Retired Navy SEAL Commander: Mindfulness, Survivor's Guilt, Leading With Presence - Tango Alpha Lima

Jon Macaskill spent 24 years as a Navy SEAL Commander, leading special operations from 16-man teams to formations of 2,500. He was in the Joint Operations Center the night Operation Red Wings claimed 19 American lives in Afghanistan — men he called his own. What followed was a decade of self-medication and darkness. Then a Navy psychologist suggested mindfulness and meditation. Macaskill laughed at first but then tried it. And it changed everything. Now a leadership coach, speaker, and co-host of the Men Talking Mindfulness podcast, Macaskill joins Tango Alpha Lima hosts Adam Marr and Joe Worley to talk about survivor's guilt, why he started blocking off mental health days in red on his calendar where his sailors could see them, and why hypervigilance and mindfulness are more alike than most veterans think. Also in this episode: the DOJ takes action against a towing company targeting service members, the 80-year history of American Legion Boys Nation, and a myth-or-fact breakdown on meditation and the military. @mentalkingmindfulness 01:24 Celebrating 80 Years of Boys Nation 07:44 Guest Introduction Jon Macaskill 08:59 Ad Break - Drive For Freedom Sweepstakes 09:44 From South Africa to the SEAL Teams 15:13 The Call to Mindfulness and Meditation 21:54 Leadership and Vulnerability in the SEAL Teams 27:07 The Healing Power of Grief and Connection 28:00 The Journey to Mindfulness 35:03 Mindfulness as a Tool for Growth 40:54 The Evolution of Men Talking Mindfulness 49:46 The Impact of Mindfulness on Veterans 51:48 Ad Break - American Legion Oratorical Contest 52:33 DOJ Drops Hammer on Predatory Towing Company 01:02:20 Meditations in Military Operations