Zach Even Esh, body builder, strength coach and author, built success out of the raw material of failure. His self belief carried him through the rough patches of a startup wrestling camp that he ran out of his garage. It took him a year to even make a dime. But he would tap into the energy of the small successes to build momentum, in his eyes a crucial component of making it, and that propelled him past the disappointments. In the process, his mental grit became the equal of his physical grit.

 
Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com

Lessons:
1.  On the road to success, pay attention to the unsuccessful stuff.  These experiences will help you.
2.  Don’t let circumstances boss you around.
3.  Wake up early!
4.  When the going gets tough, get creative.
5.  Build on momentum.

Panel Notes:
Joe Desena: Zach is the man. It’s rare to find someone that cares so much about helping people. He's an educator, a trainer, a businessman and a family man.  Zach’s a really awesome guy who opens up his life to anyone looking to be better.

Col. Nye:  Emotional pain can be a great motivator. That bad taste in your mouth is failure. Spit it out. Circumstance, you’re not the boss of me. Rise above the average and build upon success. Small victories build and lead to success.

Sefra Alexandra: Mike Horn, one of the greatest adventurers and explorers of our time,  posits, “If you are afraid of losing, you can never win.”  Zach epitomizes the entrepreneurial spirit of grit in never surrendering to the myriad of obstacles inherent in starting a business.

Johnny Waite: Success is great but failure is more important. Many of the lessons that lead to success are learned in the unsuccessful times. If you don’t want to be average, stop doing what average people do, like hitting snooze in the morning! Most people give up as soon as "life happens" allowing jobs and kids and injuries to be the lame excuses to stop growing and striving and thriving. Momentum is everything. Get started and keep moving.

Joe banters with the guys from Barbell Shrugged at the Pittsfield Original General Store. Barbell Shrugged, a podcast for all things Crossfit, was Joe's inspiration for the one you're about to watch. The guys chat about everything from the future of Spartan Race to what life would be like if Joe were king. (Hint: not too easy.) Is Joe heading to a counterculture rave in the desert? Joe is hosting a cruise this spring. What gives? Is he finally going soft? Find out the fascinating answers in this podcast!
 
Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com

Lessons:
1. You grow by pushing your limits until you level out into complacency, and then pushing on to the next limit.
2. If you want to change the world, first you must make your bed (i.e., take the first small step).
3. If everyone thinks you're strange, take heart. It may just mean you're years ahead of your time.


Panel Notes:
Joe Desena: These boys from down south are good ol’ boys, but don't let the accent fool you. They are fluxing smart. They know their shix when it comes to business, health and wellness, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Col. Nye: Build on small successes.Small successes can lead to a larger goal.  Sometimes the goal is unknown or undefined but movement and effort will help bring it into focus. Don't be afraid of the future.

Sefra Alexandra: These guys are awesome and so inspiring that when they came through Joe’s Gulch of Pittsfield, Vermont, Spartan Up! The Podcast was born.

Ben Greenfield, triathlete, Spartan Racer, fitness guru, father and author of Beyond Training is equally driven by his passions as well as his family. The whole idea, he says, is to remember the important things in life. To achieve that balance, instead of forgoing one thing or another, he combines both. His family stays together while they play together. It started when he began running triathlons together with his wife eight years ago, and continues to this day even if it means doing hill sprints with a toddler on his back.

 
Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com

Lessons:
1. It’s okay to push the limits in life.  But be when your activities take you away from your family, friends, relationships, love, etc., you have gone too far.
2. The best way to stay active and motivated is to sign up for something – 5K, Spartan Race, etc.
3. Expose your kids at a young age to fitness and an active lifestyle.

Panel Notes:
Joe Desena: Ben Greenfield is the ultimate body hack. He is always experimenting and trying to find ways to do it faster while requiring less work, and at the same time he’s an incredibly smart and thoughtful guy. As I was interviewing him I kept thinking,  “I need to meet his parents. I need to find out how they forged him.”

Col. Nye:  He’s a renaissance athlete, tennis player and a body builder turned triathlete with an admirable philosophy of balancing fitness with family.  Don’t be an “Invisible Athlete.” Teach, mold, lead the next generation through your actions and lifestyle.
 
Sefra Alexandra: When you build a community around your training you have the opportunity to maximize the work-play-life ethos. Ben brilliantly involves his wife and children creating a baseline of physicality and togetherness in his family’s ecology. Interested in increasing your situational awareness, your wilderness skills know-how and having the most fun possible with your family/ community or on solo adventures? See if one of these schools are near you: http://wildernessawareness.org/associates/usa/

Johnny Waite: When is it too much? When it becomes more important to you than the things that actually are important. Train with your kids, not invisibly. Let them learn the lifestyle by is osmosis. Stand as much as possible and sit as little! Sign up for something -- you always need something just ahead on your calendar.

Like a Rocky of Brazilian Jujitsu, Ricardo Migliarse harnessed the brutality of the mean streets of South Philly to his advantage. He learned to stand up to the daily harassment of bullies and transformed that raw toughness into something that could help others. He followed his brother into jujitsu and quickly rose to be a top competitor. In the process, he discovered that the truly tough people in life aren't the ones with the chips on their shoulders. Ricardo describes what it takes to be a champion.
 
Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com

Lessons:
1. Establishing a work ethic early in life is important.
2. Surround yourself with positive people and become a part of a supportive community.
3. There are no excuses for not making time for fitness and good health.
4. Life is all about the basics.
5. Life is about constantly growing and learning regardless of your accomplishments.
6. Mission: To reach out to children and young adults and get them off the streets and into the gym as a way to teach them a lifestyle of discipline, hard work and education.

Panel Notes:
Joe Desena:  This guy will twist you into a pretzel in about 5 seconds. I showed up at his house and he is doing pull-ups from a tree out front. He does an insane number of pull-ups each day. I love that his road to becoming humble started by punching someone in the face.

Col. Nye:  He learned the importance of delayed gratification early in life,  a crystallizing moment that shaped his future and his philosophy.  “I will no longer be bullied or be a target.” Ricardo evolved from victim to fighter to teacher and took the positives from his surroundings.

Sefra Alexandra: When you see your surrounding landscape through a Mowgli lens, the trees become jungle gyms and the urban landscape your training grounds. Regardless of where you live there are inspirations, motivations and tools to help you grow stronger and more resilient.

Johnny Waite: Don't be defined by anyone but yourself! Be around motivated people. This will cause you to dive right in or drop right out. Do things for others and not just yourself. It will always lead to more. Stay busy and you will stay sharp. Everything in life is a fight. Put in the training and you will be ready.

Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com/

Nicole Deboom is the epitome of "following your passion." Her triathlon passion transformed her life. It was how she met her husband who was the inspiration for her endeavors. It also led her to the epiphany that gave birth to a pioneering running skirt business and inspired her when she needed a winning approach to success. Even with limited experience, she found a nontraditional approach that thrived. Despite naysayers, her first victory in a triathlon launched an athletic apparel revolution.  

Lessons:
1.  Entrepreneurs must have 100% belief in their ideas or they won’t make it.
2.  Get comfortable being uncomfortable.
3.  To be successful, break down long runs into short achievable gains.
 
Panel Notes:
Joe Desena: Nicole is awesome. I love the fact that she met me so early in the morning, is a mom, an entrepreneur and an endurance athlete who wins Ironmans. It’s very rare to see the complete package when studying success, but she has it.

Col. Nye: Party girl turned professional, entrepreneur.  The point is, inspiration can be found anywhere at anytime.  All things are possible with passion, belief in yourself, focus, vision, and a strong support system.

Sefra Alexandra: When you approach life with a “problem is the solution” or “every obstacle may be overcome” mentality, then creative ways that increase productivity and efficiency bubble to the surface. Nicole brilliantly identified the niche of sport skirts.  What area of life can you help design and streamline?

Johnny Waite: She knew she had "it" in her, just not for triathlon. It's important to find what your "it" is! Pick one thing to focus on until you get it dialed in. Don't spread yourself thin.
Success takes longer and costs more than you expect. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and take an "aid station to aid station" approach rather than worrying about the finish line.

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Watch the video episode at http://spartanuppodcast.com/