This episode features a standalone chapter from the book Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.

In Chapter 7 – Reading the Room & the Streets, David Burnell takes you deep into one of the most vital survival skills: understanding what your environment is trying to tell you. Whether you’re walking into a gas station, a restaurant, or across a quiet parking lot, the room—and the street—are speaking.

Drawing from decades of experience in protective operations, disaster zones, and training simulations, David teaches how to identify subtle environmental cues and behavioral red flags before danger happens. You’ll learn how to:

• Read body language, hands, and posture
• Identify abnormal patterns and environmental red flags
• Scan for exits, barriers, and transitional zones
• Trust your subconscious, "cold prickly," and use it as data

This isn’t about paranoia. It’s about pattern recognition.
 This isn’t about being a warrior. It’s about being aware.

Train your eyes, trust your gut, and tune into the signals—because the room always tells a story.

This is a single chapter from the full-length audiobook Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts, available on Audible, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon.

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