
The Hard Way With Joe De Sena
Learn the Spartan mindset. Founder & CEO of Spartan Race and NY Times best-selling author, travels the globe seeking and answers authors, academics, athletes, adventurers, entrepreneurs, CEOs and thought leaders. It will shift your thinking, make you laugh and and give you the tools you need. He’s on a mission to find the secrets to success in all aspects of life. Not only does Joe interview epic people, he has brought together an amazing panel to break down and analyze every aspect of these interviews. We give you the ultimate blueprint and action steps to assimilating these powerful conversations into your own life.
Latest episodes

Sep 2, 2021 • 19min
Take Action to Raise Your Compassion, Kelly McGonigal Pt 3 / DEKA
“You know, I mentioned, when you move with other people, you trust them more and you like them more. There’s something about moving with other people and in synchrony with them that you just project a lot of good onto them,” says Kelly McGonigal, PhD. Kelly McGonigal is an award-winning Stanford lecturer, health psychologist, author, and public speaker. We finish our conversation with part 3, focusing on gaining or learning compassion. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to develop the willingness to take care of yourself How to become a friend and mentor to yourself How to find what you need in this moment to move forward Fostering community through movement If you enjoyed our conversation, make sure to check out Kelly’s new book, The Joy of Movement Connect with Kelly on social: Instagram - @kellymariemcgonigal Twitter - @kellymcgonigal Website - kellymcgonigal.com Books - kellymcgonigal.com/books Connect with Jarod and Yancy on social, and attend a DEKA event: -Jarod’s Social: @jarod_cogswell -Yancy’s Social: @YancyCulp -Race a DEKA Event: DEKA-FIT SPONSOR This episode of Spartan Up is brought to you by the EXOGEN ultrasound bone healing system. EXOGEN is a non-invasive treatment option that can help heal your broken bone in just 20 minutes a day in the comfort of your own home. If you or a loved one has broken a bone, talk to your doctor about EXOGEN. EXOGEN is indicated for the healing of nonunion fractures and for accelerating the healing of certain acute fractures, with no known contraindications. To learn more visit https://www.exogen.com/us/SPARTAN SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pYBkk1T684YQg7CmoaAZt FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram: @spartanuppodcast Spartan Up on Twitter: @SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer: Lake Watters Host: Jarod Cogswell and Yancy Culp Sr Producer: Marion Abrams © 2021 Spartan

Aug 31, 2021 • 28min
Task Force Pineapple, Parenting & Why Promises Matter - Joe De Sena, Scott Mann & Tim Nye
As a parent, as a warrior, as a veteran, as a human - what’s the value of keeping a promise. What’s the power of trust. What’s the power of commitment. Today Scott Mann, one of the originators of “Task Force Pineapple” the volunteer movement of Veterans and others committed to keeping a promise to the men and women they worked with side by side in Afghanistan, joins Joe De Sena and retired Col. Tim Nye to talk about all this. You can support task force pineapple at https://www.operationrecovery.org/ You can follow Scott Mann’s Podcast “Rooftop Leadership” at https://www.rooftopleadership.com/podcast/ You can purchase Joe De Sena’s Parenting book “10 Rules for Mental Toughness for Families” https://www.spartan.com/10Rules This episode of Spartan Up is brought to you by the EXOGEN ultrasound bone healing system. EXOGEN is a non-invasive treatment option that can help heal your broken bone in just 20 minutes a day in the comfort of your own home. If you or a loved one has broken a bone, talk to your doctor about EXOGEN. EXOGEN is indicated for the healing of nonunion fractures and for accelerating the healing of certain acute fractures, with no known contraindications. To learn more visit https://www.exogen.com/us/SPARTAN/ FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Host: Joe De Sena Sefra Alexandra, Johnny Waite & Colonel Nye will be back soon, we miss them! © 2021 Spartan

Aug 28, 2021 • 31min
It's not Too late to Take Control of Your Health , Kyle White / ENDURANCE
“...Weight loss is hard, you know? There’s so much information out there telling you how you should live your life, to lose weight. So many fad diets, it’s pretty hard to sift through. But I would say the most important thing, and running has also taught this to me, is you need to fuel your body for the life you live,” says Kyle White, running enthusiast who has lost 185 pounds over the pandemic and through a grueling Eastern Canada winter. Filling in for Johnny Waite while he’s organizing Spartan races in Canada, guest Spartan Up Endurance series host Sarah Goldman talks with Kyle White about his amazing weight loss journey and how he has continued to push himself from being over 400 pounds to planning marathons. In this episode you’ll learn about… - Learning to like the challenges in fitness - Advantages of training in the winter - How to stay motivated and inspired - How losing weight leads to changes in other aspects of life - Having the necessary attitude for endurance, understanding what your body needs, and how it reacts Kyle White is an inspiration for anyone who is looking to lose weight or reconnect to their love for running. You can follow him on Instagram: @kylewhite92 SPONSOR This episode of Spartan Up is brought to you by the EXOGEN ultrasound bone healing system. EXOGEN is a non-invasive treatment option that can help heal your broken bone in just 20 minutes a day in the comfort of your own home. If you or a loved one has broken a bone, talk to your doctor about EXOGEN. EXOGEN is indicated for the healing of nonunion fractures and for accelerating the healing of certain acute fractures, with no known contraindications. To learn more visit https://www.exogen.com/us/SPARTAN SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pYBkk1T684YQg7CmoaAZt FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer: Lake Watters Hosts: Sarah Goldman, Johnny Waite Sr Producer: Marion Abrams © 2021 Spartan

Aug 26, 2021 • 24min
What Happens in Your Brain When You Exercise with Kelly McGonigal Ph.D. Pt 2 / DEKA
“When you exercise, your brain is receiving signals from your body that really tell you who you are and what you’re capable of. So when we talk about exercise boosting confidence or being empowering, sometimes we think about it very abstractly, but I think about it very literally,” says Kelly McGonigal, PhD. Kelly McGonigal is an award-winning Stanford lecturer, health psychologist, author, and public speaker. We continue our conversation, but this time about resilience relating to happiness and positivity. In this episode, you’ll learn: • How feeling connected and having something to offer to your community builds compassion, happiness, and resilience • Why working out in a group is shown to be the best for improving your mood • Finding empowerment through exercise to figure out what you’re capable of and to build resilience • Having pure intentions when coaching others • No matter how bad your day is going, anyone taking the time to listen to you may be having it worse, so show up for them! If you enjoyed our conversation, make sure to check out Kelly’s new book, The Joy of Movement Connect with Kelly on social: Instagram - @kellymariemcgonigal Twitter - @kellymcgonigal Website - kellymcgonigal.com Books - kellymcgonigal.com/books Connect with Jarod and Yancy on social, and attend a DEKA event: -Jarod’s Social: @jarod_cogswell -Yancy’s Social: @YancyCulp -Race a DEKA Event: DEKA-FIT
SPONSOR This episode of Spartan Up is brought to you by the EXOGEN ultrasound bone healing system. EXOGEN is a non-invasive treatment option that can help heal your broken bone in just 20 minutes a day in the comfort of your own home. If you or a loved one has broken a bone, talk to your doctor about EXOGEN. EXOGEN is indicated for the healing of nonunion fractures and for accelerating the healing of certain acute fractures, with no known contraindications. To learn more visit https://www.exogen.com/us/SPARTAN SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pYBkk1T684YQg7CmoaAZt FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram: @spartanuppodcast Spartan Up on Twitter: @SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer: Lake Watters Host: Jarod Cogswell and Yancy Culp Sr Producer: Marion Abrams © 2021 Spartan

Aug 24, 2021 • 26min
Proven Resilience & Stress Adaptation Techniques with Joe De Sena & Paul Taylor
Can you inoculate yourself from stress? Paul Taylor, of the Mind-Body Brain Performance Institute, says you can. He calls himself a "PracAdemic," part practical part academic. He's a former British Armed Forces Aircrew Officer who is now a Neuroscientist, Exercise Physiologist & Nutritionist who is doing a Ph.D. in Psychology, focusing on resilience. His training includes rigorous military combat survival and resistance to interrogation. In this episode, he and Joe discuss practical, proven techniques to build resilience and inoculate yourself from stress. More About Paul Taylor www.mindbodybrain.com.au The MindBodyBrain Project podcast Joe De Sena’s new book “10 Rules for Mental Toughness for Families” https://www.spartan.com/10Rules This episode of Spartan Up is brought to you by the EXOGEN ultrasound bone healing system. EXOGEN is a non-invasive treatment option that can help heal your broken bone in just 20 minutes a day in the comfort of your own home. If you or a loved one has broken a bone, talk to your doctor about EXOGEN. EXOGEN is indicated for the healing of nonunion fractures and for accelerating the healing of certain acute fractures, with no known contraindications. To learn more visit https://www.exogen.com/us/SPARTAN/ FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Host: Joe De Sena Sefra Alexandra, Johnny Waite & Colonel Nye will be back soon, we miss them! © 2021 Spartan

Aug 19, 2021 • 26min
Tackling Fear and Finding Happiness Through Discomfort, Kelly McGonigal Pt. 1 / DEKA
“If you can recognize that you want to feel empowered, that you want greater vitality and health, that you want to be able to deal with stress better, that you want to find a community that you belong to. Things we know are part of what exercise gives us. If you get clear about that, that “Why?” It can help you find the willingness to go,” says Kelly McGonigal, PhD. Dr. Kelly McGonigal is an award-winning Stanford lecturer, health psychologist, author, and public speaker. Health psychology may not be a field you’ve heard of before, and after hearing this conversation, you’ll be amazed and will want more people like Kelly in the fitness world. In this episode, you’ll learn: Tolerating discomfort to the point that you feel independent and the sensation of it How uncomfortable situations tell us who we truly are How to develop the willingness to overcome your challenges Kelly’s own epiphany to be physical and be HAPPY How to harness the energy from stress for healthier responses and better performance If you enjoyed our conversation, make sure to check out Kelly’s new book, The Joy of Movement Connect with Kelly on social: Instagram - @kellymariemcgonigal Twitter - @kellymcgonigal Website - kellymcgonigal.com Books - kellymcgonigal.com/books Connect with Jarod and Yancy on social, and attend a DEKA event: -Jarod’s Social: @jarod_cogswell -Yancy’s Social: @YancyCulp -Race a DEKA Event: DEKA-FIT SPONSOR This episode of Spartan Up is brought to you by Nutrafol. You can grow thicker, healthier hair without a prescriptionNutrafol is physician formulated to be ONE HUNDRED PERCENT drug-free. They use natural, medical-grade botanicals in consistently effective dosages so you get the most reliable results. Save fifteen dollars off your first month’s subscription by visiting https://nutrafol.com/ and using the code SPARTAN SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pYBkk1T684YQg7CmoaAZt FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram: @spartanuppodcast Spartan Up on Twitter: @SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer: Lake Watters Host: Jarod Cogswell and Yancy Culp Sr Producer: Marion Abrams © 2021 Spartan

Aug 17, 2021 • 25min
The Science of Dream Teams with Joe De Sena and Mike Zani
Sports teams have been using data to select new team members for decades behind. Today Mike Zani talks about how you can use personality based data to hire, manage and maybe even parent better. MIKE ZANI is the CEO of The Predictive Index, a talent optimization platform designed to help businesses create high-performing teams and culture and make more objective hiring decisions. Zani is also an avid sailor and coached the 1996 US Olympic Team. His new book is called “The Science of Dream Teams.” “The Science of Dream Teams.” https://dreamteams.io/ This episode of Spartan Up is brought to you by Nutrafol. You can grow thicker, healthier hair without a prescriptionNutrafol is physician formulated to be ONE HUNDRED PERCENT drug-free. They use natural, medical-grade botanicals in consistently effective dosages so you get the most reliable results. Save fifteen dollars off your first month’s subscription by visiting https://nutrafol.com/ and using the code SPARTAN FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Host: Joe De Sena Sefra Alexandra, Johnny Waite & Colonel Nye will be back soon, we miss them! © 2021 Spartan

Aug 14, 2021 • 20min
Wag Your Tail ft. Todd Durkin / DEKA
“Listen, some people are whooped right now. Wag your tail, find what's good in your life. Find gratitude, what's going on. Write it down. Because the one thing, when I come home, good day or bad day, and there are days that are bad and I'm tired and everything else, or come home from a trip and it didn't go the way I wanted, or back's hurting or something like that. Guess what? I'm coming home to a waggin' tail,” says Todd Durkin, Motivational Speaker, Personal Trainer, Best Selling Author and Life Transformer. Jarod and TD went a bit off topic during the Life Fueled by Fitness series and talked about some other essential practices we need to be utilizing everyday. JC and Yancy also give us a great rundown on how Todd actually walks the talk. This episode is about finding those things to be grateful for and to “wag your tail” no matter the circumstances. In this episode, you’ll learn about: Getting your energy flowing and getting juiced up Following your dreams The value of time Being the hardest worker in the room And last but not least, always wag your tail If you enjoyed our conversation, make sure to check out Todd’s book, Get Your Mind Right Connect with Todd on social: Instagram - @ToddDurkin Facebook - @TodddurkinFQ10 Twitter - @ToddDurkin Website - www.todddurkin.com Connect with Jarod and Yancy on social, and attend a DEKA event: -Jarod’s Social: @jarod_cogswell -Yancy’s Social: @YancyCulp -Race a DEKA Event: DEKA-FIT SPONSOR This episode of Spartan Up is brought to you by DUROLANE, a single injection that may provide up to six months 1 of relief from osteoarthritis knee pain. Risks can include general knee pain and pain at the injection site. You can see full prescribing information at DUROLANE.com. SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pYBkk1T684YQg7CmoaAZt FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram: @spartanuppodcast Spartan Up on Twitter: @SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer: Lake Watters Host: Jarod Cogswell and Yancy Culp Sr Producer: Marion Abrams © 2021 Spartan

Aug 12, 2021 • 36min
Going Straight Into MMA after College Wrestling with Logan Storley / COMBAT
“For me, for the younger guys, I don't care where you're from. If you're an Iowa guy, right, we 'don't like each other,' but as soon as you get on my team, you're on my team. Right? I want to take care of you. And so that's what's exciting for the young guys that want to come in and fight is that, you know, wrestlers are gonna look out for each other. It doesn't matter where you're from. All that's done, behind us. It'd be fun to see these guys, see more guys that don't want to be done competing, and also don't want to wrestle, come over and start climbing the ranks in the MMA world,” says Logan Storley, #4 Ranked Bellator Welterweight and 4X All American for University of Minnesota. Spartan Up Combat Series host, Ryan Warner, talks with Logan Storley about taking the leap from wrestling into MMA. In this episode you’ll learn... How Logan transitioned from wrestling to MMA There's no need to burn out your kids on a single sport when they're young If you want to make a career out of combat but don’t want to keep wrestling, switch to MMA Don’t overlook any person or any move Wrestling programs and fan bases are expanding, we talk about some ways to get more people involved in the sport. Why aren’t there as many wrestling fans as MMA fans? Logan “Storm” Storley is a top contender in the Welterweight division at Bellator, and he has a long history of wrestling and MMA going back to before he was in college. He has trained with legends like Tony Ferguson, Robbie Lawler, Brock Lesnar, and many of the best from the University of Minnesota. He is a fighter for Sanford MMA, coached by Greg Jones and Henri Hooft. Connect with Logan on social… -Twitter: @storleystorm -Instagram: @logan_storley SPONSOR This episode of Spartan Up! Is brought to you by Gone Rogue high protein chips. Visit GONEROGUESNACKS.COM - use code SPARTAN25 to get 25% off SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay FOLLOW US: Spartan Combat: https://www.instagram.com/spartancombat/ Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod Find out more at https://spartancombat.com/ © 2021 Spartan

Aug 10, 2021 • 25min
Using Mindfulness Tactics with Joe De Sena & John Macaskill
Retired Navy Seal John Macaskill was desperate when his doctor prescribed meditation. The results were so powerful he now teaches it. Listen today to hear how to get started, how to use mindfulness to be a better parent, CEO, or athlete, and even how it can impact your diet and nutrition. John Macaskill is a retired Navy SEAL Commander turned mindfulness and meditation teacher, podcast host and producer, keynote speaker, and grit and resilience coach. His goal in life is to help others live their most fulfilling lives. Jon is a father of three young children and he and his wife, also a Navy Veteran, live on a small farm in Colorado Springs. More about John at https://macaskillconsulting.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mindfulfrogman/ Joe De Sena’s new book “10 Rules for Mental Toughness for Families” https://www.spartan.com/10Rules FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Host: Joe De Sena Sefra Alexandra, Johnny Waite & Colonel Nye will be back soon, we miss them! © 2021 Spartan
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.