The Prepared Mindset Podcast

Perception. The state of being or process of becoming aware of something through the senses. In 2025, this often means, believing what you see and hear. Regardless of accuracy and fact, we as a society build "our truth" off of our perceptions. For those of us trying to build support, to correct misinformation, about our 2A community, it means fighting the colossal battle against public perception....

Spring is here, and it's time for the May SITREP. This time, I actually have some PMP news to share, with the upcoming structure clearance course with Orion Training Group, here in Michigan, as well a teaching opportunity for me. Additionally, I dive into the news of the recent raid in Colorado Springs that resulted in the arrests of a hundred illegal immigrants with ties to various known criminal...

Community First Project is a unique effort, created and headed by Andrew Sullivan. A former Navy SEAL, Sully brings almost two decades of military experiences and lessons with him as he carries out his mission to better train and enable law enforcement around the country. However, this isn't your average training company. C1P is actually a non-profit organization, fueled through fundraisers and gr...

In the greater pursuit of personal capability and skill, many of us get distracted by the bright, shiny new things that are constantly dangled in front of us. Our community, or more properly identified, industry, has a vast array of solutions available for any of the challenges we may face, regardless of our path of life. While this is a tremendous advantage, it also becomes the downfall of many....

Hunter Freeland is a former National Guardsmen, Contractor, and Law Enforcement Officer. He's also the owner of Hunter Freeland Shooting, and is regarded by many as one of the top firearms instructors in the country. We spend our time talking about the reality and relevancy of performance based shooting, and separate out some of the community propaganda that promotes a dichotomy between competitio...

As we charge past our 300th discussion, it's time for another SITREP. As a community, we have to work harder than ever it seems, to stretch our dollars to make every purchase count, and put ourselves, and our families in the best positions we can. With some of the recent events, and decisions made by our current administration, we could potentially see some much needed relief on the horizon. To pr...

As another benchmark passes, I feel it important to take a look at what's led to some successes and how the future will look. The mission here has always been to share information, and provide a common learning experience. As a concerned citizen and prepared civilian, this journey has been one of tremendous trial, and outstanding reward. To me, it's important to occasionally, stop and reflect on t...

Making better information, more consistently accessible is a huge hurdle in the training community. What's even more difficult, is having a space to practice that information, and the associated skillsets. Checkmate Group in Texas has brought a unique spin to the effort, but building their own facility, and granting access to their students to continue their training and growth. Forrest Dohrmann,...

Night Vision is one of the most popular ways for those invested in their personal capability, to "level up" by simply adding a device to their gear. As civilians, this is even more true, as while it's more accessible now, perhaps more than at any other time in history, it is still very expensive and out of reach for many. To dive into the reality that many of us face in affording such tools, I sit...

Sometimes, we can be our own worst enemy. We can simultaneously have a burning desire to improve ourselves and develop greater individual capability, while being the single greatest blocker on our own road to achievement. All of us, regardless of skill, regardless of experience, will find ourselves in a rut. Finding ways out of those slumps, persevering and overcoming those challenges, can be some...

Precision shooting has become a recent interest of mine, and as I get deeper and deeper into the subject matter, I'm realizing that while it's the same as all other shooting, it's also very different. More so in the precision application than most others, your rifle's makeup and construction can have tremendous impact on your relative level of success. So, to truly dissect this issue, I've invited...

Rick Hogg is a 29 year Army Veteran, having spent most of that time in Special Operations. Since leaving our military, Rick has dedicated himself to sharing the lessons he learned, with those seeking to improve themselves. As owner of War Hogg Tactical, Rick has platform he's able to use to train both Law Enforcement and Civilians alike, who desire a higher level of personal capability, and accoun...

March is upon us, the weather is warming up, and we have a new Director of the FBI. With all of this, and even more going on, it's obviously time for another SITREP to bring current events and awesome opinions to all of you. In this iteration, we of course take time to talk about Director Patel being confirmed as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and also as the acting Dir...

Artificial Limitations. False Confidence. Self Imposed Barriers. These are all issues that plague many of us in the preparedness community, and too often they can be easily traced back to the quality of our mindset, and the caliber of our individual training. Being more adaptive, or perhaps even simply willing to adapt, can have exponential impacts on our individual growth and development. In this...

Garrett Neel is one of the founders and co-owners of RAS Training Group. In addition to RAS, Garrett also has a decade of experience in Law Enforcement, which is oddly, where his inspiration for higher standards and execution came from. Having a realization that his own qualifications for work didn't meet the imagined expectations he had for himself, Garrett has since dedicated himself to become n...

Its been years since I sat down and re-hashed the significance and execution behind building, and training with, a carbine. As the most common platform of the day, its critical that we as prepared citizens know not only to set up a proper blaster for our own success, whatever that may be, but more importantly, how to use it. Everyone's needs and use cases will likely be different, but there are so...

It's Super Bowl Sunday, and I'm back already, with an impromptu SITREP to discuss some vitally important news around President Trump's most recent Executive Order. Just a couple days ago, on February 7th, 2025, President Trump issued potentially one of his most impactful orders to date, and what you potentially lead to the largest 2A victory since the very inception of the Second Amendment itself....

This week, I get an opportunity to sit down and talk with someone who's own journey closely parallel's my own, coming from a musical background, being now, immersed in the training community. Cam Perry is the bass guitarist for the band Attack Attack, and has become an avid shooter, training and growing his own capability. Sharing a lot of common experiences in our background, we were able to talk...

As we roll into February, we have our latest SITREP for you, and no shortage of interesting news and on goings to discuss. From a somewhat humorous Bill being introduced to add Trump to the Mt. Rushmore monument, to the equally laughable idea of granting a third Presidential term, there's a lot to talk about. The big item in this months report though, comes from a very recent interview with Erik P...

Hard to believe it's already been three months (and then some) since I first sat down with Jake, but he's back, and we're picking up where we left off. Since the first conversation we had together, Jake has migrated to a new role with Herrington Arms working in sales, marketing, and even helping in customer service. Beyond that, in his role in law enforcement, Jake is currently going through the s...

It's 2025, and after reviewing the way the year started, as well as obviously some of the lingering fears and concerns we've all formed over the past two to four years, it's well worth the time to re-evaluate ourselves. As prepared citizens, we're only as good as our level of training. We will inevitably fall back to our lowest level of individual preparation. How do we define that though? What do...

Inauguration Day is here, and with it, we hope a sweeping wave of changes for the better to the United States. While politics, regardless of country, can be confusing and frustrating to say the very least, they are the driver behind so many of the key impacts to daily life. As this change holds the potential, as well as the hope for so many of us, I felt it only appropriate to share my thoughts an...

Carrying on from last weeks discussion I take away several of the points the Joe was able to make, and much of the information he provided. In the moment, when we may find ourselves in the midst of one of these "events", we truly do have to be our own first responder, and rely solely on ourselves to get through that experience. There's many misconceptions and outright poor habits that align us for...

Joe Fasanella returns, to sit down with me and tackle a subject that I've wanted to explore for a few months now. Terrorism. Specifically, Terrorism and it's impacts on you and I as Americans, along with how it affects our day to day lives. In the wake of the shocking attack on New Years Eve in New Orleans, this topic and its many concerns, are once again at the forefront of many minds. Having spe...

The year 2025 has arrived, and with it, so too comes our January SITREP discussion. Unfortunately, there is sour news to dig in to, as a terror attack has rocked the heart of New Orleans on Bourbon street. We bring this forward for discussion, as it is a sobering reminder that even though we in the continental United States enjoy a relative amount of safety and security in our day-to-day lives, th...