The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

"There are fishermen…that go out swimming, with nets, they don't even have a boat. They'll go out with nets in crocodile infested waters. And they're like, 'Well, we don't have a choice, I can't afford a boat, I need to eat, my family needs to eat,'" says Levison Wood, explorer who walked almost the entire Nile River in one go.   We're continuing our Classics with some conversations that tell us a...

"You know, if you think, every member that you've got in the gym knows three people, they know at least three people, who they're friends with, that don't exercise. Be a friend, bring a friend. That would be my message," says Dr. Paul Bedford. Paul Bedford, the Retention Guru, is a fitness industry authority on retention, attrition and member experience. In this episode, you'll learn: The fitness...

Heard of the "Varsity Blues" college admission scandal? Maybe you've asked yourself "what were those people thinking?," or maybe you thought "does everybody do that?," or maybe you asked yourself "how far would I go if I thought it would help my kids?" Gordon Caplan was one of those parents, and he tells Joe De Sena (CEO & Founder of Spartan) exactly what he was thinking, and what he learned from...

"Well you know, this was a man who, at the time, I was contemplating, 'How do I stop today? I can't move on, I can't get to the end. I have a fractured leg, something's wrong. I'm in so much pain. How can I possibly get to land's end?' And then you get this card… what do you do? I did what anybody else would do and I made a promise to that lady that I would get to the other side," says Tony the Fr...

"I speak to people all the time that go, 'I can't do this because… of my age. Because of my gender. Because of my sexual preference. Because I've got hair. Because I've got no hair. Because of my accent. Because of where I was born. Because of the color of my skin. Because of the school I went to, or didn't go to.' People are carrying all of that, all of the time. And the thing I would say to the...

You don't have to change everything - start with more plants. Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan, talks to the authors of "The Plant Based Athlete," Matt Frazier (founder of the No Meat Athlete community) and Robert Cheeke (vegan bodybuilder) and the how and why of eating more plants.  Find out what Joe and these experts have to say about the protein hoax, and an easy first step to getting mo...

"You know, I'm sure you've heard that old adage of, I guess it's credited to Winston Churchill, when he gets up to speak about accomplishment...three lines he says, 'Never give up. Never give up. Never give up.' And I think that, without question, is the key," says Will Roseman, Executive Director of the legendary Explorer's Club.   In this episode, we take a look back at two original Spartan Up!...

"You know, I mentioned, when you move with other people, you trust them more and you like them more. There's something about moving with other people and in synchrony with them that you just project a lot of good onto them," says Kelly McGonigal, PhD. Kelly McGonigal is an award-winning Stanford lecturer, health psychologist, author, and public speaker. We finish our conversation with part 3, focu...

As a parent, as a warrior, as a veteran, as a human - what's the value of keeping a promise.  What's the power of trust. What's the power of commitment.  Today Scott Mann, one of the originators of "Task Force Pineapple" the volunteer movement of Veterans and others committed to keeping a promise to the men and women they worked with side by side in Afghanistan, joins Joe De Sena and retired Col....

"...Weight loss is hard, you know? There's so much information out there telling you how you should live your life, to lose weight. So many fad diets, it's pretty hard to sift through. But I would say the most important thing, and running has also taught this to me, is you need to fuel your body for the life you live," says Kyle White, running enthusiast who has lost 185 pounds over the pandemic a...

"When you exercise, your brain is receiving signals from your body that really tell you who you are and what you're capable of. So when we talk about exercise boosting confidence or being empowering, sometimes we think about it very abstractly, but I think about it very literally," says Kelly McGonigal, PhD. Kelly McGonigal is an award-winning Stanford lecturer, health psychologist, author, and pu...

Can you inoculate yourself from stress?  Paul Taylor, of the Mind-Body Brain Performance Institute, says you can. He calls himself a "PracAdemic," part practical part academic. He's a former British Armed Forces Aircrew Officer who is now a Neuroscientist, Exercise Physiologist & Nutritionist who is doing a Ph. D. in Psychology, focusing on resilience.  His training includes rigorous military comb...

"If you can recognize that you want to feel empowered, that you want greater vitality and health, that you want to be able to deal with stress better, that you want to find a community that you belong to. Things we know are part of what exercise gives us. If you get clear about that, that "Why?" It can help you find the willingness to go," says Kelly McGonigal, PhD. Dr. Kelly McGonigal is an award...

Sports teams have been using data to select new team members for decades behind. Today  Mike Zani talks about how you can use personality based data to hire, manage and maybe even parent better. MIKE ZANI is the CEO of The Predictive Index, a talent optimization platform designed to  help businesses create high-performing teams and culture and make more objective hiring decisions.  Zani is also an...

"Listen, some people are whooped right now. Wag your tail, find what's good in your life. Find gratitude, what's going on. Write it down. Because the one thing, when I come home, good day or bad day, and there are days that are bad and I'm tired and everything else, or come home from a trip and it didn't go the way I wanted, or back's hurting or something like that. Guess what? I'm coming home to...

"For me, for the younger guys, I don't care where you're from. If you're an Iowa guy, right, we 'don't like each other,' but as soon as you get on my team, you're on my team. Right? I want to take care of you. And so that's what's exciting for the young guys that want to come in and fight is that, you know, wrestlers are gonna look out for each other. It doesn't matter where you're from. All that'...

Retired Navy Seal John Macaskill was desperate when his doctor prescribed meditation.  The results were so powerful he now teaches it. Listen today to hear how to get started, how to use mindfulness to be a better parent, CEO, or athlete, and even how it can impact your diet and nutrition. John Macaskill is a retired Navy SEAL Commander turned mindfulness and meditation teacher, podcast host and p...

"How many times have we heard, 'Well, back in the day, I mean, I was just running and gunning. I can't do that anymore.' Listen, where you are right now, you're okay where you are right now. We're asking you to set-- just to say, 'Listen, I'm going to start being selfish. I'm going to say I'm pausing. None of it matters,'" says Yancy Culp, co-host of the DEKA Series Podcast.   Spartan Up Podcast,...

Olympian Kyle Dake is living his dream - it's been a long journey but today, August 4th 2021 he's competing on the Olympic stage. We're taking a look back at what brought him here. What made him the competitor he is today? Today we're replaying an interview from 2014 so you can see what drove this Olympian. It's a mix of positivity, focus and drive. "I don't think about losing. I think about winni...

Save the fun for later, don't be afraid to get in the ring, don't fear discomfort - it's all familiar advice but did you expect it from the founder of Click Funnels the sales funnel software giant?  It turns out that success in one arena shares traits with other arenas.  Russell Brunson tells Joe stories of his backyard training as a kid, where it led him, and how he's returning to those roots tod...

"I don't think it's a real, like, settling thought to most people that, you know, you're going to go to the hospital and leave with less than what you came with," says John Kuchinski, an astounding blind athlete who has persevered through obstacles many people would consider unthinkable.   Spartan Up Combat Series host, Ryan Warner, speaks with John Kuchinski about how he has pushed through the si...

"See, dreams ignite inspiration in your heart. And inspiration is different than motivation. As most of us know, inspiration is inspired. In spirit, inspire means in spirit. So if you could ignite your spirit, and all of a sudden now, it's like you're ignited by a dream to feel a certain way, or get out of pain, physically or mental pain" says Todd Durkin, Motivational Speaker, Personal Trainer, B...

When do you take risks, when do you play it safe?  It turns out it's not one or the other.  Sukhinder Singh Cassidy talks with Spartan founder and CEO Joe De Sena about the importance of risk-taking, and suggests using a series of choices and risks to create better outcomes. One simple formula - if your FOMO is bigger than your fear of failure, you're going to take action.  If your fear of failure...

"It's not wrestlers that have done well in MMA or are doing well in MMA. That is historically false. It is American wrestlers. Specifically because of the takedown. Knowing to hold a man down against his will, or vice versa, you get taken down, force it to get up and get free with a guy on top of you who's a trained killer who doesn't want you free. The standup and the ride is what separates. That...

"I really look at Leadville as being a reminder of how to live. Conserve, preserve, stay connected, stay happy. Don't be worn down early on," says Ted McDonald, aka Barefoot Ted, from "Born to Run" and founder of Luna Sandals.   Spartan Up Endurance Series host, Johnny Waite, talks with Barefoot Ted about fueling our bodies with the right nutrition, tools, and mentality. In this episode you'll lea...