The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

Matt Segal, an accomplished rock climber, will be returning to the Bugaboos in British Columbia for the fourth time this summer. Their seeming insurmountability almost got him down, but their inspiration lifted Segal right back up again. Where else would he be except faced with all the things he loves--beauty, challenge, the thrill of a first ascent, and the satisfaction of overcoming failure? This is Segal's formula for creating a life filled with passion and grit. Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com Lessons: 1. To prevent burning out from your passion, vary the ways you practice it.2. Letting yourself be inspired by the objective paves the way to success.3. If you're succeeding all the time, you're not trying hard enough.

Mark Owen was one of the SEALSs on the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden. He revels in the gritty life. He prefers not the sugar cookies taken with tea, but the variety Navy SEALs dole out--soldiers moistened and rolled in beach sand and made to tolerate it the rest of the day. This is the kind of discomfort Owen loves, that forges men. Find out what molded him through his rugged childhood in the extremes of Alaska. He's mastered getting through tough times and his secret is surprisingly simple. Find it in this episode and get on the fast track to grit.Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com Lessons:1. The only easy day is yesterday.2. Break difficult tasks to one bite at a time and prioritize. The greater the pressure, the smaller the bites.3. Be all in all the time. Do what you're doing in the moment the best you can.4. Put everything in perspective. If you've done it before, you can do it again.Panel Notes:Joe Desena: Who jumps into ice cold water in third grade in Alaska and then starts his own fire to make sure he can handle himself? Mark Owen, that's who- one of the men who took out Bin Laden. Obviously there's lots of controversy around the book he authored, but even with those questions looming, it's always very interesting to learn about someone who accomplished such a massive task in front of the entire world.Sefra Alexandra: I recently met Kevin Maurer co-author of "No Easy Day," while working at the Global SOF Foundation Symposium for Col. Nye. The attendees were the elite of the Special Operations community and viscerally familiar with the adage that, "the only easy day was yesterday." Matt hails from the great state of Alaska, where he was raised being comfortable with being uncomfortable. His tactics to accomplish any goal: "break it down into one bite at a time!"

Taylor Phinney, an Olympic cyclist, recently sacrificed some "skin for glory." He fractured his leg after crashing his bike at speeds usually reserved for the highway. As with many champion athletes, he found a way to turn adversity to his advantage. The recovery process has pushed his pain threshold that much higher enabling him, in turn, to push the limits of his endurance. He has learned to trust the struggle as a way to impart valuable lessons on how it can make him that much stronger.Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com Lessons:1. Children should be allowed to find their own way as athletes.2. Black Top Effect suggests that athletic talent is a mixture of nature and nurture.3. You've got to play every day as if you were a pro.

Monty Halls, a BBC host and adventurer, has the definitive test of grit: See what happens when people are denied their next seven meals. Hunger will transform us all into gritty, foraging survivalists. When voluntarily stranding himself on a remote island in Scotland, the rugged individualist in him leaned on the strength of the community. After all, it was their hard earned knowledge and culture that helped them survive the rugged environment and it would be foolhardy to ignore this.Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com Lessons:1. Wherever you go, it's best to learn from the locals.2. We're seven meals away from a savage. I.e., all inherently capable of grit.3. We all need to go slay dragons now and then.4. "I can't do this" is sometimes a brave decision.5. Unfulfilled potential is the biggest crime against self.

Suzette Clarke is on a mission to reconnect thousands of kids a year back to the land. Slide Hill Ranch, the original organic farm in America, offers a holistic remedy for the childhood epidemic she identifies--lack of exercise, unhealthy eating and a disconnect with nature. This sort of alienation doesn't discriminate between the wealthy and impoverished. Both groups are isolated from the earth in distinct ways. But all kids who pass through the ranch are left no choice; the cardinal rule is “get dirty”. Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com

Mark Divine, founder of SEAL Fit and expert in mental toughness, discusses the importance of challenging the human spirit, making small choices, knowing your 'why,' and embracing failure as a motivating factor in this entertaining podcast.

The fact that soldiers came out of retirement to follow General McChrystal back into a very challenging war in Iraq speaks to his effectiveness as a leader. He knows a thing or two about motivation and how to bring out the best in people. McChrystal has adapted this gift to start up a consulting firm. His facility to raise expectations and adapt in the most trying of circumstances has served his clients well in the equally competitive corporate world. McChrystal posits that adaptability is the new efficiency.Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com Lessons:1. Performance usually rises and falls according to expectations.2. What got you to the first success will not necessarily take you any further.3. Adaptability is the new efficiency.Panel Notes:Joe Desena: Talk about a no-nonsense guy that can teach us about success. You don't just get handed four stars when you become a general. You earn them and he did. He is all business and has been getting the job done throughout all the modern wars we have been alive for. He knows what makes great warriors and what makes successful missions and organizations.Col. Nye: Grit, success, self discipline can be taught. Surrounding yourself with exceptional people rubs off. Organizations and people must constantly set new standards and goals. Great organizational stress. Raise the bar at every chance but the bar has to be achievable. EQ is the ability to look long term. Adaptability is the new efficiency. Sefra Alexandra: “Leaders can let you fail and yet not let you be a failure- I came to believe that a leader isn’t good because they’re right; they’re good because they’re willing to learn and to trust.”From General Stanley McChrystal’s 2011 TED Talk, “Listen, learn… then lead” General McChrystal imparted the words of wisdom to Joe that, "the first thing you should do each morning is make your bed, so you have already accomplished something when your day starts." My bed has been made first thing every morning since. Thank you gentleman.Johnny Waite: This guy is so impressive! Incredibly intelligent and compassionate. He gives some very clear advice that anyone can follow to achieve higher level of success and, just as importantly, how to help others succeed!

Nate Carr grew up with a full team of elite wrestlers in his backyard. Out of five competing brothers, all were Division I NCAA All-Americans and two reached the Olympics. Nate managed to edge above the rest, earning Olympic bronze. What spurred him on? It could have been his indomitable attitude. His positive mindset is a motivational machine first leading to his success and then to that of the wrestlers he coaches. Listen in to hear the sort of self-talk that leads to greatness.Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com Lessons:1. Never personalize failure.2. “No” means “next opportunity.” “Yes” means “you expecting success.”3. Speak the end of the thing at the beginning, i.e., state the goal then set the strategy.

Starting out homeless in 2008, Johnny Waite has certainly emerged from adversity and hit the ground running. He's gone on to finish the Death Race, and become a master at motivation, hypnosis, psychology, adversity and raising his two children. Johnny's official title is Quality Manager for Spartan Race. His obstacle laden path has taught him the value of a challenging life and its ability to unleash positivity into the world. His mission is to compassionately dole out that same hardship to others so that they too may build up obstacle immunity. Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com Lessons: 1. An easy life is no life at all.2. Always ask, “so what?” meaning in the face of this situation, what will you do now?3. Most of us live in abundance and can therefore be producers instead of consumers.4. Interrupt a person's usual pattern and you may spark a positive change in their life.

ll Mimi Anderson really wanted was thinner legs. She ran the windiest road imaginable to get there, a journey that brought her across frigid tundra and blistering desert alike and placed her in the record books for posterity. Along the way, what she found hidden underneath her compulsion to thin down was a passion to challenge herself and grow. Anderson runs it in 100 mile+ chunks, but swears that 5k is plenty if that's what challenges you. She has one deceptively simple piece of advice: Just sign up and you'll find a way to make it happen. Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com Lessons:1. Just sign up and it and you'll find a way to make it happen.2. When the going gets tough, think of all the people who expect you to fail.3. If you don't constantly push boundaries, you're not going to grow as a person.Panel Notes:Joe Desena: Who would take a hair dryer on a long distance multi day run? Multi day! She ran across South Africa. Most people complain when they need to drive that far. Find out what helps her get through that kind of adversity.Col. Nye: Remarkable woman, staggering accomplishments, tough as nails. Driven by challenge and adventure. Growth comes from challenge. Listen to your body. Must be mentally prepared at all times. Uses visualization.Sefra Alexandra: “The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible” Mimi has run across deserts in the Sahara, Libya, Chile, Kalahari and Namibia to name a few: feats a Land Rover would be whimpering about. Speaking of the Kalahari, the San Bushmen are masters of persistence hunting: a combination of running, walking and tracking to pursue prey to the point of exhaustion. A hunt for a kudu (antelope) can last 2-5hrs covering around 22 miles in 104-108 °F… try that as a change in your frame of reference. (GERONIMO)Mimi is Co-Founder of Freedom Runners - a 2350km run across South Africa’s Freedom Trail to raise money to provide products to keep South African girls in school.