198 Mark Divine: How a Near-Death Experience with 26 Broken Bones Changed Everything for This Navy SEAL
Mark Divine’s journey from near-death to deep clarity offers profound lessons for leaders seeking flow, resilience, and mastery. He shows how gratitude, even in crisis, reframes adversity into growth. His teachings reveal that true toughness comes from balancing strength with softness, doing fewer things better, and cultivating vulnerability as authentic leadership. Through meditation, breathwork, and surrender, he demonstrates how to slow down in a world of acceleration. For those in transition, his advice to ask the “future self” provides powerful direction. These insights are essential for anyone seeking mental fitness, spiritual growth, and long-term mastery.
Mark Divine’s journey from near-death to deep clarity offers profound lessons for leaders seeking flow, resilience, and mastery. He shows how gratitude, even in crisis, reframes adversity into growth. His teachings reveal that true toughness comes from balancing strength with softness, doing fewer things better, and cultivating vulnerability as authentic leadership. Through meditation, breathwork, and surrender, he demonstrates how to slow down in a world of acceleration. For those in transition, his advice to ask the “future self” provides powerful direction. These insights are essential for anyone seeking mental fitness, spiritual growth, and long-term mastery.
Time Stamps:
[00:13:53] One Day, One Lifetime - He reflects on the warrior mindset of treating each day as the most important, a principle reinforced by both Zen training and Navy SEAL culture.
[00:17:32] Slow Down, Do Less Better - Mark explains how the modern obsession with perfection and hustle is unsustainable—and why surrender and simplicity are keys to mastery.
[00:21:07] The Balance of Hard and Soft - He contrasts “hard” toughness with “soft” receptivity, showing why resilience requires both strength and flexibility.
[00:23:27] Oak or Reed? - The Warrior’s Choice Using a tsunami metaphor, Mark illustrates why true toughness means knowing when to stand strong and when to bend.
[00:31:34] The Power of Authentic Vulnerability - Mark unpacks how leaders can show realness without undermining their credibility, and why skillful vulnerability strengthens connection and trust.
[00:38:21] Lessons from Plant Medicine - He shares how ayahuasca and ibogaine helped him release old wounds, experience unity consciousness, and ultimately confirm meditation as the deeper path.
[00:55:26] Navigating Life Transitions - Mark offers practical wisdom for those facing major life changes—emphasizing patience, meditation, and asking your “future self” who you are becoming.
[01:19:12] The #1 Daily Practice - Mark reveals the single practice he prescribes to all clients: daily breathwork and meditation, even if just 20 minutes, to radically transform life in 3 months.
ACTION GUIDE: When Life Breaks You Open — What Comes Next
Overview:
Sometimes it takes a crash—literal or metaphorical—to wake us up. Mark Divine’s near-death experience taught him that real transformation begins when we pause, reflect, and choose to live from a deeper, more intentional place.
Practical Exercise (≤15 minutes):
“The Debrief” — A Warrior’s Reflection
Take 10 minutes with a journal and answer:
- What’s something I’m pushing through that my soul might be resisting?
- Where might I be saying "yes" from fear or codependency instead of alignment?
This mini “after-action review” builds awareness—and prevents the universe from needing to send a snowmobile crash to get your attention.
Daily Habit:
Each evening, ask yourself: “Did I live today as if it were my only day?” Reflect for 2 minutes before bed. Let it gently recalibrate your priorities and presence.
Reflection Question:
What part of my life is asking me to slow down, simplify, or surrender?
Motivational Quote:
“You don’t need 26 broken bones to wake up. You just need to listen.” — Mark Divine
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00:13:53] One Day, One Lifetime - He reflects on the warrior mindset of treating each day as the most important, a principle reinforced by both Zen training and Navy SEAL culture.
[00:17:32] Slow Down, Do Less Better - Mark explains how the modern obsession with perfection and hustle is unsustainable—and why surrender and simplicity are keys to mastery.
[00:21:07] The Balance of Hard and Soft - He contrasts “hard” toughness with “soft” receptivity, showing why resilience requires both strength and flexibility.
[00:23:27] Oak or Reed? - The Warrior’s Choice Using a tsunami metaphor, Mark illustrates why true toughness means knowing when to stand strong and when to bend.
[00:31:34] The Power of Authentic Vulnerability - Mark unpacks how leaders can show realness without undermining their credibility, and why skillful vulnerability strengthens connection and trust.
[00:38:21] Lessons from Plant Medicine - He shares how ayahuasca and ibogaine helped him release old wounds, experience unity consciousness, and ultimately confirm meditation as the deeper path.
[00:55:26] Navigating Life Transitions - Mark offers practical wisdom for those facing major life changes—emphasizing patience, meditation, and asking your “future self” who you are becoming.
[01:19:12] The #1 Daily Practice - Mark reveals the single practice he prescribes to all clients: daily breathwork and meditation, even if just 20 minutes, to radically transform life in 3 months.
Mark Divine
Author / Retired Navy SEAL Commander
Mark Divine is an American author and retired Navy SEAL Commander. His military service spans 20 years (1989–2011) where he oversaw various missions around the world including Asia Pacific, Africa, Bahrain, and Iraq. He retired at the rank of Commander in 2011.
After transitioning to the Navy Reserves, he launched SEALFIT in 2007 to serve as an immersive academy to strengthen the caliber of SOF candidates entering the Special operations pipeline. He later founded Unbeatable, LLC in 2014 as a sister company to SEALFIT to bring leadership development to the civilian population using his five-mountain development training plan. He has authored numerous personal development and leadership books (such as Unbeatable Mind, The Way of the SEAL, Staring Down the Wolf) throughout his professional career. In addition, he launched the Courage Foundation in 2017 as a 501(c)(3) organization to increase awareness about veteran suicide by raising money through the completion of 22 million burpees (one million burpees for every veteran who commits suicide per day). He surpassed his goal on November 11, 2020.
