The Unbeatable Mind Podcast With Mark Divine

Jim Rome is a legendary sportscaster and media personality. He shares with us the trials and challenges he faced in becoming what he always wanted to be. He and Commander Divine discuss mental and emotional toughness and how Jim inadvertently was working on developing an Unbeatable Mind in order to succeed as a broadcaster.  He and Mark also talk about how they are trying to raise children in light of the changed and very competitive world in which we live. Find out how Jim has worked on mental toughness, and the determination he was able to use to succeed in his career.

Joshua Mantz is a retired Major who commanded in the Army for a decade.  Joshua has also recently authored the book to be released in August: “The Beauty of a Darker Soul: Overcoming Trauma Through the Power of Human Connection.” In 2007 he was very seriously wounded by a sniper on the outskirts of Sadr City, and he actually died for 15 minutes. He talks with Commander Divine about what the experience of dying was like, and the mental challenges of emotional trauma.  Find out how you can help with his mission and how he has dealt with the kind of very serious trauma that he has faced.

In this episode, Commander Divine discusses the different aspects of fear and anxiety. They are based on false expectations or perceptions, and are solely based on thinking either in the future or the past. When we are experiencing the present-moment directly, we can overcome fear. How can we use that energy to fuel ourselves for peak performance in the present?  Don't miss this solocast.

Sean Esbjorn-Hargens is the founder of The MetaIntegral Foundation and is a champion of the kind of integral philosophy best known through Ken Wilber. He has a PhD in integral theory and has worked extensively in helping coach leaders to be effective in the chaotic, and endlessly changeable modern world. He and Commander Divine talk about the philosophy of meta-integration and the importance of integral theory for business leadership. Learn how you’re will need to pull together understandings of different areas to make yourself more effective as a leader.

Erik Weihenmayer is the only blind person to climb the seven summits.  He also solo kayaked 277 miles of the Grand Canyon. He has done all of this and more, blind.  Weihenmayer, who lost his sight at 13, suffers from a genetic disease that eventually took his vision. He talks about what it takes to mentally and emotionally overcome his challenges and what motivates him to engage in adventuring that many sighted people would find near impossible.  Erik’s book about kayaking is called “No Barriers,” and is a must read.  Commander Divine and Erik get into what it takes to take the first steps to live a life of risk and adventure. Keep listening after the interview for a brief out-take regarding Erik’s upcoming trip to the Himalayas and Mark’s Spartan 300 march in Greece.

Dr. Hill is the founder of The Peak Brain Institute where the Commander and Ben Greenfield spent some time recently experiencing brain mapping with the Q EEG. By using the Q EEG brain scan, Dr. Hill is able to look more closely at the brain to see what might be going on. His institute uses neurofeedback, scanning and meditation in conjunction to help you develop your cognitive capacity and help treat people with TBI or other cognitive dysfunction. Find out more about his work and the kind of training that they offer.

Wim Hof is the holder of 26 world records for his feats withstanding cold temperatures using breath-work. He is now devoted to spreading the message of how to use his methods of breathing to maximize people’s physical potential.  Most recently, he is the author of “The Way of the Iceman,” which is about his own exploits and how anyone will be able to use his methods. Anyone familiar with Unbeatable Mind and SEALFIT will also be familiar with the importance of breath-work. Find out how you can use Wim’s breath methods to up your game.

Steven Kotler is co-author of the book “Stealing Fire” with his friend Jamie Wheal. He is an expert on flow state, and has deep insight into the physical and emotional aspects of flow. No doubt, everyone is interested in how this kind of effortless perfection or “Shibumi” works. He talks with Commander Divine about flow, and both he and Mark are able to give us some clues as to how we will be able to access this state. Listen to the episode to learn more and  be able increase your performance.

Chris Ring is a former SEAL who was the first American to swim the entire Mississippi river to raise awareness of military casualties and their families.  Oddly, for a SEAL, he’s not really that fond of swimming, but swimming the Mississippi seemed like the right thing to do, so he did it. Hear how about his SEAL training, deployment, and the Mississippi swim. Find out how he was able to use mental toughness and an Unbeatable Mind to endure and overcome challenges.  

Joshua Cooper Ramo (@jramo) is the co-CEO of Kissinger Associates, a geopolitical consultancy and author of the new book “The Seventh Sense,” about the importance of recognizing and using new global networks effectively. He has also been a pilot and a competitive aerobatic flyer. Commander Mark Divine and Joshua discuss the importance of nature and networks to an understanding of the modern world. The conversation veers from politics to spirituality.  Learn how to use your Unbeatable Mind to understand our complicated world.  

John Lee Dumas (@johnleedumas) is the creator and host of the podcast “EOfire” (Entrepreneur on Fire) which went, in just a few years, from an idea of how to fill a gap in the podcast landscape, to what is now a multi-million dollar business. John talks to Commander Divine about his own style of entrepreneurship, finding value in his work and the importance of his military experiences in his growth as an entrepreneur. What did he learn from interviewing over 1500 top entrepreneurs? Listen in as they discuss the important approach to business and mindset.

Mo Gawdat (@solveforhappy) is the Chief Business Officer for Google X—the division of Google responsible for moonshots like the self-driving car and worldwide WiFi delivered by balloon. The unexpected death of his son, Ali, led him to further investigate an algorithm for happiness that he and his son had been working on. The result is his book “Solve for Happy,” where he lets us in on his equation for happiness and how he was able to use it in the wake of his son’s death. Listen in as Commander Divine and Mo discuss meaning, happiness and science.

Actor Barry Sloane (@barrypaulsloane), formerly from the show “Revenge" plays the leader of SEAL team six (Naval Special Warfare Development Group) on the History television show “Six." Barry and the rest of the cast were trained and prepared for their roles at SEALfit under Commander Divine. Barry and the Commander talk about his work as an actor and the long-term value that he has gotten from his SEALfit training and the importance of getting it right and being accurate in the details while making “Six.” Find out how the brotherhood and mindset developed in their training has infused the cast and crew.

Once again, Commander Divine is on his own this week, to bring us a reading of the 2nd chapter of his upcoming book. “Unbeatable Leader” will be about tapping into the flow state, so that you can maximize performance both for yourself and for the people you lead in business or anything else by being able to tap into the flow state at will. The 2nd chapter is heady stuff, and he describes “5 plateaus” of enlightenment that different leaders will be at and how to work to communicate effectively with all your team members. Hear what the Commander is currently working on, and get a look into his process as he writes. Get Mark’s insights into the importance of communication and how to be an Unbeatable, enlightened leader

Shawn Stevenson is a podcaster with his own story of recovery from a debilitating spinal cord disease that was supposed to be incurable. With his focus on diet especially, he was able to turn back the clock on what doctors had called his 80 year-old spine, and he is now a very successful fitness coach and podcaster. He and Commander Divine talk about the various parts of integrated training, and especially the often neglected aspect of sleep. Getting good sleep is central to fitness, and listen in as Shawn and Mark talk about ways that you can improve both.

One of the world’s greatest adventure and award winning photographers Jimmy Chin (@jimkchin) talks to Commander Divine for his 100th episode!  Jimmy has had a very interesting path to his adventures in climbing and in film-making. He has crossed the Chang Tang Peninsula of northwestern Tibet on foot and skied from the summit of Everest. He also claimed the first ascent on the central pillar of Mt. Meru in India, known as “The Shark’s Fin,” which is the subject of his latest and critically-acclaimed film “Meru” co-directed with his wife.  Find out his stories as he captures athletes and adventurers who are pushing the absolute limits. 

Mark talks to the one and only Ultra Spiritual JP Sears (@JP Sears). He’s a YouTube sensation with over 100 million hits with his videos where he humorously pokes fun at ways that spiritual is often used in a egotistical way.  While JP’s work is humorous and comedic, it also has a serious goal. He struggled himself with the way that ego tried to take over his own spiritual journey. Commander Divine is a fan of the videos, and he and JP talk about the value of humor as a communication tool and the importance of separating spirituality from ego. Plus, we have some laughs along the way.

Robb Wolf is an expert on fueling and nutrition and his previous book, “The Paleo Solution” was a New York Times bestseller. Commander Divine and Robb dive into his background and his approach to nutrition. After having a kind of revelation around his mother’s illness, and making himself very sick with vegan experiments in college, Robb became an advocate of nutrition based not on agriculture, but the paleolithic lifestyle of the hunter/gatherer. His new book, “Wired to Eat.” tackles how to turn off cravings and determining what foods are right for your body. 

This week, Commander Divine is on his own, reading the first draft of his upcoming book “Unbeatable Leader.” His book is about tapping into the flow state, so that you can maximize performance both for yourself and for the people you lead in business or anything else by being able to tap into the flow state at will. This dovetails with Mark’s in the Unbeatable Mind program, martial arts and spiritual practices. Hear what the Commander is currently working on, and get a look into his process as he writes.  Get Mark’s insights into flow and peak states at the same time.

JJ Virgin is an expert in nutrition and fitness. She is the author of several New York Times bestselling books, and most recently she wrote the book “Miracle Mindset: A Mother, Her Son, and Life’s Hardest Lessons.” The book is about her mindset in dealing with the serious and life-threatening injury dealt to her son by a hit-and-run driver.  There wasn’t a great deal of hope that her son would live, let alone recover, but JJ wasn’t willing to give up, and she describes the ways in which she maintained her hope when faced with the unthinkable.