6 Things Spartans Can Expect to See in Joe De Sena's New CNBC Show

In No Retreat: Business Bootcamp, Spartan founder and CEO Joe De Sena challenges businesses with near-impossible physical and mental tasks at his farm in Vermont. The goal? Help them realize their full potential and chart a path forward. The show is currently airing on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on CNBC. 

My new show, No Retreat: Business Bootcamp, premiered Tuesday, March, 8 on CNBC. I know that it may be hard for you to connect the dots between putting on killer races and helping businesses crawl their way out of struggle (pun intended), but I promise you we’ve got some thrilling episodes that you’ll want to see.

Related: Joe De Sena's Guide to Being Ready for Anything in Business

The pandemic threw all businesses for a loop, Spartan included. Some were able to crush it with the high demand for products like online platforms, while others were left scrambling for ways to keep their doors open. But no one was spared significant changes and an entirely new work climate. In No Retreat: Business Bootcamp, we take companies to the farm in Vermont, expose them to the grueling physical and mental challenges that highlight fractures in their system, and then help piece them back together with innovative proposals for next steps. Here’s what you can expect when you tune in to the show. 

What to Expect in Spartan CEO Joe De Sena's New TV Show

The Wrath of Mother Nature

The farm is a pretty extraordinary place. We’ve hosted Fortune 500 companies, Olympic athletes, combat veterans, and some of the toughest CEOs on the planet. The elements of nature never disappoint. Some of the leaders that we brought here for No Retreat: Business Bootcamp showed up expecting an easy climb up a tiny Vermont hill, with some pretty foliage as a backdrop. But again, Mother Nature never disappoints.

Related: 5 Reasons You Need to Exercise Outside This Winter

Filming in below-freezing temperatures, rain, sleet, and mud was a hurdle for production, but a necessity to get these companies out of their comfort zones. And boy, did it deliver! Get ready to watch senior-level executives scramble in the face of the best natural adversity one can find. 

Expert Advice Through a New Lens

One of the coolest parts about the show was bringing in a variety of experts. Each episode includes a guest CEO who acts as a mentor to the team and provides advice to help the company take a hard look in the mirror at what’s not working and what needs to change. I learned a ton from these mentors, and their advice was gold (better than anything you’ll find in a 10-week master class).

Related: These Are the 5 Toughest People That Joe De Sena Has Ever Met

Expect to learn a lot about what makes a business truly sustainable, as well as the lengths that leaders must go to in order to get there.

Breakdowns and Breakthroughs

This is No Retreat: Business Bootcamp. Businesses didn’t come to the farm to be pampered, and it was up to me to push them. But I wasn’t alone. One of my teammates, Dr. Lara Pence — Spartan's Chief Mind Doc and a clinical psychologist — was there to push the emotional buttons that lie underneath the business and call attention to the psychological barriers that are holding these companies back. And with the help of Qu’Harrison Terry, a marketing expert and entrepreneur, we developed a series of grueling, nearly impossible tasks that tested the resilience and grit of companies and their leaders like never before. 

Related: SEE IT: An Emotional Racer Tells CEO Joe De Sena That Spartan Saved His Life

You can expect to see some serious breakdowns and breakthroughs, but who will it be, and which companies? You’ll have to tune in to find out.

joe de sena no retreatCredit: Scott Eisen/CNBC

Transformation

Spartan is more than just an obstacle course racing company — it’s a transformative business. We put on events to push people so they can meet who they really are at the finish line. When I first began my work with CNBC and the producers behind No Retreat: Business Bootcamp, we all agreed that it was important for us to create an environment in which the participating companies could transform. I didn’t hold back when it came to the types of obstacles that I put in front of the executives, and the changes that I saw as a result were incredible.

Related: 6 Surgeries and 2 Shattered Elbows Won't Keep Wanda Kriebel Down

We all know that transformation is contagious. When you see someone make changes, you want to make them too. So if you’re looking to start off 2022 with some inspiration to make a positive change in your life, look no further. No Retreat: Business Bootcamp has you covered.

Surprising Turns — Both Left and Right

Following me around with a camera is never easy. I'm unpredictable, and planning ahead usually bores me. As it turns out, uncertainty is also one of the best ways to get teams to lower their defenses. When people know what’s coming, they can prepare. But one of our goals for No Retreat: Business Bootcamp was to expose the companies and their leaders to growth opportunities, not just to cultivate their existing strengths.

Related: The Source of Your Stress Is Complacency. Here's How to Fix It.

So, I made quite a few unexpected pivots during the challenges (as may be expected). Be prepared for some wild moments during the awesome mountain climbs, extraordinary mud crawls, and pitch-black ice plunges. There’s never a dull moment when an element of surprise is added to the mix.

joe de sena no retreatCredit: Scott Eisen/CNBC

A Fresh Take on Business Resilience

Businesses often think about how they can leverage their position in the market to increase revenue and acquire more customers. But rarely are they thinking about how they can implement internal strategies to ensure that they aren’t just here tomorrow, but still here 20 years after tomorrow. One of the best ways to ensure longevity is to operate through a lens of resilience; to prepare for failures, take setbacks in stride, and play offense instead of defense against the competition.

Related: Five Business Lessons to Consider: A Convo With Marketing Expert Joe Polish

In No Retreat: Business Bootcamp, we used the natural elements of the farm, seemingly impossible tasks, and manufactured adversity to help companies build this muscle. It may be unconventional, but conventional is for the complacent, and complacency kills. Looking to solve some internal problems in a new way? No Retreat: Business Bootcamp is your guidebook.

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