Team Never Quit

Dustin Diefenderfer: Founder of MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab, Ultra Runner, Backcountry Hunter

Backcountry hunting, anyone?If ever a man wanted to discover what it takes to become an elite man – mentally, physically, and spiritually tough, training for such a high-end hunt may just be the ticket. This week’s Team Never Quit Guest, Dustin Diefenderfer, explains in detail the grueling athletic training and grit it takes to hunt Deer, Elk, Moose, or Caribou In the backcountry. If you’re looking for an easy way to get there, stay home. When the hunt experience is over, you’re left with the mental and physical ability to reach your personal and professional goals by applying the principles learned in this endeavor – a better life by learning to be comfortable in being uncomfortable. In this episode you will hear: Getting comfortable being uncomfortable is teaching men to handle adversity. If you can handle adversity in the gym, you can handle it better in the field. If you can handle it in the field, you can handle it a lot better at home. When you’re more used to adversity and spend more time outdoors, it makes for a better man. If you’re fortunate enough to harvest an animal on a backcountry hunt, you’re coming out with 80-100 pounds per trip for 3 or 4 trips. Adversity building is one baby step after another. It makes you way tougher than you used to be. It’s cool looking back on God’s footsteps that have brought us to creating Mountain Tough. You don’t need to chase the corporate America stuff; You don‘t need to do what everyone else is doing. Living in Africa taught us not to worry so much about money & finances. The people living there with nothing are pretty happy. They’re not distracted like Americans are, with cell phones and the like. I knew I was gonna do something I was passionate about, and I knew I would do something outside, away from the computer, and engage with building a community. When we’re going thru something stressful, God looks at us like “Do you realize that what you’re looking at right now is ‘this big’ in the grand scheme of life.” We went to Ethiopia on a short mission trip and worked for two weeks where kids lived, slept, and ate in a landfill all day long. It was complete re-entry depression after watching those kids live in the dump. They would rescue the child soldiers and teach them some life skills. We’re creating elite men. Dustin's Websitemtntough.com use promo code TNQ for 20% off you first year! Follow Us: https://www.instagram.com/marcusluttrell/ https://www.instagram.com/andrewbrockenbush/ https://www.instagram.com/mojoluttrell/ https://www.instagram.com/team_neverquit/

May 11, 2022

72 min

Brian Reese: Founder & CEO of VA Claims Insider, Former Air Force Officer, and Author of You Deserve It

A CEO with PTSD. That encapsulates the world of this week’s Team Never Quit guest, Brian Reese. Here’s a military veteran entrepreneur serving other military veterans – over 15,000 vets needing a vast array of help – mental, disability ratings, compensation, and more. Brian, Marcus, and Morgan get “in the weeds’ as it relates to maximizing many forms of help for the veteran through his program, VA Claims Insider. Listen in to Brian’s vulnerable revelations of his personal challenges, and his ability to overcome and create a company whose prime directive is to teach and serve others. It’s okay not to be okay… In this episode you will hear: I’m sort of an amateur singer/songwriter. A lot of vets have never filed a claim because they think “I’m not that disabled. Others have it worse, so I don’t deserve these benefits.” That’s complete bullsh*t. There’s a mental barrier we have about getting help. One of the core values of the Air Force is “service before self”. That doesn’t mean service at the expense of self. If you can’ take care of anybody else, then you’re no good to the mission. It takes less than 5 minutes to get yourself enrolled in VA health care. Get a medical diagnosis of your condition ASAP. First and foremost: Get yourself in VA health care, get a primary care provider, and get your stuff medically diagnosed in a medical record. We’re trying to meet the military veteran before they even take off the uniform, then serve them at every point of life. If I were king for a day, I would completely gut and overhaul the VA disability system. I’d take the word disability out of it. I would call Elon Musk, and ask him to come help me solve our problems. Government organizations are not built for radical innovation. It’s never too late to take advantage of everything veterans have worked for. The VA disability process & the VA benefits process is never over unless you quit.

May 4, 2022

57 min

Travis Wilson: Retired Green Beret and Founder & CEO of Alpha Elite Performance

How does a near-fatal parachute accident equate to becoming an entrepreneur?Ask this week’s Team Never Quit guest, Travis Wilson. He served 21 years in the U.S. Army as a Green Beret and in the Special Forces. When his chute’s canopy collapsed and he “burned in,” Travis spent his recovery time developing his own line of supplement products. Listen in as Travis tells of his life transitions; his successes and failures. From a broken back, knee replacements and over a dozen surgeries to launching Alpha Elite Performance and serving as an Ambassador for the Green Beret Foundation, Travis is a picture of motivation and perseverance. Check it out. In this episode you will hear:• I was on a free-fall team the majority of my military career.• On a night jump, the right side of my canopy collapsed. I was a right below 500’, so there’s no pulling reserve – just pray.• I thought I had landed on a fence post. I broke my back, so I felt like I was impaled.• I went to school for Exercise Science. But did I graduate? No, because “I’m not gonna miss this war.”• I was an Army Medic.• I stated a non-profit – Alpha Elite Performance. It’s a way for me to give back to veterans.• My dad didn’t care if I failed or I succeeded, as long as I tried.• My dad’s attitude was: “You’re not gonna grow up and quit.”• When I got hurt, I thought I was gonna get kicked out, so that’s when I started my nutrition company.• It’s a super challenge owning your own business.• I was a security manager for Five Finger Death Punch, because I had a medical background. • I lost 2 wives and 2 Harleys.

April 27, 2022

82 min

Todd DeGhetto: Retired Navy Captain who spent 30 years in Naval Special Warfare (NSW) as a SEAL Officer

Need a clear decision-maker in high stress military operations critical to the defense of the United States? Then this week's Team Never Quit guest, Todd Deghetto, is your man.After 30 years as a Navy SEAL officer in Naval Special Warfare, Todd's current mission is to develop future leaders in mental toughness, discipline, & building collaborative teams. Todd, Markus, and Morgan share an engaging conversation including actual mission details, it's personal & mental ramifications, and the steps to recovery. Everyone on Todd’s team has a purpose. In this episode you will hear: • It doesn’t matter what people think about you. Do what’s right, regardless of the consequences. If you lose friends over it, they weren’t true friends.• Having a dad as a New Jersey State Trooper, I learned about the evil in this world, and I learned about honor – doing what’s right.• That’s the nice thing about diving without O2. If you gotta die, that’s the way to go, because you just fall asleep.• [In combat] You get real good at completely cutting your head off from the rest of your body - No feelings, no emotion, and no pain. I truly didn’t start processing stuff until after I was done.• When things are going sideways is when people show their true colors.• When I returned, God put it on my heart to mentor the next generation.• I’m a leadership coach & mentor for the University of Tennessee’s MBA program. I may not have the business expertise, but I’ve got a lot of leadership experience.• The only way you’re gonna get better is to be able to say “this is mine.” This I made that decision, and this is why I made that decision.• We learn more from our mistakes than we ever do when things go right.• I took me several weeks after I returned - and all of a sudden I woke up one day feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.• All the explosives, the blasts, the mortars, the rockets, the charges, the AC4’s – the damage done to the brain is devastating.• The healing journey has been the hardest thing for me. Part of that journey is not quitting om my family.• [In military leadership] We’re very good at controlling everything we can control.• There’s psychedelics treatment out there to really help us guys. My initial thought was “no way”, but it truly helped me.

April 20, 2022

110 min

Kara Chamberlain: Kidnapped by a Serial Killer at 15 and Escaped, Now a Survivor Advocate

The human will to survive can't be underestimated. That's the mantra of this week's Team Never Quit guest, Kara Chamberlain. While watering plants in the front yard of a friend's house, Kara was kidnapped at gunpoint by a serial killer. She was only 15. Making mental notes of every detail along the way in her abductor's car - from memorizing the serial number of the large storage bin he forced her into to counting the turns he made, the music he played, his Marlboro Red cigarettes, details from within his apartment while handcuffed and gagged, Kara used every bit of it to her benefit. She not only escaped after 18 hours, but the details she recalled helped catch him. Kara's case also helped police link the killer to three unsolved murders in other states. These days, Kara's life is dedicated to spreading hope and strength to other survivors. In this episode you will hear: We all have the ability to turn negatives into positives Volunteering to go outside and water the plants made me a victim of opportunity. When that red flag hit me, I felt a gun pressed to the side of my neck. He was fact-gathering about me, and I was doing the same about him. We can decide if we pick up the offense to something or pick up strength. You’re either going to be defined by something that happens to you, or you’re going to be refined by it. I was praying non-stop: “Help me to find an opportunity to escape.” When it was over, I just wanted to go back to normal life – The life of a 15-year old girl. The biggest threat to kids these days is online predators. Have an open communication & dialog with your children. Teach them how to set boundaries and how to respect other people’s boundaries. The best thing we can do for our children is to give them tools to deal with anything bad that happens. “I will never get mad at you.” “Stranger Danger” is not the biggest threat to kids right now. [Melanie] “The inspirational thing is not that you just survived and moved on – it’s that you helped others. That’s the difference between being a survivor and being a hero.” I’ve always felt that what happened to me was so I could help other people.

April 13, 2022

88 min

Rich “ACE” Franklin: 3x MMA World Champion, VP of ONE Championship, Host of ONE Warrior Series and Quite Franklin Podcast

From mild-mannered High School math teacher to UFC Hall of Famer. That’s this week’s Team Never Quit special guest, Rich Franklin. Rich and Marcus kick it around in an entertaining discussion about the transition from teaching high school math to UFC fighting on a world-class level. His childhood days of taking Karate lessons brought about an interest in Thai Boxing and Jiu-Jitsu, which further developed into a full-time MMA fighting career. Rich has also coached in The Ultimate Fighter, launched a clothing brand, a juice café, and is a prime example of one classy dude.Nice guys can finish first. In this episode you will hear: I didn’t grow up being an amazing athlete. I’m not super explosive, but I can grind. Mathematics, like being a sniper, is a skill. You have to work at it. If you take the grind away from me, then what am I? This grind, this work ethic I have, is not just the way I work out; it’s the way I approach everything in life. When you start worrying about things outside of your circle of control, it’ll take you away from your goals. When you’re fighting somebody on the street that’s not trained, I feel like Neo in the Matrix. When they throw a punch, it’s so slow to me. Q: What’s your favorite cheat meal? A: What’s a cheat meal? I don’t deal well with disrespect, inefficiency, or stupidity. I like being challenged. I’ve never used drugs in my life. I’ve never even had a sip of alcohol. Had my college professor not actually cared, I could’ve folded. He saved me. You never know when a small gesture helps somebody. I don’t think I would be in this place in my life without God. He’s really directed my path. Connect with Rich: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richacefranklin/ Listen to his podcast: https://richfranklin.com/listen-to-the-quite-franklin-podcast/ Visit his website: https://richfranklin.com/ Follow Us: https://www.instagram.com/marcusluttrell/ https://www.instagram.com/andrewbrockenbush/ https://www.instagram.com/team_neverquit/

April 6, 2022

100 min

Angela Rose: Abduction Survivor, Author, Speaker, Founder of PAVE

She never made it to the party.Every parent’s nightmare happened to this week’s Team Never Quit Podcast guest, Angela Rose. At 17, she was walking to her car after leaving work at a mall, and was headed to a graduation party. Angela was abducted at knifepoint by a man with a long criminal history, including murder. In this week’s episode, she recounts the details of her horrific experience, fearing death, hands bound, and eyes covered. Angela survived her kidnapping, sexual assault and currently uses her ordeal to usher in legislation, education and action to shatter the silence of sexual violence. Triumph over tragedy. In this episode you will hear:• I’m letting people know that there is joy after trauma, and a happy, joyful life is absolutely possible.• It was broad daylight when I was kidnapped at knifepoint.• He stalked me and was watching me at the mall.• Follow your gut instinct.• The detectives didn’t believe me, and so the trauma was replaced by anger.• This is not a women’s issue. This impacts all genders.• I keep hearing “I never told anybody.”• We train parents and teachers on what to do or say if someone discloses.• Be careful not to use language that blames the victim.• Many people don’t know how to deal with traumatic situations.• I would never wish what happened to me on anybody, but I would never change it.• Because of what happened to me, I learned an inner strength I didn’t know existed.• We need to support each other to rise above adversity.

March 30, 2022

78 min

Mike Ettore: Retired Marine Corps Infantry Officer & Decorated Combat Leader and Founder of Fidelis Leadership Group

This week’s incredible guest – Mike Ettore – knows the way, and shows the way. Being the exceptional leader that he is, Mike became the youngest Drill Instructor in the Marine Corps at the age of 20. There’s not a personal or professional challenge he can’t overcome. Mike’s effective combat leadership style resulted in numerous awards and decorations during his career, including the Bronze Star Medal for Valor (with Gold Star denoting 2nd award) and the Combat Action Ribbon (with two Gold Stars denoting 2nd and 3rd awards). These days, his purpose is to teach, coach, and help leaders develop - while he’s alive and after he’s gone. In this episode you will hear: I graduated from my first recruit platoon when I was 20. The Marine Corps trusted me and I tried very hard to live up to that trust. I spent my whole career trying to live up to the legacy of the Marines in World War I. If there’s something the Marine Corps does well is it teaches and honors its history and traditions. We were considered by the battalion commander, to be the strongest lieutenant/staff sergeant team in the battalion. It’s all about trust I was more excited about being an equally good leader in business as I was in the Marine Corps. Pre 9-11, I was dragging an AR-15 in a case through the airport. I was a C-level officer in charge of most of the back office of the non-sales function for a billion-dollar company, with no expertise in any of it. I wasn’t really sure how to save a file. I teach and coach senior executives in the art & science of leadership. I’m 65 years old and have unlimited energy. I just love it. At 65 years old, with over 45 years of teaching leadership, I still learn something every week. I ask myself: ”How in the hell have I gone this long and never heard that?” I am vain enough that to think that 25, 50, 80 years from now - if somebody picks my book up, the Iwo Jima lessons, the Grenada lessons, and the business lesson I’ve learned, just might help out my great, great-grandson or daughter, who never met me. [In life] I was mostly right, somewhat wrong, or completely full of shit [Conversation with son] just because it comes out of my mouth doesn’t automatically mean that it’s bullshit. As you get older, you’re gonna find yourself becoming me. Dale Carnegie: “A man who dies rich dies disgraced.” I’m never gonna have Andrew Carnegie money, but I’ve got a laptop and a thumb drive. Everything that’s up here [in my head] is gonna be out.

March 23, 2022

92 min

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