconventional warfare, counterinsurgency, and special reconnaissance. SEAL Team One and SEAL Team Two were formed on opposite U.S. coasts. William Goynes was one of the original 40 men selected for SEAL Team Two. Once again, he was the only Black man, and once again, he proved why he belonged. While the U.S. Navy officially recognizes another man, Fred Tiz Morrison, a fellow graduate of the Underwater Demolition Teams, as the first Black sailor to serve in that specific role, Morrison retired in 1962 before the SEALs were formally activated. According to military sources and Task Purpose, it was Goines, not Morrison, who became the first African American to serve as an operational Navy SEAL once the teams went into action.

Thank you for tuning in to the Leadership and Success Podcast with your host, Coach BZ. If today's episode added value to your leadership journey, be sure to subscribe, share, and join us again for more wisdom nuggets on how to lead better and achieve greater success. Remember, leadership Leadership is the most critical skill of our time. The world will always need leaders to inspire others, drive innovation, and execute meaningful strategy. So why not count yourself among the bold leaders shaping the 21st century? Until next time, stay inspired, stay committed, and keep leading with excellence.