Ep 13: Dan Cerrillo on Mental Toughness & How to Live a Good Life

Explicit content warning

06/09/21 • 76 min

Dan Cerrillo is a retired Navy SEAL who spent 15 years leading people to safety in some of the most dangerous hot spots and war zones in the world, including Afghanistan, Iraq, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and other high-risk locations.

Some of his roles in the SEAL Teams include security specialist, breacher, sniper, counter surveillance, and BUD/S Instructor. Dan medically retired in 2005 after suffering blast injuries during a hand-to-hand fight with an Al- Qaida fighter in Sadr City, Iraq.

Since his retirement from the Navy, Dan has worked in executive security protecting some of the biggest names in business today, including Paul Allen and Sergey Brin.

Dan is the founder of Spartan 7 Adventure, an organization that teaches high net worth clients and organizations leadership, communication, offensive mindset, and advanced situational awareness skills developed by Navy SEALs.

He is the chief of staff for American Addiction Centers, and leads their veteran treatment program, helping former military to break addiction cycles and lead happy, productive lives.

Dan is a Board Member for the Navy SEALs Fund and an Ambassador for the Navy SEAL Foundation. He volunteers his free time coaching football at Lipscomb Academy near his home in Nashville, TN.

Quotes:

“My problems aren’t their problems. Their problems aren’t my problems. Make seven people smile today.”
“Work is work and home is home.”

Topics Discussed:

How the Navy trains SEALS to deal with adversity
Why mentoring is the most important part of leadership
Dan's story of addiction, family failure, recovery, and transformation
Why family means everything to him
How he trains executives through Spartan 7 Adventures
How nature and the outdoors has impacted his life
Why doing hard things is a constant motivator
His most memorable outdoor experiences
How Dan's motto of "make seven people smile per day" has impacted his entire life
Why slowing down and appreciating people is so important
How Dan almost died multiple times as a SEAL and what he learned from the experience
Why he always carries a backpack and what he keeps in it at all times
Why a morning routine is the secret to a successful day
Dan's 10-10-10 philosophy: 10 minutes for her, 10 minutes for him, 10 minutes for intimacy

Resources Mentioned:

The Adventure Made Podcast is sponsored by Rewild Gear. Essential gear built for the great outdoors, designed to fuel your next adventure. Come find your wild at RewildGear.com!

Since his retirement from the Navy, Dan has worked in executive security protecting some of the biggest names in business today, including Paul Allen and Sergey Brin.

He is the chief of staff for American Addiction Centers, and leads their veteran treatment program, helping former military to break addiction cycles and lead happy, productive lives.

Dan is a Board Member for the Navy SEALs Fund and an Ambassador for the Navy SEAL Foundation. He volunteers his free time coaching football at Lipscomb Academy near his home in Nashville, TN.

Quotes:

“My problems aren’t their problems. Their problems aren’t my problems. Make seven people smile today.”
“Work is work and home is home.”

Topics Discussed:

How the Navy trains SEALS to deal with adversity
Why mentoring is the most important part of leadership
Dan's story of addiction, family failure, recovery, and transformation
Why family means everything to him
How he trains executives through Spartan 7 Adventures
How nature and the outdoors has impacted his life
Why doing hard things is a constant motivator
His most memorable outdoor experiences
How Dan's motto of "make seven people smile per day" has impacted his entire life
Why slowing down and appreciating people is so important
How Dan almost died multiple times as a SEAL and what he learned from the experience
Why he always carries a backpack and what he keeps in it at all times
Why a morning routine is the secret to a successful day
Dan's 10-10-10 philosophy: 10 minutes for her, 10 minutes for him, 10 minutes for intimacy

Resources Mentioned:

The Adventure Made Podcast is sponsored by Rewild Gear. Essential gear built for the great outdoors, designed to fuel your next adventure. Come find your wild at RewildGear.com!

Previous Episode

Ep 12: Chris Whitcomb on How to Survive in any Environment

Chris “Whit” Whitcomb is a best-selling author and former member of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team, spending 15 years with the unit.

He has worked extensively with foreign and domestic intelligence agencies in some of the most dangerous locations in the world, including Afghanistan, Kosovo, Israel, and Somalia, and has been awarded numerous citations and awards including the FBI's Medal of Bravery.

Since leaving the FBI, Chis has worked as an on-air Global Security Advisor for NBC News, was nominated for a Peabody Award, and has appeared on dozens of TV and radio programs including The Today Show, Meet the Press, The Daily Show, Larry King Live, and more.

Whit is the best-selling author of three books, including Cold Zero: Inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team; Black; and White.

Quotes:

“Survival is a mindset”
“Live life to the fullest”
"Live adventure!"

Topics Discussed:

Chris's extensive travel experience
His accidental interaction with a grizzly bear and a moose on the same day
An almost deadly rattlesnake encounter while going through sniper school
How he narrowly escaped crossing Africa while being chased by an armed posse
Why risk mitigation is the most important survival skill to master
How a preparation mindset is the key to survival in any situation
Essential gear to always keep on you wherever you are
Why buying products made in the USA is almost always best
The biggest life lessons Chris has learned spending time in nature
Why growing up Chris wanted to be Ernest Hemingway
How a late night drunken card game with Brad Pitt lead to becoming a published author
What books and authors have had the biggest influence on Whit

Resources Mentioned:

Chris's Amazon author page
Chris's Wikipedia profile
Fieldcraft Survival
Hurricane matches
Signaling mirror
First Aid kit
Patagonia
The North Face
Book: The Sun Also Rises
Book: The Catcher in the Rye
Book: Cold Mountain
Book: Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Author: Charles Frasier
Author: Jeffrey Lent
Joe Rogan Podcast
Chris's analysis of movie hostage rescue scenes

The Adventure Made Podcast is sponsored by Rewild Gear. Essential gear built for the great outdoors, designed to fuel your next adventure. Come find your wild at RewildGear.com!

Next Episode

Ep 14: Randy Newberg on Hunting & Conservation

Randy Newberg has been called “the voice of public land hunting in the U.S.” He’s a conservationist and advocate for wild lands and wild animals. His TV show “Fresh Tracks with Randy Newberg” is one of the top ranked hunting shows in the country.

Randy shows average hunters the remarkable experiences that are available for the price of a tag, the gas to get there, and the effort invested. Whether it's bugling elk or speeding pronghorn, rifle or bow, Randy travels the far corners of the west in search of food and adventure.

He lives in Bozeman, Montana with his wife, Kim, where he volunteers for many national and regional hunting-conservation groups, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. When not hunting, Randy and his wife Kim spend the summer traveling the high plains in search of western walleyes.

Quotes:
"Hunt while you can because you'll run out of health before you run out of money."
"When you wake up in the morning if you think it's going to be a good day or a bad day you're probably right."
"Be uncomfortable."
Topics Discussed:

How Randy got into hunting for the food and not the trophy
Misconceptions about "professional" hunters
What it's like behind the scenes filming a hunting show
The logistics of storyboarding a hunt for film and how it adapts
How it took Randy 6 years to learn how to hunt elk after growing up hunting whitetail
How Randy's upbringing contributed to his love of the outdoors
Randy's liver condition and how that has affected his hunting and filming
Why conservation and protecting nature is essential to all of us
Why urban sprawl is adversely affecting wildlife and the balance of our ecosystem
How invasive species are destroying our landscapes and contributing to wildfires
Why generational hunting with family is so bonding
How Randy survived a tornado while fishing in Canada and thought the end was near
Why it's so important to get uncomfortable regularly

Resources Mentioned:

The Adventure Made Podcast is sponsored by Rewild Gear. Essential gear built for the great outdoors, designed to fuel your next adventure. Come find your wild at RewildGear.com!