260. Why Comfort Kills with Joe De Sena (NY Times bestselling author; founder, Spartan Race) 🏆

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” — Will Rogers Joe De Sena is a New York Times bestselling author, fitness icon, and the founder of Spartan—a global movement that’s transformed 15M+ lives through its world-renowned endurance events and lifestyle programs. After a successful corporate career, Joe left it all behind to pursue a more meaningful mission: to get 100 million people off the couch. What started as a few races in Vermont has exploded into a global fitness phenomenon, with over 1M+ participants across 40+ countries every year. Joe has personally completed more than 50 ultra-events, even completing 14 Ironmans in a single year. He now trains others to build mental toughness, embrace discomfort, and live with purpose. In this episode: • How to strengthen your mindset through physical challenges. • The daily discipline behind elite performance. • Why modern life makes us soft — and what to do about it. • How to build a healthy, loving, and resilient family. 🍿 Let’s WIN THE DAY with Joe de Sena! _ 🎬 Episode website (including 4K video, full transcript, best quotes, etc.): https://jameswhitt.com/260-win-the-day-podcast-joe-de-sena _ Episode links: 🎯 Download your FREE Win the Day action plan ⚡ Joe de Sena website 📷 Joe de Sena Instagram 📝 Joe de Sena Facebook 🎬 Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠Win the Day YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ channel 💚 Give the Win the Day podcast a ⁠⁠⁠⁠5-star rating on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🙏 Give the Win the Day podcast a ⁠⁠⁠⁠5-star rating on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠ _ Timemarkers: 00:00 Who is Joe De Sena 1:47 Interview starts 3:22 The decision to start Spartan (purpose vs corporate world) 5:22 Joe De Sena’s superpower 7:48 Develop the ability to inspire others 8:41 Why comfort kills (and the problem with laziness) 11:11 Almost going bankrupt 13:30 How Spartan saves lives 16:28 The #1 way to get out of depression 19:10 Your mental health depends on the people around you 20:45 The hardest habit for people to change 22:11 Why you’re failing with your health and fitness goals 23:22 How Joe De Sena sets (and achieves) goals 25:20 Are material possessions making you weak? 27:38 How to become more resilient 29:21 The toughest ultra events on the planet 31:22 How to get through your most challenging moments 32:46 How to know when enough is enough or if you're pushing too hard 34:09 Earn your reward 34:46 Joe De Sena parenting approach (always take the hard way with your kids) 35:42 Are you putting too much pressure on your kids? 39:03 Celebrate hard work with your kids 39:50 What sports to put your kids in 40:49 Focus on hard work (not winning or losing) 41:58 Joe De Sena family values 43:30 How to make your kids more resilient 45:23 Why parents need to model healthy behavior 46:24 How to stop a bad day from coming into the home 46:55 Affirmation 47:40 Rocket Round _ Want to support the show? 1. Hit 'Follow'. 2. Leave a 5-star rating. 3. Share this episode with a friend. This will help the podcast get discovered by more people so they can Win the Day, too. Thank you for your support! It truly means a lot 💕 Onward and upward always… #WinTheDay PS — Enjoyed this episode? You'll love this one, too:⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Episode 248: Perform Under Fire with Leigh Anderson (paramedic)