Michael J. Penney

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Courageous Recovery Ep 31: Michael J. Penney Visits (2020)

On October 5, 2020, Randy Mortensen released episode 31 of the Courageous Recovery Podcast, an interview with Michael J. Penney. A second listing, “Ep 31-Michael J Penney Visits,” followed on October 10. The conversation runs about 25 minutes. The show aired on Tuesday nights at 8 Eastern, 7 Central.

Posted by the Speaking to the Heart Podcast Network, October 2020.

What the episode covered

The episode listing opens with his service:

Michael J. Penney is a combat veteran of Iraq & Afghanistan. He served in the United States Marine Corps infantry with 3rd Battalion 7th Marines deploying twice to Ramadi, Iraq, in 2005-2006 and 2007.

Courageous Recovery Podcast, Episode 31 listing

The rest of his record, as he shared it on shows that year:

  • Reenlisted during his second Iraq tour and moved to Quantico as a weapons instructor
  • A third combat tour in 2011 with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, leading a section of advisors through Kajaki and Sangin, Afghanistan
  • Honorably discharged as a Sergeant after more than eight years
  • TEDxRaleigh speaker in 2016 and creator of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan
  • Chief Advisor at 5Paragraph.com

Why it mattered then

Most of Michael’s 2020 interviews were on business and veteran shows. Courageous Recovery was a different kind of program, and its video copy was shared by the Speaking to the Heart Podcast Network. At 25 minutes, it was also one of his shortest conversations that year.

That fits a theme that runs through his speaking. His TEDx talk, “What’s Your IED,” is about adding value during the explosive moments in life. Getting through hard things, and helping others get through them, is part of the story he tells as a combat veteran.

The show was created by Randy Mortensen and launched in 2020. Its Apple Podcasts page lists 28 episodes. The two listings for episode 31 came five days apart, on October 5 and October 10, 2020, and both run about 25 minutes.

His TEDxRaleigh talk was delivered on March 19, 2016, and the 5 Paragraph Business Plan followed in April 2017.

Where to find it

Both versions of episode 31 are still on Apple Podcasts. The video copy above was posted to YouTube on October 15, 2020, under the title “Michael J. Penney Visits | Courageous Recovery Podcast.”

Listen on Apple Podcasts

This post is part of the From the Archive series, which collects Michael’s past media appearances in one place. See the full media archive.

Work with Michael

Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.

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Time To Shine Today Ep 131: Michael Penney of 5Paragraph (2020)

On September 9, 2020, L. Scott Ferguson published episode 131 of Time To Shine Today, “Taking Military Operations Format and Applying it to Business,” with Michael Penney of 5Paragraph.com. The interview runs about 30 minutes.

What the episode covered

The show is about leveling up your life and business, and Ferguson framed the episode that way: 5 Paragraph “implements military operations into civilian life to help businesses Level UP.” In the opening of the transcript he calls Michael his “Leatherneck” and says he will be sharing knowledge on “adding value to every situation.”

The episode page pulls out one line from Michael:

The value of a handshake and a heartfelt smile is paramount

Michael Penney, Time To Shine Today Ep 131

Ferguson’s “Knowledge Nuggets and Take-Aways” from the conversation:

  • Always add value to every situation
  • Assess, train, advise and assist
  • Delegate authority to get a solid feedback loop
  • Great people focus on the right ‘nouns’ (person, places and things)

Why it mattered then

Those four points sum up how Michael talked about leadership in 2020. “Add value” goes back to his 2016 TEDx talk. “Assess, train, advise and assist” is how a military advisor team describes its job, which is what he did in Afghanistan in 2011. Delegation with a feedback loop is how a squad runs when the leader cannot be everywhere at once.

Near the end, Michael talked about the legacy he wants to leave his children. He told Ferguson that the Constitution means a whole lot to him and that he wants his kids to grow up with patriotic values.

The episode opens with Michael recording a short intro for the show, telling listeners that if they want to level up their life, they should be listening to Time To Shine Today “with my friend, Scott Ferguson.”

His service record: eight-plus years in Marine Corps infantry and three combat tours: two to Ramadi, Iraq, with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines (2005-06 and 2007), and one to Kajaki and Sangin, Afghanistan, with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in 2011, where he led a section of advisors. Between those tours he served at Quantico as a weapons instructor. He left the Corps as a Sergeant with an honorable discharge.

Looking back

The episode page still has the full transcript and links to 5Paragraph.com and his other channels.

Listen on Time To Shine Today

This post is part of the From the Archive series, which collects Michael’s past media appearances in one place. See the full media archive.

Work with Michael

Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.

Book Michael to Speak
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Get the 5 Paragraph Business Plan
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The Ambitious VET Ep 97: Lead Like a Military General (2020)

On August 13, 2020, Chris Hoffmann posted episode 97 of his podcast, “Lead and Manage Your Projects Like a Military General with Micheal J. Penney.” Hoffmann, a Marine Corps combat veteran, built his show around what he calls the Ambitious VET. The conversation runs about 49 minutes.

What the episode covered

Hoffmann framed the episode around the pandemic. He asked what it would look like to use a framework veterans already learned in the military to work through the fight against Covid-19. His notes list the key moments of the show:

  • Bridging the gap between “rounds down range” and the rounds that come at you in life after the military
  • A four-day cross-country trip after Michael left the Corps in 2012, and how fully using his veteran status sped up his learning in the civilian world
  • Why you can’t undo being a veteran
  • The five IEDs veterans deal with mentally and emotionally after service, and the one solution that keeps them moving forward
  • The light bulb moment behind 5Paragraph, and a breakdown of the 5 Paragraph format you can use right away

Michael’s recommended resource was Zero to One by Peter Thiel.

The three Golden Grenades

The show closes with three takeaways, which the notes call Michael’s “Three Golden Grenades”:

  • Process: the planning process comes first, from the annual retreat down to fragmentary orders and immediate action plans when your hair is on fire
  • Nouns: the right people, in the right places, with the right things
  • Delegate: set up observation points and keep a finger on the pulse, so you can tailor the plan as you go

Why it mattered then

The “IED” language in the episode goes back to his March 2016 TEDxRaleigh talk, “What’s Your IED? How to Add Value in Explosive Situations,” which the notes link. In the middle of 2020, a lot of veterans running businesses were dealing with exactly that kind of explosive situation.

His service record: eight-plus years in Marine Corps infantry and three combat tours: two to Ramadi, Iraq, with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines (2005-06 and 2007), and one to Kajaki and Sangin, Afghanistan, with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in 2011, where he led a section of advisors. Between those tours he served at Quantico as a weapons instructor. He left the Corps as a Sergeant with an honorable discharge.

Watch on YouTube

This post is part of the From the Archive series, which collects Michael’s past media appearances in one place. See the full media archive.

Work with Michael

Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.

Book Michael to Speak
Shop the MJP Store
Get the 5 Paragraph Business Plan
Watch Live

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Rage of the Age: Military Management Methods for Your Business

On August 11, 2020, Philip Sharp released an episode of Rage of the Age titled “Michael Penney, Military Management Methods for Your Business.” It runs about an hour, at 1:02:30.

What the episode covered

According to the episode description, the interview filled the whole show. Sharp skipped the essay segment that usually opens his episodes to make room for it.

The description introduces Michael as an eight-year Marine Corps veteran and the founder of 5 Paragraph, which it calls a military management method for the modern workforce. It also points to two pieces of his work:

  • His book, 5 Paragraph Business Plan: The Action Oriented Business Management Tool for Leaders
  • His TEDxRaleigh talk, “What’s Your IED”

The core of the episode was how the operations order the military uses to plan missions can be adapted for a civilian company. The description presents it as a practical model to help companies run more efficiently and get employee buy-in. Michael also talked about current issues and about the America he fought for.

Why it mattered then

In August 2020 a lot of business owners were rewriting their plans. The pitch for the 5 Paragraph method was that it is not a document that sits in a drawer. It is the same structure Marines use to brief a mission: the situation, the mission, how it will be carried out, what support is needed, and who is in charge and how everyone will communicate.

The “employee buy-in” point was a theme of his 2020 interviews. A plan everyone has been briefed on, in a format everyone understands, is easier for a team to own.

The episode came out five days after his August 6 appearance on Veteran Nation. The book named in the notes was first released in April 2017, and the TEDxRaleigh talk was delivered on March 19, 2016.

His service record: eight-plus years in Marine Corps infantry and three combat tours: two to Ramadi, Iraq, with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines (2005-06 and 2007), and one to Kajaki and Sangin, Afghanistan, with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in 2011, where he led a section of advisors. Between those tours he served at Quantico as a weapons instructor. He left the Corps as a Sergeant with an honorable discharge.

Where to find it

The episode listing is still online, but the listing site warns that the audio file may no longer play, and we have not found another working copy. If you have a copy, or know where the episode lives now, we would like to hear from you. If one turns up, we will add it here.

View the episode listing

This post is part of the From the Archive series, which collects Michael’s past media appearances in one place. See the full media archive.

Work with Michael

Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.

Book Michael to Speak
Shop the MJP Store
Get the 5 Paragraph Business Plan
Watch Live

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Veteran Nation S1 Ep3: Guest Michael J. Penney (2020)

On August 6, 2020, Michael J. Penney was the guest on season 1, episode 3 of Veteran Nation w/ SGT & Skipper, an original series on the NRN+ network. The live show ran about an hour.

About the show

The episode description introduces the hosts and their purpose:

Michael “SGT” Bluemling, Jr. and M.T. “Skipper” Arthur come together to co-host an energizing, entertaining show while bringing real answers to real challenges veterans face when transitioning to civilian life.

Veteran Nation episode description

Bluemling already knew Michael. He had hosted him six months earlier, in February 2020, on his own podcast.

What the episode covered

The show is about transition, and Michael’s story is a transition story. The description introduces him as “Michael J. Penney of 5Paragraph.com and the “5 Paragraph Business Plan.”” It then covers the same ground as his other 2020 interviews:

  • Two deployments to Ramadi, Iraq, with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, in 2005-06 and 2007
  • Reenlisting and moving to Quantico as a weapons instructor
  • More than eight years in the Corps and an honorable discharge as a Sergeant
  • A new life as an entrepreneur, author, speaker and business development professional
  • His March 2016 TEDxRaleigh talk, which the notes say “has cultivated many wonderful relationships between veterans and business leaders”

His third tour, to Kajaki and Sangin, Afghanistan, with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in 2011, is not in this description, but it is part of the record he shared on other shows that year.

Why it mattered then

A show built around “real answers to real challenges” was a good fit for someone who had made the move from infantry to business and had written a plan to help others do it. The 5 Paragraph Business Plan gives a veteran a planning format he already knows from the service.

Looking back

Michael returned to Veteran Nation two years later, in September 2022, when the show was hosted by M.T. “Skipper” Arthur and TC Pearson. A longer, full repost of this 2020 episode is also on YouTube.

The network’s own description says NRN broadcasts the “values of faith, family, and freedom.” The live stream runs about an hour. The full repost, posted on August 22, 2020, runs about two hours and 14 minutes.

Watch the full repost on YouTube

This post is part of the From the Archive series, which collects Michael’s past media appearances in one place. See the full media archive.

Work with Michael

Marine veteran, TEDx speaker and author of the 5 Paragraph Business Plan. Bring him to your stage, wear the gear, or catch him live.

Book Michael to Speak
Shop the MJP Store
Get the 5 Paragraph Business Plan
Watch Live