“Hell week” trainings stretching 5 and a half days with just 4 hours of sleep.

Combat diving in dark, claustrophobic seascapes. Survival tactics, from the jungles of Brunei to the mountains of Alaska.

Can military-tested models transform high-impact civilian endeavours?

Think elite sports, c-suite executive leadership programs or even rehabilitation for people with disabilities. According to former Navy SEAL Pete Naschak, it’s a hard and definitive yes.

With 21 years of distinguished service under his belt, Naschak is on a mission to translate military endurance and stress tests into leadership and resilience programs. To help people navigate the challenges of high-level executive functioning. And tap into their true strength, without technological surrogates. After retiring, he earned advanced degrees in Global Leadership, Project Management and Global Business Management and Strategy. Going on to work with companies like Red Bull, Nike, Microsoft and even foundations working with veterans suffering from PTSD. Sharp minds and focused bodies – Naschak is championing the crudest yet the most tried and tested formulas to elevate human performance, like never before.

Harden the f*ck up

No drugs, no enhancements, no hacks. Just sheer grit and determination. And in complete surrender to the elements of nature.

Imagine big wave surfing in the waters of Bermuda. Trekking in the wilds of Patagonia. Letting nature beat down on you in “controlled” drills. Pushing the limits of your own body to unlock your inner strength and potential. Pete Naschak’s approach is two pronged – hardening the body while building up defences in the mind. To further his vision, he founded Performance Activation, Inc., a consulting firm that applies military-grade leadership lessons to business, sports teams, and organisations. And he also co-founded Senaptec LLC, which develops sensory and vision-training technologies for athletes, the military, and clinicians.

In his programs, he emphasises the importance of functioning in teams to maximise such output. He has coined the term “resilience shepherd” where he’s identified the need for members within the team structure, who are committed to fuelling the motivations of others – nurturing them when they falter, making sure they don’t stray from the goal.

High on optimism

No dope pushes as hard as sheer optimism. Naschak keeps stressing on the art of staying positive in order to toughen up and come out successfully through the obstacle and endurance courses. “If you can see that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, if you can see that there’s something good that can happen or even imagine it, then you can start getting there,” Naschak believes.

And if team work makes the dream work, it’s clarity of communications that glues it all together. He places great importance on the “art of debrief” where feedback plays a crucial role in bringing home the fruits of people’s labour.

At SYNAPSE

But this is the age of tech acceleration – and the body and mind have become testbeds for breaking boundaries. Supplements, brain stimulation, gene editing. Will enhancements define the next step of human evolution? Can they replace resilience honed through effort and will? Can adaptability be upgraded with a pill? Will artificial rewiring trump natural conditioning? At SYNPASE 2025, listen to a decorated military veteran break down the basics of our bodies – how we can adapt and expand our horizons, when provided with the right training and environments. And why we can extract the depths of our potential, without turning to tech, old-school military style. 

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