Today, Commander Mark Divine speaks with Tim Grover about his drive for success as a first generation American, his career training elite athletes, and how we can all develop a winning attitude.   Tim S. Grover is the CEO of ATTACK Athletics, Inc., founded in 1989. World-renowned for his legendary work with elite champions and Hall of Famers, including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and hundreds other NFL, MLB, NBA, and Olympic athletes, he is the preeminent authority on the science and art of physical and mental dominance and achieving excellence.   Author of the national bestseller RELENTLESS: From Good to Great to Unstoppable and his latest book, Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness, creator of digital training platform The Relentless System, Tim appears around the world as a keynote speaker and consultant. He is a featured columnist at SI.com and Yahoo.com; he also appears on ESPN, FoxSports, and other media outlets.      Key Takeaways: Greatness is not an end goal. It is something to strive for every single day. After each win, start over and continue to strive for the next victory.    It's crucial to determine and address weaknesses and injury prone areas before focusing on building overall strength.    You have enough haters! Don't be one of them. The importance of being your own biggest fan can not be stated enough.    Fear is a natural and necessary part of life, but we can't allow it to control us. We must trust ourselves and let go of doubt, so we can control fear and have better control of the outcome.    Wisdom from Michael Jordan: If you get knocked down, don't just stand back up. If you stand up before you have figured out why you fell, you haven't learned anything. Figure out why you fell, then stand up a changed person less likely to repeat the same mistake.  Tim Grover - Best-selling author and Keynote Speaker   Instagram   Twitter   LinkedIn

Today, Commander Divine is joined by his friend Amy Jurkowitz, who reads listener questions posted to the @realmarkdivine Instagram account. Mark shares his perspective on important issues from breathwork and self-awareness, to dealing with toxic teammates and bullies.      Key Takeaways:   Q: How do you turn the volume down on the demotivating voice in your head? @summa_der_hamma   A: Our thoughts do not define who we are-Mark explains how to observe our thoughts without judgment, allowing us to eventually disidentify from these thoughts. We become empowered when we realize that we are not our thoughts, just the person thinking them.    Q: What training is most effective for crucible events?  @be_unbeatable_   A: Training for crucible events starts with the why-you must first have a clear vision of why you are undertaking this challenge. You will need to draw on that vision to keep going. Training itself involves doing work that is extremely uncomfortable. Run with a weighted vest. Drag things. Push things. Do slow pull-ups and pull-ups with weight. The most important skill to develop is durability. It takes about nine months to a year to train for these incredibly intense events.  Q: As a leader, how do you deal with a hostile/toxic team member? @acedaddyjohnson   A: Working with difficult people is inevitable. It is important to call in a troublesome team member gently, but firmly. Sometimes they are unaware that their behavior is toxic. They should be given detailed criticism about their unacceptable behavior and the expectations of all team members. If they are unable to meet these expectations, it is important that they be removed from the team to keep the team healthy and focused on the mission.     Q: Any tips or advice for breathing?  @charlesb_1503   A: Best practices for breathing are, "low and slow"-There are many types of breath training and awareness. For most people, simply breathing in through the nose, slowly to a count of five, and exhaling to a count of five is the best place to start. Just don't forget to focus on the low, which is using your diaphragm and breathing deep into your belly.   Q: How to stand up to bullies? @nccfitsharma    A: It's important to realize that bullies are wounded individuals suffering from low self-esteem. The first method of dealing with bullies is to ignore them and not feed the negative energy. If this doesn't work, try showering them in unconditional love. If the first two methods do not end the bullying, it is important to stand up to a bully. Sometimes we may need to enlist the help of others, but never back down to a bully or they will continue to victimize you. 

Brian Johnson, creator of Optimize and the Founder + CEO of Heroic, joins Commander Divine to discuss creating heroic technology for a virtuous world. They explore the challenges between hedonistic happiness and true fulfillment, the importance of courage in a hero's journey, and the role of technology in empowering users to lead disciplined, focused lives. The chapter also touches on Brian's background, the negative effects of a culture of comfort, and the upcoming launch of the Heroic app and social platform.

Today, Mark Divine speaks about the challenges we face going into a new age of exponential growth from our rapidly evolving technologically based society. This era, known as The Conceptual Age, calls for a new type of leadership. Divine asserts that veterans have the skills and mindset we need in the leaders of this Conceptual Age.      Key Takeaways:   The conceptual age is an age of global interdependence and exponential growth. It demands leaders who not only do things right, but also do the right thing for the planet and its inhabitants. Leaders in the conceptual age must develop a radical team focus, where the team itself becomes the leader.    Leadership Theory had its origins in the military. Over time, as our society evolved, leadership styles shifted from a hierarchical production focused style to a servant-leader style that focused more on the well-being of employees.    While the servant-leader was crucial in the information age, today our technology continues to grow exponentially and our society has shifted to a global economy,thus we find ourselves in the conceptual age.     Veterans have the opportunity to play an important role as leaders in our communities. Military training, especially special ops training, instills key skills, such as flexibility, creativity, problem-solving, the ability to see multiple perspectives, and the ability to form teams with a shared vision.  Our veterans face many challenges upon re-entering civilian life. Trauma is only one small part of the equation. Veterans struggle with the loss of their teams, uniformity, structured lives, and having a mission to focus on. Veterans are a national treasure and should be given a new role, and new missions that utilize their unique skill-set to create teams of individuals that work together seamlessly and efficiently. 

Today, Commander Divine talks to Brett Miller about his research on Parkinson's Disease, and his holistic approach to treatment of the disease at his gym 110 Fitness. Brett is a U.S. Army veteran. He served as a combat medic trainer for special operations and oversaw the construction and development of the DEPMEDS for the United States Army. Brett is passionate about adaptive fitness and inspiring the best in everyone he meets. The mission of his practice is to set a new standard for the world in the "fight back" against Parkinson's Disease through holistic and fitness based approaches. He also is determined to break down all barriers for adults and children limited by disease or disability by sharing his exceptional mental and physical training and conditioning experience. Key Takeaways: We can learn a lot about who we are when we face a life-threatening experience and endure trauma-Brett's early childhood experiences compelled him to become an Army medic and continue a life dedicated to helping others. Warning signs of intense PTSD are often first picked up by friends and family. Brett encourages those close to veterans to be vigilant about watching for those signs including withdrawing from socialization, acting more closed off than usual and uncharacteristically quiet.  Over 6 million people worldwide are affected by Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's research is advancing understanding of the disease. Early detection is key, and with most types of Parkinson's, severe symptoms can be staved off and minimized with the proper treatment. Researchers are still searching for a cure.  T he OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act), a four-step approach to decision-making that has the ability to improve decisiveness, time management and overall organization. It focuses on filtering available information, putting it in context and quickly making the most appropriate decision while also understanding that changes can be made as more data becomes available.   A holistic, varied approach to wellness is key to managing, and in some cases overcoming, any type of physical or mental illness-Brett's work with patients includes the basic cornerstones of health: nutrition, exercise, sleep, and hydration. His patients practice movement and mindfulness in numerous ways, including shadow boxing, HIIT workouts, water training, rope climbing, tai chi, qigong, yoga, art therapy, drumming, and ballroom dancing.  Links: https://110fitness.org/ Instagram

Today, Commander Divine talks to Dr Amishi Jha about her work as a neuroscientist, studies on mindfulness training, and her recent book Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes a Day.   Dr. Amishi Jha is a professor of psychology at the University of Miami. She serves as the Director of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative, which she co-founded in 2010. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California-Davis and postdoctoral training at the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University. Dr. Jha's work has been featured at NATO, the World Economic Forum, and The Pentagon. She has received coverage in The New York Times, NPR, TIME, Forbes and more.   Key Takeaways:   Neuroplasticity, the ability for our brains to change and grow new neurons, is possible at any age. When our minds are functioning at their peak, we have full control of three types of attention that Dr. Amishi describes.  Taking a bird's eye view allows us to observe where our attention is. Focus is going to wander, but through practice we are able to bring the "flashlight" back to where we want it.  Multi-tasking is a myth. Our brains are able to switch quickly between tasks, but that depletes energy. Sometimes it is a necessary part of life, but mono-tasking is much more efficient, and should be the goal whenever possible.  Mindfulness training is transformative. Changes in brain activity are visible in functional MRis, but it's important to remember that just as changes in the body take time, changes in the brain take time. In Dr. Amishi Jha's studies, she saw results beginning after four weeks of training.  Links:  Amishi Jha - Pay attention like your life depends on it.   Instagram   Twitter   Linkedin

Today, Commander Divine talks to Commander Hiner about their shared experiences, the impact of stress, teamwork and how leading in a time of stress changes your leadership style.  Lieutenant Commander Ed Hiner was a Training and Readiness Officer in charge of basic and advanced combat training for Seal Teams, Ed designed the most elite organization on earth. On this episode, Commander Mark Divine and Commander Ed Hiner talk about the ways SEAL training and active duty have shaped them and how their skills translate to entrepreneurial ventures, as well as philanthropy.  Ed discusses why Team toughness wins the day and the importance of creating a space where everyone is involved, feels ownership of the process and from that a shared vision is formed. He discusses how a collective/shared vision decreases anxiety. Ed also talks about how fear can be a motivator and how important it is to eradicate the debilitating effects of fear.  Key Takeaways: Team toughness wins the day. Fear can be a motivator, and rumination is the enemy of action.  Getting back to basics often helps even the most complex situations Break your relationship with excuses and create accountability. 

Today Mark is talking with Leonard Perlmutter, founder and director of the American Meditation Institute. He is also the author of several books on yoga and meditation, most recently Your Conscience: The Key to Unlock Limitless Wisdom and Creativity and Solve All of Life's Challenges. Leonard and Mark talk about meditation, yoga, wisdom, karma, and the ego. Hear how: Everything starts with the mind-it's our most powerful tool Multitasking is impossible-we are not as energetic or creative without the freedom to redirect our attention to our conscious Within each of us is an ocean of consciousness and with that resides our intuitive library of wisdom-the super conscious portion of our mind The ego is not always wrong-but there is a distinct downside to it Listen to this episode and grasp the way to find the wisdom within you-so you can be guided in this VUCA world.

Today Mark is talking to David Nurse, former NBA player and mindset coach. David hosts his own podcast called the Pivot & Go! Podcast. He is also the author of Pivot & Go and his newest book Breakthrough: A Sure-Fire Guide to Realizing Your Potential, Pushing Through Limitations, and Achieving Things You Didn't Know Were Possible. David and Mark have a freewheeling philosophical discussion of the modern world, and how to achieve enlightenment and a better future. They discuss various topics such as finding what truly brings joy, how to gain unshakable confidence, and how to truly eliminate evil. Listen now so you can clarify and achieve your true purpose.

There has never been a better time to face your fears. In today's episode, Commander Divine provides a step-by-step process for you to be aware of your fears and to successfully conquer them with courage. Hear how: When you fear failure, you are essentially fearing success-afraid of the risk of moving away from the status quo Your ego is holding you back with its resistance to the unknown-your heart knows there is something more important beyond that The first step for overcoming fear and moving toward courage is self-awareness-identity exactly what you're afraid of Listen to this episode to hear about all the steps, so you can effectively confront your fears and be courageous during these VUCA times.