The Determined Society with Shawn French | Adversity & Mindset

What happens when a successful real estate entrepreneur receives an 85-year federal prison sentence, loses his freedom, and has to rebuild everything from the ground up?In this episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Mark Shapiro, real estate investor, founder of Shapiro Capital and Shapiro University, for an unforgettable conversation on wealth, federal prison, faith, redemption, second chances, and the determination to start over.Mark shares how his mother's influence helped him enter real estate while still in college, eventually building a substantial investment business before a securities fraud conviction changed his life. After spending years in federal prison, receiving presidential clemency, and returning home with almost nothing, he found his way back into real estate, closing a 372-unit apartment deal just six months after his release.The episode dives into:- Building a real estate portfolio while still in college- The federal conviction, 85-year sentence, and reality of prison life- Finding purpose through faith and teaching fellow inmates- The presidential commutation that gave him a second chance- Rebuilding through multifamily real estate investing and Shapiro Capital- The influence of Robert G. Allen and creative real estate financing- Why true determination means seeing beyond your circumstancesThis conversation goes far beyond real estate and financial success. It's about losing your freedom, finding purpose in the darkest circumstances, and discovering that your past does not have to define your future.If you've ever felt like life has taken everything from you, this episode is a reminder that the next chapter can still be built through faith, discipline, and the refusal to give up.Watch the full episode now on The Determined Society.Connect with Shawnpillar.io/theshawnfrenchSubscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:https://thedeterminedsociety.comSubscribe on Apple/Spotify:Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53 The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What does it take to challenge conventional wisdom, risk everything, build a $200 million company, and still have the determination to start over at 73?In this episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Mark Sisson, founder of Primal Kitchen and Mark’s Daily Apple, bestselling author of The Primal Blueprint and Born to Walk, and co-founder of Peluva, for a conversation on entrepreneurship, health, longevity, failure, discipline, and the courage to trust your convictions.Mark shares how his pursuit of elite athletic performance compromised his health, leading him to question conventional nutrition and exercise advice. From failed businesses and public criticism to risking his home on Primal Kitchen and eventually selling the company to Kraft Heinz for $200 million, his journey was built through years of setbacks, reinvention, and determination.The episode dives into:Why being extremely fit doesn't always mean being healthyChallenging conventional nutrition advice, including paleo, keto, and the Primal BlueprintThe failures, financial risks, and decisions behind Primal Kitchen’s $200M saleWhy Mark believes walking, foot strength, and proper footwear are essential to longevityStarting Peluva with his son and learning to lead by letting goOvercoming fear of failure, embracing discomfort, and finding purpose at 73Why determination matters more than motivationThis episode is for entrepreneurs, athletes, health enthusiasts, and anyone afraid to pursue an idea because others think it's crazy. Mark's story is a reminder that failure doesn't have to be the end of your journey. Sometimes it's the beginning of everything that comes next.Watch the full episode now on The Determined Society.Connect with Shawnpillar.io/theshawnfrenchSubscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:https://thedeterminedsociety.comSubscribe on Apple/Spotify:Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53 The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Nick Ayala, entrepreneur, co-founder of Platform One, and author of Capital Is the Game, for a raw conversation on business, discipline, fatherhood, integrity, raising capital, and what it really means to stay solid when life tests you.Nick shares how growing up in Boca Raton showed him both sides of life: sleeping on a mattress in a one-bedroom apartment with his father while living across the street from extreme wealth. That contrast shaped the way he studied people, money, opportunity, and success.The episode dives into:• Growing up with financial struggle while being surrounded by wealth  • Learning how to study successful people from a young age  • Why Nick refuses to live with a victim mentality  • The golf injury that forced him to face a new identity  • Transitioning from sports into business  • Building and selling companies  • Doing nearly $100 million a year on the insurance side  • The truth about insurance, leads, chargebacks, and ego in the industry  • Walking away from a business situation he says he could not support morally  • Facing lawsuits, sleepless nights, and pressure without compromising integrity  • Why most founders are not ready to raise money  • What it means to be a steward of someone else’s capital  • How private equity, family offices, and high-net-worth investors think  • Why relationships matter more than transactions in business  • Lessons from doing business in Dubai and the UAE  • Fatherhood, discipline, marriage, and raising mentally strong kids  • Protecting your energy and choosing who gets access to your mind  • Why waking up early creates an advantage most people never use  • What determination really means in business, family, and life  This conversation goes beyond business and capital. It is about becoming mentally strong, building discipline, choosing responsibility over excuses, protecting your name, leading your family, and learning how to operate in rooms where the biggest deals are built on trust.Watch the full episode now on The Determined Society.Connect with Nick Ayala Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NickJamesAyala/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickjayala Website: https://nickjayala.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN5GSbKmGzZJZKNYe9vLnJQ Connect with Shawnpillar.io/theshawnfrench Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:https://thedeterminedsociety.com Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064 Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53  The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the new episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Yosef Martin, founder of BoxyCharm, entrepreneur, operator, investor, and founder of PepNow, for a high-level conversation on business, SEO, community, viral growth, peptides, biohacking, longevity, and what happens after you achieve the exit everyone else is chasing.Yosef came to America as an immigrant student and started his first business because he needed to pay tuition. With no experience, no ad budget, and only $375 to start, he learned SEO, built Merchandise Liquidators, and later created BoxyCharm, one of the most influential beauty subscription brands in the world. The company scaled to over 1 million active members, generated massive revenue, and eventually became part of a major beauty industry deal. But when the wire hit, Yosef says he didn’t feel what people think he should have felt.The episode dives into different chapters of Yosef’s life, including:• Coming to America as an immigrant student• Starting a business to pay out-of-state tuition• Learning SEO before he knew what business would become• Building Merchandise Liquidators from $375• Going from liquidation to beauty subscription boxes• Creating BoxyCharm with no traditional beauty background• Building a cult-like community around the brand• Using Facebook groups, sneak peeks, surveys, influencers, and customer obsession to fuel growth• Why the right product and the right community can create a viral growth loop• Scaling BoxyCharm to over 1 million active members• Why the exit didn’t feel the way people expect• Coming back into the arena with PepNow• Peptides, GLP-1s, biohacking, sleep, visceral fat, metabolic health, and longevity• Why the future of health may be built around education, community, and better products• What determination really means when the climb starts to feel rewarding instead of painfulThis conversation goes far beyond business success. It is about obsession, product-market fit, community, health, reinvention, and the mindset required to build again after achieving the kind of exit most entrepreneurs dream about.Connect with Yosef MartinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yflmartin/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yosefmartin/PepNow: https://pepnow.com/Connect with Shawnpillar.io/theshawnfrenchSubscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:https://thedeterminedsociety.comSubscribe on Apple/Spotify:Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53 The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this deeply vulnerable episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Garrett White for a conversation about identity, success, marriage, fatherhood, faith, surrender, ego, and what happens when the life you built no longer fits the person you're becoming.By the time Garrett White was 30, he had built a fortune in mortgages and real estate, competed in Ironman races and ultramarathons, and created a life that looked like success from the outside.Then it all came crashing down.In 2008, his money, businesses, marriage, and identity were underwater at the same time. Instead of asking how to become more comfortable, Garrett began asking a much harder question:How do I become the strongest possible human being in every area of my life?That question eventually led to the creation of Wake Up Warrior, a system that has trained tens of thousands of men.But years later, Garrett found himself confronting an uncomfortable truth: he had spent years teaching men how to “have it all,” while realizing that having it all did not necessarily mean being free.Together, they explore: • Losing his identity after sports and searching for a new purpose • The 2008 collapse that changed everything • How money, success, and achievement became Garrett’s identity • The “never enough” mindset and the illusion that more will finally bring fulfillment • Moving from motivation to discipline, process, and doing the simple work every day • How marriage and communication forced Garrett to confront the man he had become • Building a life of prosperity that somehow still felt like a prison • The difference between having it all and actually being free • Why Garrett began pursuing peace instead of constantly fighting for more • Surrendering control and dismantling the identity of “Garrett White” piece by piece • Contraction vs. collapse, and recognizing the warnings before everything falls apart • Faith, God, surrender, and discovering what was underneath the pursuit of success • Why Wake Up Warrior may have been built to wake Garrett up • Letting go of an old identity to create something new • Garrett’s powerful definition of determination: “Nothing and everything.” This episode is about what happens when success stops being enough. It’s about the courage to question the identity you've spent years building, the willingness to surrender what no longer serves you, and the determination to keep moving when you don't even know what the destination looks like.Watch the full episode now on The Determined Society.Connect with Shawn Frenchhttps://pillar.io/theshawnfrench Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION:https://thedeterminedsociety.com Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064 Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53Connect with Garrett J. White Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garrettjwhite/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@garrett.j.white LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrett-j-white-0b8768313/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/GarrettJWhite Website: https://wakeupwarrior.com/ The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.