Kidnapped in Somalia: 93 Days to Survive or Die

The Hard Way w/ Joe De Sena

Spartan Races

Fitness, Alternative Health, Health & Fitness, 792700

4.7 • 870 Ratings

🗓️ 3 June 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Joe De Sena sits down with Jessica Buchanan, a humanitarian worker who was kidnapped in Somalia and held hostage for 93 harrowing days.

With no weapons, no training, and no escape in sight, Jessica relied on grit, faith, and the raw power of the human spirit to survive. She shares the terrifying details of her abduction, the mental strength it took to stay alive, and how she turned her pain into purpose.

If you’ve ever doubted your own resilience, this conversation will remind you: you are stronger than you think.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:50 Jessica’s 93-Day Kidnapping Story

01:21 Realizing Inner Strength in Captivity

04:09 The Value of Manufactured Adversity

06:24 What Happened in Somalia

12:09 Building Mental Resilience, One Minute at a Time

14:48 The Rescue: Navy SEAL Operation

20:05 Life After Trauma and Finding Purpose

21:39 How to Connect with Jessica

21:53 Final Message

Connect to Jessica:

Website: jessbuchanan.com

Instagram: @jessicacbuchanan

Facebook: Jessica Buchanan

LinkedIn: Jessica Buchanan

YouTube: Jessica Buchanan

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Every day was just like trying to survive.
0:03.0	I learned so much about the power of my mind and I learned the difference between choices and options at the end of those 93 days.
0:13.4	What was taking me down was my body, but we are incredible.
0:18.0	Human beings are just incredibly resilient and strong when we have to tap in
0:23.3	and draw from nothing. And so I did think I was going to make it if it were up to me.
0:29.3	Welcome to the Hardway podcast with Joe DeCena, founder and CEO of Spartan races.
0:35.2	We're teaching you how to overcome your obstacles in your life the same way we teach our 10 million
0:40.0	plus Spartans to overcome obstacles on the course with insight from the smartest, most
0:44.6	accomplish experts from every corner of the world.
0:47.2	Get ready to elevate your life today.
0:50.7	Joe DeSennett here, CEO and founder of Spartan and hosts the Hardway podcast.
0:55.1	I've got a new friend of mine, Jessica Buchanan.
0:57.5	She was in captivity and terrible conditions back in 2011 to 2012, 93 days survived.
1:05.7	She's a complete badass.
1:07.6	And now she runs around teaching all of us, all of us wimps that complain about the silliest things,
1:14.4	how to level up our life and get through tough times. Welcome aboard, Jessica. Thank you.
1:19.4	That was quite an introduction. Somalia, 93 days. Do you think you were going to make it?
1:25.8	Yeah, I did. Actually, I mean, if it were up to me, I think I learned so much about the power of my mind,
1:36.8	and I learned the difference between choices and options.
1:41.5	And, you know, at the end of those 93 days, what was taking me down was my
1:46.4	body. We are incredible. Human beings are just incredibly resilient and strong when we have to
1:54.4	tap in and draw from nothing. And so I did think I was going to make it if it were up to me.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 25 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Spartan Races, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Spartan Races and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.