What happens when the toughest person you know completely breaks? The Queen of Pain crashed, hit her head, and lost everything that made her strong: drive, purpose, momentum. Rebecca Rusch talks about rebuilding from zero, letting go of ego, and finding strength through movement again. No fluff, no fake motivation, just raw lessons on how to get up when your mind quits first. Watch it, then move.

What You Will Learn:

• How to rebuild discipline and resilience after major setbacks.

• Why movement and small wins are critical for recovery.

• How to reframe success and purpose after life-altering events.

Episode Highlights:

• [00:33] The bike accident and post-concussion symptoms.

• [02:04] Losing mental health, motivation, and momentum.

• [06:43] Movement as medicine and letting go of ego.

• [10:10] Reframing what winning truly means.

• [14:21] Building a new mission and helping others heal.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Learned:

• Movement as Medicine: Using physical activity to restore mental and emotional balance.

• Small Wins: Leveraging incremental progress to rebuild confidence and momentum.

• Reframing Success: Adjusting mindset to align purpose with current reality.

Closing Insight or Key Takeaway: Strength comes from getting up when your mind quits first.

Timestamps: 00:00 Meet Rebecca Rusch, Queen of Pain 00:33 The Bike Accident & Post-Concussion Symptoms 02:04 Losing Mental Health & Motivation 04:45 Physical vs. Emotional Resilience 06:43 Movement as Medicine & Letting Go of Ego 10:10 Reframing What Winning Is 11:54 Finding Joy in Small Wins 13:33 Reflect, Move, Connect 14:21 New Mission: Helping Others Heal 15:30 Building Resources for Concussion Recovery 16:46 Thinking About Her First Spartan Race 18:06 Rebecca's Athletic Background

Connect to Rebecca: 🌐 Website: rebeccarusch.com 📸 Instagram: @rebeccarusch 📘 Facebook: Rebecca Rusch 💼 LinkedIn: Rebecca Rusch – Rusch Ventures ▶️ YouTube: Rebecca Rusch

🎧 Listen & Subscribe: 👉 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hard-way-with-joe-de-sena/id952870930 👉 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pYBkk1T684YQg7CmoaAZt

📲 Short, Impactful Content: 👉 Instagram: @spartanuppodcast 👉 From host directly: @realjoedesena

💥 Join the Spartan Community: 👉 Find Your Next Spartan Race: https://www.spartan.com/en/race/find-race 👉 For everything Spartan: https://www.spartan.com/

About The Hard Way Podcast: Hosted by Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan, this podcast explores resilience, discipline, and the Spartan mindset. De Sena's journey from building a multimillion-dollar pool cleaning business in his teens to Wall Street success, then running an organic farm and creating Spartan, showcases how embracing challenges and endurance can transform life.