If you’ve ever wondered how to go all in on the life that keeps calling you, Episode 700 of Passion Struck might be the wake-up moment you didn’t know you needed. In this milestone conversation, I sit down with Navy SEAL veteran and bestselling author Brent Gleeson, whose latest book All In reveals the painful, honest, and liberating truth about what it really takes to stop negotiating with your potential.
Brent doesn’t talk about commitment the way most people do. He talks about it the way someone who has rebuilt his life from the inside out talks about it — with clarity, discipline, and the courage to subtract everything that keeps you living small. If you’re ready to rise above comfort, reclaim your identity, and step into the life you were meant to live, this is the episode to begin with.
What “Going All In” Actually Means (and Why Most People Never Do It)
Most people think going all in looks like dramatic gestures: quitting your job, moving across the country, burning every boat behind you. But what Brent Gleeson reminds us is that real commitment rarely starts with fireworks. It starts with subtraction. It starts with looking at the small negotiations you make with yourself every day and finally telling the truth about them.
For Brent, the wake-up call came the day he lost his father. For you, it might arrive in a quieter form: the job that no longer fits, the habits that keep you numb, the comfort that feels like peace but is slowly turning into surrender.
Brent doesn’t sugarcoat it. Going all in on your life requires clearing out the excuses, the autopilot routines, and the comforts that lower your standard without you noticing. It requires intentionality, focus, and the courage to look at your potential and stop negotiating with it.
And that is the heart of this conversation: how to go all in, one honest choice at a time.
The Extreme Ownership Mindset That Saved Brent’s Life in Combat
Before Brent became a bestselling author and entrepreneur, he was a Navy SEAL learning what it meant to take responsibility for his life at the deepest possible level. In the Teams, extreme ownership isn’t a buzzword — it’s survival. When the mission falls apart, when chaos takes over, when fear tries to run the show, a SEAL falls back on what he can control: discipline, preparation, emotional regulation, and the ability to quiet the noise long enough to make the next right decision.
Brent explains that the Navy SEAL mindset isn’t about being fearless. It’s about being intentional when fear shows up. It’s about making decisions based on values rather than impulses. It’s about knowing who you want to be long before the moment tests you.
And surprisingly, those same principles apply far beyond the battlefield. The way Brent navigated loss, rebuilt his identity, and transformed his career came from the very same mindset that helped him lead under fire. He made the decision to subtract alcohol from his life, to raise his standards as a husband and father, and to build a company rooted in discipline and clarity, all because the SEAL mindset taught him to stop waiting for tragedy to force the decision.
The Daily Discipline That Turns Average People Into SEAL-Level Performers
Brent’s new book, All In, makes one thing abundantly clear: transformation isn’t a matter of motivation. It’s a matter of systems. Discipline is the tool. Identity is the target. And intentional action is the bridge between the two.
In this episode, Brent walks through the routines that changed his life, not the extreme, cinematic ones, but the daily choices that build resilience and self-respect.
Things like:
• eliminating the habits that weaken your potential
• designing repeatable systems that make excellence easier
• choosing clarity over comfort
• surrounding yourself with people who elevate your standard
• craving feedback instead of avoiding it
This is the Navy SEAL mindset translated into everyday life: not perfection, not bravado, but showing up with honesty and intention, even on the days you’d rather disappear.
Brent makes it clear that discipline is not punishment. It’s the highest form of self-respect. And when you build routines that support who you want to become, the transformation doesn’t feel forced. It feels inevitable.
Your 7-Day “Go All In” Challenge
Brent’s story proves that going all in doesn’t require a life-altering tragedy. You don’t need to hit bottom to raise your standard. You can choose the hard thing while you still have the luxury of choosing.
Here’s your challenge for the next seven days:
- Step 1: Name one comfort that’s been quietly lowering your potential.
It might be a habit, a distraction, a relationship, or a story you keep telling about yourself. - Step 2: Subtract it. Just for a week.
Don’t replace it with something harder. Replace it with something intentional. - Step 3: Do one small “hard thing” each day.
The kind of action that reminds your brain you’re in charge again. - Step 4: Track how you feel, what changes, and what grows in the space you reclaimed.
Momentum is built in reflection.
At the end of the week, ask the question Brent now asks himself:
What part of me is worth keeping, and what part have I simply outgrown?
Even one week of intentional subtraction can rebuild self-trust in ways that will surprise you.
Guest Bio – Brent Gleeson
Brent Gleeson is a Navy SEAL combat veteran, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and one of the most respected voices on leadership, resilience, and personal transformation. After serving with SEAL Team Five on multiple deployments, Brent brought the same discipline and mission-focused mindset to the business world, building award-winning companies and advising leaders on how to navigate change with clarity and courage.
He is the author of TakingPoint, Embrace the Suck, and his newest book, All In, which explores the routines, identity shifts, and intentional choices required to live a life of meaning and high performance. Today, Brent is the founder and CEO of EXCELR8, a leadership and talent development firm, and a sought-after speaker known for helping people align their values with their goals and go all in on the life they were meant to live.
To find out more about Brent, visit his website
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