Building the Elite Podcast

James Jensen is a former SAS Patrol Commander with a unique blend of scientific leadership theory and real-world, high-stakes leadership experience.
James served in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for two decades, with fourteen years in the Special Air Service Regiment (SAS), where he held leadership roles during multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, Iraq, East Timor, and the Philippines. Throughout his career, he worked in some of the world’s most challenging and high-pressure environments.
With over 20 years of experience leading and working within teams in dynamic, complex settings, James has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of great leadership. He has seen exceptional leaders elevate teams and positively impact individuals' lives, and he's also observed the devastating effects of poor leadership on both people and organizations.
James’s evolution from a junior leader in East Timor to leading some of Australia’s most elite teams reshaped his understanding of what true leadership means. 
Today, as a sought-after consultant, James works with organizations across many industries, helping leaders unlock their full potential and inspire greatness in their teams. His leadership expertise is still highly valued by the SAS, where he continues to train and mentor the next generation of SAS leaders.

LEARN MORE ABOUT JAMES: 
K6 Consulting - https://k6consulting.com.au/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-jensen-a56440172/

TIMESTAMPS:
00:21 Introduction to James Jensen
01:49 What Did James Do in The Army?
06:30 From Officer to Enlistment - How Did that Process Affect James?
09:53 Being Concerned with Being Liked in Leadership
11:23 W.I.N. - What's Important Now
15:07 Develop and Maintain the Role of Calmness
19:32 Can Calmness Be Developed or is it Innate?
22:43 Timing a Joke with a Crew
24:02 Better Decision Making as a Leader
32:48 Routine with Feedback = Behavioral Change
33:49 Leadership is a Profession
36:33 Individuals Functioning as a Unit
41:35 Best and Worst Advice Ever Received
42:51 James' Book Recommendations 
44:18 Outro

Send us a message

Aaron is an active duty Pararescueman currently stationed at a Special Tactics Squadron as a Troop Chief. He is a Team Leader, Evaluator, Special Operations Combatives Program (SOCP) Lvl 2 instructor, and an Onnit Certified Trainer, with a focus on Tactical Durability.
Pararescuemen, or PJs, are the only DoD asset specifically trained, equipped, and employed to perform Personnel Recovery. They are Technical Rescue Specialists who provide gold-standard combat trauma medical care and evacuation in every environment and situation on the planet. They are trained in all methods of advanced employment and can employ from any vehicle, standard or non-standard, in the DoD and multinational partner inventory.
Aaron enlisted in the Air Force in September 2001 and entered the Pararescue training pipeline as a cross trainee, previously an Aerospace Physiology Technician. He has served in Special Tactics and Rescue Squadrons, both overseas and stateside. He has also served in Air Education and Training Command, where he was integral in the complete rewrite of the Pararescue/Combat Rescue Apprentice Courses and has intimate knowledge of the Assessment and Selection process and pipeline management. 
He has seen multiple combat deployments to Iraq, Africa, and Afghanistan in positions from team member to Senior Enlisted Leader. He takes great pride in the training and mentorship aspect of being a Troop Chief. Aaron is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu player in his off time.

You can learn more about Ones Ready and their Operator Training Summit at onesready.com
Send us a message

Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon is a trained counselor specializing in the psychology of behavior change, with certifications including motivational interviewing, solution-focused therapy, DBT, CBT, and trauma counseling.
She’s the author of numerous books and accredited nutrition, sleep, stress, and recovery courses. 
She’s our go-to performance psych for special operations candidates and active operators, and works one-on-one with many of our clients to help them excel in selection and stay mentally and emotionally resilient throughout their careers. 
This is part of an ongoing series with KSD, where we’ll be talking with her about the specific tools and concepts that come up regularly in her work with special operators, and how you can apply them in your own life. 

Work with KSD: https://www.buildingtheelite.com/performance-psych-coaching/

Timestamps:
00:23 Introduction to Krista Scott Dixon

01:07 Helping Candidates Assess the "Am I Good Enough" Question

08:03 The Mistake of Only Looking at PT Test Scores

13:34 The Struggle of Getting Stuck in Your Head

21:28 The Way People Quit

29:36 Being Good at Working Through Any Conditions

34:27 Preparing for Anything and Everything in Skills Assessment

42:02 "I'll Figure it Out" and Fuzzy Trace Theory

47:23 Tolerating Suffering in Crappy Jobs

52:03 Military Barracks Full of Broken Washing Machines

58:17 How to Access the Variables that Matter

1:05:35 Outro
Send us a message

Steve House serves as the managing director, coach, and official mascot of Uphill Athlete, which he co-founded in 2016. He lives in a remote and mountainous corner of Austria with his wife and two sons.
Steve’s biggest coaching challenge was coaching himself. Which was successful enough for him to be called “The greatest climber of his generation” by none other than Reinhold Messner. He was inspired to write down what he learned and originally recruited two other coaches to help him write Training for the New Alpinism while recovering from a near-life-ending fall in 2010. 
He then co-authored  Training for the Uphill Athlete (2018) to fulfill his personal mission to “Teach conventional endurance training theory and practice to mountain athletes.” He retired from professional climbing at the end of 2020 to dedicate himself to family and work full-time on Uphill Athlete.
Steve’s most famous ascent is the 4,500-meter-high Rupal Face, the world's biggest mountain wall, which culminates at the summit of the world's deadliest and 9th-highest mountain: Nanga Parbat. 
In this episode, we talk with Steve about his career, Uphill Athlete’s approach to coaching, and the overlap between mountain athletes and special operators. 

More about Steve and Uphill Athlete:
You can learn more about Uphill Athlete at their website, uphillathlete.com. 
And you can follow them on social media here:
Uphill Athlete Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uphill_athlete/
Steve’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevehouse10/

Timestamps:
00:00:22 Introduction to Steve House 
00:01:47 What is Significant about Nanga Parbat, "The Naked Mountain"
00:06:51 Grading the Technical Difficulty of Climbing
00:11:18 The "American Certified International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations" Guide 
00:15:23 Overlap Between Climbing and Special Operations Communities
00:18:00 Similarities and Differences Between the Communities
00:30:32 Uphill Athlete Training Mistake 
00:40:37 Base Building Meaning and Development
00:42:44 Aerobic Threshold to Regulate Training
00:51:00 Building Aerobic Volume
00:58:59 What to Prioritize During Training
01:02:09 Misunderstanding V02 Max in Training
01:09:13 Ventilatory Threshold Breakpoint
01:15:10 Ten Athletes, Ten Results
01:18:03 What's Next for Uphill Athlete?
01:21:23 Best and Worst Advice Ever Received
01:23:44 Book Recommendations
01:24:59 Outro

Send us a message

Dr. David “Wally” Walton is a retired Army Special Forces officer with 25 years of experience in the SF community. His career spans service with the 7th Special Forces Group, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), and the Special Warfare Center and School.
Dr. Walton’s extensive operational experience includes deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and across Latin America. Since retiring in 2013, he has transitioned into academia, teaching National Security Studies and Executive Leadership. His research portfolio covers Security Strategy, Organizational Culture and Dynamics, and Human Performance. He has a deep understanding of security studies, encompassing everything from tactical operations to strategic policy discussions.
Currently an instructor at JSOC, Dr. Walton is a Subject Matter Expert in Special Forces Assessment and Selection. He specializes in Land Navigation, runs a prep program designed for SFAS candidates, and is the author of multiple books about preparing for SFAS. 

More about Dr. Walton:
Website: https://tfvoodoo.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tf_voo_doo/

Timestamps:
00:00:23 Introduction to Dr. David Walton
00:01:42 Changes within SFSS and Coaching
00:20:22 Being Trained in Land Navigation
00:30:43 Better Prepared Candidates
00:53:34 The Sandman Event
00:59:29 Selection Rates and Working Through the Stages
01:05:23 No Dependencies in the SFSS Course
01:09:47 The "Awaiting Training" Phase 
01:11:33 What has Dr. David Walton Changed in Coaching?
01:17:08 How Many Books has Dr. Walton Written?
01:21:52 Books Everyone Should Read
01:26:32 Outro
Send us a message