Small Unit Tactics. This concept has become increasingly popular and more prevalent within our community over the past several months. As we as a whole, continue to migrate and shift away from a singular focus on flat range training, this has become one of the predominant areas of focus and interest. To dive deeper into this, Blake Flannery joins me once again this week to share his knowledge on the subject. We have the added benefit of this discussion coming just a few weeks after the first few...
Oct 28, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Season 2Ep. 137
I can't believe its already almost November, and time for the mid-term elections. With this big event just about a week away, it's the perfect opportunity to give another SITREP and share my opinion on some current events. As the election grows closer, we should all have a heightened awareness of current events and be putting in some time to research the issues. After all, in our democratic republic, voting is how our input and our voice is heard. This is an essential part of being a citizen, an...
Oct 23, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 136
Very rarely in life do you build the sort of friendships where you can not speak with someone for weeks or months, and be able to pick things up in your next conversation like it's barely been a day. Chris is a great friend of mine, and one such true example of friendship. This week, we sit down and chat about life, travel, night vision, suppressors of course, tuning rifles and some of the many projects that Chris has been working on with 1911 Syndicate. Hard to believe, but its been just over s...
Oct 19, 2022•1 hr 37 min•Season 2Ep. 135
I've been searching for the right way to articulate this thought for a while, and finally decided it would be something great to discuss on the pod rather than in written word. For years we have seen different ideas and issues within our community from a certain "side" of the argument. However, I think over the past five to seven years we've seen that rift start to close up. As a culture, we've come together and shared our ideas, discussed our opinions, and deliberated our beliefs to reach today...
Oct 12, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 134
Host of The Longhouse Podcast, and my friend, Tyler, joins me this week as we talk about all variety of topics. We spend some time sharing out experiences behind launching podcasts and some of the struggles that came with that process. Additionally we spend a greater portion of this episode talking communications. Something that's often overlooked, or simply seen as a box to check when building kit, it's crucial and can be a great tool, or an even greater hinderance. We talk budget versus qualit...
Oct 04, 2022•2 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 133
Discussions, and often arguments around gear and kit are one of the great cornerstones that our 2A community is based off of. For better or worse, the conversations around these things has built and broken dozens of friendships and helped thousands of shooters learn and grow. This week, Burke and I take some time and examine this piece of the community and share our thoughts and opinions around why healthy discussion is essential to development. Burke is active duty Law Enforcement and has spent...
Sep 30, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Season 2Ep. 132
Since starting this podcast, some of the biggest questions and comments we get are how to get a spouse involved, what brought the partner into the situation, and is there a way to get your significant other more interested. This week, Lexy and I sit down, and discuss our own personal experiences and how we've been able to work together to be successful. We each have a unique set of skills and interests, that we've been able to combine to be more successful. If you've found yourself wishing your ...
Sep 20, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 131
I am joined this week by Devin Soto, my good friend, and owner of The Tactical Cowboy LLC. As a former Army Ranger Devin has a lot of first hand experience with Close Quarters Battle. As a Ranger he trained to a high level of proficiency in a multitude of skills and situations. We sit down and we talk about fundamental skills and ideas that can might make you more proficient in that realm. Things like ballistic penetration, team work versus solo work, mitigating angles, and even more are all dis...
Sep 14, 2022•1 hr 47 min•Season 2Ep. 130
My friend Josh Diringer joins me once again, as we dive into the concepts and ideas behind mission planning and contingency planning. During his time as a Green Beret, Josh had numerous opportunities to plan and prepare for all manner of operations. In some instances the first degree of planning was enough, and the mission was a success. In many instances, there was a need for additional plans to be in place. This is exactly what we dive into in this episode. The how's and the why's behind plann...
Sep 09, 2022•1 hr 36 min•Season 2Ep. 129
Social media has been at the core of much of the rapid growth our community has seen over the last several years. The speed and ease at which we're able to share information has helped to usher in the newest generation of prepared individuals, and continues to do so. Unfortunately with that comes the speculation of personal opinions, and more often now, the criticism of those opinions. More often than not, incorrectly criticizing those individuals over a basic disagreement. This week, I take the...
Aug 31, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 128
After over twenty years in the Air Force, and multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, Fred has moved into the civilian world as the head of research and development at Spiritus Systems working on some of the best gear you can get your hands on. I was fortunate enough to get some of Fred's time to sit down and talk about his experiences, but also some of his observations around our community today. As a man who's seen plenty, and done plenty more, his perspective on things like armo...
Aug 26, 2022•1 hr 39 min•Season 2Ep. 127
A couple questions I get a heck of a lot, is how did I get involved with shooting and training, and how I ended up running my own podcast. Well this week, given that I'm taking time out to break contact for a bit, and spend some time off teaching, I thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about my life before shooting, and how it shaped where I'm at today. As a musician, I learned a lot of skills that have lent themselves to my personal training and development. Honestly, likely a lot mo...
Aug 17, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 126
I'm joined this week by Blake Flannery, owner of Maneuver Training Solutions, LLC, as well as cadre at Orion Training Group. Blake is a former Force Recon Marine, having spent twenty years in the corps. Throughout our discussion, we talk about a plethora of different topics ranging from standard types of gear like plate carriers, chest rigs, belts, and rucks, as well as getting into the viability and effectiveness of different colors and camouflages. We discuss social media trends, the developme...
Aug 10, 2022•1 hr 54 min•Season 2Ep. 125
It doesn't matter if you're a hunter, a sport shooter, competitive shooter, law enforcement, or military. If you run a gun, you have an optic. This week, that's exactly what we talk about! For my guest this episode, I'm joined by Nic Kytlica as we dive into red dots and scopes and get a first hand look at the processes that go into making these incredible devices. Nic is the Marketing Manager at Leupold Optics, and has been involved with the company in multiple capacities for over 15 years! The ...
Aug 05, 2022•1 hr 37 min•Season 2Ep. 124
Time for another SITREP as the U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 1808 and is working to enact a "assault weapons" ban that will have a far and wide reaching impact on gun owners across the country. With something so impactful looming over the country and our 2A community, I share my thoughts and feelings, as well as some context on the situation. Additionally, I have an announcement around what's next for The Prepared Mindset and how it will impact our future.
Jul 31, 2022•38 min•Season 2Ep. 123
On this weeks episode of The Prepared Mindset, I am joined by Derek Frymire, owner and founder of Drop 6. Derek does design and consulting work of nylon goods, or as we call it in the community, gear. We spent time diving into not only what led Derek down this path to learning his unique skillset, but to shaping it into a successful career. We even get into some industry discussion and shine the light on some manufacturing norms that may explain to a lot of you why some kit stands the test of ti...
Jul 29, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Season 2Ep. 122
It has been said that accountability is the glue which ties commitment to the result. With our pursuits of being more prepared, accountability is a all encompassing term that truly does tie everything together. This week, as I return from vacation, I share my thoughts on some recent events and how through accountability, we all, both as individuals and as a community, will find greater success.
Jul 22, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 121
Josh Diringer is my guest this week, and is also the owner of Survive First Contact LLC. As a former Green Beret, Josh has had a lot of unique experiences, and certainly many unique skills that he's learned and is passionate about sharing with students. During our conversation we touched on topics like Reconnaissance, Long distance shooting, as well as the adjacent skills, Fieldcraft, Urban Warfare, Attitude, and more. I learned a heck of a lot talking with Josh and I bet you will too. Go ahead,...
Jul 13, 2022•1 hr 37 min•Season 2Ep. 120
On this weeks edition of Prepared Mindset, I had the opportunity to talk with Devin Soto. Devin is a former Army Ranger with multiple deployments, and also the owner/found of Tactical Cowboy Training Solutions. As a educator Devin and his team have had the opportunity to train civilians, law enforcement, and even children. Tactical Cowboy's mantra of measure twice, cut once, preaches above all else, personal accountability and is present in everything they do. Accountability is just one of the m...
Jul 06, 2022•1 hr 47 min•Season 2Ep. 119
Have you ever wondered how a rifle is made? Not just built, but really made? This week, I get a in-depth look into that world, and some of the nuance behind manufacturing a firearm. Steve Winenger is the CEO of Ripcord Industries, a Tennessee based company that is designing parts, manufacturing quality rifles, as well as providing training too. Our discussion brought me a new level of understanding and clarity around building a blaster, as well as further illuminated the difficulties that accomp...
Jul 01, 2022•1 hr 38 min•Season 2Ep. 118
The past week has yielded landmark Supreme Court decisions around the right to concealed carry as well as the overturn of Roe v. Wade, and also seen the signing of additional federal gun control legislation. All three of these are critically impactful to our country and in many ways controversial. I sit down, I share my thoughts and my feelings around each of these and how they all impact each other.
Jun 25, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 117
Ian Strimbeck is the owner and founder of Rune Nation LLC. In this episode, Ian and I sit down and discuss the training mindset, and why it's so important that we not only protect it, but share it and teach it to those within our community. We had a fascinating philosophical discussion about things like failure, personal limits, resiliency, endurance, education, culture and even more. Rune Nations motto is, "No one is coming to save you" and it's in pursuit of that personal accountability and su...
Jun 24, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Season 2Ep. 116
Josh Lowry is 2A enthusiast, outdoorsman, and armorer for T-Rex Arms. This week, he and I sit down and talk not only about his time spent working at T-Rex, but about the community that he has helped to strengthen in his social media contributions and personal convictions. We talk about discovering and learning your personal limits, and then finding ways to push them. We spent time talking about community, mentorship, politics, and how each of those things has been fundamental in building our cul...
Jun 17, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Season 2Ep. 115
In much of the recent media coverage, we have seen politicians, leaders, celebrities, all railing for gun-control. We're told that in the wake of great tragedy, that the problem lies solely with guns, and gun ownership. "Facts" are thrown around imploring the general public to vote for anti-2A politicians. Lobby groups launch mass campaigns to convince the country that the root of all evil, and all our problems for that matter, lies with the second amendment, and those that support it. This week...
Jun 08, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 114
Nine years ago, Jessica Hazelaar founded Eclipse Holsters after making her own holster and discovering that many others like her were in a need for a safe, quality way to carry. Fast forward today, and they're setting the bar in customer experience and customer service, expanding their footprint, and building some of the best holsters in the market. Jessica and I talked about how she got her start, some of the difficulties around holster making, the importance of education in our community, and ...
Jun 01, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 113
Drew Estell is a former Army Special Operations soldier with 5th group, founder of Baer Solutions LLC, as well as author of Process and Progress Pistol Training. This week I had the opportunity to catch Drew between classes and sit down to chat about training, and his book on pistol methods and practice structures. We hit on a lot of key topics for developing skill sets and also discussed a number of other concepts, such as vision, and its importance to shooting performance. Simply an outstandin...
May 25, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Season 2Ep. 112
For this SITREP I share my thoughts and feelings around the newly developing Monkeypox crisis, and compare it to the last global illness we all dealt with. What will the Biden administration push next via executive order? Also, I share my experience finally being able to get my suppressor approval and first time hitting the range. There's a lot going on to keep a eye on, so this is one you won't want to miss.
May 22, 2022•38 min•Season 2Ep. 111
When most of us hear the term "intel" or "intelligence gathering" we automatically jump to spy movies and ideas of military genius. At some levels, that's definitely the case, but the truth is that we all are involved with all sorts of intelligence gathering on a daily basis. This week I talk about how we encounter this "intel" daily, and more importantly, how we can and should leverage it towards our planning, and our preparedness. Useful for all levels of preppers, this is definitely one you'l...
May 20, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 110
This week I take a break from interviewing awesome guests to talk something that's been very close to my heart lately. Self care and my personal health. We see a lot of talk in the media and especially on social media about why this is important. Because it really is. However, I had some of my own thoughts I wanted to share, as well as a update on my own situation and what I've been battling through the past few months.
May 11, 2022•54 min•Season 2Ep. 109
Jason Ransome spent 4 years in the Marine Corps, and 18 in Law Enforcement. He's had the opportunity to work as a volunteer officer, a K-9 handler, a SWAT officer, and a bunch more. I had the privilege of chatting with Jason and hearing about his past, how he got to run his own training company, as well as trends in the community, as well as the how/why citizens have the right to be well educated, and well prepared. Another awesome episode, comin' at ya!
May 04, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 108
