Military

Public Speaking

What lessons did you learn while serving in the Navy?

Transformative lessons from Navy mentors: valuing people, leading with purpose.

Some of the most valuable lessons I learned in the Navy. Number one, to be able to accept mentorship where I come from and my life experiences prior to going into the Navy, I didn't have mentors in my life. Well, it was mentors to go the other way, not the way I wanted to go. To have people truly believe in me when I didn't even believe in myself. What them people taught me, couple gentlemen in particular, but men and women that I learned from in the military was the ability to value people over process. The ability to lead and develop people in a way that absolutely will transform their life long-term and the ripple effects that we all create when we're focused on service to others and where we're going. And so it was beautiful to just be part of something greater than myself. And then it was amazing to be able to learn from exceptional leaders along the way to make me a better human being. Stay blessed.

The most valuable lesson I learned in the Navy was to be able to accept mentorship and to value people over process. This allowed me to learn from exceptional leaders and become a better person.

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While serving in the Navy, I learned some incredibly valuable lessons. One of the most important lessons was the ability to accept mentorship. Prior to joining the Navy, I didn't have positive mentors in my life. However, in the military, I had the privilege of having people who truly believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. They taught me the importance of valuing people over processes and the transformative power of leading and developing others. This focus on service to others and personal growth created a ripple effect that extended beyond myself. Being part of something greater than myself was a beautiful experience, and learning from exceptional leaders along the way made me a better human being. I am truly grateful for these lessons and the blessings they brought into my life.

How did the Navy help you create a better future for yourself?

Navy's Life-Changing Journey from Trauma to Triumph

So I think to know how the Navy helped me build a better future, you got to know where I came from. So I went through a lot of trauma. I was horrifically abused by every adult that I knew. Thrown from family to family to foster homes to whatnot to get to the point where I decided to go into the Navy. The cool thing was the Navy gave me an opportunity to see the world. The Navy gave me an opportunity to create a life I could be genuinely proud of. Even better, I met my wife. I've got two beautiful teenage daughters. I started enlisted, stripping and waxing floors and scrubbing floors. Ended up becoming a Naval Intelligence Officer, retiring after 20 years. Which not only still helps me today, but it helped me transition into corporate America. So there's so many beautiful opportunities compared to where I started from to where I'm at today. And that's why your history doesn't define your legacy and where you start in life doesn't have to be where you're finished. Go out and chase your dreams. Go out and get life. And let's play all in. Have a blessed day.

The Navy gave me an opportunity to see the world, and create a life I could be genuinely proud of. Through my service in the Navy, I was able to transition into Corporate America and have a successful career. My experience has taught me that history does not define your legacy and you can always strive for more no matter where you start.

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To understand how the Navy helped me create a better future, it's important to know my background. I experienced significant trauma, enduring abuse from every adult in my life. I was moved from family to family, foster homes, and various situations until I made the decision to join the Navy.

The Navy provided me with incredible opportunities. It allowed me to see the world and build a life that I could genuinely be proud of. Moreover, it was in the Navy that I met my wife and now have two beautiful teenage daughters. I started as an enlisted member, performing tasks like stripping and waxing floors and scrubbing floors. Eventually, I worked my way up to become a Naval Intelligence Officer, retiring after 20 years of service.

The skills and experiences I gained in the Navy continue to benefit me today, aiding in my transition into corporate America. The journey from where I started to where I am now is filled with beautiful opportunities. It serves as a reminder that our past does not define our legacy, and where we begin in life does not have to determine where we end up.

I encourage everyone to chase their dreams, seize life's opportunities, and go all in. Your history does not have to limit your future. Have a blessed day.

Choosing the Navy: A Beautiful Journey of Adventure and Tradition

For me, the reason I chose to join the Navy was because out of all the branches, the Navy floats on the sea, they stop in different places around the world, and so I felt like although every branch is phenomenal and had their strengths, pros and cons, I felt the Navy provided the most pros for what I wanted to do, and that was get out and see the world. My grandfather and my uncle both retired from the Navy. I wanted to continue to carry on that tradition, and it provided everything and more than I ever dreamt of. So it's been a beautiful journey, one that I'm super proud of, and so if you're thinking about joining the Navy, if you're thinking about joining the military, it will not be something that you regret. I lived an exceptional life. I got my degree that was paid for. It met my wife, my daughters. I had my daughters, and it's just been this beautiful journey, so good luck to you, and God bless.

I joined the Navy because it provides the opportunity to travel around the world, and my family has a history in the Navy. Joining the Navy has been an amazing experience, providing me with educational opportunities and a great life for my family.

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I chose to join the Navy because, among all the branches, it offered the opportunity to travel the world and experience different places. While every branch has its strengths and drawbacks, I believed the Navy provided the most advantages for what I wanted to achieve. Both my grandfather and uncle retired from the Navy, and I wanted to continue the family tradition. Joining the Navy has exceeded my expectations and provided me with incredible experiences. I am proud of my journey and all that it has brought me, including my education, meeting my wife, and starting a family. If you are considering joining the Navy or the military, I can assure you that it is a decision you won't regret. It has enriched my life in countless ways. Good luck to you, and may you be blessed on your journey.

How did your military experience impact your success in corporate America?

Unlocking Success: How Military Experience Empowers Corporate Leaders

Y'all I absolutely love this question because it's so important to understand the skill set That veterans bring into corporate America, but veterans it's important to understand how you can utilize that skill set the biggest Experience that I had in the military was the ability to lead and develop high performing teams And so although I needed to learn the hard skills in order to really catapult where I was going in my personal career I did it by focusing on everybody else's career around me and building a team first families type environment and so I think when you can take that same culture that we have in the military of winning together and Then you couple it with the ability to absorb and learn those hard skills and the metrics and the KPIs That are relevant to corporate America and you can match those things in one space Your ability to lead develop and break record results at every company you're in will absolutely Be in the stratosphere compared to your peers and the other people around you So focus on other people build high-performing teams Learn those hard skills and then sit and know that you have the capability from your experiences in the military To help everybody including yourself when around you have a blessed day

Veterans bring the ability to lead and develop high-performing teams from their military experience. This combined with learning hard skills and understanding the metrics and KPIs of Corporate America can help veterans stand out from their peers and propel their own career.

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My military experience had a significant impact on my success in corporate America. The most valuable skill I gained was the ability to lead and develop high-performing teams. While I needed to acquire the necessary hard skills to advance in my personal career, I prioritized building a team-first, family-like environment. This culture of collaboration and shared success, which is ingrained in the military, proved to be a powerful asset in the corporate world.

By combining this team-oriented mindset with a willingness to learn and understand the metrics and key performance indicators relevant to corporate America, I was able to achieve remarkable results in every company I worked for. The ability to lead, develop, and consistently exceed expectations set me apart from my peers.

So, my advice to veterans entering corporate America is to focus on others, build high-performing teams, and continuously learn the hard skills required in your field. By leveraging your military experiences, you have the capability to make a positive impact on everyone around you, including yourself. Have a blessed day!

What’s your opinion on the delay in getting our veterans seen at local VA hospitals? What, if anything, can be done?

Improving Access to Care for Veterans: A Step in the Right Direction

What's my opinion on the delay in getting our veterans seen at local VA hospitals and what if anything can be done? Look, I don't think this is a one-stop-shop answer at all. What I see that I liked recently is the VA doing a lot of hiring from a customer service standpoint in order to get veterans assistance outside just medical appointments. The education piece of it, the VA disability piece of it, where it used to take an inordinate amount of time to even get somebody on the phone, much less get your case seen or whatnot. What I also like that the VA has done is they allow you the opportunity, so it's 30 or 60 days if it takes that long to get an appointment, they allow you an opportunity to go get seen out in the civilian world, which typically comes a little bit faster than the VA will be able to offer. And so when you match being able to go to the VA for free or the VA paying where it's still free for you to go out into the civilian world because they just don't have the services available close or it's going to take too long to be seen at the VA, I think we're moving in the right direction and we just need to continue the good fight on ensuring that veterans get the health care that they absolutely deserve for laying their life on the line for their country.

The VA has taken steps in the right direction to help veterans get the healthcare they deserve, such as hiring more customer service staff and allowing them to go to the civilian world if it takes too long to be seen at the VA. However, there is still room for improvement and we need to continue to fight to make sure veterans get the care they need.

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Regarding the delay in getting our veterans seen at local VA hospitals and what can be done, I believe there is no one-size-fits-all solution. However, I have noticed some positive steps taken by the VA recently. They have been hiring more staff from a customer service perspective to provide assistance to veterans beyond just medical appointments. This includes addressing education and VA disability-related issues, which previously took a significant amount of time to even get someone on the phone. Another positive development is that the VA now allows veterans the opportunity to seek care in the civilian world if their appointment at the VA is delayed, typically resulting in faster access to services. Veterans have the option of either going to the VA for free or having the VA pay for them to receive care in the civilian world when services are not readily available or there's a significant wait time at the VA. I believe these steps are moving us in the right direction, and we must continue advocating for veterans to receive the healthcare they undoubtedly deserve for their service to our country.

What was the most difficult part of your healing journey?

Breaking Generational Cycles: The Power of Forgiveness

The most difficult part of my healing journey was by far and away forgiveness. During my healing journey I realized 78% of the time generational cycles are repeated within families because we don't talk about things we sweep things under the rug it's easier for people just to pretend like they never happened than to actually talk about them. I realized that hurt people hurt other people that's why the generational cycles continue and I knew if I wanted to break the generational cycle I needed to find a way to forgive the people who had hurt me who themselves were hurt as young children too. Now that wasn't easy that didn't mean I ran to them and told them I forgave them that didn't mean I said it was okay what they did to me I still had my boundaries to protect my own peace but what I realized is that forgiveness was for me always it was never even about the people who hurt me. So if you're out there struggling today and you know you want to show up in a certain way in the world but you're struggling with the capacity to do so because just underneath your chest is this pain and this struggle find it in your heart to forgive so that you can raise your life floor and be that person not only internally for you but so that you can show up and match your want with your life capacity for those people who deserve your love the most. Forgiveness is the power that will set you free my friend.

The hardest part of my healing journey was learning to forgive those who had hurt me, because I knew that if I wanted to break the generational cycle, I needed to forgive them. Doing so wasn't easy, but I realized that forgiveness was always for me and not even about the people who hurt me. If you're struggling today, find it in your heart to forgive so that you can raise your life floor and be the person you want to be.

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The most difficult part of my healing journey was forgiveness. I learned that generational cycles often continue because we avoid addressing and discussing past hurts, opting to ignore them instead. I recognized that hurt individuals often end up hurting others, perpetuating these cycles. To break this pattern, I knew I needed to find a way to forgive the people who had hurt me, knowing that they too had experienced their own childhood pain. Forgiveness was not easy, and it did not mean condoning their actions or giving up my boundaries. It was about finding peace within myself. If you're currently struggling with pain that hinders you from showing up as your best self, I encourage you to find it in your heart to forgive. This forgiveness allows you to raise the floor of your life and align your desires with your capacity to love and be there for those who deserve it the most. Remember, forgiveness has the power to set you free.

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Walter McKinley is an inspirational speaker, trainer, and #1 best-selling author of "Monsters In My House, A True Story." He helps people create a positive mindset, heal trauma, build resilience, communicate better, and provide world-class customer service. His captivating talks draw from his own childhood journey of extreme trauma, fourteen moves, homelessness, and attempted teen suicide. He's a retired Naval Intelligence Officer and former Fortune 300 Corporate Executive with over 25 years of leadership experience. Walt's diverse life experience shows that your history doesn't define your legacy. He helps audiences unlock their potential and use their past as rocket fuel for the future. He's a voice of leadership, healing, and success.

Walt McKinley