Mark Divine | |
---|---|
Birth name | Mark D. Divine |
Nickname(s) | Cyborg |
Born | Utica, New York | July 14, 1963
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() |
Years of service | 1989–2011 |
Rank | ![]() |
Commands held | ![]() SEAL Team ONE SEAL Team THREE SEAL Delivery Vehicle |
Alma mater | Colgate University |
Spouse(s) | Sandy Divine |
Mark Divine (born July 14, 1963) is an American author, podcaster, and retired Navy SEAL Commander.[1][2] His military service spans 20 years (1989–2011) where he oversaw various missions around the world including Asia Pacific, Africa, Bahrain, and Iraq[3] He retired at the rank of Commander in 2011.
Divine was born in Utica, New York and attended Colgate University (graduated 1985 with a degree in economics) while competing on the men's swim and crew teams.[4] Upon graduation, Divine joined PricewaterhouseCoopers (then Coopers & Lybrand) as a senior consultant while working towards a Master in Business Administration at the New York University Stern School of Business (graduated 1989) to become a Certified Public Accountant.[5] During the same time, Divine began a parallel journey into zen meditation and Seido karate under the training of Grandmaster Tadashi Nakamura, where he decided to change paths and pursue a career as a U.S. Navy SEAL Officer.[4][6][7]
After transitioning to the Navy Reserves, Divine launched SEALFIT in 2007 to serve as an immersive academy to strengthen the caliber of SOF candidates entering the Special operations pipeline.[8][10][11] He later founded Unbeatable, LLC in 2014 as a sister company to SEALFIT to bring leadership development to the civilian population using his five-mountain[12] development training plan.[1][13][14] Divine has authored numerous personal development and leadership books (such as Unbeatable Mind, The Way of the SEAL, Staring Down the Wolf) throughout his professional career.[1][2][9] In addition, Divine launched the Courage Foundation in 2017 as a 501(c)(3) organization to increase awareness about veteran suicide by raising money through the completion of 22 million burpees (one million burpees for every veteran who commits suicide per day).[14][15] Divine surpassed his goal on November 11, 2020.[16]