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"Mick Unplugged" is a transformative podcast that challenges listeners to move beyond the conventional 'Why' and embrace the empowering realm of 'Because.' Hosted by Mick Hunt, the voice of Modern Leadership, this podcast is designed for leaders, doers, and anyone aspiring to create meaningful impact in both their personal and professional lives.
Each episode delves into the principles of Modern Leadership, focusing on discovering your 'Because'—your core driving force—and how it can turn dreams into reality and aspirations into actionable steps. With practical advice, real-life stories, and forward-thinking insights, you’ll learn to make your 'Because' a daily focus, fueling your journey toward success and fulfillment.
Whether you’re looking to deepen your motivation, set meaningful goals, or apply modern leadership theories to overcome challenges, "Mick Unplugged" provides the tools, strategies, and insights to guide your path. Subscribe now and start transforming your life with purpose and modern leadership principles.
I think there's this big misconception that when you go through challenges, when you face adversity, your immediate response should be to attack it. I would love for you to go a little bit deeper into that.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:Doing what's happened to your heart and to your soul, that takes real courage and that takes real work, and that's where the challenges come in, I believe.
Mick Hunt:What's some advice that you have for those people? Feel like I'm stuck in a job or I feel like all I have are consecutive bad days.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:Failure is not the end of the story. Failure is just another chapter in the book. You're all gonna fail at something. Right? There's another chapter there.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And so I always tell everybody, if you could just embrace that fear of failure and say that doesn't define you, that's a moment in time, and move forward and try to live your best life. It's scary to be out there. It's easy to sit back and get up and do, you know, the status quo. What gets you through the day?
Intro/Outro:Welcome to Mick Unplugged, where we ignite potential and fuel purpose. Get ready for raw insights, bold moves, and game changing conversations. Buckle up. Here's Mick.
Mick Hunt:Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged. And today, we have an extraordinary guest. We're talking about a decorated US veteran with a career spanning over 27 years. Known for her incredible resilience and dedication, she served in various leadership roles and experiences challenges of combat with remarkable strength and courage. Despite facing life changing injuries, she's contributed to inspire and empower others through her work as a motivational speaker and advocate for veterans.
Mick Hunt:Please join me in welcoming the brave, the resilient, the inspiring, the amazing sergeant major Gretchen Evans. Sergeant major Evans, how are you?
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:Just so delighted and happy, to be here. Thank you for the wonderful introduction. You know, life has been good to me in spite of some trauma and tragedy and and loss along the way. So I'm just delighted to share my story about overcoming obstacles and resilience and grit and gumption, and most importantly, about hope and about giving back.
Mick Hunt:That's amazing. And that's one of the things that I admire about you, and we're gonna let the listeners and viewers hear and see your story. You know, at Mick Unplugged, we talk about going deeper than your why and finding that real because, that reason that propels you to do the things that you do. And when I think of because, I think of you. Right?
Mick Hunt:Knowing your story a little bit, you know, it's it's amazing. It's inspiring, but it's because you had a because. You had a purpose. You had a reason, and you had that resiliency. So, sergeant major, the the floor is yours.
Mick Hunt:The the air is yours to to come in, and and let's hear that journey and those obstacles that you've had to overcome.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:So for me, you know, like most people who endure life altering, you know, injury or illness or some sort of trauma, you know, initially the rug has been pulled out from underneath you. And you know, especially if it's totally unexpected. Like for me, you know, 27 years, I was living the life that I wanted to live. I was serving my country. I loved being with my soldiers.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:I had been a soldier my whole adult life. I went in the military at 19. I was wounded at 46. So I basically grew up in in the military environment. And on that day when I was injured, and once I was woken up from the from the coma that they had me in to evaluate my injuries and was notified immediately that my career was over.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And so, you know, I'd like to be able to say, well, I I rebound and rally immediately, but that's not a true story. You know, I had a couple of days of the why me and a little bit of a, you know, certainly a pity party, and had to reevaluate who I was because I was no longer a soldier, and what I was gonna do with my life with these injuries that seemed overwhelming to me. And so even it was not pretty in the beginning. And I think that's okay because I think when you're down on your knees, and once you can allow yourself to look up and look out for those hands that are reaching out for you, and accept the help that you not only need, but that also gives other people the opportunity to share their gifts and their why, because they're in the business of helping others, then that's when the tide begins to turn. And so, you know, I was brought up off my knees by other people.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And so when I got to the, to the point in my life where I could give back and pay it forward, that's the role I wanted to be in. I wanted to be the one reaching down to help the people who've been kicked to the curb somehow in life. And I think, you know, we all get kicked to the curb. I don't think anybody dodges that bullet. And so I worked hard to figure out where I needed to be, how I needed to be, and how I could be the most help to the most people who are in this situation.
Mick Hunt:That's amazing. And I wanna unpack a couple of things starting with, you know, you said that you did go through the pity party and the why me. And I think it's important that people understand that because I think there's this big misconception that when you go through challenges, when you face adversity, your immediate response should be to attack it. It's okay to have self reflection. It's okay to say, I'm beat up right now.
Mick Hunt:It's okay to say, I need to cry. Like, I would love for you to go a little bit deeper into that. And also, if you agree, that's what's needed. Right? Like, you do need to have that moment of, let me get it out.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:Yes. You have to acknowledge the the loss and the pain and the trauma and the tragedy. Otherwise, you know, you really can't help others because that's where your strength comes from is the being able to be empathetic and sympathetic with people who've had similar things happen to them, if you act like it wasn't a big deal, then I don't think that you learn those skills that you need to be able to help people to really deal with the trauma. It's more about just getting well, okay? It's, you know, physically, it's really the hardest part is putting your, your emotion and your mental, you know, psyche back together.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:The physical part is challenging as it is, you know, there's, you know, cast and there's stitches and there's all kinds of things to kind of put you back together physically. But doing what's happened to your heart and to your soul, that takes real courage, and that takes real work. And that's where the challenges come in, I believe.
Mick Hunt:No. Wholeheartedly agree. And so you had that moment where it was why me? And what was it that sergeant major Evans decided to say, okay. Now the pity party is over.
Mick Hunt:Let me get up and do something about it. Like, what was that framework like for you?
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:For me, it was after I left the hospital and after my rehabilitation of all my wounds, and I was, you know, trying to find this new normal and, you know, and almost feeling unworthy. You know, I was had survivor's guilt, all those things that come with having a trauma. And then I was out running one day, I've always been a big runner, and because I'm deaf, I was running against traffic. And a guy on a bicycle was behind me on the sidewalk, and he yelled out to me passing you on your left, but I never heard that because I'm deaf. You know, it's an invisible injury.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:He didn't know that I was deaf. But as he was approaching, getting really close to me, and he was kind of speeding up to go around me, I kind of felt him back there. And so I stepped to the left because traffic was on my right. He hit me and threw me into traffic. And a man in in a black Mercedes, and think, you know, thank God he wasn't texting or knew he was paying attention because he, you know, he could have killed me, slams on his brake.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And I remember smelling the burned rubber and looking up and being able to read the license plate. I was almost under his car. And so when the ambulance came to pick me up because I had a broken clavicle and road rash and all kinds of things, he took me to the VA hospital. And the doctor came in after they patched me all up, and he got my face and he pointed his finger at me. And he says, Gretchen, you can't do the things that you used to do, the things that you love because you've changed.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And that was the the illumination round that went off in my head and my heart, and it says, no. I want my life back. And so then I said, I'm not gonna let what happened to me define who I am or what I can accomplish. And that was the big turning point. And I walked out of that hospital, you know, all beat up and whatever, with a whole different view of saying, I'm not gonna let that rocket blast take anything else from me.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:It took my hearing, it, you know, caused a brain injury, it caused some PTSD, and lots of physical things, that rocket blast. But what it didn't take from me was my grit, and my gumption, and my, you know, resilience and my hope. And so that was the day that I decided I'm turning the ship around, and I'm gonna figure this out.
Mick Hunt:That's awesome. And I know that there are listeners and viewers right now that are in that place. Right? Whether it's, you know, I feel like I'm I'm stuck in a job or I feel like I'm not worthy in a relationship or, you know, I feel like all I have are consecutive bad days. What's some advice that you have for those people today?
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:Yeah. I think you're exactly right. You know, people, you get stuck. Okay? And you learn to kinda think this is as good as it's gonna get.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And, you know, you're almost afraid to take that step. And, you know, because everybody's, everybody's always afraid of failure. And, you know, there's all these statistics out there about all the shots that Michael Jordan took and didn't hit, and all the these elite athletes and these incredibly smart people, you know, all these failures. And they yet they didn't let them stop them from living their dream. And so I always say, I try not to live my life with out of fear of failure.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:What I try to do is live my life with a fear of regret. That I wouldn't I don't wanna regret that I wished I had done something different simply because I was afraid. And, you know, failure is not the end of the story. Failure is just, just another chapter in the book. You were all going to fail at something, right?
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:There's another chapter there. And so I always tell everybody, if you can just embrace that fear of failure and say, that doesn't define you, that's, that's a moment in time and move forward and try to live your best life. It's scary to be out there. It's easy to sit back and get up and do, you know, the status quo. What gets you through the day?
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And I understand people got to put bread on the table and I know people got got families to support. And and living your dream can be scary for you and for them. But I can tell you one day of being miserable because you're afraid to to do what your heart is really wanting you to do is not worth it. You know? Go ahead and try it.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:You know, you say, you know, you say, what if I fail? And, you know, you're the cliche is, what if you fly? You don't know until you until you step off the branch. Okay? What's gonna happen?
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And what's the worst thing that's gonna happen is, yes, you may have a failure, but you're gonna learn something in that that that can propel you to your success.
Mick Hunt:Love it. I freaking love that because I tell people that same thing. You have to embrace failure, but then you also have to know to learn and move forward from it. Right? Because a lot of times, we just hold on to the failure.
Mick Hunt:And to your point, we let that define us whether we do it purposely or not, and then we become afraid to be the person or people that we're supposed to be. And, you know, so I appreciate you saying that. It's why, you know, I follow you on on social, and and I've seen a lot of your videos. And and I'm gonna say this, you're one of the best motivational speakers on the planet. And so the motivational speaking business, like, what was that thing that said, okay.
Mick Hunt:This is my story. Now I'm gonna help others. Because you do it very selflessly, and I love that.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:So what really did it was that, it was part of my military training. So in the military, when you do really hard and difficult and dangerous things, like, for example, if you're traversing a steep ridge on a mountain, we literally tie ourselves to together on a rope. And the reason for that is, is as you're going up the mountain, if someone slips and falls, they don't fall to their death because the rest of you pick in until they can stand back up and continue on the mission. Same thing if we're fording a really swift river. We tie ourselves to each other in case someone slips so they don't get washed down the river and, you know, get hurt or captured by the enemy or, or drown.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:We and then we stand firm until they can get back up. It's a great metaphor for life to have what I call a rope team. And that is people who are figuratively tied to you as you're navigating life. And what I love about the concept of a rope team is that it's reciprocal. Sometimes you're the person who slipped on the rock or off the ledge, and you're waiting for people to help you get back up to continue on, on your mission in life, and your why, and living your best, you know, purpose and passion.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And sometimes you're the person that's picking in for somebody else. And I really think that if I would say the most wonderful healing balm I've ever experienced is when I'm helping someone else. And I know that feeling because I had to ask for help, and I knew what it felt like to get help from people. And so I wanted to be on a rope team in my civilian life. And so that propelled me to form Team Unbroken, which is an adaptive athletic team.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:Everybody in my team has a life altering injury, illness, or trauma that's happened to them. And our whole purpose in life is to get out there and to do things to show people like us that something's happened to you. That you don't, that doesn't have to own you. That's not who you are. That's something that's happened to you.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And so you build your rope team or people that are going to be there for you, and then you got to be there for them. So that you can navigate life. So everybody gets to the top of the summit. Everybody gets to go up there. And there's a safety net that people are going to pick in for you.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And if you stumble and fall, they're going to be there for you. So that sense of, of, you know, not a failure is dissipated a little bit because you've got a team that's connected to you. So that's kind of where I'm headed now. Now team in Brooklyn, we're doing all kinds of wonderful things and and trying to to meet and engage as many people as we can through all walks of life. And then with my speaking, I try to tell my story because, you know, and I don't leave anything out.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:I tell about the bad stuff. Okay? So there were days when I wanted to die. I mean, I really did. Like, I was struggling with this ideal of suicide, that I'd be better off dead than I was alive, That, you know, that my career that I love so much was ripped from me.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And I couldn't find it. I wasn't good at anything else. And there was nobody who was gonna hire a deaf person. And there's all these things were going through my head. And, you know, I know how it feels to be that low, and it's scary.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:It's very scary to be there. And so I don't want anybody to feel alone during those times. I can't stop those feelings, but what I can do is journey with you to help you and acknowledge those feelings and and to tell you that's not really the answer. The answer is to figure out what you want your life to be now. To play the new hand you've been dealt, and play it to the best of your ability, and really to take the focus off of yourself and put it on others.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:Because that is really the whole purpose. And I was walking on the face of the earth, I believe, my personal opinion is for me to interact and be helpful to as many people as I can.
Mick Hunt:That's awesome. You know, hearing that and, again, seeing a lot of the things that you've done and you've been working on, without naming any names, do you have a success story that you could tell the audience? Because I'm sure people are like, I'm sure that she's worked with someone that's like me, and I think hearing a success story will help tie that together.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:Well, you know, I'm not a celebrity. Okay? I'm not a professional athlete. I'm just Gretchen. Okay?
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:I grew up in a small town in West Texas, You know, joined the army at 19 to try to put food on the table and and get a job and some educational benefits. There's nothing special about me. Absolutely not. I'm 5 foot 2 and a £110 on a good day. I mean, you know, I'm not this.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:So I always say to everybody, I always look, you know, it's just the engaging your very soul and your grit. And I always tell everybody, everybody knows the first time you really engage your get your grit, because it's a different type of feeling. You've reached really deep down into the very essence of yourself and said, I am not going to be defeated by what has happened or by what someone has done to me. And like I said, it, you know, it's hard. It's hard.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:You can't just say, okay, let it be like water off a dog's back. That's easier said than done because words can be very hurtful. Okay? And other people's expectations can be very limiting, or very scary. And so always say, you know, what is it that you want and how are you going to contribute to society, to making the world just a little bit better wherever you're planning, wherever, whatever it is that you're doing.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:I don't care what your job is, if you're cutting grass, or you're mopping the floor, or whatever, you know, do it with a with a happy heart, and do it to the best of your ability. Because you know what? It matters. Everything matters. And there's no, like, hierarchy on importance, in my opinion.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:We're all equal in, in all ways. And, you know, what people pick different professions and have different skill levels, but it doesn't make them more than or less than on what your vocation is. But I think really what measures the person is, you know, their character on on is what is it you're doing it to make it life a little bit better for somebody else?
Mick Hunt:That's awesome.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:Did that answer your question?
Mick Hunt:You sure did. You sure did. And I know you're you're very busy. You always have a lot of things going on, and you're also very humble, so you're not gonna brag about the awards that you win, but I'm gonna have a list of all of those under under the show notes for everyone. But how do you balance the work that you're doing, the servant heart that you have for others with maintaining your own well-being too?
Mick Hunt:How do you balance that?
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:Yeah. It is a balance. I had a really to be honest with you, right before we left to go climb Kilimanjaro, I had, like, 3 months of almost nonstop travel and speaking. And I will say this, when I speak, because my story is a hard story. Okay?
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:It comes at a cost to me. Okay? And, you know, to share the depth of that, it causes me to remember exactly what happened and those feelings. And, you know, I don't just share it to be sharing it. I share it to people who wanna hear it and who wanna gain from it.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:But as we were getting ready to do Kilimanjaro, I showed up in Tanzania exhausted. And, you know, that was that was not a smart move on my part because I needed to be at my best to climb Kilimanjaro. And, you know, as a result, I didn't get to summit because I got, you know, sick and worn down, and the rest of the team was able to get up. You know? And that was anybody's fault probably but mine because I showed up not totally prepared.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And that reminded me, okay, very in a very real way that I have to take care of myself if I'm gonna be the best for other people. And so, you know, now with a little bit more intention than I did before, it's, you know, sometimes you have to pick and choose. And that sounds awful, but you really do. Otherwise, I'd be gone every day. And I hate to say no.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:I do. It hurts my heart to say no because, you know, that that's kind of the way I'm I'm wired. I wanna say yes. Yes is a powerful world, you know, word. It opens up doors and it it's collaboration.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:But, I'm no spring chicken, you know. Just on Monday, I turn 64. And that's a reality.
Mick Hunt:Happy birthday.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:So I have incorporated a little bit of self care, and I recommend it to everybody else. It's hard. And there's times when, you know, you have to bite the bullet a little bit, but I cannot get worn down like that again. It was an eye opener for me.
Mick Hunt:That's amazing. So what do you want folks to know? What's new coming up? What are you working on? What do you have out there?
Mick Hunt:What do we need to know about sergeant major Gretchen Evans?
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:Okay. So about me, so all my speaking engagements, and I love to do speaking engagements and help people, you know, in this world. I have several of those coming up and all the proceeds that come from that. All my honorariums go straight to Team Unbroken, Unbroken. We're a nonprofit.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And so Team Unbroken, we have a couple of big races coming up. We're doing some half marathons throughout the United States. Our big race for 2025 so far is a 50 k in Antelope Canyon. We're gonna do that, but we're also taking, well, going back up a little in August, this is kind of a funny story. We have 2 civilians who have donated their sailboats that they actually live on.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And their give back to the world is to take wounded warriors on sailing trips through the Bahamas. And so they've invited Team Broken, and we're going to dress up like pirates, we really are. And we're going to sail these boats through the Bahamas and have a little bit of downtime just for the team because everybody just came off of of Kilimanjaro, and that was that was a tough one for all of us. And then we just had a big event on Monday, which was exhausting for all of us. So and we might be riding the East Coast Greenway, which is 3,000 miles of trail up the East Coast.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:We're trying to figure that out yet, but 2025 is not totally locked in yet. But we are doing the New York City Marathon on the 3rd November. If anybody wants to run with us, just look for us. We're easy to find. We're on team on broken shirts.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:So we have lots of things coming up.
Mick Hunt:That's awesome. That's awesome. And I would be remiss if I didn't ask you about the purple heart ceremony. I'd love to to have the listeners and audience know about that. And if I'm not mistaken, it was a Ross Perot's ranch.
Mick Hunt:Right?
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:Yes. And first, let me get a shout out to mister Perot because his ranch is beautiful, and he offered it, you know, certainly to me, as a gift for that day. And so that was that was meaningful. You know, I had mixed feelings about the purple heart, ceremony. You know, Ray, it's was wonderful to have my friends and family there, and it was wonderful that I was being recognized for the wounds that happened to me almost 18 years ago.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:But there's also the feeling of, you know, we all have this what they call imposter syndrome, you know, you know, yes. Was I deserving of a purple heart? Yes. But it's still hard. And then the purple heart is not an award anybody really wants, because it means you got, you got hurt, right, in combat.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And also when I got hurt that day, there were people who didn't survive. And so I had to remember, wanted to remember that those that weren't standing there with me that I wished there were. It was a beautiful ceremony, and I'll never forget the people who came from all over the United States to spend that day with me. And the moment that General Rampey pinned that purple heart on me was a moment I'll never forget. But I think also with with awards like that come responsibility.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And so I hope to that I, you know, I live up to the honor of receiving something like that. That I think that there's, like I said, a responsibility that goes with that. You don't just get an award like that and and not acknowledge that it's something special.
Mick Hunt:That's honorable. That's amazing. But most importantly, that's you. That's you. And and so I I have such tremendous respect for the human being that you are, And that's why I'm one of your biggest fans because this is who you are every day, and I so thank you and appreciate you for that.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And live my best life in the service of others. That's one thing I learned in the military, that term in service. You know, back in the day, like World War 2, when you asked someone what they did, they would say, well, I'm in the service. And what that means is you're doing something other than taking care of yourself. You're in the service of others.
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:And so that's kind of my, you know, my mantra. As long as I'm in the service of others, I'm a I'm a happy camper. And that's what fuels my smile and my hope and the fact that I love people, and I want, you know, the best for them. And so that's what keeps me going every day.
Mick Hunt:That's awesome. Well, sergeant major Evans, I appreciate you taking some time to spend with me today and with the audience today. This was a tremendous honor. For all the listeners, I'm gonna have every platform that you can connect with Gretchen and her team on. We wanna make sure that we're following and supporting her.
Mick Hunt:She's a part of the Players for Good family, so we wanna make sure that we're supporting that as well too. Just truly honored that you were here and and
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:Thank you
Mick Hunt:so much, Gerry, for
Sgt Major Gretchen Evans:having me, and blessings to you and yours. And I hope to see you down the road somewhere in person, and go live your best life. And if I can ever be of help, let me know, but consider yourself on my group team.
Mick Hunt:I am there and same for you. And for all the listeners, remember, your because is your superpower. Go unleash it.
Intro/Outro:Thank you for tuning in to Mick Unplugged. Keep pushing your limits, embracing your purpose, and chasing greatness. Until next time. Stay unstoppable.