Navy Pilot Kegan Gill Rebuilds Life After Mach 0.95 F/A-18 Ejection

Nov 4, 2025

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After surviving a 695-mph ejection, Navy pilot Kegan Gill faced paralysis, addiction, and a broken system. He strips the story down to its core, discipline, ownership, and grit. This isn't motivation; it's survival through standards. Learn how to rebuild your mind, body, and purpose when everything else is gone. Timestamps:

[01:33] The mindset that separates doers from talkers.
[06:15] Stepping into the F-18 cockpit, pressure and precision.
[09:03] The 695-mph ejection, real endurance revealed.
[19:15] How simple habits became the mission.
[21:17] Fighting back against pain, pills, and the system.

What You Will Learn:

How daily effort rebuilds discipline and grit.
Why ownership, not pills, drives true recovery.
How to apply military discipline to everyday life.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Learned:

Daily Discipline: Small, consistent actions compound into recovery and long-term resilience.
Ownership of Outcomes: Taking responsibility for rehabilitation, mental health, and career decisions.
Physical Rehabilitation Principles: Structured nutrition, exercise, and rest to restore function.
Opioid Weaning Strategy: Gradual reduction under self-discipline or physician guidance to regain autonomy.
Holistic Healing Modalities: Integrating sleep, nutrition, exercise, nature, and alternative therapies for nervous system recovery.

"Consistent effort, disciplined action, and ownership of recovery can rebuild life beyond what seems possible."

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The Hard Way Podcast With Joe De Sena, Hosted by Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan, this podcast delves into the principles of resilience, discipline, and the Spartan mindset. De Sena's journey from building a multimillion-dollar pool cleaning business in his teens to establishing a successful Wall Street trading firm showcases his entrepreneurial spirit. In 2001, he transitioned from finance to operate an organic farm in Pittsfield, Vermont, where his passion for endurance events like ultramarathons and adventure races flourished. This led to the creation of Spartan, aiming to inspire individuals to embrace challenges and push their limits.