JayR sits down with Jordie Kern, founder of Seven Eagle Group, a national organisation dedicated to helping America’s military veterans transition into meaningful careers in corporate America. The conversation goes deep into the real challenges veterans face after service — underemployment, lack of mentorship, career confusion, and navigating a system that often misunderstands military talent. Jordie shares how his team connects veterans to purpose-driven career paths through mentorship, strategic job placement, corporate partnerships, and SkillBridge opportunities. He breaks down the 180 day SkillBridge window, the live online academy running five hours a day with around 125 transitioning vets, and the single biggest failure mode he sees in transition: choosing the wrong path reactively instead of doing the soul searching first. Along the way Jordie shares a turnaround story of a fast food worker hired into an executive role off the strength of a single video, JayR pulls out the books he’s written for vets in transition, and the two of them land on the line that anchors the whole episode — veterans don’t lack discipline, leadership, or work ethic. They need opportunity.
Podcast Title:
Tha Motiv8tors Table Podcast
Host:
Dr. JayR McIntyre (Tha Hood Motiv8tor)
Episode Title:
E004 - From Military to Meaningful Careers - Veteran Success Stories with Seven Eagle Group - CEO Jordie Kern
Summary:
JayR sits down with Jordie Kern, founder of Seven Eagle Group, a national organisation dedicated to helping America’s military veterans transition into meaningful careers in corporate America. The conversation goes deep into the real challenges veterans face after service — underemployment, lack of mentorship, career confusion, and navigating a system that often misunderstands military talent.
Jordie shares how his team connects veterans to purpose-driven career paths through mentorship, strategic job placement, corporate partnerships, and SkillBridge opportunities. He breaks down the 180 day SkillBridge window, the live online academy running five hours a day with around 125 transitioning vets, and the single biggest failure mode he sees in transition: choosing the wrong path reactively instead of doing the soul searching first.
Along the way Jordie shares a turnaround story of a fast food worker hired into an executive role off the strength of a single video, JayR pulls out the books he’s written for vets in transition, and the two of them land on the line that anchors the whole episode — veterans don’t lack discipline, leadership, or work ethic. They need opportunity.
Main Topics:
Veterans and career transition challenges
Underemployment in the military community
The power of mentorship
How SkillBridge opens doors
Corporate America’s responsibility to hire veterans
Veteran success stories that inspire
Identifying purpose after service
Building a life beyond the uniform
Intriguing Quotes:
“Veterans don’t lack discipline. They don’t lack leadership. They don’t lack work ethic. They need opportunity.”
“The mission doesn’t end when the uniform comes off.”
“You can teach how to do the skill, but you can’t teach those soft skills that only get developed by years in the military being trained by some of the best.”
“I deserve to be great too. Why can’t I achieve every goal I set out for myself?”
“It takes one person. Crack the door open a little bit for them, that’s all.”
Key Moments:
[00:01:28] - JayR welcomes Jordie Kern from Seven Eagle Group to Season 5
[00:02:08] - Jordie introduces Seven Eagle and the mission to connect veterans with the careers they deserve
[00:04:14] - His father’s WWII service in the South Pacific and the late 40s decision to start Seven Eagle
[00:08:14] - Veteran undermployment as the bigger problem and the long road to financial and personal alignment
[00:17:05] - How the SkillBridge program and the 180 day window set vets up for a smooth landing
[00:21:08] - The number one failure mode in transition - going right when you should have gone left
[00:35:55] - The fast food worker turned executive hired off a single video introduction
[00:42:55] - JayR pours into Jordie and sends the audience straight to 7eagle.com
Notable Guests/Resources:
Jordie Kern, founder of Seven Eagle Group, based in Massachusetts and originally from New York. Did not serve himself, but his father served in the South Pacific in World War II. Started Seven Eagle in his late 40s. Runs a live online academy five hours a day with around 125 transitioning vets, expected to scale to 500 a day by year end. Find Seven Eagle at 7eagle.com.
Seven Eagle Group, national veteran transition organisation and SkillBridge provider. One of around 5,000 companies in the SkillBridge program. Roughly 30 staff, most of whom have served. Working on a government grant application to extend support to homeless veterans.
The Sheep Dog, new film directed by veteran Stephen Graham, being screened live for the academy with the director and production team this week.
The MICK (military influencer conference), Tampa, and the Military Creator Con, Arlington Texas. JayR and Seven Eagle both attending.
JayR’s books mentioned, free as ebooks on Amazon for 90 days: The Power of the Pivot, A Good Heart Don’t Pay Bills, and Don’t Overlook the Janitor.
Sponsors mentioned: 7 Eagle Academy, Los Angeles Tribune, Riverside.