Beyond The Office is a podcast hosted by Jerard Johnson that explores the conversations people often avoid but need most.
Through honest discussions, personal stories, practical insights, and occasional guest interviews, we examine life beyond careers, job titles, and expectations. From leadership and personal growth to relationships, resilience, purpose, community, and navigating life's transitions, each episode is designed to challenge perspectives and encourage meaningful growth.
Whether you're a professional building your career, a veteran transitioning into a new chapter, a leader seeking greater impact, or someone searching for purpose beyond success, Beyond The Office provides real conversations rooted in authenticity, experience, and insight.
Expect thoughtful discussions, occasional humor, and actionable takeaways that help you grow personally, professionally, and spiritually.
Topics Include:
• Personal Growth • Leadership & Influence • Relationships & Family • Career Development • Life Transitions • Mental Resilience • Community & Culture • Veteran Experiences • Purpose & Legacy • Success Beyond Titles
Real Conversations. Deep Perspectives. Lasting Impact.
🎙️ Episode 3: The Military Changed Me More Than I Realized
People often thank veterans for their service, but they rarely ask how that service changed them.
For me, the military was more than a uniform. It taught me discipline when I lacked direction, resilience when life got difficult, and the value of serving something greater than myself.
It also challenged me in ways I never expected and shaped the man I continue to become today.
In this episode of Beyond The Office, I reflect on the lessons I carried with me long after I took the uniform off, how military service influenced my life beyond the Navy, and why some of the greatest transformations happen long after the title changes.
Whether you've served, have someone you love who served, or you're simply navigating your own season of growth, I hope this conversation reminds you that every experience has the power to shape who you become.
🎧 Now streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube and all major platforms.
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Titles tell people what you do. Stories tell people who you are.
The military teaches you discipline fast, but the one thing people don't talk about enough is how hard it is to turn that survival mode off. Today, we're talking all about military life, identity, brotherhood, transitioning, and how those experiences can shape an individual long after they die. Let's talk about it. This topic right here hits home for me because I used to be in the military. Now I'm not gonna tell y'all exactly the year I joined, but it was definitely a lifetime ago. And I think people's perception of the military is 50-50. It can go either way, but it doesn't mean that they're wrong. And I come from a background where all my family members were in the military for the most part. You know, I was in the Navy, my dad, uncle, cousin, they were in the army, brother, cousin, army, you know, somewhere in the Air Force. So there's a wide variety of individuals in my family that were in the military. And I knew a little bit about the military when I decided to join. And it was really the physical aspect of it all. I knew that it was going to be enduring. I knew that they were going to push my body to the utmost limit. And I knew that ultimately I would make it out on the other side. That was my expectation. But the reality of things, that's not how it is, you know? Because there is some physical ailment to it, but I believe that it was more mental than anything else. Because mentally, you had to be strong to face certain things. And I think that the military, great benefits, present and for the future. But people need to understand that the military life isn't easy. We are constantly facing sacrifice, stress, adapting to things constantly because things change, things evolve. Issues stem, and at the blink of an eye, we have to adjust to those situations. We're learning how to survive uncomfortable situations. We go from being in our own room to having to share a small space with like 80, 90 people. And it's not just a short period of time. You're in essence, in the Navy, on a ship for at least a year or two or more. Just so happened that I was on one ship for my entire career. And you have to learn the individual to your left and to your right. And at that particular moment, religion didn't matter, political preferences didn't matter, socioeconomic status didn't matter, color didn't matter. None of those things matter because when you are on deployment and you are out there, the only thing that I need to know at the end of the day is if something pops off, if shit hits the fan, do you have my back? And they gotta ask the same question as me. Do I have their backs? You know? And it is always a constant sacrifice that individuals in the military make. There are plenty of times that I have seen we go on deployment, you know, a person's significant other is pregnant, and when they come back, you know, their kids is is pretty much about to be one, they're toddlers and stuff. They don't know who this person is and they have to get familiar with somebody. But at that particular moment, we're missing birth, we're missing first steps, we're missing crawling, we're missing walking. You know, those individual things we're missing because of the choices that we made to enter into something that really we have to complete. Because the reality of things is that I've always said this the military is a great thing, but if you mess up the military, it's worse than messing up your credit. Because if you mess that up, it's really hard to look for a good job when you mess that up. And when we're going about finding ways to pass the time other than work, you know, because we get homesick. Especially when there's times when we're out for a month or we're out for two months or on deployment, we're out for seven months with the possibility of being extended. We have to find ways to entertain ourselves. And this might not work for some, but in the military, it definitely worked for us. And probably some of the most disrespectful humor on earth was on my ship, you know, and that's how we passed the time was roasting each other. Like if Comedy Central would have come on board, they would hear some ungodly things. And nobody really took offense to any of it because, again, that's how we pass the time. And nothing builds friendship faster than collective suffering. But at the end of the day, when we're when we get home or when we leave, you know, the military and stuff, those friendships that we created, those bonds that we created can't be broken. There are there are people that I spoken to when I got out to this day. Hell, one of them is my son's godfather. And there are individuals that I haven't spoken to or I don't speak to on a regular basis, but can call me, and it's like we never fell off because there's a bond being in the military that goes far beyond anything. And the memories that I've had and the experiences that I had will last and live long after I'm gone. And just understanding the fact that in the military that our mental health sometimes gets affected in some of the things that we do. Because at any given Sunday, there's always, or could be, an opposing threat. And that opposing threat doesn't give you a schedule like, hey, we're gonna come roll up here and we're gonna do this at 7 o'clock. So be ready. Sometimes it's just a split second, and next thing you know, you're fighting for your life. You know, when when you're home and there's a fire in your house, you have options. If it's something you can nip in the bud, you take the pot, you put it in on, you know, underwater. If the fire is too strong, you call you call the fire department. 911, they come and they handle it. Somebody tries to break into your house, you call 911. Those are those are pretty much the benefits that you have being at home. But who do we call if there's a fire on the ship? Who do we call if there's an if there's an imminent threat coming to us? It's us. We gotta learn how to fire a gun. We gotta learn how to how to work a work a hose to stop a fire, how to work together. Somebody falls overboard. It's up to us to try to find that person and bring that person back so that they're able to come home. And we're constantly training, we're constantly doing drills all day, all night, doesn't matter. We can be lane, sleeping. Next thing you know, we're getting an alarm and we're just jumping up. Those things affect individuals. And yes, it puts people on their toes to be like anything could happen, so be cautious and be mindful. But what happens when when it's all said and done? What happens when we leave? Then next thing you know, we're still dealing with that right after we leave. And the thing is, is that I remember that scene in Die Hard when the statement was the police force teaches you how to fire a gun. But they don't teach you to live with the consequences after you pull that trigger. Now I know that's not exactly what was said. But it's the same concept being in the military. They instill that fear, they instill that that always be ready for something. Don't get caught slipping. You understand me? Be ready so you ain't gotta get ready mentality that we have to then deal with that right after we get out. Because there's no real proper way of transition once you get out, because everybody is different. And I think the difficulty is that they don't teach us enough when we leave to how to turn those survival modes off. And sometimes it goes out into this into the civilian world, it goes out into our relationships, and it's kind of difficult to then transition in a healthy way so that it doesn't affect other people. Now, my whole premise when it comes to the military was I've always been a firm believer of being myself, of not changing, not switching up for anybody. So for many people, the military changes them. And I think in essence, that's what the military wants. But I tried to be different. And for me, it was I didn't want the military to change me because I still have to be a person when I got out of here. And I think my whole standpoint on stuff was I want to change the military. I want to change the Navy because I could follow the trends, you know, not stood out, not spoken out, and follow suit, and I probably would have gotten further ahead than than I actually did. But for me, it was all about respect, respect of my peers, respect for authority, and and for me, at the end of the day, it was more or less so if I become a person who moves up in rank and gains power, is that I want these people to respect me, not just because I'm at I'm a higher ranking than them, is because they know me as a person and they respect me more as a person than the unpromotion. But the one thing that I realize that the military has changed absolutely is how I respond to stress. Absolutely is it's difficult in some ways when you try to deal with with the stress, and then when we leave, the problem now is that since we've been in so much stressful situations for so long, without really recovering from all of that stress, is that we then carry it out in the civilian world and things that may be tedious to some, we blow up to epic proportions, and it shouldn't have to be that way. But those are some of the issues that people face. How we communicate the term sailor mouth is a true statement, especially when we're working, because normal curse words that would freak out some, we use as a noun, a verb, and an adjective. We use that to to label an object, and we know exactly what they're talking about. And I think at the end of the day that when we leave and we try to incorporate that, because that's our way of speaking, civilians may not perceive that in the best way possible. And then it gets difficult when you trying to talk regular, but again, you do this for so many years, you know, for so long, it becomes second nature. And trying to break out of that system is difficult at times. And for most people like myself, it took years to kind of, you know, take a step back, reflect, and kinda change. Because that's all you know, no matter if it's four years, eight years, twenty years, that's how people go. How we process emotions is another thing that that I learned that the military changes. Now, we all dealt with COVID. We all know what it's like to have to stay at home all day. Um, you're sitting in a house, you're catching cabin fever, you know, your your anger is at an all-time high. Picture that on a ship with hundreds of people. Or you're on a ship, you're on deployment, and you're stuck out to sea for a month or two, straight. No land, no nothing. Sooner or later, tensions are going to rise, people are going to get angry, they're going to be short-tempered and short-fused, and they're gonna want to fight. Those things also extend into regular relationships as well. Because how we communicate is also an issue because some people just don't understand what being in the military entails until they're actually smack dad face in it. And even though it's their smack dad face in it, sometimes they still don't understand. So it's just a basic knowledge of how do we need to process this emotion once we leave. Cause a lot of people to this day, they probably haven't even processed their their emotions because it goes back to what I said in my previous in my previous episode is that we're stuck in a notion of trying to express ourselves isn't welcome, isn't needed. So a lot of us don't say anything. That's the reason why, you know, suicide and military personnel, suicide and veterans are at a high, is because how to process our emotions and how to express ourselves to individuals who don't know at all what I'm talking about. So, how are they supposed to feel what I'm feeling if they don't even know because they haven't been there? And that's where people definitely need to be aware and just talk, please, please, please. Just I know this is a side note and I'm going off topic, but if you know somebody in the military, whether they're in, whether they're about to get out, or whether they've been out, it's always good to check on somebody. It's always good to turn around and just be like, hey man, I'm just checking on you, how you doing? Everything all right? If you need to talk, holla at me. Sometimes that's all it takes to save somebody's life. And the main thing I would say for me is what I've learned in the military is how I view people. And again, I'm from New York City, right? And it's a concrete jungle, you know, and I'm not going to be singing Alicia Keisha, y'all, so don't be alarmed. We're cool. But all I knew was that the first time I've traveled out the country, and let me define this to you guys: the first time that I've traveled out the country, my mom is Jamaican, I've been to Jamaica, but I don't count that because that's more like I'm visiting family. The first time I went out the country was on my first deployment. The first country I was able to see was going through the Straits of Gibraltar, which was Portugal and Spain, and Morocco. It was a beautiful it was the most beautiful sight that I've ever saw in my life. And the first place that I touched down, my two feet touched the ground was France. And to me, that's what opened up my eyes was the fact of seeing people that necessarily don't speak English. They speak some or they speak none. The air, the historic features, the scenery, the landscape, everything that you can possibly think of. Just experiencing that in multiple countries, you know. Again, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Jordan, Bahrain, Dubai, just a variety of people I was able to see and was able to socialize with them and sit down and drink and they ask questions. That opened me up. That opened up the floodgates to when I got out was I need to experience that more because people have this perception of Americans. But how are you supposed to know the perceptions of Americans from other people if you don't go anywhere? Because sometimes TVs can be deceiving. But when you're in front of somebody and they're telling you how they feel about Americans, sometimes it's just teaching them differently. And I and I think that was the most powerful thing for me was to be able to be amongst other people and seeing how they live and seeing how they eat and see how they go about their business and go about their everyday lives. It was truly an amazing experience for me. And I think how I view people was probably the most important thing because before it was like, hey, if you don't like me, I don't like you. But that's not necessarily the key because most people they mind their business until you ask them a question, and most of them are very friendly. So I think the most important thing was that, and and just again, if you have the chance to travel, if you had the chance to go somewhere, and please, when I say travel, I'm not talking about Miami. Okay? Miami is great. Spin that, all that is cool. But we gotta think bigger than that. Because there's gonna come a point in time that we're gonna get older and we can't travel. So why waste the opportunity to experience the world, to experience a different time zone, to experience food, to experience culture than now. And don't say it's expensive, you can't go nowhere, I can't do anything. Plan. Figure out where you want to go, figure out what you want to do, figure out prices, figure out when you want to travel, and save money accordingly. Since I've been out of the military a lifetime ago, I have been to so many places and experienced beautiful food, beautiful people, beautiful scenery that I can't stop. That's like when somebody gets a tattoo and they want to get more tattooed. That's what it's like for me to travel. And it wouldn't have been possible if I did not join the military. And to be honest, because again, this is this is the podcast of honesty. I didn't want to join. And the reason why I didn't want to join was because I had a passion for football and I had a passion for computers. And I felt with football that I was really good at it. But the problem is life happens. And some things you just can't control, you can't fight, you can't beat. So it then you turn around and you decide you're gonna do something else and make sacrifices so that when you have children, that they don't have to suffer like you did. So that's the reason why I joined. And despite getting hurt, despite getting injured, it was the best experience and the best decision that I made. Because then I'm able to sit here in front of you guys. I'm able to look behind me and look at my college degree. Something that, to be honest, I don't, I never in a million years would have thought I would have had. Hell. I had people who didn't think I graduated high school. And I can't be mad at them because I almost didn't either. I almost dropped out. But I toughened it out, and I think those qualities that I had to fight through any situation that I had before the military is what propelled me to fight through in the military to get through it all. When you spend years in a structured environment, sometimes you lose parts of yourself without even realizing it. The military has taught me, and I'm gonna speak for me personally, the military has taught me resilience, discipline, accountability, perspective, and the appreciation of life experiences. And because of all of those reasons is the reason why this podcast is truly, truly important. Tune in, y'all. And for anybody who served, past, present, future, I appreciate ya. I appreciate the decision that you made. I appreciate the decision you're going to make. And if you're transitioning out, please, at the end of the day, give yourself some grace. There are other things you need to do before you get out, and that can be a whole different discussion, a whole different episode. Or just hit me up on all my social media platforms. I got the hookup for y'all. But please give yourself some grace, reflect, and ask for help. I know we are used to trying to figure things out on our own because we think we're big and bad and we've done this for so long. We can do this in the back of our hand. But decompressing after our tour is over, after we sign those papers to get discharged, the real battle begins. Because then it's all about deprogramming yourself to then live out in the civilian world around normal people who never, never or will never experience that. And that's where the real battle begins, because some people, if they don't understand it, they don't want to be around it. And there's always a difficulty when it comes to veterans. Because we celebrate the military, but we kind of turn our backs towards the veterans. And a lot of them are just dealing with stuff that they just need somebody to talk to. So not just to the military people, but also to just regular civilians. If you see a veteran, just say something. Say hi. Maybe they just need somebody to talk to. If we talk to more people, especially veterans, you can be that definitely factor of attempted suicide and actually saving them. Because sometimes it's difficult to give ourselves grace. Because if things aren't working out according to plan, stress comes, depression comes, and those situations and those things pile up to us making a dumb, stupid mistake. So, thank y'all for listening. Please follow me on all social media platforms. The link is in the bio. And until next time, this is your boy, Mile at y'all. Before you go, I have something to say real quick. Beyond the Office is growing, and it's growing because of each and every single one of you. The conversations we have here, they matter, and I want to keep it going. So I set up a way to support the show if you want to. No pressure, no guilt. If this podcast has ever made you think, made you feel seen, or helped you start a conversation you've been avoiding, there is a donation link in the description and a cash app dedicated to beyond the office. Every single dollar goes back to making this better. And I appreciate you either way. But if you want to start and help build this, now you can do that.
