Our 11 Favorite Joe De Sena Quotes From Unbreakable CEO, Episode 2

The premiere episode of Unbreakable CEO took place in Sparta, Greece, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to disrupt everyone's way of life. In episode 2, Spartan founder and CEO Joe De Sena — now back in the U.S. — comes to grips with the severity of the virus, and how it will affect his business and livelihood in ways previously unseen. How will he handle it? How will he pivot and keep Spartan afloat amidst these unprecedented challenges?

Despite the heaviness of the subject matter, the episode is also filled with hilarious quotes. Below is a compilation of some of our favorite Joe lines, ranging from the funny to the heartbreaking to the inspirational, from episode 2. (Click on the timestamp to watch the quote, and watch the full episode above.)

To watch episode 1, and check out our favorite quotes from that one, click here.

"I've asked 7 million people to do hard s*** for this exact reason, so I better snap out of it. I better deal with this." (3:16)

When Joe first came to terms with the breadth of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its implications, he knew that hard decisions were on the horizon. He didn't have the luxury of waiting around and seeing how the situation played out. He had to act.

"I'm not buying trays of food and toilet paper and peroxide. What the f***? Guys, you're out of your minds." (3:53)

Initially, Joe was very suspect of people's inclination to load up on supplies. (He still might feel this way; we're not entirely sure.) "It's not like we're in the Great Depression," Joe says. "It's not like we're in World War II." Joe then showcases his "disaster" fridge, which he claims contains a year's worth of food.

"What the f*** is all this peroxide?" (4:30)

Joe was taken aback when a tractor-trailer drove up to his door, armed with 500 pounds of peroxide and an $800 bill attached to it. (We're going to have to fact-check those figures, but you get the point.) Thank goodness for Joe's wife, Courtney, who is keeping everyone on the family fafarm happy and healthy.

"The kids being home, I can't think of a better scenario for me, personally. I'm gonna get to work them out more. I'm gonna get to torture them more." (6:00)

Isn't that why we all want our kids to be home?

"Now, we can do two workouts a day!" (6:29)

Nobody turns a negative into a positive, or pivots more effectively, than Joe. Kids are home from school? Perfect excuse for two-a-days.

"Burn them out! Wear them out so much during the day that they fall asleep." (6:54)

Joe's latest book, No Bullsh*t Parenting: The Spartan Guide to Raising Healthy, Resilient, Gritty Kids, will hit bookstores later this year. It's loaded with gems like this.

"5,000 guys showed up, rippling with muscles and mustaches." (7:47)

Joe tells his kids the story of explorer Ernest Shackleton, who was looking for a "few good men" to assist him in his next voyage. Five-thousand men showed up, despite the inherent, life-threatening risks involved. We love that Joe adds "mustaches" to his description.

"We've gotta protect the company. We've gotta protect the cash, we've gotta protect the people." (11:33)

In a trying moment, Joe explains his strategy for keeping Spartan afloat during these challenging times: Do whatever it takes to maintain liquidity and continue operations, so Spartan is in position to restart its engine when this passes.

"It's like asking your son or daughter to go sleep outside." (13:21)

This is Joe talking about the brutal, heartbreaking decision to furlough 85 percent of his employees. Understandably, he struggles mightily to come to terms with that reality.

"I know we are going to come out of it, as an organization, stronger than when we went in." (14:14)

And this is why you have to love Joe. Regardless of how dire the situation looks — and it looked especially dire in March and April, as more and more races were being cancelled and postponed — he's going to do whatever it takes to pull through.

"It was pretty stressful when I was thrown out of a car at 85 miles per hour and woke up on the side of the road with my leg ripped out of my hip. That was stressful." (14:37)

No context necessary.

Unbreakable CEO airs Wednesdays at 11 a.m. on Spartan’s YouTube channel.

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