Welcome to Grit Nation, I’m Joe Cadwell the host of the show and on today’s episode I have the pleasure of speaking with strength coach, self-defense instructor, and author, Varg Freeborn. 

I first came upon Varg’s unique perspective to self-defense and violence preparedness a few years ago and became a fan of his straight shooting, no BS philosophy. So, I was especially pleased to have the opportunity to talk with him recently. 

We’ll start our conversation as Varg details his childhood in the shattered remains of a postindustrial Midwestern town and how growing up in a home corroded by drugs, alcohol and violence laid the foundation for him being sent to prison at the age of 19 for aggravated, attempted murder. 

Next, we’ll discuss the physical and mental attributes Varg honed and the strategies he employed to endure 5 years of incarceration and how his second book titled, Beyond OODA, will help you better understand how your past experiences and the stories you tell yourself about who you are, need to be in alignment in order to survive extreme environments and situations. 

Later, we’ll dig into what it means to build a genuine, authentic persona through hard work and experience and why imposter syndrome and in-authenticity are so prevalent in society today. 

And we’ll end our conversation as Varg explains the concept of woodshedding and how disconnecting from social media can help you achieve a fulfilled, meaningful life.

The Show Notes

Varg Freeborn
https://vargfreeborn.com/

Union Home Plus
Union Home Plus helps union members save money when they buy, sell, or finance their home.

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Hi, I’m Joe Cadwell, writer, producer, and host of Grit Nation, but in this special episode of the Building Trades Podcast I’ll actually be the guest on someone else’s show.

Join me today as I talk with Nate Wadsworth from the Essential Craftsman Podcast. 

If you haven’t heard of the Essential Craftsman, you should really check them out. 

I’m a big fan of their YouTube channel, which is hosted by Nate’s dad Scott, and in fact I have been recommending his video series to my carpenter apprentices for years

They’re informative, educational, and honestly just a lot of fun to watch.

Nate does a great job with the podcast, and I was excited at the chance to be on his show.

We open our conversation with me talking about my experience as a military diver and my career as professional hard hat construction diver.

Later we get into the importance of organized labor unions, opportunities in union apprenticeships, careers in the building trades and what it means to be a leader in today’s fast paced and highly competitive commercial construction industry.

The Show Notes

The Essential Craftsman
https://essentialcraftsman.com/

Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute
https://www.pnci.org/

Union Home Plus
Union Home Plus helps union members save money when they buy, sell, or finance their home.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

On today’s episode I have the honor and privilege of speaking with Brian Bogert founder of the Brian Bogert Companies.

Brian is a human behavior and performance coach, motivational speaker, and business strategist who has change the lives of thousands with his revolutionary coaching programs.

Brian starts today’s conversation by sharing with us the horrific accident that he suffered as a child and then will explain how he was determined not to let that tragic moment define who he would become as an adult.

Brian will then relate how he became a passionate public speaker who believes in helping growth-minded individuals become the best version of themselves by leveraging radical authenticity and awareness to create the intentional life they’ve been dreaming of but have struggled to create on their own. 

Later we’ll unpack his revolutionary strategy of embracing pain to avoid suffering—and how this has helped individuals, groups and entire companies break beyond their normal to achieve the success in life and business that they’ve always wanted. 

And we will finish our conversation when Brian shares his wisdom and insight so that you too can learn how to develop the grit and determination needed to persevere through the toughest of challenges.

This is an episode you truly do not want to miss.

Be sure to check out the show notes after the episode to learn more about Brian and his message.

The Show Notes

Brian Bogert Companies Website
https://brianbogert.com/

Union Home Plus
Union Home Plus helps union members save money when they buy, sell, or finance their home.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

On today’s episode I have the pleasure of speaking with history professor and author Aaron Goings. 

Aaron’s latest work titled, The Port of Missing Men, is an in depth look into the life and legend surrounding Billy Gohl the charismatic, controversial and infamous labor organizer of the Sailors Union of the Pacific. 

After being convicted for the murder of a good friend, Billy was unjustly credited with the murder of dozens of port workers and  was branded by the press as The Ghoul of Grays Harbor.  

Aaron’s book looks into this bizarre slice of history and attempts to untangle the complicated story of big business, organized labor, citizen committees, and shady detective agencies in pursuit of the truth behind the multitude of dead bodies known as the “floater fleet” that clogged the frigid waterways of Gray’s Harbor, Washington in the early 1900’s.

More than just a true-crime novel, The Port of Missing Men exposes the brutal treatment sailors and loggers suffered at the hands of lumber barons and ship owners in the early Pacific Northwest extraction economy and details the heated and sometimes violent clashes between pro-union and anti-union forces.  

Aaron’s book exposes a class system of income inequality that persist even today and serves as a poignant reminder that the fight for fair pay, safer    working conditions and basic workers’ rights is far from over.

The Show Notes

The Port of Missing Men
https://uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295747415/the-port-of-missing-men/

Powell's Books
https://www.powells.com/

Union Home Plus
Union Home Plus helps union members save money when they buy, sell, or finance their home.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Welcome to Grit Nation, I’m Joe Cadwell the host of the show and today I will be talking with the national account manager for Milwaukee Tools, Justin Ross. 

Milwaukee Tools has been a leader in the construction industry since 1924, and they continue to develop innovative solutions that deliver increased productivity and unparalleled durability for building trades professionals. 

Josh and I will open our conversation by discussing the history of the company, starting with their iconic Sawzall and later we’ll learn how Milwaukee has grown over the last century to become the largest supplier of cordless tools in North America. 

Next, we’ll discuss how Milwaukee’s early adoption and investment in the Lithium-Ion battery platform spurred a revolution in cordless power tools and why these advances not only increase productivity and safety on the jobsite but are good for the environment too. 

Later Josh will explain the research and development process of designing new products to meet industry demands and how Milwaukee’s in-house engineers work collaboratively with building trade professionals to find solutions for typical jobsite pain points. 

And well wrap up our conversation by learning about Milwaukee’s unmatched commitment to the future of construction with their generous support of building trades apprenticeship programs.

The Show Notes

Milwaukee Tools
https://www.milwaukeetool.com/

Milwaukee Apprentice Program - GRID
https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Grid/Contact

Union Home Plus
Union Home Plus helps union members save money when they buy, sell, or finance their home.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

In this episode I’ll be talking with bestselling author Todd Brewster who together with co-writer Marc Lamont Hill have written Seen and Unseen – Technology, Social Media and the Fight for Racial Justice.  

This powerful book is a riveting exploration of the ways in which visual media has shaped the nations narrative on race and has fundamentally altered the centuries long battle for racial justice.  

We’ll open our conversation as Todd outlines his career as a journalist for Time/Life Magazine, a senior producer for ABC News and his fellowship at Yale Law school. He’ll then explain the events that brought him and Marc together to collaborate on their book.  

Next, we’ll discuss the roll technologies, such as still photography and moving pictures have played in shaping our views and opinions, and why he believes the ubiquity of cell phone cameras has now democratized our ability to document history and drive social change. 

Later, we’ll dig into four recent high-profile events ranging from the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis to the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, South Carolina that have changed the way we understand race relations in America.  

And we’ll end our conversation by unpacking the limitations technology and social media have in sorting and prioritizing stories of significant social value from those that don’t. 

The Show Notes

Seen and Unseen
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Seen-and-Unseen

Todd Brewster
https://www.toddbrewster.com/

Marc Lamont Hill
https://www.marclamonthill.com/

Union Home Plus
Union Home Plus helps union members save money when they buy, sell, or finance their home.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

On today's episode I will be speaking with Steve Jones, the founder and CEO of LinkedUnion, an app based organizing tool that puts the power of unions in the hands of its members. 

We’ll open our conversation as Steve explains the shortcomings many unions have historically faced in mobilizing their ranks, and the moment of betrayal by a political candidate that was the catalyst for him to create LinkedUnion. 

Next, we’ll discuss the roll technology plays in helping organized labor unions inform, engage, and mobilize their members, and why the utilization and embrace of tech is so important to their survival and prosperity. 

Later, Steve will share some of the challenges he and his team overcame in developing their proprietary software, and why he feels staying nimble and responsive to their customers’ needs allows them to stand apart, in a highly competitive marketplace.   

We’ll then dig into a few features of the LinkedUnion app, such as searching for work, submitting apprenticeship hours, paying union dues, and receiving time sensitive calls to action.  

And we’ll end our conversation by understanding how LinkedUnion uses robust, state of the art security to protect its user’s personal data.

The Show Notes

 LinkedUnion
https://linkedunion.com/

Grit Nation  Webpage
https://www.gritnationpodcast.com

Follow Grit Nation on Twitter
https://twitter.com/gritnationpod

Email comments or suggestions to:
[email protected]

Grit Nation is a proud member of the Labor Radio / Podcast Network
https://www.laborradionetwork.org/ 

NW Carpenters Union
United Brotherhood of Carpenters, Regional Council in the Pacific Northwest

Union Home Plus
Union Home Plus helps union members save money when they buy, sell, or finance their home.

Image Pointe Printing
Union Printers based in Waterloo Iowa

The Martinez Tool Company
Martinez Tools, built tough and built to last a lifetime.

Diamondback Toolbelts
Manufactures of premium quality toolbelts and accessories

Welcome to  the Grit Nation podcast, I’m Joe Cadwell and in this episode I have the pleasure of speaking with logger, blacksmith, carpenter, and internet sensation Scott Wadsworth.  

Better known to over 1 million YouTube followers as the Essential Craftsman, Scott, together with his son Nate, have created a wealth of entertaining and educational videos designed to help anyone interested in learning more about blue-collar craft skills. 

Scotts laid back, straight shooting, and down to earth demeaner resonates well both on and off camera and I found this interview to be truly enjoyable. 

We’ll start our conversation by learning how Scott got involved in the building trades over 4 decades ago and what he believes some of the bigger industry changes and challenges have been. 

Next, Scott will share details of individuals he has met as a professional builder and what characteristics and attributes they possessed that made them so memorable and influential in his life. 

Later, we’ll dig into the concept of “workmanship of risk vs. workmanship of certainty” and why a healthy balance of both is needed both on and off the job to achieve a career and life, full of meaning and reward. 

We’ll then discuss why now more than ever a career as a building trades professional can produce the same or greater socio-economic gains as a college degree and investigate some of the factors responsible for shifting this paradigm.  

And we’ll wrap up our conversation by discussing what it means to be a Craftsman and why Scott’s definition of success doesn’t rely solely on how many digits you have in your savings account.

The Show Notes

The Essential Craftsman
https://essentialcraftsman.com/

The Essential Craftsman Podcast
https://essentialcraftsman.com/podcast

Union Home Plus
Union Home Plus helps union members save money when they buy, sell, or finance their home.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Welcome to Grit Nation, I’m Joe Cadwell the host of the show and today I have the pleasure of speaking with author Kim Kelly about her new book titled Fight Like Hell – The Untold History of American Labor.  

Kim’s book is a remarkable interweaving of past and present that brings America’s rich and bloody labor history to vivid life. 

Her book comes at a time of economic reckoning in America. From Amazon Warehouses to Starbucks coffee shops, interest in organized labor is at a peak not seen in more than half a century. 

We’ll open our conversation by learning why Kim transitioned from writing about heavy metal and country music for Vibe Magazine to covering worker rights issues. 

Next, we’ll discuss the significant role women have played in the labor movement as we dig into the stories of historical figures such as Lucy Parsons and Mother Jones. 

Later, we’ll look into the recent win for workers at an Amazon Warehouse in New York and what it means for the organized labor in the years to come. 

And we’ll wrap up our conversation by understanding the connection between the struggle for rights for people with disability and the labor movement.

The Show Notes

Kim Kelly
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fight-Like-Hell/Kim-Kelly/9781982171056

Union Home Plus
Union Home Plus helps union members save money when they buy, sell, or finance their home.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Welcome to another episode of Grit Nation, I’m Joe Cadwell the host of the show and today I will be talking with investigative reporter David McSwane about his new book Pandemic Inc. – Chasing the Capitalists and Thieves Who Got Rich While We Got Sick. 

David’s book is an explosive look inside the rush to profit from the Covid-19 pandemic and connects the dots between shady backdoor deals and a robust spoils systems that led to a catastrophic mishandling of the pandemic. 

Pandemic Inc is a brilliant nonfiction thriller that takes us behind the scenes to reveal how traders, contractors and healthcare companies used one of the darkest moments in American history to fill their pockets. 

During our conversation David will introduce us to a host of characters he met while writing his story. From the fraudster who signed a million-dollar contract with the government to provide lifesaving PPE and yet came up with not a single mask to the Navy admiral at the helm of the national hunt for medical supplies.  

David’s roller coaster of a story takes us inside private jets and dirty warehouses as he seeks to expose the stranger than fiction criminal enterprise that played out in real time right before our very eyes. 

The Show Notes

David McSwane
http://www.davidmcswane.com/

Union Home Plus
Union Home Plus helps union members save money when they buy, sell, or finance their home.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.