"If you avoid pain you’re not inoculated for when hard things happen.” Rorke Denver on DADicated.com

Commander Rorke Denver is a highly decorated assault team leader with over 200 combat missions as a NAVY Seal. Rorke has run every phase of training for the U.S. Navy SEALs and led special-forces missions in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and other international hot spots. As officer in charge of BRAVO Platoon of SEAL Team THREE in Iraq, he was part of the most combat-heavy deployments of any regular SEAL team since Vietnam.

Rorke has a Master in Global Business Leadership and is the founder and CEO of EVER ONWARD, a leadership and human performance brand.

As a Dad Rorke is married and has two daughters. My feeling was that Rorke lives in a permanent state of heightened intensity and is also able to live single purposefully. The session is very interesting, fun and I found it very motivational.

We talk about self-discipline, prepping kids for hard times and how parents who are being deployed manage to transition between family life and combat situations. Rorke shares his standpoints and values as a Dad and talks about his own father and upbringing. He also also shares lessons from the battlefield and SEALS training and how those are applicable for families. We talk about general parenting principles, how to keep your relationship strong and healthy, the importance of own pursuits, goal setting, operating at your highest point of contribution and holding your kids accountable whilst still supporting them. Not surprisingly Rorke is big on tangible over digital experiences in family.

“The fact that my daughters have learned how to shoot a gun, make a fire and play rough has helped them become resilient, self-reliant people.” Rorke Denver on DADicated.com

The most powerful takeaways for me as a dad where:

1. Trust yourself
2. Share your failures more than your successes with your kids and why
3. Keep working towards an end-state
4. Do hard things and do not avoid suffering and pain.
5. Build resilient, confident children
6. Never leave a question unanswered.
7. Let them be kids as long as they can
8. As a father of daughters the example I set as a man is a fundamental gift for their future.

“Basics for my kids: Respect for yourself and other people. Spend very little time on electronics. No phones. I try and let them be kids as long as they can.” Rorke Denver on DADicated.com

Rorke Denver’s books, TV and film appearances

1. His first book, the New York Times Bestseller: Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15818527-damn-few), takes you inside his personal story and the fascinating, demanding SEAL training program
2. His second book Worth Dying For (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27221344-worth-dying-for) speaks to leadership, service and the future of our nation
3. Rorke starred in the hit film Act of Valor, which is based on true SEAL adventures
4. Rorke starred in Season One of the FOX TV show “American Grit”

Rorke Denver (guest): 

1. Rorke’s website: https://rorkedenver.com/
2. Rorke on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorke_Denver
3. Rorke’s twitter: https://twitter.com/RorkeDenver
4. Rorke on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rorkedenverauthor/

Philipp Hartmann (host): 

1. Web: www.philipp-hartmann.de 
2. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipphartmann2

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