I remember it clearly. It was a cold Sunday morning in February and I had arranged to go mountain biking with some friends. I should have stayed in bed. It had snowed the night before which is probably why my buddies were still in their beds. It was about 3 degrees celcius. I looked up at the snowy part of the mountain where I was going, and I remember saying one word - "Good". At that exact moment I realised something had changed. Jocko's words had begun to sunk in. It was much more than dealing with the cold. I realised then and there that I had to get after it. A few big injuries and getting close to my 40's was making me ask questions about my fitness, my strength and my resolve. Many years prior I had also trained brazilian jiu-jitsu and MMA. But work, wife and kids and of course injuries and laziness had allowed me to let things slide. I had lost any clear reason to stay in shape or to try and get strong. Jocko's podcast made me assess things about myself and about my life going forward. Like a lot of guys I had tried to remain kinda fit, kinda strong, kinda tough.....but nothing remarkable. After some time listening to the podcast I dusted off my weights, put up that old chin up bar and began looking for a jiu-jitsu club to train at. On the surface of it Jocko Podcast is mainly militaria and military history but beneath that it is about life's lessons. ABout how to deal with and overcome adversity. It's about reasons to get up in the morning, to work hard and have some kind of personal discipline. Jocko Willink is a a former Navy Seal, BJJ black belt and a published author but he's much more than the sum of those parts. Jocko is a warrior poet with a creative soul. He's a motivator - the perfect antidote to all those pictures of flowers, cats and sunrises with a witty phrase scrawled on them. He's a great orator, managing to be both laconic and loquacious at the same time. And on top of that he's often hilarious. In a deadpan way. If I could offer just one tiny sliver of criticism it's that whether they know it or not, Jocko and Echo are the podcast. Whilst the books are fascinating, and the guests are often great, it's Jocko's insight and take on things that provides the interest and the entertainment. During some little asides and off the cuff remarks there's occaisionally the impression that question from the internet is just fluff, or filler or a distraction - but to me, that is the podcast. It's obvious Jocko puts a ton of effort into his answers and they are often insightful, brilliant and inspiring. There's no need to down play them. Jocko could read the phone book and it would still be engaging. The book reviews are awesome - but Jocko makes them awesome, and he need not confine himself so tightly to that format. This podcast is a goldmine of good ideas, solid advice and motivational concepts. Get listening and get after it. Thanks to Jocko and Echo.