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The Gabby Reece Show

#301 The Spartan Founder's Playbook: Joe DeSena on Resilience, Parenting, and Physical Challenges

The Gabby Reece Show

GOTOGABBY

Health & Fitness, Business, Society & Culture, Relationships, Entrepreneurship, Mental Health

4.8890 Ratings

🗓️ 23 December 2024

⏱️ 80 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Gabby Reece speaks with Joe DeSena, the founder of Spartan Race, about resilience, parenting, and the importance of physical challenges. They explore Joe's early life, the lessons learned from his pool business, and the journey to creating a global fitness brand. The discussion delves into the role of parenting in nurturing toughness in children, the impact of technology on youth, and the significance of delayed gratification. Joe shares insights from his experiences and emphasizes the need for uncomfortable parenting to foster resilience in the next generation. In this engaging conversation, Gabby Reece and Joe De Sena explore the journey from humble beginnings in the pool business to the high-stakes world of Wall Street, emphasizing the importance of resilience, community support, and personal growth through physical challenges. Chapters 00:00 The Resilience of Humanity 00:57 Introduction to Joe DeSena and Spartan Race 03:08 Joe's Early Life and Influences 06:00 Lessons from the Pool Business 09:06 The Journey to College 12:56 The Importance of Delayed Gratification 17:03 Physical Challenges and Tenacity 20:07 Nurturing Resilience in Children 22:58 The Role of Parenting in Toughness 25:54 Balancing Toughness and Compassion in Parenting 29:50 Navigating Technology and Parenting 33:00 The Impact of College on Joe's Life 35:54 Transitioning from Pool Business to Wall Street 45:31 The Journey from Pool Business to Wall Street 48:21 The Transformation Through Physical Activity 51:11 Overcoming Adversity in Event Planning 54:18 Resilience and Faith in Business 58:34 Lessons from Early Challenges 01:01:50 The Importance of Community and Support 01:03:48 Navigating Business Challenges During COVID-19 01:09:27 Leadership Lessons Learned 01:12:58 The Balance of Leading and Following 01:14:51 Maintaining Personal Health and Fitness 01:20:16 Aging and Endurance 01:22:12 The Power of Incremental Improvement 01:25:32 Finding Your True Self Through Challenges To learn more about Joe Desena, check out his website: https://joedesena.com/ For more Gabby: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabbyreece/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabbyreeceofficial The Gabby Reece Show Podcast on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeEINLNlGvIceFOP7aAZk5A Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

All right, so Joe, Jacenna, welcome to the show.

0:03.5

Thanks for having me. This is amazing. I get to talk to Gabby Reese.

0:07.1

Oh, gosh. You and I've talked so many times. Don't act like that's anything.

0:12.2

You know, actually, we bonded over parenting more than like, you go to get after it and let's do all this stuff.

0:18.5

I think you and I, that's maybe where we had the opportunity

0:21.6

to really connect. I agree. I agree. Somebody just sent me something on parenting this morning

0:27.5

on the heels of Louis, Luigi, who had his issue shooting the CEO here in New York City

0:35.6

and what might have went wrong with his parenting.

0:40.3

So it's got implications beyond the parent being happy, beyond the kid being successful.

0:45.3

It's got broader implications for society if you get it wrong, right?

0:49.3

Yeah, no pressure, Joe.

0:52.3

So I want to dive right in. You know, in doing my homework, Yeah, no pressure, Joe.

0:56.5

So I want to dive right in.

1:12.0

You know, in doing my homework, even though I know you, it's like I can go online and I can literally see hundreds, if not thousands of interviews talking about, you know, being tough, trying something difficult, pushing through discomfort. you know, you created Spartan races. I mean, this is not only how you live, this is your persona. And I thought,

1:20.1

I would like to actually approach it a little differently because you have through this mentality

1:25.6

learned so many incredible lessons, whether it's being an entrepreneur,

1:30.8

whether it's your own physical practice, being a husband, being a father, being a boss,

1:36.2

all of these things. So maybe we could just start by, if you could set the table for us,

1:43.4

you know, you grew up in New York.

1:45.5

You had a pool business.

1:46.8

Then you had a trading desk.

1:49.1

And off of your own passion, you then created Spartan.

...

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