My name is Scot Storey, and I created this podcast, “Despite the Limits” to provide short conversations aimed at helping leaders grow professionally and personally. As a lifelong student of human connection, leadership, and communication, I am passionate about shaping the growth and capabilities of leaders. My personal journey in leadership development has been shaped by a career of service in the US Army’s Special Operations Forces leading numerous teams from just a few operators to organizations several thousand people strong, with the Army’s Rangers, Green Berets and Civil Affairs units in some the world’s most remote and arduous conditions. I believe in the power of a good story to shape personal connections and help people reach their full potential. That is what this podcast is all about. Let’s have a conversation! https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot-storey https://www.facebook.com/Scot.Storey.Leadership?mibextid=LQQJ4d https://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/scotstorey
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May 29, 202615 min
You can never really go home.
Send us Fan MailSummer is here! I have been spending some time reflecting about last year and things that I will change next year.In this reflection time I began to reminiscence about Ranger school and the mountain phase blueberry pancakes. There was a lesson in those pancakes similar to the idea that we can never go home again. Ultimately, we long for a lost time that we cannot reclaim because we have idealized the version in our memory.Thanks for checking this episode out. Until next time friends!Let’s continue the conversation!https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot-storeyhttps://www.facebook.com/Scot.Storey.Leadership?mibextid=LQQJ4d
May 25, 202618 min
Memorial Day Bonus Episode
Send us Fan MailIt's Memorial Day 2026 and I wanted to share a little about the day it became more than a Monday off for me. I also talk a little about veteran suicide because it's a problem that is not going away anytime soon and we need to change this.Never forget the fallen!Let’s continue the conversation!https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot-storeyhttps://www.facebook.com/Scot.Storey.Leadership?mibextid=LQQJ4d
April 24, 2026Episode 420 min
What Gets You Up in the Morning?
Send us Fan MailIn this episode I talk about the concept of ‘ikigai”(ee-key-guy) a Japanese concept translating roughly to "a reason for being" or "a reason to wake up in the morning". It was something I was reintroduced to in a recent Netflix limited series documentary called “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones”. Hosted by Dan Buettner - a 65 year old mountain bike riding explored turned author who has an absolute obsession with understanding longevity - this limited series explores Blues Zones and why the people there seem to live so long.I reference the episode “A Little Help From My Friends” during my discussion so here is a link of you want to check that one out.https://www.buzzsprout.com/2303705/episodes/18758277Thanks for checking this episode out. Until next time friends!Let’s continue the conversation!https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot-storeyhttps://www.facebook.com/Scot.Storey.Leadership?mibextid=LQQJ4d
March 27, 2026Episode 317 min
It is what it is.
Send us Fan MailPain is pain and it is unpleasant, but it does not have to become suffering. This is the idea behind Radical Acceptance. The phrase “It is what it is” sums up the idea.In a 2012 blog post on the website Psychology Today, Dr. Karyn Hall wrote “Accepting life on life’s terms and not resisting what you cannot or choose not to change. Radical acceptance is about saying yes to life, just as it is.” This episode is all about the concept of radical Acceptance and, thanks to the massive pollen bloom in North Carolina I sound awful in it but got an opportunity to apply what I am talking about. Here is a link to the Psychology Today blog called “Why Do We Need Friends? Six Benefits of Healthy Friendships” written by Kristen Fuller and posted on July 8, 2012 that I reference.https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pieces-of-mind/201207/radical-acceptanceThanks for checking this episode out. Until next time friends!Let’s continue the conversation!https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot-storeyhttps://www.facebook.com/Scot.Storey.Leadership?mibextid=LQQJ4d
February 27, 2026Episode 218 min
A Little Help From My Friends
Send us Fan MailWe moved into a new house recently and I’ve taken the opportunity to build my home gym. In this episode I talk about five indicators of longevity as listed on the “Barbell Medicine” Podcast episode #386, Longevity Myths. Here is a link to the show website if you want to listen to their whole episode or just check out their show in general.https://www.barbellmedicine.com/podcast/Another indicator of longevity is how connected you are socially. Friends can make an impact on your life. This is what I explore for most of this episode, the impact of friends.In preparing for this episode, I read a few articles that I found helpful. Here is one from Psychology Today called “Why Do We Need Friends? Six Benefits of Healthy Friendships” written by Kristen Fuller.https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happiness-is-state-mind/201710/why-do-we-need-friends-six-benefits-healthy-friendships#:~:text=Friendships%20can%20be%20important%20for%20many%20reasons:,sorrow**%20*%20**They%20can%20be%20your%20backbone**I also found this blog post by the Mayo Clinic Staff helpful.https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/friendships/art-20044860Thanks for checking this episode out. Until next time friends!Let’s continue the conversation!https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot-storeyhttps://www.facebook.com/Scot.Storey.Leadership?mibextid=LQQJ4d
January 30, 2026Episode 119 min
New Year No Fear
Send us Fan MailWelcome season 3 of Despite the Limits. 2026 is well underway and there is a feeling of uncertainty in our world today. Our economic and political climates are volatile to say the least. One of my coping mechanisms is to look for light news stories that can encourage me and maybe even teach me a little bit along the way.This episode is inspired by one such story. On January 25, 2026 Alex Honnold became the first person to climb the Taipei 101 Skyscraper unaided. The story was intriguing to me. It was full of the neuroscience stuff I love. While Honnold’s brain is wired differently, he credits preparation with why he doesn’t have fear like the rest of the population. In this episode, I explore and expand on that idea a little.Since this is the beginning of season 3, I briefly visit why I started podcasting in the first place. If you want to hear the details here is the link to the very first episode. “Why Me? Why Now?”https://www.buzzsprout.com/2303705/episodes/14330114If you are interested in my previous talks about fear, here is the link to Season 2 Episode 14, “Let’s Talk about Fear!”https://www.buzzsprout.com/2303705/episodes/18108457Finally, if you are a bit of a neuroscience nerd too and want to read the article about Alex Honnold and his unique brain here is a link to that too!https://www.musc.edu/content-hub/News/2019/03/18/How-a-neuroscientist-and-professional-climber-learned-from-one-another?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=672371eaceb81c878a01bfc7Until next time friends!Let’s continue the conversation!https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot-storeyhttps://www.facebook.com/Scot.Storey.Leadership?mibextid=LQQJ4d
December 26, 2025Episode 1618 min
Six Mistakes to Avoid in the New Year
Send us Fan MailIn this last episode of Season 2, I look at “The Six Mistakes of Man”.Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC) was a Roman statesman and scholar whose work was admired by ancient scholars and is also admired by modern scholars today. It appears we have wrestled with these six mistakes for thousands of years.Here they are:1)The illusion that personal gain is made up of crushing others.2)The tendency to worry about things that cannot be changed or corrected.3)Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it.4)Refusing to set aside trivial preferences.5)Neglecting development and refinement of the mind, and not acquiring the habit of reading and study.6)Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do.If you were looking for a discussion about how to do an end of year review let me invite you to check out episode 23 from Season 1, “How to Do an End of Year Review”. Below is a link to that episode.https://www.buzzsprout.com/2303705/episodes/16261345Happy New Year friends! Let’s continue the conversation!https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot-storeyhttps://www.facebook.com/Scot.Storey.Leadership?mibextid=LQQJ4d
November 28, 2025Episode 1523 min
Developing Patience
Send us Fan MailThe holiday season has begun - it’s fast paced, chaotic, overwhelming and sometimes the demands feel oppressive. Whether it is the holiday season or our current political climate being patient seems to be increasingly more difficult.Patience is a skill it can be developed. In this episode I talk about how to develop patience. Here are four reasons why you should develop your patience.1)Your commitment is clear2)Great things take time.3)The world does not revolve around you.4)You make better decisions.At the end of the episode, I give you five simple steps to help you develop your patience.1)Choose the longer line.2)Wait a week between episodes.3)Skip the fastest delivery option.4)Teach someone a new game.5)Make a meal from scratch.Be Patient. Hold on. You can succeed, despite the limits!Let’s continue the conversation!https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot-storeyhttps://www.facebook.com/Scot.Storey.Leadership?mibextid=LQQJ4d
October 31, 2025Episode 1422 min
Let's Talk about Fear!
Send us Fan MailI release the podcast on the last Friday of each month, which means this episode went public on Halloween. Since so much of the season seems to be centered on scary stories and creepy decorations in the neighborhoods it seemed like a good time to talk about fear.Fear seems to be everywhere these days and it is an interesting paradox. Fear often keeps is from trying the very things we need to do to succeed which in turn guarantees our fears become reality.However, we can reframe how we view the things that scare us and train our minds and bodies to react differently.Early in the episode I talk about the 2013 movie, After Earth” and share a quote from the character played by Will Smith where he says fear is a choice. Here is a link to a YouTube clip with the scene.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV8jbzudYJ8 I also talk about a Simon Sinek talk about being nervous versus being excited. If you want to hear his talk directly, here is a link to that YouTube clip.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SUTInEaQ3Q Happy Halloween and let’s go face our fears!Let’s continue the conversation!https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot-storeyhttps://www.facebook.com/Scot.Storey.Leadership?mibextid=LQQJ4d
September 26, 2025Episode 1318 min
Embrace the Suck!
Send us Fan MailIf you are struggling with some difficult times or a significant challenge then this is the episode for you. “Embrace the Suck” is my simple grunt way of describing the Stockdale Paradox. In this episode I talk about the Stockdale Paradox and how we can employ it to do more than survive in our difficult times but maybe even thrive.I recommend the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. It is a leadership classic and in it, Collins recounts a conversation with Medal of Honor Recipient retired Navy Admiral James Stockdale who, during his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam observed that those who were optimistic without acknowledging their present circumstances rarely survived. If you want to read more about the Stockdale Paradox but don’t want to read a whole book here is a link to an article from Big Think published October 23, 2022. This article, Stockdale Paradox: Why confronting reality is vital to success provides a good snapshot and is worth ten minutes of your time.https://bigthink.com/health/stockdale-paradox-confronting-reality-vital-success/ Here is a link to a YouTube clip of Sylvester Stallone playing Rocky Balboa talking to his son. I quote a line from this speech but the l like the whole scene so you can see it here.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_Vg4uyYwEkRemember, often times it is what it is so, “Embrace the Suck!”Let’s continue the conversation!https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot-storeyhttps://www.facebook.com/Scot.Storey.Leadership?mibextid=LQQJ4d
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