In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Brad Ritter, author of School of Grit and one of the few civilians to complete SEALFIT’s Kokoro Camp—a 50-hour crucible designed by Navy SEALs to break down and rebuild your mind, body, and spirit.
Brad and I dive into his journey from humble beginnings in sales to pushing himself through one of the toughest training experiences on the planet. We talk about how purposeful adversity forged his character, why service to others became his biggest lesson, and how his book and coaching help people cultivate grit in everyday life.
This episode is packed with lessons on resilience, faith, fitness, and how to raise kids with grit in a world where comfort is the norm.
If you’ve ever wondered how to train your mind and body to thrive under pressure or how to instill grit in the next generation, you won’t want to miss this one.
Key Talking Points of the Episode
00:00 Introduction
00:58 JJ’s Joke of the Week
01:11 Who is Brad Ritter?
04:06 Brad’s background: family, 20-year marriage, and being intentional with fatherhood
05:31 Meeting his wife at Menards, building their first home, and early careers
11:11 Struggles after college: FedEx graveyard shift, inside sales, and humble beginnings
13:15 Lessons from failure, sleep deprivation, and owning responsibility
17:42 Transitioning into sales: liquor industry, Xerox training, and building resilience
22:05 Medical sales, confidence-building, and learning by pushing past limits
25:09 Getting fired before Christmas, leaning on his network, and authenticity
30:13 Influence of Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins and the accountability mirror
33:00 Discovering SEALFIT’s Kokoro Camp and choosing adversity at age 35
37:30 The Kokoro experience: 50 hours, no sleep, minimal food, and team-first mindset
43:43 Lessons learned: selfishness vs. service to others
46:07 From Kokoro to School of Grit: arrival fallacy, coaching, and legacy
51:26 Parenting, adversity, and how to raise kids with grit in a comfortable world
58:57 Modeling grit for kids: workouts, prayer, and setting the example
01:05:52 What’s next for Brad: kids coaching, retreats, and online courses
01:10:17 Building grit, starting small, and doing the hard things
Quotables
“Rejoice in adversity. How do we become warriors? It’s through adversity.”
“Blame is the enemy of progress. Ownership is the fuel for momentum.”
“Maybe what’s been holding you back is that your life has been too comfortable.”
Links
School of Grit
608B Capital
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