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How to Make Yourself Unbreakable | DJ Shipley

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Oct 6, 2025

Guest

DJ Shipley

DJ Shipley, a retired Navy SEAL and mental resilience expert, shares his powerful journey of overcoming trauma and building resilience. He discusses effective morning routines and 'stacking micro-wins' to enhance mental stability. DJ also dives into the importance of compartmentalization for balancing work and family life. With insights on emerging treatments for PTSD and addiction, he emphasizes the benefits of psychedelic therapy and a disciplined lifestyle, ultimately guiding listeners to embrace their best selves.

03:42:35

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Episode notes

00:00 / 00:00

Night Prep Creates Morning Control

Prepare the night before so your morning routine becomes automatic and stress-free.
Lay out clothes, fill water, set supplements, and remove decision friction to start the day in control.

00:00 / 00:00

Be Selfish Early To Be Selfless Later

Prioritize a selfish morning block to become a better spouse, parent, and teammate later.
Use 7–10am for fitness and focused work, then give full bandwidth to others after recalibrating.

00:00 / 00:00

Pre-Rehearse Your Homecoming

Rehearse how you'll enter home to maximize presence with family for limited evening hours.
Decide specific actions and timing before hitting the garage door to shift into family mode.

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Stacking Micro‑Wins: Morning & Evening Routines

04:14 • 10min

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Controlling Context: Phones, Compartmentalization, Family Time

13:48 • 14min

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Why Daily Movement Protects Mental Health

Building Body Awareness and Injury Management

47:47 • 54sec

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From Skateboarding to Navy SEALs: Origins and Motivation

48:42 • 2min

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BUD/S Selection: Mindset & What Predicts Success

50:40 • 11min

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Operating in Combat: Deployments, Loss, and Compartmentalization

01:01:10 • 10min

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Public Exposure, Extortion 17, and Community Impact

01:11:10 • 11min

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Why Operators Stay: Culture, Addiction to the Work

01:21:51 • 10min

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Trauma in Combat: A Close Call and Survivor Guilt

01:31:40 • 7min

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Electrocution, Medical Crisis, and the Road Back

01:38:45 • 8min

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Medication Overload, Med Washout, and Hitting Rock Bottom

01:47:02 • 4min

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Art Therapy, Skateboard Business, and Purpose Post‑Injury

01:50:43 • 10min

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Vernon Griffith and Rebuilding with Consistent Rehab

02:01:08 • 8min

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Spirituality, Miracles, and Higher Power Reflections

02:08:42 • 6min

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Ibogaine & 5‑MeO: Psychedelic-Assisted Treatment for Addiction and PTSD

02:14:43 • 25min

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Integrating Psychedelic Therapy: Behavior Change and Life Restructuring

02:39:51 • 13min

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Post‑Op Life: Posture, Mental Posture, and Protecting Inputs

02:53:09 • 11min

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Standards and GBRS Fit Test: Functional Readiness for Any Age

03:03:49 • 29min

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Daily Discipline, Family Priorities, and the 20‑Minute Walk

03:33:00 • 7min

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Standards of Conduct and Patriotism: Quality, Integrity, and the Flag Hat

• Mentioned in 31 episodes

Protocols: An Operating Manual for the Human Body

Andrew Huberman

Protocols provides simple, powerful, and evidence-based solutions to life’s most common challenges. Designed to improve your mental health, physical health, and performance, these guidelines are customizable, allowing you to adapt them to your specific needs. With his clear and engaging style, Dr. Huberman explains the scientific principles behind each protocol and how they can deliver immediate, effective results. Protocols is your essential road map for achieving optimal health.

#2444

• Mentioned in 13 episodes

Lone Survivor

The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10

Marcus Luttrell

This book is a firsthand account by Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing, a secret military operation in Afghanistan. The story details the mission to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader and the subsequent desperate battle that led to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history. Luttrell describes his brutal training, the relentless battle, and his survival against al Qaeda assassins. He also recounts how he was taken in and protected by a Pashtun tribe, highlighting themes of courage, honor, and patriotism. The book is a tribute to his teammates who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

My guest is DJ Shipley, a retired Tier 1 operator Navy SEAL and now a top public educator on how to build mental and physical health and reach top-level performance in any endeavor. DJ’s life is one marked by extraordinary strivings, wins, setbacks and comebacks that together have shaped his approach to overcoming challenges of all kinds and to daily life. DJ explains a regimen of clear, practical steps and a mental stance that can allow anyone—male, female, young or old—to build extreme resilience of mind and body and to be successful in family and work. We also discuss his experience with new, emerging treatments for addiction, PTSD and depression that many people, not just veterans, are benefiting from. The tools DJ describes to “stack small wins” and to be ultra-intentional about your mindset will be of immense benefit to anyone wishing to achieve the best version of themselves.

Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com.

Thank you to our sponsors

AGZ by AG1: https://drinkagz.com/huberman

Rorra: https://rorra.com/huberman

BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman

Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman

Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman

ROKA: https://roka.com/huberman

Timestamps

(0:00) DJ Shipley

(4:03) Mental & Physical Health, Tools: Morning Routine & Micro-wins

(8:35) Balancing Work & Family, Tools: Compartmentalization, "Control the Controllable"

(13:46) Sponsors: Rorra & BetterHelp

(16:25) Phones, Social Media vs Focus, Negativity, Tool: Consistency & Sleep

(23:05) Routine & Stressors, Exercise & Benefits, Tool: Morning Workout

(29:24) Body Awareness, Hurt vs Injury

(33:53) Physical Injury & Rehab; Exercise; Mobility, Tool: 5-Day Workout Program

(44:26) Sponsors: AGZ by AG1 & Eight Sleep

(47:29) Skateboarding, Career, Navy SEAL, BUD/S & Embracing Discomfort

(56:13) BUD/S, Motivation & Mental Resilience

(1:02:18) Navy SEALs, Iraq War & Casualties, Compartmentalization

(1:08:41) Public Press; Extortion 17, Operation Red Wings; Death of Friends

(1:16:25) High Performers, Social Media Negativity & Legacy

(1:19:37) Sponsor: Function

(1:21:24) Family Legacy, Military & Purpose, Navy SEAL Culture, Wife & Relationship

(1:30:10) Second Deployment, Helplessness & Trauma, Inspiration & Reverence

(1:38:30) Skydiving, Injury & Mental Resilience; Medical Retirement & Addiction

(1:49:17) Art Therapy, Skateboarding, Electrocution & Recovery

(2:00:57) Physical Recovery, Trainer Vernon Griffith

(2:04:38) Miracles, Higher Power; Work & Life Tension

(2:12:52) Sponsor: ROKA

(2:14:39) Physical & Mental Posture, Suicide, Depression, Tool: Control the Controllable

(2:21:22) Suicide, Mental Health & Darkest Hour, Ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT

(2:31:18) Ibogaine & Empathy, 5-MeO-DMT & Ego Death; Returning Home, Tool: Dials Not Switches

(2:42:42) Psychedelics, Mental Health Plasticity; Veterans' Solutions, Addiction

(2:50:39) Medical Ibogaine, Anger, Numbing Out & Hate; Dogs

(3:03:42) GBRS Program, High Standards, Functional Fitness, Tool: Fitness Test

(3:17:50) Self-Care, Longevity & Fitness, GBRS Program

(3:24:45) Self-Respect, Tools: 20-Minute Walk & Relationships; Micro-wins

(3:32:57) Acknowledgements, American Flag Hat, Patriotism

(3:40:00) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

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