People Process Progress
People, Process, Progress explores the lessons we learn from the people and places that shape our lives. Hosted by Kevin Pannell, a transplant who has grown to love the New River Valley and Appalachia, the show blends personal reflections with conversations from people across the region and beyond. Each episode follows a simple rhythm People: the stories and experiences that mattered Process: what helped them move through challenge Progress: what changed and what others can learn from it You will hear from first responders, small business owners, athletes, parents, veterans, teachers, and everyday neighbors. Some episodes share Kevin’s reflections from the mountains, the mats, or the moments that tested him. Others feature guests who talk about the lessons life handed them and the steady growth that followed. Real people, honest stories, clear takeaways. Progress made one steady lesson at a time.
Episodes
In this episode, I share seven books I read, or returned to, in 2025 that helped me stay disciplined, grounded, and clear-headed heading into 2026.
These aren’t trend-driven recommendations. They’re books focused on hardship, meaning, faith, resilience, and personal responsibility. Some pushed me physically, others reshaped how I think about suffering and connection. All of them helped me show up better in my life and leadership.
Boo...
As of the end of 2025, What 2025 Taught Me and How I’m Setting Up 2026, People, Process, Progress has reached listeners and viewers around the world.
The audio podcast has generated approximately 78,000 total listens across 324 episodes and has been heard in 138 countries. Across the full catalog, the show maintains an average episode engagement of over 80%, meaning most listeners who start an episode stay with it. That matters beca...
In this Faith in Action Friday episode, Faith Lived Through Discipline, Structure, and Service, I reflect on my recent conversation with Adam, a police officer, jiu jitsu black belt, and gym owner. His story highlights how faith is often lived out through consistent action, structure, and service, not loud words or perfect belief.
Faith doesn’t always show up as certainty or comfort. Sometimes it shows up as discipline, restraint, a...
In this episode of People, Process, Progress, I talk with Adam, a police officer, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, gym owner, and MBA graduate, about leadership shaped by real-life experience.
Adam shares how growing up with instability and the impact of a compassionate police officer early in life set him on a path into law enforcement. We discuss his journey from the jails to patrol and SWAT, the weight of critical incidents, and r...
Growth can’t be rushed.
In this Faith in Action Friday episode, Kevin reflects on a lesson drawn from farming and from life experience: you can do the right work and still harm the outcome if you try to force progress.
Using Psalm 126:5–6, this episode explores the difference between sowing well and harvesting too early, and what patience, consistency, and faith look like in 2025.
Life in the New River Valley has shaped me in ways I never expected. In this Season 9 opener, I share how the move, the mountains, the community, and the challenges along the way changed my approach to family, leadership, health, and resilience. This season, I will be talking with people across the region and sharing my own reflections as we explore the real stories and steady progress happening here.
In a world accelerated by AI, leadership still comes down to human judgment. Today’s episode looks at how President Kennedy used quiet moments during the Cuban Missile Crisis to think clearly and choose restraint, and how we can do the same.
This week’s tool from The Stability Equation is The Mental Stop Sign
a simple way to slow down, breathe, and make decisions from calm rather than pressure.
Takeaways
• A pause can shift an entire...
AI is no longer just an operational tool. It’s becoming one of the most important strategic lenses healthcare leaders can use. In this episode, Kevin explains how AI can sharpen decision-making, strengthen business cases, highlight opportunities you can’t see from the boardroom, and help leaders measure progress with smarter, predictive metrics.
You’ll hear how executives can use AI to guide portfolio decisions, forecast ROI, identi...
Pressure shows up without warning. Some days you shake it off, other days it sits heavy. This episode is about what you do next.
Today I’m talking about what it means to step up when life hits you harder than you planned for. I’ll share a moment where I felt worn down, what helped me regroup, and the simple steps you can take to steady your mind and move forward. We’ll look at this through people, process, and purpose so you can res...
Most teams think “done” means the same thing until a deadline hits. Then you find out it doesn’t.
In this episode I break down why “done” falls apart on teams and how you can fix it with clear expectations and steady communication. I’ll share a moment where my own project drifted because I assumed everyone shared the same definition. We’ll walk through how to line people up, how to simplify the process, and how to follow through wit...
When life shakes you, trusting the right people can be the difference between staying stuck and stepping forward.
This is an episode about leaning on the people who show up when it matters. I share a personal moment when I needed support and how one steady voice made all the difference. Through the lens of people, process, and purpose, we’ll talk about how to recognize who’s truly in your corner, how to let them help, and how faith ...
You can have the best plan in the world, but if the wrong people are in the room, nothing moves.
Today we dig into why progress slows when the right people aren’t part of the conversation. I’ll share a moment where a project stalled because the wrong voices were leading, and what happened when we finally aligned the room. You’ll learn how to choose the right stakeholders, how to guide tough conversations, and how to move teams from ...
Some lessons hit you years after you read them. Frankl’s did that for me.
In this episode I reflect on a lesson from Viktor Frankl that changed the way I view faith, purpose, and suffering. I’ll share how it helped me during a tough season and how it can help you hold steady when life feels heavy. We’ll talk about meaning, resilience, and the inner posture that keeps you from getting swept away by the moment.
A project can be saved. The team can’t always be—unless you lead it the right way.
Today we dig into how to pull a project back from the edge without burning out the people doing the work. I’ll share a moment where tension was high, trust was low, and what it took to turn things around. You’ll learn how to reset intent, create calm, and give your team a path forward that feels doable and honest.
Sometimes leadership lessons show up in unexpected moments.
This episode breaks down what made that night work, how big personalities stayed aligned, and what leaders today can take from it. We talk vision, humility, coordination, and how to rally people toward something bigger than themselves.
You can’t move toward progress if the wrong people are sitting in the front seat.
In this episode I talk about why choosing the right people matters more than choosing the direction. I share a moment when I learned this the hard way and how it changed the way I build and lead teams. We look at trust, readiness, talent, and the quiet signals that tell you whether someone is the right fit.
If you want adoption and stable progress, go where people already are.
This episode focuses on designing processes and solutions that match the natural flow of how people work. I share a moment where following human patterns, not idealized ones, turned a project around. You will learn how to observe behavior, simplify decisions, and build systems that actually stick.
A small reset can change the direction of your entire day.
Here I walk through a few grounded tools that help you reset your intent when things feel off. These are practices I use in my own life when the week gets noisy or I start drifting. We talk grounding, clarity, and momentum, and you will leave with one small shift you can use today.
A strong strategy can fall apart fast if the intent behind it is unclear.
This episode walks through how to recognize the intent gap, how to close it, and why it derails even good teams. I share a moment where strategy was not the issue at all and what happened once the intent was reset. You will learn how to bring people back to the why before you ask them to execute the how.
Resilience is built long before the stress shows up.
This episode shares lessons from healthcare, emergency management, and personal experience on how to build resilience into your daily routines and team culture. We talk preparation, mindset, and the habits that make you harder to knock down.
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