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On the show
From 17 epsHost
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Recent episodes
Ep. 189 | The Psychology of Peak Performance w/ Green Beret Kirk Holmer
Jun 25, 2026
1h 26m 53s
Ep. 188 | The Difference Between Heroes and Hollywood w/ NYT Bestselling Author John Gilstrap
Jun 18, 2026
1h 07m 47s
Ep. 187 | The Courage to Keep Showing Up | 2A Advocate & Instructor Dakota Adelphia
Jun 11, 2026
1h 21m 20s
Ep. 186 | He Lost Everything… Then God Told Him to Get Up | Tyler Tharp’s Story
Jun 4, 2026
1h 15m 32s
Ep. 185 | Why Everyday Americans Must Step Up Against Career Politicians | Daniel Keenan
May 28, 2026
59m 25s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/25/26 | ![]() Ep. 189 | The Psychology of Peak Performance w/ Green Beret Kirk Holmer | Most people think performance is determined in the moment. Kirk Holmer disagrees.A retired Army Special Forces Senior Sergeant, three-time Tactical Games National Champion, and student of human performance, Kirk has spent decades studying what separates those who perform under pressure from those who fall apart when the stakes are high.In this conversation, we explore the psychology of confidence, the power of self-talk, the role of identity in performance, and why the story you tell yourself may be shaping far more of your future than you realize. Kirk shares lessons from elite military training, competitive shooting, athletics, and life that challenge the way many of us think about success, resilience, and mental toughness.We also discuss grit, goal setting, pressure, failure, and why confidence is not something you’re born with. It’s something you build through preparation, repetition, and keeping promises to yourself.If you’ve ever struggled with self-doubt, performance anxiety, or the feeling that you’re capable of more than you’re currently achieving, this conversation will give you practical tools and a new perspective on what it takes to grow.Defenders LIVE is supported by you. To join our live group calls, consider becoming a paid subscriber.You’ll learn:Why the story you tell yourself mattersHow confidence is built through actionWhat grit actually isHow to stay focused under pressureWhy process goals matter more than outcome goalsWatch more at Defenders-LIVE.com or subscribe for future conversations.Check out www.TotalOperatorChallenge.comThanks for reading Defenders LIVE! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.defenders-live.com/subscribe | 1h 26m 53s | ||||||
| 6/18/26 | ![]() Ep. 188 | The Difference Between Heroes and Hollywood w/ NYT Bestselling Author John Gilstrap | John Gilstrap has spent a lifetime studying courage from every angle.Before becoming a New York Times bestselling author with more than 30 books to his name, John spent 15 years in fire and rescue, responding to some of the worst moments in people’s lives. Later, while researching real-world special operations missions, he earned rare access to Delta Force operators, military leaders, and the true story behind one of the most daring hostage rescues in modern history.In this conversation, we go far beyond books and movies. We talk about trust, leadership under pressure, what real violence looks like, and why the people most capable of protecting others are often the least interested in talking about themselves. John shares lessons from emergency response, special operations, marriage, storytelling, and a lifetime of walking toward difficult situations when others were running away.We also discuss the responsibility that comes with being prepared, the importance of strong teams, the dangers of Hollywood myths, and why leadership is often less about authority and more about earning trust.At its core, this conversation is about what it means to be a defender. Not someone who seeks attention or recognition, but someone who quietly accepts responsibility when the stakes are high.Defenders LIVE is supported by you. To join our live group calls, consider becoming a paid subscriber.In this episode, bestselling author and former firefighter John Gilstrap shares lessons learned from emergency response, special operations, leadership, and a lifetime of serving others.You’ll learn:What real courage looks like under pressureWhy trust is earned one decision at a timeWhat Hollywood gets wrong about violence and preparednessHow great leaders inspire others to followWhy defenders accept responsibility before they feel readywww.johngilstrap.comWatch more at Defenders-LIVE.com and subscribe for future conversations.Thanks for reading Defenders LIVE! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.defenders-live.com/subscribe | 1h 07m 47s | ||||||
| 6/11/26 | ![]() Ep. 187 | The Courage to Keep Showing Up | 2A Advocate & Instructor Dakota Adelphia✨ | resiliencepersonal responsibility+4 | Dakota Adelphia | A Girl and a Gun | California | gritconfidence+5 | — | 1h 21m 20s | |
| 6/4/26 | ![]() Ep. 186 | He Lost Everything… Then God Told Him to Get Up | Tyler Tharp’s Story✨ | mental healthfaith+4 | Tyler Tharp | — | — | mental healthfaith+6 | — | 1h 15m 32s | |
| 5/28/26 | ![]() Ep. 185 | Why Everyday Americans Must Step Up Against Career Politicians | Daniel Keenan✨ | politicsleadership+4 | Daniel Keenan | Defenders USA | Arizona | politicsleadership+6 | — | 59m 25s | |
| 5/21/26 | ![]() Ep. 184 | Jacob Paulsen of ConcealedCarry.com Gets Real About Business, Branding, and Belief✨ | businessbranding+4 | Jacob Paulsen | ConcealedCarry.comGuardian University+1 | — | authenticityleadership+5 | — | 59m 53s | |
| 5/14/26 | ![]() Ep. 183 | Ride Along: Why I Choose Hard Things | Lora Thorson, Defenders USA✨ | personal growthself-defense+4 | — | Defenders USAPhilippians 4:6 | — | Tactical Gamesfitness+5 | — | 18m 43s | |
| 5/7/26 | ![]() Ep. 182 | You Know What to Do So Why Aren’t You Doing It? Discipline of a Defender w/ Jeff Dalzell✨ | disciplineresponsibility+4 | Jeff Dalzell | Defenders USA | — | disciplineleadership+5 | — | 1h 04m 43s | |
| 4/30/26 | ![]() Ep. 181 | Inside the NRA Turnaround - What Is Actually Changing Right Now | Amanda Suffecool✨ | NRA reformleadership+3 | Amanda Suffecool | NRA | — | NRAreform+7 | — | 1h 02m 08s | |
| 4/23/26 | ![]() Ep. 180 | Holsters 101: What Many Gun Owners Get Wrong | Brent Hickmon, Haven Defense Co.✨ | holstersgun safety+3 | Brent Hickmon | Haven Defense Co.PHLster+1 | — | holstergun owners+3 | — | 1h 00m 59s | |
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| 4/16/26 | ![]() Ep. 179 | Calm Isn’t a Feeling, It’s a Skill You Have to Train | Lora Thorson✨ | calmstress management+3 | — | 2 Timothy 1:7 | — | calmstress+4 | — | 21m 58s | |
| 4/9/26 | ![]() Ep. 178 | Chris Wyllie, Navy SEAL (Ret.) on Developing a Warrior Mindset + What Freedom Really Costs✨ | warrior mindsetfreedom+4 | Chris Wyllie | Defenders USADefenders LIVE | — | warrior mindsetfreedom+5 | — | 1h 01m 39s | |
| 4/2/26 | ![]() Ep. 177 | Stop Playing Safe: Chase Greatness | Sheriff Mark Lamb (Ret.) on Courage & Calling✨ | courageleadership+4 | Mark Lamb | Defenders USA | — | courageleadership+5 | — | 55m 26s | |
| 3/26/26 | ![]() Ep. 176 | Health Is Your FIRST Line of Defense: Why “Eat Less, Move More” Can Be Dangerous with Allison Tharp✨ | women's healthfitness+4 | Allison Tharp | Mississippi Diabetes Network | — | healthfitness+6 | — | 1h 05m 13s | |
| 3/18/26 | ![]() Ep. 175 | Faith, Burnout, and Surrender: My Hardest Season Yet✨ | faithburnout+4 | — | Defenders USA | — | burnoutfaith+5 | — | 34m 21s | |
| 3/12/26 | ![]() Ep. 174 | Olympian Gabby Franco: Elite Mindset Lessons for Protectors, Parents, and Everyday Life✨ | mindsetcourage+4 | Gabby Franco | — | Venezuela | mindset trainingfear+3 | — | 1h 11m 20s | |
| 3/5/26 | ![]() Ep. 173 | From Elite Operator to Starting Over: Discipline of Reinvention w CSM (Ret.) Sean Keane✨ | reinventionidentity+4 | CSM (Ret.) Sean Keane | Defenders USA | — | reinventionidentity+6 | — | 1h 33m 32s | |
| 2/26/26 | ![]() Ep. 172 | The Truth About Crime in America: Targets, Myths, & Personal Responsibility w John Hearne✨ | crime in Americapersonal safety+4 | John Hearne | Two Pillars TrainingDefenders USA | — | crime dataclearance rates+5 | — | 55m 06s | |
| 2/19/26 | ![]() Ep. 171 | Competition vs Real-World? Lee Weems & Tyler Tharp Debate Readiness✨ | trainingshooting sports+4 | Lee WeemsTyler Tharp | Defenders USA | — | gun trainingUSPSA+5 | — | 1h 42m 50s | |
| 2/12/26 | ![]() Ep. 170 | Unscripted: Brian Hill on Growth, Blind Spots, and Letting Go | I went off-script tonight… and it was scary, but it was real.In this episode with Brian Hill (The Complete Combatant), we talk about what happens when your training stops working and why the answer isn’t “try harder.”What you’ll get from this conversation:* How creativity fuels motivation when discipline starts feeling dead* Why blind spots show up as resistance (and what to do with that)* The edge of chaos vs. order—where real growth happens* Why sleep isn’t optional if you want skill to stick* How to move forward without shame when you fall off trackDefenders LIVE is supported by you. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Tonight on Defenders LIVE, I welcomed back my friend Brian Hill of The Complete Combatant and I did something that honestly scared me: I showed up without a script. No outline. No safety net. Just heart, courage, and a willingness to practice letting go in real time.Brian breaks down a powerful framework for creativity and growth and why motivation dies when practice turns rigid, how blind spots hide inside our resistance, and why real progress happens on the edge between chaos and order. We talk about the trap of high-volume “grind” training, the role of sleep in performance, and what it really means to develop self-mastery without living in shame. Then we go deeper…into identity, pain, purpose, and how suffering can be transformed into something that strengthens you instead of breaking you.Watch more at Defenders-LIVE.com or subscribe for future conversations.Thanks for reading Defenders LIVE! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.defenders-live.com/subscribe | 1h 47m 20s | ||||||
| 2/5/26 | ![]() Ep. 169 | 5x World Champion on Mastery, Injustice, and Why She Refused to Quit | Molly Metz | Some battles don’t happen on a competition floor… they happen when life steals your breath and dares you to quit.In this Defenders LIVE episode, 5x world champion Molly Metz shares what mastery actually costs—and why she kept fighting when the system wasn’t fair.• What elite training teaches you about failure and courage• Why growth can feel lonely (and why it’s still worth it)• The mindset shift that happens after pain, setbacks, and injustice• How to keep moving forward when you feel outmatchedDefenders LIVE is supported by you. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.What does mastery really demand, and what happens when life hits hard enough to knock you off your feet? In this episode of Defenders LIVE, Lora Thorson sits down with Molly Metz, a five-time world champion jump rope athlete, coach, entrepreneur, and inventor whose story goes far beyond athletics. Molly opens up about the discipline and precision it takes to build elite skill and why she believes real growth often comes only after you’ve been forced to stop.Molly shares how a serious car accident woke her up to bigger purpose, how she built a jump rope training movement that reached 800+ gyms, and what it cost her to defend her inventions when larger companies allegedly copied her patented technology. This is a conversation about resilience, integrity, and courage…the kind that keeps moving forward even when the fight isn’t fair. If you’ve ever felt misunderstood while trying to grow, or tempted to quit when the opponent looks bigger than you… this one’s for you.Watch more at Defenders-LIVE.com or subscribe for future conversations.Thanks for reading Defenders LIVE! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.defenders-live.com/subscribe | 1h 13m 32s | ||||||
| 1/29/26 | ![]() Ep. 168 | From Agnostic to Jesus: The Unexpected Faith Journey of Christian Griffith | He didn’t find faith the way people expect.And that’s exactly why this story matters.Christian Griffith returns to Defenders LIVE to share the most unexpected chapter of his life, from lifelong agnostic to a faith journey that changed everything.In this episode, you’ll hear:* What finally opened the door to faith after years of resistance* Why healing doesn’t end after the big achievement* How to keep moving when life feels heavy and motivation is gone* The power of small, faithful steps on the hardest days* What resilience looks like when you’re rebuilding againDefenders LIVE is supported by you. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Here is the previous interview with Christian from 2024 that started it all:Two years after his unforgettable first appearance, Christian Griffith returns to Defenders LIVE with a story no one saw coming, not even him. Known for extreme endurance, unfiltered honesty, and relentless resilience, Christian opens up about the most unexpected turning point of his life: a faith journey that began not with certainty, but questions.In this deeply personal conversation, we talk about what happens after the big feats. After the 3,000-mile run, after the spotlight, after the grind, when life gets heavy again. Christian shares how healing actually unfolds over time, why small acts of obedience matter more than massive wins, and how faith entered his life through moments he could never explain away. This episode is about courage, surrender, and learning how to keep moving forward, even when you are starting over.Watch more at Defenders-LIVE.com or subscribe for future conversations.Thanks for reading Defenders LIVE! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.defenders-live.com/subscribe | 1h 33m 53s | ||||||
| 1/22/26 | ![]() Ep. 167 | What Most People Get Wrong About Force, Judgment, and Training with Lee Weems | In this episode of Defenders LIVE, Lora Thorson sits down with Lee Weems—career peace officer, trainer, and adjunct professor—to talk about what most people miss when they judge high-stakes incidents from a single camera angle. Lee breaks down why “objectively reasonable” is the legal standard (even when it’s emotionally unpopular), how media narratives form, and why good tactics don’t always look good on video.They also go deeper into what makes training actually work: adult learning, asking better questions, and coaching the individual instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all method. Lee shares the moment bureaucracy rerouted his path, why he still can’t walk away from the profession, and how cognitive load exposes the gaps in our “square range” confidence. This is a conversation about truth, accountability, and becoming the kind of protector who can think clearly under pressure.Defenders LIVE is supported by you. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.In this Defenders LIVE conversation with Lee Weems, we go deep on what really matters when pressure is high:Why video clips can distort the truth (and inflame the public)What “objectively reasonable” actually means in use-of-force decisionsHow bureaucracy reshaped his life—and pushed him toward purposeWhy coaching beats commanding when you’re training adultsThe difference between technical skill… and real-world applicationLearn more about Lee at: www.thatweemsguy.com and www.firstpersonsafety.comThanks for reading Defenders LIVE! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.defenders-live.com/subscribe | 1h 30m 27s | ||||||
| 1/15/26 | ![]() Ep. 166 | Fear of Failure Is Killing Your Performance (Here’s How to Break It) | Tyler Tharp doesn’t just teach shooting. He coaches people through pressure, plateaus, and the fear that keeps them stuck. In this episode of Defenders LIVE, Tyler shares how early experiences with being graded can shape a lifelong fear of failure, and why identity work and process-driven training can unlock real performance, both on the range and in everyday life.Tyler is the lead instructor at Synergy Training Group, a competitive shooter across USPSA and IDPA at the Master level, and a mentor with a background in tutoring, leadership, and church security. We talk about building a make-ready process, learning to live in the moment, and how personal loss reshaped his faith, purpose, and mission to serve. We also get practical, covering how to evaluate training and gear marketing, what makes a quality holster, and why live fire combined with pressure testing matters if you want real growth.Defenders LIVE is supported by you. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.In this Defenders LIVE episode, you’ll learn:• Why fear-based ceilings form and how to dismantle them• How identity and mission clarity unlock performance under pressure• What actually builds skill versus what just feels productive• How to spot bad training and gear marketing before it costs you time or money• Why living in the moment changes both shooting and life performance• How faith, loss, and purpose shape resilience and growthThis isn’t just about shooting better. It’s about thinking clearer, training smarter, and showing up stronger when it matters most.More about Tyler at www.synergyshooting.com.Watch more at Defenders-LIVE.com or subscribe for future conversations.Thanks for reading Defenders LIVE! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.defenders-live.com/subscribe | 1h 13m 02s | ||||||
| 1/5/26 | ![]() You’re Not Standing Still | Lately, I have been sitting with the idea that we do not really stay the same.Even when nothing looks like it is changing on the outside, something is always happening underneath. Sometimes that movement feels like momentum. Other times it feels like uncertainty, quiet, or doubt.That tension between shrinking and growing is what this video touches on.It is not a lesson or a breakdown. Just a real check-in and a bit of perspective on stepping into what comes next before you feel fully ready.Defenders LIVE is supported by you. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.A few quick updates I share at the end of the video:* Defenders LIVE has some excellent guests coming up over the next couple of months, starting next week* I have been invited to speak at an online summit at the end of January and will share more details soon* Paid subscribers will be receiving an email about an upcoming reflection and goal-setting group callThat is it. The rest is in the video.Thanks for being here and for walking into this year with me.Lora This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.defenders-live.com/subscribe | 5m 24s | ||||||
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