Dr. Emily Katz Anhalt — Ancient Wisdom for Polarizing Times | Why Humanity Needs Herodotus 📜🏛️🔥

Nearly 2,500 years ago, a Greek historian named Herodotus drew the first line between myth and fact.

Herodotus introduced the radical idea that truth must be verified — not just believed. Today, that line is disappearing fast.

Dr. Emily Katz Anhalt is a professor of classical languages and literature at Sarah Lawrence College and author of Ancient Wisdom for Polarizing Times: Why Humanity Needs Herodotus, the Man Who Invented History.

In this conversation, she makes the case that the father of history has more to say about our polarized modern world than almost anyone writing today.

We cover why algorithm-driven news bubbles are just a modern version of an ancient tyrant's trick, what Achilles and Odysseus get wrong about leadership, and the one question Herodotus would demand we ask ourselves every single day.

If you've ever felt like the world is splitting into two completely different realities — this episode is for you.

📚 Ancient Wisdom for Polarizing Times — available on Amazon

🌐 emilykatzanhalt.com

© Copyright - Joe Ciccarone 2026 - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved.

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

He's the algorithm's favorite BJJ instructor — equal parts savage wisdom and sarcasm.

Chris Burns is a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Rickson Gracie's lineage who's been chasing the invisible art for over two decades.

His take?

The sport is cool, but self-defense is the point. And everyone needs to chill the f*ck out.

What You'll Learn:

1. Why his first 10 years of training were "terrible experiences all around"
2. The moment he finally learned jiu-jitsu — from a hip escape
3. What it's like to roll with Rickson Gracie (hint: "He surfs a human being")
4. Why blue belts should focus on survival, not submissions
5. How to train smart when you're older, injured, or both
6. The difference between being a lion and being a rat — and why both are valid
7. Why the martial arts community needs to "calm all of your tits"

Power Quote: "Calm down. It's just a hobby. Stop making this the focal point of your life. The martial arts is the important thing. The community is the important thing. Be happy that you're physically doing something with another human being and you're connecting with them. Calm the fck down."* — Chris Burns

Timestamps:

🥋 0:00 - Introduction

😤 3:30 - His terrible first experiences on the mat

📼 8:00 - VHS tapes, Gracie in Action, and finding the combatives

🔥 14:00 - Meeting Jason Robic and learning the hip escape that changed everything

🌊 22:00 - What it's like to roll with Rickson ("He surfs a human being")

🎯 30:00 - What a blue belt should actually know

🤼 38:00 - Flow rolling vs hard sparring — pick your partners wisely

🦁 44:00 - Training when you're older: "There's a time you're a lion, there's a time you're a rat"

🎨 50:00 - How being an artist shaped his teaching

🧘 56:00 - Breath work, whiskey, and coffee by the ocean

📚 60:00 - Books that changed his life: Fight Club, Man's Search for Meaning, The Art of War

💡 65:00 - One lesson: Calm down, it's just a hobby

Connect with Chris Burns:

1. The BJJ Project (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok)
2. Zero Point Jiu-Jitsu (Podia)
3. Instagram: @chrisbonesburns

Subscribe for more conversations with elite performers who've overcome the odds.

#ChrisBonesBurns #RicksonGracie #BJJ #JiuJitsu #GracieJiuJitsu #InvisibleJiuJitsu #SelfDefense #BJJProject #BuiltNotBorn #Podcast #MartialArts

© Copyright - Joe Ciccarone 2026 - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved. Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

He stepped on an IED in Afghanistan and lost both legs above the knee. He asked his teammates to kill him. They refused. Nine months later he won a bronze medal at the Paralympics. Then he biked across America. Then he ran 31 marathons in 31 consecutive days. Now he teaches leadership at Echelon Front.

What You'll Learn:

1. The moment the IED exploded — and what went through his mind in the first 60 seconds
2. Why he skipped the first four stages of grief and went straight to acceptance
3. How he convinced Olympic gold medalist Brad Lewis to fly across the country and coach him
4. The "inner terrorist" — the real enemy that almost defeated him
5. Why extreme challenges are 90% mental and 10% physical
6. How standup comedy makes him a better leadership instructor

Power Quote: "The blast took my legs, but it didn't take my mission. You don't need legs to stand up. You just need to decide you're not going to quit." — Rob Jones

Timestamps: 🎖️ 0:00 - Introduction

📖 4:30 - The book that made him join the Marine Corps

💣 12:15 - What it's like to patrol knowing every step could be your last

🔥 22:00 - July 22, 2010: The IED explosion

🏥 35:45 - Waking up two days later in Germany

💪 42:30 - First rep in rehab: lifting his stumps off the bed

🦿 48:00 - Getting fitted for prosthetics — and the pain of learning to walk again

🥉 55:20 - Emailing Brad Lewis and making the Paralympics

🚴 64:00 - Biking 5,181 miles across America through the Rockies in February

🏃 72:30 - 31 marathons in 31 days — and the back injury that almost ended it

🎭 78:00 - Why standup comedy is scarier than biking across America

👹 82:00 - The "inner terrorist" — the real antagonist of his story

💡 86:00 - One lesson: Act in the best interest of other people

Featured Book: "Put Your Legs On: One Man's Journey to Survive, Recover, and Live" by Rob Jones (Foreword by Jocko Willink)

Connect with Rob Jones:

1. Website: RobJonesJourney.com
2. Instagram: @robjonesjourney
3. LinkedIn: Rob Jones
4. Echelon Front

Subscribe for more conversations with elite performers who've overcome the odds.

#RobJones #PutYourLegsOn #EchelonFront #Marines #Paralympic #Leadership #ExtremeOwnership #BuiltNotBorn #Podcast #Veteran #Resilience JoeCiccarone

© Joe Ciccarone - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved.

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

Her kids found out she was a CIA agent the night before her retirement party.

For 27 years, Ann E. Butler recruited spies, ran covert operations across four continents, and made it home for dinner — all while raising five children who thought mom was just a diplomat.

What You'll Learn:

1. How she went into labor during a clandestine meeting (and still made the handoff)
2. The art of the "bump" — engineering a chance encounter to recruit an asset
3. Why a pregnant mom of five is the perfect undercover cover
4. How to build trust fast enough that someone will commit treason for you
5. The moment her daughter discovered the truth (a mosaic gave it away)
6. What 9/11 was like from inside a European CIA station

Power Quote: "Take advantage of opportunities that come your way. Persevere, even though it's not always easy. And be grateful for those opportunities — because they can turn into extraordinary moments." — Ann E. Butler

Timestamps:

🕵️‍♀️ 0:00 - Introduction 📖 3:30 - Why she wrote the book after 27 years of silence

🤰 8:45 - Going into labor during a clandestine meeting

🚂 15:20 - Almost nine months pregnant on an overnight train in alias

🎯 24:00 - The "bump" — how CIA officers engineer chance encounters

🤝 32:15 - Building trust: how to get someone to commit treason

🏫 40:30 - CIA training: the farm, fake prisons, and pressure tests

💥 48:00 - September 11th from inside a European CIA station

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 55:20 - How her kids finally found out (the night before retirement)

🎬 62:00 - The Americans TV show: how accurate is it?

🏃‍♀️ 68:30 - Running a marathon in Paris (after meeting an asset first)

💡 74:00 - One lesson: Take advantage of opportunities and be grateful

Featured Book: "Wife. Mother. Spy. An Extraordinary Life Filled With Ordinary Days" by Ann E. Butler

Connect with Ann E. Butler:

1. Website: AnnEButler.com
2. Book: "Wife. Mother. Spy" (Amazon)
3. Instagram: Ann E. Butler

Subscribe for more conversations with elite performers who've overcome the odds.

#AnnEButler #WifeMotherSpy #CIA #Spy #Espionage #Leadership #Motherhood #BuiltNotBorn #Podcast #WomenInLeadership #Undercover #JoeCiccarone #Podcast

© Joe Ciccarone - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved. Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

No interview this week.

Just reflecting on an incredible year and looking ahead to what's next.

What's Inside:

1. Spotify stats: almost 100% audience growth and 30% follower increase
2. The #1 most downloaded episode of the year (hint: AJ Brown made it happen)
3. Epic guests: Guy Kawasaki, Roger Gracie, Jon Gordon, Dave Berke, Martin Dugard & more
4. The hardest episode I've ever recorded — saying goodbye to my dad
5. What's coming in 2026: CIA spies, Marine combat vets, and BJJ legends

Highlights from 2024:

1. Jim Murphy (Inner Excellence) — most downloaded episode of the year
2. Roger Gracie — 10x World Champion, changed how I train and teach
3. Jon Gordon & Kathryn Gordon — leadership and relationship grit
4. Guy Kawasaki — Wiser Guy, always delivers
5. Dave Berke & Jamie Cochran — Echelon Front leadership
6. Martin Dugard — Taking Midway, WWII stories
7. The episode about my dad — RIP Fran Ciccarone

Coming in 2026:

1. Ann E. Butler — CIA agent for 20+ years, her kids didn't know until her retirement party
2. Rob Jones — US Marine, Echelon Front instructor, author of "Put Your Legs On"
3. Chris Burns — Black belt under Rickson Gracie, BJJ Instagram legend

The Lesson: You're here, then one day you're not. Let's rock out each and every day. Be present. Be focused. Give your best. Learn from those who came before and share with those who come after.

Subscribe and follow for more in 2026.

#BuiltNotBorn #Podcast #YearInReview #2024Wrapped #Leadership #NewYear #2026 #Grateful #JoeCiccarone

© Joe Ciccarone - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved.

A teacher told him he'd be "dead or in jail." He became an Executive Director of Player Development at the University of Nebraska, earned three degrees from Penn State, and is now building the next generation of champions.

Power Quote:

"The world will judge you by what it sees on the outside — your title, your status, your resume. But real leadership, real strength, real success — that starts on the inside." — Coach Gus Felder

What You'll Learn:

• How a North Philly kid who dropped out of high school ended up with three Penn State degrees
• Why the inside game determines how far the outside game can go
• The power of being present (and why Coach Gus is available until 2am every night)
• How Marcus Aurelius and stoic philosophy shaped his approach to adversity
• Why he hires people who are the complete opposite of him
• The daily habits that keep him sharp: sauna, cold plunge, cigars, Legos, and journaling

Timestamps:

🏈 0:00 - Introduction & Philly connection

🔥 4:30 - From North Philly to Berwick: a whole different world

📚 12:15 - How Marcus Aurelius found a kid from Strawberry Mansion

💪 18:45 - NCAA non-qualifier: proving yourself as a student first

🧠 28:30 - The inside game vs. the outside game

🙏 38:00 - Spiritual devotion & faith in the locker room

👀 45:20 - Being present: listening to understand, not to respond

⚡ 52:40 - NIL, the transfer portal & building loyalty

🔥 62:00 - Forged in the fire: letting adversity transform you

📖 68:30 - Daily habits: sauna, cold plunge, Legos & journaling

❤️ 75:00 - One lesson: Don't let the world make you who it wants you to be

Featured Book: "The Inside Game: Mastering the Mind, Strengthening the Spirit, Leading with Purpose" by Coach Gus Felder

Connect with Coach Gus Felder:

• Book: "The Inside Game" (Amazon)
• IG: Coach Gus Felder

Subscribe for more conversations with elite performers who've overcome the odds.

#CoachGusFelder #TheInsideGame #Leadership #PennState #Nebraska #NorthPhilly #Stoicism #MarcusAurelius #Faith #BuiltNotBorn #Football #PlayerDevelopment #Podcast #JoeCiccarone

© Joe Ciccarone - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved.

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.