The “Steve Austin Show” Podcast
Guest: Mark Divine, former Navy SEAL and host of “Unbeatable Mind” podcast
Release Date: March 22, 2016
DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD
Recap by Corey Freedman
Top Items
– Austin says Mark Divine might be the toughest person he has ever interviewed.
– Mark talks about leaving his career as a CPA in New York to become a Navy SEAL after entering a karate studio.
– Divine also discusses the importance of mental conditioning in addition to strength training. He says he meditates everyday and always visualizes his goals.
– Mark discusses training to become a Navy SEAL, and then ultimately leaving the SEALs after his marriage started to suffer.
– Mark runs several training programs now, such as SealFit, that help train people to get in better physical and mental condition.
Subjects Covered (w/timestamps)
0:00 – Sponsor Ad
0:30 – Introduction
2:40 – Sponsor Ads
4:00 – Interview w/Mark Divine
19:00 – Sponsor Ads
20:16 – Interview resumes
43:06 – Sponsor Ads
45:00 – Interview resumes
1:00:05 – Sponsor Ads
1:02:50 – Interview resumes
1:34:40 – Interview ends/conclusion
1:38:40 – Show ends
Show Highlights
Interview w/Mark Divine: Mark was a CPA in New York before joining the Navy SEALS. He talks about finding a karate studio while he was working as a CPA and being enthralled when he ventured into the studio one day. He signed up for classes on the spot and eventually got a black belt over the course of four years. He also learned to meditate in these classes, which he says transformed him as a person and led to his career change decision. He talks about how he decided on the Navy SEALS instead of another branch of the armed forces. He saw a poster for the Navy SEALS that said “Be someone special” and that was what caught his attention. He says you have to open the door to new possibilities or nothing will ever change. Mark talks about needing a combination of heart and mental toughness. He breaks down some of the SEAL qualification training phases necessary to become a Navy SEAL. Mark talks about the physical condition you need to be in and that the SEALs will find a weakness if there is one.
Interview resumes: Mark talks about how he was ever the best at some of the physical activities, but he always held his own. He talks about how the weight training programs have changed since he joined the SEALs. He says it’s rare now to find a SEAL who isn’t involved in some sort of Crossfit type routine. Austin asks about “the grinder.” Mark describes the ocean as a “relentless teacher.” He says from day one you are in and out of the ocean all day. He talks about having an approach of preparing for battle every day like it will be your last. He also talks about the training needing to be difficult to ensure all the weaknesses are removed from the group because you don’t want to go into battle with someone who could be a weak link. He talks about needing to control your mind and emotions in battle. Breathe, think, and act. He clarifies that the training is all for a distinct purpose and that they are not just torturing people for no reason.
Austin asks what Mark does in his down time. Mark says he has very little down time. He says he spends a lot of his free time working out. He does Warrior Yoga as well. Austin asks what the transition from being a Navy SEAL to a civilian is like. He says one of the main reasons he had to leave the SEALs was because it was too stressful on his wife with him getting deployed so often. Mark talks about the wives needing to be warriors just as much as the men. He also mentions that the stress of a marriage is dangerous for SEALs because they need to have a clear head on their missions. Mark joined the SEAL reserves after a conversation with his wife. Mark talks about the value of therapy as a means to overall emotional health and how important it is for a Navy SEAL.
More w/Mark Divine: Austin jokes about listeners complaining they can hear him breathing too much in the microphone. Mark was a founding member of the Coronado Brewing Company, though he is no longer involved. While the situation turned a little messy, it was great learning experience for him. Currently Mark drinks the strongest IPA he can find. Naturally Austin recommends the Broken Skull IPA. Austin asks about SealFit, a training program developed by Mark. He talks about one of the goals of the program being to prepare people to pass the Navy SEAL training courses and having the right mental attitude. He also trains civilians in addition to prospective Navy SEALs. Mark tells some stories about various people who have come through their training programs. He tells a story of his training thwarting a potential attack with a deadly weapon.
Mark’s book/podcast: Austin asks about Mark’s podcast “Unbeatable Mind.” He talks about some of his experience meditating in a monastery after some of the SEAL workouts. He says the onus for writing the book was he heard from a lot of people that wanted to learn the mental aspects of his training, but not the physical portion. He says one of the first things he does is teach people how to breathe properly through “box breathing.” It involves retraining yourself to breathe more effectively and take deeper, fuller breaths rather than many short breaths. He also eradicates any negative thought pattern, which he says takes a lot of practice. They also train participants to visualize better. He says if you work with your visual skills you can make them very powerful and focused. He says he visualized himself as a Navy SEAL every single day once that was his goal. Austin asks how a civilian can use visualization in their everyday life.
Mark says the skills of breathing and removing negativity are the foundation. He says as a SEAL they would visualize success in every mission. He uses a mother as an example of someone that can visualize taking care of their kids every single day and that can have a powerful effect. He also uses a businessman visualizing presentations or meetings as a way to translate this to everyday life. Austin asks what gets under Mark’s skin as a guy that tries to be very positive. Mark says one of his biggest struggles is with not being able to move as fast with certain projects as he would like. That being said, he says he practices what he preaches everyday so he really does remove all negativity. Austin asks about Mark’s new book, “Kokoro Yoga.” Austin jokes that he has too short an attention span to meditate.
Mark says one of the prerequisites to meditation is learning how to concentrate. Mark says he always visualized being home with his wife and son at the end of deployment. He wanted his yoga to be malleable and not the same process over and over again. His book is available April 12 at warrioryoga.com. Austin asks about weight training as it relates to SealFit. Mark says SealFit is team training. He notes that something like CrossFit is good for building individual strength but it doesn’t necessarily translate to the work needed to work as a team with the Navy SEALs. He talks about using workouts that build strength and then focusing on building stamina. He says you never sacrifice the team for your own score or results. You can find Mark at SealFit.com, @MarkDivine on Twitter, and UnbeatableMind.com.
Conclusion: Austin thanks Mark and talks about his books. As always, he talks about his t-shirts and shows. He mentions that BrokenSkullRanch.com is back up and running. He thanks his sponsors as well.
Score and Review
Score (7.5): Pretty standard review for a non-wrestling related episode. Austin is always a good interviewer and Mark Divine was a very interesting guest. If you are looking for Austin to discuss any wrestling, that does not occur on this episode. That being said, Mark’s story is a fascinating one, and if you are at all interested in training routines and mental conditioning, this should be an entertaining listen for you.
Be the first to comment