bethestandardpodcast

In this episode, Denny and Mike discuss Identity. They talk about all the different way people go down the rabbit hole of self-identity. More often than not, people will tie their identity to their work, social status, hobbies, or even culture. Denny and Mike talk about how your personal identity is a fluid concept, as it changes as a result of new experiences. Listen to their personal thoughts and ideas on how we should treat not only our self-perception of identity, but others as well.

During our conversation with Steve Eckert you will hear us discuss the importance of high standards, solid habits, and holding yourself accountable. Steve and Denny both share experiences from their childhood, particularly having to deal with abusive and absentee fathers. This causes them to transition into a discussion about the importance of creating focused, strong men, willing to provide and protect. You won't want to miss this!

Joe Luplow is a former Army Ranger, Entrepreneur, Husband, and Father. In this episode we discuss the role of men in society, as well as in the home. We talk about identity crisis, brotherhood, the importance of men being kind, caring, but also dangerous. Joe also shares his thoughts on embracing hard things, parenting, and much more. This is a great discussion you won't want to miss!

We have all been through some difficult sh*t! But why would we want it any other way? EMBRACE the difficult times and admire the man or woman on the other end of adversity.

In this episode, Nick and Denny discuss a wide range of topics, from military transition, dealing with trauma, and the pivotal role men NEED to step up and fill- in their homes and in the community. We even get slightly controversial, discussing the abuse of power we saw from our government during covid, and the concerted effort by many to remove god from society. You do not want to miss this one!

In this episode, we discuss fitness, the excuses people use to avoid working out, and the seemingly declining standards among civil service and military professions. We believe that NOBODY is too busy to maintain a basic level of core physical fitness if you decide to prioritize it. If you want it, you will find a way to make it happen. We also believe that there is no excuse for members of Law Enforcement, Fire, Military, or any other profession dedicated towards service to be grossly out of shape. These are physically demanding jobs and there should be a standard to meet in order to remain in these positions.

In this episode, Denny and Mike discuss motivation and discipline, the difference between the two, and which one drives results. It is easy to be motivated early on in your journey to achieving your goal, but the chances of you maintaining a high level of motivation over a long period of time is low. We feel that sustained discipline, and doing hard things when we don't want to, ultimately drives long term, permanent results.

In this episode, Denny and Mike discuss emotional resilience. They expand on ways to expand on strategies and implement characteristics required to develop emotional resilience. Denny uses his experiences of growing up in foster care, losing his mom to AIDS, and not having a father as examples where emotional resilience was a critical component in overcoming those difficult situations. Mike elaborates on the importance of emotional intelligence and maintaining control over your emotions. He also touches upon the importance of dealing with your emotions head on in a healthy and effective way.

Denny discusses “taking the armor off” after a discussion with his VA counselor.

At one point or another, we all fall victim to dependency. Whether that be a dependency on people, substances, or even technology. In this episode, we discuss root causes of dependency and how to address it as it becomes an issue. Denny shares his experience with his dependency on alcohol after coming home from a year long deployment to Afghanistan, and Mike shares a strategy of how to reward yourself by taking a step back from technology.

In this episode we sit down with husband, father, author, and entrepreneur Alex Wassom. Alex goes into great detail about his struggles with depression, anxiety, and self doubt. He shares the story of the tragic loss of his grandmother, Shirley, who he loved and admired deeply, which caused those dark feelings to transpire. Alex's story is one of tragedy, self-destruction, self-doubt, and ultimately triumph. Alex was able to take all of his pain and sadness, and use it as fuel to become a strong and resilient example for his family, friends, and now thousands of followers. Mike and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to and learning from Alex in this discussion. We hope you enjoy watching this interview as much as we enjoyed conducting it!

In this episode, Denny and Mike dive into leadership, with a focus on what effective and ineffective leadership looks like. Currently, Mike is a Command Sergeant Major in the Massachusetts Army National Guard. He has led at every level within the military rank structure. His personal experience in leading at a high level provides you with a unique and extremely valuable perspective on what leadership should look like. Denny speaks to his time in the military, with stories about great leaders he had while serving, including his co-host Mike Burnes, who he was fortunate to work for and learn from. He also speaks to some solid, but also poor and ineffective leadership he has experienced working within the corporate structure and software sales. We had a lot of fun discussing this topic. Let us know what you think good leadership looks like!!

In this episode, Denny opens up about his personal struggles with PTSD and mental health, from how he grew up to his combat experiences overseas. Denny and Mike also remember and discuss their good friend "Jimmy", who they lost to PTSD and suicide a few years after returning home from Afghanistan. Given that so many of us struggle with PTSD and mental health, Denny and Mike feel obligated to speak on this issue, using their voice and platform to help drive this conversation forward.

In Episode 4 we discuss purpose. At some point, everyone has that internal conversation about purpose. We ask questions like: Why am I here? What is my purpose in life? Can your purpose change? I also give a shoutout to Bedros Keuilian for giving me the advice to start this podcast.

In this clip I give a special shoutout to our good friend and former Commander, John Doolittle, a retired Navy SEAL who took part in the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim back on January 14, 2024. John participated in support of the Navy SEAL Foundation, in honor of fallen teammate Scotty Wirtz, killed in action conducting operations in Syria in 2019.

In this episode we discuss what it means to have a Victim Mentality and why it's detrimental to growth. We also discuss the importance of rejecting this mindset, candidly explaining that EVERYTHING is your fault. Life happens. How you react and who you become is up to you. We also give a special shoutout to our good friend and former Commander, John Doolittle, a retired Navy SEAL who took part in the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim back on January 14, 2024. John participated in support of the Navy SEAL Foundation, in honor of fallen teammate Scotty Wirtz, killed in action conducting operations in Syria in 2019.

What drives a person toward change? Is it pain? Failure? Is it rock bottom? Another qualifying event? When and why is enough, enough? In episode 2 we discuss how being in the proper mindset is essential PRIOR to engaging in our four key principles.

We are Combat Veterans and best friends that met serving in the MA Army National Guard. We deployed to Afghanistan together in 2010-2011. The standards we set and habits we created were essential in our execution in doing this country's work. Together, we helped lead many complex and dangerous missions in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. We continue to apply high standards and strict habits to our daily lives, we look forward to sharing our experiences, both personal and professional. We use the following principles as a template: Setting Standards Creating UNBREAKABLE habits Execution Accountability