Cleared Hot

Paul Sharp recently retired from a twenty year career in law enforcement from the city of Elgin, located on the NW outskirts of Chicago.  He served his community in a variety of capacities, from patrol, undercover, narcotics, SWAT, and the resident officer program.  He is a firearms, defensive weapons and tactics, and bladed edge instructor, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, and the owner of SBG Illinois.  Travis Davison is a vice president of Straight Blast Gym International, the owner of multiple SBG facilities, and a 20 + year BJJ practitioner and coach.   

Bryan Callen is a stand up comedian, actor, writer, and co-host of The Fighter and the Kid podcast.  His newest comedy special "Complicated Apes" will be premiering March 12th on the Comedy Dynamics Network.  His shows the Goldbergs and Schooled are currently airing on ABC.    Murderbookpodcast.com Biowave.com  

I asked for difficult questions, you delivered.  My biggest mistake as a parent, and how I dealt/deal with it, and my biggest mistake as a SEAL, and the impact it had on my career.  Why I feel like I was put on this earth to "fight," how one reconciles a calm demeanor with a "savage/kill" mindset. Advice for keeping your ego in check.  How to push through or keep going when you are at your lowest points.  Enjoy.    Audience Survey: http://suhttp://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=4zGlq6bTDFvj&ver=short

This podcast comes to you from Texas, and an incredible hunting outfitter, CS Outfitters.  Brian and John are both repeat guests, but this is the first time we have shared a hunting camp, and hunting experiences.  Many people think that hunting is solely comprised of killing, and they could not be further from the truth.   In 2.5 days we busted our ass, walked, crawled, laughed, drank, and learned. I think it has to be experienced to truly be understood.  Brian Chontosh is a retired Marine Corps officer, endurance athlete, and aspiring bow hunter.  You will get a glimpse into his character by reading his Navy Cross Citation.  John Dudley is the creator and founder of Nock On Archery which in my opinion is the one stop shop for archery knowledge and equipment.  John has mentored me into bowhunting for the past 18 months, and now it is Brian's turn to learn from the master. 

Jeff Provenzano is a professional skydiver, wing suit pilot, and BASE jumper with over 20,000 jumps. He is a current member of the Red Bull Air Force, traveling the world representing the sport of skydiving while shooting content for movies, sponsors, and executing demonstration jumps.  Links to videos from the conversation:  Fall Swoopers Chain Reaction NYC Wingsuit Flight Thor No parachute jump

Not only does everyone seem to be talking about "Toxic Masculinity," I seem to be receiving multiple emails about it every day.  Full disclosure, I have not being paying much attention to the discussion, for the reasons I go in to detail during the episode. I'm not a fan of the term, or any term that is overused and under defined.  If I had to pick one leadership style that is the most impactful, I would choose mentorship.  It is how I was shepherded from being a young punk in the Teams to an individual capable of operating with little to no oversight in high risk, high consequence environments.  I have been asked to create episodes on mentorship for young men and women, and the more thought I have put in to it, to the more convinced I am that they are not the target audience, the parents are.  I close with my EDC and some food for thought when it comes to choosing to carry a concealed weapon.  Here is the link to the full audio and video from the radio call in the podcast opening (it is not me in the call): 

Sean Evangelista is the founder and owner of 30 Seconds Out, a commando inspired apparel brand.  In addition to running his apparel brand, he is a member of the Sun Valley Ski Patrol, and also happens to be a retired Navy SEAL with 20 years of service, including multiple combat deployments throughout the world.  Sean and I served together, the night I was shot we were standing shoulder to shoulder.  As often happens, careers diverge and you lose touch with those you were once close to.  Although that night was nearly 15 years ago, this was the first conversation we have had discussing the events from each of our perspectives.  We covered a good bit of ground in this conversation, from pre military to post, reflections on the highs and lows of a career, the impact of a kinetic career on family thoughts on limiting time in combat, and the importance of team and purpose.  If you are interested in supporting Sean and his brand, check out:  30 Seconds Out Use code: "clearedhot" for 20 percent off your order

This episode closes out my 2018, and launches me in to my 2019.  The lessons I learned about humanity, the human psyche, psychology, and the human condition during my time as a BUD/s (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) Instructor, and how I implement them in my daily life. 2018 In review, goals and aspirations for 2019.  My thoughts on the departure of General Mattis, and an update on my BJJ journey.  Enjoy

Evan Hafer is the founder and CEO of Black Rifle Coffee.  Prior to his current role he spent twenty years serving this country, first as a Special Forces soldier (Green Beret), then as a contractor for the Central Intelligence Agency, completing multiple tours to Iraq and Afghanistan.   John Dudley is a world class archer and coach.  He is the founder of Nock on Archery, the one stop shop for information, equipment, and instruction for archers and bow hunters of all levels.  For the past year and a half I have been fortunate to conduct multiple hunts with him, and I am doing everything possible to draft off of his knowledge and experience. 

Ryan Michler is the founder/creator of Order of Man, a community and resource designed to help men improve every aspect of their lives from family, money, parenting, responsibility, etc. I hear the term "toxic masculinity" frequently, and if I am being completely honest, I stop paying attention shortly after I do.  From my view in the cheap seats, it seems to be a blanket statement designed to shut down conversations, and it is extremely poorly defined.  In this episode Ryan and I discuss why he chose to change the course of his life while working in the financial sector and devote his time and effort to creating Order of Man, and what he hopes it will become in the future.  Order of Man

In this episode I answer your questions from a diverse set of questions... My thoughts on military personnel charged with war crimes, leadership styles and their positive and negative impact on small teams, finding inspiration, situational awareness (preparation vs. paranoia), handling fear and doubt, and of course an update on the BJJ journey.  Thanks to everyone who reached out with questions, sorry if I didn't get the chance to answer yours, there will always be another Q and A.   

I am never able to answer all of the questions received, but I do my best to get to most of them.  This week was going to be an interview, but sometimes life gets in the way, so I called an audible and dove back in to some unanswered questions.  Advice for your members of the military, or young men and women in general when it comes to "Paying your dues," Forgiveness vs. Revenge, How to find your purpose post military, struggling with how to deal with those who "thank you" for your military service, accepting big changes in life without becoming overwhelmed. 

Aaron Cross is an Army veteran with tours of duty in both Afghanistan and Iraq.  He started his career as a "grunt," (his words, not mine) and then became an airborne soldier and served with multiple units, to include the famed 101st Airborne Division.  On his last tour in Afghanistan his vehicle was targeted by an IED, an incident for which he received the Purple Heart, and ultimately lead to the end of his military career.  Aaron has been very vocal and open about his struggles with PTS (Post Traumatic Stress), which is far less common than it should be from those in military circles.  Since his separation, 11 of the men he served with have chosen to end their own lives, a statistic that is far too common, and speaks to the challenges of military service in active war zones.  War changes you, in my opinion, for both better and worse.  You will come home a different person.  You will see the world differently.  You will struggle to find common ground.  The journey is not the same for any two people.  Hopeful

I am consistently blown away by the questions that are submitted by listeners.  I appreciate the time and effort taken to submit them, and I'll do my best to launch another episode to clean up those that I missed.  In this episode I cover everything from fighting a sense of entitlement in your kids, what you should do if you encounter someone lying about their service (specifically SpecOps service), advice for those stuck in a job that they hate, raising teenage sons, and my thoughts on team sports.  Like I said, we covered quite a bit.  Enjoy

The vast minority of citizens will never serve in the military.  My father served before me, and his father served before him.  I hope that military service ends with me, and that my children find other ways to serve.  This episode is with my father, and we discuss our own family lineage, how and why we set our roots in the beach town of Santa Cruz California, and the history of our families military service.  I am often asked about my service, and I can only reply with my own experiences.  In this episode I tried to focus on the experience not of the service member, but of the family supporting the military member.  I receive emails from parents of those serving often, hopefully this episode helps them. 

This is the second episode I have dedicated completely to Military Q and A.  I have been incredibly surprised by the volume of questions, so the military themed episodes will continue from time to time.  In this episode: What I would change from my time in service, the most important/valuable piece of equipment I was ever issued, healthy mindset for a career, killing, motivation, females in direct combat roles, and more.  Enjoy

The 2018 bow hunting seasons has certainly had its ups and downs for me.  I started my season on 25 August with Red Willow Outfitters in Northern Alberta, and just wrapped it up with a week of hard hunting in the mountains of Montana.  There were many failures, many mistakes, and many missed opportunities.  Those were the building blocks of my eventual success.  The second half of this episode is devoted to Q and A from the internet.  Kaepernick and Nike, managing adrenaline during, handling demotivated days, and more.   Enjoy

Travis Davison is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the owner of Straight Blast Gyms in Kalispell, Whitefish, and Missoula Montana, as well as the Vice President of SBG International.   John Frankl is a 4th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a professor in Seoul, and the man responsible for bringing BJJ to the Korean peninsula.  Both men are masters of their craft, and continue to both educate and expose people like myself to BJJ.  I have less than two months under my belt, pun not intended, and was able to attend a two day John Frankl seminar at SBG Kalispell.  I have many questions about BJJ, it's origin, future, and current state, as I am sure anyone who begins the journey does.  Enjoy. 

JT Holmes is a man who makes the Dos Equis "Most Interesting Man Alive" look as if he has lived a boring life.  JT is a professional skydiver, BASE Jumper, Ski BASE Jumper, Skier, Speed wing and Speed flyer (the first does not use skis, the second does), truck and Razor racer, public speaker, stuntman, and occasional actor.  He calls the Lake Tahoe area home, and travels the world extensively creating content for his sponsors, and in general, pushing the limits of what is considered possible.  Here are some of the links we discussed in the episode:  Top 5 Crashes - He is of course number 1 GoPro line of the winter Enjoy!

Chris Spealler is a return guest on the podcast.  He is a former college wrestler, and most often known for his competitive days as a CrossFit Athlete. He had top ten finishes at the CrossFit Games in 2007, 2008, and 2010, and winning the Master category for 35-39 year old athletes in 2017.  He is the owner of CrossFit Park City in Utah, a husband and father, and a passionate archer (sort of).  The training program referenced in the podcast can be found here, at: Grunt Works, and can be used as a stand alone program, or as accessory training to your current program.  It is designed for capacity in the outdoors, not inside of the walls of a gym.