Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mike Kenny. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Mike , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear stories from your time in school/training/etc.
I’m a United States Military Academy (West Point) graduate and a retired US Army Special Forces officer. Being gritty and tenacious was essential to making it through that very rigorous training and education process and has served me well throughout my life and career. Teaching or “building partner capacity” as we termed it in the Special Forces is another critical skillset I developed over the years. Whether teaching small unit tactics and basic rifle marksmanship to our various foreign partners or more complex operational planning constructs to our field grade officers at the Command and General Staff College, improving people’s ability to think and function at a higher level through a properly developed program of instruction has been instrumental in both my Army career and as the Executive Director for Warriors’ Ascent, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress (PTS) through a 5-day holistic program that provides our participants the tools to heal the mind, body, and soul. At Warriors’ Ascent we, in essence, build the capacity of our students to be gritty, tenacious, and adopt mindset and self-care habits to help them them overcome PTS.
Mike , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m a retired US Army Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel who now runs Warriors’ Ascent, a nonprofit that helps veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress. The Warriors’ Ascent Program (WAP) is open to all genders, ethnicities, religions, and ages. We empower our participants to take ownership of their lives and healing through a 5-day holistic program that provides them the tools to heal the mind, body, and soul. Approaching it’s seventh (7th) year of operation, Warriors’ Ascent has executed fifty-three (53) class iterations (cohorts) training over five-hundred (500+) Warriors and putting them on the path to healing. Participants pay nothing to attend. Our 5-day program encompasses the following focus areas and applies various modalities to achieve outstanding outcomes for our clients.
Cognitive-Affective Practices:
-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
-Dialectical Behavior Therapy
-System 1 & 2 Thinking
-Causal Chain
-Limiting Beliefs
Behavioral/Self-Care Practices:
-yoga
-meditation and mindfulness
-sleep hygiene and rituals
-proper diet, movement and exercise
-journaling
-artistic expression
Interpersonal/Community Building Practices:
-self-efficacy
-self-actualization/Existential Realization
-peer-support
An Evidence-Based Approach, Backed by Research
A multi-year longitudinal study conducted by the University of Kansas Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment found that attendance at the WAP resulted in the following:
-Scores on measures of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and alcohol use were lower following participation in the program
-Participants found Cognitive-Behavioral instruction, Mindfulness and Yoga, Meditation, the Leap of Faith exercise, and Ceremony for the Dead to be the most helpful activities.
-Participants indicated that all group processes (e.g., cohesiveness, universality, modeling, etc.) were very helpful.
The Warriors’ Ascent Program saves and changes lives. Our graduates have told us so, unequivocally:
-“I have a completely new mindset on life and don’t know how I would have lived this happy without this course.”
– “I am aware of how to help myself now and when I feel stressed or there is drama I am able to step back, meditate and get centered, and then deal with the issue. I am also more mindful in how I deal with everything. The program saved my life! ”
-I’m reborn! I look to my new community to assist me in coping everyday. I have started habits that I am staying focused on incorporating in my daily life.”
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Results and outcomes are what have built our reputation in the market. Word of mouth marketing is powerful in that people would not advocate for nor extol the virtues of a program that doesn’t work. Referrals and word of mouth are among our greatest source of marketing. Data is another differentiator. We have a study done through the University of Kansas Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment that demonstrates the efficacy of our program. Bottom line: it’s not what you say about your organization that matters, it’s what others (beneficiaries/customers/clients) say that truly the distinguishes the hype from reality.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
At West Point and in the US Army I was surrounded by high-performers who wanted to be there for much the same reason as I did; to serve, to be the best you could be, to tackle the toughest challenges, and be counted among the best. We were provided “trained and ready forces” that you then had to properly direct and employ. They were motivated, high-caliber, tough, resilient, and there for the right reasons-a purpose and mission higher than themselves. The core of your high-functioning team (particularly in the special forces) was provided to you. It was incumbent upon you to lead, direct, and train (where necessary) your unit to accomplish its mission. Upon leaving the service I quickly learned how much I had taken this for granted. Building your team and “getting the right people on the bus” is essential and not to be taken for granted. Building that from scratch was hard. I experienced plenty of missteps, numerous people who looked good on paper or during an interview but quickly proved otherwise. Alignment is key. Skills are important but sharing the same vision, philosophy, ethos, and motivation is essential.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.warriorsascent.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/warriorsascent
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/warriorsascent/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCAc6iGmVeTcWA_p7m7kd1g
Image Credits
Mike Kenny