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A Marine officer, professional MMA fighter, and jiu-jitsu practitioner came home from his third combat deployment in Mosul and sat down at a table with a loaded Glock. His mother called his phone at the exact second he began to pull the trigger. Joe De Sena sits down with Lee Stuckey, founder of America's Heroes Enjoying Recreation Outdoors (AHERO), a nonprofit that has served over 13,000 veterans and stopped more than 600 suicides in 16 years. Lee breaks down how he rebuilt after nearly taking his own life, why he swapped every toxic relationship in his circle for someone healthy, and how a four-pillar framework became the structure that holds his life together. Things You Will Learn: Why controlling your environment and your circle changes your trajectory faster than willpower alone. The four-pillar framework Lee Stuckey uses to audit his physical, financial, emotional, and spiritual health every week. What a one-for-one relationship swap looks like and why it forces accountability into your daily life. Tools & Frameworks Covered: One-for-One Swap: Remove one parasitic or toxic relationship and deliberately replace it with someone who helps you grow across four pillars. Four-Pillar Weekly Audit: Physical, financial, emotional, spiritual. Sit down weekly with your family or team and assess each one. Get 1% better daily with a deliberate plan. CEO Family Meeting: Block your calendar for family first. Let your spouse fill priority dates before anyone else gets access. Structure your household like a mission. If this episode moved you, do not just listen. Do something about it. Sign up. Show up. Do the work. Spartan.com. No more excuses. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Marine, MMA fighter, and the man behind A Hero 01:35 Military school, Staff Sergeant Sutton, and enlisting as a machine gunner 04:24 How Lee reconciled faith with combat 06:12 Why suicide permanently destroys the family left behind 09:23 Controlling your environment: the VA nurse and the one-for-one swap 12:15 Jiu-jitsu mat or the bar 13:57 Third deployment, a loaded Glock, and the phone call that stopped the trigger 18:31 AHERO Records: veterans turning trauma into three-minute songs 20:21 The four-pillar framework and CEO family meetings 22:45 How to find A Hero and get involved Lee Stuckey went from a mischievous kid facing juvenile detention to a Marine infantry machine gunner, commissioned officer, professional MMA fighter, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Carlos Machado. After three combat deployments, he came home carrying injuries, insomnia, and alcohol dependence that nearly ended his life. In August 2009, a phone call from his mother stopped him at the moment he began pulling the trigger. That night became the foundation of AHERO America's Heroes Enjoying Recreation Outdoors a nonprofit that has served over 13,000 veterans, stopped more than 600 suicides, placed 62 people into treatment, and launched AHERO Records, a label where veterans turn trauma into songs with Grammy-winning songwriters. Connect to Karl: Website: https://leestuckeylegacy.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leestuckeylegacy/
In this episode of Pillars of Wealth Creation, Todd Dexheimer sits down with Ryan Gibson, President, CIO, and Co-Founder of Spartan Investment Group, to discuss why self-storage continues to be one of the most resilient real estate asset classes. Ryan shares how Spartan has grown to more than 90 facilities through its vertically integrated platform and explains what continues to drive demand—from rising housing costs and smaller homes to the growing need for business and personal storage. Ryan also breaks down his 10-30-30-30 wealth allocation strategy for high-income earners, why diversification matters, and how today's lending environment is creating attractive investment opportunities. Whether you're an active or passive investor, this episode offers valuable insights into self-storage, portfolio allocation, and the future of the industry. Favorite Book: What It Takes By Stephen A. Schwarzman Pillars of Wealth Creation 1. Live every day like it's Saturday 2. Family connectedness (Relationships) 3. Happiness with what you do (work, volunteering, community, etc.) Ryan Gibson is the President, Chief Investment Officer, and Co-Founder of Spartan Investors Group (SIG). Before transitioning into commercial real estate, Ryan spent nearly two decades as a commercial airline pilot, where he developed the discipline and analytical mindset that now guide his investment philosophy. Today, he has organized over $450M of private equity for Spartan's projects. Ryan has experience managing the development of SIGs projects in challenging markets. Ryan is also the co-host of the Passive Income Pilots podcast, where he helps busy professionals build long-term wealth through passive real estate investing. If you would like to connect with Ryan, visit the website: Spartan-investors.com or emailing Ryan@spartan-investors.com. YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PillarsOfWealthCreation Interested in coaching? Schedule a call with Todd at www.coachwithdex.com Listen to the audio version on your favorite podcast host: SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-650270376 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../pillars-of.../id1296372835... Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/.../aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZ... iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/.../pillars-of-wealth-creation.../ CastBox: https://castbox.fm/.../Pillars-Of-Wealth-Creation... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0FmGSJe9fzSOhQiFROc2O0 Pandora: https://pandora.app.link/YUP21NxF3kb Amazon/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/.../f6cf3e11-3ffa-450b-ac8c...
After a Trojan prince runs off with the Spartan queen, thousands of Greek soldiers attack the walled city of Troy. Special guest Clinton Festa joins us to talk about a joke that kills at Starbucks, a much-needed protein shake for Paris, and a wonderful gift for college professors. Then we see if Troy stands the Test of Time. Tickets for Clinton's new one-act play "Asteroid Belt" are available here: https://www.chathamplayers.org/2026-2027/jersey-voices
After weeks of waiting, we finally got to hear a bit about Àlvaro Arbeloa's plans for Fulham and his hopes for speedy transfer business. We discuss his vision, plus also look at some of the early transfer rumours doing the rounds including a potential new striker, right-back and centre-back. Guests: Sammy James, Joe Sansom, Jack Kelly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hey everyone, this is a Zero episode of an upcoming project David Heath and DB Spitzer are working on. It is an exploration of the sources of Warhammer 40,000, and their sources. Check out this link to buy DB's Books[link] Season 23 bonus episodes 1-25 1 The Imperium of Man Dune, Foundation, Roman Empire in space, religious dystopias Edward Gibbon, imperial decline literature, medieval Christendom, future-history fiction 2 Space Marines Starship Troopers, action-movie super soldiers, power armor, comic-book warriors Heinlein military SF, crusading orders, Spartan myth, warrior monks, fascist hero imagery 3 Astra Militarum / Imperial Guard World War movies, Starship Troopers, British war comics, doomed infantry stories H. G. Wells future-war fiction, Kipling, trench literature, boys' military papers, pulp battlefield fiction 4 Adeptus Mechanicus Metropolis, cyberpunk machine cults, mad scientists, techno-priests Gernsback invention fiction, H. G. Wells, Frankenstein, lost-technology stories, mad-science pulp 5 Adepta Sororitas / Ecclesiarchy Hammer horror, warrior nuns, Joan of Arc cinema, witchfinder movies Gothic novels, martyr stories, saint legends, witch-trial pamphlets, religious melodrama 6 The Inquisition The X-Files, witchfinder films, secret-police thrillers, occult detectives M. R. James-style scholars, Blackwood, Machen, witch-hunter tracts, secret-society fiction 7 Rogue Traders Star Trek, Flash Gordon, space pirates, merchant princes Planetary romance, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Leigh Brackett, C. L. Moore, colonial adventure fiction 8 Adeptus Custodes Golden demigod bodyguards, imperial palace guards, mythic super-soldiers Achilles, Gilgamesh, sacred kingship, Praetorian Guards, immortal companions of god-kings 9 Adeptus Titanicus Pacific Rim, Gundam, giant robot anime, kaiju movies, walking battleships, cathedral mecha Wells' Martian tripods, “The Land Ironclads,” dreadnoughts, siege engines, bronze giants, golems, sacred statues, war-gods 10 The Horus Heresy Star Wars, fallen Jedi, dark lords, civil-war space opera, tragic chosen ones Milton's Paradise Lost, Lucifer's rebellion, Cain and Abel, Arthur and Mordred, Roman civil wars, succession crises 11 Chaos Space Marines Fallen angels, heavy metal villains, corrupted super-soldiers, black knights, rebel legions Milton's Paradise Lost, Moorcock's Chaos, Byronic rebels, cursed champions, Satanic romance, Gothic villains, revenge tragedy 12 Chaos Daemons Hellraiser, Event Horizon, occult horror, possession films, nightmare dimensions Medieval demonology, grimoires, witch-trial literature, Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, occult pulp, weird menace fiction 13 World Eaters / Khorne Conan, gladiator films, berserker metal, chainsaw action horror, grindhouse revenge Robert E. Howard, sword-and-sorcery pulp, berserker sagas, blood cults, Homeric rage, arena spectacle, revenge tragedy 14 Death Guard / Nurgle Zombie plague films, body horror, gross-out comedy, infection horror, fungal rot, swamp monsters Poe's “The Masque of the Red Death,” plague literature, danse macabre, memento mori, corpse folklore, leper saints 15 Thousand Sons / Tzeentch Wizard cults, cursed books, Egyptian sorcerers, cosmic chessmasters, forbidden libraries H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, E. R. Eddison, mummy fiction, forbidden-book stories, Decadent occultism, Renaissance magic 16 Emperor's Children / Slaanesh Glam rock horror, decadent villains, body modification nightmares, cursed artists, aristocratic monsters Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Huysmans, fin-de-siècle decadence, Gothic aristocrats, cursed art, aestheticism 17 Chaos / Imperial Knights Haunted mecha, cursed noble machines, demonic war engines, Gundam, BattleTech, Pacific Rim Gothic castles, cursed armor, haunted inheritance, family-doom melodrama, chivalric romance, sins of the fathers 18 Orks Mad Max, fantasy orcs, biker gangs, football hooligans, British comic violence, slapstick war movies William Hope Hodgson's “The Voice in the Night,” fungus horror, Matango, invasive-species stories, goblins, comic grotesques 19 Tyranids Alien, Aliens, The Thing, bug-war movies, swarm horror, hive minds, biological weapons John W. Campbell's “Who Goes There?”, H. G. Wells' Martians, insect-hive fiction, invasion literature, cosmic naturalism 20 Genestealer Cults Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Alien, cult horror, red-scare paranoia films, sleeper cells Hidden-bloodline stories, secret cult pulp, infiltration fiction, changeling folklore, cuckoo-child fears, apocalyptic sects 21 Necrons The Terminator, killer robots, metal skeletons, space undead, immortal android kings Karel Čapek's R.U.R., robot rebellion, automaton fiction, artificial labor nightmares, mummy pulp, Egyptomania, tomb curses 22 Aeldari / Drukhari Tolkien elves, dying space aristocrats, psychic aliens, dark elves, vampire cities, cruel fairy courts Lord Dunsany, Jack Vance's Dying Earth, fairy otherworlds, decadent elder-race fiction, Atlantis, Gothic aristocrats 23 Night Lords Batman turned inside out, The Crow, slasher films, serial-killer thrillers, torture horror, vigilante movies Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Gothic villains, penny dreadfuls, Jack the Ripper panic, Grand Guignol, Dracula, public punishment 24 T'au Empire / Leagues of Votann Clean anime mecha empire, sleek battlesuits, utopian coalitions, space dwarves, hard-SF miners Utopian SF, technocracy fiction, Cold War futures, missionary empire, company towns, mining-company frontier stories, labor colonies 25 REDACTED Spy thrillers, Mission: Impossible, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Manchurian Candidate, The Prisoner, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse John Buchan, Joseph Conrad, G. K. Chesterton, Erskine Childers, E. Phillips Oppenheim, Norbert Jacques, invasion-scare fiction, fifth-column paranoia
Hey everyone, this is a Zero episode of an upcoming project David Heath and DB Spitzer are working on. It is an exploration of the sources of Warhammer 40,000, and their sources. Check out this link to buy DB's Books[link] Season 23 bonus episodes 1-25 1 The Imperium of Man Dune, Foundation, Roman Empire in space, religious dystopias Edward Gibbon, imperial decline literature, medieval Christendom, future-history fiction 2 Space Marines Starship Troopers, action-movie super soldiers, power armor, comic-book warriors Heinlein military SF, crusading orders, Spartan myth, warrior monks, fascist hero imagery 3 Astra Militarum / Imperial Guard World War movies, Starship Troopers, British war comics, doomed infantry stories H. G. Wells future-war fiction, Kipling, trench literature, boys' military papers, pulp battlefield fiction 4 Adeptus Mechanicus Metropolis, cyberpunk machine cults, mad scientists, techno-priests Gernsback invention fiction, H. G. Wells, Frankenstein, lost-technology stories, mad-science pulp 5 Adepta Sororitas / Ecclesiarchy Hammer horror, warrior nuns, Joan of Arc cinema, witchfinder movies Gothic novels, martyr stories, saint legends, witch-trial pamphlets, religious melodrama 6 The Inquisition The X-Files, witchfinder films, secret-police thrillers, occult detectives M. R. James-style scholars, Blackwood, Machen, witch-hunter tracts, secret-society fiction 7 Rogue Traders Star Trek, Flash Gordon, space pirates, merchant princes Planetary romance, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Leigh Brackett, C. L. Moore, colonial adventure fiction 8 Adeptus Custodes Golden demigod bodyguards, imperial palace guards, mythic super-soldiers Achilles, Gilgamesh, sacred kingship, Praetorian Guards, immortal companions of god-kings 9 Adeptus Titanicus Pacific Rim, Gundam, giant robot anime, kaiju movies, walking battleships, cathedral mecha Wells' Martian tripods, “The Land Ironclads,” dreadnoughts, siege engines, bronze giants, golems, sacred statues, war-gods 10 The Horus Heresy Star Wars, fallen Jedi, dark lords, civil-war space opera, tragic chosen ones Milton's Paradise Lost, Lucifer's rebellion, Cain and Abel, Arthur and Mordred, Roman civil wars, succession crises 11 Chaos Space Marines Fallen angels, heavy metal villains, corrupted super-soldiers, black knights, rebel legions Milton's Paradise Lost, Moorcock's Chaos, Byronic rebels, cursed champions, Satanic romance, Gothic villains, revenge tragedy 12 Chaos Daemons Hellraiser, Event Horizon, occult horror, possession films, nightmare dimensions Medieval demonology, grimoires, witch-trial literature, Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, occult pulp, weird menace fiction 13 World Eaters / Khorne Conan, gladiator films, berserker metal, chainsaw action horror, grindhouse revenge Robert E. Howard, sword-and-sorcery pulp, berserker sagas, blood cults, Homeric rage, arena spectacle, revenge tragedy 14 Death Guard / Nurgle Zombie plague films, body horror, gross-out comedy, infection horror, fungal rot, swamp monsters Poe's “The Masque of the Red Death,” plague literature, danse macabre, memento mori, corpse folklore, leper saints 15 Thousand Sons / Tzeentch Wizard cults, cursed books, Egyptian sorcerers, cosmic chessmasters, forbidden libraries H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, E. R. Eddison, mummy fiction, forbidden-book stories, Decadent occultism, Renaissance magic 16 Emperor's Children / Slaanesh Glam rock horror, decadent villains, body modification nightmares, cursed artists, aristocratic monsters Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Huysmans, fin-de-siècle decadence, Gothic aristocrats, cursed art, aestheticism 17 Chaos / Imperial Knights Haunted mecha, cursed noble machines, demonic war engines, Gundam, BattleTech, Pacific Rim Gothic castles, cursed armor, haunted inheritance, family-doom melodrama, chivalric romance, sins of the fathers 18 Orks Mad Max, fantasy orcs, biker gangs, football hooligans, British comic violence, slapstick war movies William Hope Hodgson's “The Voice in the Night,” fungus horror, Matango, invasive-species stories, goblins, comic grotesques 19 Tyranids Alien, Aliens, The Thing, bug-war movies, swarm horror, hive minds, biological weapons John W. Campbell's “Who Goes There?”, H. G. Wells' Martians, insect-hive fiction, invasion literature, cosmic naturalism 20 Genestealer Cults Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Alien, cult horror, red-scare paranoia films, sleeper cells Hidden-bloodline stories, secret cult pulp, infiltration fiction, changeling folklore, cuckoo-child fears, apocalyptic sects 21 Necrons The Terminator, killer robots, metal skeletons, space undead, immortal android kings Karel Čapek's R.U.R., robot rebellion, automaton fiction, artificial labor nightmares, mummy pulp, Egyptomania, tomb curses 22 Aeldari / Drukhari Tolkien elves, dying space aristocrats, psychic aliens, dark elves, vampire cities, cruel fairy courts Lord Dunsany, Jack Vance's Dying Earth, fairy otherworlds, decadent elder-race fiction, Atlantis, Gothic aristocrats 23 Night Lords Batman turned inside out, The Crow, slasher films, serial-killer thrillers, torture horror, vigilante movies Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Gothic villains, penny dreadfuls, Jack the Ripper panic, Grand Guignol, Dracula, public punishment 24 T'au Empire / Leagues of Votann Clean anime mecha empire, sleek battlesuits, utopian coalitions, space dwarves, hard-SF miners Utopian SF, technocracy fiction, Cold War futures, missionary empire, company towns, mining-company frontier stories, labor colonies 25 REDACTED Spy thrillers, Mission: Impossible, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Manchurian Candidate, The Prisoner, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse John Buchan, Joseph Conrad, G. K. Chesterton, Erskine Childers, E. Phillips Oppenheim, Norbert Jacques, invasion-scare fiction, fifth-column paranoia
Send us Fan MailMost people think legacy is something you build at the end — a monument, an inheritance, a name on a building "someday." That's the first lie. The second one is even more common: legacy is what you leave behind.In this solo episode, I break down the two lies about legacy almost everyone believes — and why both of them are keeping you from building one right now.Inside this episode:• The moving-truck moment that made me question everything I'd chased• The three questions I asked myself in the field — and the sad answer to all three• Why your legacy is a Kairos problem, not a Kronos problem• What Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Deuteronomy actually say about inheritance (hint: it's not the greeting-card version)• Marcus Aurelius vs. the Spartans — and the tension that reframes how you should live today• The one question to ask yourself before you go to bed tonightIf this hit you, share it with one person who needs to hear it today.
Ninety-four 100-mile races finished. 14 DNFs. A bartending shift that turned into a Red Bull sponsorship. Karl Meltzer, known as the "Speedgoat," sits down with Joe De Sena to talk about what it actually takes to keep showing up to the start line at 58 years old. They break down his mental strategy for surviving the darkest hours of a hundred-miler, the races he dropped out of, why 11 of his 14 DNFs were mental, and what that taught him about headspace. Karl walks through the three non-negotiables he gives anyone who wants to stay in the game: get outside every day, build a routine you protect, and keep moving even when the first ten minutes fight you. Things You Will Learn: A single-word mental reset that keeps you moving when everything in your body says quit. Why most DNFs are mental, not physical and what that means for your own breaking points. The three daily non-negotiables that sustain performance across decades, not just seasons. Tools & Frameworks Covered: The Blink Reset: When suffering peaks, compress your timeline. Tomorrow at this time, you will be done. That reframe keeps your legs moving now. Headspace Audit: If your mind is checked out before the start line, the race is already lost. Identify whether the resistance is physical or mental before you act on it. Three-Point Daily Standard: Get outside. Protect your routine. Start moving even when the first ten minutes resist you. Consistency across years beats intensity across weeks. If this episode moved you, do not just listen. Do something about it. Sign up. Show up. Do the work. Spartan.com. No more excuses. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: 94 hundred-milers and counting 01:23 How Karl Meltzer found his distance at 100 miles 03:00 The bartending shift that landed a Red Bull sponsorship 04:36 Why luck only works if you follow up 07:58 Going from 71 to 100 finishes raising the bar at 58 10:15 What Karl tells people who have never run 100 miles 11:15 The dark place: how to fight the urge to quit at mile 60 13:00 The DNFs that still haunt him and what headspace really costs 15:01 Three daily non-negotiables: outside, routine, and just start 17:29 Nutrition, burgers, and refusing to be methodical 20:36 What Karl would tell his 10-year-old self 21:40 The plan to reach 100: Hard Rock, Wasatch, and the final six Karl Meltzer, known as "Speedgoat," is the most accomplished 100-mile trail runner in history, with 50 wins at the distance and nearly 100 career 100-mile finishes. Over a 25-year career, he has built a reputation for treating extreme suffering as a mechanical problem to be solved rather than a reason to quit. From failing twice before conquering the Appalachian Trail FKT to redefining what elite endurance looks like in his 50s, Karl represents resilience, longevity, and relentless discipline. His story is about consistency, mental toughness, and finding what actually works instead of following trends. Connect to Karl: Website: https://karlmeltzer.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meltzerkarl/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeltzerKarl/
Chaos and college sports go together like Shawn and surgery stories, so we invite David Harns of Spartans Illustrated to […]
This interview is disseminated on behalf of Spartan Metals Corp.Spartan Metals (TSXV: W | OTCQB: SPRMF | FSE: J03) President and CEO Brett R. Marsh, M.Sc., MBA, CPG discusses the growing strategic importance of tungsten and the company's two U.S.-based projects, Eagle and Victorio. Learn more about Spartan Metals: https://spartanmetals.comWatch the full YouTube interview here: https://youtu.be/zTnPrWTuSNYAnd follow us to stay updated: https://www.youtube.com/@stockstowatchofficial
This week, Lindsay sits down with Kenneth Stevens, Senior Sales Consultant at Lakeland Building Partners, to discuss his experience operating short-term rentals and helping investors complete large-scale renovation and new construction projects in Nashville.Kenneth shares how he entered the Airbnb space through rental arbitrage, grew the business during Nashville's tourism boom, and ultimately decided to step away as competition, operating costs, taxes, and regulations increased. He also explains why short-term rentals are rarely as passive as investors expect and what someone should evaluate before purchasing a property based on Airbnb income.The conversation also explores the realities of high-end house flipping, including hard money financing, renovation timelines, unexpected construction costs, and the importance of leaving enough margin for problems that cannot be identified upfront. Kenneth and Lindsay discuss why investors need experienced, boots-on-the-ground partners and how the right team can help protect a deal, maintain quality, and increase the number of projects an investor can successfully manage.Connect with Kenneth Stevens and Lakeland Building Partners: https://www.lakelandbp.com/Email: intake@lakelandbp.comInstagram: @lakelandbpFacebook: @Lakeland Building Partners TikTok: @lakelandbpLinkedIn: @landland-building-partners—To learn more about our full-service turnkey operations, check us out online at www.spartaninvest.comConnect with Spartan!Facebook: @spartanTURNKEYInstagram: @spartaninvestLinkedIn: @spartaninvestConnect with Lindsay!Facebook: @spartanlindsaydavisInstagram: @spartanlindsaydavis
A visit to Dublin, Ireland for the 4th ever TRYKA event and three great conversations with people deeply invested in the future of fitness racing.First up is JP Mone of RAM, who shares the story behind one of the sport's most recognizable training tools. We discuss how the RAM evolved from a failed sandbag project, how Spartan helped launch the company, the growth of hybrid training, why beginner-friendly race formats matter, and why he believes creating great experiences for everyday athletes is the key to long-term success.Then we talked to Chris Kennefic of Revelate Fitness about the evolution of CrossFit, HYROX, and fitness racing. Chris explains why accessibility should come before intensity, why so many coaches are failing athletes, how better movement and mobility can keep people in the sport longer, and what fitness brands need to do if they want to continue growing beyond hardcore enthusiasts.Finally, we sat down with Brian Lee, the creator of TRYKA, to discuss the vision behind the rapidly growing series. Brian explains why he set out to build a community before a business, how TRYKA is intentionally designed to welcome first-time racers and families, why the 500-meter format has been such a success, and the philosophy behind creating an event experience that keeps people coming back.Today's episode is sponsored by Wodify. When your HYROX gym needs to run smoothly, Wodify delivers. From scheduling and programming to performance tracking and milestone celebrations, all the tools you need are built right in. Book a demo here.Today's episode is sponsored by Metl. MetL™ stands for honesty and health. Every ingredient is listed clearly, no fillers, no hidden sugars, no gimmicks. It's more than a beverage; it's a movement redefining what it means to stay energized, for kids, parents, and future generations. Learn more at metldrink.comAlso by Stryd – Personalized Run Training. Powered by the Best Data. Experience the future of running with our most advanced power meter yet, combined with Adaptive Training.Listen on Apple or SpotifySupport us through The Cup Of CoffeeFollow Hybrid Fitness Media on IG
A Stanford professor who has spent 27 years studying how opportunity works says the device in your pocket is destroying your luck. Tina Seelig, PhD in neuroscience, builder of Stanford's entrepreneurship center, and author of What I Wish I Knew About Luck, sits down with Joe De Sena to break apart the difference between fortune and luck. Tina explains why saying hello to a stranger in line has launched friendships, businesses, and marriages. She also shares the story of a thank-you letter that was read at a professor's funeral 20 years after it was written, and talks about the time she was caught acting as a corporate spy because she had never defined her own values. Things You Will Learn: The difference between fortune and luck, and where your agency actually lives. Why a sincere thank you is the shortest distance to unlocking new opportunity. What happens to your decision-making when you skip defining your core values. Tools & Frameworks Covered: Luck vs. Fortune Distinction: Fortune is what happens to you. Luck is what you build through decisions, energy, and engagement. The Anti-Luck Device Test: If you walk through your day with headphones in and eyes on a screen, you are closing doors you will never know existed. Gratitude as a Compounding Asset: A sincere thank you reopens closed loops, rebuilds bridges, and creates opportunities that transactional networking never will. If this episode moved you, do not just listen. Do something about it. Sign up. Show up. Do the work. Spartan.com. No more excuses. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:00 Intro: Joe De Sena introduces Tina Seelig and the luck question 01:08 Fortune vs. luck: why the distinction changes everything 01:40 Every decision unlocks the next one, and saying hello opens doors 02:51 The backpack that started a lifelong friendship in an airport line 04:04 A Spartan t-shirt at Cornell that led to a marriage 05:39 Can you manufacture energy or is it innate? 07:00 Why staying a little hungry creates more energy 10:07 Why you need a team 10:53 The 6:30 a.m. Sunday workout that put Joe next to an eleven-billion-dollar contact 12:05 Adding randomness to your life as a luck strategy 14:05 Why people have forgotten how to say thank you 15:55 A thank you letter read at a professor's funeral 20 years later 19:43 The sambuca story: why older people need to hear thank you most 20:27 Recap: energy, gratitude, showing up, and taking opportunities 22:21 Why strong values build trust and attract investment from others 22:44 Where to find Tina Seelig and the book Tina Seelig is a Stanford professor, entrepreneur, and bestselling author who has spent her career helping people unlock creativity, innovation, and leadership potential. After earning a PhD in neuroscience, she navigated multiple careers across consulting, technology, entrepreneurship, and academia before becoming one of Stanford's leading voices on innovation. Her work focuses on creativity, entrepreneurship, and mindset development, teaching people how to turn uncertainty into opportunity and transform challenges into growth. Connect to Tina: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tina.seelig/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinaseelig/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/tseelig
Reserve your spot for the next Passive Income Flywheel Masterclass:
Alan and Ian are back along with out roving reporter Wil Chung in a packed episode full of race updates, event chatter, and a few laughs along the way. They cover everything from the sold‑out IKEA and Tesco races to changes in the Spartan Midlands series, plus thoughts on World's Toughest Mudder, and a DQ overturned celebration story. Also in this episode: Alan's WTM injury update and the £40 brunch debate
T&A: Tens And Aces. An AP Blackjack podcast. Turning the tables from Las Vegas to Local Casinos
SHOW NOTESIn Episode 137, Mike AP sits down with A1 Blackjack—former math teacher, blackjack instructor, content creator, and advantage player. A1 shares how a simple curiosity about card counting evolved into a full-time career teaching blackjack, creating content, and exploring other forms of advantage play.The conversation covers his journey from practicing deck counts in his basement to building one of the largest blackjack-focused social media audiences online. A1 discusses working with Blackjack Apprenticeship, developing training tools and flashcards, and why perfection - not just proficiency - is critical for aspiring card counters.The discussion also dives into the world of slot advantage play, how experienced APs identify profitable opportunities, and why many successful APs diversify beyond blackjack. Along the way, A1 shares stories about networking with well-known APs, getting backed off casinos, content creation, sponsorships, and the realities of making a living in the AP world.TOPICS COVERED• A1's AP origin story and discovering card counting• Learning blackjack through BJA content and self-study• Building deck-counting and deck-estimation skills• Creating blackjack training videos and social media content• Growing a large YouTube and Instagram audience• Developing blackjack flashcards and educational tools• Working with Blackjack Apprenticeship• Transitioning from teaching math to full-time AP content creation• Introduction to slot advantage play• Casino comps, RTP, and profitable machine opportunities• Stories of casino back-offs and heat• Networking with Spartan, Math Prof, and other APs• Why perfection matters in blackjack• Advice for new advantage playersKEY TAKEAWAYS:• Card counting is simple in theory but difficult to execute perfectly in live casino conditions.• Successful APs often expand beyond blackjack into other advantage opportunities..• Networking with experienced players can dramatically accelerate your learning curve.• The best APs focus on eliminating mistakes and continually improving their game.• Advantage play can create opportunities far beyond the casino floor, including education, content creation, and community building.SPECIAL OFFER FOR OUR LISTENERS:A1 is offering podcast listeners 50% off their first month on his Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/cw/A1BlackjackUse coupon code: TA21Patreon members get access to blackjack training resources, downloadable flashcards, bankroll challenge content, and information on additional advantage play opportunities.
Joel Del Rosario enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2005 because a girl asked him to. She left him with a Dear John letter while he was deployed to Iraq. Then an IED nearly killed him. His mother received an incorrect killed-in-action notification and believed her son was dead for 24 hours. When Joel came to after the blast, shrapnel in his body and a traumatic brain injury that erased most of his memories, he was not relieved. He was angry that he survived. That disgust with his own reaction became the turning point. He chose ownership. Nobody forced him to enlist. That was his decision. And from that moment, he committed to 21 years of service instead of coasting to the exit. Joe De Sena sits down with Joel to talk about growing up in the Dominican Republic, a tough Latina single mother in Providence, the blast that rewired his brain, and the law-enforcement fitness mission he now runs alongside his wife, Rebecca, through Iron Stronghold LLC and MCHN. Things You Will Learn: Why taking ownership of a bad decision matters more than the decision itself. The difference between surviving hardship and choosing to build from it. A simple daily framework for building mental toughness without needing a traumatic event. Tools & Frameworks Covered: Daily Hard Thing Protocol: Pick one hard thing each day and do it. Hard is relative. Consistency compounds. Ownership After the Blast: Stop blaming the circumstance. You made the choice. Now make the next one count. Recovery as Performance: Sleep and recovery are not optional. Emotional regulation, resilience, and physical capacity all degrade without them. If this episode moved you, do not just listen. Do something about it. Sign up. Show up. Do the work. Spartan.com. No more excuses. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Joel Del Rosario, retired Marine and kettlebell athlete 01:53 Growing up in the Dominican Republic and low-income housing in Providence 04:02 Hard mode: why childhood adversity resets the scale 04:56 Drugs, a tough Latina mom, and consequences that stuck 08:07 Joining the Marines for a girl and the cost of that decision 09:45 Boot camp, School of Infantry, and deploying to Iraq in 2007 11:56 His mom was told he was killed in action for 24 hours 13:18 The TBI erased most of his life before the blast 17:01 Bloom where you're planted and one foot in front of the other 18:50 The kettlebell: compact training for deployments on a Navy ship 21:44 Why law enforcement faces worse than most military and gets less support 25:17 Using Spartan events as target dates for uniformed services 25:48 Three things to do every day: hard thing, push harder, get sleep 28:31 Set your alarm at night, not in the morning Joel Del Rosario is an elite endurance athlete specializing in trail running, mountain racing, and obstacle course competitions, known for consistently pushing his physical and mental limits in extreme environments. Through his journey, he represents resilience, discipline, and community, using his platform to inspire others to embrace discomfort, pursue adventure, and grow through consistent effort and challenge. Connect to Joel: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joellerblades/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Joellerblades
USE CODE DONK50 TO GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH ON PATREON UNTIL THE END OF JUNE http://www.patreon.com/lionsledbydonkeys GET JOE'S BOOK Ebook, Audiobook, and Paperbacks now available! https://www.amazon.com/Highlands-Burn-Foundling-Brigade-Saga-ebook/dp/B0GSG5CNXX/ Or you can buy the ebook and audiobook directly from us: https://www.llbdpodcast.com/products/ Get Nate's band's debut album here! https://secondhomesband.com/ Hoping to get one over on their Spartan enemies, Athens is tricked by some fancy furniture and sweet chains and invades Sicily. Before the operation can even start, one commander who is trying to stop the invasion frames another for the crime of sacrilege, leading him to defect to the Spartans and convince them to join the war to stop Athens. Somehow, that isn't even the strangest thing that happens over the next two years. SOURCES: Ellis, Walter M. Alcibiades. New York: Routledge, 1989 Kagan, Donald. The Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, Thucydides. The Peloponnesian War. Translated by Richard Crawley. Strauss, Barry S., and Josiah Ober. The Anatomy of Error: Ancient Military Disasters and Their Lessons for Modern Strategists. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990 Porter, Barry. Misplaced Aggression: The Athenian Defeat at Syracuse. Military Heritage. Vol. 9 No. 2.
Athens wins at Salamis, but what happens when the man most associated with that victory becomes politically untouchable? We close out our Themistocles series by following the messy aftermath of the Persian Wars, where glory fades fast and the real fight becomes reputation, alliances, and survival inside Athenian democracy.We walk through Themistocles' return to power and his vision for rebuilding Athens with the future in mind, especially the push for fortifications and the long shadow of Spartan rivalry. The centerpiece is the diplomatic gamble that defines his style: stalling and misleading Sparta just long enough for Athens to complete its walls, turning a disputed plan into an irreversible fact. From there we track the next phase of Athenian maritime strategy, including the Piraeus as the key harbor and the drive to keep the trireme fleet growing, the foundation of Athenian naval power in the Aegean.Then the floor drops out. Political enemies capitalize on stories of arrogance, rule-bending, and alleged Persian connections tied to the Pausanias affair. We follow the ostracism, the escape across Greece, and the moment Themistocles chooses the unthinkable path: seeking refuge in the Persian Empire. At Artaxerxes' court he remakes himself again, earns favor, and governs Magnesia, before the story ends with competing accounts of his death and a lingering legacy that reaches back to Athens and forward through his descendants.If you enjoyed this deep dive into Themistocles, Athenian politics, and Greek history after the Persian Wars, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review. What part of his rise and fall feels most familiar today?Support the show
This week Lindsay Davis and Danny Cole are talking all about the realities of short-term versus long-term rentals, addressing misconceptions, risks, and whether Airbnb is really worth it. --To learn more about our full-service turnkey operations, check us out online at www.spartaninvest.comConnect with Spartan!Facebook: @spartanTURNKEYInstagram: @spartaninvestLinkedIn: @spartaninvestConnect with Lindsay!Facebook: @spartanlindsaydavisInstagram: @spartanlindsaydavis
310 - From Airline Pilot to $1 Billion Self Storage Empire: Ryan Gibson's Blueprint for Passive Wealth What if the same checklist that keeps a commercial jet from crashing could also keep your real estate deals from blowing up your bank account? That is the mindset Ryan Gibson brought from the cockpit to the boardroom, and it is the difference between investors who build lasting wealth and those who get burned chasing the next shiny deal. In this episode, Ryan, president of Spartan Investment Group and co-host of Passive Income Pilots, breaks down the go or no-go framework he uses to evaluate every deal, the same discipline that keeps an airplane in the sky. He shares the 10/30/30/30 principle for structuring your net worth, explains why self-storage has outperformed every other asset class over the last 40 years at roughly 17 percent annually, and reveals how Spartan grew from a single house flip with his neighbor turned business partner into a billion-dollar portfolio spanning 15 states and over seven million square feet. He also gets into the strategy behind converting old retail boxes, including a former Kmart and Macy's, into thriving storage facilities, plus the surprising real-world hazards that come with owning thousands of storage units. This episode is essential listening for high-income professionals, especially airline pilots, who want true passive income without taking on a second job, as well as any real estate investor looking to diversify into a historically high-performing, recession-resistant asset class. If you have ever wondered how to evaluate a deal with the same clarity a pilot uses before takeoff, or whether self-storage deserves a spot in your portfolio, this conversation will change how you think about both. 5 Powerful Takeaways Learn the "extension clause" negotiating trick for 1031 exchanges that buys you extra time on the 45 and 180-day deadlines so you are never forced into a rushed, overpriced purchase. Discover the go/no go decision framework, borrowed directly from cockpit protocol, for knowing exactly when to walk away from a real estate deal and when you are too committed to turn back. Get the 10/30/30/30 net worth allocation strategy high-income earners use to balance liquidity, market growth, tax-advantaged real estate, and truly passive investments. Understand why self-storage has delivered roughly 17 percent average annual returns over 40 years, outperforming multifamily, data centers, and mobile home parks. Hear how a single house flip with a neighbor turned into a billion-dollar, 15-state self-storage portfolio, and what that growth story reveals about building investor trust early. 00:00 Show Intro 00:59 1031 Exchange Basics 03:22 Meet Ryan Gibson 04:51 1031 Exchange Pro Tip 07:00 From Pilot to Investor 11:32 Finding a Business Partner 13:55 Pilot Mindset for Deals 20:01 Leading Under Pressure 22:20 Passive Income Explained 24:12 10 30 30 30 Portfolio 28:33 1031 Legacy Planning 29:51 Why Self Storage Wins 33:00 Market Consolidation Play 36:14 Conversions and Reuse 37:32 Tax Foreclosure Surprises 40:34 Spartan Growth Plans 41:16 Wild Storage Stories 43:30 Badass Rapid Fire 48:34 Success Definition and Wrap About the Guest Ryan Gibson is a commercial airline pilot turned self-storage entrepreneur and president of Spartan Investment Group, now the 29th largest self-storage operator in the country with more than one billion dollars in capital organized across 15 states and over seven million square feet. He built Spartan alongside business partner and Army veteran Scott Lewis, growing the company from a single neighborhood flip into a major institutional-grade platform. Ryan also co-hosts the podcast Passive Income Pilots, where he teaches airline pilots and other high-income professionals how to build genuine passive income without adding a second job to their schedule. He applies the same disciplined, checklist-driven decision-making from his years in the cockpit to how he vets deals, operators, and markets today. More than 400 airline pilots have invested alongside him in Spartan's self-storage portfolio. Resources & Websites Mentioned https://spartan-investors.com ryan@spartan-investors.com Passive Income Pilots podcast (available on iTunes, Stitcher, and YouTube) Call to Action To learn more about Jen Josey, visit https://www.therealjenjosey.com/ To join REIGN, visit https://www.reignmastermind.com/ Stuff Jen Josey Loves: https://www.reignmastermind.com/resources Buy Jen Josey's Book: From Beginner to Badass: https://a.co/d/bstKlby New episodes drop every Monday Morning at 6am EST. See you next time.
In this episode, I talk to award-winning historian, and novelist, Dr. Adrian Goldsworthy. He is the author of numerous books on ancient history, especially the Romans, and we'll be discussing his latest one, which came out in May, Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry that Shaped Ancient Greece. Highlights* Do you think readers will perceive any parallels between ancient Athenian politics and recent history?* What are our sources like for this period? How biased are they? What's missing?* How Athenian were the Spartans and how Spartan were the Athenians? * How did Athens and Sparta become rival powers? What set the stage for the Peloponnesian War?* What can we learn about the strengths and weaknesses of democracy from the Athenians? * What was the status of slaves and women in Athens and Sparta?* What can we learn about how alliances work, or don't work?* What role did ancient “technological” advantage play in the outcome of the war?* What would have happened if the Athenians had stuck to the military policies of Pericles?* Was Sparta a bit of a myth? How distorted is the popular image of the Spartans today?* If the Athenians had conquered Sicily and defeated Sparta, would they have invaded Persia? (What caused the Sicilian disaster?)Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Links* Adrian Goldsworthy's Amazon author profile* Athens and Sparta on AmazonThanks for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe
The boys are BACK and holding nothing back on Episode 304! Slow Sipper and Cedric "Swerve" Irvin kick things off celebrating Father's Day before diving straight into the chaos surrounding Michigan State. Slow's prediction finally came true — Dusty May is OUT at Michigan, and we told y'all so! We break down what it means for the Wolverines and why MSU fans should actually be unbothered.Then we go live on NBA Draft night — reacting in real time to AJ Diabate going #1, Cam Boozer landing in Memphis, and debating whether any Spartans sneak into the second round. We also break down the new NCAA D1 Age-Based Eligibility Model and what it means for the future of college sports rosters.Swerve drops a PASSIONATE public service announcement about who Michigan State needs as their next Athletic Director — and why Tom Dieters has to be in that conversation NOW. Plus, we talk about the doxxing of MSU board members and why real fans need to do better.And to top it off — we're planning a LIVE in-person meetup at the Comfort Zone Cigar Lounge in Lansing for Moneyball Pro-Am! Cigars, cocktails, and Spartan talk in person. You don't want to miss it.Go Green. Go White. This is Sparta.
The Spartans did not just build an encryption device when they developed the scytale, they built an entire operational security philosophy around the idea that information in the wrong hands is a weapon turned against you, and the discipline with which they controlled, transmitted, and protected military communications during the Peloponnesian War is a masterclass in the kind of need-to-know compartmentalization that defines modern high-threat operational environments. This episode breaks down how the scytale worked, why its simplicity was also its greatest operational strength, and what the Spartan crypto-state model reveals about the timeless relationship between information control, command integrity, and battlefield survival. Whether you are thinking about modern OPSEC, secure communications protocols, or the foundational principles behind keeping critical information out of enemy hands, the Spartans figured it out first and this episode shows you exactly how they did it.
Before there were cipher machines, dead drops, or encrypted satellites, the Spartans engineered a deceptively simple device called the scytale — a wooden baton wrapped with a strip of leather that rendered military communications completely unintelligible to anyone who intercepted them without an identical rod — and it became the backbone of one of the ancient world's most disciplined and secretive military states. This episode goes inside the Peloponnesian War to examine how Spartan commanders used the scytale to transmit orders across hostile territory, why the elegance of transposition cipher logic made it so effective, and what the existence of this device tells us about how intelligence, secrecy, and encrypted communication have always been inseparable from military power. If you think secure communications started with the Cold War, this episode will take you back twenty-five hundred years to the moment a piece of wood and a strip of leather gave birth to the spy tradecraft the entire modern intelligence community is still built on.
Before algorithms, before binary code, before anything we'd recognize as a computer — the Spartans built a military encryption system so elegant it survived centuries of warfare. This episode explores the scytale, a wooden baton that turned a strip of leather into the ancient world's most closely guarded secret. We go inside the Peloponnesian War to understand what it meant to trust a piece of wood with your army's survival.
Spartan Race started as an idea written on a napkin during a financial crisis. No business plan. Limited money. No guarantee any of it would work. Brian Duncanson, one of the original architects behind Spartan, sits down with Joe De Sena to walk through the real origin story: a meeting in Hartford in December 2009, the decision to fire before aiming, and a ragtag team that turned mud and barbed wire into a global brand operating in 45 countries. They break down the Fenway Stadium gamble Joe did not want to take, the pandemic pivot that forced DECA into a box, and why the strongest ideas at Spartan came when resources were thinnest. Brian also introduces his book, Becoming Spartan: Leveraging Friction to Forge, Scale, and Outlast, and explains what seventeen years of building under pressure taught him about action, constraint, and the 1% daily grind. Things You Will Learn: Why the strongest business innovations at Spartan came from resource constraints rather than abundance. The fire-ready-aim approach that turned a napkin sketch into a global endurance brand during a financial crisis. What breaking a massive goal into checkpoint-sized commitments does for focus, execution, and follow-through. Tools & Frameworks Covered: Two Bike Math: When you lose a resource, the team that adapts fastest wins. Constraint forces innovation you would never find in comfort. Fire Ready Aim: Stop planning. Launch small. Test in the market. Adjust under pressure. The plan improves only after contact with reality. Checkpoint Navigation: Break the hundred-mile goal into five-mile segments. Solve the first one. Then move to the next. Momentum compounds. If this episode moved you, do not just listen. Do something about it. Sign up. Show up. Do the work. Spartan.com. No more excuses. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Joe and Brian Duncanson go back to the late 1990s 01:04 How adventure racing on TV changed Brian's corporate life 03:50 Why adventure racing was too expensive and too hard to scale 05:19 Joe at nine years old: destroying a park to build a BMX track 07:07 Leaving Wall Street: Joe stops feeling alive at the trading desk 08:01 Financial crisis, biking across America, and a friend's death on the road 09:17 The Hartford napkin: December 2009 and the birth of Spartan 12:44 The ragtag team that invented the spear throw and rope climb 14:31 The Fenway Stadium gamble Joe did not want to take 16:35 Complacency kills: why backs-against-the-wall moments drive the best work 17:58 Eight kids staring at devices and three playing hacky sack 20:52 Kids chose their phones over ice cream and watched it melt 22:14 Burning through cash to build a global brand, then doing it again after the pandemic 25:03 Brian's book: how Spartan stories became business lessons 28:50 Why sitting around planning kills more ideas than launching ugly 29:56 Action as the antidote: checkpoints, calendars, and the first five miles 33:05 Hammering metal into a sword: the 1% daily grind that outlasts shortcuts Brian Duncanson is a longtime Spartan community member, endurance athlete, and event producer who has spent years embracing unpredictable challenges and pushing beyond comfort zones. Having competed in more than 50 adventure races while producing over 150 race events, Brian has built a life around resilience, leadership, and taking on difficult challenges. His story highlights endurance, adaptability, and the mindset required to keep showing up when things get hard. Connect to Brian: Website: https://linktr.ee/brian_duncanson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianduncanson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-duncanson-6825971a Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H2RCLPLG
In this episode of Q&A with Koloff, Nikita Koloff welcomes pastor and ministry leader Ken Kline for a powerful conversation about faith, ministry, and perseverance. Ken shares lessons from planting churches, building a diverse congregation, and finding purpose in retirement while continuing to impact lives through ministry and Spartan races. Together, they discuss pivotal moments of saying "yes" to God, navigating seasons of wilderness and loss, and discovering how God uses life's toughest trials to shape our character and deepen our trust in Him. This encouraging episode reminds listeners that even in the darkest valleys, God is faithful and working for our good.
Are we living through an era where the ability to market a product has overtaken the importance of that product's ability to perform in the field? We are constantly being sold new, better, and more technologically advanced tools. But do they perform when it matters? Do they live up to the hype? Do they actually make you a better or more competent hunter or shooter? Or are they just incredibly well marketed? As the founder of Spartan Precision Equipment, Mr. G has spent the last number of years growing Spartan from an upstart with a single product to a meaningful player within the industry. Not through a giant marketing budget. Not by leveraging the influencer of the month or year. But by staying focused on delivering the best products possible for the end-user. @spartan_mrg @spartanprecision @spartan_operations --------------------------- TRUSTED PARTNERS: For over 100 years Leica has set the standard for premium optics. From spotting scopes to binoculars, rifle scopes and the new CRF MAX rangefinders, Leica is the choice for those who accept no compromises. onX Hunt is the most powerful 3D mapping solution for hunters. Get your FREE trial today. If you're already a member, check out the exclusive offers and perks available when you upgrade to an Elite Member. Spartan Precision Equipment is built for the mountains. Ultra-lightweight, packable, and versatile across shooting platforms. Be sure to check out their new Springbok line of products and the Ascent and Javelin series. If you're interested in becoming a truly competent, confident and capable rifleman the Modern Say Sniper platform and Modern Day Rifleman community need to be on your radar. Digital courses, podcasts, videos, and in-person instruction taught by one of the best in the industry. Tired of gut rotting instant coffee? Check out This Is Coffee and get yourself some great instant coffee for when you're in the backcountry or on the road. --------------------------- CONSERVATION ORGS TO SUPPORT: Go to Wild Sheep Foundation to find a membership option that suits your budget and commitment to wild sheep. Go to Wild Sheep Society of BC to become a member, enter raffles, buy merch and support BC's wild sheep populations. Go to Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance to find a membership option that suits your budget and commitment to conserving mountain goats and their habitat.
“Age is the modality in which class is lived in America today.” — Samuel Moyn Yesterday we had 91-year-old Mordecai Kurz on the show. Tomorrow, it will be 84-year-old Sally Quinn. But today's guest, the Yale legal historian Samuel Moyn, has a bit of a problem with old people. His new book, Gerontocracy in America, argues that the old folks are hoarding power and wealth in America. For Moyn, Dylan's Sixties anthem of “Forever Young” has soured into today's reality of “Forever Old.” In some ways, it's hard to argue with Moyn's thesis. Donald Trump is the oldest elected US president in history. Congress has been ageing for decades — and several Democratic members died in the run-up to the One Big Beautiful Bill vote, thereby facilitating its passage. The progressive heroine Ruth Bader Ginsburg stayed on the Supreme Court through a pancreatic cancer diagnosis and died in office, handing the right a supermajority and the end of abortion rights. Clarence Thomas, the RBG of nutcase conservatism, is on track to become the longest-serving Supreme Court justice in US history. And then there's that alte kaker Joe Biden, former dodder-in-chief, the only pol who gives Trump a youthful glow. Even Bob Dylan — who I saw in all his morbid brilliance in Berkeley last week (“but me, I'm still on the road”) — just celebrated his 85th birthday. Forever old, America. Happy 250th. Five Takeaways • What Is Gerontocracy? Not a Problem With Old People: Moyn is careful to distinguish gerontocracy from old people. He is in his mid-fifties and can't attack old people generally. His target is the system: the structural overrepresentation of old people in power, and the structural disadvantaging of the young that results. Old people can be great. Some are, some aren't — just like everyone else. The problem is that when we defer to old people automatically — as a system rather than as a judgement about individuals — we replicate their mistakes alongside their wisdom. And cognitive decline is real, as Biden proved. “Age is the modality in which class is lived in America today,” Moyn writes, riffing on Stuart Hall's formulation about race. • The Congress, the Courts, and the Deaths That Passed the Bill: Trump is the oldest elected US president in history — and if JD Vance were to succeed him, Vance would be the youngest president since Teddy Roosevelt. But Moyn's focus goes beyond the presidency. Congress has aged dramatically: the average senator and representative are significantly older than at any point in US history, and there is now only one member of Congress in their thirties. Several Democratic members of the House died in the months before the One Big Beautiful Bill vote, facilitating its passage. The gerontocracy is quite literally voting itself into power through death. • The RBG Problem: Selfishness and the Supreme Court: Moyn's account of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is unsparing. She had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer — one of the deadliest — and allegedly survived it. She had become a progressive icon, “Notorious RBG.” But she chose to stay on the court rather than retire under Obama, and she died in office in 2020, allowing Trump to appoint Amy Coney Barrett and hand the right a supermajority that ended abortion rights. Moyn's verdict: she was selfish. He is also careful to note that the system should not depend on individual virtue — there will always be selfish people. The system must be reformed so that selfish choices are no longer possible. • The Framers Designed Gerontocracy Into the Constitution: One of Moyn's most striking historical arguments: the framers deliberately empowered old people. The age minimums for federal office (35 for the presidency, 30 for the Senate) excluded 70% of the population at the time. The Senate was named after the Roman senatus — literally “old men” — and the concept went back to the Spartan council of elders. Alexander Hamilton argued in the Federalist Papers that federal judges should serve until they were “dodering” because the alternative was too much popular power. The gerontocracy is not an accident. It was designed. • The Solutions: Vote at Six, Retire at Sixty, Tax the Family Home: Moyn's solutions are deliberately radical. On voting: lower the age, as David Runciman advocates to six, and reduce the number of elections because evidence shows the more elections, the greater the elder dominance. On political office: age limits, youth cohorts. On the courts: mandatory retirement — this requires creative interpretation of the constitution rather than amendment. On the economy: higher taxes on inherited wealth and housing assets — an incremental tax for staying in a large house you no longer need. On the title of the paperback: Andrew suggests “Forever Old.” Moyn will credit him if it's chosen. About the Guest Samuel Moyn is the Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University. He is the author of Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth — and What to Do About It (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, June 16, 2026), Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War, Not Enough: Human Rights in an Unequal World, and The Last Utopia: Human Rights in History. He is co-host of the Digging a Hole podcast and a frequent contributor to The Nation, The New Republic, and The New York Times. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut. References: • Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth — and What to Do About It by Samuel Moyn (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, June 16, 2026). • Samuel Moyn, “The Old Guard: Confronting America's Gerontocratic Crisis,” Harper's Magazine, May 2026 — the excerpt from the book referenced at the opening. • David Runciman — referenced for his advocacy of lowering the voting age to six. • Stuart Hall — referenced for the formulation that class is lived through race, which Moyn repurposes for age. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 3,000 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting. WebsiteSubstackYouTube
Ken Carman and Anthony Lima bring in producer John to analyze the New York Knicks' NBA championship win and the trend of parody across the league. They explore James Dolan's "Spartan" advice to players and compare it to historical rules set by Paul Brown. Additionally, they discuss the viral success of Cape Verde's World Cup performance and debate whether hitting for the cycle in baseball is an overrated achievement.
As the stakes rise, the game of thrones in Greece continues to get bloodier. Epaminondas aims to strike directly at Spartan power and Agesilaus, but faces political enemies back at home, while Pelopidas heads north to deal with chaos of the two Alexanders of Macedon and Pherae. Athens takes the opportunity to return to their old tricks. This one includes the Spartan assassin society, new cities, an escalation of the Persian Great Satraps Revolt for Artaxerxes to deal with, and the education of the most famous Philip of the ancient world.Primer: Characters in the Game of Thrones at the End of Ancient Greece - History of WesterosVote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
In this episode of On the House with Spartan Invest, Lindsay sits down with Brian Waters, Los Angeles County Fire Captain, real estate investor, and founder of Rental Property Playbook. Brian shares how he went from navigating California wildfires to building a 20-property portfolio through out-of-state investing. He opens up about the financial mistakes that shaped his journey, why he believes turnkey real estate is the ideal strategy for busy professionals, and the importance of education, mentorship, and taking action instead of waiting for the "perfect" market. Brain's Instagram and more info: https://www.instagram.com/mr.brian.waters--To learn more about our full-service turnkey operations, check us out online at www.spartaninvest.comConnect with Spartan!Facebook: @spartanTURNKEYInstagram: @spartaninvestLinkedIn: @spartaninvestConnect with Lindsay!Facebook: @spartanlindsaydavisInstagram: @spartanlindsaydavis
Curtis Dozier's The White Pedestal: How White Nationalists Use Ancient Greece and Rome to Justify Hate (Yale University Press, 2026) explores how white nationalist thought leaders use ancient Greece and Rome to claim historical precedent for their violent and oppressive politics.It is difficult to ignore the resurgence of white nationalist movements in the United States, many of which employ symbols and slogans from Greco-Roman antiquity. A long-established neo-Nazi website incorporates an image of the Parthenon into its logo, and rioters wore Spartan helmets in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. These juxtapositions may appear incongruous to people who associate the ancient world with enlightened political ideals and sophisticated philosophical inquiry. But, as Dozier points out in this thought-provoking book, it's hard to imagine a historical period better suited to rhetorical use by white nationalists. Indeed, some of the most widely admired voices from ancient literature and philosophy endorsed ideas that modern white supremacists promote, and the social and political realities of the ancient world provide models for political systems that white supremacists would like to establish today. Part introduction to contemporary white nationalist thought, part exploration of ancient racism and xenophobia, and part intellectual history of the political entanglements of academic study of the past, this book reveals that contemporary white nationalist intellectuals know much more about history than many people assume—and they deploy this knowledge with disturbing success. Curtis Dozier is associate professor of Greek and Roman studies at Vassar College. He is the director of the internationally recognized website Pharos: Doing Justice to the Classics, which documents appropriations of Greco-Roman antiquity by hate groups. He lives in Poughkeepsie, NY. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Curtis Dozier's The White Pedestal: How White Nationalists Use Ancient Greece and Rome to Justify Hate (Yale University Press, 2026) explores how white nationalist thought leaders use ancient Greece and Rome to claim historical precedent for their violent and oppressive politics.It is difficult to ignore the resurgence of white nationalist movements in the United States, many of which employ symbols and slogans from Greco-Roman antiquity. A long-established neo-Nazi website incorporates an image of the Parthenon into its logo, and rioters wore Spartan helmets in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. These juxtapositions may appear incongruous to people who associate the ancient world with enlightened political ideals and sophisticated philosophical inquiry. But, as Dozier points out in this thought-provoking book, it's hard to imagine a historical period better suited to rhetorical use by white nationalists. Indeed, some of the most widely admired voices from ancient literature and philosophy endorsed ideas that modern white supremacists promote, and the social and political realities of the ancient world provide models for political systems that white supremacists would like to establish today. Part introduction to contemporary white nationalist thought, part exploration of ancient racism and xenophobia, and part intellectual history of the political entanglements of academic study of the past, this book reveals that contemporary white nationalist intellectuals know much more about history than many people assume—and they deploy this knowledge with disturbing success. Curtis Dozier is associate professor of Greek and Roman studies at Vassar College. He is the director of the internationally recognized website Pharos: Doing Justice to the Classics, which documents appropriations of Greco-Roman antiquity by hate groups. He lives in Poughkeepsie, NY. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory
Here it is — the 2nd installment of CJ’s already-epic mini-series, ‘The Mad Dream of Conquest,’ set in the Peloponnesian War in 5th-century BC Greece. Join CJ as he shares an overview of some of the events of the first half of the Peloponnesian War, including: Spartan-led Peloponnesian invasions of Attica (the countryside around Athens), which used the traditional Greek tactic of ‘ravaging’ farms in order to try to provoke the Athenians to confront them in a decisive hoplite battle Athens’ refusal to do so, as they followed Pericles’ strategy of being purely defensive on land while waging naval & amphibious warfare against the coastal strongholds of the Peloponnesian League The horrific plague that afflicted Athens for the first few years of the war, which likely killed 20-30% of Athens, including, eventually, Pericles himself The leadership void left by Pericles, which was filled by men of much less competence, none of whom ever enjoyed the supermajority support that Pericles had The ‘Peace of Nicias,’ concluded in 421 BC, which was never fully adhered to & wouldn’t last long The growing political feud between Nicias & the Athenian doves vs. Alcibiades & the Athenian hawks The appeal for Athenian assistance from a few Sicilian poleis against Syracuse, the most powerful polis on that island, & the Athenian debates over the wisdom of intervening there, dominated by debates between Nicias & Alcibiades The decision of a majority of the Athenian Assembly to intervene on a massive scale Religious/political scandals that created serious potential problems for the Athenian expedition to Sicily on the eve of its departure The departure, to great fanfare, of a massive Athenian & allied force to Sicily Like this episode? Support the Dangerous History Podcast via Patreon! You can also throw CJ a $ tip via Paypal here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=D6VUYSYQ4EU6L Throw CJ a $ tip via Venmo here: https://www.venmo.com/u/dangerousmedia Or throw CJ a BTC tip here: bc1qfrz9erz7dqazh9rhz3j7nv696nl52ux8unw79z Other ways to support the show (including CJ’s PO Box) Amazon Affiliate Links (buy ANYTHING from Amazon using any of these links & CJ gets a small commission at no cost to you!) The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War by Victor Davis Hanson The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan The Life of Greece: The Story of Civilization, Vol. II by Will Durant Links Support the Dangerous History Podcast via Patreon Subscribe to the Dangerous History Podcast Youtube Channel Follow CJ on Twitter/X Follow the DHP on Instagram Follow the DHP on Facebook Hire CJ to speak to your group or at your event
Will Morlock - Director of Hockey Performance at Michigan State University - joins us for the 154th episode of MTN. On today's show, Will talks us through his training process for both on- & off-ice development with the Spartan program, we dive into motorized (1080) training in both environments, and he talks us through the give and take throughout a collegiate season.Make sure to follow Will on social media @will.morlockFind and follow us on social media @mtn_perform and check back each Wednesday for a new episodeHuge shoutout to our newest partner: Hytro. Hytro is the answer for performance BFR in our space and we are thrilled to have them partner with MTN. Find out more about Hytro and everything they have to offer right here: https://hytro.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=paid-media&utm_campaign=partner&utm_content=podcast&utm_term=foundationalA huge Thank You to our sponsor, Hawkin Dynamics: Hawkin is the world leader in force measuring, and continues to put forth the tools for high-performance practitioners to be exactly that, high performers. If you haven't yet checked out Hawkins - head over to their website at: https://www.hawkindynamics.com/ and check out everything they have to offerMake sure to check out our sponsor, Samson Equipment: Samson is a leader in manufacturing elite weight room equipment (and have been for nearly 50 years). Founded by Dave and Linda Schroeder, Samson is weight room equipment made by coaches for coaches. Check them out at samsonequipment.com for more informationShoutout to our sponsor, 1080 Motion. The 1080 Sprint is the single best piece of training equipment in the world & has continually changed the game for training speed, strength, and power. Go to 1080motion.com to learn more.
A doctor said he needed knee surgery. He said no. Robert Norris is 22 years old, has Down syndrome, and completes Ironman triathlons without a guide. He taught himself to ride a bike, swam with Navy SEALs in the Hudson River, ran the Boston Marathon through bloody blisters, and trains daily with a volume most able-bodied athletes never touch: 80-mile bike rides, 10-mile runs, 2100-yard swims. Joe De Sena sits down with Robert and his mother, Wanda, a retired Navy veteran, to unpack how a slipped kneecap became a turning point, why Robert refuses to quit under any condition, and what happens when a young man with an extra chromosome decides the hard way is the only way. This episode delivers a direct challenge: if Robert Norris can show up every single day without excuses, what is stopping you? Things You Will Learn: Why a physical setback can become the trigger for a higher standard instead of a retreat. The structure behind a non-negotiable daily routine that eliminates the need for motivation. What consistent action proves to the people who expect you to stop. Tools & Frameworks Covered: Setback-to-Standard Conversion: Use injury or adversity as the catalyst for a higher training commitment, not a reason to stop. Non-Negotiable Daily Structure: Wake time, bedtime, training order, and nutrition are locked in. Remove decision fatigue. Execute the plan. Progressive Proof of Capability: Start with one mile. Then eighteen. Then a hundred. Let results silence doubt. If this episode moved you, do not just listen. Do something about it. Sign up. Show up. Do the work. Spartan.com. No more excuses. Robert Norris is a Guinness World Record–holding endurance athlete who redefined limits by becoming the first athlete with Down syndrome to complete a full Ironman triathlon independently, setting the fastest time in his category. His journey represents relentless discipline, the breaking of perceived limitations, and the building of an unshakable mindset through years of preparation and adversity. Connect to Robert: Website: https://www.robertnorrismanofiron.com/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertnorrismanofiron/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.norris.432406/ YouTube: http://youtube.com/@GETFITWIthRobert-21 ꚠ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@robertnorrismanofiron? We gave you the tools, now use them during your next SPARTAN RACE! Use codeword PODCAST on checkout for 10% your next race.
In this episode of Unashamed, Unafraid, Mason and Sam welcome Mike Farr, a rock photographer, Spartan racer, husband to Jenny, and father to Wesley. Mike shares how his father leaving early, conflict with a stepfather, and feeling unlovable fueled a “character” that chased acceptance through music, drugs, escalating sexual behavior, and crime. He describes immersion in the late '60s–'80s music scene, cocaine dealing, and eventual heroin addiction, repeated arrests, rehab attempts, and a Salvation Army program that helped him rebuild sobriety and career. After a six-year relapse, an overdose coma, and another arrest, he surrendered, returned to meetings, and found sustained recovery and service, including coaching sobriety on the Vans Warped Tour, framing God as his Father and a source of healing.Make a donation and become an Outsider!Follow us on social media! Instagram, Facebook & TikTokSubscribe to our YouTubeCheck out our recommended resourcesWant to rep the message? Shop our MERCH! For more inspiration, read our blogDo you have a story you are willing to share? Send us an email! contact@unashamedunafraid.com00:43 Recovery Check In02:34 Introducing Mike Farr04:03 How We Met05:23 Childhood Wounds07:49 Music And Drugs12:08 Sex Addiction Escalates15:54 God And Fatherhood19:40 Tahoe Marriage Fallout20:19 Stevie Ray Vaughan Wakeup21:52 Wicked Wanda22:34 Heroin Hooked and Sick24:07 Intervention and Jail26:00 Rehab Fail and Rick28:02 Tank Talk and Release Mistake30:33 Salvation Army Turnaround32:35 Relapse33:45 Overdose and Two Week Coma37:23 Surrender39:30 God's Tender Mercy43:06 Service Life and Father God45:14 Closing Song
A regular nineteen-year-old with no criminal record stabbed his landlord to death with a pocketknife, then later claimed the demon he'd taunted into possessing him — instead of his fiancée's eleven-year-old brother — had crawled out of a well and into his body to commit the murder.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources and full transcript): https://weirddarkness.com/arnejohnsonREAD or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8n97s9FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: The third Conjuring film is based on the true story of Arne Cheyenne Johnson who claimed he committed murder because a demon made him do it. But how much truth is there to that story? (The Devil Made Him Do It) *** A tribe living in the Amazon Jungle tells about a strange encounter they had with an extraterrestrial and a strange beam of light. (That Time An Alien Visited the Kayapo People) *** An elderly man decides he needs to hire someone to help him care for his property… but who he chose would bring only death and a mystery that still goes unsolved. (The Wonnangatta Station Murders) *** Lizard people. Reptilians. It's one of the strangest and most controversial conspiracy theories in existence – and we'll look at some of the history behind the idea, as well as what science says about the possibility of it being a reality. (The Myths and Modern Science of Reptilians) *** A nun who wasn't very good at being a nun ended up being a nun without a head. (The Headless Nun of Watton Priory) *** We've all been asked the question, “How do you want to die when it comes your time?” Aside from the boring but realistic answer of “quietly in my sleep” some would prefer to go out in a blaze of glory, doing something heroic to save a person or persons from imminent doom. But of course that does not happen for most of us. In fact, there are probably more people going out in a blaze of stupidity! (Dumbest Deaths) *** In 1995 Mike Marcum got it in his head to build a time machine. Did he succeed? We may never know – because he disappeared without a trace. (The Mike Marcum Time Machine)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding00:00:16.342 = Show Open00:02:43.182 = The Devil Made Him Do It00:13:06.595 = The Wonnangatta Station Murders ***00:21:13.768 = That Time An Alien Visited The Kayapo People00:31:32.636 = Myths and Modern Science of Reptilians ***00:36:18.232 = Headless Nun of Watton Priory00:50:09.790 = Dumbest Deaths ***01:02:12.268 = The Mike Marcum Time Machine ***01:06:33.695 = Show Close & Bloopers*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakLISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:“The Myths and Modern Science of Reptilians” from Anomalien: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/b7m27fbr“The Devil Made Him Do It” by Marco Margaritoff for All That's Interesting: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/pxfxa423“That Time An Alien Visited The Kayapo People” by Ellen Lloyd for Ancient Pages: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/sauzjxp2“The Wonnangatta Station Murders” by Brent Swancer for Mysterious Universe: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/ceycy3k“The Headless Nun of Watton Priory” from Esoterx: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/x4sknt6r“Dumbest Deaths” by Katie Chilton for ListVerse: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/sm6mwmj7“The Mike Marcum Time Machine” from Earth Chronicles: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/hytc7552(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: November 17, 2021Weird Darkness host Darren Marlar leads listeners through seven dark tales spanning a courtroom plea of demonic possession, an unsolved double murder on a remote Australian cattle station, an Amazon tribe's memory of a sky visitor, the serpent-race conspiracy of reptilians, a centuries-old English haunting, history's most absurd deaths, and a Missouri man who vanished after trying to build a time machine.It opens with the 1981 killing of forty-year-old landlord Alan Bono in Brookfield, Connecticut, the first murder in the town's 193-year history, committed by his nineteen-year-old tenant Arne Cheyenne Johnson with a five-inch pocket knife. Johnson's attorney Martin Minnella attempted a plea of not guilty by reason of demonic possession, tracing the violence to months of torment suffered by eleven-year-old David Glatzel, the brother of Johnson's fiancée Debbie, who described a tormentor with black eyes, animal features, and hooves. Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren declared it a genuine possession and claimed David levitated and stopped breathing across three exorcisms overseen by priests, while psychiatrists countered that the boy had a learning disability. Judge Robert Callahan rejected the supernatural defense as unprovable, Johnson was convicted of first-degree manslaughter on November 24, 1981, and the case later inspired the film The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.From there the episode travels to the remote Wonnangatta Station in Australia's Victorian Alps, where caretaker James Barclay hired English handyman John Bamford in 1917, a man rumored to have killed his own wife. After the two rode to Talbotville to vote on the Reinforcement Referendum in December 1917, mailman Harry Smith found the homestead empty but for the words "Home Tonight" chalked on the kitchen door, and weeks later he and Jack Jebb uncovered Barclay's decomposed body in a shallow creekside grave, dead from a shotgun blast to the back. The following November, Bamford's body surfaced in a log pile on the Howitt Plains with a bullet in the head, leaving investigators with a recently fired shotgun, traces of strychnine in the kitchen pepper, and no answer as to who killed the second man.Next comes the legend of the Kayapo people of the Brazilian Amazon, who tell of a sky visitor named Bep Kororoti who descended from the mountains of Pukato-Ti amid thunder, wielding a weapon that reduced trees and stones to dust and a beam of light that paralyzed anyone who fled his lessons. The being neither ate nor drank, taught the villagers practical skills, and eventually ascended back into the sky, and the account drew international attention when young Kayapo men touring Rio de Janeiro reportedly pointed at an Apollo 11 astronaut display and shouted that he had returned. Erich von Däniken cited photographs of Kayapo men in straw ritual costumes resembling spacesuits, taken by Joao Americo Peret in 1952, nearly a decade before Yuri Gagarin's 1961 spaceflight, as supposed support for the ancient astronaut theory.The discussion then turns to reptilians, tracing serpent-race myths found across Sumeria, Babylonia, India, China, and Mesoamerica, alongside the modern claims of David Icke that some humans are disguised lizard people. Set against the folklore, researcher Bjarke Jensen of Aarhus University lays out the actual biology: the human reptilian brain that governs heart rate and breathing, eyes structured much like a reptile's, and conductive heart tissue whose molecular building blocks Jensen's team located hidden in the spongy hearts of lizards, frogs, and zebrafish.The episode then visits Watton Priory in East Riding of Yorkshire, a Gilbertine community where, according to the twelfth-century account of Saint Aelred of Rievaulx, an orphaned girl named Elfleda fell in love with a young lay brother, was beaten and chained in a dungeon by the nuns, and was forced to watch as the man was mutilated. A second tragedy fastened itself to the same site after the 1644 Battle of Marston Moor, when Parliamentarian soldiers beheaded the Catholic Lady of Watton and killed her child, and over the centuries the two women blurred into a single spectral figure remembered as the Headless Nun, said to stand at the foot of the bed in blood-stained garments before vanishing.From there the show catalogs history's most absurd deaths, beginning with English Channel swimmer Matthew Webb, who drowned in the Niagara rapids in 1883, and the Spartan general Pausanias, sealed inside a temple of Athena and starved until he died moments after his release. The roll continues with Draco of Athens, smothered around 600 BC beneath cloaks and hats thrown in tribute; Sir Arthur Aston, beaten to death with his own wooden leg; the philosopher Heraclitus, who buried himself in cow dung hoping to cure his dropsy; lawyer Clement Vallandigham, who fatally shot himself in 1871 while demonstrating how a victim might have shot himself by accident; the Viking Sigurd the Mighty, killed by an infection from the sev
SCHEDULE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 6-5-2026.1900 ADAMS BOULEVARD LA. Jeff Bliss highlights the stark contrast between Seattle's controlled homelessness and the pervasive crisis in Los Angeles. The discussion transitions to California's jungle primary, where late-arriving ballots in the Los Angelesmayoral race show statistically improbable gains for Karen Bass and Nithya Raman, fueling accusations of election irregularities. Jeff Bliss previews the opening of a massive, multi-story In-N-Out Burger in Las Vegas, predicting it will become a celebrity destination similar to Hollywood's historic clubs or New York's Stork Club. He also reflects on a rare 1955 invitation from Walt Disney, noting its role in establishing Disneyland's enduring cultural legacy. Richard Epstein examines the 14th Amendment's opening clause, distinguishing the robust rights of citizens from the conditional privileges of aliens. He argues that naturalization was historically a federal prerogative, noting that early statutes, influenced by Thomas Jefferson, included explicit racial exclusions for persons of African or Asiandescent. Richard Epstein disputes the "plain meaning" application to the 14th Amendment, arguing that "subject to the jurisdiction" requires natural allegiance rather than mere physical presence. Critiquing the Wong Kim Ark ruling, he suggests that children of legal permanent aliens should inherit their parents' status rather than automatic citizenship. Jim McTague reports on the cautious economic sentiment in Lancaster County, where despite falling gas prices, consumers remain budget-conscious. While tourism remains strong at venues like the Sight and Sound Theatre, local officials recently rejected a proposed data center in Columbia due to technicalities and concerns over its utility. Lorenzo Fiori provides an optimistic update on Italy's economy, noting improved employment rates across various demographics. He highlights a landmark legislative shift toward nuclear energy, with small plants planned by 2034. For travelers, he recommends San Miniato, a strategic, less-crowded Tuscan village famous for its white beans. Bob Zimmerman dismisses NASA's sheltering orders on the ISS as an overreaction to routine Russian repair work on the Zvezda module. He details SpaceX's massive IPO, which aims to raise billions, and observes that private space station firms like Axiom and Vast continue to secure significant capital despite SpaceX's market dominance. Bob Zimmerman surveys global spaceport developments, contrasting Spain's investment in French Guiana with the liquidation of the UK's Sutherland facility due to red tape. He debunks claims that the interstellar comet 3I/Atlas is an alien craft and notes that unpredictable sunspot activity continues to defy scientific models. Andrew Bayliss recounts how Pericles provoked the Peloponnesian War by steering Athens toward confrontation with Sparta. He details the Athenian strategy of retreating behind city walls and relying on naval imports, a move that tragically facilitated a devastating plague, claiming thousands of lives, including Pericleshimself. Andrew Bayliss profiles Lysander, a Spartan general of modest origins who secured crucial Persian funding to challenge Athenian naval supremacy. Lysander achieved victory not through direct combat, but by using deception to capture the Athenian fleet while the crews were uncharacteristically casual and off their ships. Andrew Bayliss explores the aftermath of Sparta's victory, noting that Lysander's immense power and ambition ultimately led to his death during a failed siege. Sparta's dominance eventually collapsed at the Battle of Leuctradue to a dwindling citizen population, reducing the once-mighty superpower to a minor village. Andrew Bayliss critiques the modern application of the "Thucydides Trap" to US-China relations, arguing that the original Peloponnesian War was not inevitable. He suggests the conflict was precipitated by specific provocations and accidental circumstances, drawing parallels to the circumstantial outbreak of the First World War. Henry Sokolski warns of China's fast breeder reactor program, which produces super weapons-grade plutonium capable of fueling efficient nuclear triggers. He also notes South Korea's growing interest in developing independent nuclear capabilities and submarines to counter threats from North Korea and China, despite international non-proliferation standards. Henry Sokolski explains the strategic significance of deploying Dual Capable Aircraft (DCA), such as the F-35, to reinforce NATO's nuclear deterrent in Europe. He observes that while Moscow and Beijing oppose these deployments, the aircraft act as vital "glue" for alliances, ensuring that American nuclear guarantees remain credible. Richard Epstein analyzes the Wong Kim Ark decision, arguing that Justice Horace Gray erroneously applied birthright citizenship to the children of ineligible aliens. He further critiques the expansion of the Equal Protection Clause in the 20th century, claiming it was originally intended for criminal matters rather than civil benefits. Richard Epstein discusses the legal complexities of a proposed executive order to end birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens. He highlights the rise of "manufactured citizenship" through birth tourism and predicts the Supreme Court may eventually distinguish between transient visitors and those seeking permanent residency.
Andrew Bayliss profiles Lysander, a Spartan general of modest origins who secured crucial Persian funding to challenge Athenian naval supremacy. Lysander achieved victory not through direct combat, but by using deception to capture the Athenian fleet while the crews were uncharacteristically casual and off their ships.1881 LYSANDER ORDERS THE ATHEN WALLS TORN DOWN.
Professor Andrew Bayliss discusses the origins and geography of Sparta, a fertile but mountain-locked valley. He explains the unique dual kingship and the Spartan "plantation cult" society, which relied on the brutal enslavement of the Helots. Bayliss also notes early military overconfidence, exemplified by their defeat at Tegea.1949
Professor Andrew Bayliss introduces the primary sources for Spartan history: Herodotus, who recorded epic narratives; Thucydides, who focused on clinical analysis and the "Thucydides Trap"; and Xenophon, a student of Socrates who continued Thucydides' unfinished history. Each historian provided a distinct perspective on Sparta's rise and fall. 1835
Professor Andrew Bayliss describes the "brutal barracks life" of Spartan education, beginning at age seven. Boys endured physical hardship and were encouraged to steal food to prepare for combat. Women also underwent athletic training to produce strong warriors. This rigorous system created a highly disciplined citizen elite.457 AMBROSIAN ILIAD
Professor Andrew Bayliss analyzes the Persian Wars, noting that while Thermopylae created the Spartan legend, the naval victory at Salamis was strategically decisive. Following the war, Sparta retreated into isolationism due to internal scandals, allowing Athens to transform its defensive alliance into a powerful, tribute-collecting maritime empire.MINOAN
SHOW SCHEDULE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 6-4-2026.1671. Evan Ellis discusses the crisis in Bolivia, where President Rodrigo Paz appointed a new defense minister to counter blockades by Evo Morales's supporters and coca growers. These paramilitary-style tactics have isolated La Paz, causing severe shortages. Ellis analyzes the military's hesitation and the influence of illicit interests on the unrest. Evan Ellis examines upcoming elections in Peru and Colombia. In Peru, hard-left candidate Roberto Sanchezchallenges Keiko Fujimori, raising concerns about radical constitutional changes. In Colombia, security-focused newcomer Abelardo de la Espriella leads against leftist Iván Cepeda, reflecting public frustration with the government's failure to manage internal security. Evan Ellis details regional tensions: former Mexican President AMLO accuses Washington of interference regarding corruption probes into his party. In Cuba, the U.S. employs "carrots and sticks" to pressure the regime. Meanwhile, Brazil's election intensifies as the Trump administration backs Flavio Bolsonaro while imposing trade tariffs on Lula's government. Evan Ellis discusses Argentine President Javier Milei's push for unregulated AI development to attract tech investment, highlighted by Peter Thiel's move to Buenos Aires. The segment also covers social unrest in Mexicoas it prepares to host the World Cup, emphasizing the high costs and potential for disruption. Anatol Lieven analyzes Ukrainian drone strikes on St. Petersburg, which damaged energy infrastructure and embarrassed the Kremlin during an economic forum. Lieven observes that the war has evolved into a "battle of drones," undermining Russia's imperial image and increasing internal pressure on Putin as his original strategic goals remain unfulfilled. Anatol Lieven discusses the civil unrest following the murder of Henry Novak in England. He critiques the police response and explains how Nigel Farage is exploiting the tragedy to fuel nationalist sentiment. Additionally, Lieven assesses the political decline of Keir Starmer and the potential rise of Andy Burnham. Mary Anastasia O'Grady explores the ideological battle in the Andean region. She describes Evo Morales's efforts to paralyze Bolivia through road blockades. O'Grady also analyzes the electoral shifts in Peru and Colombia, where voters increasingly favor right-wing candidates who promise security and economic stability over hard-left institutional change. Veronique de Rugy critiques the feasibility of single-payer healthcare in America. Citing Vermont's failed experiment, she highlights the astronomical tax increases required to fund such systems. De Rugy argues that government-run healthcare leads to rationing and stifles the medical innovation currently driven by the American private market. Professor Andrew Bayliss discusses the origins and geography of Sparta, a fertile but mountain-locked valley. He explains the unique dual kingship and the Spartan "plantation cult" society, which relied on the brutal enslavement of the Helots. Bayliss also notes early military overconfidence, exemplified by their defeat at Tegea. Professor Andrew Bayliss introduces the primary sources for Spartan history: Herodotus, who recorded epic narratives; Thucydides, who focused on clinical analysis and the "Thucydides Trap"; and Xenophon, a student of Socrates who continued Thucydides' unfinished history. Each historian provided a distinct perspective on Sparta's rise and fall. Professor Andrew Bayliss describes the "brutal barracks life" of Spartan education, beginning at age seven. Boys endured physical hardship and were encouraged to steal food to prepare for combat. Women also underwent athletic training to produce strong warriors. This rigorous system created a highly disciplined citizen elite. Professor Andrew Bayliss analyzes the Persian Wars, noting that while Thermopylae created the Spartanlegend, the naval victory at Salamis was strategically decisive. Following the war, Sparta retreated into isolationism due to internal scandals, allowing Athens to transform its defensive alliance into a powerful, tribute-collecting maritime empire. Simon Constable reports from France on volatile commodity markets. While copper prices suggest economic growth, the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz threatens to spike oil prices and trigger global economic downgrades. Constable also provides updates on regional weather and the health of his puppy, Lyra. Simon Constable discusses the political instability in Britain, where Andy Burnham seeks to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The segment also covers the tragic death of Henry Novak, which has ignited debates over migration and policing, with Nigel Farage utilizing the crisis to bolster his Reform Party's influence. Rick Fisher warns of the rapid militarization of the Earth-Moon system. He highlights China's dual-use space program, run by the People's Liberation Army, and the U.S. Space Command's shift toward "offensive space control." Both powers are deploying lunar vehicles to establish and protect territory in cis-lunar space. Rick Fisher discusses China's 100-year plan to dominate the solar system, specifically the Lunar South Pole's resources. He describes potential "de-confliction" issues as China uses crashing propulsion modules for landings. Fisher concludes that space is becoming an active war-fighting domain involving orbital, electronic, and cyber warfare.
Herb Thompson had already made it. He was Drill Sergeant of the Year, on a clear path to a top enlisted career, and could have stayed where it was safe. He didn't. In this conversation with Joe De Sena, Special Forces veteran Herb Thompson explains why he walked away from the secure path to chase the dream he had since childhood: becoming a Green Beret. Herb breaks down fear of failure, why most people talk instead of act, how he survived Special Forces selection without feedback, and what it took to rebuild purpose after retirement. This episode is about ownership, sacrifice, and performance under uncertainty. You will leave with practical rules for taking action, handling discomfort, and building a life around what you are willing to earn. Things You Will Learn: Why ownership matters more than motivation when the goal gets hard. How to break overwhelming pressure into small, winnable steps. Why sacrifice, not talk, is what turns a dream into a result. Tools & Frameworks Covered: Own Your Journey Rule: puts responsibility for progress back on you. Small Chunk Execution: breaks hard goals into immediate next steps under pressure. Sacrifice Filter: clarifies what you are willing to give up to earn what you want. If this episode moved you, don't just listen. Do something about it. Sign up. Show up. Do the work. Spartan.com. No more excuses. Herb Thompson is the only person in Army history to earn both Drill Sergeant of the Year and the Green Beret, a path built on hardship, childhood trauma, and a refusal to quit under extreme pressure. His journey spans combat missions, brutal selection courses, and a post-military identity rebuild that demanded a new kind of discipline. Herb now helps high performers redefine purpose beyond titles through writing, speaking, and leadership development. Connect to Herb: Website: https://libertyspeaks.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/herb-thompson-libertyspeaks/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_ownyourjourney_ The Transition Mission Book: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B082RL1SJ2 We gave you the tools, now use them during your next SPARTAN RACE! Use codeword PODCAST on checkout for 10% your next race.
(3) Finally, the pair shifts to Persian diplomacy and the "dispensation for deception." Germanicus explains how Iranuses strategic deceit to survive existential threats, specifically aiming to separate United States interests from Israel. They speculate that modern leaders may settle conflicts through informal "backdoor handshakes" or social media posts rather than traditional documents. Drawing on Byzantine history, they suggest appeasement and payoffs can be more effective than direct combat. The dialogue ends with the Spartan legend of a boy who allowed a hidden fox to disembowel him to avoid public shame.1716
Nine soldiers in a hilltop position. Rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun fire from every direction. Seven killed. One man left on the radio, calling for help that was not coming. That is where this episode begins. In this Memorial Day special of The Hard Way, Joe De Sena sits down with four men who faced the most extreme physical and mental breaking points a human being can endure. Medal of Honor recipient Ryan Pitts fought alone and was wounded at a remote observation post in Afghanistan after losing seven teammates around him. Navy SEAL leader Leif Babin breaks down how extreme ownership and the refusal to quit create an advantage when everyone else is suffering. Navy pilot Keegan Gill was ejected from a fighter jet at 695 miles per hour, shattered nearly every major bone in his body, and spent two hours drowning in the Atlantic. Green Beret Nick Lavery lost his leg to machine gun fire in Afghanistan, then fought his way back to become the first above-knee amputee to return to active duty special operations. Each story delivers a concrete lesson in endurance under fire, ownership of outcomes, and the decision to keep going when quitting is the logical choice. Things You Will Learn: Why the person who hangs on one minute longer is the one who wins. What extreme ownership looks like in combat and why it builds lasting toughness in any environment. Why asking for help is not a weakness, and why the toughest operators on the planet treat mental health the same as a broken ankle. Tools & Frameworks Covered: Outlast the Field: You do not need to be the best. You need to be the last one still moving when everyone else stops. Extreme Ownership: Own every failure. Share every lesson. The ego hit is temporary. The growth is permanent. Burn the Boats Standard: No Plan B. Meet the standard or die trying. Gray area does not exist at the highest level. If this episode moved you, do not just listen. Do something about it. Sign up. Show up. Do the work. Spartan.com. No more excuses. Guests Bios: Ryan Pitts: Medal of Honor recipient. On July 13, 2008, at a remote observation post in Wanat, Afghanistan, Pitts was wounded in the opening seconds of a massive enemy assault that killed seven of his fellow soldiers. Alone and bleeding, he continued fighting and called for reinforcements on the radio, holding his position until help arrived. He was 22 years old. Pitts spent a year recovering at Walter Reed and has since dedicated himself to sharing the stories of the men who fought beside him and the importance of seeking help when the fight follows you home. Leif Babin: Former Navy SEAL officer and co-author of Extreme Ownership. Babin led SEAL operations in Ramadi, Iraq, during some of the most intense urban combat of the war. He lost teammates in action and carried those lessons into leadership consulting, teaching that owning your failures — not hiding them — is the foundation of real toughness and lasting performance. Keegan Gill: Former Navy fighter pilot. During a training exercise over the Atlantic, a system malfunction sent his jet into an unrecoverable dive. He ejected at 695 miles per hour, two seconds from impact. The force shattered both arms, both legs, broke his neck, and caused a traumatic brain injury. His parachute release malfunctioned, and he spent two hours being drowned by his own chute in freezing water before rescue. He woke up two weeks later in a trauma center. Nick Lavery: Green Beret and the first above-knee amputee to return to active duty special operations. On his third deployment to Afghanistan, machine gun fire destroyed his right leg. From his hospital bed, he committed to returning to his team with no backup plan. After two years of rehabilitation and 14 weeks of assessment, he returned to the same team that was with him when he was wounded and deployed back to Afghanistan seven weeks later. He served 20 years total. We gave you the tools, now use them during your next SPARTAN RACE! Use codeword PODCAST on checkout for 10% your next race.