Building the Elite Podcast

Tommy Wood, BM BCh, PhD, is a neuroscientist, elite-level professional nerd, and performance consultant to world-class athletes in a dozen sports. He received an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of Cambridge, a medical degree from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in physiology and neuroscience from the University of Oslo.  Tommy is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics an...

Tommy Wood, BM BCh, PhD, is a neuroscientist, elite-level professional nerd, and performance consultant to world-class athletes in a dozen sports. He received an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of Cambridge, a medical degree from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in physiology and neuroscience from the University of Oslo.  Tommy is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics an...

Dr. Allison Brager is an Army neuroscientist, CrossFit Games athlete, and sleep specialist. Her career bridges the gap between rigorous scientific research and high-level athletic performance. Dr. Brager is currently a GHOST fellow at the US Special Operations Command headquarters. Prior to that, she served as the Deputy Chief Science Officer at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and Schoo...

There is a difference between confidence and arrogance.  Distinguishing between the two is essential, especially when preparing for demanding challenges like special operations selection. The best summary of this idea might be Facta Non Verba, or "deeds not words," which, not coincidentally, is the motto of Canada's tier one SOF unit, JTF2.   A realistic assessment of one's abi...

This is part two of our conversation with Miguel Zeran. Miguel Zeran, aka Z, is a retired Marine Master Sergeant, PhD candidate, and a coach at Building the Elite. He’s a former Force Recon Marine who holds a bachelor’s in Health & Wellness, a master’s in Kinesiology, and is in his third year of doctoral pursuits in Human & Sport Performance. He is a CSCS, CPT, SFG1, and trained Health Coa...

Miguel Zeran, aka Z, is a retired Marine Master Sergeant, PhD candidate, and a coach at Building the Elite. He’s a former Force Recon Marine who holds a bachelor’s in Health & Wellness, a master’s in Kinesiology, and is in his third year of doctoral pursuits in Human & Sport Performance. He is a CSCS, CPT, SFG1, and trained Health Coach sitting for the National Board of Health and Wellness...

This is part two of our conversation with Dr. David Walton. Dr. David “Wally” Walton is a retired Army Special Forces officer with 25 years of experience in the SF community. His career spans service with the 7th Special Forces Group, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), and the Special Warfare Center and School. Dr. Walton’s extensive operational experience includes deployments to Iraq, Afgha...

Dr. David “Wally” Walton is a retired Army Special Forces officer with 25 years of experience in the SF community. His career spans service with the 7th Special Forces Group, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), and the Special Warfare Center and School. Dr. Walton’s extensive operational experience includes deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and much of Latin America. Since retiring in 2013, h...

Eric Ross is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Striveworks, specializing in Machine Learning Operations. He enlisted in the Army after high school and joined the 75th Ranger Regiment as an 11B infantryman in the mid-1990s, where he served for six years until he left for an assignment with US Army Special Operations Command at Ft. Bragg, NC. He served 24 years before retiring in 2020 with nu...

Dr. Kate Pate is a PhD neurophysiologist, coach, and entrepreneur with extensive experience in scientific research and practical applications in the military and SOF community. Her doctoral work focused on respiratory neurophysiology, exploring the brain-breath-body connection, and later expanded to include trauma-informed yoga and meditation for the military. Kate's postdoctoral research cen...

Joel Struthers is a former Legionnaire, or member of the French Foreign Legion, a helicopter pilot, and the author of the books Appel , about his time in the Legion and Civil , about his life as a private military contractor after the Legion.   He’s now a commercial helicopter pilot and the managing partner of Ravenhill Risk Control , a Canadian risk mitigation firm that solves complex problems in...

Laura is the Lead Performance Instructor at Deep End Fitness in San Diego, a trauma therapist, and a strength coach. She is about to graduate with the Master’s portion of her Ph. D. next month (May 2024) and will continue for two more years to complete her Ph. D. She previously received her Juris Doctorate degree but opted to change career trajectories toward something more fulfilling and service-...

Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon (also known as KSD) is a trained counselor specializing in the psychology of behavior change, with certifications including motivational interviewing, solution-focused, DBT, CBT, and trauma counseling. She’s the author of numerous books and accredited nutrition, sleep, stress, and recovery courses. She is our go-to performance psych and works 1-1 with many of our clients see...

Dr. Aaron Epstein created the Global Surgical and Medical Support Group in 2015 to provide high-quality care to victims in Iraq of the ongoing conflict with ISIS.  What started as small teams of physicians and surgeons inserting themselves in communities facing ISIS has since expanded to an organization of over 1,000 leading US licensed medical experts, covering every medical and surgical subspeci...

Tim Richardt is a Colorado-based Physical Therapist with a passion for rock climbing, trail running, and technical backcountry skiing. Professionally, he's been involved in the physical preparation of military, tactical, and law enforcement personnel since 2010. After finishing his collegiate running career in 2012, he relocated to Denver to pursue his Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Regis U...

You must manage your stress response before you can manage your self-talk, emotions, pain, or fatigue. The process that controls our stress response occurs automatically and outside conscious control.  Even though many stress responses are automatic, we can learn to identify, manage, and shape them. To do that, we first need a mental model of the physical and mental cues accompanying different typ...

Don Tran is a former special operations Marine, and is the co-founder of Deep End Fitness. Prior to joining the MARSOC, or Marine Special Operations Command, community, Don was a water survival instructor, where he first began learning the skills that he developed over his career and brought to Deep End Fitness.  Don was also a JTAC - a Joint Tactical Attack Controller, which is a specialty within...

Admiral Robert Harward is one of history's most accomplished US Navy SEALs.  After graduating from the US Naval Academy, his NSW career began when he graduated with BUD/S class 128 in 1984 and joined SEAL Team Three, where he served as a platoon commander. From there, he screened for NSW Development Group, the US Navy’s tier-one unit, known at the time as SEAL Team Six, where he served as an...

This is part 2 of our interview with Chris Klaftenegger.  Chris was a special operations medic in two different military branches, and he has been to selection courses in the US Navy, Marines, and Air Force.  He began his career as a SARC - a Special Amphibious Recon Corpsman at 1st Recon Battalion. After that, he transferred to a reserve unit of the Air Force and went through selection and traini...

Chris Klaftenegger was a special operations medic in two different military branches, and he has been to selection courses in the US Navy, Marines, and Air Force.  He began his career as a SARC - a Special Amphibious Recon Corpsman at 1st Recon Battalion.  After that, he transferred to a reserve unit of the Air Force and went through selection and training to become a Pararescueman, also known as...

Zack Ferguson is a former Navy SEAL Team 7 veteran with multiple deployments to Iraq, Yemen, Africa, and the UAE. He served as his platoon's Lead Sniper and Pointman and was a JTAC, Combatives Instructor, and Weapons Ordnance Specialist. He is currently a competitive 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu purple belt and an amateur MMA fighter.  He is also an instructor for the Graceful Warrior Project, a non...

This is part two of our interview with John Mackersie. If you missed the first half, we recommend starting at part one, which is episode 57, just before this one.  John Mackersie is a strength and conditioning coach with over 15 years of professional coaching experience in collegiate athletics and within special operations. John began his coaching career in Division I athletics and has been workin...

John Mackersie is a strength and conditioning coach with over 15 years of professional coaching experience in collegiate athletics and within special operations. John began his coaching career in Division I athletics and has been working with Special Operation Forces since 2013. He’s currently the head of strength and conditioning for an Army Special Forces unit.  In addition to coaching, John has...

Over the past decade, we’ve helped prepare hundreds of clients for dozens of different SOF selection courses. Through this process, we’ve developed an extensive model of what’s required physically and cognitively to make it through almost any selection. In other words, how fit you need to be and the thinky-brain skills - things like segmenting, compartmentalization, and managing your self-talk - t...

This is the second half of our conversation with Dr. Alex Hutchinson.  Dr. Alex Hutchinson is an author and journalist based in Toronto, Canada. His latest book, Endure: Mind, body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance, is an exploration of the science and mysteries of endurance.  Alex is a contributing editor for Outside Magazine, writing a Sweat Science column. He also writes a...