Cleared Hot

Not only does everyone seem to be talking about "Toxic Masculinity," I seem to be receiving multiple emails about it every day. Full disclosure, I have not being paying much attention to the discussion, for the reasons I go in to detail during the episode. I'm not a fan of the term, or any term that is overused and under defined. If I had to pick one leadership style that is the most impactful, I would choose mentorship. It is how I was shepherded from being a young punk in the Teams to an individual capable of operating with little to no oversight in high risk, high consequence environments. I have been asked to create episodes on mentorship for young men and women, and the more thought I have put in to it, to the more convinced I am that they are not the target audience, the parents are. I close with my EDC and some food for thought when it comes to choosing to carry a concealed weapon. Here is the link to the full audio and video from the radio call in the podcast opening (it is not me in the call): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WIsmvTtMNc

Sean Evangelista is the founder and owner of 30 Seconds Out, a commando inspired apparel brand. In addition to running his apparel brand, he is a member of the Sun Valley Ski Patrol, and also happens to be a retired Navy SEAL with 20 years of service, including multiple combat deployments throughout the world. Sean and I served together, the night I was shot we were standing shoulder to shoulder. As often happens, careers diverge and you lose touch with those you were once close to. Although that night was nearly 15 years ago, this was the first conversation we have had discussing the events from each of our perspectives. We covered a good bit of ground in this conversation, from pre military to post, reflections on the highs and lows of a career, the impact of a kinetic career on family thoughts on limiting time in combat, and the importance of team and purpose. If you are interested in supporting Sean and his brand, check out: 30 Seconds Out Use code: "clearedhot" for 20 percent off your order

This episode closes out my 2018, and launches me in to my 2019. The lessons I learned about humanity, the human psyche, psychology, and the human condition during my time as a BUD/s (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) Instructor, and how I implement them in my daily life. 2018 In review, goals and aspirations for 2019. My thoughts on the departure of General Mattis, and an update on my BJJ journey. Enjoy

Evan Hafer is the founder and CEO of Black Rifle Coffee. Prior to his current role he spent twenty years serving this country, first as a Special Forces soldier (Green Beret), then as a contractor for the Central Intelligence Agency, completing multiple tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. John Dudley is a world class archer and coach. He is the founder of Nock on Archery, the one stop shop for information, equipment, and instruction for archers and bow hunters of all levels. For the past year and a half I have been fortunate to conduct multiple hunts with him, and I am doing everything possible to draft off of his knowledge and experience.

Ryan Michler is the founder/creator of Order of Man, a community and resource designed to help men improve every aspect of their lives from family, money, parenting, responsibility, etc. I hear the term "toxic masculinity" frequently, and if I am being completely honest, I stop paying attention shortly after I do. From my view in the cheap seats, it seems to be a blanket statement designed to shut down conversations, and it is extremely poorly defined. In this episode Ryan and I discuss why he chose to change the course of his life while working in the financial sector and devote his time and effort to creating Order of Man, and what he hopes it will become in the future. Order of Man

In this episode I answer your questions from a diverse set of questions... My thoughts on military personnel charged with war crimes, leadership styles and their positive and negative impact on small teams, finding inspiration, situational awareness (preparation vs. paranoia), handling fear and doubt, and of course an update on the BJJ journey. Thanks to everyone who reached out with questions, sorry if I didn't get the chance to answer yours, there will always be another Q and A.

I am never able to answer all of the questions received, but I do my best to get to most of them. This week was going to be an interview, but sometimes life gets in the way, so I called an audible and dove back in to some unanswered questions. Advice for your members of the military, or young men and women in general when it comes to "Paying your dues," Forgiveness vs. Revenge, How to find your purpose post military, struggling with how to deal with those who "thank you" for your military service, accepting big changes in life without becoming overwhelmed.

Aaron Cross is an Army veteran with tours of duty in both Afghanistan and Iraq. He started his career as a "grunt," (his words, not mine) and then became an airborne soldier and served with multiple units, to include the famed 101st Airborne Division. On his last tour in Afghanistan his vehicle was targeted by an IED, an incident for which he received the Purple Heart, and ultimately lead to the end of his military career. Aaron has been very vocal and open about his struggles with PTS (Post Traumatic Stress), which is far less common than it should be from those in military circles. Since his separation, 11 of the men he served with have chosen to end their own lives, a statistic that is far too common, and speaks to the challenges of military service in active war zones. War changes you, in my opinion, for both better and worse. You will come home a different person. You will see the world differently. You will struggle to find common ground. The journey is not the same for any two people. Hopefully someone listening to this is reassured on their own journey, and maintains the resolve to see their way through it.

I am consistently blown away by the questions that are submitted by listeners. I appreciate the time and effort taken to submit them, and I'll do my best to launch another episode to clean up those that I missed. In this episode I cover everything from fighting a sense of entitlement in your kids, what you should do if you encounter someone lying about their service (specifically SpecOps service), advice for those stuck in a job that they hate, raising teenage sons, and my thoughts on team sports. Like I said, we covered quite a bit. Enjoy

The vast minority of citizens will never serve in the military. My father served before me, and his father served before him. I hope that military service ends with me, and that my children find other ways to serve. This episode is with my father, and we discuss our own family lineage, how and why we set our roots in the beach town of Santa Cruz California, and the history of our families military service. I am often asked about my service, and I can only reply with my own experiences. In this episode I tried to focus on the experience not of the service member, but of the family supporting the military member. I receive emails from parents of those serving often, hopefully this episode helps them.