Sean Lake and I have known each other since 2007, when he and my good friend and former Navy SEAL Glen Doherty walked onto the SEALFIT Grinder in Encinitas. What followed were years of hard training, experimentation, friendship, and some unforgettable experiences that helped shape the early days of SEALFIT.
In this episode, Sean and I go back to where his story began. He shares how he and Glen grew up together outside Boston, dropped out of college around the same time to pursue adventure, and eventually took very different paths. Glen became a Navy SEAL while Sean pursued snowboarding, later working with athletes including Shaun White and Tony Hawk before finding his way into the early CrossFit world and eventually SEALFIT.
We revisit what made those early SEALFIT years different. The suffering had a purpose. The physical work became a vehicle for developing character, accountability, adaptability, and the ability to become an exceptional teammate. Sean also shares what it was like to go through and later coach Kokoro, and why those lessons continued showing up in his life years later.
The conversation takes a deeply personal turn as Sean recounts losing Glen in Benghazi. As Glen’s best friend and next of kin, Sean was among the first to be notified. Grief eventually became purpose as he helped establish the Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation and pursued a years-long fight over death benefits for government contractors. That effort ultimately extended beyond Glen, helping other families affected by the same issue.
Sean later carried Glen’s legacy into entrepreneurship by founding BUBS Naturals, named for Glen’s Navy nickname. He shares how a personal experience with collagen sparked the idea, why the company was built around self-improvement and giving back, and what happened when an FDA recall nearly ended the business.
We close by discussing Sean’s approach to product quality, collagen, creatine, longevity, third-party testing, and his vision for building a company that can improve people’s health while continuing to support causes that mattered to Glen.
In this episode:
• Sean and Glen Doherty’s friendship and early years together
• Leaving the conventional path in pursuit of adventure
• Sean’s years in snowboarding and action sports
• How Sean and Glen discovered SEALFIT
• The early culture that shaped SEALFIT and Unbeatable Mind
• Why suffering can reveal character
• What Kokoro taught Sean about teamwork
• Becoming an exceptional teammate under pressure
• Losing Glen in the Benghazi attack
• Turning grief and anger into purposeful action
• The Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation
• Sean’s fight over contractor death benefits
• How Glen’s legacy inspired BUBS Naturals
• Nearly losing the company after an FDA recall
• Why Sean prioritizes third-party testing and product quality
• Collagen, creatine, human performance, and longevity
• Building a business around self-improvement and service
Learn more about BUBS Naturals:
bubsnaturals.com
Learn more about the Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation:
glendohertyfoundation.org
Learn more about Unbeatable Mind:
unbeatablemind.com
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