The Return of the Forged By Fire Podcast

0:40 Introduction

In Forged by Fire’s comeback episode, catch up with Ryan Stephens and Rob Hefley as they bring on long-time friend Daniel Shaw. After doing everything – short of kidnapping – to get Daniel on the podcast, they sit down to share life updates and discuss how the podcast made them better people. Reflecting on their earlier episodes, Ryan says, “I believe because of the podcast, I’m a better father, I believe I’m a better friend, better husband.” Rob explains how it feels to reach so many and help others through the podcast. “You never know who you’re going to have an effect on,” says Rob. “[...] No matter what [...] we wanna add value to other people’s lives every day.” You never know whose lives are improving due to your positive attitude and strong spirit. Despite putting the podcast on hold, Ryan recounts how a police officer visiting from New Mexico tells him how the episode about negativity changed his life and gave him an entirely different perspective. Rob and Ryan care about people in their down-to-earth way, “Even dirt grows vegetables…sometimes,” Daniel remarks lightheartedly. He has a point. Dirt is where the roots go and support the smallest of seeds so they can become great oaks.

3:35 Grid Coordinates

Grid Coordinates with Daniel

Welcome the newest and arguably coolest member of Gray Beard Ammo, Daniel Shaw! Inflation, holidays, and starting new work, moving to Arkansas shows the importance of community and having a support system in uncertain times. Daniel settles into his new home and work after a call from Rob (and maybe God, too) to come to Arkansas. Forging new friendships has been crucial to Daniel’s recent life changes.

Grid Coordinates with Ryan

Ryan shares the latest turns his life has taken. S7 Tactical has gone from a seventeen-acre to a ninety-seven-acre facility to better serve the community. Ryan has also transitioned from sheepdog skills to pursuing his black belt from Frontline Jiu Jitsu. Side note, Frontline Jiu Jitsu specializes in helping frontline and first responders, which is fantastic. Meanwhile, work as a special agent has been great and frustrating, but Ryan does his best to take it all in stride with kindness. Continuing, he stresses the importance of being on the same page with your partner. “Being married, [clicking on all cylinders is] probably the most important.” Ryan Stephens says. “When you have a supportive wife, man, you feel like you can take on the world.”.

Grid Coordinates with Rob

Rob tells of his latest endeavors with building a new home and the joys of the simple things in life. “I just want this little room here [...], my little office [...], and I wanna garage I can fit a jacked-up truck in.”. 

Ryan comments, “That’s it, redneck rich!” 

“Really simple, ya know?” Rob laughs.

Rob proudly tells us how his wife and kids are doing, with his wife being featured in AR Money & Politics magazine about her coaching and Christian leadership. Rob and his family also took a trip to Mexico for New Year’s and even bought (and remodeled) a gun store recently. Ryan jokes, “I love how he says it so nonchalant. ‘Like, ya know, was shoppin’ around, looked in a magazine and just bought a gun…store’”.

On top of that, they just leased another building in November to open another 27,000-square-foot store to expand on Rob’s vision and goals. “I feel [...] truly blessed to live in a community in Conway. Great people around us, great church, great friends.” Rob says, thankful for the success and growth he’s experienced.

8:40 What’s it Look Like at 30,000 Feet?

To recap, Rob opened a gun store and got a new building. Now it’s time for the big question. Ryan asks Rob what his end goal is and what dream he’s chasing. The end goal? To have a self-sustaining retail spot in Conway, an excellent online store, and Gray Beard Ammo – an ammo subscription service. “I want people here that wanna work hard and play hard. Add value to people’s lives.” Rob says about the people he wants around his work.

“That’s why we're sitting at this table,” Ryan adds. “One thing I’m so thankful for is you’re [both] always looking for [...] ways to serve other people. Especially our community.”. Ryan describes their community as veterans, first responders, and people hurting or not living to their fullest potential.

Speaking of goals and potential, Daniel expresses the importance of writing down your goals. “I tend to use the military planning process.” Daniel explains. Using this process, he illustrates questions to ask yourself while planning your course of action. “Where do I wanna be? [Where do I need to be?] How do I get there? [What strategies do I develop, and what tactics do I use to meet that strategy? What milestones do I need to reach?].”

11:00 Becoming Less Governable and Self-Sustaining

Daniel expresses his goal of becoming more self-sufficient, where he doesn’t need to rely on the government or others around him. “I wanna be free,” remarks Daniel. “I wanna be even more free and in the best physical shape of my life.”

“You’re lookin’ pretty legit, dude!” Ryan interjects.

 

Daniel continues on his goals, “I wanna build a community. Ya know you were talking about serving others, and I wanna do that.” Seeing people without confidence on social media or even at the local grocery store, Daniel says there’s so much missed when you lack confidence. Quality mentorship is vital to building self-confidence; most people don’t have that mentor to build them up. “What a lot of men are missing out there right now, they're missing somebody else telling them: ‘Hey man, you don’t have to go this way; there’s a better way.’” Daniel says. “Most are missing that person they need to follow, ya know, Jesus Christ.” Rather than accomplishing goals to shine a light on himself, Daniel says he tries to complete those goals so Jesus can shine through him by example.

14:22 Fear, Friendship, and Freedom 

“If you want to live in true freedom, what is true freedom? You want to live like you have nothing to fear, nothing to hide, and nothing to prove.” – Michael Thompson

 

Most men haven’t experienced true freedom due to their own bad decisions. However, Ryan encourages the listeners of Forged by Fire to strive for that. When you feel a positive difference, you treat others differently. Michael Thompson’s quote stopped Rob in his tracks; it truly hit a nerve, “If I lose everything today, it’s God’s will.”. Ruminating on his relationships while relaxing in Mexico, Rob realized how thankful he is to be surrounded by great people he can rely on and trust. “When you lower your expectations and focus on gratitude, I seem to have better days.” Ryan shares.

20:00 The Corporate Hot Tub

They discuss how getting too comfortable can harm your mindset and act as a metaphorical prison. It’s okay to be comfortable in a routine, but they challenge you to ask yourself: Are you happy at work? Challenging yourself and contributing to your community can help you and those around you grow, such as volunteering at nonprofits and engaging others at church.

Worry can be its own form of prison. Rob shares his own experiences with worry and finding purpose outside of himself. We can be plagued by worries even when there’s nothing to worry about. Things began to change for him when he trusted God and found strength through Him.

22:41 Strength vs. Willingness

“We need strong men, and we’re in a serious deficit.” Says Rob. Daniel adds one of the attributes of the Holy Spirit, having a reverential trust in God. “I want to love what God loves and [...] I want to be able to recognize evil.” he says, wanting to protect himself and others. “We said [the evil around] was okay because of our silence.” It’s necessary to speak up in the face of evil, whether in conversations at work or on the street. Physical strength and willingness to fight to protect yourself and your loved ones are crucial to that cause.

Ryan shares an anecdote of a man who goes to his church. The man pompously tells Ryan he’s unsure about all that fighting stuff. To this Ryan replies, “Give me your wallet.” Taken aback, he looked around, searching for validation from others nearby. “I’m not gonna say it again. Give me your wallet.” Believe it or not, the man gave Ryan his wallet right there in the middle of church. “Brother, you care more about balance than you think you do. You had no choice but to give up your [wallet].”. Ryan tries to put it into perspective for him and the listeners, “What if that was your child? What if that was your freedom?”. The saying “easier said than done” is very relevant here. He elaborates, you can say you’ll do all these things to protect your child and your freedom, but are you capable of acting on those words? You can give your best, but what if your best isn’t good enough? “You can’t will yourself to fight, you can’t hope yourself to fight, you can’t see-red yourself to fight.” Explains Ryan. He encourages you to give yourself those options further through training and developing the skills. Strength is knowing not to seek out fights despite being physically capable.

28:46 Be Capable, Be Humble

“You can be humble. You don’t have to be the toughest guy in the room.” says Ryan. Illustrating more, he talks about his experience with Daniel Shaw’s rifle problem-solving course. Ryan is put to the test, setting goals for himself when Daniel makes him prove he can do it. Even after failing to reach the goal, Ryan says it was still a moment of growth. Once you discover a deficit, you learn where you need to improve. They pose the question, why do most people run from failure?

31:00 Forged by Fire Wisdom

“The world’s not going to get better. You got to.” Advises Daniel. “And create some tactics to reach those goals. Work on them every single day, and don’t let anybody or anything stop you.” Rob follows that up with, “Don’t be a sandbagger, don’t set unrealistic goals. Smart goals. Specific, measurable, obtainable. Relevant and time-bound smart goals.” Rob also advises building a community to help reach those goals. Put yourself around people who have the same pursuits. Don’t be afraid to fail. Jump in and do your best. Either way, you’ll improve.

 

Ryan, Rob, and Daniel talk about not dwelling on jealousy. They encourage celebration, give validation, and offer constructive criticism. Show up, do what you say you will do, and work hard. Ryan talks about his experience of having a paradigm shift from the negative effect of others to self-empowerment. “I’ve never been criticized by someone who’s doing better than me.” they quote. 

40:08 Closing Remarks

Rob shares what he’s learned from his life experiences and how having a good community can help with accountability. Messing up and having people you can trust to give quality criticism is how you learn. A support system to cheer you on can make a difference. In turn, you’ll challenge your friends and colleagues to do better by celebrating and pushing each other. Otherwise, you’re a solo operator all by yourself. But it’s essential to have healthy boundaries and cut negative people out.

All in all, be a light to others. You’ll attract a community that wants to share that light like a moth to a flame. Especially by leading as an example and letting the light of Jesus shine through