Liberty Risk

Mostly true tales of barroom brawls, bad decisions, and near misses. From former Navy SEALs to your average badass, every story walks the line between chaos and comedy. It's the stuff that happens when the uniform comes off and the liberty clock starts ticking. Some made it out clean. Some barely made it out at all. Either way, it’s one hell of a ride. Pull up a stool. This is Liberty Risk.

Ep. 12 • Cody Shea - 🔥 Firefighting: The Family Business. 06/06/2025

Ep. 12 • Cody Shea - 🔥 Firefighting: The Family Business. In this episode we dive into the world of First Responders with Firefighter Cody Shea. Cody comes from a long line of fire fighters. His parents met in the Fire Academy in ’84 and Cody grew up in Tacoma Washington hearing the stories of First Responder life in Seattle; calls responding to famous musicians OD’ing, even the details of Kurt Cobain’s suicide were a part of his life from an early age. He founded a skateboard company in his 20’s but eventually found himself pulled back to his fire fighting roots and started his 5 year journey of getting signed on to the Fire Department. This episode touches on a lot of the similarities between military and First Responder experiences, and also the differences. First responders deal with more trauma than people realize, in a lot of cases, more than most military veterans. It’s harder to compartmentalize emotions when it’s a kid face down in a pool vs a 3rd world national with an AK. Here are some story highlights from this episode: • Aliens and Bigfoot stories from the Pacific North West. 👽👣 • Strangest things seen on a call. 😳 • Most impressive objects found up someone’s 🍑. • Motorcycles are dangerous, they're even more dangerous when you drive like an asshole. • Working at a concert and the impressive levels of craziness exhibited. • Nick’s bachelor party story. 🥳 • Strippers falling from rooftops and how to render aid using pool equipment. • Army vs Navy party games. • A list of activities that are guaranteed to dissappoint your dad. • “boof here” and other questionable tattoo decisions. • The surprising density of midgets. Check out more of Cody's work here: ✖️ The Call We Carry - Documentary ✖️ Personal Instagram - ✖️ Media Instagram - Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Industry Threadworks - ✖️ Archive 3PL - ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - ✖️ K-Squared Advising - /episode/index/show/755617fc-1a2f-4907-ac33-5250f43c6271/id/36886480

Ep. 11 • Taylor Cavanaugh - Be The Main Character of Your Own Life. 05/30/2025

Ep. 11 • Taylor Cavanaugh - Be The Main Character of Your Own Life. Taylor Cavanaugh is the only known person to be a Navy SEAL, and also join the French Foreign Legion. His story is unique, but the man himself has always been a Main Character, and we're excited to bring you this conversation. Growing up in San Diego, Taylor Cavanough has been walking the line between 2 worlds and living a life of extremities even as a youth. In this episode we dive into some of his backstory, growing up around strip clubs, and doing steroids on trips to Mexico before football practice, all before he was even able to drive. Stepping away from that life and choosing a new path for himself, Taylor turned towards the military, but was denied at every branch except the Navy due to tattoos and having too many misdemeanors stacked up. Taylor has an amazing story and has been on a lot of podcasts sharing his perspective, but this is a fun episode where we get to hear some stories that he’s never told in public before, as well as a few from the rest of the Liberty Risk crew. Here are a few highlights that we get into: • The pros & cons of steroid use, when it’s helpful and when it’s not - note: Taylor was never on any PED’s during selection courses for either SEALs or French Foreign Legion. • Hydro recons around the world and why they suck. • When to evade trouble, and when to face the music. • Sometimes it helps to have a spare 🍆. • How perspective changes as you get older, and the weight of leadership responsibility. • The power and freedom of understanding your weaknesses. • A couple bar fight stories, some wins, some losses, and how Kevin lost his tooth. • The crew discusses tattoo culture: what’s lame, what’s cool, and why you can’t "tattoo yourself tough”. • Riding the edge, and having a fall back plan. Playig it smart. • A French Foreign Legion party story in a strange small town - A la village! “To the village!” ❄️ • A discussion on how life looks as an older man, seeing life differently through each decade, 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. • The importance of having a mission and purpose in life, especially guys coming from a military background, and how you can feel lost without it. Thank you for listening, we hope you enjoy this episode! Get in touch with Taylor here: ✖️ Taylor Cavanaugh Website - ✖️ Instagram - ✖️ YouTube - Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Industry Threadworks - ✖️ Archive 3PL - ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - ✖️ K-Squared Advising - /episode/index/show/755617fc-1a2f-4907-ac33-5250f43c6271/id/36783790

Ep. 10 • Billy Helmers - A Steady Hand Through Rough Seas. 🔱 05/22/2025

Ep. 9 • Ivan Krusic - SpecWar Heritage And The Stories Behind The Legends. 05/15/2025

Ep. 9 • Ivan Krusic - SpecWar Heritage And The Stories Behind The Legends. With a 25 year career in NSW spanning everything from SDV’s to platoons on both East & West coasts and multiple tours as an Instructor, Ivan Krusic has seen a lot of history unfold in the SpecWar community, and he’s been an active part of it as well. In this episode we dive into some of the legendary stories in our community, and uncover what really happened by hearing it first hand from guys who were there. With his father fighting in WW2 for Yugoslavia, Ivan’s family has a long history of military service. We touch on Ivan’s upbringing in northern California, and the teenage adventures that eventually brought him to the Navy, and what drew him to the SEAL Teams in particular. There are so many stories and wild characters to go through this episode feels like a Quintin Tarantino film, here are a couple highlights: • The origins of the different hand to hand fighting systems SpecWar has used over the years, which ones worked for bar fights and which ones didn’t. • The backstory behind what later became a legendary, decades long rivalry between SEAL Platoons and top level pro MMA fighters in a specific NorCal town. • Can body parts be racist? • The “crab pot mentality” and knowing where to draw the line with “friends”. • A very deep side conversation with Billy Helmers about love, acceptance, marriage, and managing loss. • How a SEAL platoon made the front page of the papers for burning down a California town (on accident). • What holds SpecOps guys, pro athletes, doctors, pilots and other high level performers back from achieving success in other fields. • How the SpecWar leadership felt about an Instructor pulling up in a Lambo. • The crew shares their unfiltered thoughts on Chris Beck and other Teamguys in drag. • Calling Post Malone. Guest charity highlight: ✖️ Rockin' With The SEALs (Website) - ✖️ Rockin' With The SEALs (Instagram) - Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Industry Threadworks - ✖️ Archive 3PL - ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - ✖️ K-Squared Advising - /episode/index/show/755617fc-1a2f-4907-ac33-5250f43c6271/id/36574760

Ep. 8 • Mitch Aguiar - Navy SEAL, to MMA Fighter, to Entrepreneur. Leveling Up Authenticity. 05/09/2025

Ep. 8 • Mitch Aguiar - Navy SEAL, to MMA Fighter, to Entrepreneur. Leveling Up Authenticity. In this episode, Ryan and Nick sit down with Mitch Aguiar—a former SEAL who turned his passion for fighting into a pro MMA career, and then leveraged that into building the Smashin’ Frog empire. From pushing a lawn mower in 5th grade for ice cream money, to chartering jets and leading companies, Mitch shares some raw stories of triumph and failure with a healthy mix of brutal honesty and humor. We cover everything from the real perception of SEALs, to Instagram illusions, the challenges of business leadership, and why ice cream trucks are the gateway to philanthropy. Of course we have many detours into viral videos, planned and unplanned fights, questionable HR tactics, and all the stories below. Highlights include: Which is the most accurate Teamguy movie ever filmed (Spoiler: "Navy SEAL's" with Charlie Sheen of course). Mitch’s take on social media, Instagram’s highlight reel, and the value of real authenticity. "That which is most personal is the most universal"—on connection through vulnerability. Mitch’s behind-the-scenes breakdown of his fight with Sean Strickland—and how it nearly broke the internet (until a presidential assassination attempt stole the spotlight). The mindset shift from amateur cage matches to pro-level combat. The difference between accomplishing missions with military Teammates and leading civilian employees. Adjusting leadership and building culture when your employees are literally afraid of you. The importance of not taking yourself too seriously, and having fun along the way. Like wearing Dumb & Dumber suits on a private jet to a big business meeting. Please check out more of Mitch's endeavors here: ✖️ MASF Supplements - ✖️ Violent Hippie - https://violenthippie.com/ ✖️ Adopt A Cop BJJ - https://adoptacopbjj.org/ Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Industry Threadworks - ✖️ Archive 3PL - ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - ✖️ K-Squared Advising - ✖️ MASF Supplements - /episode/index/show/755617fc-1a2f-4907-ac33-5250f43c6271/id/36510425

Ep. 7 • Dave "Gut" Gutierez - Frogman Legends, Legacy & Origin Stories 05/02/2025

Ep. 7 • Dave "Gut" Gutierez - Frogman Legends, Legacy & Origin Stories Liberty Risk Episode 7 with Dave “Gut” Gutierez If you’re a West Coast Teamguy, no doubt you’ve heard of Dave “Gut” Gutierez, he’s been famous in our community for a variety of reasons, but mostly because of his huge…. PERSONALITY. You’ll see what we mean when you listen to this episode. As a brother, as a friend, mentor, Teammate, Instructor, or family man, Dave has been many things to many people over the years, and we’re fortunate to be able to share some of these stories with you. From joining the Navy in 1989 to completing 13 deployments and retiring in 2017 as a Command Master Chief, then his continuing journey through sobriety, this 4 hour episode goes through a lot of history, both personally, and within the SpecWar community. There are some bar stories, and some fight stories, some love stories, and some monkey stories, which are all incredibly hilarious, but by far the most impactful is his story of sobriety. A lot of guys are afraid they’ll miss out on the fun stuff, or be considered “uncool” if they stop drinking, after seeing this episode, I think you’ll agree that Dave is still one of the coolest Frogmen to ever swim ashore. Dave walks us through the steps of his sobriety journey, where he stumbled, and how he recovered. If you’re on a similar path, you’ll certainly get a lot out of this episode. Here are a few of the MANY stories we get into: • A guy using a cargo strap to try and win a bet if he can svck his own 🍆😳 • First time women were allowed at a Team, and the problem with dudes wearing “short” shorts. • Dividing marital assets with a chainsaw, or a samurai sword (for flare). 🥷 • An unbelievable origin story of another Teamguy legend, Steve Hines. 🦍 • How a monkey learned to smoke, then became an arsonist. 🐒🔥 • Hazing adventures, “happy hats”, and how to diffuse a poop booby trap. 💩💣 • The origins of their Motorcycle Club - Frogmen MC - and their not so warm welcome to the biker world. • A discussion of the different fighting styles the Teams have used over the years, from SAFTA, to SCARS, to Dieter, to MMA. • Ryan fighting a naked and soapy 6’6” black dude in Africa. • A student having to get life flighted off San Clemente Island for a ball injury. 🚁 🍒 • The importance of a good support network, and the difference a good woman can make in a man’s life. Our abs hurt the next day from laughing so hard! We’re excited to share this episode with you, and to give you a glimpse into the life and legacy of a Teamguy Legend. 🔱🏴‍☠️ Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Industry Threadworks - ✖️ Archive 3PL - ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - ✖️ K-Squared Advising - /episode/index/show/755617fc-1a2f-4907-ac33-5250f43c6271/id/36411050

Ep. 6 • Tim Speer - From The Brig to Fatherhood, Finding a Way Forward. 04/29/2025

Ep. 6 • Tim Speer - From The Brig to Fatherhood, Finding a Way Forward. On this episode of Liberty Risk, Ryan & Nick sit down for a wild ride with fellow Former SEAL, Tim Speer. Tim & Nick went to high school together so we start by diving into his early days growing up as a trouble maker, run ins with the law and how focusing on athletics got him through high school while dealing with turmoil & sleeping on friends couches. Tim talks about almost not even being allowed into the military because of his previous trouble with the law, as well as a misunderstanding about old medical records. But also how we found a creative way around the roadblocks to pursue his goal of becoming a Navy SEAL. They also touch on different training methods, and the value of just doing what you can, when and where you can, such as pull-ups every time you go through doors, and going for runs on your lunch break. Putting in the work to achieve your dreams. The crew also has an honest discussion about the benefits and dangers of steroids, both in the military and now as older men. Each tells a story about their personal experiences with them, both the good, the bad, and the funny. The discussion covers if you are going to do “illegal” things in the military, how do you do it while still respectfully navigating the chain of command, and not putting anyone else at risk or in a bad position. A couple other interesting or funny stories in this episode: • The check in process for ST1 in the 90's and the 20 pull-up challenge. • Old man strength is a real thing. • Other countries giving their Spec Ops guys steroids. • Nick tells a story about the origin story of Thicc Nick. • The crew discussed testosterone replacement, HGH, how much they’re taking, what else they’re doing to supplement them. • How to identify and counter “roid rage”, and what to watch out for with HGH. • The 3, 4, 5 plate standard for lifting, and the importance of setting your own standards. • Nature vs nurture, how to provide guidance to your kids while also being truthful. Tim is a 10 year veteran of the SEAL Teams, single dad to 3 great kids, COO at Trident Table Foundation, and co-founder/COO of Red Watch, check out the links to see more: ✖️ Tim Speer Instagram - ✖️ Trident Table Foundation - ✖️ Red Watch - Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Industry Threadworks - ✖️ Archive 3PL - ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - ✖️ K-Squared Advising - /episode/index/show/755617fc-1a2f-4907-ac33-5250f43c6271/id/36363840

Ep. 5 • Sean Stokes - Military, Moonshine, Strippers, And The Art of "Getting Away With It". 04/10/2025

Ep. 5 • Sean Stokes - Military, Moonshine, Strippers, And The Art of "Getting Away With It". We split our sit down with Sean into 2 episodes, this is the second half. In this episode we discuss the highly successful tactics recruiters use to get young men to commit significant portions of their lives to doing dangerous activities (hint: it involves hot women). Why San Diego is sometimes referred to as “Man Diego”, better bring your A game. The crew tries smelling salts, which leads to a story about a neighbor making moonshine in his bathtub (or maybe it was just rubbing alcohol), and how Ryan’s roommate picked a fight with the moonshine and lost. Twice. What our home bar looked like with 70+ bottles on the wall, stripper shoes and panties draped over them, and a TV playing Motley Crue songs non stop. Naked parties with Australian SAS. We’ve all heard the old saying “Never Meet Your Hero’s”, but it can be surprising when it applies to YOU. Often times we don’t recognize that things are crazy at the time, but when you’re retelling the story later you can tell by people’s faces that apparently it is in fact pretty damn crazy. Experimental Diving Unit and how being on an exercise bike underwater with a thermometer up your butt helps save lives. Ryan shares a diving story about getting ran over by a massive cargo container ship at night and almost getting sucked up into the props. A much more light hearted diving story in Fiji that starts with the difficult task of puking underwater through the regulator, and ends with a parrot fish attacking a friend’s butthole. A Russian night club adventure in Germany that kicks off with a hand grenade on the dance floor, then a lesson in using creative weapons like the side view mirror of a car, followed by an emergency taxi escape directly to the brothel, and that’s where the story gets even weirder. This story culminates with exploring multiple uses for glass tables, the importance of impeccable timing and having enough fiber in your diet 💩, then fighting with a taxi driver at 4 am and stealing his coin purse. Lots of people do crazy stuff, but getting away with it is an art. We wind the episode down with what life looks like as an older man, how these stories are part of our past and shape our perspective, but also what we learned from them, and how do we apply those lessons moving forward in order to be the best husbands, fathers, and (semi) responsible people we can be. Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Industry Threadworks - ✖️ Archive 3PL - ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - ✖️ K-Squared Advising - /episode/index/show/755617fc-1a2f-4907-ac33-5250f43c6271/id/36089045

EP. 4 • Sean Stokes - The Earnest Hemingway of The Teams. 04/10/2025

EP. 4 • Sean Stokes - The Earnest Hemingway of The Teams. From East Coast to West Coast, Submarines to SEAL Teams, scuba adventures to skydiving mishaps, and a 1.9 High School GPA to finishing a rigorous degree program from Columbia University, this man has lived a lot of life. In this episode, Sean Stokes walks us through his early adventures starting with learning his recruiter was full of shit, to spending time in the Naval Submarine fleet and ultimately finding his way to the Teams. A continuing theme in his life is identifying a weakness, then focusing and working on it until it becomes a strength. From being traumatically injured skydiving to amassing 13,000+ jumps, or struggling with creative writing to graduating a top tier university with a writing degree. Some diverse topics we cover in this episode: - Strippers vs school teachers and nurses - and the pros & cons of each. - Is drinking a net positive or net negative in your life? The crew discusses drinking strategy and how your perspective on drinking and partying changes at different points in your life. - Special notes as a Performance Enthusiast and the importance of putting out a good “resume” as a single guy. - Some sketchy Submarine stories with pipes rattling and depth gauges spinning as equipment fails, eventually launching the submarine to the surface like a flying fish. - Underwater at sea for months and then going on liberty in Guam, stories of peeing where you’re not supposed to, getting peed on, and redemption/revenge. - Waking up in a dog house wearing only tighty whities with the ass ripped out. - An old roommate with a peeing problem where everything looks like a toilet, including his girlfriend’s luggage. - Shitting your pants in the control room? - Static line jumps vs free fall, and land jumps vs water jumps. Which is better or worse? - Establishing boundaries in “no strings attached” relationships, bartering handy man services and free fall jumps for sex. - Which is scarier, jumping out of the plane or landing in it? Depends. - The importance of culture in the military and society at large, and its impact on mission readiness. Join us on the journey that is Episode 4 with Sean Stokes, and the best part? There’s more - Part 2 releases next Friday: April 25th, 2025. Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Industry Threadworks - ✖️ Archive 3PL - ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - ✖️ K-Squared Advising - /episode/index/show/755617fc-1a2f-4907-ac33-5250f43c6271/id/36088925

Ep. 3 • A Peek Behind The Hollywood Curtain, And How Humor Helps in Dealing With a Heavy Deployment, And The Aftermath at Home. 04/10/2025

Ep. 2 • The meaning of Liberty Risk. 04/10/2025

Ep. 1 • Liberty Risk Crew Intro & Backgrounds • Your Backstage Pass to Legendary After Hours Stories of The SpecOps Community 04/10/2025

Ep. 1 • Liberty Risk Crew Intro & Backgrounds • Your Backstage Pass to Legendary After Hours Stories of The SpecOps Community Mostly true tales of bar room brawls, bad decisions, and near misses. From former Navy SEALs to your average badass, every story walks the line between chaos and comedy. It's the stuff that happens when the uniform comes off and the liberty clock starts ticking. Some made it out clean. Some barely made it out at all. Either way, it’s one hell of a ride. Pull up a stool. This is Liberty Risk. - Episode 1 starts with an intro and background for each of the 3 hosts of Liberty Risk (Ryan Williams, Nick Betts and Kevin Kent) and the main reason and importance of sharing these stories. The crew discusses what life is like in the SpecOps community, and what painful (and oftentimes, lucky) lessons need to be learned while finding your way & place in the regular (read: civilian) world. Dealing with co-workers and employees, culture clashes, knowing when to be flexible and when to stand your ground and the military-to-civilian transition in between it all. Main story: Ryan's experience at Army Airborne Jump School after just graduating BUD/S, at his first strip club - underage with a fake ID - with a stripper on his lap, tittie in mouth (because why not), and drink in-hand when it gets raided by none other than the ATF and DEA. The irony?Getting away with that, but then getting kicked out of Jump School for a few days later for the most minor of wardrobe discrepancies. We delve into the Pirate vs Boy Scout mentalities in SpecOps, the evolution of the "God Squad" over time, running executive protection for celebrities and seeing behind the curtain of Hollywood - who’s cool and who’s a douche. - Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Industry Threadworks - ✖️ Archive 3PL - ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - ✖️ K-Squared Advising - /episode/index/show/755617fc-1a2f-4907-ac33-5250f43c6271/id/36087920

Liberty Risk

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