What Spartan Racing Taught This Combat Veteran – Tara Pipia

The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

In this episode, Joe De Sena sits down with veteran, coach, and author Tara Pipia to explore how Spartan Racing and military discipline can help you overcome life’s greatest challenges. Tara shares her journey from serving in Afghanistan to rebuilding her life through community, fitness, and purpose. Together, they dive into how doing hard things—whether on the battlefield or on the Spartan course—can heal emotional wounds, build resilience, and create lasting transformation. If you’re looking for real-world strategies to thrive through adversity, tap into grit, and find meaning in discomfort, tune in now! Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:43 Meet Tara Pipia 01:44 Military service & leadership lessons 02:08 Sara’s most challenging experience 03:36 Lessons from doing hard things 05:21 Turning pain into progress 06:58 Growing up tough in New York 08:02 Family lessons on resilience 08:59 Joe’s story on kids quitting the camp 09:36 How Spartan race inspired Tara’s book 12:40 Spartan race & recovery 14:20 How to live an optimal life 15:31 How to connect with Tara Connect to Tara: Website: https://www.tarapipia.com/ Instagram: @spartandekadog Facebook: Tara Pipia LinkedIn: Tara Pipia