Liberty Risk

This one opens the way every great Liberty Risk episode should - with a shirtless man standing on a table, reciting the Frogman Toast from memory. Jett Cruzz Lanoha, former SEAL Team 3 operator, does the thing right, and what follows is a nearly-lost piece of SEAL culture that the old guys had to physically threaten him into learning. From there it only gets better. Cruz's path to the Teams isn't your typical recruiting poster story. Tucson kid, Catholic school K–12, bouncing between working at Fleming's Steakhouse, Home Depot, and FedEx well into his late twenties - until a buddy turned him on to the Army and a recruiter mentioned the SEALs. He failed the ASVAB three times, got tutored by a girlfriend, earned his PST score, and made it through BUD/S at 28. His dad builds custom choppers and runs in biker circles. The apple doesn't fall far. We get into the culture shift - the pirate era Teamguys vs. the new school, what gets lost when you clean up an organization that ran on controlled chaos, and why you actually need both the pirates and the choir boys for a functional team. Cruz came up in the later era and felt every bit of the shift. The hosts came up in the era that needed three DUIs to make chief. Neither side is entirely right. Neither side is entirely wrong. Hotel Platoon at Team Three gets its full due. A crew Cruz calls the best years of his life - Steadfast, elite, and exactly the kind of guys you want next to you when a Hell's Angels affiliate decides the bar belongs to him. Full brawl in Temecula. OIC in flip flops. New guys straight out of BUD/S jumping in without being asked. Everyone escaping in a van ("let's go, Marines!" 😂). Chief handling the fallout. It's a masterclass in what leadership actually looks like when the textbook is on fire. Then as a speciala guest, Cruzz's wife Marissa joins the pod. The one he married during BUD/S, sent divorce papers to while she was ill, and didn't see for eight years. The one he ran into by accident at an LA Fitness during Navy's Week in Phoenix, completely out of nowhere, and eventually remarried. She tells her side and pulls nu pucnhes. It's worth hearing. So is the conversation that follows about what it actually takes to build a partnership when one of you is wired to solve problems and the other one just needs you to shut up and listen. He's also got a brand - Brother Apparel, launched after separating in 2025. Not operator merch. Lifestyle gear with an emphasis on living LIFE with STYLE. If you know, you know. The crew (who run an apparel company) go deep with him on how to actually build it right. And the deployment stories. Dubai. Abu Dhabi. The Maldives - not on purpose. A $4,000 bar tab at Zuma that he didn't pay for. A porta-potty. A kind cab driver. An out-of-body experience at a beach concert that he did not sign up for. Here are a few highlights from this one: Cruzz performs the Frogman Toast - shirtless, on a table, as it was meant to be The ASVAB fail trilogy and the girlfriend who saved his Navy career Temecula bar brawl: Hell's Angels, flip flops, and a van getaway Chief Kyle and the chess move that changed how Cruzz sees leadership The divorce papers. The eight-year gap. LA Fitness. The reunion. Marissa on what it was like to be on the other side of all of it Getting dosed in a porta-potty in Abu Dhabi and the cab driver who saved him The Maldives emergency landing - two days in paradise, completely by accident Brother Apparel: the origin, the wrong partners, the relaunch, and where it's going The nightly debrief walk - the relationship tip that actually works 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know more about Jett at the links below! ✖️ Brother Apparel Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brotherapparelofficial  ✖️ Brother Apparel Website - https://www.brotherapparel.com    Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks (screen printing apparel) - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL (fulfillment for E-com brands) - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc   

You've heard EOD stories before - but NOT like this. In this episode the Liberty Risk crew sits down with Kris Groves - former Navy EOD tech attached to the SEAL Teams - pull up a chair as we start unpacking a life that doesn't follow a normal script. Before the military, he was already making multiple six figures in his early twenties, traveling the world in the weapons industry, working arms shows like SHOT and IWA, living out of a 10,000-square-foot mansion… and walked away from all of it to enlist. No regrets. What follows is a deep dive into a side of the military most people don't understand - and a pipeline that makes even seasoned guys stop and pay attention. From EOD prep to dive school to nine months of blowing things up on land and underwater, Chris breaks down what the pipeline is actually like - and why it's designed to make people quit early. And yeah… the stories get out of control. A guy convincing an instructor that a crab pinching his nuts should cancel 1,500 burpees - and somehow winning that argument. Another guy drinking a full bottle of his own p!ss for a reduction in burpees… while the rest of the class tries not to throw up watching it. And that's just training. Once he hits the Teams, it only gets better. Working alongside SEAL Team Two, Kris gives a rare outsider-insider perspective on the Teams - close enough to see everything, far enough to call it like it is. Then come the deployments and range stories. A French EOD tech in Djibouti smashing a live mortar with a shovel like it's nothing. A rattlesnake coiled inside a soup can… and an Australian EOD tech casually blowing its head off with a blank round. Accidentally turning a training scenario into homemade napalm - melting burning plastic onto a truck with teammates inside. A Hollywood pyro repeatedly hitting a dead switch… then looking directly down the barrel right before it detonates in his face (thought he was a gonner!) And somehow, it still escalates. Fleet Week in New York with zero curfew - six EOD ruffians running around Manhattan in dress whites until 4AM every night. A fast rope demo over a public crowd that ends with a guy vomiting out of a helicopter… and then again onto the rope itself. A near miss on a C-5 movement after an entire platoon gets obliterated at a strip club in Germany. This one doesn't slow down. Underneath all of it - real conversations about the EOD & SpecOps community, working alongside the SEAL teams, risk, stupidity, camaraderie, and the kind of humor that only exists in the veteran world and other small pockets of society. Then the transition. From blowing things up to building a company - Kris breaks down how he co-founded Pass Pass with his brother, scaling it into a massive platform with hundreds of thousands of users, millions of views, and a completely unconventional business model. No clean storyline. No polished version. Just four hours of stories that sound fake… but are crazy REAL. 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know more about Kris at the links below! ✖️ Kris's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/krisgroves_  ✖️ PassPass Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/getpasspass  ✖️ PassPass Website - https://passpass.ai    Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks (screen printing apparel) - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL (fulfillment for E-com brands) - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc   

Behind the badge with Sheriff Chad Bianco. 30+ years in law enforcement. Current Sheriff of Riverside County. Now running for Governor of California. But this isn't a campaign speech - this is what it sounds like when you put a career cop who's seen everything across the table from guys who understand the intricacies of living a life on the line - and let it run. We start where most people wouldn't - standing guard over a murder scene, watching the sun come up while birds pick apart what's left behind… and the kind of stories that never leave you, even if you learn how to laugh about them later. From there it turns into something bigger. The similarities & the differences between what military and law enforcement deal with in their careers - short bursts of chaos vs. 30 years of accumulation… and what that actually does to people behind the badge, or the flag. The old-school era of policing - chain smoking, broken marriages, zero support - and how sometimes culture has to change the hard way. But also what happens when you try to fix it. Mandatory counseling. Anonymous mental health access. And why some guys never come back after certain experiences… and why that might be the right call. Then we get into the part no one avoids. California. Why the state might be disqualifying the exact people it needs most - pushing out military veterans in favor of candidates who look better on paper but freeze when it matters. What actually happens inside Sacramento. Why a supermajority only works until people start paying attention. And why he doesn't care about being liked - only about getting the job done. The Palisades fire and the moment wealthy California finally felt what everyone else already knew… when money stopped being a shield from bad policy. CEQA. The Coastal Commission. Environmental red tape that sounds good until you're the one stuck in it. Then energy. Shutting down nuclear. Importing oil from overseas. Letting water flow to the ocean while calling it a drought. And the question that keeps coming up - is any of this actually about the environment? Immigration & ICE. Where the line really is between federal and local enforcement. And what happens when the system is broken on both sides - for the people coming in, and the people already here. And also: Classic cars and smog laws. Cartels running black market marijuana operations. Sewage dumping into waters Navy SEALs train in. The gap between what leaders say… and how they actually live. No talking points. No script. No effort to clean it up. Just a conversation that goes exactly where you think it will… and then a few places you didn't expect. This is Liberty Risk, welcome to the show! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know more about Sheriff Bianco at the links below! ✖️ Sherif Bianco's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sheriffbianco  ✖️ Sheriff Bianco's Website - https://biancoforgovernor.com    Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks (screen printing apparel) - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL (fulfillment for E-com brands) - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc   

You've heard the stories, you know him: Former Navy SEAL. DEVGRU operator. Host of Cleared Hot Podcast. But this isn't the highlight reel. This is 3.5 hours of the stories behind everything you think you know. This is what it sounds like when he's sitting across from guys who actually know him - his former teammate from SEAL Team Five and Sniper school classmate - and the conversation plays out as you'd expect. In true Liberty Risk fashion we dive into the stories you don't usually hear, and the lessons learned from some adventures gone wrong. The night partying with his platoon in Tucson that almost cost him his Trident - bar fight (not his), running from cops, vaulting a razor-wire fence, climbing rooftops, and ending up in front of his command figuring out how to navigate one of the biggest lessons that would shape his future: the power of OWNING IT. We also talk about what BUD/S is really like behind the chaos - both as a student and later as an Instructor - and why most people misunderstand both sides of it. Of course we talk about Green Team, life at The Command, and what actually gets guys kicked off the Team, both in selection, and after. An unlikely twist of perspective that can only come from hindsight - one of the best things that ever happened to him was getting shot in Iraq. Catching a round to the hip, pinned under a car watching muzzle flash & getting pulled out by a friend - and the different path that event put him on. And then it keeps going. The unspoken rules inside the Teams. The realities and dualities of loyalty - it's a two way street, and how giving it to the wrong people can burn you - fast. After the Teams - business deals that go sideways, getting gaslit by people you trust, and learning the hard way that not everyone sees the world the same way you do, and also what to do about it. Stories about how half the things in his life weren't planned - skydiving, flying helicopters, jiu-jitsu - and the value of just following curiosity and letting life unfold as you go. We also talk about the hard realities of losing friends - why he walked away from wingsuit base jumping, & the stories behind the headlines. Figuring out when to push, when to pull, when to hold on, and when to simply (and gracefully) say "NO". We dive into his new book: Drownproof - and the context behind the stories hits a lot harder when you hear them told in real time among friends. No filters, no guard rails, no agenda, just the kind of conversation that feels like you probably shouldn't be listening to it… but here it is. 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know more about Aaron & his ventures at the links below! ✖️ Andy Stumpf Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/andystumpf212  ✖️ Andy's Book Drownproof - https://www.clearedhotpodcast.com/book  ✖️ Andy's Website - https://www.clearedhotpodcast.com    Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks (screen printing apparel) - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL (fulfillment for E-com brands) - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc   

Veteran and icon of the West Coast tattoo world pulls up a chair, pours a bourbon, and starts unpacking one hell of a life story - 3.5 hours with Aaron Della Vedova of world-famous Guru Tattoo. Aaron's path from punk-rock kid in Boulder City, Nevada to Coast Guard veteran to one of the most respected tattoo artists in the country was anything but a straight line. Following his dream he ran into con men selling "tattoo apprenticeships" in Vegas, faced off with a 6'6" biker tattooer who threatened to cut his hands off, and worked under a heroin-addicted "mentor" who once showed up to the shop barefoot, in his underwear, holding a Rambo knife and demanding a "loan". None of it knocked him off course. Aaron stayed steady at the helm of his vision for creating a tattoo culture that was more inclusive, more professional, and built around respect for the craft. Eventually that winding road led him to San Diego, where he opened Guru Tattoo and built it into one of the most respected studios in the country - holding strong for over 25 years in a business where most shops come and go with the seasons. Along the way he's tattooed thousands of clients, including both arm sleeves on longtime friend Joe Rogan. But this episode goes far deeper than tattoo stories. Aaron and the crew break down why people really get tattooed - and why the tattoo chair can become a unique form of therapy. The pain forces you into the present moment, the artwork becomes a permanent record of the chapters of your life you've overcome, and for some people it's a way to reclaim parts of themselves they thought were gone. One client even broke down crying in the parking lot mid-session - not from pain, but from years of pent-up emotion finally letting go. From there the conversation moves through psychedelics, consciousness, the tattoo industry's rise over the last few decades, military hazing culture, parenting, and the importance of focusing on what you can control when everything around you feels like it's falling apart. And because this is Liberty Risk… of course we also get into wild stories, relationships, and why drunkenly tattooing your husband's 🍆 at a wedding might be the ultimate expression of "love forever." Wild stories, unexpected depth, and plenty of laughs along the way.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know more about Aaron & his ventures at the links below! ✖️ Aaron Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/aarondellavedova  ✖️ Guru Tattoo Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gurutattoo ✖️ Chats & Tatts Podcast - https://www.instagram.com/chatsandtatts    Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks (screen printing apparel) - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL (fulfillment for E-com brands) - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc 

This episode we sit down with Grant Harvey - actor, adventurer, and living proof that sometimes the craziest stories in Hollywood happen off camera. Grant's path into acting started the way most good stories do: irrational confidence, a couple weird opportunities, and a last-minute decision to drive to LA with no money, no plan, and a mattress he pulled off the sidewalk. Somehow that turned into a career spanning film and television - including roles that required serious tactical training and working alongside real operators. But the wildest part of Grant's story isn't Hollywood. While filming a production in the jungles of Colombia, a simple day of shooting turned into a full-blown medical disaster. What started as heat exhaustion spiraled into toxic shock, ARDS, and a three-and-a-half week coma after a series of medical failures that nearly killed him. At one point doctors told his family he wasn't going to make it. Somehow he fought his way back, woke up after a month, and walked himself out of the hospital a week later. Naturally, the conversation goes everywhere from that near-death experience to sniper training for The Accountant 2, working with military advisors on Taylor Sheridan's new series, and the details that actually matter when you're trying to portray elite units on screen. Along the way we get into Hollywood insanity, getting knocked out by a leprechaun at a bar on Sunset blvd, being chased out of Jumbo's Clown Room with a baseball bat, and why Grant once turned down a potential $40 million lawsuit because he'd rather keep acting than cash out. It's a conversation about survival, authenticity, and the strange road that sometimes leads people from a small town in the Sierras to Hollywood sets, jungle comas, and back again.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know Grant more at the links below! ✖️ Grant Harvey Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thegrantest  ✖️ Grant Harvey IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2908492    Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks (screen printing apparel) - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL (fulfillment for E-com brands) - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc 

This week we sit down with Tim Pyles - San Diego's "Mayor of Local Music" - for a long-form conversation that feels less like an interview and more like closing down a bar with someone who's seen every version of this city. Tim walks us through a 30-year run in radio that started with construction jobs and a late-in-life internship, then turned into a career at 91X, FM 94/9, KGB and beyond - all fueled by a genuine obsession with local bands and weird British records. We talk about the early days of The Casbah (local legendary small music venue), Tijuana in the wild '80s when Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins were playing at Iguanas, the mod scooter scene in La Jolla, and the underground rave era where you got an address, a Thomas Guide, and hoped you found the party before sunrise. We get into how deregulation changed radio forever, how "The Pyle Sessions" became a proving ground for local artists, and how Tim somehow survived a DUI, job losses, industry shifts, and still ended up back in the building decades later. Of course, because it's us, the conversation drifts into many side quests. 😂 We go from vandalized parking meters to AI-generated music, conspiracy rabbit holes, media distrust, and whether we're watching the slow collapse of journalism in real time. There are plumbing disasters (more than one), septic tank trauma, rave culture innocence, and a few stories that probably shouldn't have been recorded. At its core though, this one's about culture - how scenes are built, how cities change, and why the weird local stuff matters more than people think. It's part San Diego history lesson, part music nostalgia trip, part unfiltered chaos. Three hours. No script. Just fun stories with fun people. Thanks for being here with us!   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know Tim & his ventures more at the links below! ✖️ Tim Pyles Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thelocalpyle  ✖️ The Pyle Sessions - https://www.thepylessessions.com    Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks (screen printing apparel) - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL (fulfillment for E-com brands) - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc 

Two worlds bound by ink.  This week we sit down with Joey Hamilton and Big Ceeze Castaneda - Ink Master Show alumni, black & gray killers, and two men who've lived more life than most people could handle. Joey went from 10 years in the Air Force - tattooing friends and PJs in the barracks - to inking celebrities and Vegas legends, building businesses, raising a family, and proving reality TV didn't define his career. Big Ceeze's story runs a different road. East LA gang life. Abuse. Drugs. Jail. Homemade tattoo machines powered by duct-taped batteries. A near-death overdose. Then a Valentine's Day in 1998 that changed everything - faith, family, and a deliberate decision to break generational cycles. We talk Ink Master chaos, gatekeeping in the tattoo world, the two sides of mentorship, celebrity stories, prison hustle days, and client moments so insane you won't believe they're real. And then it gets wild. Shop serial defecators. Convention disasters. Secret tattoos hidden in plain sight. Tinder horror stories. Clients passing out in ways you can't un-hear. We also get into marriage, redemption, raising sons into men, and why pain is part of earning your ink. Two artists. Two transformations. One wild ride. This is Liberty Risk. Let's go.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know Joey & Ceeze more at the links below! ✖️ Joey Hamilton Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joeyhamiltontattoo  ✖️ Big Ceeze Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/biggceeze  ✖️ The Inked Network - https://www.theinkednetwork.com    Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks (screen printing apparel) - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL (fulfillment for E-com brands) - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc 

This week's Crew Cast is just the three of us back behind the mics - no guest, no guard rails, and no real plan… welcome to the Thunderdome! 😂 We kick things off catching up on the last few weeks - Kevin fresh off a month in Morocco prepping the stage for a major Hollywood production, while Ryan and Nick recap SHOT Show chaos in Vegas - from industry meetups to late-night Circle Bar degeneracy and catching up with some old friends and retelling forgotten stories. From there the conversation goes everywhere it's not supposed to - the collapse of journalism, commentary on what's become a political circus, augmented reality tech, the evolution of night vision, and what the future battlefield (and civilian world) might actually look like as tech keeps blending the digital world with the physical. Kevin pulls back the curtain and tells some behind the scenes stories - working with A-list actors, training stunt teams, and navigating the strange overlap between Hollywood and military culture - while we also trade stories about lost Rolexes, fake designer luggage disasters, overseas drinking culture, and why tequila is sometimes harder to find internationally than night vision. Naturally, it wouldn't be a Liberty Risk episode without touching on some darker topics - deployment memories (both good & bad), the realities of home defense, and the heavier things that stick with you long after the uniform comes off - of course balanced out with the usual bar stories, shooting range shenanigans, and the timeless tradition of talking just enough shit to keep life interesting. No script, no filter - just three bros catching up on life, work, and the strange world we're all navigating.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks (screen printing apparel) - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL (fulfillment for E-com brands) - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc 

This episode is a long-form sit down with Greg Hake - Nebraska farm kid turned Navy SEAL, senior enlisted leader, and now Corporate Operator. We have some fun unpacking a 22-year career that took him from the conventional Navy all the way to retiring as an E8 in the Teams, with combat deployments across multiple theaters. Greg walks us through his not-so-linear road to BUD/S, including early fleet time that built the grit (and motivation) that ultimately got him through selection. That experience paid dividends later, leading to multiple deployments as a Sniper and JTAC - coordinating air assets in combat, managing everything from infil and exfil to close air support, sometimes juggling more aircraft than most people can keep track of Uber rides. We get into the realities of senior enlisted leadership - carrying responsibility for younger guys, the weight of losing teammates, and what it means to stay operational for over two decades. Greg also opens up about the physical toll of service, including emergency surgery to remove a brain tumor the size of a fist, along with enough orthopedic damage to keep the doc on speed dial - and overcoming it all to battle his way back to an operational platoon and deploy again. Naturally, the heavy moments get balanced out with the stories you'd expect - friendly rivalry between other branch's SpecOps units, instructor chaos, deployment absurdity, and the timeless SEAL tradition of talking just enough shit to create problems that you then have to solve. After retirement, Greg shifted lanes through the Honor Foundation into consulting, startups, and corporate leadership development - translating battlefield leadership into boardrooms and business strategy. It's a conversation about perseverence, reinvention, and staying mission-driven long after the uniform comes off - 22 years of service, senior leadership perspective, and what comes next when the Teams chapter closes.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know Greg more at the link below! ✖️ Greg's Official Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fatal.flaw.nation  Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks (screen printing apparel) - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL (fulfillment for E-com brands) - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc 

If Part 1 was Navajo roots, SEAL Team life, cryptids, and Brian trying to make sense of God and the unseen… Part 2 is where the mission shifts inward. After leaving the Navy, Brian finds himself standing at the edge of an entirely different world, one that has nothing to do with war zones or deployments, and everything to do with rebuilding a life from the ground up. What starts as a random trip to New York turns into a life-altering pivot, when he realizes the next chapter might not be combat at all… it might be purpose. Brian goes from growing up on the reservation to walking into Columbia University, learning in real time that reinvention doesn't require permission, it just requires a willingness to step into the unknown, and do the work. We talk about the hard transition after service, the quiet discipline of starting over, and how acting became a form of healing… not as an escape, but as a way of reconnecting with emotion, identity, and meaning. From working on Transformers to getting personal advice from Michael Bay that changed his trajectory, Brian's story becomes a reminder that sometimes the most important transformations happen after the uniform comes off. That road eventually leads to LAMDA, one of the most elite classical acting programs in the world, where Brian finds a new brotherhood, a new craft, and a new way to serve through storytelling. This episode is funny, thoughtful, and completely unlike anything else… a SEAL turned Shakespearean actor learning how to live a full life in the second act. Part 2 is here.   We split this 4 hour episode into 2 parts because the conversations in each half were SO different. Part 1 of Brian's episode was released last Friday.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is now LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know Brian more at the links below! ✖️ Brian's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/therealbwprice  ✖️ Brian's IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9067705  Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc 

This episode of Liberty Risk goes somewhere we've never been before. We sit down with Brian Price, a Native American Indian & former Navy SEAL turned award-winning Shakespearean actor, for a conversation that moves from reservations to war zones, from BUD/S to the supernatural, and from elite military service straight into questions about God, reality, and what exists just beyond what we can see. Brian grew up on a Navajo reservation in Arizona, raised in a deeply spiritual, matriarchal culture shaped by medicine men, ancient traditions, and witnessing firsthand stories most people only hear whispered about. That upbringing followed him into adulthood and, eventually, into the SEAL Teams. After graduating BUD/S and deploying to Afghanistan, Brian found himself navigating not just combat, but encounters he believes crossed into the paranormal - from unexplained figures & giants in the mountains to rituals and carved symbols that he recognized from his childhood. After leaving the teams, things got darker. Brian opens up about depression, spiritual experimentation, and a terrifying period marked by sleep paralysis, physical attacks, and what he describes as direct encounters with demonic entities. What followed was a complete reckoning. He began a decade-long search for answers, studying world religions, philosophy, and science, eventually landing on a belief system shaped by faith, experience, and a brutal process of elimination. We talk cryptids, skinwalkers, giants, spiritual warfare, the limits of human perception, and the idea that reality itself may be far stranger than we're taught. But at its core, this episode is about identity, purpose, and what happens when someone who's lived in multiple worlds finally tries to make sense of all of them. It's raw, unsettling at times, deeply personal, and unlike anything else we've released. Whether you agree with Brian or not, this is one of those conversations that sticks with you long after the microphones are turned off.   We split this 4 hour episode into 2 parts because the conversations in each half were SO different. We'll be realeasing Part 2 of Brian's sit down with us next Friday as Episode 45.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is now LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know Brian more at the links below! ✖️ Brian's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/therealbwprice  ✖️ Brian's IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9067705  Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc 

This episode is a deep, unfiltered sit-down with Kevin Macon, a recently retired San Diego Police Department sergeant with nearly 31 years on the job, 19 of them spent working gang units, and a lifetime of stories earned the hard way. Kevin takes us from a Midwest childhood in Michigan to making a reluctant family move to San Diego, where football became his lane. From Patrick Henry High School to San Diego State, he shares what it was like playing center alongside legends like Marshall Faulk, lining up against the real "U" Miami teams, and walking onto the Rose Bowl field for the first time knowing your life just changed. The brotherhood of the locker room, the reality check of seeing & competing with NFL Athletes up close, and coming to terms with the knowledge he wasnt going to go all the way in football. From there, Kevin transitions into policing San Diego, starting in his own neighborhood and eventually spending nearly two decades in gang units. He breaks down what that job actually looks like. Mutual respect with killers, 120 mph pursuits, park shootings with dozens of officers present, surgery rooms where bullets are recovered, and the constant balance between enforcement and coming home alive. It's candid, blunt, and stripped of Hollywood nonsense. The conversation also hits the culture shift after George Floyd, the toll it took on officers and families, and what it means to work a job where you're meeting people on the worst day of their lives. Kevin shares lessons on communication, restraint, and why professionalism kept him complaint-free in some of the most volatile environments imaginable. The crew also compares the many parellels between high stakes police work and the stress of combat deployments and relentless pressue in both professions. Between the heavy moments are classic Liberty Risk stories. Baker to Vegas chaos, being mistaken for Warren Sapp in Cabo, undercover mishaps, Midwest tailgates that restore your faith in people, and the humor that keeps you sane when things get dark. Now retired, Kevin opens up about identity after the badge, learning how to slow down, focusing on family, and what brotherhood really means when the uniform comes off. From football fields to gang units to retirement, this episode is about respect, purpose, and building a life you're proud to walk away from. Raw, hilarious, and grounded in lived experience - this is Liberty Risk at its best.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is now LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Macon is currently enjoying the slower pace of retired life and doesn't have social media, or a website, although we're working on getting him to come hang out for the monthly cigar nights on our Patreon channel 🤞🏼🤞🏼 Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc 

This week on Liberty Risk, we sit down with Jonathan Wayne Freeman for one of the most raw, hilarious, and unexpectedly heavy conversations we've ever recorded. What starts as jokes and side quests quickly turns into a no-shit, no-filter breakdown of a life built on big swings, spectacular failures, and a late-stage redemption nobody saw coming. Jonathan opens up about stories he's buried for over 25 years - from washing out of Navy boot camp after a steroid-induced psychotic break, to flaming out of law enforcement and firefighting careers, to spiraling through mental health crashes that nearly ended everything. He talks honestly about ego, shame, psych wards, and the pressure of trying to be "the guy" before he knew who he actually was. But this isn't a sob story. It's a comeback arc. Jonathan walks us through becoming a paramedic, hitting absolute rock bottom as a night janitor, and then accidentally finding his lane through comedy and social media. From running viral pages like Kook of the Day to working with brands like Bug-A-Salt and Pit Viper, he explains how being unapologetically himself finally unlocked everything he'd been chasing his whole life. Along the way, the stories are insane - psychotic breaks, humiliating street fights, paramedic calls you can't unhear, getting "banished" from Kauai, and the most aggressively wrong understanding of oral sex we've ever heard. Somehow it's laugh-out-loud funny and deeply human at the same time. At its core, this episode is about failure, redemption, timing, mental health, marriage, and why life sometimes doesn't make sense until way later than you planned. Jonathan's proof that trying, failing, and surviving still counts - and that your best chapter might not show up until you're 40. This is Liberty Risk at its most honest. If you've ever felt behind, broken, or like you missed your shot, this one's for you. 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is now LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know John on Instagram! ✖️ John's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jonathanwaynefreeman Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc 

This week on Liberty Risk, the crew sits down with Nik Hawks - former Navy SEAL, sailor, entrepreneur, and adventure connoisseur - for an absolutely WILD episode with story after story for almost 5 hours. From bouncing between the U.S. and England as a kid, to questionable high school decisions, to chasing the idea of becoming a SEAL thanks to a larger-than-life uncle, Nik's path was anything but conventional. He breaks down the realities of BUD/S, platoon life, hilarious bar fights, practical jokes, and the kind of lessons you only learn the hard way inside the Teams. And when the uniform came off, the adventures just became wilder. Nik walks us though his story of buying a small 22' sailboat and heading out solo from the West Coast, down through the Panama Canal, and across open ocean toward Florida, picking up hitchhiking deck hands along the way. No plan. No permenent crew. And sometimes no clothes. Just chaos, danger, and freedom in its purest form. The conversation dives into life after the military - the lessons lerned from businesses, hard resets, humility, and eventually finding success and building Paleo Treats and other unique ventures alongside his wife, Lee.  Packed with wild side quests, near-disasters, legendary pranks, and moments of real reflection, this episode is classic Liberty Risk - raw, funny, and honest. If you're into SEAL stories, adventure, entrepreneurship, or just hearing how someone survives doing everything the hard way (and sometimes naked), this one's mandatory listening.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is now LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know Nik and Paleo Treats at the following links: ✖️ Nik's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nikhawks  ✖️ Paleo Treats Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/paleotreats  ✖️ Paleo Treats website - https://www.paleotreats.com  Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc 

This week on Liberty Risk, the crew sits down with long time friend and fellow entrepreneur, Peter Lemke for a wide-open conversation about business, relationships, risk, and learning things the hard way.  Peter walks through his path from Arizona to Southern California, launching a limo bus business that came with equal parts cash flow and complete insanity - one employee even stole a party bus and some cash, they found the bus 24 hours later with the employee and a h00ker in the back. 😂 Between the party-bus chaos, unreliable employees, legal landmines, and the moment Uber and Lyft flipped the entire industry upside down, it was one helluva ride. The lesson is clear: trust your gut, adapt fast, and understand that managing people is usually harder than the business itself. From there, the conversation moves into Peter's later ventures, including marketing, the ups & downs of restaurant ownership, and his current focus, Dropkick Brew. He breaks down acquiring and rebranding a coffee company during the pandemic, navigating manufacturing and distribution headaches, and what it takes to land major partnerships with brands like Tito's and retailers like Costco. Along the way, the crew dives into bigger questions: shifting work ethic across generations, how technology and social media are reshaping business and communication, and why adversity still matters. They also get real about relationships, therapy, and the unique pressure of working with a spouse or close friends in something as stressful as a business. It's honest, funny, and unfiltered. If you've ever thought about starting a business, scaling one, or just want to hear how things actually go when the plan blows up, this episode delivers exactly what Liberty Risk is about: real stories, hard lessons, and plenty of laughs along the way.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is now LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know Pete and DropKick Brew at the following links: ✖️ Pete's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/petelemke  ✖️ DropKick Brew Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dropkickbrew  ✖️ DropKick Brew website - https://dropkickbrew.com  Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc 

This week on Liberty Risk, the crew sits down for what may be the biggest and most meaningful episode we've ever recorded - a roundtable with six guests bound by military service, Texas roots, and a deep commitment to showing up when it matters most. The episode kicks off the only way Liberty Risk knows how: inside jokes, supporter gifts, custom knives, and the kind of ritualized chaos that comes from real friendships. But it doesn't take long before the conversation turns heavier. The group shares stories of brotherhood, loss, and remembrance, including a deeply personal account of honoring a fallen teammate in a way that blends humor, grief, and respect - the kind of goodbye only people who've lived it can understand. RIP Kyle Paulson. As each guest introduces themselves, we hear backgrounds spanning Navy SEAL teams, business, and grassroots community organizations like 300 Justice Road - a foundation that started as a backyard barbecue crew and evolved into a force for good, raising money for scholarships and supporting military families across Texas. A major portion of the episode centers on the response to the catastrophic flash floods in Hunt, Texas. The guests walk through the chaos of the early hours, the rapid mobilization of SEALs, volunteers, and first responders, and the emotional toll of search and recovery. From cadaver dogs and sonar to coordination challenges with local authorities, the stories reveal both the difficulty and the necessity of organized, skilled response - and the uniquely Texas spirit that brought civilians, law enforcement, and veterans together when things were at their worst. Woven throughout are stories of culture and camaraderie - legendary bars, old-school rituals, and the bonds that tie military and first responder communities together. The conversation also highlights mentorship and giving back, with the guests sharing how they train and support underfunded law enforcement agencies, passing on tactical and medical knowledge to help prepare for real-world threats. At its core, this episode is about purpose. The group speaks candidly about life after service, the ongoing crisis of veteran and first responder suicide, and the importance of community as a lifeline. The message is clear: you don't need a uniform to serve. Everyone has something to contribute - skills, time, resources, or simply showing up. The episode closes with a simple call to action: check on your friends, find your people, and get involved. Because service doesn't end when the job does - and the strongest communities are built by those willing to step forward when it counts. This is Liberty Risk at its most honest - heavy, hopeful, and rooted in the belief that purpose is found in standing shoulder to shoulder when things fall apart.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is now LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know Greg, Brian, Mike, and the 300 Justice Road Mission at the following links: ✖️ Greg Froelick's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/odin_mulder_froelick  ✖️ Brian Mannion Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bmanni0n  ✖️ Colin Shelton Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/csato9  ✖️ 300 Justice Road website - https://300justiceroad.com  Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc 

This week on Liberty Risk, we sit down with Mike Mihalski - founder of Sons of Liberty 🔫 Works, underground-casino alumnus, walking Texas legend, and the only man we know who partied so hard he changed state law. 🤘🏼🤠🤘🏼 Mike & Ryan have a long history, from meeting in an internet chat room 20+ years ago because of a mutual love of talking shit, to being ghost roommates, to being the best man at Ryan's wedding - what follows is a fast-moving, unfiltered conversation about entrepreneurship, culture, luck, faith, chaos, and the strange places life takes you when you keep saying yes to opportunity. Mike breaks down his insane Vegas gambling runs, including the time he flew home with a million dollars CASH in a backpack. We also dive into the story of the night he got arrested in a hotel lobby with no pants and a suppressed, full auto 🔫 - an incident so ridiculous it sparked a revision to Texas state law (because Mike was in the RIGHT). The crew also discusses Mike's underground-casino days working as a bookie, and the bizarre "birthday astrology book" incident at a strip club that could only be believed in person (good thing we have witnesses!). The conversation goes deeper too: the realities of building a company from scratch into winning one of the most prestigious military contracts in the world, the weight of responsibility, the shifting landscape of American culture, and trying to make sense of a world that sometimes feels like it's glitching - including a crazy night in Austin that left everyone questioning reality. 👻 It's candid, it's sharp, it's wildly funny, and it's packed with the kind of hard-earned wisdom you only get from someone who's lived multiple lifetimes before lunch. If you're here for big stories, big ideas, and a brutally honest look at the American experience, this is one of our best yet.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is now LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know Mike and SOLGW at the following links: ✖️ Mike's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mikemihalski  ✖️ SOLGW Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sonsoflibertygw  ✖️ SOLGW website - https://sonsoflibertygw.com  Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc 

This week on Liberty Risk, it's just the crew - no guests, no filters, and nothing off-limits. The guys sit down for a full-send, behind-the-scenes session that feels more like a late-night team room hang than a podcast. From the chaos inside the Patreon chat to the origins of the infamous "bat signal" 🍆🪽🔦 meme, the episode kicks off with pure Liberty Risk energy. The conversation rolls into what the veteran community looks like today: the good, the bad, the hilarious, and the downright weird. The hosts swap funny military stories, wild nights in Mexico, near disasters, and the kind of screwups that you can only joke about years later. They dive into leadership, legacy, and what's changed - and hasn't - in the brotherhood since their time in uniform. Listeners also get answers to Patreon questions about some of the best/worst liberty risk moments, work-life balance, and the meanings behind certain questionable tattoos. And because it's Liberty Risk, things inevitably go off the rails into Bigfoot sightings, UFO encounters, and unexplained military weirdness that nobody can explain but everyone remembers. It's unfiltered, honest, and always entertaining - the kind of episode that reminds you why the community around this show feels like a family. The crew closes out with gratitude for the listeners, a call to reconnect with old friends, and one more toast to the wild ride ahead.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is now LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc    Some fun stories you might like from this episode! 00:00 - The Infamous "🍆🪽 Signal" and Patreon Chat Antics 03:13 - The Evolution of the Veteran Community & Podcasting Journey 04:14 - Vet TV, Donny O'Malley, and the Changing Face of Military Humor 10:31 - The Frogman Toast & Team Guy Traditions 13:25 - Fan Encounters & The Power of Community 15:23 - Why an Episode Was Pulled: Military Career Risks 24:06 - The Wild San Felipe, Mexico Adventure 55:46 - The Most Expensive "Liberty Risk" Event & Thailand Drug Scandal 57:30 - The Captain's Mast, Mistaken Identity, and Military Justice 2:32:08 - Bigfoot in Fort Lewis: The Night Watch Encounter 2:55:34 - UFOs, The Tic-Tac Incident, and Alien Theories 3:18:00 - A Shootout with Aliens in Tunnels Under Area 51 

In this episode, the Liberty Risk crew sits down with Ernest Emerson, the legendary founder of Emerson Knives, for a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation about his life, career, and the evolution of the knife industry over the years. Ernest shares how his upbringing on a Wisconsin farm and his passion for martial arts led him to create his first knives out of necessity, eventually launching a career that would help define the tactical knife genre. Ernest discusses his transition from working as a machinist at Hughes Aircraft to becoming a full-time knife maker, and how mentorship from industry icons and feedback from elite military units - especially the Navy SEALs - shaped his approach to design and innovation. He explains the origins of the iconic CQC-7 and the patented "Wave" feature, and reflects on the explosion of tactical knives in the 1990s and beyond. The episode delves into the close relationship between Emerson Knives and the special operations community, the challenges of maintaining American manufacturing in the face of overseas competition, and the importance of integrity and legacy in a family business. Ernest is joined by his son Lucas, who shares his perspective as a new generation designer and talks about the company's expansion into kitchen knives and new manufacturing ventures. The conversation is unflinchingly honest about the pressures facing American knife makers, the influx of high-quality but "soulless" imports from China, and the importance of supporting domestic craftsmanship. Packed with technical insights, industry history, and candid stories - from working with rock stars to testifying as an expert witness - this episode offers a rare look at the philosophy, values, and enduring impact of one of the most influential figures in the knife world.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is now LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Get to know Ernest & his son Lucas more at the following links: Ernest Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/realernestemerson  Lucas Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/emerson_archetype  Emerson Knife Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/emersonknivesinc  Emerson Knife website - https://www.emersonknives.com  Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc