CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 1:06
Chewing tobacco, cancer risk, and chemicals in our food system
The conversation opens with Chadd’s longtime chewing tobacco habit and the broader anxiety of modern “everything will kill you” health messaging. They quickly connect mouth cancer risk to agricultural chemicals and whether organic practices would change outcomes.
- •Chadd’s history of chewing tobacco and the tradeoff between habit and “optimization”
- •Mouth cancer as the primary perceived danger of chewing tobacco
- •Speculation about pesticides/processing chemicals as a key driver of risk
- •How modern health warnings shape personal behavior choices
- 1:06 – 3:18
Glyphosate everywhere: industrial farming’s soil damage and the slow path to regeneration
Joe and Chadd pivot to glyphosate residue—starting with California wine—and expand into how industrial agriculture sterilizes soil. Joe references Will Harris and the long, expensive process of converting to regenerative farming, including vivid soil comparisons.
- •Glyphosate residue reports (e.g., wine testing) and its pervasiveness
- •Chadd’s observation of “nothing else grows” in sprayed GMO crop rows
- •How long contamination/soil damage may persist and what recovery takes
- •Will Harris/White Oak Pastures as a case study in multi-decade regeneration
- •Industrial farming dependency and the difficulty of feeding dense populations differently
- 3:18 – 8:29
City air, homelessness, and why nature feels like medicine
Chadd contrasts Austin and LA with his life on acreage in the Appalachians, describing city air and constant noise as physically stressful. The discussion turns to visible homelessness and addiction, and how quickly people acclimate to “chaotic environments.”
- •Chadd’s rural lifestyle (700 acres) vs. sensory overload in cities
- •Air quality, smells, and physical reactions (coughing, burning nose)
- •Homelessness/addiction as a shocking signal of human vulnerability
- •Joe’s point: people normalize chaos and forget what peace feels like
- •Nature as a restorative “vitamin you didn’t know you needed”
- 8:29 – 10:28
Rogan’s dream: a ranch studio, tactical course, and bringing guests outdoors
The two bond over the appeal of living closer to nature, and Joe shares plans to build a studio on a ranch. Chadd emphasizes the value of witnessing excellence and encourages Joe’s outdoor-oriented vision for the show.
- •Joe’s plan for a ranch-based studio and more outdoor guest experiences
- •Ideas: tactical course, bass fishing lake, and “fun stuff” with guests
- •Chadd’s philosophy: learn by seeing the best in the world at work
- •Early podcast struggles and the skill-building arc of long-form media
- 10:28 – 13:22
Land Cruisers, EMP paranoia, and the appeal of older, reliable vehicles
Joe explains how he found Chadd through a vehicle reliability video and they riff on modern cars’ dependence on electronics. Chadd details his collection—Land Cruisers and late-90s diesels—framing old vehicles as both practical and joyful.
- •Why older vehicles matter in disaster scenarios (electronics/EMP concerns)
- •Tucker Carlson’s “can’t shut it off” old truck rationale
- •Chadd’s relationship with TLC 4x4 and multiple Land Cruiser builds
- •Best-ever diesel engines (Power Stroke, Cummins) and the ‘97 sweet spot
- •The cultural charm of classic 60-series Land Cruisers
- 13:22 – 16:11
Squirrel hunting every day: dogs, breeding lines, and the joy of small-game tradition
Chadd describes squirrel hunting as his daily practice and a lifelong passion rooted in hunting with tree dogs. He explains the primal partnership, the social fun of the hunt, and how breeding and training dogs becomes a multi-decade craft.
- •Squirrel hunting as a daily routine and lifestyle anchor
- •Tree dogs, “primal instinct,” and early memories of coonhounds
- •Breeding and selecting traits over decades; dog training as a hobby
- •The communal, high-energy style of squirrel hunts (vs. quiet stalking)
- •Why his old Toyota pickup beats expensive side-by-sides for the woods
- 16:11 – 21:27
First elk hunt setup: New Mexico tags, rifle vs bow, and modern bow tech
Chadd shares he’s heading on his first elk hunt through a veteran-supported invitation, and Joe discusses elk genetics in the Southwest. They compare rifle efficiency to bowhunting’s intimacy, then go deep on Hoyt bows and why modern compounds feel radically different.
- •Veteran-sponsored elk hunt opportunity; logistics and location
- •New Mexico/Arizona border genetics and what makes big bulls possible
- •Rifle hunting practicality vs bowhunting’s close-range challenge
- •Hoyt bows: carbon risers, cold-weather handling, and factory precision
- •How compound bow advancements changed accuracy and ‘feel’ over time
- 21:27 – 25:04
Primitive archery, mule deer stalking, and why some animals are impossibly “wired”
The conversation shifts to longbows and the brutal learning curve compared to compound bows. Chadd recounts stalking mule deer to five yards and losing the shot through impatience, while Joe explains prey animals’ constant alertness and “jumping the string.”
- •Stick bows/longbows: extreme proximity and skill requirements
- •Chadd’s five-yard mule deer encounter and the role of patience
- •Wilderness areas vs parks/forests as the purest backcountry experience
- •Mule deer vigilance shaped by predators; why they’re hard to kill cleanly
- •The biomechanics of “loading legs” and why arrows sail over ducking animals
- 25:04 – 30:39
Axis deer on Lanai: overpopulation, constant pressure, and hunting as practice
Joe describes hunting axis deer in Hawaii, where there are no predators and massive overpopulation drives year-round hunting pressure. They discuss how that pressure makes the deer ultra-reactive, and why the hunt becomes ideal training before elk season.
- •Lanai’s deer numbers vs human population and why culls are necessary
- •Axis deer’s “tiger evolution” and extreme speed/alertness
- •Why longer shots can sometimes work better than close shots with bows
- •High-pressure hunting environments and rapid second chances after blown stalks
- •Axis deer meat quality and comparisons to elk
- 30:39 – 34:13
Reverse-searing steaks and living close to the land (gardens, bread, spring water)
A lighthearted cooking detour turns into practical technique as Joe coaches Chadd through reverse searing after a Traeger cook. Chadd then describes how his family sources food—homegrown vegetables, homemade bread, family-raised beef, and spring water—framing it as near off-grid resilience.
- •Why Traegers struggle to sear and how to finish with cast iron + tallow
- •Reverse sear basics: low-and-slow to temp, then fast sear per side
- •Chadd’s household food system: vegetables, bread, and family-raised cattle
- •Collecting spring water and how close they are to full self-sufficiency
- •“Apocalypse diet” realism: small game will outlast big game availability
- 34:13 – 43:23
Wild game realities: raccoon, bear, trichinosis, and sharing meat with the community
They explore what small game and bear actually taste like and why preparation matters, including parasite concerns. Chadd tells vivid Virginia bear stories—Great Dismal Swamp encounters and a bear sliding down a tree—plus how he distributed bear meat to poor neighbors even though he didn’t enjoy eating it.
- •Cooking small game: toughness, slow cooking, and food safety concerns
- •Trichinosis risk discussion (especially with bear)
- •Great Dismal Swamp bear density and dangerous close encounters
- •Humorous-but-serious story of a bear sliding down a tree into the group
- •Community meat-sharing logistics and hunting as provision beyond the hunter
- 43:23 – 44:57
Yukon River 1000 and sitting with a dying mentor: confronting death up close
Chadd explains returning from a month that included a 1,000-mile unsupported Yukon River kayaking race with a paralyzed SEAL teammate and then immediately losing a mentor to death. He argues that sitting with the dying teaches priorities, humility, and a visceral understanding of life’s limits.
- •The Yukon River 1000 as an extreme, unsupported expedition challenge
- •Supporting a paralyzed teammate through multi-year preparation and execution
- •Emotional whiplash: mentor dies the day Chadd returns home
- •Why being present with someone dying is profoundly instructive
- •Reckoning with regret, reconciliation, and what “matters” under mortality
- 44:57 – 50:41
Death as the ‘great foe’: scripture, hospice visions, and the “death reach” phenomenon
Chadd describes reading scripture to his mentor Don Tidwell—who couldn’t read—and witnessing a striking shift in energy and peace. He recounts the mentor’s mysterious reaching behavior and a final moment of sitting upright with arms raised at death, connecting it to hospice accounts of a common “death reach.”
- •Don Tidwell’s life story and late-stage pancreatic cancer suffering
- •Reading scripture aloud and Chadd’s claim of observable “power/hope” effects
- •The mentor’s reaching gestures and the final upright reach before death
- •Hospice nurse content and the “death reach” concept; calling out loved ones
- •Joe’s view: consciousness remains a mystery; near-death stories are consistent
- 50:41 – 1:05:33
Aging, anti-aging science, and whether death is ‘fixable’
From mortality they move to biology: Joe outlines modern anti-aging approaches and the idea of treating aging like a disease. Chadd presses the philosophical question of whether there’s any ultimate solution to death, and Joe cites researchers like David Sinclair and emerging therapies.
- •Aging as cellular decline and the concept of treating it as a disease
- •Modern modalities: hyperbaric, NMN, red light, cold plunge/sauna, hormones
- •Performance extension vs true immortality as different targets
- •Why city living and chronic toxins may accelerate decline
- •The open question: “fixing death” and how science frames that goal
- 1:05:33 – 1:10:47
Election and ‘the Almighty calling you’: faith as something received, not chosen
Chadd shifts into a theological claim: the doctrine of election, arguing belief is spiritually granted rather than logically selected. Joe responds with curiosity and skepticism, and the two explore how transformative faith experiences intersect with doubt, meaning, and personal calling.
- •Doctrine of election: faith as spiritual regeneration, not self-generated choice
- •The cross as ‘foolishness’ to natural logic and why that matters to Chadd
- •Chadd’s direct appeal to Joe—prayer, calling, and “hold onto your britches”
- •Joe’s interest in transformation outcomes as evidence of ‘something that works’
- •The tension between critical thinking and the leap of faith
- 1:10:47 – 1:14:40
From SEAL aspirant to heart surgery to the teams: early identity, grit, and the Hard Charger arc
At Joe’s request, Chadd rewinds to his origin story: an unlikely candidate who couldn’t swim, failed early fitness standards, and was medically disqualified by a large pericardial cyst. He paid for civilian heart surgery, returned to the Navy, and completed SEAL training—earning recognition for determination rather than raw talent.
- •Medical disqualification and the decision to self-fund heart surgery
- •The physical reality of the operation and long recovery timeline
- •Entering BUD/S with minimal background, learning to swim, building capacity
- •“Hard Charger Award” as recognition of willpower and commitment
- •How suffering and setbacks intensified motivation and resilience
- 1:14:40 – 1:20:03
Moral collapse, negligent discharge, and the beginning of conversion
Chadd describes a turbulent SEAL career arc: resentment at assignments, spiraling into destructive behavior, and a negligent discharge that nearly injured a teammate. The incident forces a reckoning and launches a chain of events leading toward spiritual searching and eventual conversion.
- •Anger over deployments/assignments and how it fueled self-destruction
- •Drunkenness, violence, and “all manner of sin” as he frames it
- •Negligent discharge at a range day and the disciplinary aftermath
- •A painful example of abandonment: ignoring a mentor who later died by suicide
- •How shame and consequences cracked open self-awareness
- 1:20:03 – 1:49:23
The ‘demon barracks’ story: prayer, olive oil, and a sudden inner transformation
Chadd recounts a week of frightening experiences in a German barracks—noises, voices, and an oppressive presence—leading him to call his Christian brother and pastor for help. After a phone prayer walk and anointing the doorframe with olive oil, he claims the environment shifted to immediate peace, which propelled him into reading Matthew and experiencing an overnight change in desires.
- •Unexplained noises/voices and a shared sense of dread among teammates
- •Calling a pastor for guidance; prayer “against it” in Jesus’ name
- •Olive oil anointing and the strange aftermath (oil spreading over the door)
- •Beginning Bible reading and a claimed awakening to personal depravity
- •Overnight change in desires as the core evidence of conversion for Chadd
- 1:49:23 – 2:46:15
Faith, evidence, and big questions: Shroud of Turin, evolution, ancient history, and cosmic origins
Joe and Chadd range across the friction points between literal scripture and modern science, including evolution, the Shroud of Turin, and biblical text preservation. They also broaden into ancient mysteries—pyramids, lost knowledge, and speculative “non-human” influence—then compare religious miracles to cosmological ones like the Big Bang.
- •Shroud of Turin claims, counterclaims, and why the “negative image” is debated
- •Text preservation (Dead Sea Scrolls/Isaiah) and the role of scholars
- •Evolution vs literal Genesis; consciousness as a central unresolved puzzle
- •Ancient structures and timeline disruptions (pyramids, subterranean claims)
- •Big Bang as “one miracle” vs cyclical/infinite universe possibilities (James Webb)
- 2:46:15 – 2:55:35
Voluntary adversity as sanity: fame, training, Yukon hardship, and closing thoughts
The episode closes by tying together meaning, discipline, and psychological health: Joe argues that physical hardship is essential for mental stability, especially under fame. Chadd agrees and reframes toughness as something trained daily and seasonally, not a permanent trait, before plugging Three of Seven Project and ending warmly.
- •Joe’s view: voluntary adversity is a core antidote to anxiety and ego
- •Fame’s distortions and why slow success plus training helps character
- •Jiu-jitsu as humbling “conflict” that builds resilience and perspective
- •Chadd’s Yukon experience as a reset; nature’s indifference vs “Mother Earth” myths
- •Mental toughness as training-built, not possessed; wrap-up and where to find Chadd
