Team Never Quit

In this week’s Team Never Quit Podcast, Marcus has an engaging conversation with Mark Lauren, who revolutionized the U.S. army's training systems, and trained hundreds of U.S. Special Forces operatives. Mark possesses astonishing physical prowess as a Military Physical Training Specialist, Special Operations Combat Controller, triathlete and mixed martial artist. He broke, and still holds, the Department of Defense s long-standing underwater record by swimming 133 meters, on one breath, subsurface, for 2 minutes and 23 seconds. He is also a bestselling fitness author.Mark trained and competed all across Thailand in Muay Thai. His physical and mental development has inspired a new approach to fitness that has allowed millions of people to move better without the confines of a gym. Mark’s book, You Are Your Own Gym was published by Random House. His audience identifies with his minimalist approach to fitness, as well as his stories of overcoming failures.In this episode you will hear: I started working out when I was 12 with pushups and sit-ups next to my bed. I got to the point that I could do indefinite sit-ups. Physical fitness is about fundamentals – it’s about basics. Characteristics like respect and discipline are what parents need to teach. Real character does not reveal itself when everything is great. You only fail when you quit. When you fail, brush yourself off and do it again. Whatever success I’ve had is built on repetitive failures. When I got out of the military, I really missed the comradery and sense of purpose. Exercise doesn’t necessarily relate to improved performance. If your fundamentals are strong, it’s much easier to specialize. You really need to be good at getting from point A to point B – Locomotion. The first 3 things people need to do is to reestablish basic joint functions for the hips, spine, and shoulders. There’s a difference between performance and exercise. An important part of good exercise habits is to engrain good habits. What you put your attention on, and controlling your breathing do a lot to influence your feelings. General health and well-being depends on doing basic things really well. One of the main things that keep people from really getting fit – is doing too much. Start small and progress gradually. Support Markwww.MarkLauren.comMark's Book: Strong and LeanSupport TNQhttps://www.instagram.com/marcusluttrell/https://www.instagram.com/andrewbrockenbush/https://www.instagram.com/team_neverquit/

Collegiate wrestling record holder, Team USA Olympian, professional mixed martial artist, and UFC championship fighter. That’s Marcus’ guest – Ben Askren - on this week’s Team Never Quit Podcast. Marcus and Ben discuss how his unorthodox style earned him the nickname “Funky”, as he puts his opponents in scramble situations. Ben credits his dad for introducing him to the sport, and he really got serious when he joined a wrestling club in 6th grade. The combination of natural talent and a relentless workout regimen made him one of the most successful athletes in collegiate history, setting several records, as well as experiencing great success as an MMA fighter as well. In this episode you will hear: I get to work with kids who want to work really hard. They come in the gym and bust their ass. I hated team sports because I really wanted to win and others on my team didn’t share that sentiment. In wrestling, it was just me and the other person. I could always determine my destiny. We don’t want to force kids. We want them to love the sport and know what it’s gonna take to be special. We want to put great coaches in front of kids to give them a good opportunity to succeed in wrestling. There are kids that don’t have a strong role model, so I have such an important role to play. Great things take a long time. The Olympics suck because once you lose, you don’t get another shot for 4 years. Having a high-level background in something is important. You need to find a compliment. Who can impose their will more significantly, is important when skill levels are equivalent. Innovation – learning how to scramble. What I was doing was not working. I had to think outside myself for other options. I wasn’t having the success I wanted, so it was like “Shit, how can I do this?”

Marcus has a great conversation with Nelly Attar, a Lebanese national born in Saudi Arabia, who became the first Arab woman to summit K2, the world's second-highest mountain. As if that weren't enough, Nelly also successfully reached the top of Mount Everest and has scaled 14 other peaks across the world, completed 2 Ironman 70.3 races, ran 6 global marathons/ultramarathons, and has completed about 100 scuba dives in a span of four years. Nelly is also a psychologist, life-coach, and held dance-fitness classes for females in her studio - Move - Saudi Arabia’s first dance studio, and one of the first studios of its kind across the Middle East. Even with such an impressive resume, Nelly states "I still don't know what I want to do in life. I’m still figuring it out." In this episode you will hear:  Sports changed my life, and I strive to change the lives of many through movement and sports. In Saudi Arabia, women can drive now. 5 to 7 years ago, everything was still segregated between males and females – even in weddings. Now everything is mixed. Not long ago, women couldn’t even own a gym, and it was taboo for women to train on the streets. Saudi was listed as the least active country in the world. My mindset is: if it works out – amazing. If it doesn’t – come back home. I’m grateful for the kingdom and the king for all the opportunities I have today. In climbing, there’s a fitness component, altitude, and weather. If it’s not a challenge, then why am I there? Why would I train so hard if I knew I could do it? While climbing K2, I got a panic attack on the blue ice just a few hundred meters away from the summit. It took five weeks to climb. If there’s one thing I do consistently right is that I take risks. If you’re curious about something, just do it. You don’t stop training because you age, you age because you stop training. Just move. You’ll be helping yourself. Support Nelly https://www.instagram.com/nellyattar/ http://nellyattar.com/ Support TNQ https://www.instagram.com/marcusluttrell/ https://www.instagram.com/andrewbrockenbush/ https://www.instagram.com/team_neverquit/

From a paddle boarding coaching career to becoming physically and mentally unbalanced. That’s the life-changing call for this week’s Team Never Quit guest, Mike Shoreman. Marcus and Mike discuss the affliction of the Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, and Mike’s relentless never quit the pursuit of a “normal” life. His mission to prove everyone wrong not only resulted in walking again, but getting back on the paddle board despite his vertigo, and becoming the first person with a disability to cross from one country to another by paddle board while raising funds and awareness for youth mental health programs and services. He crossed all 5 Great Lakes. Mike encourages all people to change their personal struggles into their greatest weapons and develop confident versions of themselves. In this episode you will hear: My Chicken Pox from when I was a kid re-activated as Shingles. My symptoms developed over five days, and all the nerves in my face shattered and it looks like I had a stroke. I lost my independence, my business, and my identity. I had a significant mental crisis and breakdown. It was so easy to say “I’m fine.” I did that for months but I wasn’t fine. As my physical recovery improved, so did my mental state. I was forced into mental health treatment. I wasn’t eager to go and get it. Mental health is the most underfunded of all healthcare systems. That first crossing set everything in place that we needed to know. Lake Huron and Lake Michigan gave me the most fight. It took me 28 hours to cross. My feet “pruned” and I couldn’t stand. The Canadian Coast Guard and paramedics came to be sure I was okay. The thing that set in was - Who this is for? I was going 2 1/2mph to 3mph for 28 hours. I was literally going to the bathroom on myself every 10 minutes. I had to say to myself “You’ve been through tougher than this and this isn’t going to last forever. Men & women of service are deeply inspirational. Nothing in life is permanent. Life is a series of peaks and valleys. Resilience is built. Support Mike Mike's Book https://www.instagram.com/mike_shoreman/ Support TNQ https://www.instagram.com/marcusluttrell/ https://www.instagram.com/andrewbrockenbush/ https://www.instagram.com/team_neverquit/

In this week's Team Never Quit Podcast, Marcus has 11-year combat veteran and Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient, Benjamin Sledge in the studio. Benjamin served in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning 2 Army Commendation Medals. He lost his best friend in combat. These days, Benjamin is a viral writer, graphic designer, and author of Where Cowards Go to Die where he reveals a brutal portrait of war and the cost of returning to a country that no longer feels like home. He travels around the country educating businesses, non-profits, and churches about veterans’ mental health issues. In this episode you will hear: I got to see the best and worst parts of war. Often times we were the first ones in the door, so we either made friends or got shot. I was 21 when I first got to the battle, thinking “I literally have no idea what I’m doing.” There’s a very distinct smell to death. It’s like rotting meat dabbed with knockoff CK1 cologne. Many combat veterans don’t necessarily come home with PTSD; it’s moral injury. It’s the physiological damage that occurs when you violate your sense of right and wrong. Seeing death from that close does something to the mind. It became a real struggle point for me. When I first got home, they didn’t know how to handle me, because I didn’t know how to handle myself. I was drinking myself silly, so I could get the images out of my head. The strangest thing happened to me – I found myself missing war.  My wife left me while I was in Iraq. War really is a spiritual experience. What does it look like to live a courageous life and carry that into career and family relationships – Never give up, never accept defeat, and never leave a fallen comrade behind. Inside every man, there’s both a warrior and a poet. Support Benjamin Website: https://benjaminsledge.com Book (Where Cowards Go to Die): https://amz.run/5GAb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benjamin.sledge/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benjamincsledge/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/benjamincsledge Support TNQ https://www.instagram.com/marcusluttrell/ https://www.instagram.com/andrewbrockenbush/ https://www.instagram.com/team_neverquit/

The ultimate tour de force of human strength, endurance, mental toughness, and unyielding perseverance. That's what this week's Team Never Quit Podcast guest, Mike McCastle is. Listen in as Mike and Marcus engage in a discussion about Mike's seemingly unbelievable feats he refers to as "labors". Endurance athlete - yes; Multiple world record holder - you know it; In-demand performance coach - for sure; Motivational speaker - of course. After serving 11 years in the U. S. Navy, he founded Twelve Labors Project, a charitable initiative driven by a mission to redefine the limits of human potential while inspiring others to elevate beyond their perceived capacity for greatness. Mike is perennially challenging his own physical and mental limits, and he's not anywhere near done yet. In this podcast, he reveals his upcoming 9th labor, and it will blow you away when you hear it. Mike's 8 charitable labors he has accomplished so far include: A 50k run while wearing a 40lb vest for Cancer Research. A 13-mile, 250-pound tire flip for wounded veterans. A Rope Climb that equaled the height of Mount Everest - 29,029 feet in 27 hours for Parkinson's Disease Research. Breaking the Guinness World Record for 'Most Pull-ups in 24 hours after completing 5,804 pull-ups, while wearing a 30-pound pack to represent the heavy burden of the wounded warrior. Pulled a Ford F-150 pickup truck for 22 miles in 19 hours across Death Valley to raise awareness for Veteran Suicide. Ran 20 miles per day for 100 consecutive days to heighten awareness of the Veteran Suicide epidemic. Pulled a full-size pickup truck for 10 miles through the Arctic Circle. Broke the world record for the longest full-body submersion in ice (2 hours and 40 minutes). In this episode you will hear: I basically grew up in a cornfield. I went to BUDS (Navy SEAL Training) and blew my knees out. Then I needed to re-find my purpose because my one-man pity party wasn’t working for me. My dad’s Parkinson’s started to progress, and one day I came home and he was on the floor. He had had a stroke.  I decided to take care of my dad and stop the pursuit of sports. But in my mind, I quit. You can fool other people, but you can never fool yourself. Things that pull you away from your purpose are those are things behind the doors in your hallway of life. You’re tested, dragged through the fire, and you feel like you're cursed but you still have a choice.  If you put all your eggs in one basket and when it gets taken away from you, you’re left with nothing. Then who the hell am I? I needed to find my purpose again. That’s how The Twelve Labors Project got started. I wanted to create a physical manifestation of the message I wanted to deliver. It’s not a weakness to be vulnerable. Finding your purpose in life requires risk. I don’t give a shit about records. What I care about is “Is this going to deliver my message?” “Are people gonna remember WHY I did it?” Reality isn’t what happens to us, it’s our interpretation of what happens to us. We're all writing our own stories. You cannot only come back after failure, but you can come back stronger after failure. My father always said, "You suffer more in imagination than you do in reality." Finish what you started. If you're gonna do it, go all the way. We're all the heroes of our own story. You go through the crucible you come back, and you share the lessons learned. The reward for finishing a labor is the next labor. The internet is undefeated. Our time on this planet is very limited. The things we do echoes through eternity from the lens of your loved one. The only goal for my son is to leave this world a better place than he found it, like I hope I am doing and I hope that everyone who hears my message does. Follow Mike www.MikeMccastle.com https://www.instagram.com/mikemccastle/ Follow TNQ: https://www.instagram.com/marcusluttrell/ https://www.instagram.com/andrewbrockenbush/ https://www.instagram.com/team_neverquit/

This week, the Team Never Quit Podcast presents an extraordinary man with an extraordinary military resume. Travis Osborn served as both an Airborne Ranger and a Green Beret in 17 tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, and was awarded the Bronze Star for heroic and meritorious service 15 times. Travis played an integral part in the rescue of Navy SEAL "Lone Survivor" Marcus Luttrell. As an 18Delta Special Forces Medic, he treated Marcus while awaiting extraction from an Afghan village. Listen in as Travis chronicles Marcus’ rescue, and the horrific conditions they had to endure to achieve it.  In this episode you will hear: • When we got the call, we knew it was abnormal, and something was up – out of the norm. • In the briefing, we were told that we had four SEALs on the run, a helicopter down, and we’re going in. • We decided to put boots on the ground – whatever it takes. So our guys came up with a plan, and we stole some trucks from the marines.  • By the time we left, we had 120 people and 50 donkeys headed up the side of the mountain. • None of us had ever worked together before. • [Marcus]: “That’s what showed up to get me out of there.” • We walked almost straight up a mountain for the next 3 days. • We climbed 5,000 feet the first day and only walked a distance of 2 kilometers. • It’s the most ass kick I’ve had in a long time. • It was walking straight up shale, and every type of boots were cut. • There’s a lot of ridiculousness in these situations. • About halfway thru the village and from within a crowd of people, I looked and saw a really tall Afghani and saw that he he had tattoos. • “You must be Marcus.” “Fuck yes, I am…” • “We’re here to get you home.” And he said “Yeah, I’m just ready to go home.” • [Marcus] “When they showed up, the literally looked like death.” • We just recued a fuckin’ American. We walked in with a bunch of donkeys on foot, & found this guy in the middle of nowhere. • To treat him, I threw him into the first thing I could find – it turned out to be a donkey pen with 10,000 years of donkey shit in it. • The next time I see you is gonna be on Oprah. • When you’re in mission mode, you don’t mentally unpack. You put all that shit in the deep freeze, then it takes a while to unpack it because it’s all at the bottom of the freezer.

This week’s Team Never Quit Podcast guests, Mike Sarraille and Rey Baviera bring a gut-wrenching, firsthand account of their collective 35 years of military service as Navy SEALs - most notably witnessing the valor and heroism of fellow SEAL Michael A Monsoor, who willingly jumped on a grenade to save those around him. While the story is heart-wrenching, it is equally heart-warming to know the source of “Mikey's" character and moral fabric. Michael A. Monsoor When US Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor sacrificed his life by throwing his body on a live grenade to save his comrades during Operation Iraqi Freedom, he inspired thousands around the world and reminded us that freedom is never free. On September 29, 2006, Michael Monsoor and three SEAL snipers watched vigilantly for enemy activity from their rooftop post in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. When a grenade thrown from insurgents bounced off Michael's chest, he could have escaped. Instead, he threw himself onto the live grenade, shielding his fellow soldiers from the immediate explosion. Michael died thirty minutes later, having made the ultimate sacrifice. Defend Us in Battle is cowritten by Michael’s father George Monsoor, who is himself a Marine veteran, and Rose Rea. It also includes a foreword by Dr. Donald C. Winter, former Secretary of the Navy. Through interviews, military documents, and eyewitness accounts, the authors detail Michael’s remarkable military career and devotion to God and others. The book highlights how Michael prepared for this selfless act all his life—a life that will inspire readers to have a similar generosity of heart. Michael grew up a quiet boy in California, but his childhood of asthma and being bullied made him a staunch defender of justice and passionate about never quitting. It was because of that passion that he achieved his dream of becoming a Navy SEAL and saved numerous lives throughout his deployment. In addition to the Medal of Honor, Michael received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star Medal, and the Purple Heart for his years serving his country. But his greatest legacy is in the hearts of those he inspired to live, and even die, for the sake of brotherly love. “Michael Monsoor was an exemplary SEAL—a man of great integrity, a skilled warrior, and a loyal teammate. That loyalty led to his willingness to sacrifice his life for his teammates.” —Dr. Donald C. Winter (Secretary of the Navy, 2006–2009) Mike Sarraille  During his 20-year military career, Mike Sarraille served as a Recon Marine, Scout-Sniper, and U.S. Navy SEAL Officer. Much of his career was in the Special Operations community, including the elite Joint Special Operations Command. He now works with small businesses and Fortune 500 companies on the principles of leadership, teamwork, entrepreneurship, and living a life of balance and purpose. Rey Baviera  Rey Baviera served almost 15 years in the SEAL Teams, with multiple deployments and operations in violent urban environments in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also worked as an intelligence and targeting officer at the Special Operations Command Pacific. He co-founded VTH Consulting, with the intent of bridging the gap between medical providers and veterans, helping veterans fight for the VA disability claims they morally, ethically, and legally deserve. May the memory of Michael Monsoor never die. Purchase the book honoring “Mike” - Defend Us in Battle, wherever books are sold: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0785290591/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&ref_=tmm_hrd_swatch_0&sr=&asin=0785290591&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1 In this episode you will hear: Not all Marines are equal, just like not all SEALS are equal. Performance comes into play. Rey: I had no direction, and I joined the military because I had made a promise to my brother. Mike: I’m standing in for Rose Ray who wrote the book Defend Us in Battle alongside George Monsoor, Mikey’s father. My second time in Ramadi, I fired my weapon for the first time. You don’t really know what you’re walking into until guys start getting wounded,. Shark base [one of the places we slept] was once of Saddam’s vacation palaces. We had tents in there. We had to take bottled water showers. Mikey spoke thru actions, not words. It’s highly competitive in the SEAL teams in a good way. With each mission, we learned more lessons. When you step into combat, there’s an inter-service rivalry. But eventually you get past the butt-sniffing phase. But when we mesh together, it’s amazing what we can do as a team. The longer you sit in a position, you lose relative superiority, and the momentum shifts, because you’re static. It’s different than training when you know it’s a live grenade in front of you. Mike did not hesitate. He went right down on it. What came next was brutal. While the SEAL teams may have trained Mike, his character and moral fabric who he was was given to him by his family. His family is like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

From 15+ years as an Army Ranger to deploying in Iraq and Afghanistan 15 times, to becoming a film military advisor, and now Senior Content Production Manager at Black Rifle Coffee Company, this week’s Team Never Quit Podcast guest, Jariko Denman, has lived a very interesting life. After 54 months of combat experience as part of a Joint Special Operations Task Force, Jariko speaks with Marcus about what it was like to be on the ground at HKIA during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. While he has retired from active duty, Jariko still leads quite an adventure, such as joining with a team of guys who will be skydiving in each of the seven continents over seven days. In this episode you will hear: Wherever something’s happening, I just don’t want to miss out. As a retired guy, I have a lot of freedom. My dad talked to me like a drill sergeant would talk to you, so I had a certain amount of bandwidth. Ranger school sucks, but it’s kind of a speed bump – you just gotta do this to move to the next level. In a 90-day rotation, we’d do 120 raids. We’re locusts. We just come in and destroy. When I got out, I never really decided to do anything. I just rode the wave. As a technical advisor for film, I have the freedom to say, “Screw your movie. I’m not gonna be a part of it.” If there were 2 job offers and 1 was a rad action movie and 1 was a true story, I’d do the rad action movie because it’s more fun. A true story takes the creativity out of it. I didn’t plan on going to Afghanistan for the shit show withdrawal. My function turned into me getting to the gate and plucking as many people out as I could. I had to ask myself: What am I doing here?” Being there in a whole different context was so weird. Coming up soon, me and a team of guys are skydiving in each of the seven continents in seven days. www.BlackRifleCoffee.com www.LegacyExpeditions.net

This week’s Team Never Quit Podcast guest, Colin O’Brady, could be classified as an over-achiever by most standards. As a passionate outdoorsman, his adventurous life took a turn for a worse when he suffered a tragic incident in Thailand. While he was fire jump roping (yes, a rope on fire), the rope got caught around his legs, causing severe burns on over 25% of his body. The burn wounds were so critical that doctors told Colin that he would probably never walk normally again. But Colin was too full of ambition to let his trauma slow him down. His mother challenged him to set a goal for himself and he decided that he would compete in a triathlon. After a year and a half of intense rehabilitation and training, Colin competed in the Chicago Triathlon. He not only competed, but he won. Since then, O’Brady has raced in 25 countries on six continents over six years. As if that weren’t enough, Colin’s biggest claim to fame is that he became the first human being to walk across Antarctica solo entirely on human power. No sled dogs, kites, or powered machines. He consumed 8,000 calories a day while burning off 10,000 calories a day. Colin gained 20 pounds of muscle to prepare for the trip. Colin O’Brady became The Impossible First, which was the name of his amazing attempt to achieve the unachievable. In this episode you will hear: While I like being around people, there’s something beautiful about solitude. I had parents who always gave me positive reinforcement. When we don’t know exactly how we’re going to get where we’re going, you’ve got to create your own reality over time. We’re the net product of the 5 or 10 people we spend the most time with. I started out with a curiosity for nature and adventure in my own back yard. Fun Scale: Type 1 Fun:  Laughing, watching a great movie, dancing, drinking a cocktail on a beach while watching the sunset. Type 2 Fun: Is not fun when it’s happening, but a week later you’re telling your friends that it was epic. Type 3 Fun: Is not fun when it’s happening and it’s not fun afterwards. For me, Type 2 Fun is most gratifying. In Thailand, I saw these guys jumping a flaming jump rope, and because I’m 22 years old, I had to try it. I tripped, the rope wrapped around my leg, and I caught on fire. I jumped in the ocean to extinguish the flames, but not before 25% of my body was severely burned. My Doctor said “You’ll probably never walk again.” The emotional trauma was intense, but my mom would come into my room with positivity, and have me set life goals & accomplishments. I call it “a possible mindset.” My mom was a positive influence on me throughout my entire life. All of us as humans have reservoirs of untapped potential to achieve extraordinary things. My body can always handle more. My mind is stronger because of my previous traumas. I’m lit up. I have this aliveness inside of me. Sometimes, you make decisions when you’re 22 years old – Then you wake up and you’re 65 years old and still on that same path. My childhood dream was to climb Mount Everest. What is your Everest? If you’re not on the path that YOU’RE meant to be on, then you’re not living with integrity with yourself. What I was really fascinated about crossing Antarctica is that it had never been done; it was a world first. I couldn’t call up anyone to ask how did you make it? Most people are stuck in what I call the zone of comfortable complacency.