From Mormon Mission to Hell Week: How Gus Built Unshakable Grit

The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

Spartan Races

Fitness, Alternative Health, Health & Fitness, 792700

4.7 • 870 Ratings

🗓️ 12 August 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Joe De Sena sits down with Navy SEAL veteran Gus Gustavson for an unforgettable look at what it truly takes to build unshakable grit.

From a small-town upbringing and a Mormon mission in Brazil to surviving Hell Week. Not once, but twice. Gus reveals how discipline, purpose, and mental toughness shaped every step of his journey.

You'll hear how his military mindset now fuels a powerful mission to train law enforcement and save lives. Whether you’re chasing your next Spartan finish line or just trying to push through life’s obstacles, this episode will challenge your excuses and reset your perspective.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:30 Meet Karl Gus Gustavson

02:07 Background & High School

02:35 Coaches Who Built Character

03:38 Gus’s Mormon Mission to Brazil

04:43 Mission Work as a Rite of Passage

06:50 Learning to Communicate & Coexist

07:53 Returning from Brazil and the 9/11 Turning Point

08:49 Why He Joined the Navy SEALs

11:17 Injuries and Perseverance in SEAL Training

13:54 Getting Assigned to the “Wrong Coast”

15:19 Reflections on His SEAL Career

17:33 Perspective from WWII Veterans

19:01 Physical Struggle Builds Mental Strength

19:49 Life After the SEALs

20:52 Support from the Spartan Community

Connect to Karl Gus Gustavson:

Website: https://c1p.org

Instagram: @kgus245 (personal) / @community_first_project (organization)

Facebook: Community First Project

LinkedIn: Community First Project

Transcript

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0:00.0	I've done, I don't know, probably eight or ten Spartan races over the years.
0:03.0	And you go do an event like that, which is fun and it's challenging and exciting. And you see the people out there and they are from all walks of life. They're all fitness levels. It's going to be a reset on their perspective of whatever difficult work thing they have going on. I think it's good to give yourself those kind of like hard resets and be like, am I challenging
0:22.2	myself or am I just complaining about shit that really isn't that hard?
0:25.9	Spartans, listen up.
0:27.3	We need to sleep better.
0:28.5	How do you sleep better?
0:29.9	Never thought about it before.
0:31.1	And so I met Jack.
0:32.3	I met Ascentia.
0:33.3	Pay attention to the mattress to sleep on because it's loaded with chemicals. Recovery, cooling, and pressure relief. All in one mattress. Up to 60% more deep and REM sleep.
0:44.3	Less inflammation, faster bounce back. No toxins. No EMFs. No BS.
0:50.3	My buddy Jack, over at Ascentia, he's kind enough to give us a code for the Spartan community.
0:56.0	That's Deca, that's tough mother of all of us.
0:58.2	Use Spartan 25, get a discount, prioritize your sleep so you can sleep faster, you can do more
1:03.7	burpees, you can train more, you can get healthier.
1:06.0	When you sleep well, you live well.
1:08.9	Welcome to the Hardway podcast with Joe DeC sennah founder and ceo of spartan
1:13.0	races we're teaching you how to overcome your obstacles in your life the same way we teach our
1:18.6	10 million plus spartans to overcome obstacles on the course with insight from the smartest
1:23.3	must accomplish experts from every corner of the world. Get ready to elevate your life today.
1:29.9	Joe DeSenter here, CEO and founder of Spartan, host the Hardway podcast.
1:34.1	Got a great one on for you today.
	...

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