The Meat Mafia Podcast

Joe De Sena is the founder and CEO of Spartan Race, with an unbelievable story. He grew up in Queens, NY, on the same street as some of the most notorious organized crime families in the city. As a result, he was exposed to the life of mobsters at a young age after starting a successful pool cleaning and maintenance business. He had enough success to get the attention of his mobster neighbor. Many of the stories he discussed in our discussion with him regarding his pool cleaning business led him to ultimately take a chance at starting Spartan Race. Joe’s life story encapsulates blue-collar toughness - having run Bad Water, Ironman, and a 100-mile race all in the same week - and an amazing vision to push people to get the most out of their potential through Spartan Race. Joe has appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience and the Rich Roll Podcast, and also recently launched a show on CNBC called No Retreat. Enjoy!Please consider donating to our cause or subscribing to our newsletter - we are a user-supported podcast and if you received some value out of this podcast, let us know by sending us some value to our Fountain Wallet with the last digit ending in 1…Fountain App supported by the Lightening Network: themeatmafiapodcast@fountain.fm🚨SPONSORS🚨The Carnivore Bar: The Carnivore Bar is a delicious, 3-ingredient bar that will fuel you with the highest quality animal-protein possible. Each bar only has 3-ingredients (Beef, Tallow, Salt) and has a creamy yet crunchy texture. The Carnivore Bars are grass-fed / grass-finished and will truly make "staying on the path" easier when traveling.✅LINK: https://carnivorebar.com/ CODE: MAFIA (10%)✅Holy Cow Beef: Labeling laws have made it challenging to know exactly how your beef was raised. “Grass-fed” does not mean what it used to and since the laws permit for grain-fed beef to still be considered grass-fed, you really need to look for the AGA (American Grassfed Association) label to ensure you’re getting the highest quality beef. Holy Cow Beef, owned by Ann and Weldon Warren, embodies the highest standards of animal husbandry and truly believes in the importance of creating the highest quality product for the end consumer. Check out their website for meat boxes and delivery options!Wrich Ranches: If you’re in Colorado and want the highest quality grass-fed, grass-finished, regeneratively raised beef in the state, go check out Wrich Ranches. He takes bitcoin (and will give you a hard time if you don’t know what bitcoin is)!CrowdHealth: CrowdHealth is rewriting the incentives when it comes to healthcare. The business establishes its customer base through monthly contributions, which pay out the healthcare needs of others in the group. Unlike health insurance, CrowdHealth’s business is predicated on crowdfunding, meaning your fellow group members contribute to your healthcare bills as they come due. The monthly fee is less than an insurance plan, and the costs of the healthcare cases are lower since CrowdHealth facilitates paying these healthcare costs in cash instead of insurance (which doctors and hospitals prefer). Your contributions pay for the group’s health care costs as they come up, and it’s up to your discretion on whether you pay out to fund other’s costs. If you’re interested in joining, use the CODE: MAFIA at checkout to get a discount on your first 6 months!BRAND AFFILIATESLMNT Electrolyte Drink Mix: LMNT is loaded with the necessary electrolytes without the sugar. We personally used LMNT during our Ironman training and performance and also during everyday training to provide us with the sodium we need on a low-carb diet.✅LINK: DrinkLMNT.com/MEATMAFIA✅Kettle & Fire Bone Broth: Kettle & Fire Bone Broth is a simple yet important part of our days. The healthy protein and amino acids in the broth has been a critical part of our morning routines.✅LINK: Kettleandfire.com/MeatMafia CODE: MEATMAFIA (15%)✅Farrow Skincare: Farrow is a product we recently started using for skincare and we love it. It’s animal-based, using pig lard and tallow and leaves your skin beaming with essential vitamins and minerals without the added fillers.✅LINK: https://farrow.life/ CODE: ‘MAFIA’ for 20% off✅Equip Foods: Use the code “MEATMAFIA” at check out to save 15% on your order.The protein powder & supplement industry is riddled with products that aren’t sourced from high-quality sources or contain ingredients and fillers that you don’t want in your protein powder or body. Equip provides a clean, beef-sourced protein and even has a product that’s a single ingredient, beef protein. If you’re a purist like us, eating real foods is the only way to maximize your health. Equip ensures that if you don’t have access to freshly cooked food after a workout, you can at least opt for a high-quality protein powder.PAST EPISODESTexas Slim, Dr. Brian Lenzkes, Matt D, James Connolly, The Gourmet Caveman, Doug Reynolds, Chris Cornell, Jason Wrich, Mike Hobart, Gerry Defilippo, Cal Reynolds, Dr. Phil Ovadia, Cole Bolton, Colin Carr, Conza, Carmen Studer, Dr. Ken Berry, Mikayla Fasten, Josh Rainer, Seed Oil Rebellion, Dr. Ben, Dr. Tro, Mike Collins, Dave Feldman, Mark Schatzker, Marty Bent, Dr. Mary Caire, AJ Scalia, Drew Armstrong, Marko - Whiteboard Finance, Vinnie Tortorich, Nick Horowitz, Zach Bitter, C.J. Wilson, Alex Feinberg, Brian Sanders, Myles Snider, Tucker Goodrich, Joe Consorti, Jevi, Charles Mayfield, Sam Knowlton, Tucker Max, Natasha Van Der Merwe, Colin Stuckert, Joey Justice, Dr. Robert Lufkin, Nick Norwitz, The Art of Purpose, Carlisle Studer, Dr. Cate Shanahan, Ancestral Veil, Brad Kearns, Justin Mares, Gary Fettke, Dr. Brooke Miller, John Constas, Robb Wolf, Amber O’Hearn, Tristan Scott, Dr. Phil Pearlman, Dr. Anthony Gustin, Callicrates, Dr. Shawn Baker, Francis Melia, Joel Salatin, Dr. Anthony Chaffee, Oliver Anwar, Ryan Dreyer, Denell Randall, Kyle Kingsbury, Kate Kavanaugh, Stephan Van Vliet, Sally Fallon Morrell, Taylor Collins, Econoalchemist, Parker Lewis, Jimmy Song, Robert Breedlove, Matt Odell, Acorn Bluff Farms, Animal-Based Bae, Krisna Hanks, Hayley Coates, Robin Switzer, Dr. Bill Schindler, Ben Azadi, Danny Vega, Dave Scott, Michael Kummer, David Gillespie, Bronson Dant, CJ Finley, Boyd Myers. Get full access to The Meat Mafia Podcast at themeatmafiapodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes

Joe De Sena is the founder and CEO of Spartan Race, with an unbelievable story. He grew up in Queens, NY, on the same street as some of the most notorious organized crime families in the city. As a result, he was exposed to the life of mobsters at a young age after starting a successful pool cleaning and maintenance business. He had enough success to get the attention of his mobster neighbor. Many of the stories he discussed in our discussion with him regarding his pool cleaning business led him to ultimately take a chance at starting Spartan Race. Joe’s life story encapsulates blue-collar toughness - having run Bad Water, Ironman, and a 100-mile race all in the same week - and an amazing vision to push people to get the most out of their potential through Spartan Race. Joe has appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience and the Rich Roll Podcast, and also recently launched a show on CNBC called No Retreat
Enjoy!
Please consider donating to our cause or subscribing to our newsletter - we are a user-supported podcast and if you received some value out of this podcast, let us know by sending us some value to our Fountain Wallet with the last digit ending in 1…
Fountain App supported by the Lightening Network: themeatmafiapodcast@fountain.fm

Connect with Meat Mafia:

Instagram - Meat Mafia
Twitter - Meat Mafia
YouTube - Meat Mafia

Connect with Noble Protein:

Website - Noble Protein
Twitter - Noble Protein
Instagram - Noble Protein

🚨SPONSORS🚨
The Carnivore Bar: The Carnivore Bar is a delicious, 3-ingredient bar that will fuel you with the highest quality animal-protein possible. Each bar only has 3-ingredients (Beef, Tallow, Salt) and has a creamy yet crunchy texture. The Carnivore Bars are grass-fed / grass-finished and will truly make "staying on the path" easier when traveling.
✅LINK: https://carnivorebar.com/ CODE: MAFIA (10%)✅
Holy Cow Beef: Labeling laws have made it challenging to know exactly how your beef was raised. “Grass-fed” does not mean what it used to and since the laws permit for grain-fed beef to still be considered grass-fed, you really need to look for the AGA (American Grassfed Association) label to ensure you’re getting the highest quality beef. Holy Cow Beef, owned by Ann and Weldon Warren, embodies the highest standards of animal husbandry and truly believes in the importance of creating the highest quality product for the end consumer. Check out their website for meat boxes and delivery options!
Wrich Ranches: If you’re in Colorado and want the highest quality grass-fed, grass-finished, regeneratively raised beef in the state, go check out Wrich Ranches. He takes bitcoin (and will give you a hard time if you don’t know what bitcoin is)!
CrowdHealth: CrowdHealth is rewriting the incentives when it comes to healthcare. The business establishes its customer base through monthly contributions, which pay out the healthcare needs of others in the group. Unlike health insurance, CrowdHealth’s business is predicated on crowdfunding, meaning your fellow group members contribute to your healthcare bills as they come due. The monthly fee is less than an insurance plan, and the costs of the healthcare cases are lower since CrowdHealth facilitates paying these healthcare costs in cash instead of insurance (which doctors and hospitals prefer). Your contributions pay for the group’s health care costs as they come up, and it’s up to your discretion on whether you pay out to fund other’s costs. If you’re interested in joining, use the CODE: MAFIA at checkout to get a discount on your first 6 months!
BRAND AFFILIATES
LMNT Electrolyte Drink Mix: LMNT is loaded with the necessary electrolytes without the sugar. We personally used LMNT during our Ironman training and performance and also during everyday training to provide us with the sodium we need on a low-carb diet.
✅LINK: DrinkLMNT.com/MEATMAFIA✅
Kettle & Fire Bone Broth: Kettle & Fire Bone Broth is a simple yet important part of our days. The healthy protein and amino acids in the broth has been a critical part of our morning routines.
✅LINK: Kettleandfire.com/MeatMafia CODE: MEATMAFIA (15%)✅
Farrow Skincare: Farrow is a product we recently started using for skincare and we love it. It’s animal-based, using pig lard and tallow and leaves your skin beaming with essential vitamins and minerals without the added fillers.
✅LINK: https://farrow.life/ CODE: ‘MAFIA’ for 20% off✅
Equip Foods: Use the code “MEATMAFIA” at check out to save 15% on your order.
The protein powder & supplement industry is riddled with products that aren’t sourced from high-quality sources or contain ingredients and fillers that you don’t want in your protein powder or body. Equip provides a clean, beef-sourced protein and even has a product that’s a single ingredient, beef protein. If you’re a purist like us, eating real foods is the only way to maximize your health. Equip ensures that if you don’t have access to freshly cooked food after a workout, you can at least opt for a high-quality protein powder.
PAST EPISODES
Texas Slim, Dr. Brian Lenzkes, Matt D, James Connolly, The Gourmet Caveman, Doug Reynolds, Chris Cornell, Jason Wrich, Mike Hobart, Gerry Defilippo, Cal Reynolds, Dr. Phil Ovadia, Cole Bolton, Colin Carr, Conza, Carmen Studer, Dr. Ken Berry, Mikayla Fasten, Josh Rainer, Seed Oil Rebellion, Dr. Ben, Dr. Tro, Mike Collins, Dave Feldman, Mark Schatzker, Marty Bent, Dr. Mary Caire, AJ Scalia, Drew Armstrong, Marko - Whiteboard Finance, Vinnie Tortorich, Nick Horowitz, Zach Bitter, C.J. Wilson, Alex Feinberg, Brian Sanders, Myles Snider, Tucker Goodrich, Joe Consorti, Jevi, Charles Mayfield, Sam Knowlton, Tucker Max, Natasha Van Der Merwe, Colin Stuckert, Joey Justice, Dr. Robert Lufkin, Nick Norwitz, The Art of Purpose, Carlisle Studer, Dr. Cate Shanahan, Ancestral Veil, Brad Kearns, Justin Mares, Gary Fettke, Dr. Brooke Miller, John Constas, Robb Wolf, Amber O’Hearn, Tristan Scott, Dr. Phil Pearlman, Dr. Anthony Gustin, Callicrates, Dr. Shawn Baker, Francis Melia, Joel Salatin, Dr. Anthony Chaffee, Oliver Anwar, Ryan Dreyer, Denell Randall, Kyle Kingsbury, Kate Kavanaugh, Stephan Van Vliet, Sally Fallon Morrell, Taylor Collins, Econoalchemist, Parker Lewis, Jimmy Song, Robert Breedlove, Matt Odell, Acorn Bluff Farms, Animal-Based Bae, Krisna Hanks, Hayley Coates, Robin Switzer, Dr. Bill Schindler, Ben Azadi, Danny Vega, Dave Scott, Michael Kummer, David Gillespie, Bronson Dant, CJ Finley, Boyd Myers.


Get full access to The Meat Mafia Podcast at themeatmafiapodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Creators & Guests

Host
Brett Ender 🥩⚡️
The food system is corrupt and trying to poison us... I will teach you how to fight back. Co-Host of @themeatmafiapod 🥩
Host
Harry Gray 🥩⚡️
Leading the Red Meat Renaissance 🥩 ⚡️| Co-Host of @themeatmafiapod

What is The Meat Mafia Podcast?

The Meat Mafia Podcast is hosted by @MeatMafiaBrett and @MeatMafiaHarry.

We're two guys who walked away from the typical path to carve out something different. Based in Austin, we’re on a mission to figure out what it takes to live a fulfilled life in a world that often pushes us away from meaning.

We have conversations with people we believe can help us, diving deep into the pillars of health, wealth, and faith, as the cornerstones of our mission.

Whether it's challenging the modern food system, questioning conventional health advice, or building something from the ground up, we're here to explore the tough questions and share the lessons we’ve learned along the way.

If you're tired of the noise and ready to find meaning, tune in and join us!



themeatmafiapodcast.substack.com