The Determined Society with Shawn French | Adversity & Mindset

What happens when the sport you've dedicated your life to is taken away, and you're forced to discover who you are without it?

In this episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Manning Sumner, former Auburn University football player, celebrity performance trainer, and founder of LEGACY Fit and NO DAYS OFF, for a conversation on overcoming adversity, building a fitness business, discipline, leadership, and finding purpose after setbacks.

After suffering serious back injuries that ended his football career, Manning faced an identity crisis that ultimately led him toward a new mission: helping others become stronger. From training elite athletes to building LEGACY Fit into a growing fitness brand, his journey has been anything but easy.

The episode dives into:

Breaking his back, losing football, and rebuilding his identity
Training elite athletes, including Kevin Durant, James Harden, and NFL stars
Building LEGACY Fit from a gym in Wynwood into a growing fitness business
The leadership mistakes that almost cost him his team
Keeping his business moving through the COVID-19 shutdowns
Why community and consistency matter more than workout trends
The real meaning of NO DAYS OFF, his perspective on 75 Hard, and why progress doesn't require perfection

Manning also shares how fatherhood, faith, and the people around him have changed his understanding of success, responsibility, and what it means to lead.

This episode is for athletes, entrepreneurs, parents, and anyone who's ever had to start over. Because determination isn't about never falling behind. It's about choosing to move forward, even when life doesn't go according to plan.

Connect with Shawn

pillar.io/theshawnfrench

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Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What happens when a successful real estate entrepreneur receives an 85-year federal prison sentence, loses his freedom, and has to rebuild everything from the ground up?

In this episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Mark Shapiro, real estate investor, founder of Shapiro Capital and Shapiro University, for an unforgettable conversation on wealth, federal prison, faith, redemption, second chances, and the determination to start over.

Mark shares how his mother's influence helped him enter real estate while still in college, eventually building a substantial investment business before a securities fraud conviction changed his life. After spending years in federal prison, receiving presidential clemency, and returning home with almost nothing, he found his way back into real estate, closing a 372-unit apartment deal just six months after his release.

The episode dives into:

- Building a real estate portfolio while still in college
- The federal conviction, 85-year sentence, and reality of prison life
- Finding purpose through faith and teaching fellow inmates
- The presidential commutation that gave him a second chance
- Rebuilding through multifamily real estate investing and Shapiro Capital
- The influence of Robert G. Allen and creative real estate financing
- Why true determination means seeing beyond your circumstances

This conversation goes far beyond real estate and financial success. It's about losing your freedom, finding purpose in the darkest circumstances, and discovering that your past does not have to define your future.

If you've ever felt like life has taken everything from you, this episode is a reminder that the next chapter can still be built through faith, discipline, and the refusal to give up.

Watch the full episode now on The Determined Society.

Connect with Shawn

pillar.io/theshawnfrench

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:

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Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:

Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What does it take to challenge conventional wisdom, risk everything, build a $200 million company, and still have the determination to start over at 73?

In this episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Mark Sisson, founder of Primal Kitchen and Mark’s Daily Apple, bestselling author of The Primal Blueprint and Born to Walk, and co-founder of Peluva, for a conversation on entrepreneurship, health, longevity, failure, discipline, and the courage to trust your convictions.

Mark shares how his pursuit of elite athletic performance compromised his health, leading him to question conventional nutrition and exercise advice. From failed businesses and public criticism to risking his home on Primal Kitchen and eventually selling the company to Kraft Heinz for $200 million, his journey was built through years of setbacks, reinvention, and determination.

The episode dives into:
Why being extremely fit doesn't always mean being healthy
Challenging conventional nutrition advice, including paleo, keto, and the Primal Blueprint
The failures, financial risks, and decisions behind Primal Kitchen’s $200M sale
Why Mark believes walking, foot strength, and proper footwear are essential to longevity
Starting Peluva with his son and learning to lead by letting go
Overcoming fear of failure, embracing discomfort, and finding purpose at 73
Why determination matters more than motivation

This episode is for entrepreneurs, athletes, health enthusiasts, and anyone afraid to pursue an idea because others think it's crazy. Mark's story is a reminder that failure doesn't have to be the end of your journey. Sometimes it's the beginning of everything that comes next.

Watch the full episode now on The Determined Society.

Connect with Shawn

pillar.io/theshawnfrench

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:

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Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:

Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Nick Ayala, entrepreneur, co-founder of Platform One, and author of Capital Is the Game, for a raw conversation on business, discipline, fatherhood, integrity, raising capital, and what it really means to stay solid when life tests you.

Nick shares how growing up in Boca Raton showed him both sides of life: sleeping on a mattress in a one-bedroom apartment with his father while living across the street from extreme wealth. That contrast shaped the way he studied people, money, opportunity, and success.

The episode dives into:

• Growing up with financial struggle while being surrounded by wealth
• Learning how to study successful people from a young age
• Why Nick refuses to live with a victim mentality
• The golf injury that forced him to face a new identity
• Transitioning from sports into business
• Building and selling companies
• Doing nearly $100 million a year on the insurance side
• The truth about insurance, leads, chargebacks, and ego in the industry
• Walking away from a business situation he says he could not support morally
• Facing lawsuits, sleepless nights, and pressure without compromising integrity
• Why most founders are not ready to raise money
• What it means to be a steward of someone else’s capital
• How private equity, family offices, and high-net-worth investors think
• Why relationships matter more than transactions in business
• Lessons from doing business in Dubai and the UAE
• Fatherhood, discipline, marriage, and raising mentally strong kids
• Protecting your energy and choosing who gets access to your mind
• Why waking up early creates an advantage most people never use
• What determination really means in business, family, and life

This conversation goes beyond business and capital. It is about becoming mentally strong, building discipline, choosing responsibility over excuses, protecting your name, leading your family, and learning how to operate in rooms where the biggest deals are built on trust.

Watch the full episode now on The Determined Society.

Connect with Nick Ayala
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NickJamesAyala/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickjayala
Website: https://nickjayala.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN5GSbKmGzZJZKNYe9vLnJQ

Connect with Shawn

pillar.io/theshawnfrench

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:

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Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:

Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the new episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Yosef Martin, founder of BoxyCharm, entrepreneur, operator, investor, and founder of PepNow, for a high-level conversation on business, SEO, community, viral growth, peptides, biohacking, longevity, and what happens after you achieve the exit everyone else is chasing.

Yosef came to America as an immigrant student and started his first business because he needed to pay tuition. With no experience, no ad budget, and only $375 to start, he learned SEO, built Merchandise Liquidators, and later created BoxyCharm, one of the most influential beauty subscription brands in the world. The company scaled to over 1 million active members, generated massive revenue, and eventually became part of a major beauty industry deal. But when the wire hit, Yosef says he didn’t feel what people think he should have felt.

The episode dives into different chapters of Yosef’s life, including:

• Coming to America as an immigrant student
• Starting a business to pay out-of-state tuition
• Learning SEO before he knew what business would become
• Building Merchandise Liquidators from $375
• Going from liquidation to beauty subscription boxes
• Creating BoxyCharm with no traditional beauty background
• Building a cult-like community around the brand
• Using Facebook groups, sneak peeks, surveys, influencers, and customer obsession to fuel growth
• Why the right product and the right community can create a viral growth loop
• Scaling BoxyCharm to over 1 million active members
• Why the exit didn’t feel the way people expect
• Coming back into the arena with PepNow
• Peptides, GLP-1s, biohacking, sleep, visceral fat, metabolic health, and longevity
• Why the future of health may be built around education, community, and better products
• What determination really means when the climb starts to feel rewarding instead of painful

This conversation goes far beyond business success. It is about obsession, product-market fit, community, health, reinvention, and the mindset required to build again after achieving the kind of exit most entrepreneurs dream about.

Connect with Yosef Martin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yflmartin/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yosefmartin/
PepNow: https://pepnow.com/

Connect with Shawn

pillar.io/theshawnfrench

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:

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Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:

Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this deeply vulnerable episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Garrett White for a conversation about identity, success, marriage, fatherhood, faith, surrender, ego, and what happens when the life you built no longer fits the person you're becoming.

By the time Garrett White was 30, he had built a fortune in mortgages and real estate, competed in Ironman races and ultramarathons, and created a life that looked like success from the outside.

Then it all came crashing down.

In 2008, his money, businesses, marriage, and identity were underwater at the same time. Instead of asking how to become more comfortable, Garrett began asking a much harder question:

How do I become the strongest possible human being in every area of my life?

That question eventually led to the creation of Wake Up Warrior, a system that has trained tens of thousands of men.

But years later, Garrett found himself confronting an uncomfortable truth: he had spent years teaching men how to “have it all,” while realizing that having it all did not necessarily mean being free.

Together, they explore:
• Losing his identity after sports and searching for a new purpose
• The 2008 collapse that changed everything
• How money, success, and achievement became Garrett’s identity
• The “never enough” mindset and the illusion that more will finally bring fulfillment
• Moving from motivation to discipline, process, and doing the simple work every day
• How marriage and communication forced Garrett to confront the man he had become
• Building a life of prosperity that somehow still felt like a prison
• The difference between having it all and actually being free
• Why Garrett began pursuing peace instead of constantly fighting for more
• Surrendering control and dismantling the identity of “Garrett White” piece by piece
• Contraction vs. collapse, and recognizing the warnings before everything falls apart
• Faith, God, surrender, and discovering what was underneath the pursuit of success
• Why Wake Up Warrior may have been built to wake Garrett up
• Letting go of an old identity to create something new
• Garrett’s powerful definition of determination: “Nothing and everything.”

This episode is about what happens when success stops being enough.

It’s about the courage to question the identity you've spent years building, the willingness to surrender what no longer serves you, and the determination to keep moving when you don't even know what the destination looks like.

Watch the full episode now on The Determined Society.

Connect with Shawn French
https://pillar.io/theshawnfrench

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:
https://thedeterminedsociety.com

Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:
Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064
Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53

Connect with Garrett J. White

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garrettjwhite/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@garrett.j.white

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrett-j-white-0b8768313/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/GarrettJWhite

Website: https://wakeupwarrior.com/

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the new episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Anthony Perera, founder of Air Pros USA and Exuma Capital Partners, for a powerful conversation on entrepreneurship, brand building, risk, loss, loyalty, fatherhood, mindset, and what it really takes to rebuild after watching something you built fall apart.

The episode dives into different chapters of Anthony’s life, including:

• Starting his first magazine business with a $10,000 loan meant for tuition
• Selling magazines at events with no experience and no safety net
• Learning that perception becomes reality in business
• Taking risks before the money was there
• Building brands across media, hospitality, HVAC, technology, and capital
• Launching Air Pros USA with one truck and his father
• Using bold branding to stand out in a crowded home services market
• Scaling Air Pros into a $200M+ company
• Stepping down as CEO and watching the company be dismantled
• Losing massive paper net worth and facing public criticism
• Learning who was loyal when things got hard
• Buying back the Florida legacy operations through Exuma Capital
• Why mindset, positive energy, and family matter during pressure
• Building companies that create real impact for employees and operators

This conversation goes beyond business success. It is about risk, resilience, loyalty, fatherhood, reputation, and the determination to keep building even after the company you created is taken apart piece by piece.

Watch the full episode now on The Determined Society.

Connect with Shawn

https://pillar.io/theshawnfrench

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:

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Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:

Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53

Connect with Anthony Perera
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyperera
Website: https://exumafunds.com/

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What happens when you stop negotiating with yourself and start doing what you said you were going to do?

In the first-ever Dose of Determination, Shawn French breaks down a simple but powerful truth: real change starts by keeping the promises you make to yourself.

Determination is not about waiting for motivation. It is about showing up when you are tired, frustrated, overwhelmed, or simply do not feel like doing the work.

Whether your promise is getting to the gym, starting the business, making the extra sales calls, improving your health, or being more present with your family, every promise you keep builds confidence, discipline, and self-trust.

In this episode, Shawn shares why discipline matters more than motivation, why self-shame does not create growth, and why becoming the person capable of achieving your goals starts with what you do today.

Ask yourself:

What is the one thing I keep telling myself I am going to do but continue putting off?

Make the promise. Keep the promise.

Visit https://thedeterminedsociety.com/ to join the community and stay connected with everything happening inside The Determined Society.

If this episode hits home, share it with someone who needs their own Dose of Determination.

Stay Determined.

Join The Determined Society- https://thedeterminedsociety.com/

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the new episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Justin Colby, real estate investor, entrepreneur, coach, speaker, and podcast host, for a powerful conversation on failure, discipline, fatherhood, wealth, health, ego, and what it really takes to keep going when life knocks everything out from under you.

The episode dives into different chapters of Justin’s life, including:

• Losing everything during the market crash
• Sleeping on a friend’s couch with no car, no money, and no place to live
• Making 100 phone calls a day for months with almost no results
• Growing up with alcoholic parents and building a “so what, now what?” mentality
• The five laws of success
• Removing time expectations from your goals
• Why most people quit too soon
• Fatherhood, marriage, pressure, and the weight men carry
• Building businesses through KPIs, sales, and relentless execution
• The hardest financial year of his life in 2024
• Ego, humility, and rebuilding with clarity
• Health, longevity, wealth, and planning for the long game
• Why happiness, family, and freedom matter more than chasing more

This conversation goes beyond real estate and entrepreneurship. It is about scars, resilience, discipline, clarity, and the kind of determination it takes to keep moving forward when there is no easy way out.

Watch the full episode now on The Determined Society.

Connect with Shawn

https://link.me/shawnmf32

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:

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Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:

Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53

Connect with Justin Colby
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejustincolby/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejustincolby/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejustincolby
Website: https://justincolby.tv/

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the new episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Daria Berenato for a powerful conversation on reinvention, identity, WWE, entrepreneurship, authenticity, trauma, healing, and building life without permission.

The episode dives into different chapters of Daria’s life, including:

• Growing up with a drive for independence
• The South Jersey “shut up and do it” mentality
• Launching Demon and the meaning behind Built Without Permission
• Being doubted and still choosing to show up
• Walking into an MMA gym as a teenage girl
• Becoming the first female WWE talent with an MMA background
• Coming out on national television
• Living authentically and helping others feel seen
• Losing her WWE identity after ten years
• Winning a championship, tearing her ACL, and not getting renewed
• Healing, ayahuasca, and learning to let things flow
• Surviving a terrifying home invasion and stalking incident
• PTSD, safety, and the deeper story behind Demon
• Reinvention, purpose, and finding her fire again

This conversation goes beyond wrestling and entertainment. It is about identity, courage, heartbreak, authenticity, healing, and the determination to keep building even when life strips away the version of you that everyone knew.

Listen to the full episode now on The Determined Society.

Connect with Shawn
https://link.me/shawnmf32

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:
https://thedeterminedsociety.com

Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:
Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064
Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53

Connect with Daria Berenato
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedariaraeberenato/
Website: https://www.thedariarae.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedariarae

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the new episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Jay Roberts for a powerful conversation on adoption, ambition, Wall Street, failure, rebuilding, real estate, health, family, and what it really means to play the long game.

The episode dives into different chapters of Jay’s life, including:

• Being adopted from Korea and raised in America
• Growing up with a single mother and no safety net
• Turning insecurity into drive
• Losing family during the financial crisis
• Why success is built through process, not shortcuts
• The power of writing goals down
• Building a vision for your life, family, and business
• Wall Street, investment banking, and extreme work ethic
• Public failure and starting over in Miami
• Real estate, big deals, and thinking bigger
• Health, longevity, and quality of life
• Family, presence, freedom, and what really matters

This conversation goes beyond money and business. It is about process, resilience, ownership, health, family, and building a life that is not just successful on paper, but meaningful in real life.

Connect with Shawn
https://link.me/shawnmf32

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION: https://thedeterminedsociety.com

Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:
Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064
Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53

Connect with Jay Roberts

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayroberts/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayroberts
Website: https://www.jayroberts.com/

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ulysses "Uly Monster" Diaz broke cycles of adversity, prison, and street life by walking into a boxing gym at 35. In this raw conversation, he opens up about breaking norms, fatherhood, faith, and the discipline that transformed his identity. One of combat sports' fastest knockout artists shares how accountability and daily discipline changed everything.

Together, we dive into:

• Growing up in Miami with no male role models

• Learning to fight at six years old

• Street life, prison, and the consequences of bad choices

• Touring with Pitbull and still trying to find his path

• The moment he asked God to pull him out

• Starting his fight career at 35

• The discipline and accountability of the boxing gym

• One of the fastest knockouts in combat sports history

• Fatherhood, marriage, faith, and family

• His son’s cancer battle and what it taught him

• Why consistency is the key to changing your life

• Letting go of people who cannot grow with you

This episode is about redemption, faith, fatherhood, consequences, discipline, and the determination to stop repeating the past and become the man your family needs you to be. Watch the full episode now on The Determined Society

#thedeterminedsociety #shawnfrench #ulyssesdiaz #ulymonster #bareknuckleboxing #bkfc #boxing #combatsports #fightermindset #faith #fatherhood #redemption #resilience #comebackstory #inspiration

Connect with Ulysses Diaz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uly_monster/

X: https://x.com/Uly_MONSTER

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Ulysses-Diaz-100063488343637/

Connect with Shawn

https://link.me/shawnmf32

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION: https://thedeterminedsociety.com

Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:

Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adversity and loss can destroy families—or forge them. Susan Malzoni shares how protecting her peace, preserving family energy, and building intentional wellness habits became her path to honoring her son and late husband Victor. In this raw conversation, discover the discipline, boundaries, and purpose-driven mindset that transformed grief into a blueprint for lasting resilience and connection.

This conversation explores what it means to speak kindly to yourself, move through fear, protect your energy, and choose purpose even in life’s hardest seasons.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Protecting your energy and keeping your circle aligned
• Why connection at home matters
• Women, insecurity, confidence, and support
• Men’s mental health and emotional expression
• Health, wellness, supplements, and biohacking culture
• Speaking kindly to your body and practicing gratitude
• The difference between motivation and determination
• Taking fear out of decision-making
• Grief, resilience, and moving forward after loss
• Honoring Victor’s legacy through dogs and rescue work
• Relationships, shared passions, and creating a meaningful life

This episode is a powerful reminder that healing does not always mean hiding from pain. Sometimes it means choosing purpose, protecting your peace, loving what still remains, and finding the positive even in life’s hardest moments.

Connect with Susan Malzoni
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanmalzoni/

Connect with Shawn
https://link.me/shawnmf32

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:
https://thedeterminedsociety.com

Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:
Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Eric Spofford survived five overdoses and rebuilt his entire life through discipline and spiritual growth. In this raw conversation, he reveals the moment of surrender that led to sobriety on December 7, 2006—and how the habits forged in recovery became the competitive edge that built and sold a $115 million enterprise. A masterclass in overcoming obstacles, breaking limiting beliefs, and turning adversity into actionable discipline.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Eric's fifth overdose and the reality of late-stage addiction
• Getting sober on December 7, 2006
• What surrender really meant for him
• The difference between abstinence and true recovery
• Losing friends to the opioid epidemic
• Building sober houses and treatment centers
• Scaling a recovery business to a $115M exit
• Learning business through relentless self-education
• The loneliness that comes with success
• Why money and material things do not create fulfillment
• Fatherhood, character, loyalty, and human connection

This is a raw conversation about addiction, recovery, loss, leadership, success, money, loneliness, and the determination to rebuild a life that once felt impossible to save.

Connect with Eric Spofford
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericspofford/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjv2eT-tACaCYO18wSllyNg
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-spofford-grc

Connect with Shawn: https://link.me/shawnmf32
Newsletter + more: https://thedeterminedsociety.com/

Follow The Determined Society
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Karlton Dennis, CEO of Tax Alchemy and former athlete turned tax strategist, reveals the discipline and identity shift required to build lasting wealth. In this conversation, Shawn French and Karlton explore the mental toughness that helped him transition from sports to entrepreneurship, the tax strategies high-earners use to keep more of what they make, and how breaking norms around money shapes your financial legacy. A powerful conversation on discipline, overcoming obstacles, and the authentic conversations that change lives.

Connect with Shawn:

https://link.me/shawnmf32

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION: https://thedeterminedsociety.com

Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:

Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=498fc35ecc814a9e

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On The Determined Society, authentic conversations and hard questions separate growth from stagnation. Ben Swann—journalist, truth-seeker, and cultural disruptor—sits down with Shawn French to explore why asking difficult questions takes real discipline, how breaking norms demands determination, and what happens when you refuse to accept surface-level answers. Discover the mental strength it takes to challenge the status quo and the resilience required to stand by your convictions. Perfect for anyone tired of shallow discourse and ready to dig deeper.

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jake "Brutal" Bostwick's adversity turned discipline. Growing up surrounded by violence in Southeast London, he reveals how overcoming failure and hardship became his greatest assets. In this raw conversation, Jake unpacks the discipline techniques, mindset shifts, and unforgiving lessons that transformed survival instinct into elite fighting performance—and why loss was never the end.

Connect with Jake Bostwick:

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/brutalbostw...

Connect with Shawn:

https://link.me/shawnmf32

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:

https://thedeterminedsociety.com

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When adversity strikes, most people rebuild alone. In this raw conversation, Shawn French sits with Tyrese Gibson and Cody Walker to explore how breaking norms and authentic faith transformed grief into FuelFest—a global movement celebrating car culture, music, and human connection. Discover what it really means to build something bigger than yourself when loss threatens to define you, and how overcoming obstacles through determination creates lasting legacy.

In this episode, we dive into:

• The story and mission behind FuelFest

• Honoring Paul Walker’s legacy through action

• How Reach Out Worldwide continues Paul’s heart for helping people

• Why cars and music bring people together across cultures

• Building a global community through passion and purpose

• Cody Walker’s journey after losing Paul

• Tyrese Gibson on faith, determination, and doing something with your life

• Why you do not need to have everything figured out to start

• The power of showing up, failing, learning, and moving forward

• Creating experiences that impact people far beyond the event This is more than a conversation about cars, movies, or music.

It is a conversation about legacy, brotherhood, purpose, service, and the determination to create something that continues to impact the world.

• Connect with Shawn: https://link.me/shawnmf32

• Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION: https://thedeterminedsociety.com

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this inspiring episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Chad Willardson, founder of Pacific Capital, six-time author, husband, father of five, and one of the most respected voices in wealth management and leadership. Chad shares the courageous decision that changed his life forever, walking away from a successful career at Merrill Lynch with no safety net to build a company rooted in integrity, purpose, and people over profits. Today, Chad Willardson manages more than $1.5 billion in assets, but Chad reveals that his greatest success has never been measured by money. From overcoming fear and rejection to building elite teams, protecting company culture, prioritizing family, and turning down millions to stay true to his values, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom for entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone determined to build a meaningful life.

• Connect with Shawn: https://link.me/shawnmf32

•Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION: https://thedeterminedsociety.com

• Subscribe on Apple/Spotify: — Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... — Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkL...

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Overcoming obstacles isn't just about external circumstances, it's about discipline, accountability, and choosing redemption. Michael Franzese, a former Colombo crime captain who walked away from the mob to build a life rooted in faith and family, joins Shawn French to unpack the mindset shift required to break norms, embrace adversity as growth, and redefine what true strength looks like. Discover how controlling the controllables and unwavering discipline became his path to transformation.

Connect with Shawn

https://link.me/shawnmf32

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:

https://thedeterminedsociety.com

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.