Don’t Take “No” For An Answer: Episode 15 w/ Nick Umble
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Overview
Nick Umble spent 20 years in Special Forces before walking off a military base and onto a college football field. Now he's competing at the national level in strongman (including top-ten finishes at Masters Nationals and the Arnold Masters Strongman World Championships) and building his company, Sentinel Strength. This episode covers identity, competition, coaching culture, and what happens when someone tells a Special Forces veteran he can't do something.
About Nick Umble
Nick Umble is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces veteran with a 20-year military career, including 14 years in 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne). Throughout his service, he led teams and supported high-risk operations in complex and demanding environments.
After leaving the military, Nick pursued college football before transitioning into government contracting. Over the past five years, he has focused on competitive strongman, qualifying for national-level competitions multiple times and earning top-ten finishes at Masters Nationals and the Arnold Masters Strongman World Championships.
He is the founder of Sentinel Strength, where he applies lessons from Special Operations, athletics, and competition to performance, discipline, and resilience.
Episode Takeaways
Understand that "I eat pretty clean" is almost never true — if the results aren't there, the diet isn't what you think it is
Hire professionals for what you don't know — a nutritionist found what Nick couldn't find on his own, and it changed everything
Know your constraints and variables — influence the variables relentlessly, accept what you can't change
Don't wait for command to be the difference — coaches and leaders at every level can build culture from the bottom up
Play the long game — cultural change in large organizations takes decades, not months. Think of yourself as a plank holder.
Compete at something — structured competition gives purpose, identity, and a reason to train that transcends the gym
When someone tells you that you can't, let "watch me" be the answer — the human body and psyche are capable of far more than others project onto you
Strongman is more accessible than it looks — if you can squat, deadlift, and carry heavy things, you have a starting point
Community matters in training — the culture Nate and the Thor staff built left a mark that Nick still talks about years later
Episode Links
Sentinel Strength - https://www.youtube.com/@SentinelStrength
Spiceology Derek Wolf Maple Bourbon seasoning — spiceology.com
Arnold Masters Strongman World Championships - https://strength.events/2026-arnold-masters/
UHP (University of Human Performance) - https://uhp.com
