AreteCoach 1215 Severin Sorensen "That We Might Live Free"

Arete Coach: The Art & Science of Executive Coaching

Arete Coach Podcast

Business, How To, Entrepreneurship, Education, Management

5 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 27 May 2025

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

That We Might Live Free

A Memorial Day Tribute | Arete Coach™ Podcast with Severin Sorensen. A Special tribute featuring Jay Stringham (posthumously), Irving Ray Stringham Jr., and the Stringham family legacy.

In this special Memorial Day edition of the Arete Coach™ Podcast, host Severin Sorensen departs from his usual exploration of executive coaching to deliver a solemn tribute to the men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation.

Titled “That We Might Live Free,” this episode reflects on the true meaning of Memorial Day, honors the story of WWII aviator Irving Ray Stringham Jr., and shares a sacred poem—A Soldier’s Last Prayer—written by his younger brother Jay Thorral Stringham.

Rather than featuring a conventional guest, this episode centers on a heartfelt tribute to Irving Ray Stringham Jr., a WWII aviator who gave his life over the skies of Germany, and Jay Thorral Stringham, his younger brother and the only survivor among five friends from their neighborhood who went to war together.

Haunted by loss and moved by a deep sense of reverence, Jay channeled his grief and gratitude into a poem titled “A Soldier’s Last Prayer.” The poem, delivered in this episode, is a poignant reflection of a soldier’s internal dialogue on the eve of battle—capturing a blend of fear, faith, sacrifice, and hope. The host received this poem from Jay’s daughter, Dolly Hicks, who entrusted its legacy to be shared and remembered.

With permission from the family, Severin transforms this heartfelt poem into three powerful musical renditions, each offering a different lens on sacrifice, remembrance, and devotion.

This is not a performance—this is an offering.

A moment of remembrance.

A promise to never forget.

Featuring:

Historical reflections and family stories
Three musical interpretations of A Soldier’s Last Prayer
Quotes from JFK, Reagan, Lincoln, Patton, and more
A call to live with gratitude, purpose, and honor

🕯️ May we remember. May we honor. And may we live free.

The Arete Coach Podcast explores the art and science of executive coaching. You can find more about this podcast at aretecoach.io.

This episode was recorded on Memorial Day, May 26, 2024.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is Severin Soren Sorensson and the Art. Toch Coach podcast with a special episode recorded on Memorial Day.
0:06.6	Welcome to the Art to Coach podcast where we explore excellence in the art and science of executive coaching.
0:12.5	I'm your host, Severin Sorensson, and today we've set aside our usual conversations for something more solemn and sacred.
0:20.4	This is a special Memorial Day episode,
0:23.4	recorded on the 26th of May 2025, an honor of those who gave their life so that we might live
0:30.3	free. The title of today's message is one that will echo throughout our time together,
0:36.6	that we might live free.
0:39.3	Today we pause not for celebration, but for remembrance.
0:44.3	Memorial Day is a day of quiet reckoning, a national moment of humility.
0:49.3	It is not just a long weekend.
0:52.3	It is a sacred reminder that every freedom we enjoy has been bought with a price, not in dollars but in lives.
1:00.0	We remember the sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, who put on the uniform of service and never took it off again.
1:11.6	They stepped forward when others stayed behind.
1:14.6	They didn't go for fame nor fortune, but out of duty to protect the liberty of others.
1:21.6	Many never returned.
1:23.6	And those who did came home changed.
1:29.3	Why we remember?
1:34.1	We remember because freedom is not inherited, it is maintained.
1:39.6	We remember because the silence of the fallen speaks louder than our words.
1:47.2	We remember because gratitude is the least we can offer for the most that they gave.
1:57.8	Behind every flag, a name. Behind every name, a life. And behind every life, a family forever changed.
2:04.3	On this Memorial Day, we do more than observe. We remember. We remember,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Arete Coach Podcast, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Arete Coach Podcast and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.