Personal Accountability. In my experience, it is the single greatest characteristic that I've seen in high performing individuals. While many folks claim they desire to be a highly capable individual with a high level of preparedness, the truth is that many simply fall flat. Accountability is at the crux of that issue more often than not. In a discussion that hits very close to home for me personally, I dig in to why it's so important and I add color and context to the situations that I think many of us run in to, while trying desperately to be better prepared, and more dangerous individuals. At the end of the day, we have to prioritize ourselves, our happiness, our families, and our own interests above those of peers who may not share the same drive, determination, and ambition that we have for ourselves. My hope is that this insight is helpful for some of you who may be having similar struggles, and are trying to find a way to break free of some of the weight that's holding you down.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comHerrington Arms - www.herringtonarms.comRMA Armor - www.rmadefense.com 'PreparedMindset5' to save!
Understanding your tools and how to use them to solve problems effectively is probably the best way to summarize much of what our training is about. Just as with any skillset or trade, if you don't know to use those tools, or understand the entire purpose of having them, you're going to run into issues, and certainly will be less effective. This is why it becomes so frustrating for many, seeing the emulation and "copy-catting" that is triggered by influencers, when it comes to equipment and supporting gear. Everything from optics and lights, to plate carriers, armor, and belts then becomes the constant focus and concern, rather than the hard skills that should instead by our pursuit. In this episode, I dive into this, and offer up some helpful tips and strategies for how to be more thoughtful, and certainly more effective, in this journey.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comHerrington Arms - www.herringtonarms.comRMA Armor - www.rmadefense.com 'PreparedMindset5' to save!
The fallout from the assassination of Charlie Kirk has weighed heavily on everyone's minds. What is next? What will we do? Why do we feel this way? To do my best to tackle those questions as well as bring insight on how to honor his memory, I sit down with Jeremiah and Brandon to break apart everything that's gone on over the last several days. Specifically we talk about faith, and the inherent morality that comes with it, and how it must be our guiding principle as we push forward in a world that seems to feel more and more dangerous and uncertain. As someone who isn't very far along in their personal faith journey, it was fantastic to hear both of these men speak with conviction, and share their thoughts on what's going on, and how we can all contribute in a positive way.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comHerrington Arms - www.herringtonarms.comRMA Armor - www.rmadefense.com 'PreparedMindset5' to save!
Unfortunately, I'm releasing this SITREP out of cadence, but in light of these events it's something that is needed. Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA and a major political voice in our country, has been assassinated. During his stop at Utah Valley University to kick off a public speaking tour, he was shot. This comes as a major blow to many, and serves at least as a shocking reminder of how far our society has fallen in these turbulent times. As always, I share my thoughts, my feelings, and do my best to speak on why this is so impactful, regardless of if you agreed with Charlie and his opinions or disagreed.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comHerrington Arms - www.herringtonarms.comRMA Armor - www.rmadefense.com 'PreparedMindset5' to save!
Night Vision. The super power that we all want, and the only capability which can be purchased. Unfortunately, to many, it's perceived to be unattainable due to the financial constraints which surround it. What many folks don't realize though, is that you have more options available than what you might think. To explore the options, and talk in depth on used and surplus options, I'm sitting down with Shane Sharp and Ty Morgan from Terrace Unity Solutions. TUS is a Michigan based night vision company just a few minutes from me, and a resource I only recently realized I had access to. We get into the comparisons and benefits between surplus and new devices, as well as some common questions like L3 versus Elbit versus Photonis, and do our best to fill in the gaps and add some much needed context to the common concerns that folks have. If you've been chasing the dream of owning NODs and haven't been able to make it happen, give this one a listen. I think you may learn a few things.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comHerrington Arms - www.herringtonarms.comRMA Armor - www.rmadefense.com 'PreparedMindset5' to save!
Watches are an essential piece of field kit, and something that many of us take great pride and interest in. Understanding what goes into making a quality watch, what to look for, as well as why it's important, is critical in making a good selection. It's even more important if this is a functional tool that you'll depend on in either the military or law enforcement, out in the field. To discuss these details, and how Brigade Watch Co. is facing the challenges head on, I sit down with one of the founders of Brigade, Kevin Ding. As a former Marine, Kevin first-hand knows the challenges of the field and training, and as a watch enthusiast, he knows what makes the difference in a quality time piece. As someone who enjoys watches but doesn't know a lot, I really enjoyed the time with Kevin and being able to soak up his knowledge, and hear about how uncompromising values and dedication to quality, drive Brigade Watch Co.Check out https://www.brigadewatches.com/ if you want to see the fantastic work Kevin and team are doing!Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comHerrington Arms - www.herringtonarms.comRMA Armor - www.rmadefense.com 'PreparedMindset5' to save!
Kevin Estela is a former History teacher and life-long outdoorsman, as well as an author, and talented educator. For me, Kevin was one of my earliest inspirations as a podcaster, and I couldn't be more excited to have the opportunity to sit down with him. We dive into history and fieldcraft, his transition from public school educator to full time instructor, as well as the importance of mindset in your individual training journey. Kevin shared a lot in this conversation, including the three essential elements to achieving success: awareness, preparedness, and willingness. We talked at length about how those three characteristics together will lead you to the places you want to be, and how their absence can lead to failure. Further we talk firearms for wildlife encounters as well as self defense, and even got into a little bit of tactical shotgun. Absolutely, an outstanding and entertaining conversation, and I'm sincerely looking forward to connecting with Kevin again in the future.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comHerrington Arms - www.herringtonarms.comRMA Armor - www.rmadefense.com 'PreparedMindset5' to save!
As long as we've been chasing self-improvement and trying to run a gun faster and more accurately, there have been men trying to develop ways and means in which to do so with less effort, and more quickly. Certainly at the top of that list is the handgun compensator. A device which when attached to the end of the barrel, vents the gasses in various directions, helping to mitigate felt recoil to the shooter, and muzzle rise. Having just jumped into this myself, I reached out to our good friend Jake from Herrington Arms, to talk about it. As a instructor, LEO, and competitive shooter, Jake has tens of thousands of rounds behind a plethora of different setups and compensators. We get into some of the testing and the science behind these devices, talk about lightweight triggers, reference plenty of the core principles of performance shooting, and also, at the very end, get a sneak peak at a new development from the team at Herrington. It's always good catching up with Jake, and I enjoyed getting to pick his brain for this one. Check it out!Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comOne Hundred Concepts - www.onehundredconcepts.comRMA Armor - www.rmadefense.com 'PreparedMindset5' to save!
I think it's a safe statement to make, that we all are, or have at least at some point, struggled to understand the balance that exists between the three pillars of overall preparedness. Heck, at some points, I'm sure many of us didn't even realize that they existed. That's alright, it's part of the journey, and to a large degree, that journey never stops. You simply have many encounters along the way that shape your mission and your goals. While it can be confusing, once you're able to make sense of what you need to spend money on, what you need to spend time on, and what's actually worth spending your energy on, the picture does become a lot more clear. You can out run budget end tools and equipment with enough training, however no amount of high end kit will ever compensate enough to make up your training deficit. In the same token, neither of those things matter if your mind isn't right and you're pursuing these things for the wrong reasons. So lets talk about it.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comOne Hundred Concepts - www.onehundredconcepts.comRMA Armor - www.rmadefense.com 'PreparedMindset5' to save!
Chris Costa is a man who truly needs no introduction. His early work with Magpul Dynamics helped to inspire thousands of us to pick up the rifle and start training, and his continued influence on the community is at best, difficult to measure. This week, I have the opportunity to sit down with Chris, one of my earliest influences in training, and pick his brain. We started by getting into Chris' experience in the Coast Guard, traveling the world on Counter-Drug operations, how that led to not only his career in teaching but also what sparked his passion for performance shooting. Of course, this conversation wouldn't have been complete without talking about the fabled Magpul DVD series, and even got into talking about long range precision shooting, handgun work, and a lot more. This was a spectacular conversation, and one I hope to be repeat soon, in the near future.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comOne Hundred Concepts - www.onehundredconcepts.comRMA Armor - www.rmadefense.com 'PreparedMindset5' to save!
August is here, and we're two-thirds of the way through the year. For this iteration of the SITREP, rather than stepping into political news, or global developments, I have a update on our own training here in Michigan to share with you. Pulling together a diverse group from across our state, with backgrounds in Military, Law Enforcement, and obviously trained Civilians, we are fresh off our first "CQB Workshop" training session. This was a targeted exercise put together and planned to "pressure test" and validate the practices and procedures that we use in our own training, and find the gaps, and as a group, get better. In this episode I share a behind the scenes on the planning work, but also the rationale behind building the event so hopefully, you all can do the same.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comOne Hundred Concepts - www.onehundredconcepts.com
In 2025, let's be honest, there's threats that we face in our daily lives that we can realistically prepare for. However, in the same token, there's a limit to how far that preparation can carry us. From emerging technologies, geopolitical turmoil, to the potential for civil unrest growing seemingly by the day, there's a lot out there. Far more to account for than certainly any one of us can alone, and even in a group limits to what can be accomplished. In this discussion I do my best to shine a light on what truly "being prepared" means, and I don't even get to everything. My goal was to draw connections between our daily lives and concerns, the training interests which fuel many of our passions, and the real world threats that exist, which many of us miss, or have as a gap in our planning.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comOne Hundred Concepts - www.onehundredconcepts.comRMA Armor - www.rmadefense.com 'PreparedMindset5' to save!
While it's pretty well noted that I don't have a ton of knowledge or experience out in the wilderness or in the survival community, my guest this week, has more than enough to make up for what I lack. Craig Caudill is the owner and founder of Nature Reliance School, and has dedicated his life not only to teaching survival, bushcraft, and sustainment, but to continuously seeking out individuals who know more, and finding ways to learn new things in areas he's spent his whole life studying. This was a fascinating conversation for me, and we were able to get into all sorts of interesting topics from beginner courses of instruction, to advanced training, to escape and resisting human trafficking. Craig has done a lot, and has a lot to share. This is certainly a discussion tailored to those of you more comfortable in the woods, than in your own home.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comOne Hundred Concepts - www.onehundredconcepts.com
The Red Letter Project is a unique company that takes the traditional approaches we see to skills like firearms safety and proficiency, force on force training, and individual capability, and builds on them through personal focus, and faith based principles. Maddy Scholar is the owner and founder of The Red Letter Project, as well as a avid shooter, as well as a student of business and faith. We sit down in this discussion, starting with Maddy's story of what led her to such an impactful life mission, and spend a lot of time talking not only about the benefits of the training, but the importance of being an invested coach and educator, as well as constantly looking for ways to improve yourself so that you may more positive improve your students. I found this conversation to be very interesting, and was blown away by the work that Maddy and Red Letter are doing to change the world.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comOne Hundred Concepts - www.onehundredconcepts.com
The first major piece of legislation for the new Trump Administration has passed, and it's been dubbed "The Big Beautiful Bill" by many. For me, I think it's more cheeky to simply refer to it as the "T Triple B" for reasons only a few of you will understand (but shouldn't). In this bill, which numbers somewhere between 1,000 and 1,1000 pages approximately, are a number of very impactful changes to the country. Chief among those is the removal of the unconstitutional two hundred dollar tax attached to NFA items like suppressors and short-barrel rifles, as well as hefty budgets allotted to border security efforts. There's a lot to unpack, and as always I have a lot to say about several pieces of this and how I see it impacting normal American's, as well as the downstream impacts that they could trigger. While I usually try to stay away from the politics in our weekly episodes, I think this one is justified. Check it out, and like always, drop us a email, a message, or a comment and let me know what you're thinking!Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comOne Hundred Concepts - www.onehundredconcepts.com
We're officially kicking off the second half of 2025 with the July SITREP! It's Fourth of July weekend, and with that, comes obviously the fantastic celebration by all Americans (mostly) of our fight as armed and well regulated civilians fighting for independence and to defeat tyranny. Now, in the last several decades, that notion does seem to have faded a bit over time, but it's an ideal that is uniquely American, and one that holds more value than many realize. I do my best to articulate my own thoughts and feelings around the holiday and why it's so important that we celebrate it now, and for many years to come. Additionally, we have terrible flooding in parts of Texas impacting thousands of families and once more, we as a community are called on for help and support. There's some information on who to reach out to as well as a brief update on the information that I've been able to gather over just these last few days. Hope everyone has enjoyed the holiday weekend, and God Bless America!Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comOne Hundred Concepts - www.onehundredconcepts.com
A discussion many of you have asked for, I finally had the opportunity to sit down with Kevin, of Custom Night Vision fame, and cut it up. While our time together was shorter than I would have liked, we were able to dig in to a whole lot. From hearing the story of how Custom came to be what we know it to be today, to discussing the mindless postings and arguments on reddit, and beyond. Kevin has always been someone who's willing to share with folks his own thoughts and opinions, and has been a resource to the community. In a segment of the industry where there's constantly evolving options, developments, changes, and enhancements, it can be difficult for folks to stay informed and in the loop. The content that the team at Custom and Kevin put out helps to close the gap, while also keeping us all well entertained. I enjoyed the discussion a lot, and am looking forward to the next one!Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comOne Hundred Concepts - www.onehundredconcepts.com
In a carry on discussion from Episode 313, JT and I sit down to get his perspectives and opinions on the question at hand. What really, if anything, is the difference between teaching, and sharing knowledge? Right off the rip we dive in, talking about the relevance of prior service, both in the Military and Law Enforcement, as well as what the expectations for maintaining that relevance could be, within the context of this question. This brings up a lot of points, including the passive and active "gatekeeping" we experience within the community around not only the information itself, but who is "allowed" to spread this message, and share these lessons. There's a degree of danger and concern when we only allow the spread of institutional knowledge without outside input, and impose unnecessary limitations. I really enjoyed the discussion, and I think this will be a value packed conversation for you all.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comOrion Training Group - www.oriontraininggroup.comOne Hundred Concepts - www.onehundredconcepts.com
We have some very strict, and oddly defined "rules" within our community around who is allowed to "teach" a skill, and even further, what skills they're "allowed" to instruct. However, in the scope of simply sharing what one has learned, regardless of who you are and what you've done, that's deemed as acceptable. In the context of this conversation, it does appear that to most folks, the line of delineation between these two concepts, is financial compensation. My thought behind this is, that this seems a flimsy way to articulate the two, and a very much unreliable way to qualify information and what is shared within the community. I dig into this, and of course get deep into the finer points behind communication, being effective, the illogical social constructs around this all, and as usual, much more. I think this is a worthy listen for those of you tied into the community, and training scene.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comOrion Training Group - www.oriontraininggroup.comOne Hundred Concepts - www.onehundredconcepts.com
Drones. They've become a fascinating and popular topic as more and more battlefield video leaks out of the conflict in Ukraine. Over the past several years, this has taken a strong interest in the community, and helped it grow exponentially. To get a perspective on what we're seeing not only on the military front, but the civilian space as well, I'm sitting down in this episode with Rob from Constellation Response. We had a great conversation, and touched on everything from unconventional applications, to the high tech developments that are on the horizon for drones. Some of which already exist in the military capacity, and are being leveraged in various capacities within our armed services. These devices are a complete step up in capability, and if you're looking for a multiplier that has the capacity to potentially tie in to things like your mesh network, communications, and more, this is the next stage in the evolution.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comOrion Training Group - www.oriontraininggroup.comOne Hundred Concepts - www.onehundredconcepts.com