From An Orphanage To Lawyer, Cop And Business Executive ‒ An Exclusive Interview With Pat Welsh, JD
- Brainz Magazine
- Feb 21, 2022
- 5 min read
Pat Welsh is an author, speaker, trainer, educator, lawyer, Business Development Executive, and investigator – all at the same time. Pat has been on the national training circuit for over 10 years and has taught such topics as Command Officer Development, Strategic Planning and Management, Personnel Development, Organizational Discipline, Homicide Investigations and Legal Issues in Prosecuting Criminal Cases, and Courtroom Survival. Pat has over 30 years in both Law Enforcement and the practice of law. Pat is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the Police Executive Leadership College, and the Secret Service Executive Protection Seminar for Command Level law Enforcement. Pat is also a Certified Speaker, Trainer, Coach with the John Maxwell Team.
Pat Welsh, JD, Ceo & Founder
Pat, it seems you have quite the storied path in life. First, what is the story behind your beginnings in an orphanage?
I was born in the late 1950s in Dublin, Ireland. My birth mother was a widow when I was born and placed me in an orphanage when I was three days old. Nearly 16 months later I was adopted by an American family and was flown to the United States. Nearly 40 years later I met my birth mother, and older sister, in Ireland. Too long of a story to share here, but it is a chapter in the Best-Selling book, Healing Happens, by Randy Zachary. Pretty amazing experience.
So, what makes you, you?
Wow, loaded questions, with a lot of responses. In a nutshell, I don’t take anything for granted – and I am an extremely grateful person. I started life out living in an orphanage, being adopted, and becoming a US citizen when I was 5 years old. All incredible blessings. I was given an incredible education and graduated law school in 1982. I have been married to my best friend for over 41 years and we raised 5 great children.
But what makes me, I am not all roses and caviar moments. We struggled like all married couples. My wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2004. Our youngest child and son died serving overseas with the United States Air Force in 2015. And lots of other challenges that many people face – especially if you served in law enforcement as long as I did. Most importantly, however, what makes me, me is the foundation of Faith, family and a genuine Warrior, Servant, Leader mindset.
I noticed you have published two books with Warrior, Servant, Leader in the title. What is the importance of this mindset in your life?
Great question! The first book in the WSL series covers my Life Behind the Badge. It is a sometimes serious, sometimes humorous look at my life of 26 years as a cop in Dayton, Ohio. It was an Amazon Best New Release and Best Seller back in 2015.
The second book, Life Behind the Cross, is a look at my faith journey and was released in 2018. It really goes deeper into a lot of the experiences, personal and professional, that have impacted and shaped my life.
The importance of the WSL Mindset is pretty basic. It informs my personal and professional life and I share all this across the country when I am training, coaching or mentoring folks. It is also tightly associated with my personal and professional motto.
Here is the WSL Mindset in short: Stand up, show up and defend what you believe (Warrior); put the wants and needs of others before your own (Servant); be a person of influence and impact in the lives of everyone you meet (Leader).
How do you do that?
This is where my motto comes in: Always strive to do the Right things, at the Right time, the Right way and for the Right reasons. It is my moral compass, which is exclusively directed by my Christian Catholic faith. And this total package of mindset and motto shapes and impacts my personal and professional life. It comes down to this simple of outlook – life isn’t about me, it’s about the folks I meet and impact every day.
How do you even know if you are making a difference in the lives of people you meet and that this mindset and motto really “work”?
A very legit question. First, it isn’t a question of, “Do I need proof it works?” I call them Paul Harvey moments – you know, “the rest of the story.” I have been blessed over the years to have folks reach out to me and give me the “Paul Harvey, rest of the story” after I have had the chance to impact their lives.
Two really stand out. One took 18 years. I was on a call about a returned missing/runaway 12-year-old boy. The parents asked me to talk to him, because they were at their wit's end and did not know what to do. So, I did – I talked to him like a parent, not a cop. Eighteen years later I am in the checkout line at the grocery store and a guy a couple of people behind me in line says,” Hey Welsh, is that you?” I look back and have no idea who this guy is. I’m racking my brain trying to remember if he was someone I had arrested. I tell him I am Welsh and ask who he is. He tells me, “When I was 12 years old you came to my house because I ran away. Just want to tell you, I graduated college, am married, and have 2 daughters. Thank you!”
The second was an Air Force enlisted Non-commissioned Officer (NCO). I was putting on 8-hour training sessions in changing the culture of Security Forces to over 400 USAF enlisted and commissioned SF officers over a period of 5 days. The best evaluation I received said this, “Thank you. You have given me the tools to help save my marriage.”
So often in my career, as a lawyer, prosecutor, cop and even on the training circuit, I found myself dealing with the least, the last and the lost in society. I liken my outlook on this whole WSL Mindset to the story of the lost sheep in scripture. If you can impact just one lost sheep, it is a moment to rejoice and celebrate.
Powerful stories, Pat. What is on your horizon as your journey continues?
I recently joined Conflict International, a UK based Investigation, Security, and Intelligence company, with offices in the US and around the world, as a Business Development Executive.
Our Mission Statement: We use insight, intelligence, investigation, risk management and strategic solutions to solve problems troubling individuals, companies and organizations of all kinds, anywhere around the world.
My goal is to bring the WSL Mindset and motto to our staff, clients and folks I meet everyday in the pursuit of building and developing our business. Who knows the “Paul Harvey, rest of the story” stories I will hear – right?
