Podcasts about American Ninja Warrior

Common Sense Media Founder and CEO Jim Steyer joins to discuss their latest report on how younger generations are using AI and what parents should watch out for. Also, Questlove stops by to discuss his latest musical documentary “Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial VS. That's the Weight of the World)”. Plus, catching up with hosts of “American Ninja Warrior”, Matt Iseman, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, and Zuri Hall ahead of season 18's premiere. And, spring shoe deals and styles to help you step up your fashion game this season.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Father Stephen Gadberry is a Catholic priest ordained in 2016 after a path that took him from a small family farm in the Arkansas Delta through the United States Air Force, a deployment to Iraq, and all the way to Rome to study philosophy and theology. He competed on American Ninja Warrior in 2018 and 2020, has worked alongside Bishop Robert Barron and Word on Fire, and currently serves at Saint Theresa Catholic Church and School in Little Rock, Arkansas. In this conversation, Father Stephen opens up about losing his father and twelve-year-old sister in a car accident when he was just eight years old, how that tragedy shaped his understanding of duty and sacrifice, and what it felt like to receive his calling in the middle of a deployment in central Iraq. He is a hunter, archer, CrossFit athlete, knife maker, and musician who speaks about masculinity, suffering, and faith in a way that cuts through all the noise. We also get into forgiveness in a way I have never heard anyone break it down before. Father Stephen uses the image of a plant to walk through the entire process of healing a broken relationship, from cultivating the soil, to planting the seed, to watching for weeds, to understanding why we pull back just when things start to feel close. It is pastoral counsel and practical wisdom at the same time. This one hit me differently, guys. I am not kidding when I say I felt the weight of this conversation in my chest. If you have ever carried loss, wrestled with abandonment, or wondered how a man of deep faith actually lives out forgiveness in real time, this episode is for you.   Timeline Summary [1:02] Father Stephen and the host kick off by acknowledging this is take two, after a tech failure ended the first recording [1:55] Father Stephen explains his two appearances on American Ninja Warrior in 2018 and 2020 and what he was really trying to do with the cameras [4:20] The meaning behind the priest collar explained: white for speaking truth, black for death to self [6:07] Why traditions are not a threat to faith and how they are already woven into every man's life whether he realizes it or not [7:16] How the American Ninja Warrior exposure broke down barriers and gave people an entry point to seek pastoral help with marriages and personal struggles [13:25] Host introduces Father Stephen's background: raised on an Arkansas farm, lost his father and older sister at age eight in a car accident, later served in the Air Force and deployed to Iraq [17:22] Father Stephen describes the accident on May 5th, 1994, the deaths of his father and twelve-year-old sister, and how a young boy without comprehension of the full weight woke up every day and simply got it done [23:11] Two weeks after the accident, his mother discovered she was pregnant with twins, and the family's response to impossible circumstances [28:18] The Christmas delivery story: neighbors who brought gifts for the family after the accident and did it with enough grace and class that no one's dignity was taken [33:14] Father Stephen recalls warming up the minivan for his mother on cold Arkansas mornings as a child, and why the small act reveals a lifelong orientation toward serving others before himself [37:10] The story of how the calling to priesthood emerged during military service in Iraq, including a stranger at Mass who said, "You're thinking about being a priest, aren't you?" [43:30] How Father Stephen submitted his early separation paperwork from the Air Force and received approval in under two weeks, something that ordinarily takes months [46:30] The host shares his own story of his biological father leaving twice and reconnecting at age thirty, and asks Father Stephen about what it means to forgive at 98% but still carry that last 2% [52:07] The plant image of forgiveness: cultivating the soil, planting the seed, watching for weeds, and understanding that pulling things up too soon or too often kills what is trying to grow [1:00:54] Father Stephen helps the host understand the subconscious pull-back pattern that shows up in relationships after early abandonment and how to reframe those defense mechanisms rather than fight them [1:07:13] Closing thoughts and the little way of Saint Thérèse: do small things with big love, over and over   Five Key Takeaways Losing his father and sister at age eight did not break Father Stephen. It built in him a sense of duty and commitment so deep that he woke up every morning as a boy simply asking what needed to be done, and that orientation toward others before self became the foundation of everything he does as a priest. Sharing your humanity, not just your credentials, is what gives people permission to bring you their real problems. Father Stephen's Ninja Warrior appearances did not grow his ministry by making him impressive. They grew it by making him approachable. Forgiveness is not a moment. It is a plant. You cultivate the soil, you plant the seed at the right time in the right way, and then you let it sit. Going back every day to dig it up and see if it grew will kill it. The healing comes from doing the work and then having the patience to let it take root. Keeping a small part of unforgiveness is not a failure. It is memory. It is what tells you how to water the plant going forward, what burned it before, and what it needs to stay alive now. Forgetting is not the goal. Learning is. The soul remembers what hurt it, and sometimes that shows up as pulling back right when something good is getting close. That is not sabotage. That is an old defense mechanism doing its job. The work is to recognize it, name it, and gently push its limits rather than either surrendering to it or shaming yourself for it.   Links & Resources Follow Father Stephen on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/fatherstephenjgadberry Saint Theresa Catholic Church — https://www.sttheresalittlerock.org This Episode's Show Page — https://thedadedge.com/1484 Join the Dad Edge — https://thedadedge.com/join The Men's Forge — https://themensforge.com   Closing Father Stephen gave us something rare in this conversation: the kind of honesty that only comes from a man who has sat with real pain long enough to have something true to say about it. If the plant image of forgiveness resonated with you the way it hit me, share this episode with a man in your life who is carrying something heavy and does not have the language for it yet. And if you got something out of this one, please take a minute to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. It helps more dads and more men find this show. Go out and live legendary.

In this deeply moving episode, Elle and Camille sit down with artist and American Ninja Warrior competitor, Jenedy Paige, to share a story shaped by unimaginable loss, unwavering faith, and divine transformation.After the tragic drowning of her three-year-old son, Jenedy's life was forever changed. In the years that followed, she has walked a path of grief, healing, and spiritual refinement—anchored by an ever-growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Jenedy opens her heart about sacred “through the veil” experiences with her son, moments that have brought peace, connection, and eternal perspective.Together, they explore what it means to trust God in the darkest valleys, to choose obedience even when the path is unclear, and to surrender to a divine vision greater than our own. Jenedy's journey is a testament to the strength that comes from allowing God to shape not only our circumstances, but who we are becoming.This episode is for anyone seeking hope after loss, clarity in hardship, or a reminder that heaven is closer than we think.

"Failure is measured in ounces, regret is measured in tons."Nate Burkhalter—seven-time competitor on American Ninja Warrior—joins Ned Schaut for a raw, grounded conversation about identity, risk, and what it actually means to lead as a husband and father.Nate's story isn't polished—it's forged. From a career in oil and gas engineering to chasing a his calling through failure, rejection, injury, and breakthrough, he unpacks a revelation he heard from God, a hard truth most men avoid:playing it safe is the riskiest way to live.But now, as a new father of twins, the game has changed. The arena isn't just competition—it's the home.This episode hits the tension every driven man feels:Build something meaningful… without sacrificing your familyTake risks… without being recklessLead spiritually… without hiding behind religionNate brings clarity: your primary ministry isn't your platform—it's your family. And if you get that wrong, nothing else matters.Why fathers should listen:You're ambitious but don't want to wake up at 55 with regretYou feel the pull between grind and presenceYou want to raise kids who actually know God—not just perform religionYou've failed, and you're wondering if you should keep goingKey takeaways:Identity shift → risk tolerance → real impactFailure isn't the enemy—regret isDiscipline creates freedom in both work and family lifeStewardship beats control in fatherhoodThe first 8–12 years with your kids are foundational—don't outsource them---------Check Out the Program Talked About: Genesis by Rise Up KingsThis episode is sponsored by Genesis - a Rite of Passage by Rise Up KingsOrder The Adventure of Fatherhood children's book hereCheck out the TEDx----------Want to learn more about The Adventure of Fatherhood?www.adventureoffatherhood.comwww.rebelandcreate.comEach week Ned sits down with a dad and asks him to open up his field notes and share with other men who find themselves on the Adventure of Fatherhood. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!Follow us:Instagram: www.instagram.com/fatherhoodfieldnotesYouTube: www.youtube.com/@FatherhoodfieldnotesFacebook: www.facebook.com/rebelandcreateMentioned in this episode:Rise Up Kings Genesis

Austin Hair is a real estate investor specializing in healthcare site selection, helping brands out-position competitors and scale fast through strategic location decisions. A former professional wakeboarder and American Ninja Warrior finalist, he brings a high-performance mindset and calculated risk-taking to real estate. After a major setback in 2013, Austin rebuilt and now leads as a General Partner of an innovative real estate fund integrating blockchain technology. Featured on NBC and CBS Sports, he also hosts the Helping Healthcare Scale podcast and speaks at major industry events, including the Association of Dental Support Organizations.  Here's some of the topics we covered: From house hacking to cash-flowing short-term rentals What "De Novo" really means and why it's a game changer The medical retail playbook for urgent care and vets The hidden costs that kill deals in healthcare real estate Inside the art and science of site selection Why short-term rentals can outperform traditional investing How to turn a rental into a high-demand profit machine The overlooked step to legally host events on your property    To find out more about partnering or investing in a multifamily deal: Text Partner to 72345 or email Partner@RodKhleif.com    For more about Rod and his real estate investing journey go to www.rodkhleif.com   Please Review and Subscribe  

In this episode we hear from Jay Flores about his decision to become an Entrepreneur leaving a safe career with Rockwell Automation as he began his journey with Invent the Change LLC.  We hear his experience on how "It's Not Magic, It's Science" outreach efforts are moving forward and ultimately his desire for impact and being intentional let to him writing Engineer Someday; which is really for anyone to be motivated and pursue STEM.  We hear his experience in the popular Exatlon Estados Unidos & American Ninja Warrior and why he ultimately decided to seek those opportunities. #successinnovation #STEM #shpe #shpefamilia #dedication #persistence #preparation #leadership #change

In this episode, artist Jenedy Paige shares how faith, grief, and personal loss shaped the powerful artwork she creates today. Her paintings tell stories about identity, healing, and the truth that we are children of God with divine potential.Jenedy also shares the surprising prompting that led her to compete on American Ninja Warrior, despite having no athletic background. Her story is a powerful reminder that when we trust God and keep moving forward, we often discover strength we didn't know we had.

On today’s episode, we’re going to talk some more about fractal stories and archetypes. These fractal stories make up our lives. We have very little original material in our lives. It’s as if we are each a character in a play. And this play was written by the Aeons of the Fullness before time began. These are archetypal stories. And when Logos fell and broke open all these stories into the world, and then we came down and populated the world from the Fullness, it is these stories we are reenacting. We play our parts in complex fractal stories Everyone’s life is different and unique because we each have our own point of view in the entire scheme of creation. We are monads, which means a singular point of view. We are monads out of the Fullness of God. And each of us, with our own point of view, are like actors cast in a play. We have free will. Everything in the universe does have free will. Well, all second order powers have free will. And we are free to react within the stories we find ourselves freely. We can go with the flow of the story and fully embody the archetype that is cast, such as a scorned woman screaming and railing at her man who has done her wrong. We can do that. Or we could choose, and this is the difficult part, to break the story and step back and observe the story unfolding without such active participation on our part. These are called complexes in Jungian psychology, these complicated interactions of archetypes and wills and powers that we find ourselves in. And you know you’re in an archetypal fractal story by the tremendous force and power it seems to have all on its own. There you are, just cruising along, minding your own business, and suddenly you turn a corner and here you are in a fractal story. And you can feel the difference in the power. Or you can just blindly go along and play your part and then wonder why you’re so miserable. Oftentimes I have thought, boy I’m really doing well. I’m really cruising along here. Everything’s going great. Boy aren’t I enlightened or whatever. And then boom, I walk right into a fractal story and complexes are stirred up. One fractal story that is very popular right now, because it is being pushed upon us, is this notion of victimhood. Victimhood is a fractal story. It’s an archetype. But the deal is, it causes powerlessness in the person who then takes on the mantle of being the victim. Oh everything’s against me. How am I supposed to get ahead? What can I do? I’m just a victim here. Oh man I’m so upset. I’m so frustrated. But if you refuse the title of victim, then you’re no longer constrained by the requirements of being a victim. You’re no longer weak and powerless with no freedom of will and no ability to move forward. You can reject that box. Step outside of it and then carry on without being a victim. Have a more powerful life. I had a marriage of 38 years that seemed to be absolutely a wonderful marriage. And it was consecrated as far as I could tell. We actually spent every morning, first thing, doing yoga together. We would open up a holy book, either the Bible or the Tao Te Ching, and we would read out loud. We would discuss the principles involved and we would pray out loud together. And then I came to find out around the 30th year of that long marriage that this husband was actually cheating on me the whole time. Now being a cheater is a fractal archetype. And when I say a woman scorned is a fractal archetype, believe me, I understand it from the inside out. Because one minute I’m this calm, happily married wife doing all of my wifely duties in a most happy way. Dutiful, yet happy. And then come to find out about the cheating. And then it was nothing but outbursts and fights and tears and screaming for the next eight years. And just on the flip of a switch, this husband and I were plunged into the midst of this maelstrom of the fractal of the scorned woman and the cheating man. And the scripts are already written, the words that come out of your mouth when you are in the midst of one of these things. You see it in movies, you read it in literature, you hear other people doing this. And once you are in that complex, then it is quite easy to recognize the complex when you see it in other people. When I had my bed and breakfast in Ashland, I had a number of repeat guests, right? They’d come every single year to come to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. And they’d stay for a week or two at the bed and breakfast. One year, this couple came up in separate cars. And they stayed in the same room, but they never sat with each other at breakfast. And all she ever did was shoot daggers at him whenever she looked at him. And I couldn’t understand then what was going on. But now, having been in that particular complex myself, I can look back and say, ah, he must have cheated on her in that year. And they had still carried on, they had their reservations, they had their tickets to the theater, they had their reservation to the bed and breakfast, but they were no longer in harmony whatsoever. They were in the midst of this archetypal story of the scorned woman. That is what I imagine as I look back upon that situation, having been in that situation myself. So you may be finding yourself in the midst of some sort of fractal story, not of your choosing. Victimhood, addiction, bad marriage, disappointing children, whatever it is—just realize that these are gigantic forces that were written before you came along. You do not need to completely inhabit that story. You can step out of it. Okay, after having revealed all of that about myself, let’s take a look at some of these typical fractal stories. These stories are typically referred to as archetypal, and they’re generally credited to Carl Jung and his concept of Jungian archetypes. However, I don’t know if you know this yet or not, but Carl Jung actually purchased one of the first books out of the Nag Hammadi after they were discovered in the 1940s. He purchased one and had it translated into German, and it is from his reading of this ancient Gnostic text that he came up with his notions of archetypes, from the Aeons of the Fullness. So what it is, is that there are major events and characters that appear in all of humanity’s different stories of origins in their different mythologies. Common archetypes are birth, death, leaving home, initiation into a new thing, marriage, the union of opposites. Archetypal characters include mother, father, child, God, the wise old man or the wise old woman, the trickster, and the hero. Some of the archetypal motifs are apocalyptic visions, the flood, and creation. We actually enact these stories, these gigantic world-embracing stories, in our little lives over and over and over again. Here are some of the archetypal characters of literature. The caregiver, often a parent character, desiring to protect and care for others, usually associated with compassion and generosity, sometimes martyrdom. The creator is a creative and imaginative character, could be an artist, an inventor, a writer, a musician, an innovator, a visionary. The explorer, who wants to experience new things and freedom, self-discovery explorations or physical journey explorations, seeking a more authentic life, not conforming to the status quo. Adventure around every corner, could be pilgrims, an individualist, or a physical wanderer about the earth or the cosmos. The hero character is very common in our movies and television and stories. That is a person who seeks to prove their worth through courageous and heroic acts. I think here of the American Ninja Warrior television program, and the incredible feats of physical prowess those ninja warriors exhibit as they go through the obstacle course, that each time they go through the obstacle course, it’s a hero’s journey. Warriors, rescuers, soldiers, police, team members, these are heroes. There is a character called the innocent, an optimistic person whose worst fear is doing something bad. The innocent is always seeking to do the right thing, and there is a certain naive innocence about them. They can be in a romantic dreamy place, always dreaming about perfection and wonder. I would characterize myself as one of these innocents. The jester wants to enjoy life and have a good time. They like to joke around, make people laugh, make the world a happier place. The jester also includes the trickster, or could be a fool, or a comedian, a comic. Another archetype is the lover—the loyal companion. The fear is not being loved, not being wanted, so the lover is passionate and committed and wants to be very attractive to others and to please other people. So they could be a people pleaser, as well as a romantic partner, a good friend, or a spouse. The magician is a visionary. They understand the way the world works. They like to find win-win solutions to problems. They can be manipulative. The magician can be portrayed as a shaman, a healer, or a charismatic leader of some sort. The orphan is a character who wants to belong more than anything in the world. They fear being left out and alone. They are often down-to-earth and empathetic, but they can easily lose their identity while they try to fit in. This can be the everyman, or the girl next door, or the guy next door. I’m thinking of Tom Hanks in The Castaway. The rebel believes that rules are meant to be broken and wants to change something that isn’t working. They might start out with a good goal in mind, but they can easily cross the line from rebellion to crime. So the rebel can be portrayed in literature as a revolutionary or a misfit. You know, like the motorcycle movies of the old days, Rebel Without a Cause, or the outlaw movies of the westerns. A lot of people that are rioting in the streets nowadays are enacting the rebel mode. The ruler is an archetype that wants control, wants to be the top dog in a successful community. Their fear is being overthrown, and so because of that they have a tendency to become authoritarian and to not delegate any roles to the people that are supposed to be advising them, or to, for example, Congress. They like to be the boss, the king, the queen, the president, the politician, or the role model that people look up to. The sage is a truth seeker who uses their intelligence to analyze the world. Their greatest fear is being seen as ignorant, and they spend a lot of time studying and reflecting upon the self. Sometimes they are subject to analysis paralysis, which means you study, study, study, but you’re afraid to go forward, you’re afraid to enact. The sage is a scholar, a philosopher, an academic, a teacher, a Gnostic. I am both innocent and a sage, and I’m pretty sure a lot of you listeners are also sages, or else you wouldn’t be listening to this podcast. So these archetypes, they’re not singular and pure. You can combine them in various combinations. I just said, for example, I’m a sage, and an innocent, and a woman scorned, for example. Well, complicated type of personality there. We humans have been using the same major archetypal characters in our large mythologies, our cultural mythologies, our origin stories, and our literature since the beginning of recorded history, and they’re the same archetypes. They’re popular because this is the human condition, and we’re not inventing it as we go along. We’re stepping into these roles and these stories, and that’s what I mean by them being fractals. And when I consider this logically, it seems to me that these stories must have been imagined in the minds of the Aeons of the Fullness. I always imagine the Aeons sitting there in their golden stack of cannonballs, but in their minds, they’re all dreaming the same dream. They’re writing these plays, and they’re casting these imaginal characters, and they’re sharing one dream that’s kind of like a big movie, a big walk around. And our world is a physical enactment of that dream of the Aeons, because it was in the mind of Logos when Logos fell. And also, it’s in our DNA, because our DNA has encoded all of the messages of the Aeons of the Fullness. We have the Fullness of God fully within us, and therefore we have this imagination. The Pleroma sits in perfect stillness and harmony, sharing a dream of Paradise. And I’ve said on this Gnostic Insights podcast before that our imagination of heaven, our foretaste of paradise, is the dream of the Aeons, literally. And the reason this world of ours is so disappointing is because it’s fallen. We want to be in paradise with the Aeons. We want to be enacting these stories, but we always want the happy ending. We want them to be happy and to be going along on the positive side. We don’t want them to flip to negativity. And of course, in the Fullness of God, it is all positive by definition. The Fullness of God does not embrace shadow, darkness, disappointment, or death. And so, our expectation of love, fidelity, success, courage, all these stories, they are actually in their perfection in the dreams of the Aeons. And that’s why we expect it, because it’s in our DNA. Okay, that’s enough for today. This has been my take on fractal stories and an introduction to the Jungian archetypes, although I don’t need to credit Jung with that, because they do pre-exist. It’s just that if you want to read more about archetypes, you can do some reading with Jung. Onward and upward. See you next time. God bless. Thank you for subscribing. Please share these posts with others. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Stripe Credit Card *Choose your item *Item A - $10.00Item B - $25.00Item C - $50.00Total$0.00Submit

On today’s episode, we’re going to talk some more about fractal stories and archetypes. These fractal stories make up our lives. We have very little original material in our lives. It’s as if we are each a character in a play. And this play was written by the Aeons of the Fullness before time began. These are archetypal stories. And when Logos fell and broke open all these stories into the world, and then we came down and populated the world from the Fullness, it is these stories we are reenacting. We play our parts in complex fractal stories Everyone’s life is different and unique because we each have our own point of view in the entire scheme of creation. We are monads, which means a singular point of view. We are monads out of the Fullness of God. And each of us, with our own point of view, are like actors cast in a play. We have free will. Everything in the universe does have free will. Well, all second order powers have free will. And we are free to react within the stories we find ourselves freely. We can go with the flow of the story and fully embody the archetype that is cast, such as a scorned woman screaming and railing at her man who has done her wrong. We can do that. Or we could choose, and this is the difficult part, to break the story and step back and observe the story unfolding without such active participation on our part. These are called complexes in Jungian psychology, these complicated interactions of archetypes and wills and powers that we find ourselves in. And you know you’re in an archetypal fractal story by the tremendous force and power it seems to have all on its own. There you are, just cruising along, minding your own business, and suddenly you turn a corner and here you are in a fractal story. And you can feel the difference in the power. Or you can just blindly go along and play your part and then wonder why you’re so miserable. Oftentimes I have thought, boy I’m really doing well. I’m really cruising along here. Everything’s going great. Boy aren’t I enlightened or whatever. And then boom, I walk right into a fractal story and complexes are stirred up. One fractal story that is very popular right now, because it is being pushed upon us, is this notion of victimhood. Victimhood is a fractal story. It’s an archetype. But the deal is, it causes powerlessness in the person who then takes on the mantle of being the victim. Oh everything’s against me. How am I supposed to get ahead? What can I do? I’m just a victim here. Oh man I’m so upset. I’m so frustrated. But if you refuse the title of victim, then you’re no longer constrained by the requirements of being a victim. You’re no longer weak and powerless with no freedom of will and no ability to move forward. You can reject that box. Step outside of it and then carry on without being a victim. Have a more powerful life. I had a marriage of 38 years that seemed to be absolutely a wonderful marriage. And it was consecrated as far as I could tell. We actually spent every morning, first thing, doing yoga together. We would open up a holy book, either the Bible or the Tao Te Ching, and we would read out loud. We would discuss the principles involved and we would pray out loud together. And then I came to find out around the 30th year of that long marriage that this husband was actually cheating on me the whole time. Now being a cheater is a fractal archetype. And when I say a woman scorned is a fractal archetype, believe me, I understand it from the inside out. Because one minute I’m this calm, happily married wife doing all of my wifely duties in a most happy way. Dutiful, yet happy. And then come to find out about the cheating. And then it was nothing but outbursts and fights and tears and screaming for the next eight years. And just on the flip of a switch, this husband and I were plunged into the midst of this maelstrom of the fractal of the scorned woman and the cheating man. And the scripts are already written, the words that come out of your mouth when you are in the midst of one of these things. You see it in movies, you read it in literature, you hear other people doing this. And once you are in that complex, then it is quite easy to recognize the complex when you see it in other people. When I had my bed and breakfast in Ashland, I had a number of repeat guests, right? They’d come every single year to come to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. And they’d stay for a week or two at the bed and breakfast. One year, this couple came up in separate cars. And they stayed in the same room, but they never sat with each other at breakfast. And all she ever did was shoot daggers at him whenever she looked at him. And I couldn’t understand then what was going on. But now, having been in that particular complex myself, I can look back and say, ah, he must have cheated on her in that year. And they had still carried on, they had their reservations, they had their tickets to the theater, they had their reservation to the bed and breakfast, but they were no longer in harmony whatsoever. They were in the midst of this archetypal story of the scorned woman. That is what I imagine as I look back upon that situation, having been in that situation myself. So you may be finding yourself in the midst of some sort of fractal story, not of your choosing. Victimhood, addiction, bad marriage, disappointing children, whatever it is—just realize that these are gigantic forces that were written before you came along. You do not need to completely inhabit that story. You can step out of it. Okay, after having revealed all of that about myself, let’s take a look at some of these typical fractal stories. These stories are typically referred to as archetypal, and they’re generally credited to Carl Jung and his concept of Jungian archetypes. However, I don’t know if you know this yet or not, but Carl Jung actually purchased one of the first books out of the Nag Hammadi after they were discovered in the 1940s. He purchased one and had it translated into German, and it is from his reading of this ancient Gnostic text that he came up with his notions of archetypes, from the Aeons of the Fullness. So what it is, is that there are major events and characters that appear in all of humanity’s different stories of origins in their different mythologies. Common archetypes are birth, death, leaving home, initiation into a new thing, marriage, the union of opposites. Archetypal characters include mother, father, child, God, the wise old man or the wise old woman, the trickster, and the hero. Some of the archetypal motifs are apocalyptic visions, the flood, and creation. We actually enact these stories, these gigantic world-embracing stories, in our little lives over and over and over again. Here are some of the archetypal characters of literature. The caregiver, often a parent character, desiring to protect and care for others, usually associated with compassion and generosity, sometimes martyrdom. The creator is a creative and imaginative character, could be an artist, an inventor, a writer, a musician, an innovator, a visionary. The explorer, who wants to experience new things and freedom, self-discovery explorations or physical journey explorations, seeking a more authentic life, not conforming to the status quo. Adventure around every corner, could be pilgrims, an individualist, or a physical wanderer about the earth or the cosmos. The hero character is very common in our movies and television and stories. That is a person who seeks to prove their worth through courageous and heroic acts. I think here of the American Ninja Warrior television program, and the incredible feats of physical prowess those ninja warriors exhibit as they go through the obstacle course, that each time they go through the obstacle course, it’s a hero’s journey. Warriors, rescuers, soldiers, police, team members, these are heroes. There is a character called the innocent, an optimistic person whose worst fear is doing something bad. The innocent is always seeking to do the right thing, and there is a certain naive innocence about them. They can be in a romantic dreamy place, always dreaming about perfection and wonder. I would characterize myself as one of these innocents. The jester wants to enjoy life and have a good time. They like to joke around, make people laugh, make the world a happier place. The jester also includes the trickster, or could be a fool, or a comedian, a comic. Another archetype is the lover—the loyal companion. The fear is not being loved, not being wanted, so the lover is passionate and committed and wants to be very attractive to others and to please other people. So they could be a people pleaser, as well as a romantic partner, a good friend, or a spouse. The magician is a visionary. They understand the way the world works. They like to find win-win solutions to problems. They can be manipulative. The magician can be portrayed as a shaman, a healer, or a charismatic leader of some sort. The orphan is a character who wants to belong more than anything in the world. They fear being left out and alone. They are often down-to-earth and empathetic, but they can easily lose their identity while they try to fit in. This can be the everyman, or the girl next door, or the guy next door. I’m thinking of Tom Hanks in The Castaway. The rebel believes that rules are meant to be broken and wants to change something that isn’t working. They might start out with a good goal in mind, but they can easily cross the line from rebellion to crime. So the rebel can be portrayed in literature as a revolutionary or a misfit. You know, like the motorcycle movies of the old days, Rebel Without a Cause, or the outlaw movies of the westerns. A lot of people that are rioting in the streets nowadays are enacting the rebel mode. The ruler is an archetype that wants control, wants to be the top dog in a successful community. Their fear is being overthrown, and so because of that they have a tendency to become authoritarian and to not delegate any roles to the people that are supposed to be advising them, or to, for example, Congress. They like to be the boss, the king, the queen, the president, the politician, or the role model that people look up to. The sage is a truth seeker who uses their intelligence to analyze the world. Their greatest fear is being seen as ignorant, and they spend a lot of time studying and reflecting upon the self. Sometimes they are subject to analysis paralysis, which means you study, study, study, but you’re afraid to go forward, you’re afraid to enact. The sage is a scholar, a philosopher, an academic, a teacher, a Gnostic. I am both innocent and a sage, and I’m pretty sure a lot of you listeners are also sages, or else you wouldn’t be listening to this podcast. So these archetypes, they’re not singular and pure. You can combine them in various combinations. I just said, for example, I’m a sage, and an innocent, and a woman scorned, for example. Well, complicated type of personality there. We humans have been using the same major archetypal characters in our large mythologies, our cultural mythologies, our origin stories, and our literature since the beginning of recorded history, and they’re the same archetypes. They’re popular because this is the human condition, and we’re not inventing it as we go along. We’re stepping into these roles and these stories, and that’s what I mean by them being fractals. And when I consider this logically, it seems to me that these stories must have been imagined in the minds of the Aeons of the Fullness. I always imagine the Aeons sitting there in their golden stack of cannonballs, but in their minds, they’re all dreaming the same dream. They’re writing these plays, and they’re casting these imaginal characters, and they’re sharing one dream that’s kind of like a big movie, a big walk around. And our world is a physical enactment of that dream of the Aeons, because it was in the mind of Logos when Logos fell. And also, it’s in our DNA, because our DNA has encoded all of the messages of the Aeons of the Fullness. We have the Fullness of God fully within us, and therefore we have this imagination. The Pleroma sits in perfect stillness and harmony, sharing a dream of Paradise. And I’ve said on this Gnostic Insights podcast before that our imagination of heaven, our foretaste of paradise, is the dream of the Aeons, literally. And the reason this world of ours is so disappointing is because it’s fallen. We want to be in paradise with the Aeons. We want to be enacting these stories, but we always want the happy ending. We want them to be happy and to be going along on the positive side. We don’t want them to flip to negativity. And of course, in the Fullness of God, it is all positive by definition. The Fullness of God does not embrace shadow, darkness, disappointment, or death. And so, our expectation of love, fidelity, success, courage, all these stories, they are actually in their perfection in the dreams of the Aeons. And that’s why we expect it, because it’s in our DNA. Okay, that’s enough for today. This has been my take on fractal stories and an introduction to the Jungian archetypes, although I don’t need to credit Jung with that, because they do pre-exist. It’s just that if you want to read more about archetypes, you can do some reading with Jung. Onward and upward. See you next time. God bless. Thank you for subscribing. Please share these posts with others. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Stripe Credit Card *Choose your item *Item A - $10.00Item B - $25.00Item C - $50.00Total$0.00Submit

In this episode of Long Blue Leadership, Joel “Thor” Neeb '99 explains this simple framework. “Yes” builds experience. “No” protects focus and time. SUMMARY In this episode of Long Blue Leadership, Joel Neeb '99 explains this simple framework. Yes builds experience. No protects focus and time. Leadership is knowing when to shift.   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   JOEL'S TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS 1. Time is your most finite — and most misused — resource. Facing mortality created instant clarity: Stop letting others waste your time. You must actively protect time to focus on what matters most. 2. Regret comes from inaction — not failure. Neeb didn't regret failures — he regretted not trying things that were uncomfortable. Leadership growth = bias toward action in uncertainty. 3. Imposter syndrome + growth mindset = a leadership superpower — “I don't belong here… yet” paired with effort fuels growth. Elite teams are full of people quietly thinking the same thing — and pushing forward anyway. 4. Reinvention is not optional — it's continuous. You don't “transition” to a new role — you start over from scratch. The best leaders willingly become beginners again. 5. Comfort is the enemy of growth. When things become easy, growth stops. Leaders must intentionally seek discomfort, not avoid it. 6. Elite teams + inspiring mission = peak human performance The most meaningful work comes from: Being on a team where you feel you must earn your place and pursuing a mission bigger than yourself. This combination drives purpose and performance. 7. Say yes early in life, say no later in life. Under 35: Say yes to everything → build capability through exposure. Over 35: Say no to almost everything that doesn't align with your goals → protect focus. Leadership maturity = ruthless prioritization. 8. The future belongs to those who disrupt themselves first. AI (and any disruption) rewards those who move early. “Stay slightly ahead of the rate of change” = competitive advantage. 9. AI should be a thought partner in everything; not a replacement but an accelerator. Leaders who integrate AI into daily workflows will move exponentially faster. 10. Think in five-year transformations, not three-month wins. People overestimate short-term output and underestimate long-term transformation. Leadership requires a bold long-term vision and daily actions from that vision.   CHAPTERS 00:00:00 — Introduction: From Fighter Pilot to CEO-Level Leadership 00:00:49 — Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis: The Moment That Changed Everything 00:03:48 — Clarity on Time, Regret, and What Truly Matters 00:07:02 — Reinventing Yourself: Leaving the Military & Starting Over 00:10:04 — Growth Mindset, Imposter Syndrome & Elite Teams 00:13:38 — Learning the Language of Business 00:17:14 — AI Is Disrupting Everything: What Leaders Must Know 00:22:46 — Using AI as a Thought Partner to Move Faster 00:24:58 — Say Yes Early, Say No Later: Mastering Your Time 00:35:06 — Big Goals, Long-Term Thinking & Final Leadership Lessons 00:37:22 — Joel's Big Audacious Goal: Leading Through AI Disruption 00:42:47 — Using AI to Learn Faster (Even While Working Out) 00:48:14 — Closing Thoughts and Key Takeaways   ABOUT JOEL BIO Joel "Thor" Neeb '99 is a recognized business leader in the software-as-a-service (SAAS) industry. He most recently served as vice president of execution and transformation at VMware, where he led a cultural and operating model transformation for the 40,000-person company as well as helped launch VMware's AI roadmap and strategy. Prior to VMware, he served as chief executive officer at Afterburner Inc., where he led more than 100 elite professionals, including former fighter pilots, Navy SEALs, and Army Rangers, in helping global organizations achieve breakthrough performance. Neeb is a former United States Air Force F-15 mission commander. He was the tactical leader of 300 of the most senior combat pilots in the U.S. Air Force and oversaw the execution of a $150-million-per-year flight program.   CONNECT WITH JOEL LINKEDIN  |  8x8   CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LINE PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Ted Robertson | Producer and Editor:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org   Ryan Hall | Director:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org     ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     FULL TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS: Guest, Joel "Thor" Neeb '99 | Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:11 Joel, my friend, welcome to Long Blue Leadership.   Joel Neeb 0:13 Thank you very much. So glad to chat with you.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:15 Oh gosh. Well, we are excited for this. It's going to be just a filled conversation of incredible insights, and you have so much to share. And I think what's really special about this is how we're going to touch into AI, because it is relevant, and it's everywhere now, but I actually want to dial it back first to a very specific moment in time, and it's probably an area that has really transformed your life, right? So you went through stage 4 cancer. I mean, not many people can say that they have gone through that and survived it, and I think it also really impacted others in your family. Can you just share a little bit about your story? Joel Neeb 0:49 Yeah, so back in 2010 I was flying, on top of the world. I was going through the interview process for the Air Force Thunderbirds, and I found out, out of nowhere, that I had a stage 4 cancer diagnosis. So within just a couple of weeks, I went from feeling like I was at the peak of good health to now being told that I had about 18 months to live and a 15% chance to live five years. And those would be a pretty gruesome five years if I did make it that far. And so that was the new reality that I had to contend with. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 1:19 I can't even imagine that. I mean, just… Was there some kind of indication, like, you went in and you were checked up and they found this? I mean, it just wow, just boom. Joel Neeb 1:30 You know, it's funny. I actually have to credit the flying role with most likely diagnosing and solving this for me early. Because when I would fly and I'd have my G suit on my abdomen, it would inflate against me when I pulled Gs, and it was a pain that I was experienced on the right side of my abdomen that right around my appendix. On a scale of one to 10, it was like a two. So nothing big, but big enough that when I went and saw the flight surgeon for my annual physical, I mentioned it, and I said, I'm sure it's nothing, but they did the right thing, and did some quick tests and ultrasound on that area and some MRI work, and they were able to very quickly determine that a big tumor grown in that spot. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 2:09 Wow. Well, I guess right there, just a lesson off the bat is listen to your body. You know your body, and if something doesn't feel right, seem right, you know, say something and get it checked out.   Joel Neeb 2:18 That's exactly right.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 2:19 Oh, my goodness. OK, so you got that diagnosis. You're sitting there with that information. How do you process that? What is the conversation with your wife, you know, what's the next step when you're given some kind of timeline like that? Joel Neeb 2:34 Yeah, you know, it's interesting. I would have thought having gone through like fighter pilot training and even the Air Force Academy, and, you know, all the things that build resilience in life, that I would have felt more prepared for that moment. In other words, that I would have felt more prepared than the average individual. But I did not. I felt, I felt very much like I was in a catastrophe from which I couldn't see how to get through the day to day activities. I was a zombie around the house and it really relied on my wife and my family stepping in to help me. And so for a good couple months, it's was just kind of inconsolable and, you know, I always like to say it was, I would wake up and go through my day very, very tired because I didn't sleep the night before. And then I go to bed staring at the ceiling fan spinning, trying to figure out, you know, any options that I would have to extend my life for my kids to remember me a little bit. I had a 1- and a 3-year-old and so I went through life for a couple of months just a zombie and doing very poorly. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 3:38 So what changed in that couple of months that, I guess, changed the trajectory of how you looked at things, or how you approached her, or what happened? Joel Neeb 3:48 Yeah, you know, there's a great quote that I repeat a lot, which I think makes a lot of sense, which is “the dying have the most to teach us about life.” And what it really means is that when you're faced with these types of struggles, that all of a sudden, whether you're 80 or 33 like I was, you get a certain amount of clarity right in that moment and it's good for eliminating the rest of the noise in your life and identifying what's most important and what should have been most important all along. And that comes through and is in the forefront is it was fascinating to me that the moment I got the diagnosis, immediately I was mad at myself for spending any extra time at work, like it was like a light switch in my head went off and said, like, “You shouldn't have stayed that extra hour at work just to watch the clock turn. You were done with your job there.” I had a boss at the time that I was a huge fan of and he was a clock watcher, and wanted just to be in there to fill up time. And my mind immediately went to “now my finite resource is time, and I've been wasting it.” And I remember vowing that I'll never waste my time again, and I've been very disciplined against letting anybody steal time from me from that point forward; that was one of the key things I took away. And then looking back in my life, there were things I regretted, things that I celebrated and that I was proud of, and also considered what I would do differently if I was given a second chance. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 5:05 So, you know, you wrote a book called Survivor's Obligation. I'm curious about this journey, though, because obviously you beat it 15 years later, you're here. So, you know, you beat the odds of the 18 months. What was that like when you still had to provide for your family? You know, you were still working like, what was that journey like? Joel Neeb 5:25 Yeah, first of all, I have to credit the Air Force with showing up in a huge way. At that time, I was watching other people in the civilian sector who were undergoing cancer struggles, and they had a much more difficult time than I did. The Air Force had stepped in and was making meals around the clock for my family. I didn't have to show up to work. I you know, they afforded me every opportunity to get better and I really credit the Air Force family with getting me through that period of time, in ways I just certainly would not have been able to get through on my own, and in terms of, like how I looked at my life as I was thinking about the things I was proud of and the things I regretted. The things that I was proud of I was a little surprised by, and the things I regretted I was surprised by. I didn't regret my failures, of which there were many. I didn't regret them, because what I actually regretted were those times that I didn't try, where there's times where I didn't make the effort into doing something new that was a little bit scary, that would have put me outside of my comfort zone, and maybe would have challenged my ego a little bit. And now the end of my life was here, and I'd never have a chance to do anything else. You know, my story was complete. And I said, you know, really angry at that. Had I gotten a second chance, I would do things very differently. I love being a fighter pilot, but I would have preferred it to have been a chapter in my life, not the entire book. I would have tried to go to the business world and done all these things, and when I did get that second chance, and basically, God called my bluff and said, “All right, let's see if you actually follow through with this.” Then, of course, I had to hold myself accountable to living differently in that next chapter.  Col. Naviere Walkewicz 7:02 So that's what you're doing now. You're living in this next chapter. And so, I mean, I think there's a transition out of the military. Obviously, you retired as a lieutenant colonel. And so talk us a little bit about in this moment of what you're going to do if given a second chance. Let's talk about what some of those things that you took a chance on, maybe in the business world first. Joel Neeb 7:24 Sure. So our mutual friend, Kovacic, he says, “I'm in the middle of my Texas Longhorn MBA right now. It's amazing. It's just down the street from you.” He knew — he was following my cancer struggle closely. And he said, “Look, you're two years into this journey. Who knows what the future holds?” But I talked to him about wanting to be in the business sector and trying something new. And he said, “If you're serious about that, you should join the MBA program.” And so that's what I did. I went and joined the MBA program and had a blast being the dumbest guy in the room, by far, in business school. At the same time, it almost reminded me of being a fighter pilot again, or at least the early days of being a fighter pilot, because it was a little bit of a combination of terror and exhilaration, which is really what I loved about being a fighter pilot. That first time you go upside down by yourself and in pilot training and you prove to yourself you can do it, you're a little bit terrified, but fully exhilarated, and knowing that this is exactly what you should be doing. At the same time, I had that same sentiment as I'm sitting in business school classes, as I'm trying to keep up with the conversation there, and you say, “Well, you know that's so different from flying a plane, how are you getting the same joy out of it?” And it's really because where I landed with, you know, what did I value most in life. It came down to the times when I was on an elite team with an inspiring mission, an elite team, meaning I felt like I didn't deserve that spot there. And the little secret was, everybody on the elite team didn't feel like they deserve that spot there. But boy, are they going to try to earn it. And then that inspiring mission that we're pursuing, whether it was our time at the Air Force Academy, I always felt like I didn't deserve to be there. I felt like that was an incredibly elite team with an inspiring mission. Felt the same way about being a fighter pilot. Had a healthy dose of imposter syndrome going through all of this, but I've learned to believe that that's a bit of a superpower, in a sense, because if you have imposter syndrome coupled with a growth mindset, which means I don't belong here today, but I can sure earn the right if I try hard. I think that helps us to really realize the full potential of our lives. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 9:26 Really well said. And I think that actually kind of helps us see how you're able to make that transition. I want to go back to the fact, — first off, Kope is amazing. I love that he, you know — it talks about the Long Blue Line and our networks from the Air Force Academy. They really are for life. And I think, you know, you just, kind of just showed that you applied and you participated in this MBA program when you're in your mid-30s. Then can you talk about that a little bit? I think there's an interest in, “Oh, if I didn't do this in my 20s, it's too late.” Can you talk about that transition in, you know, your mid-30s, and do you think that was the right time? Can people do it later in their life, etc? Joel Neeb 10:04 So I would say you certainly can do it at any point in life. You can recreate yourself at any point. A lot of — gonna go totally off topic, but a lot of longevity science is saying that the first person to live to be 150 is alive today, meaning we're all going to see a lot more healthy years hopefully in our lives than ever before. So that should mean that all of us should pursue multiple chapters, and there's certainly not a point in life where we're done reinventing ourselves. But the key is the word “reinventing.” And I was at a point in my career where, at 33 years old, I was very, very comfortable flying. I was very, very comfortable doing air shows and flybys and leading missions and signing autographs. And so my identity was a lot of ego and not a lot of growth, meaning it felt good to be told how great I was at doing a certain skill set, but it wasn't that hard to do anymore. It becomes rote, and I wasn't growing at this point. In order to go into the business world, I had to completely reinvent myself. And I like to tell people that are transitioning out of the military, as difficult as it was to do the first thing, whether that's be a fighter pilot or an intel officer, or how you had to reinvent yourself at 23 years old — that's just as challenging as it's going to be. You have to sign up again for the B course, as we call it, as fighter pilots. The thing that introduces you to being a fighter pilot and realize that you're devoting that much effort to reinvent yourself. And people would push back and say, “Yeah, but you've already led in these environments. You have all of these things that should carry over. Wouldn't it be easier for you just to make a transition and less of that initiation energy that's required to start this new thing?” The answer is no, you literally have to start it over, as if you're 25 years old. You got to eat a lot of humble pie and realize you're not special in this environment. But the good news is, you can become special very quickly if you're willing to reinvent yourself now — you bring perspective that nobody else can carry. Nobody else knows how to navigate high stakes, life-or-death environments like we've learned in the military. Nobody shows up with the processes that we've learned through checklists and through cultural training, all the things that maybe we didn't even aware that we're seeing. As soon as you see the opposite in the business world and you realize, well, we don't have that great of a culture here. We had a great one in the military. That's a huge resource that you can bring into that environment, but only after you've completely reinvented yourself and translated your skill set into something that's meaningful for that business setting. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 12:28 So Joel, that's fascinating, because what you're saying is you're almost stripping yourself of all these experiences to really open up your aperture for what's new. And I'm curious if this was a way you came into that? Sid you go in with your eyes wide open with that plan, or did you learn this about yourself? Joel Neeb 12:47 I came into it arrogantly. I went into these conversations thinking, “Wait till they see how much I have to offer. I've been in very complex scenarios. I've led my way out of them. I have all these awards for being a good leader and a good instructor, and so just wait until they see what I've got to offer.” And that's why business school helped me out a lot, because in a sandbox setting that really didn't have consequences, I got to participate in conversations and learn very quickly I didn't know what they were talking about and that they were — they had an understanding around business already that I didn't have. I didn't understand the language, and I needed to really reeducate myself to become ready in this moment. And so there were moments in that period where I would have done very differently in approaching that next transition, had I known how far I had to go to really having something to offer the business sector. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 13:38 Was there a moment during that time when you were getting your MBA that, in a way that cancer startled you as a life-or-death situation, and you changed your you know — “If I'm given a second chance.” Was there a moment in the business, you know, getting your MBA where you like, really, like, linked into like, this is what I'm going to be doing. It was so clear to you the next move in this, in this journey. Joel Neeb 14:04 Yeah, I say that. I mean, there's one that stands out that really showed how little I understood the business world. So they're talking about pipeline in this conversation at my MBA school, and they said, “You know, we need to improve pipeline. We're working on getting better pipeline for our needs.” And I'm listening to this thinking, “What are they talking about? Is this like an oil pipeline? Is this pipe plumbing? What do they mean?” And for those in the business sector, of course, you understand. They're talking about a sales pipeline. A sales pipeline is a sales funnel that shows that the leads that turns into the sales and the conversion rate and all the things that that, of course, I know intimately well. Now, at that point, it showed me that there's an entire language I just haven't been exposed to, because I'd been talking about missiles and G forces and airplanes for so long that it didn't matter how much experience I was bringing to the table. There was a language I didn't understand. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 14:50 I think that is really, really thoughtful in how you showed that, because then it helped you probably in navigating when you're leading, you know, other teams that have different experiences coming to the table. So when you learn that language, and I want to talk a little bit about, you know, CEO of Afterburner, let's just talk about your role in the civilian sector, your multiple roles, I'd love for you to share a couple of stories where you've grown as a leader and where you've continued to learn things about yourself in that space. Joel Neeb 15:22 Yeah, so at Afterburner, what we end up doing at Afterburner, more often than not, was leading in keynotes, doing workshops for training, and what we would show them is how you can leverage the things that we learned in the military on the elite teams that we participated in, whether that's Green Beret, fighter pilot, Navy SEAL — we hired all those backgrounds, and, of course, look for teams that had a business degree on top of that. What we ended up doing was getting on stage in front of these folks and sometimes talking to 10,000 people. So I've done presentations in front of 10,000 people in my past. And what I was surprised by — thinking about the learning opportunities and where the growth came from — is that even after having done 3,000 briefings, you know, in a fighter pilot setting, and getting in front of the red flag team in Nellis and doing a presentation there, I would be behind the scenes at some of these huge presentations, and I would get incredible stage fright, I guess is the only way to say it. Butterflies. I would feel like I was going to pass out. And the reason I share this is because I was frustrated that it didn't translate better to this new thing that I was looking to do with public speaking. Now I'm talking for an hour, and I had to be engaging and comical at times, and, you know, bringing the audience into it. I say that because, once again, I was finding that that combination of terror and exhilaration and proving to myself that I could do it, and I had a new place that I needed to grow into for that now, I've done this enough times where my heart rate doesn't go up a beat when I do this at this point, but that's after doing thousands of presentations and I think the key takeaway for me was our growth is never over with, and it's growth that really feels good, and so leaning into those areas of discomfort has been something that's been really important to me my entire life, particularly after cancer. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 17:06 So what is growing you now? What is new for you that you are pursuing in your personal growth and development? Joel Neeb 17:14 Yeah, so it was new for me now is what's new for society, this next era with AI. AI is going to disrupt every one of our lives. And just as aggressively as AI disrupted my life with cancer, or, excuse me, as cancer disrupted my life, or even becoming a fighter pilot or joining business school disrupted my life, we see the same thing take place on a personal and professional level because of just how powerful this new technology is. And if you're sitting there wondering, “It hallucinates still, and I don't really buy it, and we'll see where this ends up,” I'm here to tell you, as somebody who's at the bleeding edge of AI that's going to transform every single thing we do in very good ways, but also disrupt the way you think you add value today, and the way you think that you know we should participate on teams right now. And so that's it's going to disrupt everything. And so I'm looking to constantly reinvent myself in the context of this next era. And I'm also looking to lead our 2,400-person company at 8x8 on that same journey, so that we can disrupt ourselves before we're disrupted. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 18:14 So what does that look like right now? Share something maybe that is on the leading edge of that, you know, that forefront of being disruptive before you're disrupted in your organization. Joel Neeb 18:27 Yeah, so for us, it's making this new technology as accessible as possible so that we can break down the barriers for using it and realizing that, much like in the '90s, we went from only a small technical portion of the company that was using computers, then expanded to, of course, everyone in the company is using a computer on every desk. But that wasn't always like that in the late '80s and early '90s; that was just reserved for a very technical portion of the group. Now that expanded. Of course, everyone's on the net. You wouldn't dream of trying to get a job without being internet savvy and having computer skills. We're going to see the same thing take place with AI and so, and I don't just mean using AI. I mean using AI to code, using AI to build things, and it's not just going to be reserved for that technical component of the company anymore. And so what that looks like for us: We conduct a weekly session where we talk about the use cases from the previous week on a personal and a professional level. Why is that important? Because now we're breaking down that barrier. So last week, I'll give you an example. We had somebody whose father passed a couple months ago, and this person had he lives in the UK. He's from Africa. His father had never met his son, so this person's grandson, his father's grandson, he'd never met. And by using AI at his funeral, he was able to take their images and create a moment where they came together and hugged and picked up the grandson and played this really touching video for the rest of the people there to share in that moment that never really happened, of course, but was able to celebrate this person's life and that connection through the grandson. And it was just a really I mean, they were people that were getting emotional, talking about it, listening to the story. And then we have somebody else say, I had my basement flood, and I took pictures of it, and I used AI to imagine how we would have to renovate it and build it back better. And somebody else says I successfully used AI to combat the tax increase on my house, because I came up with good comparables around the area and a good way to beat it. By the way, it's a really good one to use, if you have…    Col. Naviere Walkewicz 20:32 A mental note right there.    Joel Neeb 20:33 Exactly. So we're lowering the barriers on a personal level. So then when I tell you on a professional level, here are my expectations for how you'll bring AI to the table to accelerate the things you're already doing, the teams are ready to do that, and that's been a really important aspect of this journey. Naviere Walkewicz 20:50 Is it important for an organization to already have a culture that is open to — I think what you know is you're going to get a bunch of different perspectives. You're going to get a, you know, maybe thinking outside the box that you wouldn't have thought of. So would you say that the organization was ready for that? Or have you had to create that culture along the way? Joel Neeb 21:11 Yeah, I'd say, you know, change is hard. Nobody likes change. We like being through change. And so one of the things that growth provides an opportunity to change for the better, but it's always start to get that activation energy to really pursue change. And so what we had to teach the culture at 8x8 is to not be change weary, but to be change ready, and to understand that in this era, our ability to stay a couple months ahead of the rate of change will be a superpower the likes of which no one can compete with us. Meaning as difficult as it is to pursue this change and to continue reinventing yourself — and when I say revenge up, I mean if you're doing the same thing today in six months, then you're gonna be passed by — literally changing that fast. And we're seeing that inside of our company. And so the new constant will be changed. The new constant will be disruption. And the faster we get comfortable with that, and the faster we realize that if we disrupt ourselves a little bit faster than the competition, that's a superpower, but we're already enjoying it internally within 8x8, but it's because we've forced ourselves to get a little bit ahead. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 22:15 that's really interesting. And I imagine, would you say that it takes, you know, when you are in this transformation mode, because this is what you're taking your organization through, you know, how are you coaching as a leader? How are you — maybe it's through the repetition of trying it in their personal life. But you know, what are you sharing from a leadership perspective that's helping them think that way constantly, right? I mean, it's different from, “OK, I'm going to do this today and…” But how are they constantly ingraining that in themselves? And how are you leading that?   Joel Neeb 22:46 Yeah, a couple of ways. One, we're saying that AI should be a thought partner in everything that we do, maybe not a thought leader, meaning, I'm not going to hand off a decision or an activity to AI, per se, but literally in everything that we do. So I'll give you a quick example in your role. So you're doing podcasts, and these are amazing. And by the way, you're poised, and I'm not surprised after knowing you at the Academy, because you were very polished then. But this is incredible. You did a phenomenal job with this. But let's say that you want to get some feedback after this session. You can take this transcript, upload it to AI, and you would say, “Give me the key themes from this session that we discussed.” You could say, “Create emails that will be enticing and send them out to the entire team based on this transcript that we have for this conversation.” You could say, “Create new episodes and new questions for the next 10 guests that will continue to weave a red thread of common questions and common themes throughout all these.” Where I'm going with this is when you consider how to use AI as a thought partner in everything that you're doing, you can go 100 times faster on the key things that we want to accomplish. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 23:52 I believe that wholeheartedly. And just a little side story, I'm coaching my son's fifth grade basketball team. Never coached basketball before, and he's going to be middle school next year, so it's the one and only year. But I used ChatGPT to build out my coaching plan, and we are — we only lost our first game and we've been undefeated since so I'm going to hand it off to my ChatGPT coaching partner.   Joel Neeb 24:13 That's amazing. That's a great story. See, that would be one we'd love to hear at our session that we do every week around how accessible AI is. Because people hear that and they say,” I can do that too. I want to bring that to my kids game.” The more we use it every single day, the better prepared we're going to be for the big changes that are coming. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 24:27 Excellent. So Joel, I want to dig into your personal life a little bit, because you have such a fascinating way of — I mean, you make everyone feel that the moment that they're spending with you is 100% theirs. But I know in the background — and your time is important, you talked about that — but I know in the background, you are doing so many things. You've got your family is a key pillar. You know, your health and fitness is a key pillar. You're traveling all the time. As a leader. You know, how are you navigating all of that and doing it so well? Joel Neeb 24:58 Well, first of all, I appreciate the sentiment. I certainly don't feel like I'm always doing it well, but I'll tell you my philosophy and how I mentor people that are that are pursuing a path to their dreams, and whatever that dream might look like, is the following. I tell them, “If you're younger than 35 years old, you need to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way.” What do I mean by that? When the boss asks you if you're able to give a big sales presentation, even though the voice in the back of your head says you're not ready for this — “I don't think you you're gonna do well,” the answer is yes. You prepare yourself, you go out there, you embarrass yourself, you do it better next time. And that's how you learn through that process. When they ask you if you're ready to go lead this mission, your answer is yes. You're gonna figure it out. You're gonna do everything behind the scenes to make sure that you're successful. And you're going to push yourself into that discomfort zone and ensure that you're leaning into all of those opportunities as aggressively as you can. Why? Because it's exposure to all of those areas of discomfort that really owns the discipline for us to perform in this positive way when you get to those areas now. When you're after 35 years old, the main advice that I give to people is that you're flipping the script. You are no longer going to say yes to everything you're asked. You're going to aggressively say no to everything you're asked unless it aligns to your key things that you want to pursue in life. So you're completely looking at it in a different direction. I've said yes to everything for the first half of my life. Now I'm saying no to everything in the second half. Why? Because it's the distractions that stop us from doing the big things in life. Once we pass about 35 years old, the better you are at saying no to things, the freer your time will be to say yes to the most important things. So while it looks like I'm juggling a lot of things, to your point, I'm aggressively saying no to everything else that doesn't align with a few things that I have really focused my time on. Naviere Walkewicz 26:52 So let's pull that thread a little bit more, because saying no is uncomfortable, and it may feel to some that they are letting others down. How do you or how might you coach them through telling someone no? Joel Neeb 27:09 Yeah, I would say that I don't have that problem. I probably did, and certainly prior to cancer, I would have. I am at the place now after I've learned how short all of our lives are, not just my life because I had a cancer battle. And the big surprise for me was not that I might die in 18 months, it was that I was going to die at all. Because for all of us, that notion of death is so far away and really something that we don't really come face to face with very often in life, that all of a sudden I had to accept the fact that I was going to die someday, and I better make good use of the time between now and then. So when people ask to have my time, I aggressively say no. I never feel bad about it. And then I also introduce gatekeepers to my time on top of that. So I don't even — most of the time you're working with my executive assistant, most of the time you're gonna be working with somebody on my team, and that's because I want to jealously guard my time at this stage so I can be as incredibly impactful on the few things that I want to do as possible. That desire dwarfs any emotional attachment I would have to say no to somebody else that long time. It doesn't even cross my mind to think twice about it. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 28:25 I think that's a great lesson right there. I mean, I think if you actually put time as the, you know, main, the thing you're protecting, right, everything else on to your point, it dwarfs behind that. And I think the way you did that, you actually made it very doable for people to say no, because now you've created gatekeepers, you put some stops in there. And I think that's a lesson that people can take away as they're looking to navigate their journey forward. So thank you for sharing that for sure. So, you know, you wrote two books, I'm sure there's probably more. Is that something you've always wanted to do, or has that been a realization of “I've experienced this, and there's a — I need to share this. Like, what was the impetus behind writing books on your experiences? Joel Neeb 29:09 Yeah, great question. Very different reason I wrote both books. So the first book was born out of this feeling that as I was going through cancer, that clarity that I experienced: The dying-have-the-most-to-teach-us-about-life piece of it, I came back to the sense that, wow, I wish I knew this before I had cancer, I would have lived my life very differently, and I had made a deal with God that, you know, if I do make it through this, I want to share these insights and share what you know, my perspective was from being on this precipice with death and what I take away from it, because I did think it was valuable enough for my life to share with others in my immediate vicinity and then to write it in a book. And I just needed to get that out of me. The second one for the insight age is much more around what is the template that I wanted to pursue within companies to help take them from the Information Age where we have universal access to information, to the Insight Age, where we now have universal access to AI-driven insights, and how you prepare for that. I wanted people to have the template for it and understanding about how I approached it before I showed up so that we could all be on the same sheet of music when I led the transformation. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 30:15 OK, that's really helpful. So as we think about AI in business, and, you know, having a template for that, can we talk a little bit? And we went to the Air Force Academy, and so I, gosh, I can't even imagine how I might have been a better student had we had AI back in the day. But how do you see AI disrupting? You know, our service academy cadets are, you know, anyone going through, you know, degree programs, you know, how do you use it where there's still original thought, but obviously it's, there's a thought partner that is helping you and maybe accelerate that. I mean, how is that working? Joel Neeb 30:49 It's the same shift that you and I both experienced with universal access to information in the Information Age. And so in other words, there was a time where you had to memorize every phone number that you would call in your network, right? I mean, I sat down — we went to a high school reunion recently and we all sat down and we're trying to rattle off the phone numbers across the table. And we got most of them out there, still lingering in our head somewhere, these memorized phone numbers for everybody. I couldn't tell you, like, my kids phone numbers at this point, like, because I'd push a button and I just get it. And where I'm going with that is we're now in an era where memorization of rote facts and phone numbers and just facts that you can find in the internet is no longer required, and we're used to that, right? And so I wouldn't say that we think less. I would say we think a lot more. At this era there's a risk right now of saying, “I'm no longer going to be required to do critical thinking, because AI is going to do some of that for me.” And the answer is, it will. But much like I got a calculator for every GR that I got to go to — I did a math minor at the Academy…    Col. Naviere Walkwicz 31:54 That's why I didn't see you in any classes.     Joel Neeb 31:59 I brought a calculator to every test, but it certainly didn't make it easier. If anything, it made it harder. I would have had an easier time like writing down calculations and just having to do the arithmetic. Because I had something that did the arithmetic for me, it elevated my thought process and made me more responsible for the critical thinking. You're going to see the same thing with AI. So as you think about it, how AI will disrupt a knowledge institution like the Air Force Academy. At first blush, we would think, well, it's just going to make it easier to cheat. It's going to make it easier to do the things that we're doing today. Yes, it does, just like if I only was doing arithmetic, a calculator makes it easier for me to do that, and I can turn my brain off. But as we all know, it's just going to elevate the threshold for what is required of us, right? So we're going to go in right, we're going to go into this next era with a thought partner on everything that we do, but you still have to guide that thought partner. You still have to point it in the right direction. You have to ask it the right questions. This era is going to be much less about having the right answers and much more about asking the right questions to find success.   Col. Naviere Walkwicz 32:59 Which is critical thinking at its finest, honestly. Fascinating. So, you know, Joel, I think about you and, you know, when I see the, like, the things that you're doing, American Ninja Warrior, your family is involved in this. How do you see, you know, how do you bring your family into the vision that you have it with the growth mindset? Do you see that that's how your family is? All the children are raised that way your wife is. I mean, is this the way that the Neeb household kind of operates? And has it always been this way, or has it really been since you kind of came to that realization that life is too precious for me to live otherwise? Joel Neeb 33:35 Yeah, I mean, I try to live the philosophy that I want my family to live as well. And it's not the Joel show, meaning this is not just for them to support me and go cheer in the crowd at American Ninja Warrior. My wife has gone on and done physique competitions like you have as well. Col. Naviere Walkwicz 33:49 She's amazing. Your whole family's amazing. Joel Neeb 33:53 And she's a regional board member for a group called YPO. So she's in charge of 3,000 CEOs and a network for that. And then she just did a presentation to Europe yesterday on AI herself, and she's going to be traveling to Europe next month to do the presentation in a live setting. And so where I'm going with this is, I feel like because of my cancer battle, because of what we've experienced as a family, and we've learned how precious our time was and how incredible it is to experience that combination of terror and exhilaration, all of us lean into those moments, and we don't do it perfectly, and we all get mad at traffic, and we all are lazy once in a while, and, you know, myself included, but more, we try to do a little bit extra step into that direction, because it has been such a fun way to live after having the scare that we had as a family. Col. Naviere Walkwicz 34:43 That makes sense, and I can really see your family embracing that. You know, I want to ask you a question about yourself and what you're doing on a daily basis to be better, and it sounds like you're already thinking about it right? Reinvention on a constant basis. But if there was anything else you would say that you're doing on a daily basis to be better and better is, you know, in quotes, like you define what better is, what would that be? Joel Neeb 35:06 Yeah, I think that there's a couple of things that I think we should all try to do if we're trying to be, quote, unquote “better.” As you said, there's a quote I like that that says that we vastly overestimate what we can do in three months and we underestimate what we can do in five years. Col. Naviere Walkwicz 35:27 OK, wait, say that one more time. If you don't mind, say it one more time. Joel Neeb 35:30 Yeah, really, we overestimate what we can do in three months. “I can't wait for February. I'm going to do X, Y and Z.” And then we disappoint ourselves because we didn't accomplish all those things. And yet we underestimate what we can do in five years. What do I mean by that? It means that if we were intentional about what we wanted to do in the long term, about what we wanted to grow into in years from now, five years from now, you can reinvent yourself to be anything. I think conceivably, any of us could say, “I could accomplish just about anything in five years, if I put my mind to it.” The problem is we think in the short term, and so a lot of us think of I need this happen fast. I need the, you know, in three months. I need this to take place. That's putting the car before the horse. We need to define what we want to be in the long term and then back into what that implies we need to do right now. That also speaks to the focus that I have and saying no to other things, because if I have this big, audacious goal for what I want to be in the long term, then I have to say no to a lot of things if I'm going to take those steps necessary to start marching down that path. And so what I say to folks is that build that long term first, build that vision of what you want to be in the future that's exciting to you, whether that's a fighter pilot or a CEO or you name it, shoot for the stars, whatever that is that you want to be, and then start backing into it and celebrate the fact that you're doing this. In other words, then people get caught up and, you know, I feel like I'm not making enough progress, and I'm mad at myself for not taking enough steps, I would challenge that and say, don't put the pressure on yourself that you have to do this. Reverse that conversation. Say, “I get to, I get to pursue this vision.” Doesn't mean it'll take place. Doesn't mean to occur. But if I have a vision in mind, and I'm taking steps towards it, even if I don't reach it, I'm still going to be in an incredible place that I wouldn't have been otherwise. And so that's, that's the approach that I would take. Col. Naviere Walkwicz 37:18 All right, Joel, so what is your big audacious goal in five years that you're working towards? Joel Neeb 37:22 Big audacious goal? Yeah, so I am super excited about the future of AI. I think that it has a lot of positive and negative implications for society in general. And so I'll give you a quick example. Right now, we've got 9.5% of our recent graduates that are unemployed, which is much higher than it's ever been from graduating college. That's unique, and what I attribute that to is that we're just starting to see the workforce disruption that's occurring because of AI. We're starting to see the workforce drawdown that's occurring because of it. At the same time, we're seeing companies that are able to do much, much more with AI. And so they're questioning, well, how do I operate as a company? How do I teach everybody to stay on board this training and be successful in this new environment and then societally, we're challenged with, well, how do I set up our young people for success? How do I tell my 19-year-old what to do to do to be successful. So when I think about the big, hairy, audacious goal that I want to go pursue in this next chapter in five years, I want to be on the forefront, helping the government, helping companies, helping everyone to continue disrupting themselves and leaving as few people behind as possible in this next era. Because that's the real threat. And the challenge is cats out of the bag. If we don't do this, China is going to do it like others are going to pass it by. Pass it by. The wrong answer would be to try to step it back in the bag and say we're not doing any I we're going to put regulations around, putting our heads in the sand. We would just get passed by, like, in a few years by our biggest competitors out there, which we know we don't want to have happen. And so the key is, how do we keep as many people up to speed with his transformation possible? So I talked to, you know, graduates like August Pfluger, who's in Congress, and we have, yeah, he's awesome. And so we talk about, what does that look like in the future he's shaping, you know, the future from a government perspective? I talked to former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, is a good friend of mine, and we go on vacations together and a conversation we have about from a corporate perspective: How do we address this as well? So that's my big goal. That's what I want to influence over the next couple of years. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 39:22 Love that. So if you could rewind the clock and, you know, tell your young Joel, and this is really for anyone who is looking for preparing myself for that long term, right? So maybe it's not the five year, the big thing in five years, but it's — this is for what can I do today that is gonna — I'm gonna help myself — future me. What would you tell yourself, Joel? Joel Neeb 39:43 If I were to go back to Academy Joel, I would say, “Take this experience more seriously.” At the time, I kind of resented the experience that I was going through at the Academy, not understanding fully that they understood how to polish the coal to try to make it into a diamond. And I didn't always see the method to the madness behind the scenes and why they were doing things. And I would tell myself to take it more seriously, to lean into the leadership opportunities, lean into the experiences. I think it's a tendency as a cadet to lean away from those and to kind of look at those with resentment. I remember I did, and I wish I would have taken those more seriously. I wish I would have taken my 20s more seriously in terms of pursuing things that were uncomfortable, and not just getting comfortable towards the latter end of my 20s and early 30s, where I was flying upside down with ease every single day and really not doing anything that was challenging me too much. I certainly didn't have it all mastered and figured out. But my discomfort was all but gone in those moments. And so I would tell myself, “Keep leaning into those areas of discomfort, because it's in those areas that we find growth.” And growth is one of the top things that we can feel as a human being. Being a part of an elite team is growing together on an inspiring mission. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 40:56 Well, I know that you are, you know, constantly in the forefront of AI, but what makes you or what causes you discomfort now that you're working through? Joel Neeb 41:05 What causes me discomfort now is compelling a 2,400-person organization to move as quickly as I think we need to. In other words: right now. The things I'm talking to you about, I'm communicating with them about on a daily basis, and we have remotely dispersed teams. I'm staring into cameras like we are right now. So I'm not sitting in the room with them and helping them to learn these things. My discomfort is around how as a leader, can I be more compelling about the burning platform that they're standing on right now, that as soon as it burns away, their role is going to be obliterated, and we're going to be disrupted by the market. And how do I really excite them around this destination that we're pursuing together, where we're going a little bit faster than the rate of change? I'm proud of the progress that we've made, but in terms of the discomfort that I'm feeling, it's almost impossible to go fast enough in this era, and so I am. The thing that keeps me up at night is, how do I make this more compelling for them? And then ultimately, I know that whatever themes I'm learning right now to make it compelling is what I'm going to have to bring to society in this next chapter, as well as we try to keep the entire American society moving ahead of the rate of change that we're experiencing. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 42:14 Well, thank you for that. I would imagine you probably phoned your friend, ChatGPT, on some  ways to do that, but I think that what you really shared today has opened, I think, eyes of how we can partner with technology at our fingertips. I mean, you and I were just chatting before this, and I asked you this, because one of the things I remember you being really big on is finding time to read as a family. I remember you had like Saturday family time, we read. As much as you're traveling and as much as you're trying to move your organization at this rate of change with AI, where do you find time to read now? Joel Neeb 42:47 Yeah, so I use AI for that too. So when I'm in the gym, I upload a chapter at a time into ChatGPT for the books that I'm reading, and I ask it to read it to me in the voice thing that it can do. And so it's reading the book to me. But the really cool part is, it's not just audible. I'm not just hearing, you know, the recording of it. And by the way, you can even tell it talk two times faster or whatever you want to do for the right speed. And I'll interrupt it. The cool part is, I'll say, “Hey, wait a second. I didn't really understand that that part of the book. Break it down for me in simpler terms.” And it'll actually pause, explain it to me and put it in terms that my fighter pilot mind can understand, or I'll even say, “Yeah, tell me about that theme in the context of the company that I'm in, 8x8, and tell me how we can apply that right now, and look at our industry. And how can I take some of this to that team?” And so it takes a book that was generically written and makes it customized for my experience by leveraging AI to do that. So once again, it's a thought partner in literally everything that I do. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 43:42 What's the last book that you read in which you were able to take some of those things to, or maybe that you'd recommend to some of our listeners to listen in via ChatGPT. Joel Neeb 43:51 I just finished reading the Teddy Roosevelt biography, which is phenomenal. What an incredible American, and it was inspiring to read. And I was able to pause it in parts and challenge some parts of the books and say, “Did that really happen?” And,  “Tell me more about this incident in history.” And it explains some historical pieces that I wasn't aware of and the book didn't delve into as much as I would have liked it to. That's a little bit of a boring historian-nerd kind of answer, but that's what I took away from it. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 44:17 Well, thank you for sharing that. So Joel, is there anything that we didn't talk about today that you would really like to make sure that we touch on? Because this has been a really exciting and fascinating conversation for me, but I want to make sure, because this has been your leadership journey, and there's so many facets to that that that we hit on the things that are important? Joel Neeb 44:33 The thing that I've learned in my time is that the foundation that we receive in the military, whether that's the cultural foundation, how we are all aligned with similar values, with a common mission that's inspiring the adherence to what we call in the business world, standard operating procedures, what you would call in the military, a checklist, effectively. That foundation that we have is easily the most valuable resource that I carried into the business world and the teams that I've been on. And I think we underestimate just how powerful that experience is, that during our 20s, we're in this incredibly disciplined environment with a really strong culture, really strong sense of value, really strong sense of mission. Pay attention to that while you have that opportunity. While you're being exposed to it, pay attention to how it was built. Pay attention to how they that accelerated our success in those teams. Because I promise you, you'll want to someday carry those concepts to every team that you're on in the future. And so I think it's an opportunity for us to leverage the incredible team that we're on in the military, and talk about that in an exciting way with whatever team that we participate on down the road. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 45:50 Thank you for sharing that. And if I could just pull on that thread a little bit more in that just in that transition, and taking those to those teams, I want to just jump to your very first transition from military to Afterburner? How did that come about for you? And I think that just our folks will be curious on that. Joel Neeb 46:10 Yeah, so Afterburner is a company that's been around since 1996 and they basically took some of those things from the military that I just spoke to, brought it into a corporate setting and helped them to adopt the same levels of positive outcomes. And when I saw this company, I said, “Wow, they really tapped into something that I that I knew as well intuitively, that if we apply some of these same themes, we could really take over anything in the business world. And so I reached out to the CEO and kept bugging him and continue to stay on his radar until he agreed to bring me into the office in Atlanta. I was living in San Antonio, and I went out there on my own dime and did an interview with them, and it went well. And of course, the rest is history after that point. But I found the thing I wanted to do and pursue, and then a very aggressively got in front of the people that could make it happen and definitely was part of the journey for me that I needed in order to be successful. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 47:04 Yes, I definitely wanted you to share that, because I knew, obviously, you had that experience. You took those things that you learned, and you wanted to hone in as you led other teams. But I think the critical piece was you pursued it, and you continue to pursue it, and you continue to pursue it until you got there, right? And so I think that's a critical part of moving forward and getting what we want. So I really am glad that you shared that, because it may seem that it's really easy just to make the transition, right? You can check all these boxes and so you're the shoe in, but it sounds like that wasn't the case, and you had to make a case for yourself. Joel Neeb 47:39 One-hundred percent. I had to be my own biggest advocate, and not in an arrogant way, in a way that I could show I could add value for that team. And that was, that was a lesson that I've taken and tried to apply since then. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 47:51 Well, I'll tell you what, it's been, gosh, 1999. How many years is that? 25 years for us? I mean, I feel like, you know, this has been a true honor to be able to sit with you. I mean, I've always watched your journey and just really been cheering you on, but I think what's incredible is how you're able to now really give back to our Long Blue Line. So Joel, thank you so much for this time today. It's been really wonderful having on Long Blue Leadership. Joel Neeb 48:14 What a privilege, Naviere. And I would say, you know, you had just asked me back in 1999 if there's a dozen people from the Academy that I thought would be very successful, your name would have been one of them. I don't think there's another person at the Academy who would have said my name. So we came from very different starting points, but I'm super excited to see the success you created, and, more importantly, the impact that you have on our graduate community, because it is noticed by everyone that I talked to. So thank you for how you lean into that our community as well. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 48:43 Thank you for saying that. And as we come to a close, I'd love to offer a few thoughts before we go. What stands out to me today from our conversation is how leadership is both timeless and adaptive. Joel's journey from commanding F-15 missions to leading global organizations and navigating AI reminds us that leadership fundamentals remain steadfast, just like you said, yet in the context in which we lead, it's always evolving, and the ability to adapt is what sets exceptional leaders apart. His story of personal resilience, overcoming stage four cancer diagnosis underscores that leadership is defined by how we respond to challenges and how we make lasting impact. From lessons in the cockpit to corporate transformation and personal discipline. Joel offers a blueprint for leading with confidence in uncertain times. Thank you for investing your time and listening in Long Blue Leadership. I encourage you to share this episode with others who are also in their personal journeys, especially because it's my classmate and he's phenomenal. Thank you for listening to Long Blue Leadership. I'm Naviere Walkewicz; until next time.   KEYWORDS Leadership, leadership development, modern leadership, leadership mindset, growth mindset, resilient leadership, adaptive leadership, transformational leadership, leadership under pressure, leading through adversity, leadership lessons, executive leadership, high performance teams, elite teams, leadership philosophy, leadership strategy, personal growth, professional development, continuous improvement, reinvention, career transition, imposter syndrome, mental toughness, discipline, time management, prioritization, decision making, strategic thinking, innovation leadership, change leadership, leading through change, disruption, self leadership, accountability, peak performance, overcoming fear, stepping outside comfort zone, leadership habits, future of leadership, AI leadership, leadership in the age of AI, digital transformation, organizational culture, team culture, mission driven leadership, purpose driven leadership, high impact leadership.   The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation    

What if the dreams you thought were over were actually just waiting for the right moment to begin?In this episode, Dr. Kelly Kessler welcomes back Angela Fuller—competitive gymnast, American Ninja Warrior athlete, fitness instructor, and motivational speaker—whose story is a powerful example of resilience, reinvention, and pursuing bold dreams later in life.Angela's athletic journey began early. A Colorado native, she started gymnastics at age five, but a serious injury forced her to leave the sport at fourteen. Years later, a devastating car accident left her with a severe spinal injury, and during her second pregnancy she sustained additional disc damage that ultimately placed her on disability. Doctors told her she would never be an athlete again.For years, Angela believed that chapter of her life was closed.Everything changed when her best friend was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. That moment became a powerful wake-up call to stop waiting and start pursuing the dreams she once believed were impossible. Angela began rebuilding her health, teaching fitness classes, and rediscovering joy through movement. She returned to gymnastics after a 27-year break, joined a competitive adult team at age 41, and began training for American Ninja Warrior.Since then, Angela has continued to defy expectations. She competed on American Ninja Warrior Season 15, represented the United States at the Masters Gymnastics World Cup, and made history by completing the gymnastics Omnithon—competing across all 14 events in a single competition, becoming the oldest gymnast ever to accomplish the feat.Today Angela's mission is to show women—especially mothers—that their dreams don't expire with age. In this conversation, she shares how grief can transform into purpose, how to navigate guilt while pursuing your own goals as a parent, and why choosing faith over fear can open doors you never imagined possible.If you've ever wondered whether it's too late to reinvent yourself, this episode is a powerful reminder that some of the most meaningful chapters of life are still waiting to be written.Connect with Angela: https://linktr.ee/angela_fuller?fbclid=IwRlRTSAN_nkpleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeMyp8op0c9N0yf9aKP5BReAEmnpkAAsm94IvBg7gPmGKP_hLUZyZ1_lkVb_U_aem_SnOgZfRXcU3rzqfDy2rt0wConnect with KellyIf this conversation resonated with you and you're ready to deepen your relationship with yourself, there are a few ways to continue the journey.

When faced with a challenging situation like a life changing diagnosis, it can be easy to feel defeated or go into denial. But if you can channel your inner strength and tap into the right mindset, most of us would be surprised at what we can accomplish, how vast our capacities actually are, and how we can break past our limits to achieve more than we ever imagined possible. Today, you're going to hear a powerful story of overcoming.  Today's guest, Jimmy Choi is an endurance athlete who was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson's disease at the age of 27. Despite his diagnosis, Jimmy is able to maintain an active lifestyle, including running marathons, competing as an American Ninja Warrior and setting multiple Guinness World Records.  On this episode of The Model Health Show, Jimmy is sharing his inspirational story of living with Parkinson's disease. You're going to hear about his experience going through denial, how he started training to manage his symptoms, the role of mindset in overcoming health challenges, and so much more. Enjoy! In this episode you'll discover: The story of Jimmy's diagnosis. (6:02) How an accident inspired Jimmy to get stronger. (13:33) Why getting involved with Parkinson's research helped Jimmy become active. (18:06) The difference between consistency and perfection. (27:30) How exercise can help improve Parkinson's disease symptoms. (29:33) Why having a purpose in the gym is so helpful in making changes. (32:33) The difference between motivation and discipline. (58:42) Jimmy's approach to diet and nutrition. (1:05:46) The role mindset plays in managing chronic illnesses. (1:09:50) Items mentioned in this episode include: Paleovalley.com/model - Use code MODEL for 15% off!  Peluva.com/model - Get 15% off barefoot shoes with my code MODEL!  The Michael J. Fox Foundation - Learn about Parkinson's disease research! Connect with Jimmy Choi Website / Instagram / Facebook / TikTok  Be sure you are subscribed to this podcast to automatically receive your episodes:  Apple Podcasts Spotify Soundcloud Pandora YouTube  This episode of The Model Health Show is brought to you by Paleovalley and Peluva.  Use my code MODEL at Paleovalley.com/model to save 15% sitewide on nutrient dense snacks, superfood supplements, and more.   Peluva's barefoot minimalist shoes support postural alignment, proprioception, and overall functionality. Get 15% off your order by using code MODEL at peluva.com/model. 

Welcome back to The Rome Show Podcast!

In today's episode, I sit down at Radio Row with Zuri Hall, an American TV personality and actress known for Access Hollywood and American Ninja Warrior. We talk about growing up in Toledo, Ohio, and how her father's belief that anything is possible shaped her self-image and career. Zuri shares how she reconciles the “on camera” brand with who she really is, and why authenticity has become her greatest asset. We also discuss post-production content, building community in the digital era, and the power of choosing business partners who align with your values, even when it costs you opportunities.

US99 Afternoon Drive Host, Scotty Kay has lived many lives: Club DJ, Battle Dancer, American Ninja Warrior and Speed Skater??? Laurence sits down with this Renaissance Man and talks about how all of this leads to career in Country Music Radio. Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/house-of-l-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome back to the NASM Peak Physique Podcast! In this inspiring episode, IFBB Olympian & Master Trainer Andre Adams sits down with featured guest, 8-time Figure Olympian and renowned fitness coach, Wendy Fortino. Get ready to dive deep into longevity, building an athletic foundation, and how to evolve your physique without sacrificing your edge.

Alex Weber, award-winning speaker, author of “Fail Proof,” and two-time host and competitor on American Ninja Warrior, delivers an inspiring conversation on leadership, resilience, and personal growth. He shares his journey from athlete to coach to entertainer and offers insights on overcoming self-doubt, managing imposter syndrome, embracing authenticity, and performing in high-pressure moments. Viewers and listeners will walk away with actionable steps to elevate both their life and career.

DeVonté M. Brown does not just point a camera. He listens. He studies the light. He waits for the truth to reveal itself in the frame. Known as THE MAN IN THE ARENA, this Detroit born cinematographer and director builds images with patience and purpose. Every project is a brick laid with intention. Every story is earned.A graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, DeVonté sharpened his eye in both narrative and commercial spaces. He worked as a freelancer for more than a decade, shaping stories through editing and cinematography. He stepped onto national sets with Queer Eye LLC as a Second Assistant Camera. He moved through the fast pace of American Ninja Warrior. Each experience added muscle to his craft. Each set taught him how to see.His independent spirit lives in projects like Brick By Brick KC and the short film Vie, which he directed and shot himself. In Now What, directed alongside La'Ron Cooper with cinematography by Marcus Guider, DeVonté continued to refine his voice as a storyteller who values collaboration as much as authorship. He believes every crew member matters. He believes the frame is a shared responsibility.In this episode of Visual Intonation Podcast, we explore the rhythm behind his images. The discipline behind his consistency. The Detroit grit that shaped him and the Kansas City energy that sharpened him. This is a conversation about craft. About patience. About building a body of work brick by brick until the vision stands on its own.Devonté M. Brown Website and Soicials: Source: InstagramDeVonte Brown (@devonte_m_brown) - Instagramhttps://www.devontebrown.com/Support the showVisual Intonation Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visualintonation/Vante Gregory's Website: vantegregory.comVante Gregory's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vantegregory/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): patreon.com/visualintonations Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@visualintonation

We welcome Travis Brewer, an elite athlete, American Ninja Warrior finalist, and conscious entrepreneur whose life is a testament to the power of movement and resilience. Travis is a leading figure in the functional fitness community, known for his mastery of calisthenics and his philosophy of "play" as a vital tool for mental health. In this conversation recorded live at The Kin, Travis sits down with Sebastian to break down his incredible transition from a corporate career in commercial real estate to becoming a world-class movement champion. They explore how to overcome fear through technical progression, the importance of integrating gratitude into the daily grind, and how the body possesses an intelligence capable of healing what the mind sometimes cannot comprehend.Topics Discussed:Evolution of movementFear management and risk assessmentTechnical progression vs. reckless courageLife pivots: From Real Estate to extreme sportsReinvention after the 2008 financial crisisCreating a brand with social impact (Pi)The GASM method: Gratitude, Affirmation, Shadow, and Manifestation"Play" as medicine for burnoutResetting the nervous system through the bodyBody intelligence: "The body keeps score"Conscious leadership and "The Conscious Edge"Impact goals: Super Bowl and NBA halftime showsAbsolute presence and spiritual alignmentKinesthetic training and visualizationConnect with Travis on InstagramConnect with Sebastian on InstagramSebastianNaum.com

Mike interviews Angela Fuller — mom, fitness instructor, American Ninja Warrior competitor, and competitive gymnast. They talk about why adult gymnastics matters to Angela and how she returned to athletics after a serious back injury, pregnancies that worsened her discs, and being told she might need a spinal fusion.She shares how her best friend's terminal breast cancer diagnosis pushed her to go after her dreams again, leading her to train her way back, compete on American Ninja Warrior (after four years of applying and standing out among more than 70,000 applicants), and join an adult gymnastics team.Angela also discusses parenting while actively pursuing her own goals and why she encourages other parents to jump into their dreams before they feel ready and to prioritize self-care.Speed round: gymnastics, parenting, dogs, video games, pizza, artificial intelligence, exercise, and celebrities.00:14 Why Adult Gymnastics Matters: Injury, Motherhood & Comeback01:00 Chasing Big Dreams: American Ninja Warrior + Returning to Gymnastics02:32 How Competing Changed Parenting & Mental Health04:32 Breaking the ‘Too Old' Myth: No Expiration Date on Gymnastics06:20 Speed Round Find Angela here:https://www.instagram.com/colofitnesschick/?hl=enhttps://linktr.ee/angela_fullerThis podcast is brought to you by Matters.com. A new social media and collaboration platform - launching soon. Join thousands getting the Matters.com newsletter — world news, fresh perspectives, and early beta access.

Ginny MacColl, actress, dancer and Ninja, will inspire you to set a fitness goal. At 74 she recently competed in a pull up challenge and was in Season 17 Episode 1 of American Ninja Warrior, along with her daughter, Jessie Graff. Find her on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and in movies and commercials!

KC Boutiette is a four-time Olympic Speed Skater. He also is a competitor on the TV show, American Ninja Warrior. Come join this fun conversation about his early life and what the journey was to the world's biggest stage. Please like, follow and share. Also, please subscribe to our The RMFJ Podcast YouTube channel.

▶︎▶︎ Get my FREE ‘Self-with' Checklist: https://beehive.drmelissasonners.com/Self-With-checklist  If you've ever felt lonely even while surrounded by people, busy but disconnected, or like you've somehow lost your spark along the way — this episode is for you.In this conversation, I sit down with Aubry Marie — a movement teacher, breathwork facilitator, artist, and mama whose work and presence have deeply shaped my own journey back into my body and back into myself. What started as a handstand workshop turned into a friendship rooted in vulnerability, play, and showing up scared.Together, we talk about female friendship, community, identity, and what it really takes to feel alive again as a woman. We explore why adult friendships can feel awkward and hard to build, why so many women quietly play small, and how reclaiming the parts of yourself you've set aside can open the door to deeper connection — with others and with yourself.This episode is about finding your people and remembering who you are in the process.In this episode, we cover:▶︎ Why adult female friendship feels lonely and harder than we admit▶︎ The subtle ways women lose their spark over time▶︎ Why community doesn't just “happen” — and how it's actually built▶︎ How vulnerability creates real connection between women▶︎ The role movement and embodiment play in reconnecting to yourself▶︎ Motherhood, identity shifts, and belonging▶︎ Why being seen can feel scarier than being alone — and why it matters▶︎ How to stop playing small and start showing up as who you really areAubry Marie is a movement teacher, breathwork facilitator, artist, and mama based in Miami. She's a three-time American Ninja Warrior competitor, rock climber, yoga instructor, and the first Alo Yoga billboard model. Her work centers on helping people reconnect with their bodies, confidence, and inner spark through movement, play, and embodiment.She's also the creator of I (love) you, a message rooted in self-love, presence, and connection that has grown into a community movement and wearable art.Resources:▶︎ Order my new book The Connection Code: https://theconnectioncodebook.com ▶︎ Grab my favorite red light - The Glow Light by Sauna Space (Use code INSPIRED for 10% off!): https://sauna.space/inspired ▶︎ Connect with Aubry Marie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aubrymarie ▶︎ Aubry's I (love) you merch: https://aubrymarie.com/ ****************Want a free and meaningful way to support the show? Give us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts (you can even leave a review on Apple too!). And if you're tuning in on YouTube, don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe. Your support helps more mamas discover this space and we're so grateful you're here.

Joe Moravsky, Legendary American Ninja Warrior athlete, opens his own "Monroe Ninja Academy" this upcoming March! Learn more at https://monroeninja.com/. 

The Wild West isn't just a theme—it's a survival story. In this episode of Only in OK, we are diving deep into the dusty, high-octane history of Frontier City. This Oklahoma City icon isn't just a theme park; it's a survivor that outlasted real estate developers, economic crashes, and even an F2 tornado. We explore how a 1957 state birthday exhibit became the secret headquarters of the global Six Flags empire while the rest of us were just waiting in line for the Silver Bullet. Whether you're a rollercoaster nut or a fan of Oklahoma history, strap in—we're going back to the Old West, right off I-35. In This Episode, We Discuss: The "Boomtown" Origins: How Hollywood publicist James Burge saw Disneyland in '55 and decided OKC needed a slice of the action. The Park That Refused to Die: How the 1980s oil crunch accidentally saved Frontier City from being demolished for a real estate development. The Six Flags Birthplace: The "Only in OK" fact—the company that bought Six Flags (Premier Parks) started in a small office in the Frontier City parking lot. Frontier City on Film: From the gritty streets of Dillinger (1973) to the cult horror of The Fun Park and the neon nights of American Ninja Warrior. Ride Deep Dives: The resurrection of the Wildcat, the "hand-me-down" pedigree of the Silver Bullet, and the interactive history of Quick Draw. The 2021 "Water Hero": A look back at the guest who climbed the lift hill to save stuck passengers (and got a 5-year ban for it). Frontier City Ride Guide Ride Name Type Backstory Silver Bullet Steel Looping A classic Schwarzkopf model with high G-force and only a lap bar. Wildcat Wooden Resurrected after sitting abandoned in KC for 13 years; named by Deer Creek 6th graders. Diamondback Steel Shuttle Originally part of "Lightnin' Loops" at Six Flags Great Adventure. Steel Lasso Suspended Built for the 50th Anniversary; the first "feet-dangling" ride in OK. Valentine's Day Survival Guide: Science Museum Oklahoma Need a sitter for Valentine's weekend? Science Museum Oklahoma has you covered with Parents' Night Out on February 13, 2026. Who: Kids aged 6-12. What: After-hours museum access, science activities, pizza, and supervision. Cost: $60 for members / $70 for non-members. Deadline: Register by February 9th at sciencemuseumok.org. Partner Spotlight: Enid SOS Our partner for today's show is Enid Street Outreach Services (Enid SOS). They provide essential services—food, showers, medical advocacy, and shelter—to the unsheltered and low-income community in Enid, OK. How to help: Donate clothing (jeans/sleeping bags) or volunteer your time. Learn more: Visit enidsos.org . #Frontier City #OklahomaCityHistory #OnlyInOK #SixFlagsHistory #OKCPodcast #SilverBullet #WildcatCoaster #OklahomaTravel #EnidSOS #ScienceMuseumOK #ParentsNightOut

Yinz Are Good shares the *good* news going on out there and celebrates the good people who are making it happen: The people who are lifting others up, who are taking care of their neighbors, the people who are saying, “What can I do today to make our world a better place?”.Our guest today reached out to us from the other side of the country - from Idaho, to be exact - and boy, are we glad he did. Let's start with this: our guest's work has been recognized on Mike Rowe's Returning the Favor, CNN Heroes (where he was a Top 10 finalist!), NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Good Morning America, The Today Show, People Magazine, and even American Ninja Warrior. His name is Luke Mickelson and his work is the nonprofit, Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP).What began as a single act of kindness has grown into a global nonprofit with a simple but powerful mission: “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town.”. Today, SHP has more than 400 chapters across 47 U.S. states and 4 countries. They build  beds for kids who need them and wait until you hear how many beds they have made to date…it is astounding. Tressa had the great joy and honor of chatting with Luke via Zoom (she couldn't quite make it over to Idaho). This is a conversation about taking care of one another, about how listening to your inner voice - your gut - can propel you to new and unexpected chapters of your life, and about how saying “yes” to unexpected opportunities can literally change the lives of strangers. Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP): https://shpbeds.org/Sleep in Heavenly Peace on IG: @shpbeds Sleep in Heavenly Peace on FB: @Sleep in Heavenly PeaceWatch Tressa Tries…DICK'S House of Sport on YouTube⁠ here⁠.This episode is brought to you by ⁠DICK'S Sporting Goods⁠ — your one-stop shop to get everyone moving. From cozy winter gear to fan favorites for all Pittsburgh families — every season starts at DICK'S.–⁠⁠https://www.yinzaregood.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FOLLOW US on social media:Instagram:⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@yinzaregood⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook:⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@YinzAreGood⁠⁠⁠⁠Have a story of generosity or kindness to share with us? Want a Kindness Crate dropped off at your business or school? Email us at ⁠yinzaregood@gmail.com.

Send us a textGinny Maccoll is an actress, dancer, and competitive athlete in both Ninja and swimming. She began her career in NYC as a dancer in the hit Broadway show, Pippin, in 1974. She then transitioned into the commercial world and did over 100 national and regional commercials throughout the 70s and 80s.After a 20-year hiatus to raise her family and work in radio, Ginny rekindled her acting career in retirement in Southport, NC, and also began strength training, inspired by her daughter, Jessie Graff, who has gone farther than any female on American Ninja Warrior.At 63 years old, Ginny did her very first pull up and later competed on American Ninja Warrior, Season 9, 10, 15, and 17 making history at age 71 as the oldest person to complete an obstacle. She was named the oldest competitive female ninja athlete in the 2024 Guinness Book of World Records!Ginny continues to compete regionally in ninja competitions and local, state and national swim meets. She also appeared as Evelyn, one of Diane Keaton's 8 cheerleaders in the movie POMS, and Dorothy in USS Christmas on Hallmark's Movie and Mysteries channel!Find Ginny at-IG- @ginnymaccollFind Boundless Body at- myboundlessbody.com Book a session with us here!

On the latest ‘From Phenom to the Farm,' former Giant and Top 100 Prospect Gary Brown recounts his career journey.Time Stamps(2:20) Competing on American Ninja Warrior(7:00) A Late-Bloomer for College Recruitment(13:50) High School Draft Decision(20:15) Intro to Cal State Fullerton/Cape Cod League Experience(41:20) How Being an 80-Runner Factors into Hitting Style(46:00) 1st Round Draft Experience(52:45) Standout Pro Debut Season(1:01:00) Future's Game Experience(1:08:40) Struggles in Double-A/High Minors(1:23:20) Going From Top Prospect to Indy Ball(1:32:30) Becoming a ScoutSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/from-phenom-to-the-farm/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Estimates indicate that between 25% and 59% of Americans feel they possess a clear, active sense of purpose or meaning in their lives. 57% Americans report regularly questioning how to find greater meaning and purpose in their lives, at least once per month. While more than 80% of Americans express belief in a higher purpose, only about one-fourth to just over half feel that they are truly living in alignment with it. 28%: Approximately 28% of Americans consider their work to be meaningful, according to data from LinkedIn and the Cato Institute. Motivational speaker Luke Mickelson was raised in Kimberly, Idaho, where community values, character development, and service were foundational aspects of daily life. A committed athlete and lifelong competitor,  Mickelson dedicated his efforts to youth programs, coaching, and mentoring—cultivating both a passion for developing people and a talent for leadership. Although he continued this commitment into his business career, he sought a more profound impact. In 2012,  Mickelson founded Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP), a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization driven by the mission, “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town.” What began as a singular act of generosity has since evolved into an international movement. Currently, SHP operates over 400 chapters across 47 U.S. states and four countries, and has delivered more than 350,000 beds to children in need.  Mickelson has provided training and mentorship to hundreds of chapter leaders, disseminating a model for community-driven transformation and motivating thousands to engage in purposeful service. His contributions have been acknowledged by prominent media outlets, including Mike Rowe's Returning the Favor, CNN Heroes (Top 10 finalist), NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Good Morning America, The Today Show, People Magazine, and American Ninja Warrior. These recognitions highlight his steadfast commitment to the “Humans Helping Humans” philosophy. Presently, Mr. Mickelson travels nationwide as a keynote speaker, guest, and podcast host, inspiring audiences to recognize the significant impact of small acts of kindness and to find fulfillment in serving others within their own communities. For additional information, please visit: https://shpbeds.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the fear you've been carrying is actually pointing you toward your next breakthrough?In this episode of the Visibly Fit Podcast, I sit down with my friend Justin Maina, also known as the Fear Hunter. This conversation was completely unplanned, Spirit-led, and honestly one of my favorites.Justin shares how he went from being deeply insecure and fearful to stepping onto the American Ninja Warrior course—without ever watching the show before he was selected. We talk about what it means to face obstacles you can't rehearse for, how fear and perfectionism often work together to keep us stuck, and why faith requires movement even when clarity feels incomplete.We also connect the dots between physical health, mindset, and spiritual endurance. When we care for our bodies—the temple that houses the Holy Spirit—we're able to show up stronger, serve others better, and live out our calling with greater confidence. Justin offers powerful analogies from Ninja Warrior, practical wisdom for breaking limiting beliefs, and encouragement for anyone who feels stuck in “analysis paralysis.”This episode is filled with insight, laughter, faith, and real-life application. And yes… stay until the end. There is a backflip.

On the 382nd episode of You Know I'm Right, hosts Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by former WWE Wrestler and American Ninja Warrior star, Kacy Catanzaro to discuss her life and career. For more information visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/youknowimright⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow our show on instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/YKIRPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Like our show on facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/YouKnowImRightPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow our show on twitter - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/YKIRPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Nick on twitter - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/Nick_Durst⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Joe on twitter - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/JCalabrese1⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello and welcome back to another episode of B Bin Horror! On this week's episode we talk about the 2025 Horror film, Good Boy. Good Boy was written by Ben Leonberg and Alex Cannon and directed by Leonberg. The film stars Ben Leonberg's award winning dog, Indy, Shane Jensen, Arielle Friedman and Larry Fessenden. On this week's episode we discuss the film and a popular theory on the podcast resurfaces, we share our own dog stories, and Doug tells a story about his American Ninja Warrior activities this past weekend. If you like what you hear please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @bbinhorror. You can also send us emails at bbinhorror@gmail.com and please don't forget to subscribe to B Bin Horror on whatever podcast platform you listen on! *B Bin Horror theme music - "Uprising" by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio*

What if your strongest years came after 70? If you're sitting around thinking my best years are over and it's all downhill from here, then this episode is for you. Ginny MacColl is the oldest woman ever to compete on American Ninja Warrior at age 71. She proves that it's never too late to start strength training, rebuild bone density, or completely reinvent yourself. We cover: How Ginny went from Broadway dancer to mom working 3 jobs, to Ninja Warrior The exact steps she took that helped her reverse osteopenia How to build confidence after failure and keep showing up The role of mindset, community, play and just having fun in lifelong fitness How she continues to set new goals and push physical boundaries in her 70s Ginny MacColl is an actress, dancer, and American Ninja Warrior competitor who began her athletic journey later in life. After being diagnosed with osteopenia, she turned to strength training and ultimately became a national symbol of what healthy aging can look like. She's the mother of professional stuntwoman and Ninja Warrior Jessie Graff, and continues to inspire women of all ages to stay strong, capable, and courageous. Contact Ginny MacColl Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ginnymaccoll/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gmaccoll/ YouTube: youtube.com/@ginnymaccoll996   Give thanks to our sponsors: Get Troscriptions at 10% off with code ZORA here - https://troscriptions.com/ZORA Get Primeadine spermidine by Oxford Healthspan. 15% discount with code ZORA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - http://oxfordhealthspan.com/discount/ZORA Get Mitopure Urolithin A by Timeline. 20% discount with code ZORA at https://timeline.com/zora Try Suji to improve muscle 10% off with code ZORA at TrySuji.com - https://trysuji.com Try OneSkin skincare with code ZORA for 15% off https://oneskin.pxf.io/c/3974954/2885171/31050   Join the Hack My Age community on: YouTube: https://youtube.com/@hackmyage Facebook Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@⁠Hack My Age⁠     Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@⁠Biohacking Menopause⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠   Biohacking Menopause Private Women's Only Support Group: https://hackmyage.com/biohacking-menopause-membership/ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@⁠HackMyAge⁠    Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HackMyAge.com⁠    For partnership inquiries: https://www.category3.ca/  Some episodes of Hack My Age are supported by partners whose products or services may be discussed during the show. The host may receive compensation or earn a minor commission if you purchase through affiliate links at no extra cost to you. All opinions shared are those of the host and guests, based on personal experience and research, and do not necessarily represent the views of any sponsor. Sponsorships do not imply medical endorsement or approval by any healthcare provider featured on this podcast.  

Jim Steffen has done things most people only dream about. Serial entrepreneur, former American Ninja Warrior contestant, and known as “America's Fun Fitness Coach,” he's spent a lifetime proving that exercise is the best medicine we're not taking.We get into why gyms don't work for most people, the surprising connection between movement and mental health, and the philosophy behind Jim's homemade kettlebells. He proves consistency over perfection is best and why he believes we're all recovering from something.*Connect with Jim*Web: https://xtfit.us/*Connect with Dillon*https://www.instagram.com/thedillonenglandshow/https://twitter.com/imdillonenglandhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dillonmengland/https://www.facebook.com/dillon.england.5*Sponsor — Broadcast Brew (Low-Acid Coffee)*Order our LOW ACID COFFEE “THE BROADCAST BREW” Thank you to Cool Beans Coffee Brewery for your partnership. https://www.coolbeanscoffeemi.com/product-page/broadcast-brew-low-acid-blend*ABOUT THE DILLON ENGLAND SHOW*Authentic conversations with interesting people across personal growth, entrepreneurship, and lifestyle — direct, faith-forward, Detroit grit. Subscribe for full conversations and weekly clips.Share this with someone on your leadership team. Comment your biggest takeaway.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-dillon-england-show--6370921/support.

I know you've felt like, in the past, you've been hesitant to share your true feelings and beliefs. Maybe you didn't want to offend that woman you were pursuing. Or, maybe you didn't want to upset your boss and run the risk of losing your job. Or, maybe you were afraid of what society or social media would say if you shared your true thoughts. My guest today, Father Stephen Gadberry, is familiar with all of that in a way that many of us relate with. As a Catholic priest, US Air Force Veteran, and American Ninja Warrior competitor, he knows how compelling public criticism can become. Today, Father Gadberry and I talk about discipline, what "turning the other cheek," really means, how to handle false accusations, what true accountability actually means, the difference between your "vocation," and "occupation," and how God will speak to all of us. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS 00:00 Introduction 00:22 Masculinity and the Church 01:20 Growing Up Rural and Military 02:20 Has the Church Become Soft? 04:00 Culture, Covid and Truth 05:40 Truth vs Feeling Good 06:50 What Does "Love at All Costs" Mean? 08:20 Learning to Speak Truth Boldly 10:30 Men and Zero-F Attitudes 11:30 Tempering Instincts and Temptations 13:40 Crash and Burn Lessons 15:40 Discipline and "Doing Hard Things" 17:15 Small Things Shape Big Character 18:45 Christian Persecution Today 21:20 Should Christians Fight Back? 23:40 Violence, Duty, and Discernment 25:20 Bold, Relatable Preaching 27:20 Conviction vs Condemnation 30:00 Accountability Done Right 31:40 Guiding Boys and Raising Men 34:10 Real Discipline and Real Consequences 38:50 Guilt, Shame, and Responsibility 41:15 Preaching While Imperfect 45:10 His Calling and Vocation 53:15 Hearing God's Voice 56:30 Silence and Spiritual Clarity 57:50 Real Masculinity and Faith 59:00 Where to Follow Father Stephen  

On today's episode of the Crackin' Backs Podcast, we sit down with one of the most quietly powerful humans we've ever met—Dennis Lappin, a career firefighter, father, and American Ninja Warrior who embodies what real strength looks like when no one's watching.Dennis runs toward burning buildings for a living…and for fun, he runs straight into obstacles most people wouldn't ever attempt.But his story isn't about the spotlight.It's about the moment the lights went out.While training for American Ninja Warrior, Dennis tore his Achilles and calf—an injury known to end athletic careers, especially for tactical athletes who rely on explosive strength and stability. Doctors told him he might never compete again. Most people would've taken that as their cue to step back.Dennis didn't.He didn't fight his way back for cameras, applause, or a redemption storyline.He came back because ordinary people don't do extraordinary things—extraordinary decisions do.In this raw, emotional, and deeply human conversation, we explore: The exact moment he decided “I'm not done”Was it in the firehouse, during rehab, or alone at home when doubt got loud? Dennis opens up about the internal line he refused to cross. How he built elite-level fitness around 24-hour firefighter shifts, stress, trauma, and unpredictabilityFirefighting isn't structured—so neither was his training. His system wasn't built on convenience… it was built inside chaos. How he balanced three identities: firefighter, athlete, and fatherWhat happens when the heaviest “hat” isn't the one people see? Dennis talks about emotional load, fatigue, and showing up even when you're empty. Why his rehab philosophy wasn't to “get back,” but to LEVEL UPHe breaks down the one rehab principle everyone ignores—and why it completely changed his recovery. The real fear he faced—on a fire call and on the Ninja Warrior courseAnd the exact mindset tool he used to get through the type of fear you don't talk about. His message for anyone who says: “I'm too tired, too old, too busy, too late”Dennis doesn't give motivational clichés. He gives truth earned in smoke, sweat, and setbacks. What healthcare providers often misunderstand about firefighters and tactical athletesIf you treat firefighters, law enforcement, or military personnel—this is a masterclass in understanding stress load, biology, and performance under pressure. The one life lesson he hopes his kids remember from watching him fall and rise againA moment that will hit every parent, coach, and athlete right in the chest.This episode isn't about Ninja Warrior.It isn't about firefighting.It's about every human being who has ever been knocked down and had to decide whether today is the day they stay down… or rise.We are two sports chiropractors, seeking knowledge from some of the best resources in the world of health. From our perspective, health is more than just “Crackin Backs” but a deep dive into physical, mental, and nutritional well-being philosophies. Join us as we talk to some of the greatest minds and discover some of the most incredible gems you can use to maintain a higher level of health. Crackin Backs Podcast

Our guest today is Hunter Ogden! He shares with us his journey of being born with cleft lip and palate and his experience with being on American ninja warrior 3 times. 

Send us a textWhat does it really mean to be an ethical expert witness? In this episode, Dr. Noah Kaufman — board-certified emergency physician, seasoned expert witness, medical commentator, and even American Ninja Warrior competitor — takes us inside the courtroom and the ER to explore the principles that guide his work as an expert witness. From choosing cases with integrity, to writing unbiased reports, to treating depositions as an “intellectual dance,”  and being relatable to a jury, Dr. Kaufman shares candid insights on credibility, fairness, and his approach to expert testimony. We also discuss his upcoming book The Ethical Expert Witness and what every lawyer, physician, and patient should know about the role ethics play in malpractice litigation.  Don't miss this episode!

Every salesperson knows that feeling, the one right before the big meeting when confidence wavers and doubt creeps in. Alex Weber knows it, too. He's one of the few people to go from hosting American Ninja Warrior to competing on the show. When I asked him what separates winners from everyone else on an episode of The Sales Gravy Podcast, he said: “Winners believe they're going to win. You're not going to win every deal. But even as I say that, I'm never going to let myself actually believe that.” This is a masterclass in sales mindset—the mental toughness every top salesperson needs. The difference between a competitor who freezes and one who performs is simple: The winner chooses belief over hesitation, every single time.  Stop Managing Doubt, Start Dictating Belief The average salesperson walks into a deal trying to manage their doubt. They worry about the competition, they worry about the price, and they worry about rejection. That hesitation bleeds through every presentation, email, and follow-up. The average rep tells themselves, "I hope I get this deal." Winners decide before the phone rings that they are the best solution, they deserve the business, and they are going to win. That mindset is the foundation of high-performance selling. The moment you let the "what if I lose?" question become dominant, you pull back. You ask soft closing questions. You accept the first objection. Top salespeople know that a soft sales mindset guarantees a hard loss. You must carry the confidence of a winner, even when the odds are stacked against you. Failure is Feedback: Burn the Ship and Move On In high-stakes competitive environments, you can't dwell on failure. If a Ninja Warrior misses a jump, they can't afford to spend five minutes replaying the error in their head; they are already in the water. In sales, the deep end is rejection. Too many salespeople treat a "no" like a personal failure instead of professional feedback. They let one bad call destroy their attitude for the entire week. This is why their sales mindset is fragile. Winners understand that every loss is simply data to be analyzed. What did the client object to? Where did you lose control? What did the competitor do better? Process it immediately, then move on. When you fail, you need to "burn the ship." You acknowledge the loss, extract the lesson, and sever the emotional attachment. The inability to recover fast is the #1 killer of a sales mindset. You are guaranteeing an underperforming pipeline if you can't reset your mental state between calls. Commit to the next interaction, not the last one. Build Your Muscle Memory for Pressure You can't expect to be calm and collected during a high-pressure, high-dollar negotiation if you haven't trained for it. Elite competitors don't rely on game-day adrenaline. They rely on muscle memory built through intentional practice under pressure. Practice is how you develop the sales mindset that never wavers. Identify the parts of the sales cycle that make you uncomfortable. If handling tough objections is your weakness, practice them relentlessly until your response is automatic. If you freeze up when cold calling top-tier decision-makers, role-play the opening three minutes of that call until you can deliver it with confidence. Your pipeline grows on competence, not hope.  Stop Waiting for Motivation: Execute on Discipline The worst lie in sales is the idea that you have to feel motivated to prospect. Motivation is an emotion. It comes and goes. Discipline is a decision. The champion's sales mindset relies on routine and process. You don't need to feel excited to make that fifth cold call or send that critical follow-up. You just need to execute your process. If you let your feelings dictate your schedule, you will only prospect when the conditions are perfect. That is an amateur move. Winners know the work is non-negotiable. Discipline is showing up every day, executing the critical, revenue-generating tasks, whether you feel like it or not. Action generates confidence, not the other way around. Mindset Self-Check Before your next call, take a quick inventory. Are you waiting to feel motivated before you move? Trying to perfect your pitch before you prospect? Avoiding rejection instead of embracing feedback? Hoping your natural talent alone will carry you? These are the quiet traps that keep a sales rep average. Winners don't eliminate fear or doubt—they acknowledge those feelings and act in spite of them. Awareness is the first step to changing your mindset. The Champion's Blueprint: Practical Sales Mindset Application Belief is useless without action. Here is how you convert these principles into real-world results: Sign the Pre-Game Contract: Before every high-stakes call, mentally commit to executing your process perfectly. Measure success on execution, not outcome. Implement the 10-Minute Failure Review: Immediately after a significant loss, spend five minutes documenting the facts and five minutes identifying one tactical weakness. Then burn the ship and reset before the next call. Drill the Difficult: Identify your five hardest objections. Role-play them ten times in a row until responses are instant and fluid. This builds pressure-proof sales muscle. Anchor to Ownership: Eliminate excuses. If you lose, it's your responsibility to figure out why and fix it. Ownership anchors performance in proactive power. The 60-Second Reset: Before each appointment, take a brief break. Stand up, walk away from your desk, and reset your mental state to give the next customer 100% focus. The Bottom Line: Dive In The choice is clear. Fear can dictate your actions, or you can adopt the sales mindset of a champion. Show up tomorrow and do the work whether you feel like it or not. Make the calls that scare you. Go after the deals that feel out of reach. Stack evidence that you're getting better. It all comes back to belief. The winners who dive into the deep end don't wait for confidence to appear—they tell themselves they're going to win, then act like it until it's true. The deep end isn't where you sink. It's where you prove you belong. If you're ready to build the mindset, discipline, and belief that top performers rely on, we can help. Whether you're a salesperson leveling up, a leader developing your team, or a business owner driving growth, we'll build a coaching path around you. Check out our coaching programs!

Every salesperson knows that feeling, the one right before the big meeting when confidence wavers and doubt creeps in. Alex Weber knows it, too. He's one of the few people to go from hosting American Ninja Warrior to competing on the show. When I asked him what separates winners from everyone else on an episode of The Sales Gravy Podcast, he said: “Winners believe they're going to win. You're not going to win every deal. But even as I say that, I'm never going to let myself actually believe that.” This is a masterclass in sales mindset—the mental toughness every top salesperson needs. The difference between a competitor who freezes and one who performs is simple: The winner chooses belief over hesitation, every single time.  Stop Managing Doubt, Start Dictating Belief The average salesperson walks into a deal trying to manage their doubt. They worry about the competition, they worry about the price, and they worry about rejection. That hesitation bleeds through every presentation, email, and follow-up. The average rep tells themselves, "I hope I get this deal." Winners decide before the phone rings that they are the best solution, they deserve the business, and they are going to win. That mindset is the foundation of high-performance selling. The moment you let the "what if I lose?" question become dominant, you pull back. You ask soft closing questions. You accept the first objection. Top salespeople know that a soft sales mindset guarantees a hard loss. You must carry the confidence of a winner, even when the odds are stacked against you. Failure is Feedback: Burn the Ship and Move On In high-stakes competitive environments, you can't dwell on failure. If a Ninja Warrior misses a jump, they can't afford to spend five minutes replaying the error in their head; they are already in the water. In sales, the deep end is rejection. Too many salespeople treat a "no" like a personal failure instead of professional feedback. They let one bad call destroy their attitude for the entire week. This is why their sales mindset is fragile. Winners understand that every loss is simply data to be analyzed. What did the client object to? Where did you lose control? What did the competitor do better? Process it immediately, then move on. When you fail, you need to "burn the ship." You acknowledge the loss, extract the lesson, and sever the emotional attachment. The inability to recover fast is the #1 killer of a sales mindset. You are guaranteeing an underperforming pipeline if you can't reset your mental state between calls. Commit to the next interaction, not the last one. Build Your Muscle Memory for Pressure You can't expect to be calm and collected during a high-pressure, high-dollar negotiation if you haven't trained for it. Elite competitors don't rely on game-day adrenaline. They rely on muscle memory built through intentional practice under pressure. Practice is how you develop the sales mindset that never wavers. Identify the parts of the sales cycle that make you uncomfortable. If handling tough objections is your weakness, practice them relentlessly until your response is automatic. If you freeze up when cold calling top-tier decision-makers, role-play the opening three minutes of that call until you can deliver it with confidence. Your pipeline grows on competence, not hope.  Stop Waiting for Motivation: Execute on Discipline The worst lie in sales is the idea that you have to feel motivated to prospect. Motivation is an emotion. It comes and goes. Discipline is a decision. The champion's sales mindset relies on routine and process. You don't need to feel excited to make that fifth cold call or send that critical follow-up. You just need to execute your process. If you let your feelings dictate your schedule, you will only prospect when the conditions are perfect. That is an amateur move. Winners know the work is non-negotiable. Discipline is showing up every day, executing the critical,

#184 - What does it take to conquer the American Ninja Warrior course? For Colton Skuster, the journey began as a 10-year-old jumping over exercise balls in his basement, dreaming of someday tackling those iconic obstacles himself.At just 20 years old, Colton has already competed in three seasons of American Ninja Warrior, reaching the National Finals in Las Vegas and proving himself against competitors twice his age. His path wasn't straightforward – from training in a monkey costume to building his own backyard obstacle course during COVID lockdowns, Colton's determination never wavered.During our conversation, Colton pulls back the curtain on what really happens behind the scenes at ANW. We discuss the intense application process where personality matters as much as athletic ability, the nerve-wracking experience of stepping onto the starting platform surrounded by cameras and crowds, and the surreal moment when producers reveal obstacle courses competitors have never seen before. You'll discover how competitors train for challenges they can't predict and the split-second decisions that determine success or failure on national television.Beyond the competition itself, Colton shares profound insights about finding purpose after achieving a lifelong goal. "You reach one goal, you're satisfied, it's amazing, you celebrate," he explains, "and then you think – how can I take this further?" This wisdom has led him to mentor younger athletes, speak at high schools, and even caddy at Pebble Beach alongside celebrities like Michael Phelps.Whether you're a fan of American Ninja Warrior or simply someone searching for motivation to pursue your own challenges, Colton's story demonstrates how passion, friendship, and resilience can transform dreams into reality at any age. Listen now, and discover how the journey matters more than the destination.Be sure and give Colton a follow on Instagram @cwskuster.Subscribe, leave a review, and follow @journeywithjakepodcast on Instagram to join our community of adventure seekers finding inspiration in extraordinary stories. Want to be a guest on Journey with Jake? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake Visit LandPirate.com to get your gear that has you, the adventurer, in mind. Use the code "Journey with Jake" to get an additional 15% off at check out. Visit geneticinsights.co and use the code "DISCOVER25" to enjoy a sweet 25% off your first purchase.

He appeared on Season 15 and Season 17 of American Ninja Warrior on NBC, having reached the finals and participated in the bracket of 32 athletes remaining. This year he competed in the Barbados Ninja Throwdown, after last year having competed in the USA National Championships. For two years now he has competed on the Ninja Sport Network in both Season 3 and Season 4. Since 2021 he has competed in the World Ninja League, seasons 7-11, all after having competed in four seasons of the Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association. In elementary school he had played soccer and CYO basketball, and then in high school started participating in ninja warrior competitions. He is currently a student at the University of Notre Dame, where he is regularly running, lifting, bouldering, and top roping on campus. Through it all, he is using his platform to advocate for an end to world hunger.

In todays episode of Rucking Around Ari invites functional fitness athlete Luke Halterman, also known as "Luke Skywalker." on to the show. Luke serves as the DEKA Southwest Road Show Coordinator, a hybrid fitness event series that is a subsidiary of Spartan Race. They discuss his role and the growth of hybrid racing, contrasting DEKA with its main competitor, Hyrox. They explore the appeal of hybrid racing, Halterman's unique training regimen, his background in American Ninja Warrior, and the growing inclusion of rucking divisions in events like DEKA.Follow Luke on Intagram @luke_ninja_skywalkerFollow host Ari Fleeman@running_nerd18Visit our sponsor All American Rucks at: https://allamericanrucks.org/Support the showRunningScaredMedia.comVisit our shop to purchase our jogcasts and other merchEmail us at: therunningscaredpodcast@gmail.comFollow us:Instagram @runningscaredmediaJoin our FB Running Group

The self-help and personal development world gives primary focus to increasing our performance so we can achieve greater successes in our lives. And it's true we all are capable of more. Nobody is performing at their max capacity. But we won't outperform the level of ability we believe about ourselves and all we have to go on is the proof of what we have and haven't done thus far. It brings to mind Roger Banister breaking the four minute mile mark in running, which was deemed humanly impossible, but more importantly the four other runners who then did it within a year. All that changed is once they believed running a sub four minute mile was possible, they did it. Prior, they could not. Most of us are sitting where we are and desiring greater performance from ourselves but unable to see ourselves being at a higher level. If someone came along and ran a diagnostic test on us and said they had proof we could do and be more, I think  we would in short order. To have a performance upgrade we need an upgrade to our identity. I'm bringing back a discussion I had with Anthony Trucks on the topic. Anthony is a former NFL Athlete, American Ninja Warrior on NBC, and prolific international speaker. And he knows difficulty. His mom gave him up to adoption at age three. He then spent three years in foster care amongst neglect and abuse before being adopted into an all white family. He made it to the NFL only to have an injury end his career and from there he spiraled down and lost…everything. His money, his wife to an affair, his children. Most people just don't recover from so much. His identity was in the trash. But he did recover and now all that pain is the foundation of his platform for overcoming. His journey was one of giving focus to his identity and truly being able to see himself where he wanted to be, and this is the crux of his mission and message. He has a book called Identity Shift: Upgrade How You Operate To Elevate Your Life which contains some key principals I feel are revolutionary for all our efforts to upgrade our personal results. Find Anthony at https://www.anthonytrucks.com/ and check out his podcast, Dark Work Daily. Sign up for your $1/month trial period at shopify.com/kevin Go to shipstation.com and use code KEVIN to start your free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rich breaks down the Kansas City Chiefs' 2025 schedule and says why KC's doubters might be in the wrong (again). WWE Superstar Seth Rollins zooms in to confess to the ‘Ruse of the Century' where he faked a serious knee injury for three weeks before revealing the truth in SummerSlam 2025 with a ‘Money in the Bank' win over CM Punk. Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila join Rich in-studio to promote the latest season of ‘American Ninja Warrior,' followed by O'Shea Jackson Jr. who weighs in on Seth Rollins' fake knee injury. Please check out other RES productions: Overreaction Monday: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://apple.co/overreactionmonday⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  What the Football with Suzy Shuster and Amy Trask: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://apple.co/whatthefootball⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Jim Jackson Show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jim-jackson-show/id1770609432⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ No-Contest Wrestling with O'Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Jefferson: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-contest-wrestling/id1771450708⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Defying the Odds — Vance Walker's Back-to-Back Ninja Warrior Victories This week on the Team Never Quit podcast, we welcome American Ninja Warrior legend Vance Walker, the first athlete in the show's history to win back-to-back million-dollar championships. At just 19 years old, Vance has become a beacon of perseverance, grit, and unstoppable belief. Born with spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy that affected his ability to walk, Vance was told he may never walk without braces. But through years of determination and relentless training, he not only walked — he ran, jumped, climbed, and conquered Mount Midoriyama... twice. In this episode, Vance shares His journey from leg braces to Ninja Warrior champion, the mental and physical challenges of competing in two seasons back-to-back, and what it means to represent those born with disabilities on a national stage,  Whether you're chasing a personal dream or overcoming an obstacle of your own, this is an episode that will inspire you to keep climbing. In This Episode You Will Hear: • [My mom] She gave me the mindset I've had ever since then, which is “Whatever it takes.” (5:19) • At 17 months old I was diagnosed with cerebral Palsey and was told I might never be able to walk without braces on my legs. (5:37) • If you don't have hard things, you can't get stronger. (13:26) • I always wanted to be good at something, and there was always something that would keep me from being the best. And when I found Ninja, I was able to make my own scheduled, because Ninja Warrior is not a team sport. (15:39) • I can make my own path in this. I can train any way I want to. If there's an obstacle, there's not [just] one way to do it. (18:59) • Just like in life, you need a mentor. You need somebody who's done things before to be able to see how to do things. (29:39) • When was 12, I won my first national championship. (26:59) • I want to get into speaking and sharing my story because that's such as important part of this. (44:22) • When I was a kid in school, I was always different from the other kids. I never fit in with anybody. The only thing that kept me going was the mindset that my mom gave me. (44:57) • To become the best at something is already such an insane challenge, but I started from below everybody else. (45:30) • Any challenge, any obstacle – Never give up. (47:14) • The show is always the one thing I'm the best at. That's where I'm at home. (53:57) • I get that dismount, I hit the buzzer about a thousand times, and I just start bawling my eyes out, because I knew at that point no one was beating me on the rope. I did it. And I ended up winning a million dollars. (62:41) Support Vance   - https://youtube.com/@vancewalkerninjawarrior?si=WcAQTH4fhJbm7-cM   - https://www.instagram.com/vance_walker_anw?igsh=MWpseTcxeDR0NnRmbA== Support TNQ   - IG: team_neverquit , marcusluttrell , melanieluttrell , huntero13   -  https://www.patreon.com/teamneverquit Sponsors:   -  cargurus.com/TNQ    - armslist.com/TNQ   - partnersinbuilding.com - Navyfederal.org        -    - You can find Cremo's new line of antiperspirants and deodorants at Target or Target.com    - WARFARE IN THEATERS APRIL 11th Watch Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JER0Fkyy3tw First Look Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3DWuqiAUKg&t=3s    -   - PXGapparel.com/TNQ   - bruntworkwear.com/TNQ    - Selectquote.com/TNQ    - Groundnews.com/TNQ    - You can find Cremo's new line of antiperspirants and deodorants at Target or Target.com    - shipsticks.com/TNQ    - Robinhood.com/gold    - strawberry.me/TNQ    - stopboxusa.com {TNQ}    - ghostbed.com/TNQ [TNQ]   -  kalshi.com/TNQ   -  joinbilt.com/TNQ    - Tonal.com [TNQ]   - greenlight.com/TNQ   - PDSDebt.com/TNQ   - drinkAG1.com/TNQ   - Shadyrays.com [TNQ]   - qualialife.com/TNQ [TNQ]   - Hims.com/TNQ   - Shopify.com/TNQ   - Aura.com/TNQ   - Policygenius.com   - TAKELEAN.com [TNQ]   - usejoymode.com [TNQ]

https://cvvtix.com - Get your tickets for INSIGHT LIVE in LA and NYC with VIP Meet & Greet!Kacy Catanzaro (@KacyCatanzaro) is a professional wrestler best known for her time in WWE as Katana Chance. She sits down with Chris Van Vliet at West Coast Creative Studio in Los Angeles to discuss her WWE release and what's next, her rise in popularity after competing on American Ninja Warrior, having her first WWE matches against Raquel Rodriguez and Rhea Ripley, her viral Royal Rumble save, the back injury that nearly brought her pro wrestling career to an end, getting paired up with Kayden Carter, breaking her nose twice in the ring and more!Quote I'm thinking about: "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." — Tim NotkePlease support our sponsors! PURE PLANK: The future of core fitness! Use the code CVV to save 10% on Pure Plank designed by Adam Copeland & Christian: https://gopureplank.com/?ref=tibcloux SEAT GEEK: Use my code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order*: https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/CVV Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount TIMELINE: Go to https://timeline.com/insightto get 10% off your order of Mitopure! VUORI: Get 20% off your first purchase! Get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the planet at https://vuori.com/cvv ROCKET MONEY: Join Rocket Money today and experience financial freedom: https://rocketmoney.com/cvv HUEL: Get 15% off plus a FREE Gift for NEW customers with the code INSIGHT at https://huel.comMIRACLE MADE: Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to https://trymiracle.com/CVV and use the code CVV to claim your FREE 3 PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF ZOCDOC: Instantly book a top-rated doctor today at https://zocdoc.com/insight BONCHARGE: Use the code CVV to save 15% off your infrared sauna blanket at https://boncharge.com/cvv BLUECHEW: Get your first month of BlueChew for free with the code CVV at https://bluechew.com PLUNGE: Get $150 off your Plunge with the coupon code CVV150 at https://plunge.com For more information about Chris and INSIGHT go to: https://podcast.chrisvanvliet.comIf you have ever enjoyed any of these episodes, could I ask you to please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcast or Spotify? It takes less than a minute and makes a huge difference in helping to spread the word about the show and also to convince some hard-to-get guests.  Follow CVV on social media: Instagram: instagram.com/ChrisVanVlietTwitter: twitter.com/ChrisVanVlietFacebook: facebook.com/ChrisVanVlietYouTube: youtube.com/ChrisVanVlietTikTok: tiktok.com/@Chris.VanVliet

Father Stephen Gadberry is a priest in the Diocese of Little Rock, Arkansas, ordained on May 28, 2016. Born and raised on a farm in the Arkansas Delta, he enlisted in the Air Force after high school, serving in Texas, Germany, and Central Iraq during the mid-2000s. With degrees in philosophy and theology from St. Joseph Seminary College and Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, he's a scholar and a shepherd. As Word on Fire Institute fellow, he's also hosted EWTN's Breaking Bread and tackled obstacle courses on American Ninja Warrior. When he's not leading Mass at St. Theresa Church in Little Rock, he's lifting weights or coaching CrossFit, he spends time with his dogs, Murph and Shorty. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: https://www.tryarmra.com/SRS https://www.betterhelp.com/SRS This episode is sponsored by Better Help. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/srs and get on your way to being your best self. https://www.boncharge.com/SRS https://www.meetfabric.com/SHAWN https://www.shawnlikesgold.com https://www.helixsleep.com/SRS https://www.lumen.me/SRS https://www.patriotmobile.com/SRS https://www.ziprecruiter.com/SRS Father Stephen Gadberry Links: IG - https://www.instagram.com/fatherstephenjgadberry   “The Making of a Catholic Priest” documentary - https://youtu.be/HumCsGbVAp4 Ministry with Bishop Robert Barron and Word on Fire IG - https://www.instagram.com/bishopbarron IG - https://www.instagram.com/wordonfire_catholicministries Mayhem Hunt IG - https://www.instagram.com/mayhemhunt Saint Theresa Catholic Church IG - https://www.instagram.com/sainttheresalr YT - https://youtube.com/@sainttheresacatholicchur-kb8cn Saint Theresa School IG - https://www.instagram.com/stscougars Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices