This week, we continue our discussion of my top-10 bushcraft skills. We cover the next four skills on my list. Many people carry 550 cord, but how do you actually use it? Can you tie a knot that you'd bet your life on? How scared of grizzly bears should you be? How do you even choose where to pitch your tent? What happens if you need to cross a stream? Am I more likely to be struck by lightning or eaten by a grizzly bear? Is pepper spray just hot sauce for that bear's breakfast burrito (me in my...
Aug 08, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 119
Here's your bonus content for the month. How do you get a fish bone out of your throat? Our book of the month is Ireland by Frank Delaney. The challenge for the month is to do a pencil drawing- don't worry, I give you some tips.
Aug 04, 2021•7 min
Survival skills are one thing, but bushcraft skills will keep you out of a survival situation. If you want to fish, hunt, backpack, or recreate in the backcountry, these ten skills are absolutely critical.
Aug 01, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 118
I get a lot of questions about "survival skills," so I decided to pick a few of them and answer them on this episode. We're going to discuss some basic fire starting techniques, essential survival gear, and practical exercises you can start doing to improve your own odds of survival.
Jul 25, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 117
Lambsquarters are one of the easiest wild plants to identify, gather and cook. That's exactly what we're doing in this episode.
Jul 19, 2021•51 min•Ep. 116
Today is all about situational awareness. This is a skill that's trained and practiced, not something that's inherent in a select few.
Jul 12, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 115
Ok, seriously, this week I've been working really hard on moving around a lot of heavy dirt and stone. Maybe it's not so glamorous, but it's what I've been working on, so it's what I get to talk about.
Jul 05, 2021•24 min•Ep. 114
More bonus content! We're back to our regular three items for the monthly bonus episodes- pro tip, book recommendation, and challenge. This month, we talk about how to light a match like a boss. Our book of the month is "All the Pretty Horses" by Cormac McCarthy. The challenge for the month is to do something you've never done before.
Jun 29, 2021•11 min
Many wild plants are edible. I recommend learning one at a time. Start with plants that grow where you live. Learn how to identify them, how to harvest them, and how to prepare them. Today we're doing that with wild wavy-leaf thistle.
Jun 28, 2021•53 min•Ep. 113
Words are important. Words are arguably one of the most decisive single factors in human history. So it's important to know what you're saying. Speak accurately and correctly, know your implications, and be aware of the context of your expressions.
Jun 21, 2021•58 min•Ep. 112
In recent years, "rucking" has become a popular form of exercise. For many decades, the ruck march, rucksack, and rucking were terms only heard in a military context. The benefits of rucking for exercise, though, apply to everyone, so let's talk about how to start rucking safely, the gear you'll need, and how to track your progress.
Jun 14, 2021•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 111
Last time, we talked about getting over your fear of public speaking, building confidence through competence, and some tips and tricks for putting your talk together. This week, we're actually going through our talk, line by line, and discussing and editing it as we go.
Jun 06, 2021•59 min•Ep. 110
In this episode, we're talking about talking. I was recently invited to give a talk, so there's a bit of work that goes into preparing for it. Just like many of my other projects, I wanted to bring you along for the actual process of putting the talk together. In this first part of the series, we go over some tips on getting over your fear of public speaking, general tips on how to conceptualize and outline your talk, and the general subject matter we'll be covering. In the next episode, we'll a...
May 30, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 109
We're mixing it up a little for this month's bonus content. Instead of our regular monthly items, this bonus episode is all about the "card deck" workout. It's simple, requires only a deck of playing cards, and is an effective whole body workout no matter what your current fitness level looks like.
May 28, 2021•9 min
40 acres of severely overgrazed, depleted, and eroded land, and we're going to restore it! We're embarking on a massive habitat restoration project, and you get to come along for the journey.
May 23, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 108
Today, we're planning out our food forest. What is a food forest? Basically, it's a method of creating a forest habitat where you get to step back and just be a hunter-gatherer. We talk about why this is a good idea for you, how it helps your local ecosystem, and how it helps the planet.
May 16, 2021•57 min•Ep. 107
We're tackling the next step in dog training. Everyone loves a dog with good manners- greeting strangers politely without jumping, no excessive barking, coming when called, not pulling on the leash, and so-on. Dogs don't naturally exhibit good human manners though; they're dogs, so they exhibit natural dog behavior. It's our job as trainers to teach them to do something different than what they would naturally do on their own. We also don't teach a dog "etiquette" as a general idea; each individ...
May 09, 2021•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 106
With all of the questions that I got about our recent episodes on sailing, I decided to go ahead and do a sailing question and answer session. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions.
May 02, 2021•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 105
Here's your bonus content for the month! As always, we cove a pro tip, book recommendation, and monthly challenge. The pro tip is how to keep ice in milk jugs to make your freezer run more efficiently AND have it on hand for preserving your wild harvest. The book is "The Toilers of the Sea" or "Les Travailleurs de la Mer" by Victor Hugo. The challenge for the month is to repair something that's been sitting around your home in need of repair.
Apr 27, 2021•10 min
Spring is almost here, so we're getting geared up to take advantage of the warmer weather and get some projects done. In this episode, we talk about tree planting, land restoration, bird habitat, fences, breeding rabbits, and going fishing.
Apr 25, 2021•54 min•Ep. 104
There's something beautifully simple about life at sea. The idea of casting off and sailing the world on your own boat may seem far-fetched, but it's actually well within reach for most of us. In the first installment, we covered the hardware that you'll need (a seaworthy sailing vessel). In this installment, we cover how to gain the knowledge and skills required to sail safely.
Apr 18, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 103
Ajax and Aura are growing like crazy and making great progress in their training. Last time, we talked about bringing new puppies home and some of the very first things to start working on with your furry friend. This time, we progress to basic obedience skills and commands, everything your dog needs to know to be a great family pet.
Apr 11, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 102
Have you ever thought about just dropping everything, buying a boat, and sailing the Caribbean? That might be a much more realistic possibility than you realize. I'll walk you through the steps of how to do it.
Apr 04, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 101
I thought we should do something special to commemorate our 100th episode, but a top-100 countdown was just going to take too long. Let's talk about ten things that I use every day, why I use them, and how you can go about selecting some of these items for yourself. Be ready, be resilient, be effective.
Mar 28, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 100
Here's your bonus content for April 2021. As always, the bonus episode includes a tip, a book recommendation, and a challenge. This month, our tip is on proper pluralization of Greek-origin words. The book is "Kon-Tiki" by Thor Heyerdahl. The challenge for the month is to face one of your fears.
Mar 25, 2021•10 min
We're building a bow! It's mostly a traditional English longbow, but we're going to use a few modern tools and materials to improve it a bit.
Mar 21, 2021•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 99
Everything you ever wanted to know about barbed wire fence, other fence options, proper utilization of fencing, rotational grazing, habitat restoration, and wildlife crossings.
Mar 14, 2021•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 98
This is the last installment of our series on conversation skills. In this one, we talk about philosophical razors and how to apply them to our conversations. Be careful; don't cut yourself.
Mar 07, 2021•56 min•Ep. 97
Today we launch a long-term project. We're beginning the training process for two German Shepherd puppies. We're using Zak George's "Dog Training Revolution" training program, and we've already seen some spectacular results. Whether you're training a puppy right now, thinking about getting a puppy, adopting an adult dog, or dealing with some behavioral issues with a dog you already have, give this episode a listen, and get on board with a dog-training program.
Feb 28, 2021•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 96
Yay! More free bonus content! As always, we have three items to cover for the monthly bonus episode. The tip for the month is to avoid injury by implementing a daily stretch routine. Our book of the month is "Kettlebell, Simple and Sinister" by Pavel Tsatsouline. Our level-one monthly challenge is to start that daily stretch routine. If you want to step up your game though, our level-two challenge is to start a daily kettlebell routine. Pavel's book will give you all of the tools and knowledge t...
Feb 26, 2021•7 min
