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The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

Born Without Arms, Living Without Limits | Jessica Cox

The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

Spartan Races

Fitness, Alternative Health, Health & Fitness, 792700

4.7870 Ratings

🗓️ 5 August 2025

⏱️ 18 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Joe De Sena sits down with Jessica Cox, a woman born without arms, yet a licensed pilot, black belt in Taekwondo, and living proof that limits are self-imposed.
Together, they explore how hardship builds mental toughness, why fear is a choice, and how you can turn obstacles into fuel. Jessica’s story will shatter your excuses and shift your mindset. If you’re ready to stop playing it safe and start living without limits—this episode is your wake-up call.
 
Timestamps:
00:00 Meet Jessica Cox
00:19 Born Without Arms
01:02 Gratitude and First-World Comforts
02:30 Childhood Struggles and Resilience
05:22 Her Parents’ Role in Building Confidence
06:17 Dealing with Bullying and Finding Self-Worth
08:39 Became the first armless pilot
10:33 Obstacles Build Discipline
11:18 Inventing the Dressing Tool
12:21 What Holds Most People Back
13:59 The Power of Facing Fear
14:57 The Impossible Airplane Project
17:36 Jessica’s 30-Year Journey in Taekwondo
19:36 Final Words & Future Collaboration
 
 
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Transcript

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0:00.0

No one can make you feel inferior without your permission. But if you have the motivation to do it, you have the creativity and the resilience to keep pushing forward and not seeing it as a limitation. It's amazing how things become possible. Everything you've ever wanted is on the other side of fear. Just have to take the step to overcome it and face it. Spartans, listen up. We need to sleep better. How do you sleep better?

0:21.5

Never thought about before.

0:22.8

And so I met Jack.

0:24.1

I met Ascentia.

0:25.3

I had attention to the mattress to sleep on because it's loaded with chemicals.

0:29.2

Recovery, cooling, and pressure relief.

0:31.9

All in one mattress.

0:33.6

Up to 60% more deep and REM sleep.

0:36.8

Less inflammation. Faster bounce back. No toxins, no EMFs, no BS.

0:42.3

My buddy Jack, over at Ascentia, he's kind enough to give us a code for the Spartan community.

0:47.3

That's Decca, that's tough mother of all of us. Use Spartan 25, get a discount, prioritize your sleep, so you you can sleep faster you can do more burpees

0:56.0

and you can train more you can get healthy when you sleep well you live well welcome to the hard way

1:01.4

podcast with Joe Ducena founder and CEO of Spartan races we're teaching you how to overcome your

1:08.1

obstacles in your life the same way we teach our 10 million plus Spartans to overcome obstacles on the course.

1:14.0

With insight from the smartest, most accomplished experts from every corner of the world.

1:18.3

Get ready to elevate your life today.

1:20.0

Joe DeCenter here, CEO and founder of Spartan, host of the Hardway podcast.

1:27.2

I've got Jessica Cox on, a friend of mine

1:29.6

who's amazing. She sees and has no limits in life, and she's going to teach us a new perspective.

1:37.1

Welcome aboard. Thanks for having me on. You're amazing. So let's just set the table. Tell everyone

1:43.5

how you lost your arms or how you ended up with no arms.

1:49.1

So I was actually born without arms. I always say I really didn't lose anything. I'm not missing anything. This is how it was meant to be.

...

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