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Episode 250

Masters of Uncertainty with Rich Diviney | Win the Day
August 19, 2025
Rich Diviney is a retired Navy SEAL Commander. He is founder of The Attributes and author of Masters of Uncertainty.
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In this episode of Win the Day:

“Embrace the unknown, for it is in the unfamiliar that we find the most profound inspiration.” — Oscar Max

Today’s a special one — episode 250 of the Win the Day podcast! And to celebrate, I wanted to bring back one of our most iconic guests: Navy SEAL Commander Rich Diviney.

Rich first joined us in episode 124, and clips from that conversation have been viewed millions of times. Since then, he’s become a close friend and remains the most respected voice I know on leadership, mental resilience, and elite performance.

Through his 20-year career in the U.S. Navy, Rich completed 13 deployments and held numerous leadership roles within the most elite SEAL teams, including DEVGRU (also known as SEAL Team Six).

Now, with the release of his new book Masters of Uncertainty: The Navy SEAL Way to Turn Stress into Success for You and Your Team, Rich is sharing these powerful lessons with the world.

In this episode:
• The secrets to elite performance in every domain.
• Why you should embrace the traits that make you great.
• The best lessons from Rich’s career as a Navy SEAL.
• How to become a master of uncertainty.

Let’s WIN THE DAY with Rich Diviney!

Timestamps

00:00 Who is Rich Diviney
1:32 Interview starts
2:00 How to become a master of uncertainty
4:20 Why people fail Navy SEAL training (BUD/S)
7:18 How to change your relationship with failure
10:13 How to handle stress like a Navy SEAL (“Moving Horizons”)
16:00 How to handle anxiety like a Navy SEAL
19:49 Prioritizing yourself during Navy SEAL training (BUD/S)
23:18 Can a candidate ever game Navy SEAL training?
24:45 How Navy SEALs handle the cold
26:10 How Navy SEALs use “cunning”
28:34 How laughter can build resilience
32:23 How to quickly build trust
34:44 Seeing SEAL Team 6 for the first time
36:18 How coachable are Tier One special forces operators
37:58 How intense are special forces operators in real life
39:06 How Navy SEALs stay relaxed (and how survive “drown-proofing”)
41:20 What Navy SEALs do before an operation
43:36 How SEAL Team 6 avoids complacency
45:43 Building a gym for your brain (“Mind Gym”)
50:48 The #1 mental struggle for a special forces operator
52:47 How to stand out from your peers
54:02 How to build your confidence
55:25 Why fear is the #1 thing holding people back
57:45 How to reframe your bad days — and use fear to your advantage
1:00:03 How to motivate someone in a rut
1:01:03 How to build a high-performing team
1:02:55 How to handle a creative block
1:05:06 How to instantly strengthen your marriage
1:10:42 How to raise successful kids
1:13:58 Rocket Round

 

Resources / links mentioned:

🎯 Download your FREE Win the Day action plan

⚡ Rich Diviney website

📚 ‘Masters of Uncertainty: The Navy SEAL Way to Turn Stress into Success for You and Your Team’ by Rich Diviney

🎙️ How to Succeed in Uncertainty with Rich Diviney (Episode 124)

📷 Rich Diviney Instagram

🎬 Subscribe to Win the Day YouTube channel

💚 Give the Win the Day podcast a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts

🙏 Give the Win the Day podcast a 5-star rating on Spotify

💕 Win the Day Facebook group

📝 Win the Day newsletter [weekly LinkedIn exclusive]

Inspiring quotes in this episode:
  • "SEAL training puts you down to zero right away. It says, 'Okay, now that you have nothing, what do you have now? What can you do?'" — Rich Diviney
  • "All of our growth happens outside of our comfort zone, and the more we can deliberately step into it, the more we benefit from this great life we all have." — Rich Diviney
  • "The ball is always bouncing and sometimes it bounces on you." — Rich Diviney
  • "Some super intense athletes don't make it because they approach the environment too intensely and they can't lighten up. You just have to lighten up. Things are going to get bad. You're going to feel horrible. The shit is going to hit the fan." — Rich Diviney
  • "Our brains are looking for certainty: 1. Duration: How long is it going to last? 2. Pathway: What’s my route? 3. Outcome: What's the end state of all this?" — Rich Diviney
  • "'Moving horizons' allows you to gain certainty in an uncertain environment." — Rich Diviney
  • "Pick a horizon. Set your DPO. Execute the DPO. Register the reward. Pick a new horizon." — Rich Diviney
  • "Fear = Uncertainty + Anxiety." — Rich Diviney
  • "To mitigate fear, buy down uncertainty or anxiety." — Rich Diviney
  • "You'll never see Navy SEALs worry about stuff they can't control." — Rich Diviney
  • "Cold is the ultimate leveling factor for everybody." — Rich Diviney
  • "The cunning mind will immediately ask three questions: 1. Are there rules and boundaries? 2. Are they real or are they perceived? 3. What happens if I break them?" — Rich Diviney
  • "When you have a culture fit, that's when things just really take off because you feel valued, you feel like you fit. You are literally the Jeep on the Jeep track or the Ferrari on the Ferrari track, and it allows you to accelerate your skills in almost every way." — Rich Diviney
  • "I've never experienced a high-performing team that doesn't have laughter." — Rich Diviney
  • "When you step into your fear, you get a dopamine reward." — Rich Diviney
  • "In the Navy SEAL world, everything about the environment is looking to kill you." — Rich Diviney
  • "In a high-performing team, everybody is expected to police themselves." — Rich Diviney
  • "If someone's family is suffering, that operator is going to be combat ineffective." — Rich Diviney
  • "If we're not listening to our fear, we're not assessing risk appropriately." — Rich Diviney
  • "When you meet somebody and you decide to spend your life with that person, one of the first things you need to recognize is you are going to change and that person's going to change." — Rich Diviney
  • "The hope is that in fulfilling your partner's needs, it's actually fulfilling your needs as well." — Rich Diviney
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