#0017 - Denny Gerardi - Accountability & Unbreakable Habits

Summary In this episode, we interview Denny Girardi, a former Army Infantry Team leader and co-host of the Be The Standard podcast. We discuss Denny's deployments to Afghanistan, the challenges of stop loss and surge deployments, and the differences in op tempo between the National Guard and special operations units. They also talk about working with SEALs and ODA teams, the reputation of Jocko Willink, and their experiences with CrossFit and MMA. Denny shares his journey from studying political science to pursuing a career in sales, and how he and Mike Burns decided to start their podcast. The conversation covers topics such as podcast production and scheduling, breaking the stigma around mental health, the goals of the podcast, the importance of consistency and building an audience, and the impact of exercise and cutting back on alcohol for mental health. We also talk about the importance of promoting the podcast on social media and expanding to different platforms and share our future plans for the podcast and the impact we hope to make. And an overarching theme for the entire podcast is the need for accountability and setting standards to create a better version of oneself. Show Links Get 1-month of FREE access to the ⁠Vet Collective Community⁠ by using discount code: NLT1UQTI Join us here: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.collective.vet⁠⁠⁠ Sign up for our Weekly Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.collective.vet⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on LinkedIn: ⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/harder-not-smarter/⁠ Episodes also available on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Music. Denny's Links Denny's LinkedIn Be the Standard Podcast Be the Standard LinkedIn Be the Standard Instagram Be the Standard TikTok Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 01:00 Deployments and Missions 04:40 Training Cycles and Team Assignments 06:13 Meeting Jocko Willink 08:06 Jocko's Reputation and Physicality 09:16 CrossFit and MMA 11:43 Interest in Politics and Law School 12:12 Legalese and Concealed Carry Laws 13:02 Difficulties in Obtaining Concealed Carry Permits 14:07 Deployments in Afghanistan 16:08 Working with SEALs and ODA Teams 21:47 Transitioning to Entrepreneurship 25:18 Combining Forces and Building a Network 26:00 Meeting and collaborating through LinkedIn 27:01 The challenges of remote collaboration 29:21 The importance of flexibility in podcast scheduling 30:11 The significance of mental health in the podcast 31:19 The importance of discussing mental health 32:16 Breaking the stigma around mental health 33:28 The goals of the podcast 35:11 The core principles of the podcast: setting standards, creating habits, execution, and accountability 36:37 The importance of having a focused theme for the podcast 38:08 Choosing the name of the podcast 39:06 The importance of sticking to the podcast's core values 40:08 The importance of consistency and building an audience 44:07 The impact of exercise and cutting back on alcohol for mental health 48:51 The love for golf and breaking stereotypes 54:13 The acceptance of tattoos in society 57:04 Tattoos and Personal Style 58:00 Surfing in the SEAL Teams 59:08 Challenges of Surf Passage 1:00:18 Overcoming Swimming Challenges 1:02:06 Respecting the Power of the Ocean 1:03:17 Future Plans for the Podcast 1:04:56 Promoting the Podcast on Social Media 1:07:46 Expanding to Other Social Media Platforms 1:09:09 The Demographics of Different Social Media Platforms 1:12:06 The Time and Effort Required for Podcasting 1:14:36 Creating a Better Version of Yourself 1:16:30 The Importance of Accountability and Standards 1:18:31 Future Guests and Potential Arguments 1:20:35 Closing Thoughts and Gratitude