What does the rise of “quiet quitting” say about the future careers of the youngest generation? Is it based on legitimate frustrations with the current career landscape or is it the result of a cultural devaluation of self-reliance and work ethic? Either way, how do we inspire our kids not to fall into this cycle of passivity?

Today’s guest, Ben Askren, is anything but passive and certainly isn’t a quitter. He’s a former wrestler and mixed martial artist with numerous championships under his belt. His new autobiography, Funky, chronicles his love affair with wrestling, and how he went undefeated for over a decade in MMA. 

Throughout his time as an amateur and professional fighter, Ben knew the secret to his success would be to master the art of outworking everyone and he did just that. He now runs and coaches at five wrestling academies, inspiring his students to have the same grit and determination that led to his success. Ben’s perseverance to achieve his goals, and to teach others to do the same, serves as an inspiration to anyone, whether the goal is winning Olympic gold, or being a great dad. 

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Purchase a copy of Ben's book: https://www.amazon.com/Funky-Defiant-Through-Combat-Sports/dp/1637582994

Askren Wrestling Academy: https://awawisconsin.com/

Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Benaskren?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Ben on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benaskren/?hl=en

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Outline:

[0:00] Intro

[2:13] Starting combat sports

[12:55] Ben’s college wrestling career

[16:45] Dealing with Olympic loss

[18:57] Work ethic, discipline, and self-reliance

[22:34] How Ben switched to MMA

[26:11] Planning for the future and learning to move on

[30:08] Bellator, ONE Championship, and Dana White

[35:19] How Ben came to terms with his short-lived UFC career

[39:21] Ben’s thoughts on “quiet quitting”

[43:25] Turning a profit by developing virtues in young wrestlers

[49:47] Ben’s deep thought about parenthood

[54:13] What is masculinity?

[1:01:13] How Ben raises his kids to share his values

[1:08:40] Why male role models matter

[1:13:21] Ben’s impact on the world

[1:14:43] Outro

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Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/m586qUVkqIY

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?

Visit our website: https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/

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Dad Saves America is a channel dedicated to celebrating heroic fatherhood while teaching the next generation of fathers strategies they can utilize in parenting their children. We believe strong children come from a strong family. We’ve had many experts in the studio, including Jonathan Haidt, Mike Yates, Lenore Skenazy, Warren Farrell, Matt Ridley, Martin Gurri, and Michael Strong.