Prepared and Proven Podcast

08/21/2026

Being prepared and being paranoid are not the same thing.

I think sometimes people hear us talk about situational awareness and assume we're telling them to walk around looking over their shoulder all day.

That's not readiness.

I'm talking about being present enough to recognize when something around you changes.

Because the phone can wait.

The headphones can wait.

But the world around you isn't going to stop because you weren't paying attention.

Charlene makes a strong point in this conversation:

“There's a tragedy in being unprepared.”

That line stuck with me.

Because preparation doesn't guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen. It gives you more options when something does.

How often do you catch yourself in Condition White?

🎙️ Want the full conversation? https://youtu.be/tKpotCNwNq0

🎧 Prefer to listen? Find Prepared and Proven Podcast on your favorite podcast platform.

Stay safe. Stay prepared. Stay empowered.

08/20/2026

You never know what someone is going to remember about their first day on the range.

Maybe it's the first shot. Maybe it's the nerves.

Or maybe it's the person who had enough patience to help them work through both.

That's something I think we need to remember as instructors.

We're dealing with people who may be stepping into our world for the very first time. What kind of experience are we giving them?

Because that experience may determine whether they ever come back.

I'd really like to hear from you on this one.

Who do you remember from your first time shooting, and why?

🎙️ Want the full conversation? Watch or listen to this Instructor Track episode of Prepared and Proven Podcast: https://youtu.be/_cphNQFCWyU

🎧 Prefer to listen? Find Prepared and Proven Podcast on your favorite podcast platform.

Stay safe. Stay prepared. Stay empowered.

****msTraining ****msInstructor

08/19/2026

I get women in my classes whose husbands or significant others send them to me because they say they don't have the patience to teach them.

And that always makes me wonder...

Is she really having trouble learning, or is there a problem with how she's being taught?

Knowing how to shoot doesn't automatically mean you know how to teach someone else to shoot. Patience matters. Communication matters. And sometimes, the instructor needs to make the adjustment.

Charlene and I get into that in this conversation.

Ladies, have you ever experienced this while learning to shoot?

🎙️ Watch the full Instructor Track episode:
https://youtu.be/tKpotCNwNq0?si=2Md6fcrfPHw2BuLt

****msTraining ****msInstructor

08/16/2026

How do you know when you're actually ready to teach someone else?

Getting a fi****ms instructor certification is one step.

Being prepared to take responsibility for someone else's learning is something different.

While considering becoming a fi****ms instructor, Doran Glass II said something during our conversation that stuck with me:

“One of the worst things I think I could be is a half-educated instructor.”

He's taking classes. Talking to experienced instructors. Studying different techniques. And instead of assuming his experience means he knows enough, he's asking:

Am I teaching sound technique?

Do I actually know what I'm talking about?

That's the mindset I want to see from someone preparing to teach.

Because the certificate may give you credentials.

It doesn't mean you're finished learning.

But there's a lot more behind why Doran is asking himself these questions.

🎙️ Watch the full Instructor Track conversation and hear his journey, and what I told him about whether I believe he's ready to take that next step.

▶️ https://youtu.be/_cphNQFCWyU

Then come back and tell me: What do YOU think makes someone ready to teach?

****msInstructor ****msTraining

08/15/2026

How do you know when you're actually ready to teach someone else?

That's the question at the heart of the first episode of Instructor Track.

I sit down with Doran Glass II, a retired Navy veteran who was seriously considering taking the next step into fi****ms instruction when we recorded this conversation.

And one thing he said stuck with me:

“One of the worst things I think I could be is a half-educated instructor.”

That's what makes this conversation different.

We talk about experience, humility, mentorship, continuing your own education, and the responsibility you accept when someone trusts you to teach them.

Because earning a certification may make you an instructor on paper.

Becoming someone worthy of teaching others is something different.

🎥 Instructor Track: Are You Really Ready to Become a Fi****ms Instructor? is LIVE NOW.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/_cphNQFCWyU

Are you ready to teach, or are you still preparing to become the instructor your future students deserve?

****msInstructor ****msTraining

When is someone truly ready to teach others?In this episode of the...

07/10/2026

Every week, I watch people spend hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars on fi****ms, optics, holsters, and accessories.

But here's the question that matters:

Are you training... or are you pretending?

There's a big difference between practicing what you're already comfortable doing and preparing for the worst day of your life.

In this clip from the Prepared and Proven Podcast, Shelvin Lilliston shares one of the biggest training mistakes gun owners make. It's a lesson that applies whether you've been carrying for six months or thirty years.

The reality is simple:

You won't magically perform better because the stakes are higher.

You'll perform at the level you've trained to perform.

Watch this Reel, then ask yourself one honest question:

What's one skill you need to spend more time developing?

👇Drop your answer in the comments. I'd genuinely like to hear it.

If this challenged the way you think about training, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and watch the full episode at https://preparedandproven.com .

07/09/2026

YOUR GUN ISN'T THE PROBLEM.
That statement makes a lot of gun owners uncomfortable.

Because we love to blame the gun...
The sights...
The trigger...
The holster...

But here's the hard truth:

If your training never goes beyond shooting at a stationary paper target under perfect conditions, your equipment isn't what's holding you back.

The gap isn't between your gun and a better gun.

The gap is between familiarity and capability.

That's where real training begins.

🎙️ Watch the full episode of the Prepared and Proven Podcast at preparedandproven.com

👇 What's one thing you've done to make your training more realistic?

07/04/2026

Podcast Summit is over.
Now it's time to get back to work.

I spent the last few days learning from some of the best in podcasting, not because I want a bigger podcast, but because I want every episode of the Prepared and Proven Podcast to serve you better.

The mission hasn't changed.

To help everyday people develop the mindset to protect themselves, their families, and the people they love.

Defenders, lock in.
Let's reset the conversation.

If you've never listened to the Prepared and Proven Podcast, start with one episode. If it challenges the way you think, subscribe and share it with someone you care about.

🎙️ Start here: PreparedAndProven.com
Watch on YouTube, listen on your favorite podcast app, and explore everything we're building.

We're just getting started.
The best is yet to come.

06/30/2026

Most shooters mistake repetition for readiness.

They're not the same thing.

Shooting tight groups on paper is valuable, but paper doesn't move, think, lie, or create uncertainty.

Real preparedness demands judgment, awareness, communication, and decision-making under pressure.

The goal isn't simply becoming more accurate.

The goal is becoming more capable.

If this challenged the way you've always looked at training, I'd like to hear your thoughts.

🎙️ Watch the full episode of the Prepared & Proven Podcast.

👇 What's one skill you think people overlook when training?

****msTraining

06/29/2026

Most people train to hit paper.

Paper doesn't move.

Paper doesn't think.

Paper doesn't fight back.

The range teaches marksmanship—but surviving a violent encounter requires judgment, decision-making, and the ability to perform under stress.

If your training ends at punching holes in paper, you're only preparing for half the problem.

Are you training for the range... or for reality?

👇 Tell me in the comments:
What's the biggest limitation of range-only training?

🎙️ Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/MrzjCr00W0w

****msTraining