Shaun Taylor, Part 1 - JTF2 Tier One Plank Owner - Ep. 51

Shaun Taylor has had a dizzying array of careers and life experiences. 

He was one of the original members of JTF2, Canada’s tier-one special operations unit, and retired as a warrant officer. 

Shaun was also a Use of Force instructor for a Canadian Police college, and shortly after that, he became a computer systems engineer and was a full-time teacher in that subject. The experience he gained there led to him writing a 700-page study guide that was sold throughout North America.

He followed his stint as a professional nerd by moving into a consulting role in private international security, where he eventually met his wife.

This led him to the next stage of his career, where, as one would expect of a retired special operator, he settled down and opened a successful coffee shop.

Shaun then discovered a passion for ultra-endurance racing, eventually leading to competitive 24-hour Solo mountain bike racing. During thirty 24-hour solo races, he competed around the world and eventually became a World Champion. People in the racing circuit began asking Shaun for help, so he created his own coaching company and worked with high-performance race athletes worldwide for the next 15 years.

In 2022, after several discussions with friends within the veteran community about the concerning statistics on veteran suicide and mental health, Shaun stepped away from his coaching business. Since then, he has focused on improving things for the Veteran, LEO, and First Responder communities, which led to podcasting and the start of a new podcast platform called The Collective.

His podcast has had over 200 guests, ranging from SOF members to human behavioral scientists, with a general focus on human betterment.

Shaun's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shauntaylors1/

The Collective Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@the_collective_yt/streams

The Collective Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_collective_ig/

Timestamps:

• 00:00:22 Intro to Shaun Taylor
• 00:02:20 Seven Careers
• 00:07:17 JTF2
• 00:10:24 Problems Establishing Unit
• 00:11:43 Team Culture
• 00:14:41 Extreme Accountability
• 00:19:17 Positive and Negative Competition
• 00:23:24 Reason For Being
• 00:26:02 Understanding Your Own Purpose
• 00:31:22 How Do You Get Motivated
• 00:40:26 When Did You Start Training
• 00:44:08 What Did You Most Struggle With
• 00:46:30 Living Two Different Lives
• 00:51:50 How to Fit Training Plan Into Operational Schedule
• 00:54:51 Always Ready To Get The Go Signal
• 00:58:34 Maintaining Mental Health
• 01:00:25 Outro