Show Notes:

Colin O’Brady

Does it take an adrenaline junkie? “People say, ‘Oh God, this guy walked across Antarctica solo. He’s climbed these mountains. He got in a rowboat and rode across the Drake Passage, the most dangerous stretch of ocean in the world. This guy must be an adrenaline junkie or something like that.’ But to be perfectly honest, I don’t see myself in that light at all. I don’t think I’m chasing adrenaline like a game of Russian roulette that I hope that I keep winning. These are calculated. These are thought out. These are trained. I’m not saying there’s not risk. The risk and the tenuous nature of these is what does bring apart some of the richness of the experiences, but at the same time, I really do think them through moment to moment, step by step, day by day, and evaluate that.”

Do it for the story. “I love storytelling, and I think that every single person has a beautiful story to tell. I think as humans, we gain inspiration from other people’s stories, and I love sharing my story for that reason. But I love consuming. I love listening to stories. I’ve listened to their podcasts, movies, books — I’m an avid reader — for that reason, because I believe all of them. in this crazy thing we call life are experiencing it. When we share those stories, there’s a ripple effect of positivity that happens from being inspiration, ultimately lifted up by a community of folks that share their stories.”

Marcus Filly

Make small changes and stay consistent. “You must dedicate 60 to 90 minutes to your physical body a day, and you have to be prepared to do that forever. That’s what’s going to lead to optimal outcomes and longevity. On top of that, there has to be a component of strength. There also has to be a component of cardio, respiratory endurance, and nutritional practice and adherence, all of which should be at a level that is just marginally above what you’re doing. Don’t go zero to a hundred, but instead go zero to 50 and cruise at 50 until you get better and stronger and more consistent — then after a year of being consistent, maybe take it up to 60 if you desire or if you need it. That’s the non-sexy drum that we’re beating on, which is basically doing the same things over and over again. Make it consistent. Rather than go and do the super hard, detailed, focused, restrictive diets, let’s just make these changes to start with. That’s the message that we want to promote.”

James Lawrence

Your family benefits too. “It’s been tough on them, but it’s also been a blessing on them. It gives us the lifestyle that we want, and ultimately it helps them all grow mentally in their own ways, because we all had different roles on the journeys. My wife plays a very different role than I do. We communicate what those roles are and just like it’s hard for me physically and mentally, it’s hard for her emotionally and mentally to do that thing, to support me in what I’m doing. We play very different but important roles, and I think she’s an amazing guest on podcasts as well, because she provides a very different perspective than what I provide, even though it was the same journey. And then my kids the same way. I mean, we didn’t just win the kid lottery. They are exceptional kids because of the examples that Sonny and I try to set and the high level that we go through and the lessons that they learned through the adversity and the hardship. They fully embrace it, and they recognize that they’re exceptional students and kids and everything because of the adversity that they’ve gone through with us as a family.”

Do one more. “The reality is, I promise you, no matter where you are or what you’re doing — if you’re broken, you’re defeated, you can get up and do one more. I don’t know how many times you’re going to have to get up and do one more, and sometimes you’re going to have to get up and do one more alone. You can do it, and I felt I had to do it myself. If I wanted to be a person that would eventually want to say, ‘Look, you’ve all got one more in you. You can do one more rep.’ I felt like I had to do it in order to be able to speak about it.”

Joe De Sena

Earn every luxury in life. “I actually have this instinct of feeling alive and having tremendous appreciation for food. I remember how hungry I was. I remember how cold I was. Listen, I was telling somebody yesterday, when I go to bed at night, I giggle in bed. As soon as I get horizontal, I giggle. It’s a funny response, but the reason I giggle when I reflect on it is I worked so hard. I’m so tired that I’m so happy to be laying down. So if you’re laying down at night and you can’t get to bed and you’re tossing and turning, you didn’t push hard enough. Think about when a child eats a meal and they’re complaining about the broccoli. They’re not hungry enough. They didn’t earn that meal, because if they’re hungry, they’ll eat their finger. I know. I’ve been there. You need to earn these tremendous gifts we get in life. A bed food. A cold shower. It’s a gift.”

Giving kids obstacles is giving them a gift. “Our job as parents is not only to make the children become appealing and fun to be around, but also resilient, also have a ready-for-anything attitude. And it’s hard. Even a person like me who knows it, and my wife and I set out to do it, we still find ourselves, without even knowing and reflecting back on it, removing obstacles. Instead, we should be putting obstacles in front of the kids. We should be making it harder.”

RESOURCES & REFERENCES
Episode 75 — Colin O’Brady
Episode 175 — Marcus Filly
Episode 73 — James Lawrence
Episode 161 — Joe De Sena