How a Navy SEAL Rebuilt Discipline and Control After Service

The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

Spartan Races

Fitness, Education, Self-improvement, Alternative Health, Health & Fitness, 792700

4.7 • 870 Ratings

🗓️ 25 November 2025

⏱️ 19 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When the mission ends, the mindset stays. Navy SEAL veteran and leadership coach Kevin Stark talks with Joe about rebuilding identity after service, finding calm in pressure, and using simple daily discipline to stay grounded when life shifts. This conversation goes inside the habits, decisions, and mindset work that strengthen resilience, mental toughness, and control under stress.

Timestamps

00:58 Why Kevin joined the SEALs at 18

02:29 How BUD/S training builds mental control

05:15 How he rebuilt identity after service

09:55 How service shapes leadership and humility

14:51 How cold exposure builds calm under stress

Three Key Learnings

How discipline builds mental toughness when external structure disappears
How small daily actions raise resilience and calm under pressure
How service and leadership shape identity after major transitions

Tools, Frameworks, Strategies

Response Gap: Creating space before reacting, rooted in Viktor Frankl's work
Daily Discipline Reps: Push ups, cold exposure, breathwork to shift mindset fast
Rota Path Method: Reflection-based leadership work through structured challenges

Calm is trained through consistent action, not comfort.

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Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hard-way-with-joe-de-sena/id952870930

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pYBkk1T684YQg7CmoaAZt

Short, Impactful Content:

Instagram: @spartanuppodcast

From host directly: @realjoedesena

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Transcript

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0:00.0	What do you suggest for those civilians out there that are lost?
0:03.0	If you feel lost, accept that as part of the normal human experience.
0:08.0	Look at that as a catalyst for you to think differently.
0:11.0	We need to go out on a different path.
0:13.0	And I recommend finding some time alone and doing some introspection
0:18.0	to discover what that's telling you.
0:20.0	Spartans, listen up.
0:21.6	We need to sleep better.
0:22.6	So how do you sleep better?
0:23.6	Never thought about it before.
0:24.6	And so I met Jack, I met Ascentia, I had attention to the mattress to sleep on because it's loaded with chemicals.
0:31.6	Recovery, cooling, and pressure relief, all in one mattress, up to 60% more deep and REM sleep. Less inflammation,
0:40.3	faster bounce back. No toxins, no EMFs, no BS. My buddy Jack, over at Ascentia, he's kind enough to
0:48.3	give us a code for the Spartan community. That's Deca, that's tough mother of all of us. Use Spartan
0:53.3	25, get a discount, prioritize your sleep so you can sleep faster, you can do more burpees,
0:58.8	and you can train more, you can get healthier.
1:00.3	When you sleep well, you live well.
1:03.0	Joe DeSan, CEO, founder of Spartan, hosted a Hardway podcast, got a great one on today.
1:07.5	Got a Navy SEAL, Kevin Stark, husband, dad, great youngsters, leadership expert.
1:15.5	Welcome aboard. Yeah, thanks, Joe. Appreciate it. Are Navy SEALs born or made or, you know, where'd this guy grow up?
1:22.1	That's a good question. There's probably seeds planted and then you've got to cultivate them. I grew up all over the place. My dad was in the
1:28.2	military, so we moved around quite a bit. Overseas actually lived in Germany, Italy for a while and then
	...

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