The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 60, Celebrating 5 Years, A Retrospective Here we are at 5 years and 60 episodes! Have a listen as we go back over our first 59 episodes in this retrospective episode. We briefly talk about the subject matter of each; and in some cases we talk about the inspiration that caused a podcast. In may cases, we talk abo…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 59, The Place for Improvised Weapons This episode we talk about improvised weapons. You cannot get away or leave an area, what are your options if your find yourself needing to fight or even distract? When I asked a few of my friends and neighbors to think about what they might would look to use, things like a p…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 58, Tag! You're It! What You Need to Know About Trackers A buddy of mine had a recent run in with one of these tracking devices while traveling on business. Who's was it; and what were they trying to do? Bluetooth and/or GPS tags and trackers are supposed to be used to help us find our keys, our wallet, our lugg…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 57, More on De-Escalation with Randy King Randy King, of 80:20 Conflict Management Strategies and Randy King Live, joins us once again to continue chatting about all things related to de-escalation. De-escalation may not be the sexiest topic to cover; but it definitely has its place in everyone's personal safety…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 56, Neighborhood Safety and Community My neighbor, Max, and I sit down to talk about safety in the 'hood and what each of us can be doing to make for a safer community. We talk about paying attention to things that seem out of place, the use of lighting, the impact that taking care of our property can have, soci…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 55, Being Prepared with Rogue Preparedness Morgan, of Rogue Preparedness, joins us to discuss the merits of being better prepared and how you can get started. It is not what you might think it is. It is not what Hollywood or even maybe the media has portrayed it as being in some cases. It is not about being para…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 54, Why? I talk about my purpose in operating The Self-Initiative Project, and why it is I do what I do. It is my hope that my cause resonates with you. Thanks for listening. Other related podcasts: Podcast 23: Why be Invested in Your Personal Safety Podcast 33: It Will Never Happen to Me Podcast 46: Who is This…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 53, Road Rage This might be our shortest podcast yet. Nonetheless, the subject of road rage is an important topic to cover. We talk about what road rage is, its causes, and what constitutes road rage. And most importantly, we work to give you some pointers on what to do if you find yourself on the receiving end …

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 52, Weather Safety In this episode, we talk about safety for: Heat Thunderstorms Tornadoes Hurricanes Snow storms Specifically, we walk through some of the commonalities shared across some of these weather situations and related safety considerations, including: High winds Lightening Flooding In addition to safe…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 51, A Briefing With The Grayman Wesley, of Grayman Briefing and Superesse Straps, joins us to talk about being better prepared and your personal safety. Wesley is former U.S. Army and law enforcement and now spends his time sharing intel to the public to help folks stay better informed and selling gear that can …

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 50, When Do I Know I Might Be Attacked; and When Should I Consider Responding? My buddy from high school inspired this episode when he asked, "How do you know when it is time to go?" What he means is how do you know when you should engage and maybe throw that first punch or kick? Knowing some of the signs to loo…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 49, Be a Sharp(er) Woman with Kelly Sayre Kelly, from The Diamond Arrow Group, joins us again. This time to talk through her new book, Sharp Women, a book women (and men, alike) can take something away from. We talk about the importance of listening to our intuition, paying attention to our surroundings, how our…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 48, Carjacking What's the difference between car theft and carjacking? We discuss it. We also talk about some legal concepts that may come into play with either car theft or carjacking, though we give no legal advise. We talk about some things you can do to help make you less likely to be a victim of a carjackin…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 47, Cyber Security We cover the topic of cyber security and some things you need to know to better protect yourself. Ever wondered what the difference was between phishing, smishing, and vishing? Do you know how to recognize them and when you do, what you should do? We cover some terminology, some action items r…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 46, Who is This Guy? More About Me and My Personal Safety Journey After nearly 4 years of doing this podcast, I figured I owed it to you to tell you a little more about me. I do not like talking about myself; but I wanted to give you some idea of my background and experience. I talk about my martial arts and Kra…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 45, Active Shooter / Killer And What You Need to Know In this episode, I talk about active shooters and some statistics around them and what we (read: the FBI) know to-date. We examine some events throughout history, including more recent events, some with and some without the use of firearms. And we move the co…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 44, How Physical Fitness Fits Into Your Personal Safety and Preparedness Plan How important is physical fitness during a self-defense encounter? Very. This episode we talk about the differences between aerobic and anaerobic exercise and how anaerobic is key in self-defense scenarios. We discuss the benefits of e…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 43, Safety Considerations For Vendors of All Types Whether you have garage or yard sales, work at a flea market or an arts & crafts fair, you sale at a farmers' market, or you are a street vendor, this podcast is for you. We cover the 3 main areas of keeping things locked down, the importance of a heightened sen…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 42, A Chat With Tony Blauer NOTE: I apologize for the sound quality through parts of this podcast. Unfortunately, we had a bad connection during the call. I have worked to clean it up as best I can. Stick with it though as we had a good conversation; and things do clear up. We welcome Tony Blauer to this episode…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 41, A Chat With John Correia of Active Self Protection John Correia, Founder and Owner of Active Self Protection, joins us for a chat on self-defense and the benefits of watching videos of bad things. We talk about the importance of attitude (mindset) and how the analogy of a blender comes into play. I ask John …

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 40, De-Escalation: A Key to Conflict Management Randy King from 80:20 Conflict Management Strategies and Randy King Live joins us again. This time we talk about de-escalation. Arguably, de-escalation is one of the most important pieces to your self-defense and personal safety strategies. De-escalation skills not…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 39, Lock Up Your Guns Tom Kubiniec, CEO of SecureIt Tactical Inc., joins us to talk about the importance of locking up your firearms. Tom and I talk about all aspects of gun safes and why the industry could be stuck in the old ways of selling them. Consumers may have been given a story to believe in when it come…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 38, A Chat With Tammy Yard-McCraken, PsyD, LPC Tammy Yard-McCraken of Kore Self Defense and Krav Maga and 500Rising takes time out to chat with us about all things self defense and more. Tammy's a psycho-therapist turned self defense badass and instructor. We talk about the effectiveness of Krav as a self defens…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 37, Up in Arms With Rob Pincus Rob and I chat again; and this time we discuss what I talked about in Podcast 35, and the fact that guns are not the answer to your personal safety. And can you believe it? Rob does not think you really need a lot of training to use a gun. Shocker! We wound up agreeing on a lot mor…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 36, Personal Safety For The Disabled This episode Denis Haynes returns again to chat about personal safety for the disabled and what it may be like for those that find themselves in a more vulnerable state. Having a disability may be permanent for some, temporary for others, and may even vary from day-to-day for…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 35, Guns Are Not The Answer To Your Personal Safety Think a gun or some tool is going to make you safe? We take a few minutes to discuss these honest facts and more: If guns went away tomorrow, you would still have the right and the ability to defend yourself. If you have a gun, you are not just magically safe, …

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 34, How to Better Avoid, Respond, and Recover If It Does Happen If you go back and listen to Podcast 33, It Will Never Happen to Me, you will be better prepared for this episode. We revisit to stories told in 33 and talk about somethings that could have helped the individuals better avoid, respond, and recover f…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 33, It Will NEVER Happen to Me Think so? Apathy or optimism bias may have some people under their spells. No matter the cause, here are six stories to the contrary in this episode including: An active-duty Marine robbed at gun point A 16 year old babysitter dealing with a drunk neighbor with a shotgun A personal…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 32, Alternative Tools for Non-Permissive Environments (NPE) What do you usually carry that can be used as a self-defense tool or a force multiplier? Can you carry what you normally would into non-permissive or non-permissible environments (NPE), i.e. sporting events, concerts, amusement parks, etc.? NPE tools or…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 31, Safety While Hiking and Camping The woods and the mountains are the places I find my Zen. Camping is something I have always enjoyed doing, including the occasional hike or backpacking trip. Spending time outdoors can be spiritually relaxing. There are several aspects to being safer while hiking and camping …

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 30, Safety for the Elderly and Aging Join us for this episode where we talk about safety and security for the elderly and aging. It is not pleasant to think about those we know and love getting old and likely becoming dependent again on others; but it is something we all likely will deal with at some point in ou…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 29, Realities of Violence with Randy King Randy King, of KPC Self Defense and Randy King Live, joins us from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where we talk about all things self-defense, including many of the fallacies students face. We talk about the reality of knife attacks, the fact that 70% of what women will actua…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 28, Your Personal Safety During a Pandemic Your personal safety AND your health are your responsibility, now more than ever. In this episode we talk about: The importance of knowing basic first-aid and trauma care The changes with 911 and what you need to be prepared for Scams through text, email, and phone call…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 27, What is Asphalt Anthropology? This episode we talk to Beverly Baker of Metropolitan Finishing School to talk about her program, Asphalt Anthropology. One thing is for sure, Beverly's finishing school has nothing to do with holding your tea cup... We talk about there being more to personal safety and self-def…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 26, What if... ? The Importance of Thinking Through Scenarios How can you start considering your personal safety or taking it more seriously? How can you be better prepared for disaster and things when they go sideways? Think through scenarios. One of the best things you can do is think through scenarios in orde…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 25, Situational Awareness and More I sit down with Kelly Sayre, of The Diamond Arrow Group, to talk about situational awareness. We talk about what situational awareness is and what it takes to notice things that may be out of place or may just be not quite right. Kelly and I discuss the importance listening to …

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 24, How to Buy a Gun and What to Expect Ben Powell, of Bullseye Indoor Range and Gun Shop in Lawrenceville, GA, joins us to talk about how to buy guns and what you can expect. Ben and I talk about what is involved in purchasing a firearm including Class III, how to go about finding the right gun for you, and saf…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 23, Why be Invested in Your Personal Safety It is more like: Why are you not invested in your own personal safety? The Secure Dad joins us as we talk about how to get people interested in their own personal safety. Andy and I discuss the things that caused us to first become more invested in our personal safety …

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 22, How to Build Your Get Home Bag (GHB) Do you have the gear to help you make it home should a catastrophe of some type occur? This episode we talk about what you need in order to build an effective Get Home Bag or "GHB." First-aid/trauma gear, clothing, food, shelter, and water are all the basics needed in suc…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 21, It Depends, If You're Ryan Hoover Ryan Hoover, of Fit to Fight, and I talk about ideologies that go beyond simple slogans and taglines and discuss aspects of self-defense generally in context of Krav Maga. We talk about the realities of learning self-defense and that it is really about learning how to fight.…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 20, The Best Tool, Mindset II Having the right mindset, a positive mindset, a never-quit mindset is so important in the context of personal safety that we circled around to do a 2nd podcast on the topic. We talk about the things that can help us adopt the right mindset as well as the importance of having a posit…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 19, On Being a Range Safety Officer I welcome back my brother-from-another-mother, Denis Haynes, to the podcast to talk about what it is like to be a Range Safety Officer. We covered gun safety in our very first podcast and again when we did Part 2. Now, Denis and I are back together again to discuss what an RSO…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 18, The Best Self-Defense Tools to Carry Guns, knives, OC (pepper) spray, personal alarms, finger grips for house keys, hard plastic shaped like cat heads with pointy ears, rape whistles, kubatons, brass 'paper weights,' and others... Whatever it is, we have likely heard of or seen many of these self-defense too…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 17, Meditations on Learning to Fight and Self-Defense Jesse Walker of Rough Hands, in Louisville, KY and I talk about approaches to learning to fight and self-defense both in terms of finding a school that works for you and trying to be a better coach. We talk about fighting in the context of self-defense and fi…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 16, Rob Pincus: I.C.E. Training and Mental Health Rob Pincus joins us to discuss his I.C.E. Training; and we also talk about mental health and its impact in the firearms community. See how the principles of efficiency, consistency, and integrity fit in to Rob's I.C.E. Training and the application of each. Listen…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 15, Knife Use in Self-Defense Nathan TwoEagles-Downing, from Silverline Knife Designs, talks about the use of knives in self-defense and some points to consider before you opt to incorporate a knife into your self-defense toolset. We talk about Nathan's journey into knife making, his training preferences, the ti…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 14, Gun Training, Things to Expect and What to Look For Van Seeley, former Marine and firearms instructor, joins us once again to discuss gun training. We talk about his background and the things he has seen and experienced as an instructor. Whether you are seeking to improve your overall shooting game or you pl…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 13, The Importance of Mindset Likely the shortest podcast we will ever do, it is still an important concept to talk about and for you to think about. Grit. Mettle. Perseverance. Indomitable spirit. Never give up. Your attitude and mindset can make the difference between success and failure. Get it in your head t…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 12, Krav Maga and What to Expect This episode has been a long time coming. We talk about the self-defense system of Krav Maga ("contact combat"). I give you a little of my history with Krav; and then we talk about the things you need to know and take into consideration. Meant to be more of a primer, we give a ba…

The Self-Initiative Project, Podcast 11, Safety In and Around Your Vehicle We talk about safety in and around the vehicle. We start by talking about things to check on the outside of the vehicle, moving to under the hood, and then we talk about what gear and the items you should look to keep in your vehicles whether in the cabin or in the trunk. We…