Billy Billingham joined a gang at nine years old. By eleven, he had a criminal record. At thirteen, he was expelled from school. At fifteen, he was stabbed and nearly died in a hospital bed. Two years later he walked into military recruitment and never looked back.
 
Joe De Sena sits down with the former SAS operator, one of seven to pass selection out of 283 candidates, to talk about the moment a boxing instructor changed his life, the day he saw a Falklands War veteran with a bullet hole through his face and decided that was the man he wanted to become, and why 70 to 80% of what he does now is giving back to the kids and veterans who need what he needed at nine.
Things You Will Learn:
  1. The mindset shift that took Billy Billingham from gang warfare and juvenile court to SAS selection, and why it started with one honest conversation with his father.
  2. Why looking around and feeling outmatched on day one is an advantage, not a warning sign.
  3. The one resource you cannot earn back and why wasting it is the only real failure.
Tools & Frameworks Covered:
  1. Own It, Do Not Excuse It: Billy's father told him to be a thief before a liar. Owning the truth is the foundation of every correction that follows.
  2. Day One Hunger: On the first day of both basic training and SAS selection, Billy looked around and saw people who were bigger, stronger, and more experienced. He used that feeling to stay humble, stay hungry, and outlast 276 of them.
  3. Time Audit: Time is the only resource you cannot replace. Every hour on the couch is an hour you chose not to move forward. Progress does not require speed. It requires motion.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro: Billy Billingham, SAS veteran and original Peaky Blinder
0:21 Gang member at nine, criminal record by eleven
2:15 Kids know right from wrong
5:06 Learning weapons, maps, and medical training at eleven
6:56 Joining the military at 17
8:26 Walking three miles to school with cardboard in his shoes
09:49 SAS selection: 283 started, 7 finished
13:15 What he would change
16:01 Joe offers Spartan events
19:00 Advice for anyone stuck on the couch
 
Billy Billingham grew up in the West Midlands near Birmingham, England, the same streets that inspired Peaky Blinders. He joined a gang at 9, had a criminal record by 11, was expelled from school at 13, and was stabbed and nearly killed at 15. At 17, with no education past age thirteen, he enlisted in the British Army and joined the Parachute Regiment, one of seven to pass out of seventy who started. After nine years of airborne service and combat, he passed SAS selection, again one of seven, this time out of 283 candidates. He went on to serve in the Special Air Service across multiple operational tours. Now 61, Billingham is known internationally through the TV series Special Forces: World's Toughest Test and SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Connect to Bill:
backhand index pointing right X: https://x.com/billingham229b?

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The Hard Way Podcast With Joe De Sena, Hosted by Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan, this podcast delves into the principles of resilience, discipline, and the Spartan mindset. De Sena's journey from building a multimillion-dollar pool cleaning business in his teens to establishing a successful Wall Street trading firm showcases his entrepreneurial spirit. In 2001, he transitioned from finance to operate an organic farm in Pittsfield, Vermont, where his passion for endurance events like ultramarathons and adventure races flourished. This led to the creation of Spartan, aiming to inspire individuals to embrace challenges and push their limits.

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