The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

His doctor forbade world champion power lifter Robert Herbst to lift anything when he was a child with scoliosis. Eighteen world championships and twenty one consecutive national championships later, what compelled him to rebel? Herbst believes in managing risk but errs on the side of throwing caution to the wind. It's paid off spectacularly. His MO in all his successes, including his Clark Kentian day job as a lawyer, is that as soon as he identifies a challenge, he burns his ships. He makes an irrevocable commitment. Period. Lessons: 1. Better to fail on the stage, than fail by staying home. 2. Make an irrevocable commitment to your goal. 3. Be physically active enough that it becomes a need. Links: Make America Fit Again (TM). http://w8lifterusa.com Robert Herbst on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIT0iclJGOGQ68uKvFgJu1uvYjo50amBu CREDITS Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Hosts: Joe De Sena with Johnny Waite, Sefra Alexandra, Col. Tim Nye, Dr. Delle & David Deluca Synopsis – Matt Baatz © 2017 Spartan

Demali Elliott mentors young women in challenging situations through creative and introspective activities to redirect their stories onto a positive trajectory with her program Petals-N-Belles. It is a rigorous program designed to help those ready to receive that help, sixty- eight young women at last count. The organization, largely staffed by volunteers, utilizes physical and mental challenges like rock climbing, trapeze and yoga to build emotional wellness and resilience. In this podcast Elliott describes three qualities she's seen in the girls that have most inspired her own success. Lessons: 1. Model energy that will energize those around you. 2. Bounce back. Be inspired by the ability of children, they fall and get up every day. 3. Dream big, you can fill in the details later. Link: Petals-N-Belles http://petalsnbelles.org/ CREDITS Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Hosts: Joe De Sena with Johnny Waite, Sefra Alexandra, Col. Tim Nye, Dr. Delle & David Deluca Synopsis – Matt Baatz © 2017 Spartan

Musical prodigy Ray Ushikubo emulated what he saw on television and, contrary to what you might fear, discovered his passion. At five years old and with the help of supportive parents he his calling. Are there days he doesn't want to practice? Or course. But he practices without fail and is fast approaching the theoretical 10,000 hours of study to reach virtuosity. Ushikubo is already well on his way. Find out what it takes to go so far so fast so young. This young man has advice we can all learn from. Lessons: To alleviate anxiety, focus 100% on the task. Many times when setting out to accomplish a big task it's beneficial not to know what exactly you're getting into. An appreciative audience is a great motivator. CREDITS Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Hosts: Joe De Sena with Johnny Waite, Sefra Alexandra, Col. Tim Nye, Dr. Delle & David Deluca Synopsis – Matt Baatz © 2017 Spartan

Marcello (an author and physics professor at Dartmouth College) and Kari (with a Ph.D focussed on trauma and PTSD,)decided to build an obstacle course in their backyard. What's the connection? Marcelo, the physicist, sees OCR and physics as a way to go beyond the known boundaries. Kari, the psychologist, sees it as a way to get out of our heads and connect with the physical, a vital way to get past anxiety. Both agree it's a great way for their family to develop life skills that translate into our personal and professional lives and transcend the inevitable resistance we face each day. Lessons: 1. Get in touch with your physical side to become a whole person. 2. Introduce mystery, possibility and the unknown into your world in order to transcend your boundaries. 3. The important thing is not to meet your goal but keep trying to meet your goal. LINKS: Marcello Gleiser http://marcelogleiser.com/ Kari Gleiser https://www.aedpinstitute.org/faculty/kari-gleiser-phd/ CREDITS Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Hosts: Joe De Sena with Johnny Waite, Sefra Alexandra, Col. Tim Nye, Dr. Delle & David Deluca Synopsis – Matt Baatz © 2017 Spartan

Son of pioneering Hawaiian surfer "Buffalo" and a living legend in his own right, Brian Keaulana had two mentors. The first was his father who taught him to share the ocean's bounty. The second was the ocean itself which served as a playground, school and church. Before he and his siblings could walk their father would toss them into the surf. Keaulana, who calls himself a "Waterman," uses this wisdom as a stunt coordinator on projects like Hawaii-Five-O, teaching ocean risk management and mentoring at risk kids. Lessons: 1. The ocean, through its unpredictability, teaches you to be in a state of constant readiness. 2. Transcend fear is through knowledge. 3. He shares the brilliant acronym S.S.A.F.E. - protection from any danger. CREDITS Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Hosts: Joe De Sena with Johnny Waite, Sefra Alexandra, Col. Tim Nye, Dr. Delle & David Deluca Synopsis – Matt Baatz © 2017 Spartan

Starting Health Warrior, a business borne out of a passion for health and fitness, moved Daniel Gluck away from Wall Street. He seized the opportunity to fill a niche in a food industry dominated by overly processed and high sugar offerings with healthful chia based alternatives. He was inspired by the legendary Tarahumara Indians who, fueled with chia seeds, are the ultra endurance runners described in the book "Born To Run." Gluck talks about what it takes to build something from scratch and how building this business changed his life for the better. Lessons: 1. Follow your passion even if it means struggling through hardship to find it. 2. Celebrate the wins; don't dwell on the losses. 3. Focus on the big picture of how it's going to work without getting mired in the day to day problems. CREDITS Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Hosts: Joe De Sena with Johnny Waite, Sefra Alexandra, Col. Tim Nye, Dr. Delle & David Deluca Synopsis – Matt Baatz © 2017 Spartan

Battling addiction late in the Vietnam era, the US Army's Deputy Chief of Chaplains Brigadier General Thomas Solhjem found redemption through his faith and other's mentorship. As he realizes now, isolation, though a common strategy, is the worst way to deal with adversity. Reaching out to others and sharing your experiences is an admission of strength. He has spent an extremely long time in the military, forty years with thirty of those as a chaplain, helping others cope with the rigors of battle and drawing strength from trying circumstances. Solhjem sources his vast experiences to tell us how to be better people. Lessons: 1. The person who overcomes adversity is the person who is able to channel strength from outside theirself. 2. Post traumatic order is finding a positive context for hardship and becoming stronger as a result. 3. Resilience is the integration of elements into your life that enable you to be flexible. CREDITS Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Hosts: Joe De Sena with Johnny Waite, Sefra Alexandra, Col. Tim Nye, Dr. Delle & David Deluca Synopsis – Matt Baatz © 2017 Spartan

Running across the Sahara, all 4600 miles, 50 miles a day for 111 consecutive days. That's what Ultrarunner Charlie Engle did to raise 6 million dollars for H20 Africa (now Water.org). In doing so he took his passion and did good with it. Engle overcame addiction and an unexpected jail sentence, but instead of running away from adversity, he embraced it. He started running marathons which turned into a gateway for more daunting races like ecochallenges. All told he's been racing for 30 years. His top piece of advice: attempting to make your life easier is a mistake. Lessons: 1. Welcome some suffering when it enters your life, some of the greatest lessons are from hardship. 2. Keep forward momentum going. 3. Find a way to use what you love to improve the world. CREDITS Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Hosts: Joe De Sena with Johnny Waite, Sefra Alexandra, Col. Tim Nye, Dr. Delle & David Deluca Synopsis – Matt Baatz © 2017 Spartan

Behavioral scientist & expert on adventure, Jon Levy knows what makes Spartans tick. He wrote a book about it, The 2AM Principle: Discover the Science of Adventure. A big reason why people undertake challenges outside their comfort zone is to reach flow state, a zen like sense of timelessness, total absorption in an activity, and sense of mastery. The IKEA effect, loving an activity according to the amount of effort you invested in it, also explains how Spartans are made. But the real gift of adventure, Levy explains, is it's transformative power. In this episode, Levy explains how to live a fun and exciting life and gain success in the process. Lessons: 1. Say yes to experiences. 2. Do something a little outside your comfort zone to help induce a state of flow. 3. Take advantage of the winner effect by getting some easy victories and building momentum for larger challenges. CREDITS Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Hosts: Joe De Sena with Johnny Waite, Sefra Alexandra, Col. Tim Nye, Dr. Delle & David Deluca Synopsis – Matt Baatz © 2017 Spartan