Built Not Born

Built Not Born Podcast - #192 - Steve Maxwell: Jiu-Jitsu for Life | How to Stay on the Mat Forever 🥋💪🔥

Steve Maxwell is a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt, world-renowned strength coach, and the man who introduced Philadelphia to Gracie Jiu Jitsu in the 1990's.

Steve opened the first BJJ academy on the East Coast, Maxercise, on 7th and Chestnut in Philadelphia.

Steve is back with a message that every aging athlete needs to hear: you're going to lose it no matter what — but you can slow the loss down to a trickle.

In this conversation, we go deep on how to stay on the mat for life.

Strength training, Isometric training, flow rolling, sleep protocols, intentions over goals, and why every single BJJ injury Steve ever sustained came from competition.

• Website: https://www.maxwellsc.com/
• IG: @SteveMaxwell SC

© Copyright - Joe Ciccarone 2026 - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved. Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

Built Not Born Podcast (#191) -Amy P. Kelly - Work Is Personal | Why Authenticity Is Your Competitive Advantage 🎯💼🔥

Amy P. Kelly is a leadership expert, talent development executive, and co-author of Difficult Conversations Don't Have to Be Difficult with Jon Gordon.

Amy's new book Work Is Personal challenges one of business culture's most damaging myths — that work and personal don't mix.

The phrase "it's not personal, it's just business" was invented by a mob accountant.

Amy traced it back, called it out, and built a framework to replace it.

In this conversation, we get into why authentic leaders outperform, how to have hard conversations without going nuclear, and why the future belongs to the humans who stay human.

One lesson you'll carry out of this episode: Don't judge. Support.

The leaders who get that right build teams that don't leave.

Check out - WorkIsPersonalBook.com

© Copyright - Joe Ciccarone 2026 - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved. Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

Built Not Born Podcast (#190) - Bill Whiteside: Operation Catapult | Churchill's Darkest Decision & The 13 Minutes That Saved the World ⚓🇬🇧🔥

On July 3rd, 1940, Winston Churchill ordered the Royal Navy to open fire on French warships anchored in Algeria.

Nearly 1,300 allied sailors — men who had sailed on British ships just weeks before — died in 13 minutes.

Churchill wept in the gardens of 10 Downing Street the night before giving the order. Parliament gave him a standing ovation 24 hours after.

Bill Whiteside spent 15 years researching this forgotten battle. His book Operation Catapult uncovers one of World War II's most agonizing decisions — the moment Churchill chose survival over friendship and convinced the world Britain would stop at nothing to win.

Bill breaks down why Churchill gave the order, how one 13-minute battle changed Roosevelt's view of Britain, rattled Hitler, and unified a Parliament that hadn't fully accepted Churchill yet.

We also go deep on the writing life — 15 years of research, Churchill's archives at Cambridge, and what it feels like to hold a letter signed by Winston Churchill in your own hands.

If you love history, leadership, and stories about moral courage under impossible pressure — this one's for you.

📚 Operation Catapult — Available on Amazon & Barnes and Noble

🌐 perfectlytrurestory.com

"Life is Built, Not Born"

© Copyright - Joe Ciccarone 2026 - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved.

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

#189 - Martin Dugard - The Long Run | How a Decade Made Marathons Cool & Changed the World Forever 🏃‍♂️📚🔥

In 1970, 127 people ran the New York City Marathon. 55 finished. No women crossed the line.

Within six years, thousands were running — and the world's relationship with fitness had changed forever.

Martin Dugard is a #1 New York Times bestselling author known for the Killing Series with Bill O'Reilly and The Taking Series. Martin's newest book, The Long Run: The Decade That Made Marathons Cool, turns his legendary research skills on the sport that quietly revolutionized how America — and the world — thinks about health, aging, and human potential.

In this conversation, Martin traces the running boom from JFK challenging the nation to walk 50 miles, to Steve Prefontaine making running cool, to Frank Shorter's 1972 Olympic win that millions watched live for the very first time.

We also go deep on the writing life — consistency over inspiration, 1,000 words a day, and what 20+ years of coaching high school runners taught him about showing up. And he closes with one of the most powerful passages he's ever written — about his wife's cancer battle and why he now runs toward life instead of away from it.

This one hits!

📚 The Long Run: The Decade That Made Marathons Cool — Available April 14, 2026 🌐 martindugard.com

© Copyright - Joe Ciccarone 2026 - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved.

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

Dr. Emily Katz Anhalt — Ancient Wisdom for Polarizing Times | Why Humanity Needs Herodotus 📜🏛️🔥

Nearly 2,500 years ago, a Greek historian named Herodotus drew the first line between myth and fact.

Herodotus introduced the radical idea that truth must be verified — not just believed. Today, that line is disappearing fast.

Dr. Emily Katz Anhalt is a professor of classical languages and literature at Sarah Lawrence College and author of Ancient Wisdom for Polarizing Times: Why Humanity Needs Herodotus, the Man Who Invented History.

In this conversation, she makes the case that the father of history has more to say about our polarized modern world than almost anyone writing today.

We cover why algorithm-driven news bubbles are just a modern version of an ancient tyrant's trick, what Achilles and Odysseus get wrong about leadership, and the one question Herodotus would demand we ask ourselves every single day.

If you've ever felt like the world is splitting into two completely different realities — this episode is for you.

📚 Ancient Wisdom for Polarizing Times — available on Amazon

🌐 emilykatzanhalt.com

© Copyright - Joe Ciccarone 2026 - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved.

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

He's the algorithm's favorite BJJ instructor — equal parts savage wisdom and sarcasm.

Chris Burns is a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Rickson Gracie's lineage who's been chasing the invisible art for over two decades.

His take?

The sport is cool, but self-defense is the point. And everyone needs to chill the f*ck out.

What You'll Learn:

1. Why his first 10 years of training were "terrible experiences all around"
2. The moment he finally learned jiu-jitsu — from a hip escape
3. What it's like to roll with Rickson Gracie (hint: "He surfs a human being")
4. Why blue belts should focus on survival, not submissions
5. How to train smart when you're older, injured, or both
6. The difference between being a lion and being a rat — and why both are valid
7. Why the martial arts community needs to "calm all of your tits"

Power Quote: "Calm down. It's just a hobby. Stop making this the focal point of your life. The martial arts is the important thing. The community is the important thing. Be happy that you're physically doing something with another human being and you're connecting with them. Calm the fck down."* — Chris Burns

Timestamps:

🥋 0:00 - Introduction

😤 3:30 - His terrible first experiences on the mat

📼 8:00 - VHS tapes, Gracie in Action, and finding the combatives

🔥 14:00 - Meeting Jason Robic and learning the hip escape that changed everything

🌊 22:00 - What it's like to roll with Rickson ("He surfs a human being")

🎯 30:00 - What a blue belt should actually know

🤼 38:00 - Flow rolling vs hard sparring — pick your partners wisely

🦁 44:00 - Training when you're older: "There's a time you're a lion, there's a time you're a rat"

🎨 50:00 - How being an artist shaped his teaching

🧘 56:00 - Breath work, whiskey, and coffee by the ocean

📚 60:00 - Books that changed his life: Fight Club, Man's Search for Meaning, The Art of War

💡 65:00 - One lesson: Calm down, it's just a hobby

Connect with Chris Burns:

1. The BJJ Project (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok)
2. Zero Point Jiu-Jitsu (Podia)
3. Instagram: @chrisbonesburns

Subscribe for more conversations with elite performers who've overcome the odds.

#ChrisBonesBurns #RicksonGracie #BJJ #JiuJitsu #GracieJiuJitsu #InvisibleJiuJitsu #SelfDefense #BJJProject #BuiltNotBorn #Podcast #MartialArts

© Copyright - Joe Ciccarone 2026 - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved. Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

He beat Bobby Flay on national TV. He built a 25-restaurant empire. He's a James Beard Award winner and Iron Chef.

But the biggest lesson? It came from watching his mom cook dinner after a factory shift — tired, organized, and making it happen anyway.

What You'll Learn:

1. The leadership lessons he learned watching his Ecuadorian mom run the home kitchen
2. How getting fired from his first chef job became his biggest breakthrough
3. What it's like to cook under extreme pressure on Iron Chef America
4. The moment he almost lost it all — cutting his finger mid-battle, blood everywhere, 45 minutes left
5. How to scale culture across 25 restaurants without losing your soul
6. Why he took a $12/hour line cook job after 10 years in the industry
7. The wellness shift in his 50s that made him a better leader, dad, and partner

Power Quote: "There are no failures. It's just a function of learning and growing." — Chef Jose Garces

Timestamps:

🍳 0:00 - Introduction

👨‍👩‍👦 3:00 - Leadership lessons from his mom's kitchen

🤼 6:30 - What wrestling taught him about competition and grit

💼 10:00 - Working since age 8 and the entrepreneurial mindset

🔥 14:30 - Getting fired and taking a $12/hour job to learn from the best

🏆 20:00 - Opening Amada and betting everything on Spanish tapas in Philly

⚔️ 26:00 - Beating Bobby Flay and becoming an Iron Chef

🩸 32:00 - The Indian cuisine battle — cutting his finger, blood won't stop, 45 minutes left

📈 36:00 - Scaling culture across 25 restaurants

🧘 40:00 - The wellness shift: meditation, sauna, yoga, and Nordic skiing

💡 45:00 - One lesson: Be aware and more loving

Featured Platform: Cook Unity — Chef Garces' meals delivered nationwide

Connect with Chef Jose Garces:

1. Website: ChefGarces.com
2. Restaurants: Amada, Volver, Buena Onda, Okatshe & more
3. Cook Unity: Order Chef Garces meals nationwide
4. Garces Foundation / Comida Garces

Subscribe for more conversations with elite performers who've overcome the odds.

#ChefJoseGarces #IronChef #JamesBeard #Philadelphia #Amada #CookUnity #Leadership #BuiltNotBorn #Podcast #Restaurant #JoeCiccarone

© Copyright - Joe Ciccarone 2026 - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved.

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

Guy Kawasaki evangelized the Macintosh. He's Canva's Chief Evangelist.

He's written 18 books.

Now at 71, Guy Kawasaki says this might be his most important book yet — because it's not about making money.

It's about protecting yours.

What You'll Learn:

1. The "billboard test" — would you be okay seeing every text you've sent on a highway billboard?
2. Why WhatsApp isn't as secure as you think (and what metadata really reveals)
3. How Signal differs from every other messaging app
4. Why Guy gave this book away for free
5. The $12.95 book that launched his writing career
6. What he'd tell a college grad entering the workforce today
7. Why working at Zippy's might be better than Goldman Sachs

Power Quote: "Everybody has something to hide — not because they've done something wrong, but because privacy equals freedom." — Guy Kawasaki

Timestamps:

📱 0:00 - Introduction

🔐 2:30 - Why Guy pivoted to writing about privacy

🧪 6:15 - The billboard test for your text messages

📊 10:00 - WhatsApp vs Signal: metadata is the real danger

💰 15:30 - Why he gave this book away for free at 71

✍️ 20:00 - "If You Want to Write" — the $12.95 book that changed everything

🎓 24:45 - Advice for college grads: Zippy's vs Goldman Sachs

🤖 30:00 - Kawasaki GPT: better at being Guy than Guy

🏄 34:30 - Starting surfing at 60 and the 10-foot board rule

☕ 38:00 - Best coffee spots in Oahu for remote work

💡 41:00 - One lesson: Never ask people to do something you wouldn't do

Featured Book: "Everyone Has Something to Hide: Why and How to Use Signal to Preserve Your Privacy, Security, and Wellbeing" by Guy Kawasaki & Madison Nuismer

Connect with Guy Kawasaki:

1. Podcast: Remarkable People
2. Website: GuyKawasaki.com
3. KawasakiGPT.com
4. Book: Free on Amazon (or $4.04 after launch)

Subscribe for more conversations with elite performers who've overcome the odds.

"Life is Built, Not Born."

Joe Ciccarone

#GuyKawasaki #Signal #Privacy #Apple #Canva #Cybersecurity #BuiltNotBorn #Podcast #RemarkablePeople #Tech #JoeCiccarone

© Joe Ciccarone - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved. Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

He stepped on an IED in Afghanistan and lost both legs above the knee. He asked his teammates to kill him. They refused. Nine months later he won a bronze medal at the Paralympics. Then he biked across America. Then he ran 31 marathons in 31 consecutive days. Now he teaches leadership at Echelon Front.

What You'll Learn:

1. The moment the IED exploded — and what went through his mind in the first 60 seconds
2. Why he skipped the first four stages of grief and went straight to acceptance
3. How he convinced Olympic gold medalist Brad Lewis to fly across the country and coach him
4. The "inner terrorist" — the real enemy that almost defeated him
5. Why extreme challenges are 90% mental and 10% physical
6. How standup comedy makes him a better leadership instructor

Power Quote: "The blast took my legs, but it didn't take my mission. You don't need legs to stand up. You just need to decide you're not going to quit." — Rob Jones

Timestamps: 🎖️ 0:00 - Introduction

📖 4:30 - The book that made him join the Marine Corps

💣 12:15 - What it's like to patrol knowing every step could be your last

🔥 22:00 - July 22, 2010: The IED explosion

🏥 35:45 - Waking up two days later in Germany

💪 42:30 - First rep in rehab: lifting his stumps off the bed

🦿 48:00 - Getting fitted for prosthetics — and the pain of learning to walk again

🥉 55:20 - Emailing Brad Lewis and making the Paralympics

🚴 64:00 - Biking 5,181 miles across America through the Rockies in February

🏃 72:30 - 31 marathons in 31 days — and the back injury that almost ended it

🎭 78:00 - Why standup comedy is scarier than biking across America

👹 82:00 - The "inner terrorist" — the real antagonist of his story

💡 86:00 - One lesson: Act in the best interest of other people

Featured Book: "Put Your Legs On: One Man's Journey to Survive, Recover, and Live" by Rob Jones (Foreword by Jocko Willink)

Connect with Rob Jones:

1. Website: RobJonesJourney.com
2. Instagram: @robjonesjourney
3. LinkedIn: Rob Jones
4. Echelon Front

Subscribe for more conversations with elite performers who've overcome the odds.

#RobJones #PutYourLegsOn #EchelonFront #Marines #Paralympic #Leadership #ExtremeOwnership #BuiltNotBorn #Podcast #Veteran #Resilience JoeCiccarone

© Joe Ciccarone - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved.

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

Her kids found out she was a CIA agent the night before her retirement party.

For 27 years, Ann E. Butler recruited spies, ran covert operations across four continents, and made it home for dinner — all while raising five children who thought mom was just a diplomat.

What You'll Learn:

1. How she went into labor during a clandestine meeting (and still made the handoff)
2. The art of the "bump" — engineering a chance encounter to recruit an asset
3. Why a pregnant mom of five is the perfect undercover cover
4. How to build trust fast enough that someone will commit treason for you
5. The moment her daughter discovered the truth (a mosaic gave it away)
6. What 9/11 was like from inside a European CIA station

Power Quote: "Take advantage of opportunities that come your way. Persevere, even though it's not always easy. And be grateful for those opportunities — because they can turn into extraordinary moments." — Ann E. Butler

Timestamps:

🕵️‍♀️ 0:00 - Introduction 📖 3:30 - Why she wrote the book after 27 years of silence

🤰 8:45 - Going into labor during a clandestine meeting

🚂 15:20 - Almost nine months pregnant on an overnight train in alias

🎯 24:00 - The "bump" — how CIA officers engineer chance encounters

🤝 32:15 - Building trust: how to get someone to commit treason

🏫 40:30 - CIA training: the farm, fake prisons, and pressure tests

💥 48:00 - September 11th from inside a European CIA station

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 55:20 - How her kids finally found out (the night before retirement)

🎬 62:00 - The Americans TV show: how accurate is it?

🏃‍♀️ 68:30 - Running a marathon in Paris (after meeting an asset first)

💡 74:00 - One lesson: Take advantage of opportunities and be grateful

Featured Book: "Wife. Mother. Spy. An Extraordinary Life Filled With Ordinary Days" by Ann E. Butler

Connect with Ann E. Butler:

1. Website: AnnEButler.com
2. Book: "Wife. Mother. Spy" (Amazon)
3. Instagram: Ann E. Butler

Subscribe for more conversations with elite performers who've overcome the odds.

#AnnEButler #WifeMotherSpy #CIA #Spy #Espionage #Leadership #Motherhood #BuiltNotBorn #Podcast #WomenInLeadership #Undercover #JoeCiccarone #Podcast

© Joe Ciccarone - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved. Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.