The sports, hunting, and outdoor trade show, better known as SHOT show, takes place every year in Las Vegas, and for the first time, The Prepared Mindset was able to attend. This is something that I've been working towards and very much anticipating, as many do, for a long time, and was every bit the learning and networking opportunity that I had hoped it would be. Lexy and I sit down and recap the trip, talk about what we did, who we saw, and what we learned. Truly, if you've never attended, I'm just not sure that there are words that can sufficiently explain to you the sheer amount of "stuff" that you'll find throughout the show floor. From nylon gear to night vision, from ammo to armor, and obviously firearms galore, there's a ton to see out in the desert. I loved the trip, and loved the experience, and am already looking forward to next years event!

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For years, the phrase "Modern Minuteman" has been latched on to by those of us in the preparedness community as a way to self identify, and to a extent, justify our efforts. While it's a nifty idea and catchy label, I personally think that it's become one of the more detrimental ideologies in todays community. There's a certain amount of personal awareness, and accountability that is required when discussing the idea of a truly capable man, and prepared civilian. What many do seem to forget is that in the days of the original minuteman, the lack of training and false belief in ones skills, almost led us to certain defeat. If that had happened, our country, our culture, would never have even existed. I dive into my own experiences, and I do share some insight related to current events and community, that I think can help us steer out of those age-old bad habits.

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As a follow up from our previous discussion with Irish from Almost Covert, in this week's episode I sit down with the "other half" of the founders of A/C, the man called Bully. With a conventional background, one outside of military and law enforcement, this isn't exactly the kind of individual you would expect to find coordinating counter trafficking operations and devoting his life to helping save children. Our conversation started with personal fitness, training on and off the range, mindset, and accountability, and ended diving into the work that Tether Group is doing overseas in South Africa. This was truly a fantastic discussion on some of the absolute most horrific, yet real, topics in our world. I'm appreciative of the time away from this work, to be able to share the story of what Tether was formed for, as well as the insight into just how bad this issue is across the world. I urge you to give this episode a listen, and consider what you can do, to aid in the fight.

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With SHOT show just over a week away, it's only fitting that we have a discussion around the unique animal, which is the city of Las Vegas. More specifically, how the various impressive properties up and down the strip approach security, manage risk, and protect guests. I sit down with Gabe this week, who has had a relatively short but impressive career working in Vegas in multiple capacities, to unpack the many facets of securing some of the most well known casinos in the world. From SRT and ERT teams, to Cash Transport, to customer service and all of the various teaching and training that Gabe has done, we cover a lot of ground. These roles are very unique and provide many challenges that you may not typically find in standard security or law enforcement work. I'm looking forward to connecting with Gabe on my trip, and having him back on the pod in the future, as well.

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The official first episode AND first SITREP of the 2026 calendar year! While I initially didn't think there would be a whole lot to talk about when planning this a couple weeks ago, there's been a few developments as of late that really worked themselves up the list. As always, these discussions are the monthly opportunity to talk about current events both in the United States, as well as abroad, and give lots of opinion and a little context to help keep our audience informed. Certainly, getting into the new changes the NFA, diving into the fraud scandals with daycare centers throughout the country, and reacting to the capture of Venezuelan President Maduro, this SITREP is not short on that, at all. Happy to have you aboard as well roll full steam ahead, into the new year!

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The end of 2025 is here! Hard to believe as it may be, this is the last episode/discussion of the calendar, as we get ready to turn over, and dive head first into 2026. This past year been one of intense growth for me personally, and certainly for Prepared Mindset. The changes that came about this year in many cases were extremely challenging but in some ways very rewarding too. As with the other years gone by, I take this opportunity to walk through the highlights, and unfortunately some lowlights of this year, and talk about them. From the classes, to the range days, to some of the key developments that have contributed in shaping PMP into what it is today. I appreciate everyone who has contributed throughout the year and helped us find our successes, both large and small. I am eagerly looking forward to what's coming next!

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If you've been searching for information on breaching - how it's done, why one tool is used over another, considerations and constraints - this is the one guys. This week, I sit down with Steven Laster of Core Vision Training and dive into the topic and skillset of breaching. Steve is former Army, and currently active on what I would consider a pretty high volume SWAT team. Throughout our discussion we hit on various tools, including Rams, Halligans, Shotguns, torches and saws, we even spend time talking about the benefits that Hydraulic breaching tools bring into the discussion. From weight and length, to pro's and con's and risk considerations when using something like a shotgun. Steve is truly passionate about this work and shares a ton of information throughout the conversation. If you're aspiring to learn more about the skillset, I guarantee this will be a great starting point for you.

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Go Take a Class! While you can certain do a lot of self study in today's day and age, with the access to articles and videos we have, instructor led courses are still the best source of information and learning available. While they alone won't magically make you better, getting the hands-on opportunity is invaluable in your personal journey of preparedness. Unfortunately, this concept is still one that is widely unadopted, leaving us with a community full of overly-empowered individuals, who parrot the opinions of strangers online, or worse, draw vast assumptions based on personal emotion. In this discussion I dive into how shallow the knowledge and understanding in our community really is, and why we haven't grown more as a whole, over the past several years.

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Not having a personal background in military or law enforcement, I wasn't sure I would ever actually have the chance to teach in the 2A space. Sure, I have a lot of years under my belt as an educator, teaching music and marching band, but is that really relevant in the context of shooting, self defense, tactics, etc.? Well, I finally had a opportunity presented to me to give it a go, and I spend this weeks episode talking all about it. From my apprehension about the outward appearance of someone with no operational background teaching, to the excitement of being able to revisit something that was previously a huge part of my life, and my personality. This ended up being an incredible experience, and I'm very happy to share it all with you!

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We roll through Thanksgiving, officially into the last month of the Calendar, and lots of strong economic indicators as things politically heat up across the country. In this installment of the Sunday SITREP, I talk about some crucial current events, talking about tensions across the country as religious protests increase and the friction heats up between protestors and residents in key cities across the U.S. With things become so tense, especially in the wake of the murder of two National Guardsmen in D.C., there's a lot to consider, and a lot to evaluate. Additionally, I talk about the retail spike from Black Friday, my observations on our culture throughout the largest shopping day of the year, and also how to take advantage of the sales and opportunities. Lots of opinion, and lots of entertainment, as always!

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