412. Why Doing Hard Things Is the Ultimate Advantage
The Game Changing Attorney Podcast with Michael Mogill
Persistence to get into Cornell
Joe explains applying repeatedly to Cornell, taking classes, and how delayed gratification and persistence paid off.
What if the only way to build unshakable success is to suffer for it every single day?
As part of the “Road to the Summit”, a special series ramping up to the 2025 Game Changers Summit this November 12–13, we’re revisiting some of the most powerful conversations ever featured at our events. In this encore episode of The Game Changing Attorney Podcast, we’re throwing it back to the 2023 Game Changers Summit, where Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan Race, took the stage to unpack what it truly takes to lead with grit, persistence, and purpose.
From cleaning pools for mobsters in Queens to building a global fitness empire that nearly collapsed during the pandemic, Joe’s story is a masterclass in resilience. He reveals that doing hard things isn’t punishment but preparation, and that embracing discomfort builds the kind of resilience that separates those who survive from those who succeed.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Why embracing adversity every day builds the grit required to win
- How to find your “why” — and use it to push through the toughest moments
- What it takes to turn pain, persistence, and purpose into long-term success
If you want to build a life that can’t be broken, this episode will show you how to earn it.
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Show Notes:
02:43 – Joe recalls growing up in Queens surrounded by hustlers and mobsters — and the lessons that shaped his early work ethic.
07:26 – The business advice Joe received from a mob boss that taught him the value of showing up early, going above and beyond, and never asking for money.
11:53 – Joe shares how his repeated rejections from Cornell taught him the power of persistence and delayed gratification.
18:46 – The creation of Spartan Race — how Joe turned his passion for endurance and suffering into a global fitness empire.
20:44 – Joe reveals how the pandemic nearly destroyed Spartan, costing $50 million, and why grit kept him from quitting.
25:42 – The story of the Japanese marathon monks and what extreme commitment looks like in practice.
33:48 – Why manufacturing adversity every day — through cold showers, burpees, and hard choices — is the key to building lasting resilience.
Links & Resources:
- Spartan Race
- Tough Mudder
- Spartan Up! by Joe De Sena
- 10 Rules for Resilience by Joe De Sena
- Joe de Sena
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Past guests on The Game Changing Attorney Podcast include David Goggins, John Morgan, Alex Hormozi, Randi McGinn, Kim Scott, Chris Voss, Kevin O’Leary, Laura Wasser, John Maxwell, Mark Lanier, Robert Greene, and many more.
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