From dismantling explosives to dismantling limiting beliefs, Gabriel von Knorring joins James to unpack the explosive journey from Swedish military bomb tech to mental resilience mentor. With raw honesty and a hint of dark humour, Gabriel dives into the mental mechanics behind thriving in chaos — whether you're facing a war zone, an ultra-marathon, or your own damn inbox.

He reveals how mental toughness isn't built in the cold trenches of discomfort, but in the tiny moments when you choose courage over comfort. Plus, why “embracing the suck” might be keeping you soft.

Key Takeaways:

• Mental toughness ≠ discomfort. True growth lives in the adventure zone — where there's real fear, not just cold feet.
• Comfortable routines can make you fragile. Optimization without adaptability is a trap.
• Robust beats optimized. Build systems that work in chaos, not perfection.
• Fear is the gatekeeper. If you're not feeling fear, you're probably not growing.
• Recovery is an active task. Rest isn’t the absence of effort — it's a mission in itself.
• Feedback must be timely and specific. Vague praise or delayed criticism? Useless.
• Strong teams talk about the hard stuff. Suppressed emotion is a ticking bomb — deal with it before it explodes.

Sound Bites:

• “Just because it’s uncomfortable doesn’t mean it’s making you stronger. Sometimes you’re just cold.”— Gabriel von Knorring
• “If you’re optimizing your life for peak performance but can’t function during Christmas, you’re doing it wrong.”— Gabriel von Knorring
• “Mental strength is the ability to keep the promises you make to yourself.”— Gabriel von Knorring
• “You don’t rise to the occasion, you fall to the level of your systems.”— Gabriel von Knorring
• “Standing guard in the freezing rain doesn’t make you resilient. Facing your fears does.”— Gabriel von Knorring
• “You only need one second to give up — and that’s the second most people take.”— Gabriel von Knorring

Connect with Gabriel:

🔥 Unbreakable Mind Program: unbreakablemind.co/apply

📸 Instagram: @gabriel.vknorring