Coffee Time With Carlos Machado

Coffee Time With Carlos Machado Real conversations with Carlos Machado on mindset, purpose, and living with intent. No hype. No filters. Grab a cup. Take a seat.

Coffee Time with Carlos Machado is more than a podcast—it’s a space for real conversations that matter. Hosted by 8th Degree Coral Belt and world-renowned instructor Carlos Machado, each episode explores life beyond the mat. From mindset and discipline to leadership, legacy, and personal growth, Carlos shares stories, lessons, and reflections over coffee and conversation. Just meaningful dialogue with guests and solo episodes that leave you thinking. Let’s talk about what really matters.

12/07/2025

Lee opened up about a question many veterans ask themselves. Why am I going through these problems when the people around me seem fine? Why am I weak? Then he realized something crucial. If you live through trauma and feel nothing, that is not strength. That is something else entirely. Feeling the impact of what you experienced means you are human. It means you are responding to something abnormal.

That moment of clarity led him to start the nonprofit with the help of friends like Jody Thrasher and Joe Watley. What began as a personal struggle became the foundation for AHERO, a place for healing and connection.

🎧 Listen: https://podcast.coffeetimewithcarlos.com/
📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/Alc39Gl1xIM

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Learn more about AHERO: https://aherousa.org

12/06/2025

Lee shared a moment many veterans feel but rarely talk about. He asked himself why he was struggling when his Marines seemed fine. He wondered if he was weak. Then he realized the truth. If you see traumatic things in combat and feel nothing, that is not strength. That is something else entirely. Struggling does not make you weak. It makes you human. It means you are a normal person facing abnormal situations.

That realization led him to start the nonprofit with the help of friends like Jody Thrasher, Joe Watley, and others. That moment of honesty became the beginning of AHERO.

🎧 Listen: https://podcast.coffeetimewithcarlos.com/
📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/Alc39Gl1xIM

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Learn more about AHERO: https://aherousa.org

12/05/2025

Lee talked about drinking, medication, and trauma all hitting at the same time and how that combination is not an “if” but a “when” for hitting rock bottom. His advice now is simple and powerful. Write it out. Write the hard things you are dealing with on paper. Then write the blessings right beside them. A roof. A car. Hearing. Sight. Your legs. Your family. Your breath.

The blessing list always outweighs the negative one.
Every single time.

🎧 Listen: https://podcast.coffeetimewithcarlos.com/
📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/Alc39Gl1xIM

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Learn more about AHERO: https://aherousa.org

12/05/2025

Another episode in the books! 🤙

check it out! ☕️

12/04/2025

Lee talked about something many people avoid. Instead of hiding from your past, put it where you can see it. Put it in a journal, on your coffee table, or in a golden book. Remind yourself of what you have survived and what shaped you into who you are today. You did not break. You overcame. And every day you wake up is another chance to make an impact.

Your story is not something to run from.
It is proof of your resilience.

🎧 Listen: https://podcast.coffeetimewithcarlos.com/
📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/Alc39Gl1xIM

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Learn more about AHERO: https://aherousa.org

12/03/2025

Lee laughed as he described how he showed up with Justin Bieber hair, out of shape, and unable to run a mile and a half in under 50 minutes. But when he finished training, everything had changed. He was running three miles in 17 minutes, in the best shape of his life, and so transformed that his own parents walked right past him at graduation without recognizing him.

Transformation is real when you commit.
Discipline changes the direction of your life.
And sometimes the first step becomes the catapult for everything that comes next.

🎧 Listen: https://podcast.coffeetimewithcarlos.com/
📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/Alc39Gl1xIM

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Learn more about AHERO: https://aherousa.org

12/02/2025

Some messages shake you to your core.
Lee shared a moment when a longtime friend, a Marine and now a sheriff, texted him late at night. His words were full of pain and desperation. He told Lee he loved him, that he could not do it anymore, and that he hoped he would not go to hell for what he was about to do. Lee responded with one urgent message. Please do not hurt yourself or anyone else.

You never know when someone is one message away from breaking.
A text, a call, a moment of connection can make the difference.
Check on the people you care about. It matters more than you know.

🎧 Listen: https://podcast.coffeetimewithcarlos.com/
📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/Alc39Gl1xIM

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Learn more about AHERO: https://aherousa.org

12/01/2025

For more than twenty years, Lee has walked through grocery stores and told strangers, God bless you, I hope you are having a good day. His wife once asked him why he does it, especially since she is more introverted. His answer was simple. You never know what someone is carrying. A kind word that costs you nothing might stop someone from going home and making a devastating choice.

Some people pour into their community. Others only consume from it.
Choose to pour in.
The smallest act of kindness may be the one someone needs today.

Watch the full episode here:
https://youtu.be/Vi9Y57xK49g

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Learn more about AHERO: https://aherousa.org

11/30/2025

Leadership is not about being above people. It is about serving them.
Lee shared that when he commanded 300 Marines, he told them something most leaders never say. He reminded them that he worked for them, not the other way around. He loved them, protected them, and treated them like the foundation of every success they achieved.

Great leaders understand this truth.
Your people are the reason you succeed.
Honor them and they will carry the mission with you.

Watch the full episode here:
https://youtu.be/Vi9Y57xK49g

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Learn more about AHERO: https://aherousa.org

11/29/2025

How do you stay accountable when life pulls you in different directions?
Lee shared how he manages the pressure of responsibilities, nonprofits, and the constant demands on his time. His method is simple and powerful. He keeps a list on his phone, checks it before bed, and treats every task like he works for someone who will fire him if he does not finish it. Even though he works for himself, he holds himself to that level of urgency.

Urgency builds focus.
Focus builds consistency.
Consistency changes everything.

Watch the full episode here:
https://youtu.be/Vi9Y57xK49g

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Learn more about AHERO: https://aherousa.org

Episode 9 is officially here, and this conversation is one I hope every person takes time to listen to.Major Lee Stuckey...
11/28/2025

Episode 9 is officially here, and this conversation is one I hope every person takes time to listen to.

Major Lee Stuckey sat down with me and shared a story that is honest, vulnerable, and deeply human. He spoke about the moments that nearly broke him and the moments that helped him rebuild. He talked about purpose, pain, faith, and the unexpected ways life gives us another chance.

There is something powerful about hearing someone speak from a place of truth.
It reminds us that every person you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about…
and that hope can show up when you think you have run out of options.

If you need a reminder that your life still has meaning, this episode will find you at the right moment.

Take a quiet moment today.
Listen.
Let this story speak to you.

🎧 Listen to the episode: https://podcast.coffeetimewithcarlos.com/
📺 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Alc39Gl1xIM

11/27/2025

Once you call someone a demeaning name or unload on them in anger, it is almost impossible to earn back one hundred percent of their respect. Lee shares a story about an email he wrote in frustration. He read it to a senior leader who said it was a great email. Then he made him read it again. Then again. And then he told him the smartest thing he could hear in that moment.

Delete it.

Before you say something, ask yourself a simple question. Will this destroy the relationship? And if it will, should you say it at all?

Episode with Major Lee Stuckey releases November 28.
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Learn more about AHERO: https://aherousa.org

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