Unarmored Talk
Unarmored Talk—where emotional armor is left at the door. Host Sgt. Maj. (Ret.) Mario P. Fields and his guests lean into open, heartfelt conversations that reveal personal stories, raw emotions, and authentic connection. Tune in for intimate, unfiltered discussions that invite vulnerability and celebrate honesty.
Unarmored Talk
Turning “Sink or Swim” Moments into Life SKILLS
In my first "Sink or Swim" #Unarmoredtalkpodcast episode, I share how failing the easiest part of a boot camp swim test 🌊 became a lesson in #perseverance, faith, and resilience.
These moments don’t just shape us personally — they reveal and build soft skills like adaptability, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence that drive success in business and life.
🎯 Try this: Listen, discuss it with your team, and share your own “sink or swim” moment so others can learn. 📢
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Welcome back to Unarmored Talk Podcast. Thank you so much for listening and watching each episode and continue, please, to share with your friends and family members and colleagues, and don't forget to leave a rating or review if you feel this is an awesome show. And you can connect to all of my social media on the parade deck Just look in the show notes. Media on the parade deck just look in the show notes. Or you can put in the search engine Mario P Fields parade deck and get all access to my social media. Well, let's get ready to interview another guest who is willing to remove their armor to help other people. What is your most recent sink or swim moment? My name is Mario P Fields, I'm the host of the Unarmored Talk podcast and if this is your first time listening or watching, welcome. And if you've been a loyal listener or viewer for the past almost five years, thank you for your loyalty. And I'll be doing these short and special episodes weekly.
Mario P. Fields:This is my first one, and then kind of the why am I doing this? What's in it for me? And in these episodes we're going to talk about what soft skills were developed and what it did for my faith. So for me, first one is when I was in bootcamp years ago, I fell the easiest part of swim qual. For weeks. I was actually about to get dropped back for four weeks in boot camp and it was the last attempt. But before I even got to the last attempt, each failure stacked up on me like heavyweight. I mean I was frustrated, I was embarrassed and I was pretty much out of time. Frustrated, I was embarrassed and I was pretty much out of time. Then came the final try. I closed my eyes, I prayed hard and jumped and I literally passed the event that I had kept failing for weeks on Parris Island, south Carolina.
Mario P. Fields:So here's a civilian application of this. So here's a civilian application of this. What it taught me was the power of perseverance and what I realized that in the civilian sector, or just in any company or markets worldwide, labor markets worldwide being able to create opportunities in moments of crisis, being able to persevere during pressure moments, is critical. And there's no university I can send any employee or candidate to that will guarantee that they have the soft skill of being, you know, of perseverance, especially through high pressure moments. And let's just be honest, you get rewarded. You get rewarded in various ways and when you can persevere through very, very challenging moments, and then that faith tie-in. For me, isaiah, the scripture I like to read is Isaiah 41.10. And it says, and I'll read it here's fear not, for I am with you, I will strengthen you, I will help you.
Mario P. Fields:And that final attempt everyone was not wasn't just about passing, it was about persevering. I never gave up. I mean, I wanted to give up, but I never gave up and and I've used that soft skill in all industries and a lot of things I've done since then. So if you are going through a sink or swim moment or you've recently just come out of one, you can go on my YouTube channel and in the comments section to this video you can put keep going to motivate other folks. And if you would like to share your sink or swim moment with myself or the listeners and viewers so we can learn from you, I would love for you to do that.
Mario P. Fields:But until next time, I will continue to pray that God blesses you, your family, friends and all living beings around you. Take care. Thank you for listening to this most recent episode and remember you can listen and watch all of the previous episodes on my YouTube channel, the best way to connect to me and all of my social media is follow me on the parade deck. That is wwwparadecom, or you can click on the link in the show notes. I'll see you guys soon.
