MTNTOUGH Podcast w/ Dustin Diefenderfer

In designing the "The GoWild Challenge," we invited Brayden of GoWild and Paul from The O2 Podcast to the LAB to test it for themselves, and also get a taste of some other MTNTOUGH programming. In between workouts, we sat down with the guys and dove into both Paul and Brayden's fitness journeys, creating good habits and the GoWild community itself.

Packing out an elk with a paddle board... Moose pack-out immediately after 880 lunges.... 16 mile day in snow ending with a bull down... All things that happened during this year's 2022 hunting season. Sit down with the crew and listen to these wild stories.

The saying "necessity is the mother of invention" comes to mind when hearing the story of how Kurt Racicot created his first hunting pack. Unsatisfied with the available options and determined to press further into the Alaskan wilderness in pursuit of sheep and goats, Racicot hatched an idea that changed hunting gear: a lightweight pack that could carry enough gear into the mountains for an extended hunt, function well on the hunt, and be capable of efficiently hauling the gear — and an animal — back out in one trip.Racicot designed and built the first pack himself, invested in a production run of 60 packs, and launched Stone Glacier soon after in 2012. Ten years later, Stone Glacier's Founder and Lead Designer finds himself at the helm of a company with nearly 30 employees and an ever-expanding line of products all built around the same ethos of pushing the limits of what is possible for mountain hunting gear.Kurt sat down with MTNTOUGH to talk about Stone Glacier's history and evolution, his evolution as a hunter, his fitness regimen, backcountry nutrition, and the importance of self-reliance and mental toughness on the solo wilderness hunts that continue to call him back to the mountains.

From his days working as a kid on a rural Ontario dairy farm to over two decades of elite service in the Canadian and U.S. Militaries, Phil Kornachuk understands what it means to rely on your inner grit to get through life’s most challenging times.After serving in the Canadian Military, Phil gained dual citizenship status in the United States and started a career in the U.S. Army that would take him around the world. From peacekeeping operations in eastern Europe to active combat in multiple hotspots, Phil risked his life to serve others as a Special Operations soldier in the Rangers, Green Berets and other units. After retiring with honors from the U.S. Military, Phil began the next chapter of his career by starting StoneWater Training to help others to forge purpose-driven, principle-based elite performance in multiple arenas.Phil’s approach to mental toughness meshes perfectly with MTNTOUGH’s. He is also a certified trainer specializing in functional fitness, executive health programs, tactical group fitness and the overlap between physical well-being, outdoors and leadership. He is an ideal partner for our groundbreaking new program — MTNTOUGH MINDSET: a 10-day Mental Toughness Program — launching in MTNTOUGH+ on November 10th.  While Phil understands we are all on our own journey and face our own challenges, he is a believer in doubling down on actively choosing what mindset you will face every day of your life with: “No shortcuts. Do the right thing and don’t quit.”It’s a super inspiring story, and Phil generously shared over an hour of his time to talk with MTNTOUGH about his journey and our new partnership.

When Adam Weatherby’s grandfather Roy started Weatherby Sporting Goods in 1945, his focus was on developing the fastest hunting rifle cartridge in the world. What began as an obsession in a small shop in southern California has evolved into a multi-million dollar company headquartered in Sheridan, Wyoming with nearly 100 employees. It is a quintessential American company, and the name Weatherby is now synonymous with premier hunting firearms and the sporting way of life.Adam Weatherby is carrying the torch as the third Weatherby generation to lead the company, and he has been at the helm through Weatherby’s migration to Wyoming and its unprecedented growth. Adam, his family, and his Weatherby team have worked hard to balance the company’s growth while keeping its compass firmly pointed toward the innovation, hunting traditions, and family-oriented management that has guided Weatherby since its inception.Adam and several members of his team dropped by the MTNTOUGH Lab for a workout, and Adam took some time to sit down with Dustin to talk about the Weatherby journey. The conversation covered Weatherby’s origins, the move to Wyoming and finding a new place and community there, the company’s exponential growth, how hunting informs Weatherby’s research and development, Weatherby’s future, family, faith, mental toughness, and of course, guns.

Aaron Mulkey has over 300 first ascents to his name on the ice falls around his Wyoming home, and he continues to push the boundaries of the sport. Aaron sat down with MTNTOUGH to talk about ice climbing, hunting, family, and defying age to pursue his passion.

After commanding Marines at the platoon, company, battalion, and regimental level — including multiple combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan — U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Brian Gilman completed his active duty service as the Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) Chief of Staff. He returned home to Montana and started the Warriors & Quiet Waters Foundation, supporting post-9/11 combat veterans in their transition to civilian life.

Freestyle skier David Wise — a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time X Games gold medalist — sits down with MTNTOUGH to talk about fatherhood, hunting, and how mental toughness is one of the most difficult but critical aspects of training to be an elite athlete.

Lifelong hunter Remi Warren is passionate about the outdoors and sharing his adventures with the world. As an avid outdoorsman, hunting guide, conservationist, writer and television personality, he is known for bringing the hunting lifestyle to a vast audience. He has completed multiple solo backcountry hunts lasting over 30 days in the wilderness, facing many life or death situations throughout. In this podcast, Dustin and Remi dive into some of Remi's upcoming trips, how fatherhood has changed the way he approaches his hunts, and mental toughness in the field.

Jack Carr spent 20 years as a Navy SEAL, where he served as a Team Leader, Platoon Commander, Troop Commander, Task Unit Commander and a sniper. Now, he’s a New York Times best selling thriller novelist with the Terminal List series. In this exclusive video podcast, Dustin and Jack dive into the Terminal List, which has been shot and filmed as a television series arriving on Amazon July 1st. Listen as they dive into fitness, the all new MTNTOUGH Pre-deployment Program and training for Navy SEALs, preparing for BUD/S and Jack's life long passion for hunting and the importance of passing the tradition of hunting to his children.