If you've seen any action movie, ever, you love explosive breaching. There's something incredible about seeing a special forces soldier or SEAL place a charge, and blow a door. While most of us don't have the means or the access to try such things, we can always learn about them and position ourselves for greater success in our futures. To dive into this conversation, I'm catching up with Steve, owner of Chimera Concepts and breaching instructor for Core Vision. We spend some time touching on the logic and rationale behind shotgun breaching, but then dive all the way in, as we get into energetic breaching, and the science behind the skill. There's lots of legal considerations, and a absolute ton of fascinating science involved with using explosives to breach a door or structure; understanding over-pressure once inside a structure, the dangers involved with it. We got into so much, in a relatively short amount of time. An outstanding conversation, and one I'm sure you'll learn a ton from.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comUS Duty Gear - https://usdutygear.com/ code 'PreparedMindset'

Are we seeing Gun-tube die before our very eyes? This has become a wildy popular topic over the past week or two, and I thought it deserved its own conversation. For better or for worse, the community has been driven by digital content creators for the past decade, and in some cases longer. Information shared, inspiration sparked, goals set, myths disproven, and all because we had the tools available to connect to each other through the various platforms. However, taking an objective look at things in 2026, we've certainly fallen from grace, and definitely morphed into something uglier, and far less pure than it was originally imagined to be. No, I don't think it's dying, but I do think we're experiencing some uncomfortable but necessary changes. In this episode, I do my best to explain, and give some perspective.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comUS Duty Gear - https://usdutygear.com/ code 'PreparedMindset'

Gear. For better or worse, it drives a huge part of our community, and in many ways, are the tools that enable us for success, or failure. There's more and more options available to us every day, and while it definitely can be exhausting, it's certainly worth talking about the trends, the pitfalls, the truths, and the lies. In this episode, I catch up with Walsh, of Thin Line Defense, who has a depth of knowledge and lots of experience evaluating, testing, and reviewing gear. We dive into all sorts of stuff from the truth behind BARRY compliance, materials and the trends we're experiencing with them today, the difference between cost and value, and more. We even took some time to talk drones, and how it's the next iteration of civilian preparedness, and just how available it really is. Absolutely a fun conversation, and one you're all going to love.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comUS Duty Gear - https://usdutygear.com/ code 'PreparedMindset'

Buying NODs is probably one of the most confusing processes in our community. Understanding the new options that are available almost every month, as well as the plethora of secondhand devices, can be an almost impossible maze to navigate. To try and address what I think is the most critical part of a positive night vision purchase, intensifier tube selection, I'm sitting down once again with Shane Sharp and Ty Morgan of Terrace Unity Solutions. We get into the common myths behind the different tubes on the market and dig into why brand name alone will never be enough to guarantee your happiness as a end user. Further, we talk about dreaded "blemishes" in the tube image, and why it's the most misunderstood concern by new users, and even discuss the finer points behind reading a spec sheet, and the "death by spec sheet" paralysis that so many fall in to. If you're planning to get into Night Vision, this will definitely be a helpful discussion for you!Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comUS Duty Gear - https://usdutygear.com/ code 'PreparedMindset'

The May SITREP is here, and with it the unfortunate news and impact to consumers, of the failure of Spirit Airlines. Additionally, we have the recent attempt on the President at the White House Correspondents dinner, and a very recent surge in gas prices. As civilians in the continental United States, we have been getting absolutely hammered the last several weeks with price increases at the gas pumps, and the last several years with post-pandemic price increases and supply decreases. Things are very tough for so many of us right now, and there's simply not much that can be done. As always, I do my best to talk about my feelings on these critical issues, and share the insight that I can.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comUS Duty Gear - https://usdutygear.com/ code 'PreparedMindset'

Priorities of Work. While this term/title gets applied most commonly to close quarters battle and structure clearance, I think it's a very appropriate lable for this weeks conversation. As men, as husbands, as heads of households, it is our responsbility to care for our home, our spouse, our children. The decisions we make, the positions we place our families in, are our primary responsibilities. While this isn't a new concept by any stretch, its one that's commonly forgotten. It's easily leveraged for justification for gear and training, however when it comes down to what we truly do to care for and support our homes, it's conveniently forgotten and ignored. In this discussion I call out some of this tragic behavior, and identify the opportunities we have to improve our lives, and care more completely for our families, and our homes.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comUS Duty Gear - https://usdutygear.com/ code 'PreparedMindset'

Many of us have grown up hunting. Some of us have learned it in pursuit of greater preparedness. Still, how to butcher and harvest eludes so many that it's its own industry in many parts of our country, during hunting seasons. I sit down with Jason Nauert, or "Jason the Butcher" as many of you may know him, to talk about his work with the military for combat sustainability, teaching butchering skills, and obviously, the importance of this all in the greater conversation of self sustainability. We get into the long-term effects of a M.R.E. heavy diet, we talk about understanding animal anatomy, water purification, and more. If you're a casual prepper, and avid hunter, or someone planning for the darker days ahead, this conversation is one that will give you a fantastic perspective into harvesting your own meat, for you, and potentially, your family.Check out more about Jason at www.jtbmeat.comVisit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comUS Duty Gear - https://usdutygear.com/ code 'PreparedMindset'

While the AR platform can be assembled easily, I think many of us know that while almost everyone can put it together, there's a different process all together, for truly building one. Matt Patruno is the owner and co-founder of Two Grunts Inc., a Michigan based rifle company. As a former Marine, and a former Police Officer, Matt knows the importance of a reliable work rifle. From material sciences, to metallurgy, to understanding what the label "mil-spec" really means, Matt and I get into a lot. There's truly a science and a detailed knowledge that he puts into every rifle her produces, and he shares an awful lot of it with us in this conversation. I was surprised to hear that many of the common beliefs that I personally held, weren't near as true as I had been led to believe. This entire chat serves to show you that while there's a ton of popular opinion out there, there sure isn't a lot of knowledge. If you run an AR, this is a MUST LISTEN for you!Head over to https://twogruntsinc.com/ to learn more!Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.comUS Duty Gear - https://usdutygear.com/ code 'PreparedMindset'

Lantern Rescue is a Counter Human Trafficking organization, founded in 2020, that helps fight trafficking across the globe. From providing assistance to local law enforcement, to assisting with legislative and prosecutorial practices, Lantern is able to contribute by creating sustainable change in the constant battle against trafficking. In this discussion, I sit down with Lantern's founder, Korrin, a lawyer and former Marine, to talk about the mission behind all of the work, but also to dispell some myths and misconceptions, while bringing more visibility and reality to the conversation. As the world continues to change in an increasingly electronic age, the way we fight back against these practices also changes. We spent time talking about the cultural challenges that Lantern faces when assisting foreign agencies, and how they've been able to leave ego at the door, and create a remarkable impact.To learn more about Lantern Rescue, and their mission, you can visit their website: https://lanternrescue.org/Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.com

Happy Easter everyone! With the turn of the calendar into April, comes another edition of the SITREP. For the first time in a while I have some current developments to share with Prepared Mindset and our YouTube channel, as well as obviously taking the time to get into a few political happenings. Mostly notably, the very recent dismissal of Pam Bondi as the Attorney General of the United States. This comes just a handful of weeks after the dismissal of Kristi Noem, who was another prominent cabinet member in the media, and perceived to be a key part of the administration. I talk about my first strike on our YouTube channel, and the unfortunate reality that our community faces, and then pivot over to the Bondi firing and what it could potentially mean for us as a nation. I hope you all enjoy, and have a fantastic holiday with your loved ones.Visit our sponsors!Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/prepared_mindset_podCustom Night Vision - www.customnightvision.com