The Hard Way With Joe De Sena cover art

The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

By: Joe De Sena
Listen for free

About this listen

 The proving ground where mental resilience, endurance, and purpose are built, the hard way. Spartan Founder and CEO Joe De Sena sits down with the toughest minds on the planet; warriors, entrepreneurs, athletes, and leaders who've earned their success through discipline and pain. No shortcuts. No excuses. Just raw truth about what it takes to stay sharp, endure suffering, and keep moving through hard times.© 2025 Spartan Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • How a Four-Time Cancer Survivor Rebuilt His Life With Spartan Races

    How a Four-Time Cancer Survivor Rebuilt His Life With Spartan Races
    Nov 11 2025
    How do you rebuild purpose after life knocks you down four times? Nick Klingensmith shares how cancer, addiction, and chronic illness didn't break him. They forged him. Nick explains how hitting rock bottom led him to sobriety, discipline, and the Spartan Race community that reignited his purpose. He reflects on ownership, gratitude, and the power of taking the first step, signing up, even when you're not ready. His story is proof that resilience isn't motivation; it's daily action, built one uncomfortable decision at a time. What You Will Learn: How to shift from a victim mindset to one of ownership and action. Why signing up, before you feel ready, is the first step toward real change. How community and accountability transform recovery into resilience. Episode Highlights: 01:15 The first cancer diagnosis and the choice between living and dying. 03:06 Hitting rock bottom and choosing sobriety as an act of survival. 05:02 How a single Spartan Race broke years of self-limiting beliefs. 09:58 The power of the Spartan community to restore purpose and belonging. 13:44 Redefining setbacks through perspective, gratitude, and daily standards. Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Learned: The "Sign-Up First" Rule: Commit before you feel ready, discipline follows action. Ownership Mindset: Replace self-pity with accountability for every obstacle. Gratitude as Reset: Daily gratitude breaks the cycle of frustration and defeat. Community Strength Model: Surround yourself with people who live by earned standards. Closing Insight or Key Takeaway: "Progress is addictive, but only when you start moving." Listen & Subscribe: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hard-way-with-joe-de-sena/id952870930 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pYBkk1T684YQg7CmoaAZt Short, Impactful Content: Instagram: @thehardwaypodcast From host directly: @realjoedesena Join the Spartan Community: Find Your Next Spartan Race: https://www.spartan.com/en/race/find-race For everything Spartan: https://www.spartan.com/
    Show More Show Less
    20 mins
  • Navy Pilot Kegan Gill Rebuilds Life After Mach 0.95 F/A-18 Ejection

    Navy Pilot Kegan Gill Rebuilds Life After Mach 0.95 F/A-18 Ejection
    Nov 4 2025
    After surviving a 695-mph ejection, Navy pilot Kegan Gill faced paralysis, addiction, and a broken system. He strips the story down to its core, discipline, ownership, and grit. This isn't motivation; it's survival through standards. Learn how to rebuild your mind, body, and purpose when everything else is gone. Timestamps: [01:33] The mindset that separates doers from talkers. [06:15] Stepping into the F-18 cockpit, pressure and precision. [09:03] The 695-mph ejection, real endurance revealed. [19:15] How simple habits became the mission. [21:17] Fighting back against pain, pills, and the system. What You Will Learn: How daily effort rebuilds discipline and grit. Why ownership, not pills, drives true recovery. How to apply military discipline to everyday life. Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Learned: Daily Discipline: Small, consistent actions compound into recovery and long-term resilience. Ownership of Outcomes: Taking responsibility for rehabilitation, mental health, and career decisions. Physical Rehabilitation Principles: Structured nutrition, exercise, and rest to restore function. Opioid Weaning Strategy: Gradual reduction under self-discipline or physician guidance to regain autonomy. Holistic Healing Modalities: Integrating sleep, nutrition, exercise, nature, and alternative therapies for nervous system recovery. "Consistent effort, disciplined action, and ownership of recovery can rebuild life beyond what seems possible." Watch now on Youtube: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@TheHardWayJDS 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@SpartanRaceTube 📲 Short, Impactful Content: 👉 From me directly: @realjoedesena) 💥 Join the Spartan Community: 👉 Find Your Next Spartan Race: https://www.spartan.com/en/race/find-race 👉 For everything Spartan: https://www.spartan.com/ The Hard Way Podcast With Joe De Sena, Hosted by Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan, this podcast delves into the principles of resilience, discipline, and the Spartan mindset. De Sena's journey from building a multimillion-dollar pool cleaning business in his teens to establishing a successful Wall Street trading firm showcases his entrepreneurial spirit. In 2001, he transitioned from finance to operate an organic farm in Pittsfield, Vermont, where his passion for endurance events like ultramarathons and adventure races flourished. This led to the creation of Spartan, aiming to inspire individuals to embrace challenges and push their limits.
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • The Underutilized Tool To Turn Your Anger Into Raw Power

    The Underutilized Tool To Turn Your Anger Into Raw Power
    Oct 28 2025

    Most men train their bodies, few train their minds. From cold plunges to carrying rocks uphill, this episode explores mastering the space between chaos and control. Joe De Sena talks with Will Schneider, mindfulness coach, former actor, and meditation teacher, on building strength through breath, stillness, and doing hard things, creating discipline under pressure, and transforming habits into resilience.

    What You Will Learn:

    • How to use daily breath and stillness practices to strengthen your mind.

    • Why embracing discomfort drives real mental and physical growth.

    • How to integrate mindfulness and simple routines for resilience and discipline.

    Episode Highlights:

    • [01:50] Why helping only men is central to Will's mission.

    • [05:36] From acting to teaching mindfulness: the journey explained.

    • [08:01] Starting with the breath as the foundation of mental training.

    • [13:19] Physical challenges as tools for mental resilience.

    • [19:26] Doing hard things to soften the ego and grow discipline.

    Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Learned:

    • Breathwork: Techniques for calmness under stress.

    • Mind-Body Connection: Aligning physical actions with mental clarity.

    • Small Daily Practices: Habits that compound into long-term resilience.

    Closing Insight or Key Takeaway:
    Drop the excuses. Breathe deeper. Get calm enough to crush anything.

    Timestamps:
    00:00 Intro
    01:24 Meet Will Schneider
    01:50 Why helping only men
    03:10 What led him to meditation
    04:23 Joe's 70s yogi story
    05:36 From acting to teaching mindfulness
    07:12 Will's meditation classes in practice
    08:01 Start with the breath
    11:03 Yoga as mental training
    13:19 Physical challenges for mental resilience
    15:13 Calming down to know yourself
    16:52 Understand anger, habits & emotions
    19:26 Doing hard things soften the ego
    21:01 Mind, body, and breath connection
    22:30 Three practices for transformation
    24:38 Where to find Will

    Connect to Will:
    🌐 Website: willnotfear.com
    📸 Instagram: @willnotfear
    💼 LinkedIn: Will Schneider
    📘 Facebook: Will at Will Not Fear
    ✖️ Twitter/X: @willnotfear

    🎧 Listen & Subscribe:
    👉 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hard-way-with-joe-de-sena/id952870930
    👉 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pYBkk1T684YQg7CmoaAZt

    📲 Short, Impactful Content:
    👉 Instagram: @spartanuppodcast
    👉 From host directly: @realjoedesena

    💥 Join the Spartan Community:
    👉 Find Your Next Spartan Race: https://www.spartan.com/en/race/find-race
    👉 For everything Spartan: https://www.spartan.com/

    About The Hard Way Podcast:
    Hosted by Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan, this podcast explores resilience, discipline, and the Spartan mindset. De Sena's journey from building a multimillion-dollar pool cleaning business in his teens to Wall Street success, then running an organic farm and creating Spartan, showcases how embracing challenges and endurance can transform life.
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.