Team guys have their own love language #neverquit #podcast @TeamNeverQuitPodcast

Uploaded December 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago

Team guys have their own love language #neverquit #podcast

MARK LAUREN: Author, Veteran, and Former Physical Trainer of Elite Special Operations Warriors

CHRISTIAN HICKEY: From Marine to Green Beret to Peacemaker - Bringing the Gospel to Ukraine

$PHIL DONLON & GABE MANN: Forged in Fire: The True Stories of Americas Hotshot Wildfire Warriors Into the Fire: Storytelling and Survival with Phil Donlon & Gabe Mann In this week’s Team Never Quit podcast, Marcus and Melanie dive deep into the art of storytelling—both on stage and in the heat of real-life danger. Our guests are two visionary filmmakers with unique, gripping perspectives on their craft: Phil Donlon, award-winning actor, filmmaker, and theater veteran, and Gabe Mann, director and cinematographer of the groundbreaking wildfire documentary Hotshot. Phil Donlon takes us through his journey from the blue-collar streets of Chicago to the bright lights of Hollywood. A founding member of The Gilead Theater Company and a passionate storyteller, Donlon shares his experiences acting in renowned theater productions, signing with WME, and ultimately finding creative fulfillment by writing and directing his own films. His latest project, High & Outside: A Baseball Noir, is now streaming worldwide. On the other end of the spectrum, Gabe Mann puts us directly in the line of fire—literally. His documentary Hotshot is a heart-pounding, first-person account of elite wildfire fighters who battle the flames without water, capturing their raw courage with breathtaking cinematography. After six years running alongside these real-life heroes, Mann shares the intensity, sacrifice, and unexpected pull of wildfire that changed his life forever. From the front lines of nature’s most destructive force, this episode is about the power of storytelling, survival, and the relentless pursuit of passion. Tune in for a conversation that will leave you inspired, shaken, and ready to chase your own fire. In this episode you will hear: • There’s something about when you witness wildfire firsthand. It does something to you. The actual firefighters call it “The Firebug.” It taps into something primal in men. I caught it. 6:00 • Most of the photojournalists who actually do this right, are former firefighters. They actually have that certification. But for the most part, the kinds of people who are reporting for the Washington Post or The New York Times – they have no clue. 7:56 • I’m a storyteller. So however I’m doing it, whether I’m an actor, whether I’m producing something, writing it – I just want to tell good stories. 9:46 • We wanted to make a film that played like a narrative feature. 11:15 • They’re so distracted with the climate change narrative, which really has nothing to do with wildfires. It’s the accumulation of fuel. 12:08 • I’m the only dude in LA who’s actually from LA. 12:37 • When you continue to put it on something that we don’t have control over – like the weather – it’s a completely disempowering narrative. 14:04 • A wildfire is composed of 3 things. It’s called a fire triangle. You need all 3: Drought, Fuel, Ignition. 17:02 • People were crying over all these giant Redwoods and Sequoias that were getting burned down back in 2020. And nobody ever asked the very obvious question. These trees are 2,000 years old, but the fire cycle in that forest is once every 300 years – you get a purging wildfire – How did get to be 2,000 years old? What happened 2,000 years ago that made these trees so robust? 17:39 • There’s some people who have this gene that compels them to serve their country. 25:32 • If we can get some people in Washington to see this film, I think we could help make change. 27:03 • We have agency over wildfire. We can be proactive. We could solve it tomorrow, if we know what we’re supposed to do. If we look at what a hotshot crew does – literally all they do is get rid of plants. They’re either cutting them or burning them. That’s it. They don’t use water. 28:05 • We started the film with a question. I think doing that gives people the opportunity to engage with the art in the appropriate way, which is – they answer the question. 47:34 • Our motto when we were making this film was “Show, don’t tell.” 52:22 • This is what art is for. It is for explaining and getting people to feel the things that you cannot adequately convey with words. Socials: Support HOTSHOT – https://www.hotshotmovie.com/ – https://www.instagram.com/teamsiqfuti/# – IG: phil.donlon Support TNQ – IG: team_neverquit , marcusluttrell , melanieluttrell , huntero13 – https://www.patreon.com/teamneverquit Sponsors: – shipsticks.com/TNQ – Navyfederal.org – Robinhood.com/gold – strawberry.me/TNQ – stopboxusa.com {TNQ} – ghostbed.com/TNQ [TNQ] – kalshi.com/TNQ – PXG.com/TNQ – joinbilt.com/TNQ – Tonal.com [TNQ] – greenlight.com/TNQ – PDSDebt.com/TNQ – drinkAG1.com/TNQ – Shadyrays.com [TNQ] – qualialife.com/TNQ [TNQ] – Hims.com/TNQ – Shopify.com/TNQ – Aura.com/TNQ – Policygenius.com – TAKELEAN.com [TNQ] – usejoymode.com [TNQ] – Shhtape.com [TNQ]$

MIKE GLOVER: Retired Green Beret & CEO of Fieldcraft Survival on How To Be Prepared

EPHRAIM MATTOS: Navy SEAL to Frontline Humanitarian—Risking It All to Aid Civilians in War Zones

MIKE MCCASTLE: Extreme Athlete, Performance Coach, World Record Holder, 12 Labors Project

Remi Adeleke: The Incredible Journey From SEAL Teams To Hollywood & Host of the “Down Range” Podcast

MARC LAWRENCE: Vietnam Veteran and Silver Star Recipient.

SIDNEY BLAIR: SWAT Team, Secret Service, Detective, Gang Unit & Air Marshall For Homeland Security

BEN KESLING: Wall Street Journal, Former Marine Corps Infantry Officer & Author of Bravo Company

$MICHAEL HALL: Holding The Reins of Resilience - Healing Warriors Through The Power Of Horses Holding the Reins of Resilience – Michael Hall’s Mission to Help Warriors Heal In this powerful episode, Marcus and Melanie meet with Michael Hall, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL from BUD/S Class 267 and the founder of Hold the Reins, a groundbreaking non-profit organization dedicated to equine-assisted wellness and coaching for special warfare operators. Michael shares his journey from the battlefield to the barn, explaining how his deep love of horses and his firsthand experience with the challenges of military life led him to create Hold the Reins. This program provides early intervention tools to help Navy SEALs, SWCC, and EOD teams develop self-awareness, emotional regulation, communication skills, and goal achievement—all through the incredible connection between humans and horses. With the unique pressures that come with a career in special operations, divorce and suicide rates remain devastatingly high among service members. Michael recognized this crisis and made it his mission to provide a lifeline—a safe space where warriors can regain control, reconnect, and find healing. Now, as he transitions into running Hold the Reins full-time as CEO and counselor, he’s determined to give back to the community that shaped him. Tune in to hear Michael’s inspiring story, the science behind equine therapy, and how his program is changing lives one ride at a time. In This Episode You Will Hear: • [My dad] asked me blankly one day, “What do you want to do?” It was just one of those things where I just spit out the first thing that my heart said, “I want to be a SEAL.” (8:43) • The Air Force recruiter looked at me, “Well, whatcha been up to since you graduated high school?” I didn’t hold anything back. I just gave him anything. He was like, “There’s no room for you in our Air Force.” (9:31) • [I saw] this recruiting commercial come on. Helicopters come over the horizon. It said, “We’ll take you from high school to flight school.” So, I get in my truck and drove 150 miles to the recruiting office and joined the Navy. (15:41) • That why we started this thing, to help guys hit the pressure relief valve. (17:45) • The world’s too slow. We’re moving too fast on the inside, and we start trying to numb that down, and we do it in unproductive ways. • Our organization is called Hold the Reins. We use horsemanship to teach guys how to emotionally regulate the present moment focus, and allow them to narrate their own story to us. (19:08) • Were the only organization, possibly in the nation that I know of, that’s run by frogmen. (19:28 • I feel like God has created in me the way, or persona that’s gonna be able to help guys. (23:23) • You can’t team guy your way around horses. (26:24) • I’ve dealt with a lot of really dangerous horses and people made them that way. (43:18) • That’s kind of a surprise thing we do – we put them in a really vulnerable situation, so you’re no longer the hairy-chested, bullet-proof frogman. You’re now just a little worried about your safety. (54:14) • A horse is completely honest. They do not know how to lie. (59:40) Socials: – Website: Holdthereins.org – Linktree: https://linktr.ee/holdthereins?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=77f57f3f-f76e-4374-bff3-5f37d6a085b1 – IG: team_neverquit , marcusluttrell , melanieluttrell , huntero13 – https://www.patreon.com/teamneverquit Sponsors: – Navyfederal.org – Robinhood.com/gold – stopboxusa.com {TNQ} – ghostbed.com/TNQ [TNQ] – kalshi.com/TNQ – PXG.com/TNQ – joinbilt.com/TNQ – Tonal.com [TNQ] – greenlight.com/TNQ – PDSDebt.com/TNQ – drinkAG1.com/TNQ – Shadyrays.com [TNQ] – qualialife.com/TNQ [TNQ] – Hims.com/TNQ – Shopify.com/TNQ – Aura.com/TNQ – Moink.com/TNQ – Policygenius.com – TAKELEAN.com [TNQ] – usejoymode.com [TNQ] – Shhtape.com [TNQ])$