Relationships & Revenue with John Hulen - Episode 209 A Life of Service: From the White House to the Secret Service and Beyond with Steve Stratton (Part 1)

Episode 209 A Life of Service: From the White House to the Secret Service and Beyond with Steve Stratton (Part 1)

05/04/24 • 53 min

John talks with Steve Stratton — author of Shadow Tier and Shadow Sanction. Steve served in the White House Communications Agency supporting Presidents Ford and Carter, Vice President Rockefeller, and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. He has also worked for the United States Secret Service as a technical security specialist, the National Guard - where he trained foreign nationals, and as a civilian contractor for the Department of Defense, not to mention his time as a Green Beret.

Listen to this episode to learn more:

[00:00] - Welcome notes and Steve’s bio

[03:31] - Steve’s upbringing

[04:32] - Family’s military background and decision to join the army

[05:32] - Assignment to the White House

[06:33] - Experience working in the White House

[07:38] - First international trip and eye-opening experience

[08:35] - Coming to Colorado with President Ford

[09:02] - Transition into the Secret Service

[13:39] - Military-to-civilian transition

[17:15] - Steve’s various career transitions from military to defense contracting

[22:07] - Importance of adaptability and creating relationships

[24:18] - The value of real-world experience beyond traditional education

[26:00] - Alternative paths to higher learning beyond college

[31:26] - Exploring career paths in the military

[34:25] - Embracing uncertainty and failure

[37:50] - Journey into writing fiction

[40:56] - Getting mentored by Jerry Jenkins

[43:16] - Challenges Steve faced in getting his book published

[45:31] - Make a positive impact through storytelling

[48:11] - Advice for people who want to share their stories but lack confidence in writing

[50:09] - Growth and change often involve pain

[51:30] - Steve’s experience losing his loved ones and how it affected him

[54:52] - Analogies of pruning trees and scales dropping away

[57:01] - Taking the first step

NOTABLE QUOTES:

“To adapt, you’ve got to be open to change, to the transition.”

“The ability to be adaptable, the ability to create relationships, and the ability to adapt and overcome are essential traits to success in any endeavor.”

“I’ve learned that success comes from being open to change, adapting to new situations, and continuously learning and growing.”

“The ability to be adaptable, the ability to create relationships, and then continue those relationships, not just transactional, but meaningful, is so important.”

“You don’t have to have your life figured out when you’re 18. But taking steps, moving forward... you’re 18, 19, you don’t like it? Okay, hold back, reassess, and head off again. You’ve got a lot of runway.”

“You don’t have to write a whole book. Start with a blog. People are interested in other people. And if you’re bringing forward heartfelt writing, you can start by actually responding to other bloggers that you follow and think are interesting. Build your confidence up by responding and then actually start one yourself.”

“Sometimes, people just need a little bit of a process, a little bit of a step, something to help them step into the process. And then they can start to deconstruct.”

USEFUL RESOURCES:

https://www.stevenstrattonusa.com

https://www.instagram.com/stevestrattonusa/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ststratton/

https://www.facebook.com/stevestrattonusa

https://twitter.com/strattonbooks

Limited Edition Signed Hardcovers https://www.stevenstrattonusa.com/signed-editions

CONNECT WITH JOHN

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