Unarmored Talk

He Went from Barefoot to Marine Elite: What a Journey!

• Mario P. Fields - Sergeant Major (Ret.) • Episode 164

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How do you develop leaders who can stay disciplined, think clearly under pressure, and turn adversity into an advantage?

In my latest episode, Master Gunnery Sergeant Shelon “Hutch” Hutchison shares leadership lessons shaped by a 27-year Marine Corps career—and a journey that began as a kid walking barefoot along a Jamaican mountainside.

Hutch’s perspective offers practical takeaways for today’s professionals and leaders:

  • Reframe challenges so they build capability, not frustration
  • Measure progress backward to reduce anxiety and accelerate momentum
  • Use the pause between stimulus and response to lead with clarity rather than emotion
  • Reinvent yourself mid-career by raising your standards, not your excuses

His story is a powerful reminder that leadership isn’t about titles—it’s about discipline, mindset, and the choices we make every day.

Stay unarmored, stay authentic, and stay mentally fit. And as always — I’m praying for you all. God bless.

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SPEAKER_01:

Welcome back to the Unarmored Talk Podcast. I'm your host, Mario P. Fields. If it's your first time watching or listening to this podcast, welcome. You guys notice I said welcome back. That's for those who have been listening and watching for quite some time. Well, today, before we get into the topic, I have an amazing guest, another guest who's willing to remove their armor to help people gain a better understanding of how thinking can change the way things happen to you in life. I have a Marine Brother, active duty Master Gunnery Sergeant, Shallan. Did I get it right, Shallon? I got it right. Shalon Hutchison, active duty master gunnery sergeant. He's also an entrepreneur and he does a lot more things in industry with helping people. Welcome to the show, Shalan.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you so much for having me, brother. Look, it's a Marine Corps ball season, man, and I'm seeing you all over the place. It's good.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm finally back home. All right.

SPEAKER_00:

Got you, brother.

SPEAKER_01:

But um, but it was a blessing, it was fun. Happy, happy birthday again. Happy 250th birthday, Shallan. And my friend, and then happy, uh, you know, just I'm just happy to have you. And everyone, just so you all know, to reach the the rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, that's an E9. Um, less than 2% will ever go to Paris Island or San Diego as a recruit and make it all the way up to E9. So I'm proud of you. Congrats. That is not an easy rank to achieve, my friend. Thank you, brother. Take some work. Yeah, I'm telling you. So, everyone, let's get right into it. Shalan, if you could tell the listeners and viewers a little bit about yourself before we dive right into the topic.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, man. So a lot of times we walk around, brother, you as a sergeant major. You know, first of all, thank you so much for having me in this podcast, man. Um, you you are sharing some stories, your stories, and other people's story with that that is transforming lives. And that's really important because they say rising tides raise all ships, right? And a lot of times we gain these life experiences that we think is just for us. And yes, it's good, it's fun, um, it gives us life of purpose. However, when we share that with others, it gets people the opportunity to level up, you know. So, you know, thank you so much for having me on this podcast.

SPEAKER_01:

So, you know, and I and I love the way you said share, you know, it's a choice. And and again, I this podcast, Shalom, wouldn't exist without folks like you. So I just appreciate you and a 150 plus previous guest that's willing to share information and life experiences. And so, my basic understanding for you is that you're a person, you know, people look at you today and they see this master gunnery sergeant. How many years you got right now? 27. Woo, 27. And they see this, you know, all the plaques and the awards, but what they don't see is that personal growth. Yes, mentorship. Let's talk a little bit about the humble beginnings, if they're even humble.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, 100%, man. What I really like to get people to know sometime too is like, look, you we are not so different, you and I. You know, whether you're ahead of me, you're all my you're my peers, or you're still on your journey trying to get to this, get to this level. We're really not so so different. You know, um, a lot of us we come from from a humble beginning. Some some of us from very humble beginning. For me, you know, I grew up on what used to be a coffee slave plantation. You know, if you could picture living on a mountainside and picture me as a young boy walking to school, bare feet from kindergarten all the way to grade seven. You know, um however, I like to say that I grew up broke but wealthy. Because when you picture the countryside of Jamaica, you know, even though I'm walking around bare feet, we have a uh a stream with such an amazing quality of water that runs through the plantation. We have mature fruit trees which afford us the opportunity to eat organic fruits and vegetables and almost anything you you can think about, right? Our chickens, our our goats, our pigs, everything is fed organically. You know what I mean? So the quality of food that we're intaking, the fresh air that we we're breathing, is like it's like God sent. You know, so even though I grew up, I grew up on a what used to be a coffee stay plantation, I could not have asked for a more humble beginning or a better place to start my journey. You know, I think if if if I should go to the spiritual realm and have a choice to go back and start at that place, I would start there as well. Because it has done so much for my life, you know. So in 1998, I immigrated to America. My dad was traveling what they call farm work. You come up, you pick tomatoes, pick tobaccos, and apples and pears and different things. And then eventually he did the legal documentation, was able to get my brothers and I to come to the States. Now, I had access to a portion of my future that I don't know how that happened. I don't know why it happened or how it happened, but I was sitting in the third grade, brother, and I was reading what used to what he what I used to call a children own children's own, which was mandatory reading for school school-age children. And in that newspaper was this Jamaican young man in the US military aboard a ship working on an aircraft. And I can see myself sitting there in the third grade. I probably was bare feet, maybe wearing a cutoff shorts or something like that, right? And I remember making the conscious decision if I ever go to America, not having any idea of how that was going to happen, I was going to join the military and I want to work on aircraft. Didn't care too much to go on a ship, but I wanted to join the military and I wanted to work on aircraft. And I tell you, brother, but you can see the pictures behind me. It'd like it to happen, you know what I mean? It's like um sometime you get some preview into the future because when when you really think about it, Einstein said that imagination, your imagination is a preview of what is to come, right? So I came up, brother, and I joined the Marine Corps in 27 years, man, still celebrating this great country and serving this great country.

SPEAKER_01:

And and I love how you, you know, again, just thinking about in Jamaica, no shoes, bare feet, and and it listeners and viewers. He didn't say he did it for a year, he did it for years, and then to have this this this vision in a third grade with some cutoff shorts, and and and and also to to not look at your situation growing up on that plantation and go, Lord, why me? Why was I born in this situation? But to turn it into a positive to go, look at the the the organic beauty, the the the the the chickens and the goats and and the fruit trees and how pure they are, and how we can find very positive things in life's most despairing things. And that's only if you make if if you make the decision, if you if you have the mindset that, oh, this is bad. No, it's a choice. And then now look at you. You know, 27 years, you you come to America 1998, and it now look reach the top of the the toughest branch of service in the armed force of the United States of America, if not the world, by the way, and that's facts. If you look at some of the requirements that a recruit has to achieve, and I'm summing all of this up because that's impressive. If you if you had to pick a person or people who help you develop this mindset, who would you pick? Like, what did they do that made you go? It's it's how I think which can improve the outcome of my life.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so brother, I I've been fortunate growing up on the mountainside of Jamaica, it's a place called Wanda Bolus Mountain, it's one of the higher higher mountains in Jamaica, where you think about it, you know, most people in the community are related. So if you want to have a relationship, they gotta go out and bring it back in, all that good stuff, right? So we we had a a very tight-knit community. And even though no one was thinking on a on this grand grandiosis level of growth or of accomplishment, you know, I did not have anyone in my immediate circle or community that restrict the level of growth that I was capable of. So I didn't have anyone tell me that I could not. At the same time, I didn't have anyone tell me that I could. Right? So I really had to figure it out. But what I really did have is I had a lot of elders around us that really feeds in to the children in the community to ensure that we have discipline and we had good good work ethics and we have good family values, right? So everyone, all the adults in the community, they come together, no, even though they had their own arguments and stuff, they really care about a community. They really care about the people in the community, and more so that the children as well. So when I look back, um, I can really find value. Now, fast forward, you know, 30 plus, 40 plus years, right? Sometime when you're growing through those things, you're not able to find value into some of the what you call suffering that you're going through. Right? Because you don't you you can't really you don't you don't have you can't see into the future. However, um I was reading in a book, it's called The Gap and the Game. The gap and the game. And as adult, that is where we have two choices. We can look back into our life and say, Oh, poor me, I am this way because, right, and go down to a whole bunch of negative traits, right, and find excuses. Or you can look at yourself and say, I am today because of the this the sum of all the decisions and choices that I've made that I've made over the years, and who I become is also based on the choices that I make. And then that puts you in a main puts you in a mindset to when you look backwards, when you measure backwards, you are seeking to find value in the struggles that you have gone through. All the people that may have done you wrong, all the people that may have seen a version of you that you were not able to see, right? And they try to elicit that out of you, and you think, well, I'm you you you have the feeling of, are you telling me that I'm not good enough? Yes, you are good enough for where you are and you know what you've accomplished so far. However, to get to the next level, you're gonna have to grow. That means the version of yourself right now has to improve or change or get rid of that version of yourself to be able to grow to that to the next level. So as adults, we have the option to measure backwards and choose a pass that is meaningful um to us.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it you know, and we have shared beliefs, uh, Shalan, where don't let the past enslave you, right? Don't let the past become a barrier. Use it to to become a better version of yourself. And then I'm a new grandparent, right? So my my granddaughter is one, and listening to you, it it it it inspired me to be intentional with the wisdom. You know, don't project my beliefs on my granddaughter. And I hope the listeners and viewers get this from Shallan is the the power of the elders, the older adults that, like you said, they didn't put these reasons, they didn't project their beliefs. We're not gonna tell you you can't, we're not gonna tell you you can't, we're gonna let you develop and grow. We're gonna provide some close air support, right? We're gonna provide close air support so that way you can develop in a in a healthy way. If you and you mentioned earlier that Mario, if you had it, you know, you mentioned earlier, if you had a chance to start all over, you wouldn't have changed a thing. But if you could give yourself one piece of advice, if you were standing next to yourself when you were, let's just say 18, what piece of advice would you give yourself now looking back?

SPEAKER_00:

I think our superpower is something that we don't use often enough, right? One of the biggest atrocity that we have heard over the years, we have heard about slavery, we heard about Nazi concentration camp, right? I want to focus on one of the the quotes that really changed my life. I was reading the book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, and he he gave a synopsis of Victor Frankel in a concentration camp, right? And one of the quotes that has been a transformation that has been transformational for me from that book is a quote that Victor Frankel coined. And I'm paraphrasing right now because I made it mine. I think I made it mine. It says, and this is something that I would I would really tell my younger self. And I trust that the listeners will find value in this as well, because I think our superpower is self-control, right? And the quote that really changed my life when I was about 35 years old, right? That's really late in the game. Super, super late. I was already gunnery sergeant. You know what I mean? Like I was at a stage where I realized that look, what got me here is not gonna get me to the next level. Master Sorgeant is gonna require a different version of me. You know what I mean? And that's when I started reading, I started reading a lot. And I came across a quote that says, Between stimulus and response, there's space. And in that space, you have the freedom to choose your response. In your response is where you find your happiness and your growth. There's so many of us going through life just reacting to, to your point earlier, external factors, right? Those stimulus that are stimuli that is acting that we think is acting upon us. However, we're not taking the time to respond in in a way that is beneficial to the relationship we're creating. And then when we react, what we end up doing, we end up taking withdrawals from the relationships around us instead of taking the time to respond, which put us in a mindset to make an investment into our growth and to the relationship, whether it be personal or professional around us. So to my 18-year-old self, I'll say, Shlan, I'll say Hutch, you know, um, learn self-control. Once you master self, then you'll be able to see more clearly and your response will be more purposeful.

SPEAKER_01:

Powerful. Powerful, Master Gunnery Sergeant Hutch Hutchison. You guys heard it. Transformate lots of wisdom here. You know, transformation can occur at any age. You can be 35 or you can be 98. It doesn't matter, it's a choice. And and like you mentioned, you know, like like Master Gunnery Sergeant Hutch Hutchison, aka uh Shallan mentioned, it's choice. And don't react to everything in life, but get that pause right in the middle, and that is beautiful. I I tell you, I wish I would have talked to you years ago. I mean, I think I wish I talked to me eight years ago. I think I think I would have had less gray on this beard, but uh I got you.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh no, so here's here's the thing, brother. Um, yeah, my my orders before walking to my office um this morning for this interview is man, uh my wife told me. I told her who I'm gonna be talking to, and she was like, Um, you need to raise your energy level. I kid you not, man. My wife is getting ready for work, and I tell her what's I'm gonna talk to. Um she was like, Oh, that no, no, that guy, you know, oh, because we we watch a couple of the videos on social. Um, it was when he was on that active duty going around, you know, giving them giving the Marines some inspiration, which is really important, right? Because, you know, we get stuck in our own museum from time to time, and there comes people with a high level of positivity and and energy that can let you know that brother, whatever you're going through, man, or sister, whatever you're going through, knock that stuff off, man. Choose, choose your present. You know, choose to appreciate your gift, which is the time you have now with the people that you have, or even with yourself. Don't take yourself, don't take your don't take your time, don't take your opportunity for granted. You know what I mean? So Athena and I was watching some videos a few um a few months ago. So when I tell her who was gonna talk to, she was like, You need to get your energy, energy level up. Like, okay, all right, I'll fix that. You know, so I I appreciate you, brother.

SPEAKER_01:

I appreciate you. I got a permanent 10, everyone. So if you're listening, you can you can get on YouTube channel, watch. I, you know, I you don't see me blushing because you know, I got it, I've been blessed with a permanent tan, if you will. But that is awesome. Tell your wife I said hello. And and uh, you got me smiling here, man. You got me, you know, you know, I I do have a ton of energy, but I'm 50 now, so it's it's it's slowing down a little bit.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, she needs to tell you hello, by the way.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, this has been great. Well, I you know, I know you're out doing great things in in the Marine Corps, and so I'm not gonna hold you any longer, but um, I truly, truly appreciate you taking out time your busy schedule uh to come on the show, my friend.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, 100%, man. Uh we we have we have opportunities to take our life to the next level, you know, and I often ask people when they talk about they don't have time, you know, what are you doing at four in the morning? What are you doing at 2200 at night? Yeah, right, because to our knowledge, we only get one time in this physical realm. None of none of us truly know. We have some faith and beliefs and hopes of where the spiritual version of herself goes after we pass on. However, to our knowledge, in this physical realm, we only get one, we only get one chance. You know what I mean? So it's really important that we use it wisely and we make the best of it. You know, so if you want to, and I I was I was watching, it's comedy, right? But I was watching something on social, and this guy, his name is Chit, and he is the guy who coined the phrase, do it lady, you know what I mean? Do it lady, all of it, all at once on your birthday. You know, and when I heard that, you watch that and it looks a little bit um perverted, but when you really listen for the usefulness of information that that choose to come to come into your brain housing group, you start to find value in those things. And imagine you got this one life. And if you can do everything all at once on your birthday, right? Not physically possible, right? But you get the idea that you can have it all, right? You might not have it all at once, but you can have it all. And it's really important that you know we wake up early, you know, the things that we we are striving to achieve, we stay up late to get it done. You know what I mean? So things like these, brother, I really appreciate the opportunity to be able to share some level of inspiration to people to let them know, like, look, take control of your stuff, man, because nobody else is gonna do it for you, right? If it's going to be, it's up to you. And we have heard that phrase so many times, right? So everything that you think about and you want to accomplish with the right circle, with the right mentoring, with the right action, everything you want in your life is there for you. You can create it and you can enjoy such a great life of fulfillment. And the good thing about it, when you take so many actions, the ones that you care the most about get to benefit from that, right? And they get to level up. You improve yourself, so you get to elevate the ones around you. And it could be a stranger or it could be your grand, your grandkid, which I became a grandfather recently as well, too. And I am very purposeful about uh about um uh building a legacy, maintaining the legacy, right? And also, you know, be able to mentor my daughter, you know, ensure she don't give my grandkid too much sugar and all that good stuff, right? So at a whole different level, man. And um, I'm very purposeful about you know uh protecting that legacy, and she's definitely one more, one more um generation in my legacy. So I have a lot to a lot to accomplish.

SPEAKER_01:

Man, I love it. Well, everybody, you guys heard it. We've been blessed with uh an amazing guest today from walking in school with no shoes to now Master Gunner Sergeant, E9 in the Marine Corps, fulfilling his passion and more and more. So uh before I let you go, I want to say my my prayers and thoughts are still, and they will remain with the uh uh the you know folks of Jamaica and any visitors and families who are impacted by that category five storm and all of the first responders and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief teams. Again, I will continue to pray for you all. And I love your accent, by the way. One of my favorite uh accents is uh folks from Jamaica. So every time you speak, I'm like, I love that accent, man. I'm you know, yeah, there we go. But you don't you don't want me to try it, and the show will be obliterated. But I love you and I appreciate you what you're doing. Thanks for your service, and um, everyone, I gotta let Hutch go. Um, but until next time, I will continue to intentionally pray for you, the listeners and viewers, your family, friends, and if you have any living beings around you, of course, dogs, animals, you know the deal. They're part of the family too. I'll pray for them as well. I'll see you later. Simplify, Hutch.

SPEAKER_00:

At rest.

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Mario P. Fields

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