Zach Even-Esh says: Sometimes, the very thing that you love is also the very thing that can break your heart. Ultimately, you must live your truth. LESSONS: It’s OK to be vulnerable if you’re following and living your truth Focus on giving. Giving and helping others. Live your truth. Support people are doing good for other but can use your help. Do something for someone who can never repay you LINKS: More about Zach https://zacheven-esh.com Read “The Spartan Way” https://www.spartan.com/en/race/...
Jul 04, 2019•3 min•Ep. 417
Before you head into a race, or any event that means something to you - a job interview, a first date, a meeting with the boss - it’s important to mentally prepare. When you are more mentally prepared, you can set up an outcome in your mind that works for you, walk into the event with greater confidence, and use mindfulness tools to keep yourself calm. There are a few questions that you can ask yourself to set yourself up in such a way and thought they may take a few minutes to answer, the outco...
Jul 03, 2019•4 min•Ep. 416
This week’s guest is full of ideas and has surrounded herself with the best minds for decades. At the time of this interview she was the Executive Editor at Harvard Business Review - hosting the IdeasCast podcast for over a decade and more recently the Women at Work Podcast. She and Joe talk at Fenway about actionable advice on how success can be achieved through small wins & conquering proverbial mountains each day. Be consistent, track your time & celebrate your progress! LESSONS Power...
Jul 02, 2019•28 min•Ep. 415
Brian "Tosh" Chontosh says this is just another way of saying don't be an emotional based decision maker, don't be impulsive, or think about what you are doing / not doing. For me, phrasing it this way simply invites engaging about what it means to not allow a transitory feeling or emotion to rule on my actions. I start to introduce the power of feedback mechanisms and discipline. When we give in to mood we have an often temporary high followed with a low of sorts. [ It doesn't always have to be...
Jul 01, 2019•5 min•Ep. 414
It can be a big help for achy joints and general inflammation in the digestion tract and respiratory system as well. The use of BOSWELLIA resin dates back thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine. But, more recently, medical science has begun to research its full potential and extensive anti-inflammatory properties. Most notably, scientific studies have suggested that boswellia can also block what is known as “5-LOX inflammation,” which has great therapeutic possibilities. Boswellia is an herbal...
Jun 30, 2019•4 min•Ep. 413
Having a team is powerful, but, sometimes, you will be alone, without the team. You must learn to exude strength even when in solitude. LESSONS: If you’re following the common path but your gut instinct says NO, then it’s time to live your truth in solitude. Do not fear starting alone. Do not fear progressing alone. Look inward to find your truth. You will and can find strength when you follow the path you were meant to be on. LINKS: More about Zach https://zacheven-esh.com Read “The Spartan Way...
Jun 27, 2019•3 min•Ep. 412
Sometimes you can get so caught up in the daily grind and the day-to-day routine that you forget to slow down, pause, and ask yourself, “how does this serve me?” When it comes to our mental energy, resilience, and toughness, we have to clear our head of all the junk so that we can make room for that which improves our mental clarity. It’s important for you to reflect on whether the things you are reading, listening to, and watching are filling your mind engine with helpful and use information, o...
Jun 26, 2019•3 min•Ep. 411
Bruce lives where fighting and business converge. With a background as an executive level headhunter and a youth spent in the boxing gym, he’s translated those tactics into building champions. The renowned boxing coach sits in the podcast ring this week with Joe De Sena and discusses the keys to coaching to glory, rebuilding them after loses, and the importance of vulnerability. What it comes down to is the Law of Outcomes: “ the amount of pain, suffering and sacrifice you make must be equal to ...
Jun 25, 2019•45 min•Ep. 410
It takes more energy to catch up than it does to simply keep up. This extra expenditure of energy ends up creating a greater deficit which in turn feeds the loop to fall behind yet again. This is simple physical conservation of energy theory. What happens with individuals on a psychological level is an entirely different story. The tendency is to attempt finding shortcuts rationalized as improved techniques, greater efficiency, or new moves etc… Where in our lives are we creating shortcuts to ca...
Jun 24, 2019•7 min•Ep. 409
Organic foods are generally more expensive than conventional foods because conventional foods often use substances to accelerate plant and animal growth, protect against insects or increase the scale of farming. These substances are certainly not part of the natural growth cycle of the flora and fauna that we eat. For flora, there are pesticides, ionizing radiation, artificial fertilizers and, yes, even sewage sludge. For animals, the substances include antibiotics and hormones. If any part of t...
Jun 23, 2019•4 min•Ep. 408
Is your work or career just a job? Or, do you truly live the code, being a pro whether you are at work or not? LESSONS: If the culture at your work is about kindness and excellence, do you live this after the 9-5 hours are over? Excellence is a habit. Practice excellence, even when you’re not at work or when the cameras are not rolling. Joe DeSena is a Spartan whether the camera is rolling or not. He’s doing his burpees, carrying kettlebells, etc all the time, NOT just when cameras are rolling. ...
Jun 20, 2019•3 min•Ep. 406
Our mind is a melting pot of different kinds of thoughts. Joy ones, excited ones, worry ones, hopeful ones, and, yes, negative ones. It is important to be aware of your own negative thoughts because denying they exist doesn’t make them go away - and in some circumstances doing just that only makes them grow stronger. And, at the same time, you want to be strategic about how you address them because if you give them too much attention they can grow and get stronger. Countering your negative thoug...
Jun 19, 2019•5 min•Ep. 405
Fran Martinez tragically lost his son to an undiagnosed illness when he was an infant. In the beginning, the pain seemed too much to bear. In the midst of this his marriage ended. He ran from life and friends. Loving friends brought him back to society, got him exercising, and eventually he found Spartan Race. He realized the obstacle course was a metaphor for life. The community, the exercise, and overcoming those obstacles worked a kind of healing magic on him. Now his mission is to bring that...
Jun 18, 2019•22 min•Ep. 404
Host Brian "Tosh" Chontosh takes a deeper look at the value of consistency. Everyone should take a moment to go back and dig into the definition of consistency. And on that note, appreciate the difference between consistency and persistency. If we look at consistency as harmony towards a whole and seizing opportunity when it presents it reframes how we may hold ourselves accountable towards failure and allowing it to take hold of us in a negative fashion. LESSONS: Being consistent is not necessa...
Jun 17, 2019•6 min•Ep. 403
Processed foods are foods that are handled and altered in some way before they get to your pantry or refrigerator. The more harmless kinds of processing are things like cutting and peeling a variety of fruit and packaging those things as a “fruit salad.” The next step in processing is canning food, which can either reduce the nutritional content of food or introduce some unhealthy quantity of natural elements, like adding sodium. The next step is changing foods by chemically altering them. There...
Jun 16, 2019•4 min•Ep. 402
Major (Retired) Scotty Smiley became the first blind active-duty officer in military history following a face-to-face confrontation with a suicide car bomber in Iraq in 2005. After his injury, Scotty’s faith led him to forgive his attacker and inspired him to rebuild his life while continuing to serve his country in the U.S. Army. His wife Tiffany's drive and support are an incredible model of partnership in resilience. He recently completed an Iron Man and was featured in the film "Beat Feat" L...
Jun 14, 2019•37 min•Ep. 401
Sweep the Sheds Comes from the book Legacy, a book written about the New Zealand All Blacks. In order to build a GREAT team, no individual can be too good for something, including sweeping the shed. LESSONS: "Sweeping the Shed" is a tradition that says that no individual is bigger than the team and its ancestors. This includes cleaning out the locker room after practice or a game. The All Blacks want a culture in which you leave your jersey better than you found it. You’re essentially “planting ...
Jun 13, 2019•4 min•Ep. 400
Anger is one of those emotions that few like to acknowledge and even fewer like to talk about. Either way, however, avoiding anger doesn’t mean that it goes away. In fact, the more you understand your anger the more likely you are to manage your responses appropriately and not be overcome by expression. It’s important to remember that anger is a normal emotion and, although it may be uncomfortable, it is neutral in nature. We also all experience and feel anger at various points in our life - den...
Jun 12, 2019•6 min•Ep. 399
“We were made to do hard things,” is Katie Wells family motto. Her popular website “Wellness Mama" features simple answers for healthier families. Mama to six children, she has found ways to bring lessons from the workplace to the management of her home. She systematizes her household (spreadsheets are one of her “love languages”). All this to empower her children- who by the way, have to start their own business before being given a cell phone or car! Joe De Sena and the Spartan Up team really ...
Jun 11, 2019•31 min•Ep. 398
It’s fairly obvious that if you look for your car keys or you look for your wallet, you will eventually find your keys and wallet. When we are riding our mountain bikes and there is danger to the right, the inexperienced tend to look to the right - where they want don’t want to go. Which is where the bike then tends to turn. If you walk through life looking for conflict you will find it. If you look at life negatively, you will find negativity. LESSONS: Don’t look where you don’t want to go. Foc...
Jun 10, 2019•4 min•Ep. 397
The popularity of collagen is skyrocketing. It’s especially effective in compensating for problems related to our bones and our skin as we age. Although human beings start out making collagen naturally, as people get older, they become less capable of absorbing nutrients or synthesizing them. In that case, collagen-rich foods and supplements can compensate for deficiencies. Collagen is also the most abundant protein in your body so you might want to know a bit about it. Collagen can help a lot w...
Jun 09, 2019•5 min•Ep. 396
Scott Jurek is widely considered one of the best ultra marathoners ever winning Badwater, and Western States multiple times. He also recently broke a speed record for running the entire Appalachian Trail. You can learn a lot more about him by reading the book “Born To Run”, and two books he’s authored, “Eat and Run”, and “North”. LESSONS: Finding things that motivate you. The best way to find what you love is experience, over suggestions. Our bodies are always ready to take on new challenges Be ...
Jun 07, 2019•8 min•Ep. 395
Pressure is a privilege. I first heard this from Tim Grover, the author of Relentless. Tough times and challenges mold us into stronger men and women. Spartans love challenges. Rather than avoiding challenges, Spartans say Bring it on!!! LESSONS: High performers seek out challenging opportunities while “normal people” see challenges as something that holds them back Nothing worth having will ever come easy Learn to find comfort in situations that would break down “normal people” Seek out discomf...
Jun 06, 2019•4 min•Ep. 394
We have become pathologically attached to the end product of things. We focus more on the grade, the paycheck, the medal - all while ignoring the hard work and process that it took to get to the end. The problem with this is that when we only focus on the product, we are missing out on all the vital, awesome information that we can gather from the process. We need to look more towards all of the greatness that came before the product so that we don’t get attached to the wrong thing. And when we ...
Jun 05, 2019•4 min•Ep. 393
“It’s the START that stops you” says the electric Eric Byrnes who launched his Major League Baseball career with a 22 game hitting streak. Byrnes was a player who relied on his speed and hustle, and he brings the energy of a fast ball to this interview. Drafted out of high school by the Dodgers, he went on to play for the Oakland Athletics, the Colorado Rockies, the Baltimore Orioles, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Seattle Mariners. He was living the dream. After “retiring” Eric discovered ne...
Jun 04, 2019•45 min•Ep. 392
“You’ve got to give respect to get respect.” Well, if everyone is waiting for someone else to give it to them, we will be waiting an awfully long time. If you share anger, anger gets returned. If you’re always picking fights, you’ll always be fighting. If you want Love, love others. If you want friendship, be a good friend. LESSONS: Rise up, Give. Give, not for the sake of getting, and it will be given. LINKS: SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanU...
Jun 03, 2019•4 min•Ep. 391
Because the word “fat” is associated with being overweight, many people go overboard and think that all fats are bad. But that’s far from the case. Some fats are necessary and … some fats are amazingly good for you. What we talk about A source of some of these amazing fats is coconut oil. These good fats are “medium-chain fatty acids” (or MCFAs). They are: ● Caprylic acid, ● Lauric acid, and ● Capric acid One of the amazing things about these fatty acids is that they are much more easily convert...
Jun 02, 2019•4 min•Ep. 390
Have you ever found yourself being busy yet not productive? In a day and age where too many people are over inundated due to having too much information and too many options, we are afraid to just do the work! LESSONS: Instead of thinking you need to “get ready” for something, why not just get started! Organization is crucial for success Cook your lunch and dinner for the week ahead by cooking in quantity and organizing the refrigerator Organize the week ahead on Sunday night. Don’t react to thi...
May 30, 2019•1 sec•Ep. 389
We can only store and attend to so many things at any given time. Our mental energy actually has a limit. Because of this we need to be intentional on where we invest our mental energy and take inventory on what is occupying space in our mind. If we are more curious and intentional around where we are investing mental energy, we can adjust time spent so that very little time gets wasted. A simple exercise of evaluating your seven most filled areas can aid in getting you to where you truly want t...
May 29, 2019•5 min•Ep. 388
Nicole Alexander, Major, U.S. Army Special Operations & PROMOTE Co-Founder, was born with grit and determination. As a young girl she always wanted to be doing as much as possible, which led her into the rigors of a “company” of ballerinas. In college she found rowing and pushed herself to the limits, inspired to “find her swing!” Joining the army and then Special Operations she utilized rigorous dedication and discipline to lead groups through unimaginably difficult situations. Now she and ...
May 28, 2019•28 min•Ep. 386
