As we start to wrap up our series of hot topics compilations, we are going over the essential pillar of what Toughness is all about: personal POWER - aka committed action - which is a combination of mental strength and psychological speed that makes people unstoppable in uncertainty. From a basketball legend to a business maverick, from an Olympic champion to multiple bestselling authors, you'll hear how these inspiring examples only managed to unlock their full potential when they decided to commit and stick to their vision, no matter how many road blocks stood in their way - and each one of them has advice for others who need to move past their feelings and stick to their plans.

FEATURED IN THIS SPECIAL EPISODE:

Jordan Belfort (Investor) - Bravery in Business

Justin Kenna (CEO) - Bravery in Business

Shaquille O'Neal (NBA) - Belief Is A Big Deal

Dalilah Muhammad (Olympic Champion) - Running Towards the Hurdles

Dan Coyle (Author) - Tough Cultures vs Tough Leaders

Mike Erwin (West Point) - Tough Cultures vs Tough Leaders

Freddie Stevenson (Football / Author) - Finding A Way

Jon Gordon (Author/Speaker) - Public Speaking with Positivity and Purpose

What if you had a on/off switch that could instantly shutdown the negative emotions in your brain and just get you focused on the task at hand? That's exactly what today's episode is all about: developing Cognitive Speed. From baseball to the boardroom, e-sports to the olympics, from the police to the podium, all of these stories involve individuals who faced immense pressure and stress, but pivoted quickly to ensure success.

Whether you're scared by an important decision that you have to make, or you have experienced deep traumas, or constantly battling "negative" emotions like anger, this selection of guests are going to show you how they manage to quickly accept the noise and flick their focus onto the now, as a result of that, get the most out of the moments that matter.

FEATURED IN THIS SPECIAL EPISODE:

Keeping Calm When Life Throws You Curveballs - Kevin Pillar (MLB)

Executive Function Under Fire - Mike Tannenbaum (GM)

Executive Function Under Fire - Scott Goldman (PhD)

Police, Pressure & PTSD - Lane Douglas Hunt (Police) + Brian Willis (Training)

Police, Pressure & PTSD - Brian Willis (Training)

The Practice of Finding Power in Pain - Apolo Ohno (Olympic Champion)

Gaming Your Mind - Emmalee ”EMUHLEET” Garrido (Esports)

The Brain Is A Body Part - Alexi Pappas (Olympian + Filmmaker)

How do people deal with prolonged discomfort? How can you hang on when the going gets tough? How can you avoid cutting corners or getting lazy when the payoff seems forever away? At the halfway point of our series of specially curated episodes, a topic comes to mind that covers all of this - Emotional Endurance.

In this episode we hear how people that stand out in very different arenas manage to keep their emotions in check in high stakes situations. From gambling millions of dollars in World Series Poker, to driving and crashing a 200mph Nascar racing car, or living for 10+ in war zones, some guests had to learn not only how to deal with the pressure of being a World Champion, but also how to find balance within their teams. This is an episode that will definitely help you to put the weight, pressure and bullshit aside and hang in there through hard times.

FEATURED IN THIS SPECIAL EPISODE:

Margaret Coker (Journalist) - The Waiting Game Of War

Jesse Iwuji (NASCAR Racing) - The Drive to Thrive

Jorryt Van Hoof (Poker Player) - High Stakes? Poker Face 😐

Jared Tendler (Performance Coach) - High Stakes? Poker Face 😐

Denise Shull (Finance) - Trading, Triggers, And How Feelings (Like Fear) Help Us Win

John Burns (Wall Street) - Trading, Triggers, And How Feelings (Like Fear) Help Us Win

Michael Hixon (Olympic Diver) - Staying in Sync Under Stress

Sam Dorman (Olympic Diver) - Staying in Sync Under Stress

Cody Royle (Performance Coach) - The Tough Part of Being the Top Dog

Here in the third episode of our series of hot topic compilations, you'll hear how some of the best in the world in a huge variety of fields - from Comedy to Coaching, in the NFL and the WNBA, from fashion shows to finance boardrooms - manage to stick to their vision and stay on course to their North Star, even when the waves get choppy and the vision might be blurry. Hear from people at the top of their game as they explore what can be termed "Spiritual Stability", but not in a religious sense: it's about what your heart & your spirit value most in life. Why do elite performers keep pushing forward when there’s so many obstacles, and plenty of excuses to quit or change? Tune in to find out!

FEATURED IN THIS SPECIAL EPISODE:

Ronny Chieng (Comedian / Actor) - How To Stay Strong, Even If You Bomb

Kliff Kingsbury (NFL Head Coach) - Growth, Greatness & Attacking The Game Of Life

Chasity Melvin (WNBA) - The Value of Vision

Broderick Hunter (Model / Actor) - A Model Of Confidence, From Fashion To Film

Joe Moglia (Business / Coaching) - The Courage of Leading With Love

Jen Welter (NFL) - Tough Women Make History

Justine Siegal (MLB) - Tough Women Make History

Ahead of the upcoming second season of Toughness, behold the second in our series of hot topic special episodes! In today's specially curated compilation, you'll hear how bad-ass performers in cut-throat environments - from Navy Seals to NASA, from Firefighters to First Basemen, even Cirque du Soleil acrobats and Olympic sprinters - flex their mental muscles in unique ways in order to withstand the fire. Listen to tales from the front lines as those who face the flames on a daily basis talk through how they adapt, adjust and overcome unexpected obstacles and unforeseen setbacks. Some of our guests also speak to coaches and the psychology behind training that flexible, "bend, don't break" mindset which is so crucial on stages when its make or break, where lives are saved or lost - including vital tips that could help you adapt while facing your own adversity.

FEATURED IN THIS SPECIAL EPISODE: Coleman Ruiz (Navy SEAL) - Special Forces, Mental Agility & Elite Habits *Part 1* Ceci Craft (MLB) - Special Forces, Mental Agility & Elite Habits *Part 2* Holly Ridings (NASA) - Mission Critical Mindset Jason Brezler (FDNY) - Focus Through The Fire *Part 1* Steven Hayes (Psychology) - Flexibility Comes First: From Panic Disorders To Player Development Jonathan Fader (NFL / MLB) - Focus Through The Fire *Part 2* Veronica Campbell-Brown (Olympics) - The Stress Of Repeating Success Veronique Richard (Cirque du Soleil) - Cultivating Courage In Acrobats, Clowns & Coaches Darren Holder (Coaching) - Cultivating Courage In Acrobats, Clowns & Coaches

To warm up for season 2 of the show, we're releasing a series of specially curated compilations on the pillars of Toughness. In today's episode, you're going to hear how elite performers in different arenas - from NFL and NBA to WWE and MLB, from the Olympics to academics, and from medicine to the military - maximize their talents in the moments that matter most. One by one you'll be able to hear how some of the world's best in their fields stay glued to their goals and focused in the fight, despite distress and distractions. These brave experts will share stories and tips on how they tap into and even develop their own Mental Strength in the toughest of conditions, and provide inspiration for anyone who is facing a tough time at work, at home or anywhere else in life.

FEATURED IN THIS SPECIAL EPISODE: Raheem Mostert (NFL) - How an NFL Record Holder Tackles Tough Times Shaquille O'Neal (NBA) - Belief Is A Big Deal Lacey Evans (WWE) - Motivation in the Marines, MLB and WWE Justin Su'a (MLB) - Motivation in the Marines, MLB and WWE Lindsey Vonn (Olympics) - Grit, Gold, and the Two Types of Toughness Angela Duckworth (Academics) - Grit, Gold, and the Two Types of Toughness Dr Al'ai Alvarez (Emergency Medicine) - Coping With Chaos in Critical Care Waldo Waldman (Fighter Pilot) - How To Fly Through Fear

The coach of head coaches: that's the perfect way to explain how Cody Royle operates behind the curtains with the leaders of elite teams around the world. After some traumatic events in his own early coaching journey, Cody realized that there was nobody focussed specifically on how tough situations could impact the performance of head coaches - so he decided to start documenting his coaching philosophy in a series of books, podcasts, and blogs, which led to him becoming the trusted confidant of coaches across multiple sports.

In this episode, Royle shares with us how toughness, optimism and a great culture can drive not only professional sports forward, but careers and life in general.

Dalilah Muhammad's career is filled with titles, medals and world records, but the Track & Field legend needed elite levels of toughness to overcome a lot of hurdles on the way to winning Gold in Rio's 2016 Olympics. By saying 'yes' to her inner voice, and then also to everything that led towards what she really wanted - even if it was hard - she was able to go all-in on her dreams, overcome injuries and other setbacks and write her name in history as the first American woman to win Olympic Gold in the 400 meter hurdles.