Most men think preparedness is a bunker full of gear and ammo. My guest today, Mike Glover, knows better. A Green Beret, former CIA contractor, and founder of Fieldcraft Survival has spent his life teaching men that real readiness is a mindset before it's a skillset and that the hardest terrain you'll ever navigate isn't in the wilderness, it's the purgatory of your own worst chapter. In this conversation, Mike opens up about hardship, redemption, and what it took to pick himself up when the ground gave way beneath him.
We get into why men today aren't weak so much as broken down, physically, hormonally, and spiritually. And, we talk about what it takes to rebuild. We talk about purpose and identity, the difference between the people who scatter and the people who'll always have your back, and why being targeted only sharpened his clarity about who he is and what he's built. This is a raw, unflinching look at accountability, manhood, and the courage to say what needs to be said. Mike doesn't hedge, and neither do we.
Mike Glover is a former U.S. Army Green Beret and CIA contractor who turned two decades of hard-won experience in special operations and high-threat environments into one of the most respected names in the preparedness and self-reliance space. He is the founder of Fieldcraft Survival, a company built on the conviction that preparedness is a complete discipline (mindset, skillset, philosophy, training, and the right tools). Through Fieldcraft, the Fieldcraft Outpost, and his broader body of work, Mike has trained countless men and families to stop outsourcing their safety and become the sole proprietors of their own lives.
Beyond Fieldcraft, Mike founded American Contingency, a grassroots movement built on the radical idea that a well-prepared citizenry is the backbone of a resilient nation. It’s work that, by his account, put a target on his back. He's no stranger to adversity, public scrutiny, or being underestimated, and he's emerged from the fire with a sharper sense of purpose and a harder-earned wisdom about redemption, accountability, and what actually holds a man together when everything's coming apart. He continues to lead, teach, and build through Fieldcraft Survival, Longhaul Supply Company, and his work with a community of men who refuse to be caught unprepared.
If you died tomorrow, who'd be in the room? Mike Glover put it to me like this:
“There are three rows at your funeral. One row is on their phone. One row simply knew you. And one row would've taken a bullet for you.”
The question isn't how big the crowd is. It's how many men are in that last row. And here's the truth: you don't earn that row by accident. You earn it through accountability…real accountability. The kind that doesn't let you hide, doesn't let you coast, and doesn't let you lie to yourself about who you're becoming.
That's exactly what the Iron Council is. It's not a Facebook group. It's a brotherhood of men who hold each other to a standard, who tell you what needs to be said even when it's not what you want to hear, and who show up when it counts. Because not everyone who criticizes you is your enemy, and not everyone who praises you is your ally.
But the right men will sharpen you. If you're tired of doing this alone, if you want to be the man in someone else's last row, get in the game with men who refuse to let you stay the same.
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