Commando Steve: What The Army Taught Me About Winning At Life

About this episode

Steve Willis, known to most of Australia as "Commando Steve," spent over a decade in the Australian Special Forces, rising to Counter Terrorism Team Commander before leaving the army in 2004. He went on to become a trainer on Australia's Biggest Loser for eight seasons, competed on Australian Survivor, and placed 4th at the CrossFit Games, still the highest finish by an Australian male. He now runs Get Commando Fit, a gym in Rouse Hill, NSW, with his partner Harika Eris. He explains: ▪ Why competent guys he served with were failed out of Special Forces selection, not for strength, but for awareness ▪ The real reason he put his hand up for Special Forces selection, and it had nothing to do with ambition ▪ Why he believes "awareness" isn't about noticing everything, it's about knowing what to let go ▪ The "yellow line" theory: why he says most people hand control of their life over to someone else without realizing it ▪ Why he says The Biggest Loser probably couldn't exist in today's mental health climate ▪ What actually scared him more than a decade in Special Forces ever did ▪ How he and Harika built their gym from nothing but a park and a four-wheel drive during lockdown 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:41 Who Is Steve Willis? 00:03:23 From Redcliffe To The Australian Army 00:08:09 Becoming A Commando 00:10:23 What Discipline Actually Means 00:16:58 Finding Meaning In Life 00:30:15 The Biggest Loser Culture Shock 00:31:19 The Yellow Line: When Fate Comes Down To A Vote 00:44:07 Back To Grassroots 00:49:00 Iraq, Afghanistan, And Raising A Counterterrorism Unit 00:56:51 The Awareness Skill That Can Get You K*lled 01:00:33 How The Biggest Loser Call Came In 01:11:11 "We Are For The Few" 01:25:32 Would The Biggest Loser Survive Today? 01:39:38 Meeting Harika And Building The Gym 01:50:49 The Financial Fear He Never Discussed 01:59:09 Why Money Scared Him More Than Combat 02:02:47 Never Give Up 02:07:25 Outro