Spartan Up! - A Spartan Race For The Mind!

Host Zach Even-Esh and his guest Col. Tim Nye talk about tactics to end indecisiveness. It can stress you out and often cause you to miss out on amazing opportunities. Here’s how to avoid missing out and start taking control of your life. LESSONS: Always be open to new opportunities. Avoid “Getting comfortable in your cage”. Action Always. Advance & Conquer. Moving forward is the key to your success. Staying in 1 place is stagnation. Avoid stagnation at all times! Most barriers are mental! Surround yourself with other action takers. Evaluate and assess your life. Where are you settling? Attack those areas where you are settling! Take the next step to move forward! LINKS: More about Zach https://zacheven-esh.com Read “The Spartan Way” https://www.spartan.com/en/race/learn-more/race-types-overview?article=the-spartan-way-book SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay FOLLOW SPARTAN UP & Zach: Spartan Up on Instagra

Holidays are officially here! And with all the glitter, shimmer, and swanky bows comes stress, anxiety, and sometimes even a case of the holiday blues. So planning ahead for these emotional waves can put you in a position to better handle what’s ahead. There are a few key things to remember as we move into the holidays. Setting boundaries, keeping your priorities in line, and maintaining a routine are just a few ways that you can create a structure and sense of safety during the season. And start now so that you can practice these things as the intensity of the season revs up! LESSONS: The holidays can be a source of stress for many people, so don’t be surprised if certain painful feelings arise.. Setting firm boundaries with individuals (and yourself) is a good way to maintain a sense of safety and calm. Keep your priorities straight. Make sure the energy that you have is invested where you want it to be. Maintain a routine. Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean you throw your routine out the window. S

The founder of Optimize sits down with the founder of Spartan for a power-packed conversation on participating in excellence, actualizing your potential and being a hero! How can you “Optimize” your life to be your absolute best? What can we learn from ancient Greek philosophers? And what do the roots of words teach us? Brian Johnson scours the greatest books to bring you the core concepts through his digital ecosystems, on how to reach your highest potential.  Grab a pen Spartans, because this philosopher has much noteworthy wisdom to share. Spartan Up Podcast interview episode 277 LESSONS Live + participate in excellence Have emotional stamina Use your energy efficiently Have a clear target + do what needs to get done Pain can be a source of joy Be willing to fail OMMS: Obstacles make me (you) stronger Be a hero- be a protector Live for something bigger than yourself Serve profoundly Actualize your potential Be a warrior of the mind Live with virtue in service to the world! LINKS https://www.optimize.me Thi

Do you ever feel stressed and overwhelmed? Of course, you do! That is how MANY people feel nowadays in this world that never stops or slows down. Zach Even-Esh and COl Tim Nye share some simple solutions to your stress. LESSONS: Take a short exercise break to recalibrate your mind and body. Take a short 10-minute walk (outdoors if weather permits) for some fresh air. Write down in a journal how you’re feeling and how you want to feel to help “release” your stress on paper. What is your favorite “therapy”? Is it writing? Drawing? Yoga? Burpees? Gardening? Do what makes YOU happy! There is nothing wrong with some alone time, even if it’s just a few minutes. LINKS: More about Zach https://zacheven-esh.com Read “The Spartan Way” https://www.spartan.com/en/race/learn-more/race-types-overview?article=the-spartan-way-book SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay FOLLOW SPARTAN UP & Zach: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www

With the holidays around the corner, Dr. L reminds us, the practice of gratitude and the importance of giving thanks becomes a part of the season. Gratitude is important because it allows us to shift into the present and observe what it is in the now that we are grateful for. Maintaining a gratitude practice helps to give us space to experience joy and to reflect on some of the more difficult experiences that also bring us wisdom. Work to weave in your own gratitude practice this season - it doesn’t need to be a 20-minute endeavor. A simple observation of what you are thankful for and how it is impacting you will suffice. LESSONS: Gratitude allows us to remain present by exercising our ability to be in the here and now. Remember that we can be thankful for the difficult experiences in our life, not just those that bring us joy. Pulling wisdom and positive impact from failures is just as important. Identify a person, place, thing, experience, and failure that you are grateful for this season. This will help yo

When he was just 8 years of age, his friend accidentally lit him on fire. The impact was severe. Undergoing decades of surgeries to treat the 65% of his body now covered in scars, Shay is a true Phoenix. His inner spirit, and his joyful charm, have been forged like steel through fire. In spite of constant pain he became an undefeated boxer, an Ironman and multiple time World Champion athlete, and in Tahoe a Spartan. As he says, obstacles are merely opportunities in disguise, face everything in life with tenacity and perseverance… and most of all HUMOR! Stay tuned at the end to hear Joe De Sena (Spartan founder and CEO) and Johnny Waite talk about what they learned from Shay and how you can integrate those lessons into your life.   LESSONS Humor is powerful medicine- don’t take yourself so seriously When your comfortable with you who are, those around you will be as well People gravitate to inner strength Have fun with the challenges you face Be memorable It’s all about tenacity & perseverance Competition

Zach Even-Esh and Joe De Sena (Spartan founder & CEO) ask: Who’s in charge? You or your cell phone? People drive cars looking at their phone instead of the road. People look at their phones while crossing the street instead of looking where they’re going. Here’s how to control the cell phone vs your phone controlling YOU. LESSONS: Does your phone control you or do you control your use of the phone? Start controlling your cell phone by eliminating the first and last 15-20 minutes of your day with a ZERO technology rule Progress towards 1 day a week of no cell phone use.   LINKS: More about Zach https://zacheven-esh.com Read “The Spartan Way” https://www.spartan.com/en/race/learn-more/race-types-overview?article=the-spartan-way-book SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay   FOLLOW SPARTAN UP & Zach: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/Spar

Ben Greenfield is a longtime friend of the Spartan community and is one of the most well recognized and respected names in the health, fitness & nutrition sectors. On this episode of Spartan Up podcast Joe De Sena sits down with him at Spartan Media Fest by ATP Science in Tahoe. Ben “is a biohacker, human body and brain performance coach, ex-bodybuilder, Ironman triathlete, professional Spartan athlete, anti-aging consultant, speaker and author of the New York Times Bestseller “Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health and Life.”” They discuss his methodology “unschooling” his children with his wife, the great learning opportunities in building Fort Chipmunk, the latest science and trends in biohacking, and his daily routine and the core practices he incorporates. If you want to learn the science behind the trends you hear about - he is your guy! (also you get to see he & Joe kiss!). LESSONS Be able to creatively adapt & create Find your passion & let free play emerge Model as a parent the

With this episode, we honor all veterans, and at the same time share the incredible lessons, valuable in all walks of life, this one leader has distilled from a life of service. In honor of Veterans Day for this special episode Joe De Sena sat down with Retired Command Sergeant Major Rick Lamb - among his significant military background a Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Joint Commendation Medal with V Device for valor, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with three Bronze Campaign Stars and Invasion Arrowhead, Master Parachute Badge, Ranger and Special Forces Tabs, and two awards of the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. Lamb explains the clarity with which mission, purpose and leadership can be conveyed and bestowed and talks about the essentials of a solid team. In the end it is about being able to trust the person to your left and right and mastering your profession. First step? Looking the part and be the part. As a father, Lamb tells Joe how he was able to get his teen son back on track wi

Hosts Zach Even-Esh and Joe De Sena talk with up and coming wrestler Ray Jaz about the difference between working smart and working hard. So many people talk about working smarter, NOT harder. Well, what we’ve realized is that when you’re working HARD, you are very often working SMARTER!   LESSONS: Working smart is sometimes an excuse for people to avoid the work. Not at SPARTAN. The smartest worker IS the hardest worker! You should SHINE when you’re working. Your actions should shine the brightest and speak louder than words. LINKS: More about Zach https://zacheven-esh.com Read “The Spartan Way” https://www.spartan.com/en/race/learn-more/race-types-overview?article=the-spartan-way-book SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay   FOLLOW SPARTAN UP & Zach: Ray Jaz https://www.instagram.com/ray__jaz/ Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUp

Host Dr. L says: Though we often talk about endurance from a physical point of view, building mental endurance is just as important. It’s important that we stretch what we think we can do and work to increase our mental fortitude so that we can tolerate difficult experiences on the path of life. Building mental endurance is a practice - so getting yourself to practice this practice is one of the first steps. Using mantras and gathering data can also help in building this muscle. LESSONS: Build mental endurance by practicing. Put yourself in a position where mental endurance is required and see how you hold up. Use a mantra - something you say repetitively - to help get your mind into a state of focus and attention. Gather data from your own life that helps support your own sense of mental endurance. SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay FOLLOW SPARTAN UP AND DR. L: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spa

What do these legends, some of the world’s top distance and trail runners, think about the growing adoration for the primal sport of trail running? Trail runners have always maintained an infamous degree of camaraderie and community, especially the Ultra runners who cover distances that can seem inconceivable.  Hear about incredible records, but also the simple joys of running and of sharing the joy of running with others. Panelists talk about running five marathons in five days on five continents, setting record times, running one hundred miles for the first time, and running around the rim of the Grand Canyon for a fun day of exploration. The key is just trying it out, finding your own flow and entering what Terry calls the “oasis of connectedness” on the trail.     Maike Wardian - won the 2008, 2009 and 2010 US 50 km championship, the 2011 US 50 mile championship, the 2008  U.S. National 100 km championship and many others. Wardian is known for the vast number of marathons he participates in.    Camille He

Why do we catch ourselves falling into negative talk or self-doubt at times? How do we fix this? In this episode, Zach Even-Esh talks with four-time NCAA All American Wrestler and Cornell Coach Gabe Dean about how to conquer self-doubt and negative head chatter. LESSONS: - Why are you falling into the trap of self-doubt or negative self-talk? - Failure is actually a POSITIVE thing. Failure will speak change! - Don’t be afraid to put yourself in new situations that challenge you and perhaps cause “failure” in a positive way! - Don’t expect success to happen overnight. It will take time, trial and error and consistency. - Hold yourself to a higher standard so you will push through the tough times. - Sign up for something that scares you. Now you have a deadline and something to work for and work towards! LINKS: More about Zach https://zacheven-esh.com Read “The Spartan Way” https://www.spartan.com/en/race/learn-more/race-types-overview?article=the-spartan-way-book SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/Spart

Dr. L says we are a culture obsessed with expertise. We are in a constant hustle of one-up-manship and forgetting that we can find tremendous wisdom in not being the best. Sometimes when we give ourselves permission to suck at things we actually come out on top because we learn from the experience, gain wisdom from the failures, and extrapolate a new tolerance of getting uncomfortable. LESSONS: Always looking to be the best and claiming your expertise can be a fool’s race. When you do something that you know you’re not good at you creative a learning experience for yourself that is essential for growth. Pick one thing every week to do that you know you’re not good at. Write down the ways that engaging in this experience gave you wisdom and new knowledge about yourself. SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay FOLLOW SPARTAN UP AND DR. L: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Tw

This special episode features a remarkable panel recorded at Spartan World Media Fest brought to you by ATP Science. Learn to create your own personal board of advisors, how to choose who influences you, AND how to use your own wisdom learned on life's journey to positively impact others. This rockstar episode features Spartan founder Joe De Sena, our buddy Anders Varner from Shrugged Collective, Jared Easley of Podcast Movement, Joe Polish of the Genius Network, Major League Baseball player and Ultrarunner Eric Byrnes, and Spartan legend Amelia Boone. Each of these individuals have a remarkable tale, and when put together this conversation about how to build your personal board of directors is a roadmap for how to traverse the bumps in the road which as Amelia says, “is what makes it fun!” Enjoy.    LESSON Build your own personal board of directors Disruptors bring awareness- learn from them  Answer to the higher calling of the organization  Know your true north, what motivates you and listen to your gut Do

Zach Even-Esh is joined by guest Charlie “The Spaniard” Brenneman to talk about keeping it simple! Do you ever feel overwhelmed? If you do, take a look at your desk / workspace. Take a look at your garage, bedroom, etc. Having too much “stuff” that you don’t need will stress you out and overwhelm you. Here’s how to declutter and get more productive while being less stressed. LESSONS: Once a week, clean and organize the areas of your life that you spend the most time in (work place / office desk), bedroom, living room, garage, etc. Donate the clothing, books, etc that you don’t use but someone else can benefit from. Simplicity helps you remove excuses. Get rid of the “stuff” that slows you down in LIFE. LINKS: More about Zach https://zacheven-esh.com More About Charlie https://charliespaniard.com/ Read “The Spartan Way” https://www.spartan.com/en/race/learn-more/race-types-overview?article=the-spartan-way-book SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google P

Spartan's "Chief Mind Doc" Dr. L says: Teaching your children to tolerate distress is not an easy task. It requires clear boundaries and firm NOs. It’s not always easy to be firm when your kid’s have strong wants and desires that, at times, put you in precarious positions. But it’s important that your children understand that they cannot always have their way and learn to tolerate what this feels like. As adults, they will feel disappointment, experience heartache, and see sadness. Teaching them to tolerate such feelings and exposing them to the journey will help them along the way and give them a chance to build resiliency and grit. LESSONS: Firm NOs and strong boundaries are what children need to feel safe. Teaching your children how to tolerate distress is a critical lesson that will translate into adulthood. With friends and family, remember that you also need to set clear boundaries, say NO when you need to, and tolerate the distress that comes with it. SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpS

Joe De Sena and his family visited the wrestling room at West Point to learn from the ultimate role models in mental and physical toughness. Kevin Ward, head wrestling coach, explains what it takes to build and maintain the culture of a team, whether that is a wrestling team, a family or a business. Motivation, says Kevin, is a byproduct of being passionate, and discipline is true freedom. Invite rigor and the right folks into your daily routine and you may revell in the results! LESSONS Finish what you start Work hard Be 100% dedicated to the team Culture is defined by the worst behavior you accept Discipline is freedom Understand your expectations Hold yourself to a high standard Be devoted to what your doing Create your passion LINKS TIME STAMPS 0:00 Joe, Dr. Johnny and Guest Host Anders Varner introduce this weeks episode 1:15 Interview starts in the toughest room in the country 3:00 Growing up wrestling 4:45 Finishing everything you start 6:00 Importance of kids having a work ethic 7:30 Working with the

Zach Even-Esh and Joe De Sena answer a listener question “what would you have done differently starting your businesses?” The answer? Who cares! It’s in the past. Time to move forward. On today’s Spartan WAY hear the strategies, tactics and philosophies the founders of Underground Strength and Spartan use to get things done and keep moving forward. . LESSONS: Fire. Ready. Aim The past does not exist Ask an expert to accelerate progress LINKS: More about Zach https://zacheven-esh.com Read “The Spartan Way” https://www.spartan.com/en/race/learn-more/race-types-overview?article=the-spartan-way-book SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay   FOLLOW SPARTAN UP & Zach: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod Follow Zach on Instagram https://instagram.com/zevenesh Follow Zach on Twitter https://twitter.com/zevenesh Zach’s STRONG Life Podca

Spartan MIND host Dr. L says: We tend to store up emotions in our body. These can be of any kind, the more painful ones like irritation, anger, sadness, or shame, or the more joyous ones like excitement, pride, and happiness. Although talking about feelings can certainly be useful, sometimes we need alternative forms of emotional expression so that we can release our feelings and the energy that goes with it. When we utilize different forms of release we make ourselves more available to other experiences and feelings that could bring us wisdom and joy. LESSONS: Give yourself various avenues of emotional expression such as physical release, like a Spartan race, or creative release, like artwork or making something with your hands. Talk therapy is great but sometimes we need different outlets that can give us a vehicle to let go of certain feelings. Take note of when you might need some emotional release - feeling overwhelmed is normally a good sign. SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTu