Welcome to In Search of Excellence! You're listening to part two of my awesome conversation with Joe De Sena, the CEO of the global fitness and wellness brand Spartan, which has a community of more than 10 million athletes around the world.

If you haven't yet listened to part one of my conversation with Joe, be sure to check that one out first. In this part, Joe shares his incredible story of perseverance, the importance of mentorship, and how pushing your limits can lead to extreme success and personal growth.

Time stamps:

00:58 From Cornell to Wall Street

The entrepreneurship class at CornellWon a $5000 prize in a competition for the best business ideaThe advice from one of the judges to go to Wall StreetWent back to his pool business

05:00 Joe’s bold stock investment

Buys Syntax stocks and earns $ 100,000Sells his pool business for $500,000Blew it all on the wrong stock investments

07:25 How to get a mentor?

Mentors are looking for basic human skillsRandall’s experience with his mentorsEarning a mentorship – a story about Max

13:35 The importance of taking meetings

You might add value to their life, they might add value to your lifeMoney comes from the most unexpected placesYou never know where a meeting could lead

17:46 A risk to peruse your dream

Leaving the shore is uncomfortableTake the chances, you can always come backAn incredible red barn story

21:20 The Spartan Company 24 years ago

Getting people outside their comfort zoneIn the beginning, it didn’t workPeople don’t want to buy discomfortThe change that came with Facebook

23:18 The Death Race

It’s like a Navy SEALs or Delta Force eventSpartan’s toughest event meant to break youYou look in the mirror and find out who you areWhat does the Death Race look like?

26:27 Serious health issues in Japan

Joe was stressed out about his businessWoke up one morning and couldn’t see anythingEnded up in the hospital – and was told a part of his brain is deadHe decided not to accept that

28:59 Why do people come to the Spartan race?

When people experience the transformation, it’s addictiveEven if it sucked while they were doing itJoe’s philosophy - nobody cares, work harderOptimize your health and wellness to be able to operate

31:01 The fear of failure

Failure is a learning opportunityA lot of our fear is just fiction

32:48 Three most important ingredients for success

Persistence, Personality, GratitudeThe level of hard work needed for successYou must be willing to sacrifice and save the fun for later

35:45 The importance of extreme preparation

Joe is constantly working and always preparingHe prepares months ahead

37:42 Joe’s ultimate dream

A year of some form of military service post-high schoolDisconnecting all water heatersKids doing burpees before they come into the schoolIs a work-life balance possible?

38:55 Fill in the blanks for excellence

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