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Episode 421: Justin Carroll & Rich Brown — Competent and Dangerous

In this powerful conversation, Rich Brown sits down with author, Marine veteran, former intel professional, and long-time friend of AWS Justin Carroll to dive deep into his new book, Competent and Dangerous. This episode breaks down what it truly means to be a capable, prepared, and resilient protector in a world that is shifting faster than most realize.

In this episode you'll hear:

• Why Justin wrote Competent and Dangerous and who the book is designed to serve.

• The gap between "owning a gun" and "being dangerous enough to win."

• Justin's model for developing well-rounded capability across shooting, fitness, medical, communication, and decision-making.

• The realities of modern threat environments and why most citizens dramatically underestimate them.

• Why competence must precede confidence — and how to build both through structured training.

• The role of mindset, deliberate practice, and environment design in building daily habits that stick.

• Justin's take on preparedness culture — what we're doing right, and where most people are failing.

• Rich and Justin's shared experiences training, carrying, and working with real-world protectors.

• How to turn information into action and begin closing capability gaps immediately.

Who is Justin Carroll?

• U.S. Marine Corps veteran

• Former intelligence professional

• Security, preparedness, and communications expert

• Author of multiple well-regarded works on readiness

• Instructor and long-time AWS contributor

• Host of the "Across the Peak" podcast

• One of the clearest voices in the modern preparedness and training community

Why this episode matters:

Because being armed is not the same as being dangerous. Justin's book and this conversation outline the roadmap for the modern citizen-protector: capable, adaptable, trained, and mentally resilient.

Get the Book here!