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Detachment, Extreme Ownership, and Legacies with Ethan Benard | JP Dinnell Podcast 116
00:57:28
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- [00:01]
A
Good morning. This is the JPANelle podcast, episode 116. I am JP Donnell and as always, I have Lucas with me. And we have our good friend Ethan back for another episode. We just got back from the muster in Orlando. Ethan was down there with his best friend Danny, and we just wanted just to connect again, give our listeners some insights from the muster, what Ethan was able to take away from that, and just looking forward to another good episode, some good convers. Ethan, I am so incredibly proud of you for multiple things. One, obviously staying disciplined to your weight loss journey, but also just putting yourself out there, man, just the transparency, you know, just showing people not only just like the focus of your weight loss, which we know is very important and it's a huge thing that you've been doing. You've been gaining some pretty incredible momentum on social media because of just the impact that you're delivering. And it's positive impact because there's some social media pages out there that are just, they're garbage, they're shady, they're just, they're, you know, disgusting, to be honest. Like some of them are. But man, you, you are reaching so many people because you're genuine. And also, man, I know a lot of people in Lucas and I's age bracket that are watching and just inspired but also rooting for you because we know like you're at this age and this time in your life where you're recognizing, hey, man, I can make a shift, I can deliver some impact to people while also getting your life where you want it to be. Not only just from a weight loss journey, but just your spiritual growth, your growth as an individual, as a human. And you know, now doing this stuff with Danny. And I'm willing to bet the goal is as you guys continue to grow your brand, which is a company, and it's going to be big. I mean, you're going to be running a team and Danny's going to be running a team. And I think it was really cool having you out the muster. And you know, do you remember what I told you right before the mustard kicked off? What I. My advice to you was, yeah, be selfish. Now a lot of people are going to hear that and they might have a weird, a little unique reaction to that because. Wait, wait, hold on. I'm supposed to be selfish, but we're at the echelon front extreme ownership muster. It's a two day leadership event that Jocko Willink Leif Babin started. I've been to every single one. I've spoken, you Know, so I attended the very first one as a guest and at muster 002, all the way to this last one, muster 023. I've spoken. So I've spoken at 22 musters. And I tell people that all the time, hey, when you're here, be selfish. And a lot of people, initially, they kind of. They give me the look like you gave me the look that Lucas right now, now Lucas knows why. And we, you know, we call that showmanship. If we did have the. The camera on them right now on YouTube.
- [03:25]
B
Yeah.
- [03:25]
A
Why did I tell you to be selfish? And why should our listeners who are going to events like the muster, and hopefully we have some listeners join us at the Musters next year. And why. Why should they be selfish? And when you were. And when Danny was. What did you guys get from that?
- [03:44]
B
Yeah, you know, I think it's. To sum it up, it's all about taking advantage of the resources. Right. Or in our case, taking advantage of the opportunity. Because we were blessed to have, you know, Echelon Front brought us out there. Initially it was only going to be me, and then a week later, they were like, you know what? I think it makes sense if Danny comes to. So we, you know, it was. It's one thing for the people who, you know, paid to go there for them to get the most out of it, to honor whoever paid for it, whether it be their company themselves, whatever. But also, like, in our position, like, this is. This is an investment into my journey. You know, the stuff that the Jocko team's been doing, the stuff that the Echelon Front team has been doing, they are investments towards my success. Yep. And for me to go there and not get everything I could out of it would be wasting that investment, you know, so that was a big part of, you know, same thing with the Philly trip. Like I told myself when we got to Philly, I'm going to push myself as hard as I possibly can because that was the purpose, to show what I was capable of. And I did the same thing out here, man. Like, I did everything I could to be present in the moment and get as much of that information, which was a lot, you know, a lot of information, but to glean as much as I could from it those two days.
- [05:11]
A
I love it. I love it, man. What. What was. I know you and I did a video, a little selfie video, and I haven't posted it yet from our. From the podcast page. But what was like, you've had some more time to reflect since you Got home. What was. What are some of the takeaways that you took from the muster that you plan on implementing into your life, personally and professionally?
- [05:38]
B
Oh, man. Well, like, the main thing. I think this will be my answer for all the musters, honestly. The main thing is the main takeaway is knowing how much work is left. Right. Like, you come out of there after the self assessment and you really realize all of the alignment and all of the changes that need to be made. Right. Like, I have a clearer picture now than I've ever had on, like, what parts of my life I need to work on. Right. So I was telling you, like, for example, like, the, the whole concept of detachment is new to me. Right. I didn't get to £660 without some very emotional decision making. I've been making emotional decisions for the last quarter of a century. Yeah, that's been. That's the reality of the situation. I never even thought of, you know, taking a moment to step back, remove emotion from the equation before you take action. That's not a concept that has even entered my mind before the muster.
- [06:35]
A
So, Ethan, what was it like? I mean, and I know you have an awesome coach that you've been working with. The guys at Stud Jockey Fuel partnered you up with them, but what was it like getting to have access to and spend time with people like Jonathan and Ann from first in nutrition and seeing their group there also. And they, they, they have different people from their, you know, their, their family that are out there at every single mustard just getting after it. They're building their community. And then, you know, my buddy Brent that you gotta meet, former radio recon marine, black belt, jiu jitsu competitor in Jiu jitsu, high level leader in a global organization. And he's there taking copious pages of notes and. But he was in the, in the. There in the PT in the morning with you guys and just kind of pushing you and you know, showing you and other people like, the proper way to do different body weight exercises. Like, some of them make sense, but like, hey, if you don't know how to do it properly, you're not getting the most out of it. And when you were like adapting your form and doing those things properly, you felt those exercises even more. And I mean, you were just moving the whole time, working through it. What was it like for you to get to meet people like Jonathan and Anne and Brent and, you know, other leaders that were out there as well?
- [07:54]
B
Dude, it was, it was pretty crazy, you know, like this, this past couple months, it is like, astounded me. The people that we've managed to surround ourselves with on this journey, man, like, seven months ago, I didn't even know why I was still here. Right. Like, that's how drastic that life change has been this year with, like, starting the social media stuff. But, you know, spending time with people in this community is really. It's really just crazy how genuine.
- [08:26]
C
Yeah, it is.
- [08:27]
B
You know, like, because I come from an industry where genuine people are few and far between. Right. And then you go to an event like the Muster, and it's almost kind of like the opposite. Like, you. You would have a hard time finding someone who wasn't a solid person at an event like that, you know?
- [08:45]
A
Yeah, it's crazy and also sad. And like you said, the people there were genuine, and the Echelon Front team was fired up to have you. And, I mean, you got to see a little bit behind curtains of who we are at Echelon Front from a culture standpoint. And what were your thoughts on that? I mean, you had the operations team freaking just crushing it, just getting everything set up and the marketing team helping assist with all the stuff with you. And have you ever been to an event like that where it's just. Just everything's running and moving and smooth and the people's attitude, the, like, the attendees were fired up because Brent was. Brent told me. He's like, I've never seen something like this. He goes, I've been to a lot of business seminars, a lot of business seminars. He goes, you don't have people. You don't have 800 ish of the thousand waiting for the doors to be open at any other business conference.
- [09:42]
B
Yeah, no, it's crazy, man. The production specifically kind of blew my mind. Like, I'm a big audio video guy. That's always been my bread and butter. That's why I cringe, you know, sitting here on the podcast using a MacBook, because it's, like, so against everything that I'm, like, all about when it comes to the production stuff. But, dude, like, the production quality of the Mustard was wild and, like, seeing what goes into it. Like, I even saw, like, a glimpse into the room when they were deconstructing everything. And I was like, what the hell, dude? It's like, it's. Yeah, it's some. It's unlike anything I've ever experienced.
- [10:17]
A
That's. That's awesome, man. Lucas, what questions do you have for Ethan?
- [10:22]
C
And so this being your first semester, my first experience with it was a little overwhelming because I wasn't sure what I was getting into. I want you to kind of walk through the day that you did. Like, first off, did you do PT both days?
- [10:41]
B
No, just this. Just Tuesday.
- [10:44]
C
Smart man. Okay, so my. My first muster, I only did PT the first day, too, because I knew if I came in, because I got in, like, really early, like one, and then I was like, if I make it to PT today, I'll be off the hook tomorrow because everybody will be like, bro, he came in and he was smoked. Like, he did a great job. So that's. I only did PT the first time. My first mustard, too. So let's.
- [11:05]
B
Yeah, we did the opposite. We did the opposite. We skipped the first one and then went to the second, which is the.
- [11:11]
C
Smarter of things to do, which is why you're showing you're a wiser man than I was at my first muster. So that said, kind of walk us through that full day of the muster, starting with the PT and then kind of going throughout what your oppressions were of everything and kind of just how you felt about stuff, man, because it's a different kind of experience.
- [11:34]
B
No, the PT was really interesting for me. JP saw firsthand my struggles with it, dude. At some points in there, I was struggling just to hold the position they wanted us in, let alone doing the workouts.
- [11:49]
A
And you weren't the only one, brother.
- [11:52]
B
Yeah, no, I was focused on myself. I had no clue what anyone else was doing in that thing. It was. It was cool, though, man. Like on the.
- [12:01]
C
Also the jerk they have running that PT really, really needs to deal with whatever deep seated issues he's got.
- [12:12]
A
You know? We'll address that later. Lucas. Go ahead, Ethan. My. I'm sorry, my friend interrupted you.
- [12:21]
B
That's good, man. No, dude, like, even, like, just for example, like the flutter kicks, dude. First set, legs were off the ground, up and down, you know, up and down, kept going. By the third set, when I lifted both legs off the ground at once, I had a back, like a lower back pain that I was like. It was great. Felt crazy, dude. You know, like, most of that stuff was new movements for me, so it was. It was really interesting. But, you know, I tried to just keep moving. And then by the. The last set of those workouts where you were just waving your arms back and forth on the ground. I just tried to keep my arms off the ground.
- [12:59]
A
Oh, yeah.
- [13:02]
B
I was just holding, like a freaking dumbass looking plank with my arms out, trying not to let them fall down by the end of that, dude. But no, I thought the Cash out was actually. I was surprised with myself during that. I didn't miss a rep. And do you know why? Mm. Mm.
- [13:23]
A
Because it was you and about 6 to 700 other people in unison, doing an exercise together.
- [13:34]
B
Yeah.
- [13:35]
A
So what does that tell you about the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people in your life?
- [13:42]
B
For sure, dude. Like, that was. It was like, in the moment. I couldn't even believe that I was still going when you hit, like, 40. You know what I mean? Yeah. Like, if you. If you. If you do had, like, a trainer tell me you're gonna do 48 of these in one set, I'm like, what? Excuse me. But then we just did it.
- [14:00]
A
Yeah. So normally, day one, the cash out, and we didn't do it because we. We changed it up because we're. We're. You know, I was talking with Jocko. I'm like, hey, what do you think about me lowering this number of squats that we do on day one just to kind of see if we have more people show up? Day two, just kind of like playing around with it. Because the number that you do on the cash out doesn't really matter. It's about us doing it together to honor. Right, to honor someone or something. And usually day one, it's 48. Four count squats. So that's 96. 96 squats in a row.
- [14:46]
B
And I honestly, I don't even know what a four count squat is.
- [14:50]
A
Oh, it's literally just like the dumb. I'll show you. Right? This is.
- [14:57]
C
This is the most miserable part of my mustard the first time.
- [15:00]
A
Yeah. So it's me counting the first three reps, and then as a group, they count the fourth rep, just like we did on the. On the belly buster. So it's 1, 2, 3, 1. 1, 2, 3, 2. Right. So the rat. Oh, yeah. I go straight up into, like, drill sergeant Bud's instructor mode, where I'm like, I want 2, 3, 1. A 1, 2, 3, 2. A 1, 2, 3. And as I'm doing that, people are getting into it. It was funny after one of the musters, I mean, because everyone smoked and, you know, 30 minutes of getting after it, and then we do that. I mean, just like, there's, like, people puking in the bushes and, like, people, like, laying down on the ground. And he lies to you.
- [15:57]
C
He lies to you and says it's 48. And then you end up doing 96. Because when you're an NCC and you don't understand that military math is times two of everything, then you just get into this situation where you're halfway through and you're like, I think I've been lied to. And then it's just like 25 is like, this is. Yeah, this is not what I.
- [16:17]
A
What I asked. Well, once this arm gets healed, Lucas, we can do some eight count bodybuilders together like we used to do in buds. Those are fun. But. So I'm starting to digress. But you know, Jocko was joking one time and he told me, he's like, I was talking with Leif and a few other guys and he said if I was to bet like a large amount of money on something that JP could win a gold medal in the Olympics, it would be four count exercises. Because Jock was like, as soon as you start counting, he goes, you go like shark eyes. And you're just like a machinist. Because once I start counting, counting, and I have 5, 6, 700 people counting that fourth rep, like, it's weird. My literally the brain just takes over. My body's just like 1, 2, 3, boom. And the reason why I'm bringing that up and we're diving deeper into it is because of that question I asked you. And I'd like for you to kind of talk about your experience at the muster of being connected with other positive leaders, entrepreneurs and you know, individuals that were there with their company. I mean, you guys did those fire team breakouts and you got to meet other people and talk to them and you know, what were some of, what were some of the relationships that you developed and, or just perspective you gained from interacting with other people that made you want to elevate what Ethan is going to be doing at the last few days of this year as you roll into 2026.
- [17:51]
B
Yeah, you know, it was really interesting, man. We spent a lot of time with Jonathan and Ann. Those guys are really good. Meeting them and talking with them, like, those were, those were the kind of people that we like in my mind, you know, you just kind of know that they're genuine, you know?
- [18:07]
A
Yep.
- [18:08]
B
So I really enjoyed cultivating that relationship. But even like with the fire team exercises, we met a couple guys that worked for like a big gas and oil company. You know, we met a couple like high level accounting guys who were in charge of like this one guy had like 15 people under him who all of them had like 85 people under them. So he was like an exec of execs, you know what I mean? So it was really interesting, you know, talking with them about like how they're Planning on applying or what their issues are compared to me. Because my. I feel like my situation is so different for this kind of thing. Right. Like, I'm like, I'm. I'm a big guy who talks to my phone for a living. You know, I don't have a normal job and I don't work for a company per se yet. You know, like, I think, like you said, this will turn into one eventually. But I thought it was really, really interesting hearing about, like, why they were at the muster, what they were trying to get out of it, some of the issues they had, and how they were going to apply it to their different. You know, they're different jobs because it's so. It's so. It's an environment that they're in that I am just so not used to.
- [19:16]
A
Yeah. What'd you get from doing the balance assessment at the muster?
- [19:24]
B
That was the biggest eye opener on, like, what I have to work on. Right. Because I. Cause I know, like, I've been on, like a quote unquote, self improvement kick this past couple months. I've been starting to read books. I've been trying to read my bible more, I've been praying more because I was kind of disconnected with my walk with God for a bit. Right. That being said, the self assessment, dude. Personally, I know there's a lot of things I need to work on, but also from a business perspective, the whole decentralized command thing with Danny is something that I've done a really bad job with this year, man. I hired him. I hired Danny to quit his job a couple months ago. And I told you this when we were at the end of the event, but I have really done a bad job giving him direction. Like, he's being paid. He's fine. You know, we. We have a good time doing what we do, but I haven't delegated anything, which is not only hurting me, but that's also hurting him, you know, because without giving him direction, you know, he's just kind of hovering.
- [20:30]
A
Yeah. And I mean, I don't expect you to remember me saying this to you because you were just drinking through a fire hose at the muster, and it was at the very end, but I told you I wanted you to start thinking about delegation as a gift.
- [20:46]
B
Yeah, I do remember that.
- [20:47]
A
Okay, cool. Awesome. So when you delegate tasks, it's a gift because you're developing those people. You're helping people learn new skill sets and feel that they're a part of the team. They feel responsible for something. They're bought in and by delegation, you're giving them ownership. And when you're giving Danny ownership over editing videos or some marketing ideas that, you know, Danny's going to come up with some ideas that you're like, man, that's not the way I would do it. But if you can look at his plan and idea and genuinely ask yourself and challenge yourself and say, is it a workable plan? And if you could say yes, knowing that it's not gonna be detrimental to what you're doing, let em run with it, you know? And if you run into some issues, cool. That's why we do debriefs. I mean, we talked about debriefs a lot at the muster. Like, you and Danny should be debriefing once a day. Like, hey, what was good today? What are some improvements that we need to work on? What are some things that I can do to provide better support to you? And just as you guys cultivate that culture, I think you'll start to be more and more comfortable with delegating things to him because you're going to be talking through stuff and be like, oh, cool, you know what? Like, Danny's got it. I loved at the end when Danny Zine came up and he was meeting you and we're talking and you're. And I explained to you that Danny's one of my best friends. We grew up together. And you're like, oh. And we're like, oh, we each have our own Danny.
- [22:24]
C
Yeah.
- [22:26]
B
Yeah, it's awesome, man.
- [22:27]
A
Yeah.
- [22:28]
B
No, the debrief thing is cool because it's funny. You know, we were in Nashville for a week before the muster. We met a friend of ours. His name is AJ Buckley. He's an actor on the show SEAL Team. So he actually has some good relationships with some of the team guys. He calls himself a fake seal, Right. Because he just. He just played one. But he was talking. I was talking with him because this was a point where I was like, really? You know, I was in that mental divot. I was overwhelmed. And he talked about, like, the importance of structure. Right. Because we had been. We've been traveling so much. We don't have a schedule, we don't have a structure. But one of the things he mentioned was you and Danny need to set up, like, weekly, bi weekly and monthly meetings and just do them no matter what. Make them take precedence over everything and just do them. And he. He said that that would be a big part in the structure aspect, which, you know, goes back to the whole debrief concept, you know?
- [23:26]
A
Yeah. Yeah. I'm gonna throw you guys a curveball for you to think about this. I know Lucas probably has some more questions for you, and I do, too, and. Or any thoughts that you want to share with the listeners. Before I do that, I just want to reiterate. Like, Ethan, one of the things I really respected from you this weekend was your humility in regards to the recognition that you had of, like, man, I have a lot to do. I have a lot to do. And I. I'm very happy that you realize that because, you know, I consider you a friend. I mean, I know we're not super close. We don't talk all the time, but the conversations the three of us has had, you and I have had. I know you and Lucas talk more than you and I do, but, you know, you on the podcast, we got a lot of good feedback. You helped a lot of our listeners, and so, you know, you're somebody I, I. I definitely care about. You know what I mean? But I'm not. I'm not one of those guys that are like, oh, yeah, Ethan's one of my best friends. And you're like, bro, you talk to him, like, twice a month. Like, you know, I mean, that'd be like. It'd be weird that It'd be like, you, like, telling somebody, like, oh, my.
- [24:37]
B
Goodness, we're busy people, man. You know?
- [24:40]
A
Yeah. But it would be like, I'm always, like, I always err on the side of, like, I don't want anybody ever thinking, like. Because I saw that a lot, you know, in the military where, you know, somebody would pass away and guys were like, oh, devastated. And I'm like, I understand. Yes, losing a teammate is hard, but now all of a sudden, you're best friends with the guy now that they're dead. That's a little weird to me, you know, and you'd see that a lot, and it would be like, you'd be like, oh, dude, you know, one of my super close friends, Jocko. Like, you and Jocko are buddies. You know what I mean? But you're not like, boys yet. And so what I want to say is I was. You know, I've been following you and watching you this and kind of walking through this with you, and I love that you recognize that, because it's easy for somebody your age and going through all this stuff to believe the hype. And I think the powerful thing with the muster is you. You should believe the hype, but don't believe the hype. Like, hey, you're. You're You're a strong, bold man of God. You're on this path, you're losing weight, you're impacting. But just remember that humility is the number one characteristic of every great leader. Which I know you knew that you saw it out you get at the muster. But when you were able to tell me after pt, after the we're getting ready to go down, the cash out, just the humility you had of saying, man, I've got a lot to work on. And I'm telling you, the individuals that come to the muster or an ftx, the field training exercises that we run or do an event with us, the individuals that can, can recognize that they're the ones that are gonna, they're just gonna win at life. So I love seeing that in you and I just wanna encourage you to just stay humble, man, because there's, you know, there's some dangerous roads you're gonna be walking down as your name continues to grow and your following grows. The more you lean into the Lord and you seek his will, the more you try to be humble, the more impact that you're going to deliver. So just anything to add to that, Lucas, real quick before I have my ready for a loop statement?
- [26:54]
C
No, man, I think what you said pretty much sums up my sentiment as well. You're a great dude. You're on a good path right now and it's been an honor to get to watch you walk down that road and to have a small part and it's been, been really cool. So I appreciate you letting us do that.
- [27:11]
B
Yeah, I appreciate that, man. We will all be in the same room together at one point.
- [27:16]
A
Oh yes. Yes. So my buddy Joe Raina, he helps out on the ftxs. He's been on the podcast before. Just an awesome stud Marine combat veteran, three purple Hearts, just, I mean, wow. Yeah. Still in the Marine Corps is working as a, as a recruiter, has been helping us out at Echelon front as a role player. Him and Cody Gandy served in the Marine Corps together. They're best friends. And so that's how I have the, the blessing, the connection of getting to know Joe and now call him a friend. And we were closing out doing a debrief dinner at the post muster ftx. So what we did after the muster is we limited it to 24 muster attendees could sign up and participate in the field training exercise that we run, which is the hands on scenario based leadership training. It's the hands on application of what, everything you saw in two days, Ethan, you get to Go out and conduct military type missions that are only focused about leadership. No tactics, but only focus about leadership. Lessons against the role players that are, you know, former and current Navy SEALs, Green Berets, SWAT operators, Marines, you know, soldiers, just all different branches, special operation groups. It's really cool. Like, that's the opposition that you go up against, but they also help with debriefs and lessons, and, you know, they drive the scenarios a certain way so that we can get different debrief and talking points and lessons after every run. And we spend a good amount of time after the run sitting down, talking, debriefing, making modifications, and then, boom, go back out there again. And so after that, we do a debrief dinner, a whole recap of the day. And Joe was talking about. He said, hey, if you were to lose, he was connecting this to the. The. The emotional connections that we have to our families. And that's why detachment is a superpower and especially home, so that you can maintain a healthy relationship and you can fix a relationship that needs to be fixed, and you can strengthen a relationship through detachment. Would you agree with that?
- [29:35]
B
I think so.
- [29:36]
A
Yeah. Yeah. And. And so he was talking about it. He goes, you know, if you were to go lose your job, what would you go looking for the next day? A new job.
- [29:50]
B
Yeah.
- [29:51]
A
He goes, but if you were to lose your family, Would you go look for a new family the next day?
- [30:02]
B
No.
- [30:03]
A
He goes, no. He goes, why is that? Because our families are everything to us. And he was just really bringing home the point that, yes, these things are great for business, but if you're not applying them at home, you're missing the mark.
- [30:22]
B
Yeah.
- [30:23]
A
And it was just such a powerful statement. I was just like. It was. It was. It was heavy. And I know you're not. You don't have a wife and kids yet, but you have your family that you love and that you care about. And Lucas, yeah, you know, you're a pastor, so you got your church family, and then you are married with kids. So you have your blood family. You're, you know, the family that, you know, the wife that got brought into your life and the kids that he's blessed you with. We'll start with Lucas and kind of let you digest that a little bit, Ethan. But, Lucas, what's your initial thoughts on that, man?
- [31:02]
C
Well, like, you know, first of all, it's like a place I just don't want to go. Right. Like, just the idea. Right. Like, the idea of that scenario is it's one of those things that like mentally and emotionally. You just don't want to put yourself into that place. But I, I see why Joe did what he did and said what he said. Because if we're not thinking, not that we have to do it all the time, but if there aren't moments where we think in terms of that, then we don't realize what it is that we have and how desperately we. Not that we just need to fight, not to lose our families or to lose things that we really love and that we care about, but we need to fight in order to build something for them and for us as a family unit that allows all of us to be successful. So if we don't think in terms of like, this is something that could be taken away, then we don't approach it with the proper amount of humility. Now, we can't rest in that space, right? So, like, that's my, my thought initially is like, this is a place that I need to go in order to have gratitude for what I have to realize the gravity of the pull, you know, that, that gravitational pull that my family has on my heart and what God's given me. But I can't sit in this place if this isn't motivating me to action, if this isn't motivating me to, to take responsibility in the, you know, the, the minor tips that I get with my wife that build their little resentments that cause the bigger argument that caused the blow up argument. Like, if it's not motivating me to take responsibility in those little things to prevent that big thing from happening, if it's not motivating me to take responsibility in the way that I talk to my, my three year old where there are times where I have to sit him down and say, like, hey, Levi, Daddy made a mistake. And one of my buddies was like, why would you tell your kid that? I was like, because he needs to know. And he, the only way he's gonna know, first off, that it's okay to make mistakes and second, that I'm not perfect is if I model that for him and if I don't do that, then I'm not equipping him properly. But it reminds me of the importance of doing that because like, as much as, as much as it would pain me to, to lose them, right on the reverse, it would, it would pain me to know that I, like if, if the shoe was on the other foot, right? Like if I'm the one that, that left, right? If, if I passed away.
- [33:42]
B
I would.
- [33:42]
C
Be heartbroken to think that in the time that I had with my sons, that I didn't steward that time well enough to help them be good men. Even if it's just from ages 0 to 3, like, if there wasn't something that stuck with them from those times, from those little moments that we got that helped them become the men that God needed them to be, then that would be a failure on my part.
- [34:09]
B
And.
- [34:09]
C
And I had a great friend once. He wrote a book called the Death Principle. It's like, it's like a big book. It's just like a little pamphlet. And the premise of the book is that life lived in terms of death are more dynamic. But the idea with the book was instead of this like, self serving, live every day as if it's your last. The premise was live every day as if it's the last for the person across the table from you. Like, how different would your interactions would then be if it was their last day, right? Because if it's your last day, you're gonna go skydiving, you're gonna ride all the roller coasters, you're gonna, you know, get rid of every bit of your, the money in your savings account and go do like, whatever. You're gonna hit Disneyland in Tokyo and save a bunch of money from going to Orlando and trying to get that one because apparently it's cheaper in Tokyo now anyway. So, like, you're gonna do all of those things, right? But if it's the person across the table from you, like, what things do you want them to know? What things do you want to make sure that they know from you? What, what success do you want them to see before, you know, their time is up? And what, what Joe said kind of really brings down into perspective for me is that like, if I was about to lose them, right, There are things that I wouldn't say. There are, there are imprints that I would want to make not just on how much like dad loved him and cared for him and all of that, but that, like, if you. It's just as simple as, like, be humble, do the right things for the right reasons, and you're, you're going to be somebody that you can be proud of. And if today's the last day, like, preach the gospel, do good works, love other people. And when today's over, if this is it for you, man, then you're going to be able to walk in to judgment and hear the words, well done, my good and faithful servant. So do that. And it just kind of brings all of that to me and Like I said, it's a place that I want to think about. It's a place that I want to sit in. But I also think if we don't go there from time to time, then we don't ever realize who is and isn't valuable in our lives and in our hearts. So, yeah, Joe, you suck. But I think it's a good exercise.
- [36:28]
A
Yeah, it was really good. And, you know, Ethan, as I was listening to Eth. Sorry, Ethan, as I was listening to Lucas talk, I would. I would maybe push you towards, you know, going back to a comment you said earlier, like, I shouldn't be here. Because, you know, for our listeners that listen to your episode, you shared about how, like, you almost died during COVID You were in the hospital. Like, a lot of people didn't think you were going to make it, but God had other plans for you. And, you know, as you think about what Lucas just expanded upon from Joe Rayna's comment, which is just so powerful to really think about, you've been given this second chance and what goes through your mind, as you know, you wake up every day saying, all right, hey, I'm going to do this because I've been given this second chance, and I'm also doing it to prepare myself for my future family and whatever that looks like. You know, what's some of your thoughts? And kind of connecting it back to Joe's statement.
- [37:38]
B
Well, it's really kind of hard to think about, right? Because, like, my whole life I've understood the importance of building a family, but I've never experienced it. Right. So I. Having not having not been in that position, obviously I would have no understand of what losing that would be like. Right? But, like, that's. That's the biggest thing for me, man, is like, I know already, not even having known them yet, that I am doing this journey internally, more so because I want them to have a good life as opposed to just me having one. Right. So, you know, yeah, that's important. It's important, man. You know?
- [38:31]
A
Yeah. I like what Lucas said also about if I was to leave. If I was to leave. What if I left my family, what type of legacy? Because we're all leaving a legacy. And that's one of the things I talked about during my talk at the Muster. When I'm talking about knowing your mission and understanding what your mission is. Every single one of us is leaving a legacy. Every single one of our listeners is leaving a legacy. The things that we have to think about is what type of legacy are we Going to leave.
- [39:10]
B
Yeah, for sure. Right. That's the thing. As someone who's again, not in that position yet, my main priorities internally for my family is to the whole biblical protect and provide thing. Make sure that they're protected, make sure that they can live the life that they want to live comfortably. But also instilling those values. Right? Instilling those mindset, helping, helping them gain that understanding and those values is super important to me as well. Because then like you guys said, lord forbid something happens to me, you know, I would hope that I would have said or done enough in that interim period.
- [40:00]
A
Yeah.
- [40:00]
B
To where it would have. They would still be good to go, you know?
- [40:05]
A
Yeah. I love it. My man. Well, I know Lucas probably has some. A few other questions. I also just, I want to thank you, man. I know our time zone difference, it's late out there, it's been a long week for all of us, but man, you coming on and doing this last minute, I really appreciate you, my friend. And I know Lucas has some thoughts and. Or questions real quick.
- [40:32]
C
Yeah. So the, the first one I've got is, you know, having this conversation.
- [40:37]
B
Right.
- [40:38]
C
And now being further into your journey, hitting some, some major goals and then also getting one of the things that you've really wanted from the beginning, which is some one on one time with Joey being, you know, being at the gym with your coach so that you can actually workout. Like, there's a lot of boxes that you checked. You know, you, you got to record a podcast with, with Burt Kreischer. You guys, you know, took the pictures and that's really rad. You are, you're now just, you know, you're a certified muster, you know, participant and, and completer.
- [41:18]
B
Right.
- [41:18]
C
Whatever that is. But like those.
- [41:20]
B
Yeah.
- [41:20]
C
Attendee. Right. So, so you've done those things. Now that you've got some perspective, what do you want your legacy to be at this point in your journey?
- [41:37]
B
Well, okay, so that question at this point in my journey, but that's still what I want it all to be. The journey in and of itself. I don't know, man. I think there's a lot that ties into it. Right. But I think the journey in and of itself is just a testament that, you know, discipline and hard work can get you where you want to be. Right. Like, even if I didn't do anything else, even if I just lost the weight and then lived a normal life, Right. The fact that I was as big as I was and that I'm going to get down to as low as I'M going to get to that in and of itself combined with like the near death experience and all the trials and stuff that I'm going through on this journey. I think that story and that path is going to help and has already helped a lot of people. I'm hoping that it's more than that. Right. Because like I online, I'm not, I, you guys know I'm not shy to talk about my faith, right. I'm very tactful with how I talk about it. I'm never preachy. I never shove Jesus or scripture down people's throat because that's when you start to alienate people. But I am not shy to let people know that my faith is very important to me and I try to give God the glory in this scenario. So my goal in terms of leaving an impact and the legacy is that people will just kind of connect the dots, right? If people see what's happening in my life and people see what's going to happen in my life and then they see me giving glory to God for all of it, some people are going to connect A to B and they're going to go, huh, maybe there's something to putting God first in my life. Right? Yeah. But I think the path in and of itself and the story that I'll have to tell when I reach the weight goal, you know, have the skin removed and hopefully find a partner to go about life with. If I attain those things that I've been telling people that I've trying to achieve this whole time, I think that is going to make it that much more impactful and it's going to help that many more people.
- [43:58]
C
Yeah, right on, man. So my, my last question in this vein is, is this one of the things that, that I did after my first muster was to kind of reassess what the lessons I learned. The, the role that they were going to play in me achieving the goals that I had for, for myself, for my family, for our church, and assessing the proper way to look at some of those things. So that's my next question to you is like, now that you've had this incredible couple of days, how are you going to take the lessons that you've learned from the muster and apply them in such a way that it helps you to achieve the goals that you have and to build that legacy that you want?
- [44:45]
B
That's hard, right? Because like I said, it's a lot of information. Like a lot of information. I took more notes there than I have ever. Right. So I have, I have the Workbook. I think the first thing that I'm going to look back on big time is the self assessment, right? The whole balance sheet. Because that, like I, like I said previously, drew a clearer picture of like the things that I have to work on than I've ever had. But I have to, you know, prioritize and execute because if I try to just do everything, I don't probably not going to get anywhere with it. Right? So I think, like, for me, the, the first thing I was, you know, telling JP about this was is the detachment, right? Like, I think in my, in my weight loss journey, focusing on the detachment is going to help a lot. And in our business, I think focusing on the decentralized command and the delegation is going to help a lot. So those are for me, two of the main things that I'm going to try to focus on. But obviously when I get further into my journey and I start to build these skills, I'd like to start utilizing more, right? Like, I don't want to just take use. Why would I just use two of the ten different concepts we learned at the muster? You know, I want to, I want to train all those skills, but I just had, you know, I'm at a point right now where I just got to start somewhere with my man.
- [46:08]
A
Well, that is what we recommend to people. We've talked about this on the podcast. We recommend that at the muster. I recommend that with every client that I work at through Echelon. Front is, hey, pick one to two things and start working on them. When you get them to this point where you want them to be, reassess yourself. Check out your list, your balance assessment, your takeaways, your notes. Boom. Pick something else. The last two days of doing these FTXs, I've shared the feedback that I got from an attendee, FTX002. And he sent me a message. Excuse me, he sent me a message on Instagram, oh, I don't know, eight or nine months after that ftx. And he told me, hey, I've used this workbook that we have at the FTX for all the notes after the debriefs, some of the workbooks that you had at the muster. And he goes, I review all my notes every day. That's how I start my day. And it's an awareness for me of what do I need to be focusing on in regards to my strengths and what do I need to be focusing on in regards to areas of opportunity, of improvement. And he goes, our business is already $6 million ahead of where it was projected to be at the end of the year because my marriage, more importantly, is stronger than ever before. Better relationship with my kids. We're tithing more to the church, we're giving more. He goes, I just want to say thank you. And so the reason why I share that with you, Ethan, and our listeners is he just reviewed those. Those notes and the assessments that he did, and he was mindful of one to two things a day, and he would work on those things. I'm gonna close it out real note, real quick with just, you know, some thoughts. And then what I'd like for you to do, Ethan, at the end is, you know, close it out with, you know, your closing thoughts in regards to, like, hey, if you could leave our guests with, you know, I'm sorry, if you could leave our audience with a piece of advice to help them win that you took from the Muster or in the journey since this last episode that you did with us, from health, sobriety, business, life, whatever, you know what I mean? Like, these. What are some of the important things that you've done like that you think if they started implementing into their lives, that would help them out? So I'll let you kind of think about that, Lucas. I are going to talk through a few things, but, you know, obviously thanking all of our listeners. You know, we. We do this for you guys. We do it because it's. It's something that we enjoy. And, you know, the feedback that Lucas and I get from people saying, hey, you know, I've been able to strengthen my relationship with the Lord. You know, I had a Muster attendee. He's been to two individual FTXs, a few musters. He listens to podcasts. He also attends Milestone Online. So the church that I go to, he's a. Is a member of our church, and he's wanting to make a trip out to come, like, to the church and meet the online pastors. And, man, it was very humbling because he asked me if I would baptize him when he comes out with his wife. And I was just so blown away and honored. So I also share that with you, Ethan, and all of our listeners of continue to be bold with your faith. Now there's a balance. I'm not going to be one of those idiots that are out on street corners with the signs going repent or you're going to hell soul. You don't. I don't think you lead many people to Christ through those actions.
- [49:47]
B
I'm gonna do at least not in the right way.
- [49:50]
A
Right Exactly. I'm gonna do it through my boldness and hopefully people seeing it in me. So, you know, I want to leave our listeners with that thought and just thank you guys for everyone who's listening. You know, sharing the podcast you're subscribing, commenting on YouTube, Instagram, that helps us out. You know, I know we're working on some new reels and shorts to be coming out. We want to be getting the YouTube exclusives back out again. You know, obviously, you know, you guys helping us out on social media and like, following us and commenting is. Is. Is always a good thing. From the JP Dennell podcast page. That's a big one. You know, if you want to follow me on my personal page, it's @jpdinelle. Lucas is @ Lucas Pinkard. L U C a S P I N C K A R D and then obviously Ethan is at ethanbanard. That is E T H a N B E N A R D Obviously. Check out Jocko Fuel origin. We've talked about them many times on the podcast. We were just talking about Echelon front. It's at a minimum, you should be following Echelon front on social media, on LinkedIn. Also, if you're checking out this suite polo that I'm wearing, it's for my guy Bobby Holland with hooligolf. Want to give them a shout out. They were at the muster setup and Bobby's been doing a lot of. A lot to work with Echelon.
- [51:17]
B
Front.
- [51:18]
A
Our. Our Echelon front polos are all now Huli golf, Echelon front polos. And yeah, it's just cool to.
- [51:27]
B
Have. He was a great guy.
- [51:28]
A
Man. Yeah. Awesome frogman, war fighter, awesome husband, father, businessman. Just there. So, you know, check out hooligolf as well. We talked about Jonathan and.
- [51:39]
C
Anne. Yep. Gotta go to firstinnutrition.com jppod Ethan was talking about how incredible they were as just friends and great hangs at the muster, but they're even better at coaching nutrition. If you go to firstonenutrition.com jppod they're giving away four free weeks of nutrition coaching. You'll get through their onboarding. You'll get paired up with a coach that will be able to help you design a plan that is not only sustainable, but helps you reach your goals now and into the future. Because they're gonna change. You're gonna get to that place where, you know what? Now I got abs, but I can't bench press 300 pounds anymore. Okay, well, let's fix that right quick. Fast and in a hurry. And the folks at first in are the ones that are gonna help you make that happen. And then obviously I'm wearing a little bit of the gear today. We we don't have it at 5x or else I'd be sending it up to Ethan. Then our folks over at Origin Haven the what would it be? It'd be like a 9A GI in order to fit somebody that is 6 8. So we'll make it happen. But Jesus. In Jiu Jitsu we we've got an open mat tomorrow that is happening and then Victor Hugo is coming in to instruct in January. We we've got a guy who speaks just an an insane amount of languages coming in February. You you might know him as the friend of another guy. We'll we'll see as soon as we can officially announce his name then then it'll all be good. And then if, if you haven't already figured it out jp, Leif, Jocko, these are guys that know what they're talking about. Not just in the leadership stuff but also when it comes to being prepared just in case, you know, an Amazon box comes to your house and you need to open it with a certain kind of blade or if something is like a really far way away and there's a target on that something and you need to hit that target, you're probably not going to be able to do it with your blow dart gun or your slingshot. They design stuff that does that exact thing and they've done it for some of not just the greatest warriors that have ever existed, but also for average people, NCCs that just want to go check stuff out and influencers like Ethan who has his eye on some of that gear and we've been talking about it for a few months and maybe that's how we all get together is we schedule some time to go down there and Larry Babbins and Uncle Leif get all on the range together and make it happen. And you know, as always man, thanks to Origin, thanks to Jocko Fuel, thanks to the folks at Littlecattle Co thanks to guys on the path printing that are the force behind this podcast that keep it going and up and running. You guys are the best. And then use code ETHAN20 if your first time on Jockey Fuel saves you 20%. Use JP JP Pod 20 if you want to but we have stuff go support Ethan buy stuff with Ethan's.
- [54:35]
B
Code. Just for the record, I'm not telling people to use my code, but it is.
- [54:38]
C
Code. It's Just.
- [54:40]
B
Ethan. Just Ethan.
- [54:41]
C
Bro. Okay, go, go. Use Ethan. Ethan's code is so unique, it doesn't even need.
- [54:45]
B
Numbers. It's a throwback, actually, not to take up too much time. Fortnite creator code, Ethan. I was one of the first people to join that creator program which is now generated billions. Not my code, right? Not my code, but I was one of the OGs, man. That's where that code came.
- [55:03]
C
From. Diego, go use Ethan's fork knife code on Jocko. Fuel on your creatine. It'll be great for you. Ethan, save me. Give me some final.
- [55:11]
B
Thoughts. Yeah, man. So, like, I think in terms of skills that people could take away, right? Like even the concept of detachment, if you haven't heard about it, right? Like being able to take a step back from any situation before you take action, reassessing it and removing emotion from the equation, that's huge. That's huge. In, like, all sorts of different scenarios, like, you can't put a parameter around that concept. And that's something that I'm going to try to practice a lot more. But also the whole concept of extreme ownership, right? I'm sure the people listening to this know a lot about that kind of stuff. But regardless of whose fault or blaming anyone else or blaming anything else, and just taking ownership over a situation or a thing or something that happens can be huge. And those are just a couple of the things that I'm just really trying to work.
- [56:14]
A
On. I love him. My man, I appreciate you for being here. It was great seeing you at the muster. It was awesome, like, meeting you in person. And like you said, all three of us are going to get together again, or all three of us will be together in the future for sure. Ethan, keep up the hard work. It's as you know and as you were reminded at the muster, discipline equals freedom. And the more disciplined you are with the small things, the greater impact you'll have as that becomes just who you are when it becomes a habit. You don't have a company yet, per se, but that should be the culture of who you are and what you're building. And I share that with all of our listeners as well. So appreciate you, gentlemen. Thank you so much. Thank you. For all of our listeners, I hope this episode has been a reminder to go do the work that's needed, to put in the effort to build your legacy and to never settle. This has been the JP Denial podcast, episode.