Built Not Born

Joe Ciccarone
  • 5.0 (43)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Built Not Born! The story of EVERYDAY PEOPLE creating REMARKABLE LIVES. Each week we bring a REMARKABLE story of an ordinary person that overcame the odds, fought through adversity and impacted the lives of countless people in their community. Subscribe and see why life is BUILT NOT BORN.

  1. 11h ago

    #194 - Ed Kressy - Addiction, Recovery, and Why Significance Is What We're All Chasing ⛓️ 💡 🙏

    #194 - Ed Kressy - Addiction, Recovery, and Why Significance Is What We're All Chasing ⛓️ 💡 🙏 Ed Kressy had a career at Stanford University, a home in San Francisco, a BMW motorcycle, and a life savings. He put all of it in a glass pipe and smoked it away. 20 years addicted to cocaine and meth. Homeless. Arrested. Carrying a loaded .357 pistol through the streets of San Francisco because he believed the FBI was hunting him. Then one night in a hotel ballroom — wearing a filthy tuxedo — he made the decision that changed everything. Ed shares the raw truth about addiction, mental health, rock bottom, and the three S's that pulled him back — spirituality, self-improvement, and service. He's now the CEO of Uncarcerated, a nonprofit helping incarcerated people transform their lives. His book is distributed inside prison walls. The comeback is real. And it started with one decision. Connect with Ed Kressy: Linked In: Ed Kressy Ed's Book: My Addiction & Recovery © Copyright - Joe Ciccarone 2026 - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved. Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

    1h 1m

  2. Jun 1

    #193 - Jordan & Erica - The Hawaii Vacation Guide | Everything You Need to Know Before You Go 🌺 🌊 🤙

    Jordan & Erica - The Hawaii Vacation Guide | Everything You Need to Know Before You Go 🌺🌊🤙 Jordan and Erica are the founders of The Hawaii Vacation Guide — the most trusted travel resource for anyone heading to the Aloha State. They've lived on Oahu and Maui, explored every island, and built a thriving media business during a global pandemic when nobody was traveling anywhere. In this conversation, we break down all four major Hawaiian islands, the best beaches, the most underrated experiences most tourists never find, and the mistakes first-timers make. Plus — how two people from UC Santa Barbara turned a side project into one of the top Hawaii travel brands on the internet. If you're planning a trip to Hawaii — or just dreaming about one — this is your cheat code. Website - TheHawaiiVacationGuide.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.

    59 min

  3. May 17

    #192 - Steve Maxwell - Jiu-Jitsu for Life | How to Stay on the Mat Forever 🥋💪🔥

    Built Not Born Podcast - #192 - Steve Maxwell: Jiu-Jitsu for Life | How to Stay on the Mat Forever 🥋💪🔥 Steve Maxwell is a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt, world-renowned strength coach, and the man who introduced Philadelphia to Gracie Jiu Jitsu in the 1990's. Steve opened the first BJJ academy on the East Coast, Maxercise, on 7th and Chestnut in Philadelphia. Steve is back with a message that every aging athlete needs to hear: you're going to lose it no matter what — but you can slow the loss down to a trickle. In this conversation, we go deep on how to stay on the mat for life. Strength training, Isometric training, flow rolling, sleep protocols, intentions over goals, and why every single BJJ injury Steve ever sustained came from competition. Website: https://www.maxwellsc.com/IG: @SteveMaxwell SC © Copyright - Joe Ciccarone 2026 - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved. Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

    1h 11m

  4. May 6

    #191 -Amy P. Kelly - Work Is Personal | Why Authenticity Is Your Competitive Advantage 🎯💼🔥

    Built Not Born Podcast (#191) -Amy P. Kelly - Work Is Personal | Why Authenticity Is Your Competitive Advantage 🎯💼🔥 Amy P. Kelly is a leadership expert, talent development executive, and co-author of Difficult Conversations Don't Have to Be Difficult with Jon Gordon. Amy's new book Work Is Personal challenges one of business culture's most damaging myths — that work and personal don't mix. The phrase "it's not personal, it's just business" was invented by a mob accountant. Amy traced it back, called it out, and built a framework to replace it. In this conversation, we get into why authentic leaders outperform, how to have hard conversations without going nuclear, and why the future belongs to the humans who stay human. One lesson you'll carry out of this episode: Don't judge. Support. The leaders who get that right build teams that don't leave. Check out - WorkIsPersonalBook.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.

    51 min

  5. Apr 28

    #190 - Bill Whiteside - Operation Catapult | Churchill's Darkest Decision & The 13 Minutes That Saved the World ⚓🇬🇧🔥

    Built Not Born Podcast (#190) - Bill Whiteside: Operation Catapult | Churchill's Darkest Decision & The 13 Minutes That Saved the World ⚓🇬🇧🔥 On July 3rd, 1940, Winston Churchill ordered the Royal Navy to open fire on French warships anchored in Algeria. Nearly 1,300 allied sailors — men who had sailed on British ships just weeks before — died in 13 minutes. Churchill wept in the gardens of 10 Downing Street the night before giving the order. Parliament gave him a standing ovation 24 hours after. Bill Whiteside spent 15 years researching this forgotten battle. His book Operation Catapult uncovers one of World War II's most agonizing decisions — the moment Churchill chose survival over friendship and convinced the world Britain would stop at nothing to win. Bill breaks down why Churchill gave the order, how one 13-minute battle changed Roosevelt's view of Britain, rattled Hitler, and unified a Parliament that hadn't fully accepted Churchill yet. We also go deep on the writing life — 15 years of research, Churchill's archives at Cambridge, and what it feels like to hold a letter signed by Winston Churchill in your own hands. If you love history, leadership, and stories about moral courage under impossible pressure — this one's for you. 📚 Operation Catapult — Available on Amazon & Barnes and Noble 🌐 perfectlytrurestory.com "Life is Built, Not Born" © Copyright - Joe Ciccarone 2026 - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved. Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

    42 min

  6. Apr 20

    #189 - Martin Dugard - The Long Run | How a Decade Made Marathons Cool & Changed the World Forever 🏃‍♂️📚🔥

    #189 - Martin Dugard - The Long Run | How a Decade Made Marathons Cool & Changed the World Forever 🏃‍♂️📚🔥 In 1970, 127 people ran the New York City Marathon. 55 finished. No women crossed the line. Within six years, thousands were running — and the world's relationship with fitness had changed forever. Martin Dugard is a #1 New York Times bestselling author known for the Killing Series with Bill O'Reilly and The Taking Series. Martin's newest book, The Long Run: The Decade That Made Marathons Cool, turns his legendary research skills on the sport that quietly revolutionized how America — and the world — thinks about health, aging, and human potential. In this conversation, Martin traces the running boom from JFK challenging the nation to walk 50 miles, to Steve Prefontaine making running cool, to Frank Shorter's 1972 Olympic win that millions watched live for the very first time. We also go deep on the writing life — consistency over inspiration, 1,000 words a day, and what 20+ years of coaching high school runners taught him about showing up. And he closes with one of the most powerful passages he's ever written — about his wife's cancer battle and why he now runs toward life instead of away from it. This one hits! 📚 The Long Run: The Decade That Made Marathons Cool — Available April 14, 2026 🌐 martindugard.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.

    52 min

  7. Mar 16

    #188 -Emily Katz Anhalt - Ancient Wisdom for Polarizing Times | Why Humanity Needs Herodotus 📜🏛️🔥

    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.

    48 min

  8. Mar 2

    #187 -Chris "Bones" Burns - The BJJ Project, Rickson Gracie, Invisible Jiu Jitsu and Why Everyone Needs to Calm the F*ck Down 🥋🔥

    Chris "Bones" Burns - The BJJ Project, Rickson Gracie, Invisible Jiu Jitsu and Why Everyone Needs to Calm the F*ck Down 🥋🔥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: Why his first 10 years of training were "terrible experiences all around"The moment he finally learned jiu-jitsu — from a hip escapeWhat it's like to roll with Rickson Gracie (hint: "He surfs a human being")Why blue belts should focus on survival, not submissionsHow to train smart when you're older, injured, or bothThe difference between being a lion and being a rat — and why both are validWhy the martial arts community needs to "calm all of your t**s" 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: The BJJ Project (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok)Zero Point Jiu-Jitsu (Podia)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.

    1h 9m
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5
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43 Ratings

About

Welcome to Built Not Born! The story of EVERYDAY PEOPLE creating REMARKABLE LIVES. Each week we bring a REMARKABLE story of an ordinary person that overcame the odds, fought through adversity and impacted the lives of countless people in their community. Subscribe and see why life is BUILT NOT BORN.

Information

  • Creator
    Joe Ciccarone
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    194
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Joe Ciccarone
  • Show Website
    Built Not Born

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