What does it take to hunt an antelope barefoot in the Kalahari Desert? Run 3,100 miles around the same ½ mile block in Queens, New York for 52 days straight? Or become a Marathon Monk that must complete 1,000 days of consecutive running or be put to death? Find out how this inspired Joe to start Spartan and the persistence and perseverance witnessed through the lens of documentary filmmaker Sanjay Rawal who believes our “first form of prayer was with our feet- when we hunted, we followed animals...
Aug 14, 2018•29 min•Ep. 208
Can you change the way you think? This week’s conversation is all about how to change the way you think about what is possible and how to create “the most empowering place on earth.” Joe on his perpetual QUEST to rip people off the couch, talks with Impact Theory’s Tom Bilyeu about creating a media platform that empowers people to leverage their behaviors. The idea is to meet you where you are - with your nutrition and your mind. In this episode explore the “why” of suffering, the disruptive pow...
Aug 07, 2018•32 min•Ep. 207
Feed your mind, shoot for the long odds, look for mentors and draw your ideas out with us at Dodgers Stadium. What does it take to succeed in the software industry? Peter thinks it’s “timing, tenacity, execution and when you’re getting out.” We explore what an infinite blank canvas for intuitive collaboration on the cloud looks like with the founder of Bluescape. It has revolutionized the way that the federal government, movie, real estate industry and nomadic remotely located entrepreneurs all ...
Jul 31, 2018•35 min•Ep. 206
Founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? WOW 1 DAY PAINTING, You Move Me, and Shack Shine- Brian shifted the paradigm of “ordinary home services and turns them into exceptional experiences.” This week Joe discusses some shady junk removal of his own, learns the Painted Picture Method of envisioning your vision & how a high school dropout stuck with his not so sexy business to disrupt a market and make it a multimillion-dollar franchise. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure ! LESSONS: Things take time...
Jul 24, 2018•24 min•Ep. 205
From the art of the trade on Wall Street to the trade of art beyond canvas - Brendan Murphy entices you with his positive energy, imagery and outlook on life. A prior professional basketball player in Europe and member of the elite Malibu Mob, he believes his greatest currency is his network of friends. LESSONS: Don’t be afraid to pivot Think broadly Embrace the unknown LIFE IS LIQUID Get rid of devices and be in the moment This episode of “Spartan Up!” is sponsored by Athletic Greens. Get 20 tr...
Jul 17, 2018•27 min•Ep. 204
One of the World’s Fittest Men, began his journey to health at 39. As a full-time ultra-endurance athlete, Wellness Evangelist & plant-based nutrition advocate- he believes we all must “be more audacious in our aspirations.” On this episode he allows us to rethink our relationship with nutrition, our obsession with protein and how to access our “vast reservoirs of untapped potential.” LESSONS: Ask yourself what you want your life experience to be Always strive to maximize your potential Don’...
Jul 10, 2018•27 min•Ep. 203
LESSONS: 1. You must be ready to receive help. Someone could be willing to help you, but if you're not ready to receive it you will miss it. 2. You never know when what you say may have a profound impact on someone. 3. Life is not linear. 4. Success is not something someone gives you, it's a feeling that comes from within. This episode of “Spartan Up!” is sponsored by Athletic Greens. Get 20 travel packs free when you order at https://athleticgreens.com/spartan LINKS: More ABout Frank Ferrante h...
Jul 03, 2018•38 min•Ep. 202
Just START, a message from boxing promoter Barry Hearn that can’t be emphasized enough. This episode deserved an encore because we cannot overemphasize the importance of not taking your life for granted. Life is a gift, you must not abuse it. Hearn wanted to be a heavyweight boxing champion, but his path lead him to be a promoter instead. His own passion seem harsh at times, but that’s only testament to how strongly he believes in the power of the individual to create a meaningful life. Lessons:...
Jun 26, 2018•26 min•Ep. 201
For 200 episodes Joe and the podcast team have been seeking the secrets to living the Spartan Way. This week Col. Nye turns things around asking Joe what that process has taught him, and then he digs in and asks Joe’s wife Courtney if all this stuff is for real. Courtney doesn’t make many public appearances, so you won’t want to miss this one. Hear what happened when she spotted an eccentric barefoot runner in a wetsuit running in her direction. Clearly, she’s a true Spartan! This week’s show ta...
Jun 19, 2018•53 min•Ep. 200
“Lucky” to have cerebral palsy? That’s what Zach Anner says in what is unexpectedly our funniest podcast episode yet! Most people work all their lives to become comfortable asking for help and showing the world their true selves, weakness and all. Zach Anner skipped all that. Using what he’s learned he created and stars in his own YouTube show “Workout Wednesdays,” in which he shows how spectacularly he can fail and shares what he calls “inspirational jokes.” It’s disarming, inspirational, genui...
Jun 12, 2018•27 min•Ep. 199
What makes a true warrior? SEALFIT founder Mark Divine brings mindfulness, strength and a holistic perspective to success. Joe and Mark talk about the value of ritual as a means to shed distractions and turn inward. It’s a way to reach your higher self, to feel oneness with the world and live according to your principles. Humanity needs each person, so it is your human obligation to take the best possible care of yourself - mentally and physically. What steps to Joe and Mark suggest? Listen and ...
Jun 05, 2018•28 min•Ep. 198
To hear “Come on down!” on the Price is Right isn’t just about luck or persistence, it’s also about a secret. That secret is the third door. When Alex took a hard left turn in life, leaving the path through medical school that his family had anticipated since his birth and started working on a book about the underpinnings of success, he found that door. He set out to write the book he needed to read. The irony is that he figured out as much on his JOURNEY to interview successful people as he did...
May 29, 2018•49 min•Ep. 197
Star volleyball player Gabby Reece’s is one half of a power couple with husband Laird Hamilton. The wisdom she’s gained as a public figure, a pro & Olympic athlete, a sports model, a mother, and as partner to an alpha guy like Laird caused our podcast team to nickname her “Yoda.” Gabby has an unexpected message of accepting and nurturing people as they are and how they choose to define their objectives. She may have even shifted Joe’s paradigm, but we doubt it, yet there’s a good chance she’...
May 22, 2018•35 min•Ep. 196
The Ice Man, Wim Hof, is crazy for life. He embodies Spartan values: becoming comfortable being uncomfortable, changing your point of reference and finding your true north with passion. Not surprisingly, he shares Joe’s enthusiasm for cold showers, though he suggests to start with a 30 second one. His methods are unique even as his message is conventional, still it cannot be stressed enough: Nature is our ultimate mentor. If this is the first time you’re hearing Wim Hof’s theories, prepare for a...
May 15, 2018•45 min•Ep. 195
What do you want to do with your time on this planet? Yanik Silver has taken this question and applied it to his business, Maverick 1000, harnessing entrepreneurial energy to make a difference in the world. But you’d be mistaken to think it’s only outcomes that matter. Silver has researched and discovered methods to find joy scrubbing the burnt in grease from a pot and direction in a world full of “self help” gurus. He bases his life and work on an experimental approach which includes study, med...
May 08, 2018•25 min•Ep. 194
How can lacrosse build a strong sense of self and propel young women to a winning attitude? Lukas Cash, in his extensive and successful lacrosse and leadership camps has found a way. He has a simple, straightforward but effective message to impart to young people. The key is to get them asking the right questions consistently so that they can resist the constant lure of peer pressure. What exactly are those questions that will raise you to the top of your game? Find out this Spartan Up episode. ...
May 01, 2018•23 min•Ep. 193
Luis Escobar has made a life around distance running. He has run with the Tarahumara who run as a way of life and with homeless people using running to get “back on their feet.” If his name sounds familiar, he’s also the ultrarunning photographer featured in Born to Run, by Chris McDougall. In this episode we ask him what it is about ultra running that draws him, about his trip to Copper Canyon, Mexico, about the Tarahumara, and about the obstacles we all face in life. Lessons: 1. Obstacles are ...
Apr 24, 2018•24 min•Ep. 192
What’s the connection between Mark Rampolla, Joe De Sena & Coconut water? It begins with dysentery, giardia and an ultra race in Fiji. Joe experienced all three and coconut water saved him. Mark Rampolla, founder of Zico, was introduced to coconut water in the Peace Corps and Coconut water changed his life too when he decided it would be the vehicle for his next chapter in life. Why coconut water? In this episode hear how he found his true north, stayed the course, and about the natural powe...
Apr 17, 2018•29 min•Ep. 191
What does it mean to be a man? Ryan Michler, creator and host of the “Order of Man” Podcast, is studying that question. He’s not doling out advice from a pedestal, but from a near decade long struggle to get his life, and marriage, in order. One thing he discovered was that the best men don’t put up a front of invincibility. Do the things that scare you, not to convince yourself that you’re brave and valorous, but because this is the fast track to growth and self knowledge. Find out exactly what...
Apr 10, 2018•32 min•Ep. 190
With eight thousand characters in Marvel Comics’ universe, even if you’re a rabid comic fan, you probably haven’t scratched the surface of their offerings. We talk with Mindy Hamilton, the SVP of global partnerships at this time honored brand, now under the mega company Disney. She started on her career track at a very young age when she assumed the editorial responsibilities of a newspaper she started with her friends. That love of collaboration and a passionate curiosity, helped drive her on t...
Apr 03, 2018•24 min•Ep. 189
Will OCR be an Olympic sport? Ian Adamson wants to change lives and he approaches the Olympic initiative as an “incredible opportunity”, not as the “insurmountable Everest” it could appear to be. As Adamson is also one of the most successful adventure racers of all time, the challenge is in capable hands. This week, we ask Adamson what it takes to be exceptional, why some are driven to be, how a team can exceed the ability of its weakest member and more. It’s not in the genes. It’s not in the st...
Mar 27, 2018•31 min•Ep. 188
In sports and energy drinks Lance Collins is the top of the heap. How did he get there? By being fast, funded, cutting edge, and well branded for the last three decades. And, critically, by being passionate enough to have a near single minded purpose. He has made great fortunes and launched successful products time and again. What keeps him coming back for more? Listen and learn what makes Lance tick this week on Spartan Up! Lessons: 1. It’s not the big that eat the small, it’s the fast that eat...
Mar 20, 2018•21 min•Ep. 187
He sailed around the world, twice; the second voyage with his young family in tow. And in spite of starting a crabbing business in his teens and several other ventures throughout his adulthood, his expeditions are where Caspar Craven learned, along with his family, some of the most vital lessons in life, not the least of which is how to be alive. The most important skill they learned on the high seas through their many adventures is emotional resilience. Hear how they cultivated that resilience ...
Mar 13, 2018•28 min•Ep. 186
At age 70 she tried her first Spartan Race. At seventy two years old, 16.7 miles, five thousand feet of climbing at nearly two miles above sea level, she crossed the Lake Tahoe Spartan Race Championship finish line. For Marla Sweeney, this was the twenty third time in almost as many months of crossing that line. She started this endeavor while still managing pain from a head on car accident. Is that inspiring enough for you? Marla doesn’t consider herself special and will crush all your excuses....
Mar 06, 2018•34 min•Ep. 185
Want to find your purpose? Go outside! That’s the sage advice from Steve Lulek, wilderness survival expert and adventure guide. Are we meant to live the bulk of our lives cloistered in cubicles, driving in steel boxes and staring at screens? How can we reverse these cultural norms in order to reconnect to the outdoors and ourselves in the process? This week Joe and Steve explore our true natures. Lessons: 1. When you find who you are, it’s easy to let go of the things that don’t fit. 2. Reframe ...
Feb 27, 2018•26 min•Ep. 184
Just move! That’s the bottom line for these three members of Oscar Mike and Operation Enduring Warrior, both organizations designed to get wounded veterans on the move! “Oscar Mike” means “on the move” in military parlance. These three adaptive Spartans, Jonathan Lopez, Noah Currier, and Earl Granville, have sought out the race as a way of eradicating any perception that they are victims. They are, instead, comrades in the human wide struggle to help one another excel at life. According to one o...
Feb 20, 2018•33 min•Ep. 183
From house arrest to the NFL pro bowl in seven years, retired 49er Brian Jennings transformed his life in dramatic fashion. Then, after thirteen years of football success, like all star athletes, he was forced to start over again. As Jenning describes, “athletes are the only people that die twice.” With a podcast, as an inspirational speaker, and through his work with veterans he has proved himself more than equal to the challenge. What, for Jennings, were the keys to finding his true north not ...
Feb 13, 2018•43 min•Ep. 182
Manufacturing socks in a small town in Vermont, especially in the 80s and 90s when most companies were sending this work offshore, is hardly your standard business plan. Still, as of 2016, Darn Tough Socks was a 40 million dollar business. The name “Darn Tough” is a brilliant pun. The socks, like the CEO, are resilient (carrying a lifetime guaranty,) and relentlessly and thoroughly vetted and improved to strengthen them further. When asked for business advice Ric’s was simple “never, ever, give ...
Feb 06, 2018•26 min•Ep. 181
Why do you work out? Why don’t you? How do you think about how much you eat? Mind Pump podcast host Sal Di Stefano challenges a lot of hardened conventions in the fitness world. He discovered the route he took to health as an insecure teenager was leading to disaster, but fortunately he had an epiphany when he reached adulthood that lead to paradigm shifts he describes in this episode. Lessons: 1. Don’t exercise and eat based on hatred of your body; exercise and eat to love your body. 2. Meet yo...
Jan 30, 2018•27 min•Ep. 180
Katrin Davidsdottir, two-time CrossFit world champion Icelandic born, is happiest when she is working. She loves work - whether making progress or failing then moving forward again. How has she achieved so much so young? The attitude and the mindset that nurtured throughout her life. Kristin’s secret may be that she has no secret at all. Her methods are straightforward and that they work so well is surely due to her indomitable consistency and drive. Lessons: 1. Extreme success requires extreme ...
Jan 23, 2018•27 min•Ep. 179
