The Mark Divine Show

Joe De Sena has always been an entrepreneur, but he is best known as the co-founder of the Spartan Races, and the host of the Spartan Up! podcast. With the sound of another Spartan Race being built at Dodger Stadium in the background, he talks with the Commander about the past few years spent in Southeast Asia and China spreading the Spartan brand and his own, personal fitness approach. He's a legend and a master of forging ahead no matter the odds. Find out about: The importance of his mother's yoga practices and spiritual beliefs to how he still thinks about fitness The joy and freedom he felt in losing his smartphone The extreme difficulty he has in sitting quietly to meditate. Listen to this casual and friendly episode to hear how more about the journey of the Spartan Races from where they began to where they are now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Stew Smith is a well-known fitness trainer and author. His latest book is "Tactical Fitness (40+) Foundation Rebuilding." He and Commander Divine talk about SEAL training, and the important lessons learned about fitness, breathing and mental ability gained. He goes on to describe his work with the Sheepdog community, preparing police, firefighters as well as various branches of the military for service. Hear how: at least part of exceptional performance is learning to overcome your own brain mindset is an important part of athleticism, especially functional fitness Stew uses breathing to control stress Listen to this episode to get a glimpse into the value and importance of tactical and functional fitness for powerful service. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this solo episode, Mark gives us more insights on the 5th anniversary edition of his book "The Way of the SEAL." Today he talks extensively about the importance of building your intuition. It is largely a process of developing your perception so that you can observe more information and details about any scene or situation. Hear how: Intuition comes largely by thinking with your gut and your heart instead of just your head. Spec Ops training includes a focus on opening up your perception so that you are able to "see" more. you need to work on clearing out your Background of Obviousness (BOO) to clear away old stories and perceptions Learn how to enhance your perception and intuition so that you are able to "see" with more than just your eyes. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

JC Glick is a former Ranger and served 11 combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He's also an author, and he's provided a very down-to-earth account of how to develop leadership called "A Light in the Darkness: Leadership Development for the Unknown." He and Mark talk about leadership, the effect of PTSD on soldiers and how they might be able to counteract it. Hear how: JC has known Generals Petraeus and McChrystal but he still credits NCOs with teaching him the most about leadership That "pushing to the edge" of you or your team's capacity isn't necessarily the best way to get the best performance Remember that you're allowed and, in fact, expected to make some mistakes on your way to success Find out how JC is able to translate his knowledge of military leadership to leadership in general. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

James Scott is a writer who works in cyber-security, advising congress about cyber security. He is a co-founder of the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology and a fellow at the Center for Cyber-Influence Operations Studies. He gives us his insights into Fake News and how political parties, special interests and nation-states use Twitter, Facebook and other kinds of social media to spread views and influence others. Learn how: Large tech companies including Google and Facebook have their own agendas Manipulation of social media is standard practice for national and special interests Buying a crowd to protest something isn't difficult Learn how you need to make sure that your thoughts are actually your own. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Part Two of this interview, Mark and Laird Hamilton get into more specifics about training, recovery and nutrition. They also talk about the importance of proper breathing and using imagery. How it is essential to imagine a destination before you can actually get there. Both Mark and Laird are "watermen," and air is almost everything when you're in the water, so naturally proper breathing techniques are important. Hear how: Laird credits a great deal of his fitness knowledge to Paul Chek Laird was doing "Paleo" before it had a name. While it is useful to have some fear, it is essential that positive and negative thoughts are mostly in balance but with positive always a little bit ahead Listen to this episode to both get insights about both the psychology and physiological requirements of high performance. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Laird Hamilton is well known in the surfing community and is the subject of the recent, award winning documentary "Take Every Wave." He was one of the inventors of Tow-in surfing, which allowed surfers to catch bigger waves than they could by paddling themselves. It has been one of the most significant advancements in surfing. In this two part interview, Mark talks to him about surfing and more. Hear how: Laird was bullied as a minority which he thought of as actually being an advantage. Because he was already outside the tribe,  there was no point in seeking approval from anyone. The Ocean can be tough, but it is an environment that rewards you for knowledge and understanding. Laird believes that fear is a sign of intelligence. It's managing your fear that is essential, rather than being "fearless." In this first part of the Commander's interview with the surfing legend, find out how he's been able to evolve himself from youth to maturity through surfing. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this solo episode, Mark dives deeper into the new version of his book “The Way of the SEAL” to focus on doing today what others won’t and forging mental toughness. “Do today what others won’t so you can do tomorrow what others can’t,” is the Smoke Jumper creed. Commander Divine applies the Smoke Jumpers creed to all aspects of life. He then provides some practical insights on how to foster mental toughness in yourself, so that you will be able to perform in an exceptional way more easily. Hear how: Commander Divine learned to “embrace the suck” in his SEAL training thanks to an “evil” instructor pushing him to his limits Understand the difference between good and bad pain, so you’ll know when to push through, and when you need to rest You can use very practical methods to engage in good “mind control” of yourself Listen to this podcast to learn how you create Discipline, Drive and Determination to do more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Goggins (@iamdavidgoggins) is extremely well known both for his military career and as an extreme athlete. In 2013 he set the record for pullups completed in 24 hours at 4025.He and the Commander talk about how he managed to evolve himself from a very difficult childhood by exercising his tremendous will. Learn how mental toughness is a lifestyle and how he does everything he doesn’t want to do to stay tough. Hear about: His first 100 mile running race and how it changed his life How he went from the Air Force, to hunting cockroaches, to the SEALs by force of will His latest plans are to become a “Smoke Jumper,” wildlands firefighters that parachute into remote areas to fight forest fires Learn Goggins’ secrets to super-human determination in this podcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Matthew and Terces Engelhart have created a work environment unlike any other. This spirit of gratitude and appreciation for the abundance of life has afforded them a life beyond their expectations.  Owners of the largest vegan restaurant in the US, They also have a very unique approach to business, based on the principles of “Sacred Commerce.” They have a conversation with Commander Divine about the importance of understanding your own and employee roles in a very different way so that work can be an empowering and open place, rather than simply a chore. Hear: The Engelharts perform a Clearing practice on the Commander and then describe what they did. How you need to be aware and make sure that what you say is “landing” in the way that you intended That you need to understand that it’s the story that surrounds a fact that causes grief rather than the fact itself. This very special podcast will give you insights on how better to communicate with staff and understand a very different way to pursue commercial success.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.