Biography
Oakland, California native Kevin Eastman thrives on simplicity and logic. An accomplished author, skilled speaker, freelance business consultant, mentor, and community activist with a “tell it like it is” mentality, he shoots from the hip when discussing personal and professional development. His mission (and passion) is assisting people with overcoming the obstacles they face, in business and in life. One of his favorite philosophies is, "Obstacles, barriers, and challenges are only as large as you make them in your head."
A graduate of Castlemont High School, Kevin served in multiple capacities in the U.S. Air Force for over 2 decades on active duty, at locations around the world. He has interacted with thousands of people, with stints as a military training instructor (commonly known as a drill instructor) for a few years, and over a decade as a recruiter, at the high school, college, and post-graduate levels. He has presented information to dozens of military and civilian organizations.
Kevin has earned undergraduate degrees from the Community College of the Air Force and Columbia Southern University, and a graduate degree from Azusa Pacific University. He's also certified in Marketing, Professional Selling Skills, and Sales Coaching.
Married and residing in Southern California, Kevin enjoys being involved with community development and improvement efforts as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, watching and playing sports, traveling, watching movies, listening to music, writing, cooking, meeting people, and spending time with family and friends.
My Story
I've come a long way from the inner-city of Oakland. After high school, I decided to join the Air Force. It's because of that decision, I've had opportunities to visit and live in various parts of the world, meet some interesting people, experience many different cultures, and complete a college education. Things like this will work wonders on a person, regardless of where they start.
Throughout my travels, education, and career paths, I've managed to learn a few things, including a simple philosophy I've adopted: whenever possible, do your best to add value to another person's life, using the knowledge and experience you have.
One of the most amazing lessons I've learned is the difference between passion and purpose. These two words sound similar, but are actually quite different. Passion is what wakes you up each day, ready to engage in an activity you find enjoyable. The purpose is the benefit others receive as a result of you engaging in that activity you're passionate about.
My passion is assisting people in identifying, and simplifying complicated areas of their life, for the purpose of keeping them moving toward their goals, and ultimately fully enjoying their life. The challenge is getting people to admit areas of their life are complicated. I know all too well how difficult this is, because the human ego can be a beast. Admittedly, at one point, my ego was spiraling out of control!
During my career in, and outside of the Air Force, I've interacted with thousands of people. When you're exposed to that many people over that amount of time, you are bound to learn some things. Most importantly, you learn a lot about what does, and doesn't work.
What's ironic is during my early adult years, I put my own aspirations on the back burner. I was great at helping other people, but not as effective at helping myself. Why not? I was preoccupied with being angry at the world. I was looking for anything to point the blame at for my misfortune, except at what NEEDED the blame: ME! Self-doubt and low self-esteem were running rampant in my head. As a result, many people were getting fixed, while I remained broken.
That all changed when a fantastic mentor I had, forced me to challenge my thinking. He asked me a single question that was powerful beyond my comprehension: "Why do you insist on short-changing yourself?" Amazingly, I had no answer! The question offended and frustrated me, but more importantly... it got my attention, and started a chain of events that helped me completely transform my life.
Now, I want to help as many people as possible in the same manner - by challenging, and helping them transform their thinking. Of course, I don't know everything, but perhaps what I do know will help someone else make positive adjustments in their life.
As a Military Training (Drill) Instructor in the Air Force.