Tom graduated from Andrean High School in Merrillville, Indiana in 2000. Tom played Varsity football as linebacker, fullback, and D-End in high school. Tom was MVP on the wrestling team during HS Senior year. After foregoing college, Tom became a professional MMA fighter in Chicago going undefeated at 7-0. After 9/11, Tom worked construction while he trained for the Navy and the grueling Navy SEAL program. Tom graduated from BUD/s, Airborne School and SQT, receiving his SEAL Trident in 2008. Tom joined SEAL Team One as a Breacher in 2008 and served until 2016 with four deployments including Iraq and Afghanistan. While still an active-duty Navy SEAL Pre-BUD/s Instructor (Lead Petty Officer LPO) stationed at Great Lakes Naval Recruit Training Command (RTC Great Lakes) in North Chicago, Illinois, Tom enrolled at Northwestern University as a full-time student and walked onto the football team as a linebacker after not playing football for 15 years. Tom played in the Big Ten for Pat Fitzgerald and the NU Wildcats from 2014-2016 at 32, 33, and 34 years old.

James studied Journalism at the University of Missouri. James wrote his first novel in 1999 and cut his writing teeth in Chicago while owning 10 nightclubs and sports bars over many years. James owned a restaurant early in his career sponsored by the Mario and Michael Andretti IndyCar racing team owned by actor Paul Newman and Carl Haas. Andretti’s 1987 Indy car was in the main dining room. Also, James survived a restaurant partnership with martial arts action-star Steven Seagal during Seagal’s glory days following the breakout hit movie, Above the Law. James described the business relationship with Seagal as interesting. “It was before Seagal went to the other side.” James Pomerantz novels before The Breacher’s Playbook include Ghost Bandit, Undisclosed Sibling and The Spitting Image of My Father. James wrote a 2004 biography entitled They Call Me Sid Rock…Rodeo’s Extreme Cowboy. (Triumph Books, Chicago) The book was a colorful expose of Sid Steiner, 2002 PRCA World Champion Steer Wrestler. The Steiner family is Texas rodeo royalty. Sid’s father Bobby Steiner was a PRCA World Champion Bull Rider in 1973. James lost his wife, Mary, in 2019. They raised four kids in Winnetka, Illinois. James now resides in the Chicago area near his family.

The Breachers Playbook:

https://tactical16.com/product/the-breachers-playbook/

Today's Sponsors:

Montana Knife Company:

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TrueWerk:

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Traditional Q and A to round out the week, perhaps slightly heavier or darker topics than normal, but that is how the cookie crumbled this time.

Unseen brain trauma and a fathers mission to prevent Veteran suicide , Signal App Whoopsies by Government employees, and whether or not someone can actually be a good person and an evil person at the same time.

Enjoy

60 Minutes Video: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/dads-mission-brain-injuries-60-minutes-video-2025-03-23/

Today's Sponsors:

Spartan Forge:

https://spartanforge.ai/

Maui Nui Venison:

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As Montana Knife Company’s Founder and Owner, Josh Smith is the Master Bladesmith behind creating and designing working knives for working people that are built to last for generations. Josh grew up in Lincoln, Montana on the edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

At the age of 11 Josh’s baseball coach, Rick Dunkerley, began teaching him how to make knives. In the very beginning, Josh would go to Rick’s shop where he learned to remove stock blades under the guidance of Rick.

About a year later, Josh began putting a shop together at his home. Josh’s Dad gave him room to work in his equipment shop, and at the age of 12 Josh joined the American Bladesmith Society. Over the next few years Josh began forging and honing his craft. Josh turned 14 at the Eugene Oregon knife show where he met other incredible knife makers, all too willing to share their talents and knowledge with Josh.

At 15 years old, Josh passed the Journeyman Bladesmith test in Atlanta, Georgia at the Blade Show. Josh became the youngest bladesmith to ever pass this test. The Journeyman test is a two-part process. A test blade must be forged and heat treated with the capabilities to chop a 1” rope in half, 2- 2x4’s in half and then still shave hair. Once the cutting tests are done the blade must be able to bend 90 degrees in a vise without breaking. After passing the performance test the maker must present 5 knives to a panel of Mastersmith Judges. Each knife is examined closely to ensure the knife is made to the highest standard of craftsmanship. At the Journeyman level a maker is not expected to show perfection but is expected to show a sufficient level of craftsmanship expected from a professional bladesmith.

Josh continued to work on his craft and at the age of 19 he earned his Master Smith rating from the American Bladesmith Society. Josh was the youngest bladesmith to ever pass the Master Smith test.

https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/

Today's Sponsors:

Black Rifle Coffee:

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BetterHelp:

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Traditional Q and A to round out the week, answering only the most demanding questions facing our society and world in general.

A patriotic Canadian's concern over the recent rhetoric about US annexation, PTSD, and developing a mindset where you are comfortable dying.

Enjoy

Today's Sponsors:

AG1:

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David:

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Nick has a career of over a decade’s worth of civil service spanning fire, corrections, and public safety, and he is also a survivor of CSA, more commonly known as Childhood Sexual Abuse.

-Male sexual trauma is seen as a common issue that goes relatively ignored within American society. The suspected ratio of boys who experience some form of sexual abuse varies from one in six to as high as one in four by the age of eighteen.

-Despite society's acknowledgement of the prevalence of this issue, the average length of time between male sexual abuse and disclosure is twenty years, not accounting for abuses that never get reported.

-Childhood Sexual Abuse is a form of trauma, and while these childhood trauma statistics were not CSA specific, they are certainly related and may display some of the predispositions male CSA survivors encounter: victims of childhood trauma are; 2.4 times as likely to experience ongoing anxiety, 3.6 times as likely to be depressed, 7.2 times as likely to become alcoholic, and 11.1 times as likely to become intravenous drug users.

https://www.nickmiddaugh.com/

Today's Sponsors:

Montana Knife Company:

https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/

LMNT:

https://drinklmnt.com/CLEAREDHOT

Non-traditional Full Auto Friday Q and A with my wife, Leah Stumpf.

As much as it pains me to say it, Michael did a good job selecting the questions and we covered quite a few topics. We talked some Jiu Jitsu, general training, the role of a step parent, relationships, stories she has heard about me from my dad, and her upcoming seminar in Costa Rica.

Leah's blog about finding a good Jiu Jitsu gym:

https://coachleahbjj.wordpress.com/2022/07/18/how-to-choose-a-jiu-jitsu-academy/

Costa Rica Seminar:

https://herobjj.com/retreats/leah/

Today's Sponsors:

Pique Life:

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Mando:

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Mark is the creator of the Modern Rural Civilian channel, creating content about his ongoing adventure to design and create his dream "off grid" property and homestead. Many people talk about their desire to "detach" and build their own oasis, but few actually take the required actions. Mark's channel shares the successes and failures quite openly, providing insight in to what the lifestyle actually requires.

Modern Rural Civilian: https://youtube.com/@modernruralcivilian?si=YHCCuQXPM0JxhudX

Today's Sponsors:

Black Rifle Coffee:

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Fabric:

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Three generations tackling the most pressing issues of our times.

That was the initial concept. We may have answered two questions before veering completely off track and discussing my father's journey through technology, Hulu customer support, the internet for elders, and ten-year-old iPhones.

We will be doing this again in the future, if you have questions please send them in, or put them below in the comments.

Today's Sponsors:

AG1:

AG1 is offering new subscribers a FREE $76 gift when you sign up. You’ll get a Welcome Kit, a bottle of D3K2 AND 5 free travel packs in your first box. So make sure to check out https://DrinkAG1.com/clearedhot to get this offer

Timeline:

https://timeline.com/CLEAREDHOT33

Douglas is an actor, and the creator of the play The American Soldier.

The American Soldier portrays fourteen characters, based on real stories and actual letters written by veterans and their family members from the American Revolution, all the way through current day Afghanistan. The story is told with a through-line and a strong message, but not chronologically. It examines the internal struggles and problems that soldiers face when returning home from combat and the sacrifice made by our veterans and their families.

We see one character who represents all the powerful and beautiful things of the military – discipline, teamwork, and brotherhood. He is the only character who comes out more than once to share these lessons with us. All other aspects are only seen once, and they represent our glimpse of what sacrifice is for our veterans and their families.

The play starts with our narrator sharing his lesson in discipline. We see a Revolutionary soldier freezing at Valley Forge, a grieving mother remembering her son and his story of how he died in Vietnam, our narrator sharing his lesson in teamwork, our Bronx WWII veteran suffering with the effects of PTSD from his experience in Iwo Jima, our African American Vietnam Vet, our Iraq veteran addicted to the adrenalin of war, a wife and son dealing with the father’s absence while he is away at war on 3rd deployment in Afghanistan, a father in the wake of his soldier son’s suicide from Iraq, a chicano soldier dealing with the loss of his limb and his wife helps him to stand up again, a WWI soldier sharing his love for his brother in the trenches, an eloquent Civil War Soldier writing his final letter to his wife (the Dear Sarah letter), and finally our narrator sharing his lesson in brotherhood.

Learn more about The American Soldier here - https://www.theamericansoldiersoloshow.com/

Never Surrender Podcast Shirt- https://shop.clearedhotpodcast.com/products/no-surrender 

Today's Sponsors:

Montana Knife Company:

https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/

LMNT:

Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase- https://drinklmnt.com/CLEAREDHOT

In this episode we're diving into another round of listener-submitted questions. I always appreciate the honesty and vulnerability of these questions, and this week is no exception.

First up, what does it really take to be The Best? Whether it’s in sports, business, or even sweeping the floor, how much sacrifice and commitment are required to reach the top? Are the sacrifices worth it, what is the cost of greatness, and finding purpose along the way?

Next, a question about being “good enough.” After a year of life upheavals, a listener reflects on his deepest fear—never measuring up, never being enough. It’s a feeling that drives him to improve but also leaves him questioning whether satisfaction and self-acceptance are achievable.

Finally, a question from a listener dealing with night sweats and high blood pressure long after leaving military service. It’s a frustrating struggle, especially when medications don’t seem to help, and it’s now impacting his marriage.

Today's Sponsors:

Spartan Forge:

https://spartanforge.ai/

Maui Nui Venison:

Maui Nui Venison is offering listeners a limited collection of my favorite cuts and products. But... supply is limited by the nature of their work, so don’t wait.

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Joel Struthers spent six years as a legionnaire (and more specifically as a member of the elite Group Commando Parachutistes). The French Foreign Legion, a branch of the French army, is one of the most famous military organizations in the world.

Joel is the author of Appel, A Canadian in the French Foreign Legion, which details his time with the Legion, his experiences, the selection and recruitment process, and combat deployments to Africa.

Joel is also a helicopter pilot and a partner in a Canadian risk mitigation firm that solves difficult problems in challenging environments

Today's Sponsors:

Black Rifle Coffee-

https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/

BetterHelp- This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/CLEAREDHOT and get on your way to being your best self.