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Retired Senior Chief Thom Shea, a 23-year Navy SEAL, is unbreakable.
During a distinguished military career, Shea served in three wars, ultimately leading a team of Navy SEALs into Afghanistan in 2009 where he earned a Silver Star, Bronze Star with Valor, Army Commendation with Valor and his second Combat Action Medal.
In his 23 years of service, he saw more than 2,700 hours of combat, was a SEAL instructor and was appointed the officer in charge of the famed SEAL Sniper Course, where his two-year leadership resulted in greater graduation rates and overall score improvement.
Shea and his wife Stacy live in Greenville, S.C. On a recent cold, wet day — the opposite of the dry, hot fighting season in Afghanistan, which Thom refers to as “hell” — they recalled the night before his deployment to Afghanistan when Stacy told Thom, “I need you to come back to us. Do not fear dying. Fear makes you weak.”
Although SEALs regularly go into harm’s way, Thom’s final deployment was particularly dangerous. Their mission was to take the fight to the Taliban, flush them out and destroy them.
Stacy’s belief about fear making a person weak, she said, is a reflection of her own feelings. She knew she had to be strong for their kids and their extended family, and when she felt fear, she was weakened.
Stacy said she had complete confidence in Thom as a tactical master and operator, but war is chaos. Knowing the very real possibility that Thom might not return from Afghanistan, Stacy asked him to write down everything he’d want their children to know about his life as a SEAL, and all the lessons he would want to teach them.
Fortunately, Thom and all his men returned home safely, and these writings became his book, “Unbreakable: A Navy SEAL’s Way of Life.”
However, the book is more than memoirs about life as a SEAL; it is a guide to personal transformation and living a life of accomplishment.
Through 13 lessons exploring the “Five Pyramids of Human Performance,” the book outlines the traits and habits necessary to increase performance in all aspects of life.
Now retired from the military, Thom has developed a unique curriculum taken from his years of leading soldiers in the chaos of war and training SEALs. As CEO of Adamantine Alliance, he now uses these principles to coach business people in increasing performance.
“What would your life be like if you never quit?” Thom asked when questioned about the content of the training. “And what could you achieve if you learned to thrive in any form of chaos that you or your business encountered?”
In the three years since his retirement, Thom has given more than 200 keynote addresses and worked with more than 50 CEOs and business owners.
Adamantine Alliance continues to thrive because, according to Thom, the training produces measurable results. Every one of his clients has increased their business by 2.5% or more as a direct result of his training, he said.
Thom is scheduled to share his story in Pleasanton next month, speaking on the topic of “thriving in any and every kind of chaos you or your company may encounter” at a luncheon hosted by Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 13 at Palm Event Center.
‘Unbreakable: A Navy SEAL’s Way of Life’
Who: Thom Shea, author and retired Navy SEAL
When: Tuesday, June 13. Networking at 11:30 a.m.; lunch and program at noon
Where: Palm Event Center in the Vineyard, 1184 Vineyard Ave.
Cost: $35 per person
Registration: Pleasanton.org.