195. Generals Eat Last with Tony Crescenzo

FINE is a 4-Letter Word

How many battles are you fighting without even being aware you’re in the arena?

It might seem like everything is “fine”. Sure, you had struggles, some hard times and bad luck, and things that didn’t quite go your way. Many people have a story or two about the time they got fucked over BECAUSE they were doing the right thing.

That boomerang can spin around and hit you when you least expect it, like it did for Tony Crescenzo.

Tony grew up in a family of mechanics. Really, all the men in his family were mechanics, except for one grandfather who retired relatively young and bought a farm. They all lived in that same South Philadelphia neighborhood where the Rocky Balboa character trained for his fights with Apollo Creed. So young Tony worked Saturdays as a mechanic and Sundays on his grandfather’s farm, learning the value of good, honest work.

Tony’s parents divorced. His mother remarried to a Navy officer and they moved to Hawaii.

His stepfather’s friend was an old-school Marine whose John Wayne-esque tales of service and heroism inspired young Tony to join the Marines. That’s where he learned priceless lessons about teamwork, being part of something greater than yourself, and the importance of service.

That’s until he was assigned to NIS (which is what it was before NCIS), working in criminal investigations to bring down a paycheck scam. As the only witness for the upcoming court-martial of the accused, he soon found himself being court-martialed – and convicted – for a plethora of exaggerated charges, one of which was that he was UA (think AWOL) even though he was on an approved leave!

So much for Semper Fi, right? Well, not exactly. Tony did get the conviction reversed, along with a commendation for his service and $20 for his trouble. But he decided to pivot to the private sector, working for, leading, and owning various companies and becoming a sort of “Clint Eastwood” of corporate restructuring.

The thing is, his penchant for fighting was affecting every aspect of his life. Both his first and his second wives were used to Tony waking them up in the middle of the night screaming in his sleep. In his own words, he was was one of those people who goes from zero to fuck you in 10 seconds. So things weren’t “fine”. It’s a four-letter word. And then everything changed when he mis-Googled directions to the CIA.

In a moment, when we meet Tony, he is going to give us a master class in accountability, vulnerability, and leadership including the power of meditation and an innovative method he is bringing to market for treating PTSD.

As you listen, reflect on the fact that PTSD is not limited to those who have seen death and destruction on the battlefield. It comes in many different forms from triggers you might not even know.

Tony’s hype song is “Summer Wind” by Frank Sinatra.

Resources:

• Tony Crescenzo’s websites: https://peakneuro.com/ and https://intelligentwaves.com/.
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycrescenzo

Invitation from Lori:

This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit.

Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today’s hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn’t built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It’s built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication.

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As I said, Tony is about to give us a master class in engagement, performance, and success.

Let’s go see him now. He’s standing at the very end of the buffet line!