The Unbeatable Mind Podcast With Mark Divine

Ryan Holiday is a well-known author of several books about using Stoic philosophy in the modern world, including "Ego is the Enemy: The Fight to Master Our Greatest Opponent," "The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph," and "Stillness Is the Key" which has just been released. Commander Divine talks to Ryan Holiday about his books, his writing process and what he has learned through his study of the Stoics and other philosophers. Hear how: Life is as much about the things we DON'T do as it is about our actions and deeds. Journaling is an essential component of understanding and reflecting on what we actually know and understand. A huge difficulty in the modern world is making the time for the stillness that we need. Listen to this episode for insights and greater understanding of ancient philosophy, and how it is essential for modern life.

Patrick Sweeney is an expert in fear and how you can manage it to make better decisions. He is a former Olympic rower and the author of the book "Fear is Fuel." Today he talks to Commander Divine about how he transformed fear into motivation rather than paralysis. Hear how: Every decision we make is made from either fear or opportunity You must learn to get comfortable with fear so that it can't be used against you. Patrick has used breathing exercises as part of a complete approach to fear management Listen to this episode to hear how you can turn fear to your advantage and make it work for you.

In this solo episode, Commander Divine talks about Respect and the key to earning it from your own team as a leader.  Focusing on the three essential character traits for Respect: Integrity-honestly and internal consistency backed by strong moral compass Authenticity- being "I" and "We" vs "me" and "them" Clarity- explicitly communicating what outcomes are expected and desirable Don't miss this episode to learn about how respect is essential to lead and how it can be earned.

Gabrielle Reece is a world-renowned athlete, TV personality, New York Times bestselling author, and model. Together with her husband Laird, they launched a new all-encompassing fitness program called XPT. Find out what she has to say on parenting as an athlete, training, business leadership and so much more. Hear how. Business leadership is about knowing and being willing to learn from others. Gabby's understanding of parenting is that kids can't really be compelled to do things, even things that they're good at. As you get older, training is as much or more about maintaining physical ability as it is about elite performance Listen to this episode to get an inside look at an elite, athletic life.

Richard Strozzi-Heckler is a well-known expert in somatic (whole body) approaches to leadership, a psychologist, an author and has a seventh degree black-belt in Aikido. Commander Divine recently took one of his courses, and they talk today about embodied leadership and somatic psychology. Bringing attention to the body is a fundamental step in developing mindful awareness of life. Life follows attention - so paying attention is a very human and willful choice Mindfulness needn't be practiced in complete stillness Listen to this episode to get an understanding of how the body and awareness of it can help to enhance leadership.

Mark Pattison is the first NFL player to attempt the "Seven Sisters," summiting the highest mountains on each continent. He is also an author, podcaster and speaker. Today, he talks with the commander about his professional athletic career and his subsequent career in mountain climbing. His initial football career was all about talent over work, and that needed to change, so it did. Mountaineering became Mark's "what's next," after he was done with football. Though he still had to work at finding it. Everest is going to be his crowning achievement, but the process of getting there has been valuable, not just the result. Hear how Mark was able to transition from one career to another by a clear understanding of himself and what he really wanted to do.

Ora Nadrich is a Thought Coach and Mindfulness Meditation teacher, as well as the author of the books, "Says Who? How One Simple Question Can Change the Way You Think Forever" and "Live True: A Mindfulness Guide to Authenticity." She talks with Commander Divine today about how to use mindfulness, and what it can really mean to you. Learn how: Ora's system is an extension of Jungian psychology. It's possible to mindful of simple things, like everyday tastes. "Mindfulness" isn't a competitive arena, where being more mindful means you have "won." Listen to this episode to hear more about how you can use mindfulness and authenticity for yourself.

Chris Norton was a talented 18 year old college football player with a promising future. Chris suffered a massive injury while playing football in College, that let him without any feeling from the neck down and being told that he would never walk again. Chris was determined to prove the doctors wrong, so he pushed himself through grueling daily workouts until four years later, he walked across the stage to receive his college diploma. He went on to find love and he and his wife have a new book just out called "The Seven Longest Yards." The book is a message of resiliency and hope that will inspire you. Listen to this episode to hear how Chris is able to overcome so that he can be successful in his and his wife's new life.

Today Commander Divine talks to Tim Desmond about mindfulness, meditation and self-compassion. Tim is a psychotherapist, author, teacher and long time student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.  His most recent book, "How to Stay Human in a F*cked-Up World: Mindfulness Practices for Real Life," shows us that by relating to life's ever present pain with compassion, wisdom and joy we have a chance to experience happiness. Tim dives into ways to bridge the ancient tradition of mindfulness and the challenges of modern life. Hear how: We need to remember to pay attention to the things that are important enough to take up your life People need to treat every moment like something that matters - don't allow yourself to spend your time on unimportant things.  We may often think of providing compassion for others, but we often won't give any to ourselves. Listen in for an in-depth and very practical view of how mindfulness and meditation can work for you.

Commander Divine dives deep into his upcoming book, "Staring Down the Wolf: 7 Leadership Commitments That Forge Elite Teams."  Mark discusses the differences between leadership in the Special Ops community and being leader in tin business.  Hear how: Commander Divine recounts his transition from the SEALs to the Business world How teams in both realms require that you learn to manage your fear How moral and spiritual character as well as authenticity are required beyond tactics Listen to this episode to get deeper insight into how you can use lessons from Spec Ops to improve your leadership ability

Larry Hagner is best known as the man behind "The Good Dad Project," and the host of the podcast "The Dad Edge." He is also the author of "The Dad's Edge: 9 Simple Ways to Have: Unlimited Patience, Improved Relationships, and Positive Lasting Memories." Learn how: You need to be authentically yourself so that you can be good to your kids You need to learn to recognize and avoid the "drift," when you forget your core values, and just let "life" take over As a father, you need to consider 5 factors - financial, health, marriage, connection with kids, and leadership Listen to this podcast to hear more practical guidance on fatherhood, and how you can tap into other resources to learn more.

Cal Newport is a well-known Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University and researches cutting edge technologies so he can write about the impact of these innovations on society. Cal has numerous books including "Deep Work" and recently launched his latest book, "Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World." In this episode, Cal talks to Commander Divine about how to make sure you're using tech in the best way so that it is helping you toward your goals, rather than simply distracting you from them.  Learn how: We currently have an economy based around knowledge products, but very little consideration is given to how we make them.  Addictive behavior is NOT fundamental to smart phones, social media has just enhanced and developed addiction to technology on our part We should be much more selective about the technologies we adopt in our personal lives. Listen to this episode to understand how to control your technology, and make it the tool rather than the goal of what you do.

Kelly Starrett is a coach, physical trainer, author and speaker and is a co-founder of the website MobilityWOD. He's worked with Olympic athletes, and was an Olympic competitor on the US canoeing and kayaking team. He has also been heavily involved in the Crossfit world. His book, "Becoming a Supple Leopard" is a bestseller and today he talks to Mark about the importance of just being mobile, whether it's a regimen or just the way you live. Learn how: We weren't designed to live the kind of sedentary life that we now have, so moving is important for everyone from elite athletes to office workers. Set workouts are good, but having a mobile lifestyle for yourself is more beneficial. Our bodies were designed to deal with some physical stress, and they start to deteriorate without any at all. Listen in to hear what kind of things you can do to keep yourself mobile and healthy.

Today, Commander Divine talks to Chris and Holly Santillo about parenting, taking months off to go travelling with their sons, and their book "Resilience Parenting." They talk about how to prepare children to overcome obstacles and to be independent. Learn how: A parent's job is to pass on their values and to both bring out what's already in their kids. Connection is part of independence - in order to be fully connected with someone else your kids also need to be independent Martial arts practice was an early inspiration for Chris and Holly's parenting style Listen to this episode to hear more about how you can parent in a better way. 

Commander Divine reveals his newest book, "Staring Down the Wolf".   Many listeners will be familiar with the symbol of the Fear Wolf and the Courage Wolf. Mark has devoted an entire book for leaders to manage their Fear Wolf while they feed the Courage Wolf.  Hear how: The Courage and Fear Wolf are based off of a Native American analogy Every plateau of development has its own value and its own shadow qualities that it brings with it. Your own shadow might be invisible to you, but others can see it clearly Listen to this episode to learn how "Staring down the wolf" is about confronting the inner limitations that you have that are holding you back.

Dave Asprey is extremely well-known as one of the pioneers of biohacking and using technology to increase health and performance. He is the founder of Bulletproof and the inventor of Bulletproof coffee. Today, he and the commander talk about how to increase performance through biohacking. They also discuss two of his most recent books, "Game Changers: What Leaders, Innovators, and Mavericks Do to Win at Life" and the upcoming "Super Human: The Bulletproof Plan to Age Backward and Maybe Even Live Forever." Hear how: Intermittent fasting is easy with nothing but a cup of coffee in the morning 40 years of Zen initially came from neurofeedback practices Successful people focus more on relationships, sleep and exercise than money or power Listen to this episode to hear how you can manage your own biology to increase your performance and abilities.

Mariana Atencio is a well-known journalist, TED Speaker, influencer and award winning news reporter. Her book "Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real," is a journey to discover why celebrating what makes us different becomes the most valuable lesson anyone can learn. Hear how Controlling the smaller things, helps deal with all those things that you can't control Why looking for humanity in others keeps you human While covering a storm, her and her crew were given shelter by a local and why that experience has become a kind of touchstone for her Listen to this episode to get an inside look at Mariana's unique outlook and how to embrace the power of being real.

Robert Teschner was formerly an Air Force "Top Gun" jet pilot, instructor and commander, flying both the F-15 and the F-22. He's also a consultant, speaker and the author of "Debrief to Win: How America's Top Guns Practice Accountable Leadership...and How You Can, Too!" Today he talks to Commander Divine today about the importance of the Debrief. Robert had an exceptional military career, and is also a survivor of colon cancer. He explains how if he'd been using the same kind of Debriefing technique with himself as he used regularly in the Air Force, he would have been able to manage and minimize cancer's impact.  The Air Force Debrief is very intense and focuses on four main topics: Intensive understanding and investigation of what actually happened Root cause analysis and recognition that it might be leadership rather than just an individual mistake Formulate a plan to succeed or correct Memorializing your process - one page synopsis so that you can duplicate your process Listen to this episode to hear how

Lauren Fisher is well-known as a superb, young CrossFit competitor and athlete. Lauren started "GrownStrong," a company dedicated to bringing out a different concept of women's strength. With her partner Rasmus Andersen, who is a Danish CrossFit athlete, they operate "GrownStrong," and they are both still major CrossFit contenders. Today, Mark talks with them about the athletic lifestyle involved in CrossFit and how they find balance with athleticism and other demands. Learn how: Athletic needs are more complex than just training - nutrition and recovery are absolutely essential as well. A large part of both training and competition is as much or more a mental challenge as it is physical Grown Strong comes from Lauren's belief that we should be focusing more on strength for women, rather than appearances Listen to this episode to get insight into how an athletic lifestyle works for these two competitors.

Dan Brulé is a master of the breath and world-renowned pioneer in the field of breathwork. When you control your breathing, you can control your state of well-being and level of performance. The importance of breathing is key to improving your life. The secrets behind everyone from Navy SEAL warriors, elite athletes and champion martial artists is all about controlling your outcomes and changing results by controlling your breath. Today they talk about the importance of proper breath for living and succeeding Learn how: Breath connects the mind to the body We're all breathing the same bubble of air and breathing gives people a felt experience of our connection We can use the analogy of water to understand how breathing should work, as in still water runs deep Experience significant insight into breathing as well as a directed exercise in breathing provided by Dan and Mark.