What Jay Setchell Teaches Us About Business, Leadership, and Resilience
Some leadership lessons come from boardrooms.
Others come from survival.
This episode of Business, Leadership, and Lessons Learned features Jay Setchell, a Marine, entrepreneur, inventor, and author who has died three times and lived to keep building.
Jay’s story is not motivational fluff.
It is earned perspective.
He has survived catastrophic car accidents, a broken neck, drowning, paralysis, and multiple near death medical crises. Today, he lives mostly paralyzed. He also remains deeply involved in business, innovation, and leadership.
This conversation is about what happens after life strips away excuses.
Leadership When Quitting Is an Option
Jay’s philosophy is simple and brutal.
You focus on what you can do.
You stop obsessing over what you cannot.
You lead anyway.
Pain is part of his daily reality. It does not define his ceiling.
In this episode, Jay explains why adversity sharpens resolve when you choose to engage instead of retreat. Leadership, in his view, is not comfort based. It is responsibility based.
If it is to be, it is up to me.
That mindset shows up everywhere in his life and work.
Business Built on Real World Stakes
Jay is a partner in a company that designs immersive, non pyrotechnic training systems for military, law enforcement, and firefighters.
These systems simulate chaos.
Explosions.
Smoke.
Backdrafts.
Stress.
The goal is simple. Prepare people for reality before reality finds them.
This is not theory. This is experience turned into infrastructure that saves lives.
Jay explains how real leadership means building systems that work under pressure, not just on paper.
Time, Perspective, and the Cost of Wasted Days
One of the strongest themes in this episode is time.
Jay does not romanticize it.
He respects it.
Near death experiences changed how he views urgency, effort, and purpose. Time moves faster than most people realize. Waiting for motivation is a losing strategy.
You act first.
Momentum follows.
This is a hard truth for entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone stuck in hesitation.
The Strength Within You
Jay’s upcoming book, The Strength Within You: It’s Always Too Soon to Quit, captures the core message of this episode.
Strength is not borrowed.
It is built.
It is uncovered under pressure.
You do not need perfect conditions.
You need commitment.
Jay does not claim perfection. He claims responsibility.
Key Takeaways from the Episode
- Leadership is action, not circumstance
- Pain can sharpen purpose instead of destroying it
- Focus on ability, not limitation
- Time is your most expensive resource
- Quitting usually happens too early
About the Guest
Jay Setchell is a Marine Corps veteran, serial entrepreneur, inventor, and author. He has survived multiple near death experiences and lives mostly paralyzed today while continuing to lead, build, and mentor.
His work spans business innovation, training technology, and leadership grounded in lived experience.
Learn more about Jay here.
Listen to the Episode
If you are facing pressure, uncertainty, or self doubt, this episode will reset your perspective.
Here’s what to do next.
Listen to the episode.
Share it with someone who needs to hear it.
Then get back to work.
Because it is always too soon to quit
