Taylor Cavanaugh

Summary

The Antihero Podcast: Taylor Kavanaugh Episode Summary

Episode Information:

• Title: Taylor Cavanaugh
• Host/Authors: The Antihero Podcast (Brent Tucker and Tyler Kavanaugh)
• Release Date: June 16, 2025
• Description: Part Delta Force. Part Street Cop. All Truth.

---

Introduction and Welcome

In this compelling episode of The Antihero Podcast, hosts Brent Tucker and Tyler Kavanaugh welcome their guest, Taylor Kavanaugh, a seasoned military veteran with a multifaceted background spanning Navy SEALs, Green Berets, and the French Foreign Legion. Taylor's journey is marked by resilience, transformation, and a relentless pursuit of self-improvement.

Taylor Kavanaugh's Military Journey

Early Challenges and Selection Process

Taylor begins by recounting his initial attempts to join elite military units. Faced with a checkered past, including multiple DUIs, Taylor navigates a stringent selection process that demands perseverance and numerous waivers. As Taylor explains:

"I was on probation, informal probation, but still probation. So I had to go to jail for like four months in county." ([14:28])

His determination pays off when he secures a letter of recommendation, propelling him into the Navy SEAL pipeline.

Joining and Training as a SEAL

Taylor describes the grueling training phases, emphasizing the psychological and physical demands:

"When you're going into sqt SEAL qualification training... and then you're there, not understanding the full extent of what you're capable of." ([08:30])

He reflects on the fear of failure and the intense camaraderie forged during training:

"The instructors wouldn't let you forget it. They'd point out to a boat and you'd see like a moon floating by. They go, it's for you, man." ([16:03])

Experiences in the French Foreign Legion

Selection and Integration

After his time with the SEALs, Taylor shifts gears and joins the French Foreign Legion, a decision born out of personal turmoil and a desire for reinvention. He shares the unique application process:

"The only way to go do it is to go knock on the door like the wizard of Oz." ([75:28])

Cultural Differences and Deployments

Taylor highlights the stark cultural contrasts between the American military and the French Foreign Legion. From rigorous physical standards to the Legion's hierarchical structure, he navigates a landscape vastly different from his previous experiences:

"They have their own cavalry, parachute regiments, engineering regiments... It's about streamlined operations." ([74:10])

His deployments took him to challenging environments, including anti-terrorism operations in Africa and support roles in Ukraine, where he faced both physical and psychological adversities.

Mental Health and Resilience

Coping Mechanisms and Discipline

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the mental health challenges faced by first responders and military personnel. Taylor advocates for proactive mental discipline:

"Don’t stop thinking so much and just focus on your daily actions." ([71:45])

Brent and Tyler elaborate on the importance of mental resilience, comparing it to traditional military stoicism:

"You got to be willing, if you want to learn anything, to look like a..." ([39:28])

Handling Trauma and Stress

The conversation delves into the handling of traumatic experiences, emphasizing the need for mental fortitude and the dangers of unaddressed mental health issues:

"Ever since we started to deal with mental health, things have gotten way worse." ([70:21])

Role of Aggression in Law Enforcement and Military

Training and Controlled Aggression

Brent and Tyler discuss how aggression is harnessed and controlled within law enforcement and military contexts. They stress that while aggression is a necessary trait for handling high-stress situations, it must be tempered with discipline and ethical considerations:

"You can harness it and control it and pull the reins back." ([55:13])

Impact of Aggression on Public Perception

The hosts highlight the societal shift towards reducing visible aggression in policing, arguing that this has led to negative outcomes in critical incidents:

"When they don't control the situation, it actually starts to spiral and it just gets worse." ([58:13])

Transition to Civilian Life and Coaching

Overcoming Personal Struggles

After his extensive military career, Taylor shares his struggles with substance abuse and legal issues, which led to a pivotal transformation:

"I decided, if I was going to go out, I was going to do it my way." ([44:44])

Founding Coaching and Mentorship Programs

Taylor's redemption story culminates in his commitment to coaching and mentorship, aiming to help others navigate their own challenges:

"Every day I do one-on-one coaching mentorship... it's just my story of trying to be a better man." ([120:24])

Authenticity and Building Trust

Emphasizing Truthfulness

A recurring theme is the importance of authenticity in personal and professional life. Taylor emphasizes honesty and integrity as foundational to building trust:

"I'm never gonna brush up my military background. I'm not gonna do this. I'm not gonna say I did all this because I didn't. Right." ([124:15])

Consistency and Reliability

Brent echoes the necessity of keeping promises and maintaining consistency, highlighting how these traits foster respect and credibility:

"It's about doing what you say you're gonna do... the truth is good enough." ([123:32])

Notable Quotes

• Brent Tucker ([25:01]): "You still got that in the back of your mind, bro. When you should laser focused. It's still in the backyard."
• Tyler Kavanaugh ([16:36]): "Everyone's turn is key. No one ever does. You never go through that experience without some sort of change."
• Brent Tucker ([55:33]): "Jordan Peterson... we have to have violent men in this society. Only violent men can counter bad violent men."
• Tyler Kavanaugh ([119:50]): "Everything has a domino effect. And now you're tired and you go to sleep, and you go to sleep... the mind starts racing."

Conclusion

This episode of The Antihero Podcast offers an unfiltered glimpse into the life of Taylor Kavanaugh, exploring themes of resilience, mental health, authenticity, and the nuanced role of aggression in high-stakes professions. Taylor's journey from military elite to mentorship serves as an inspiring testament to personal transformation and the enduring quest for self-improvement.

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Connect with Taylor Kavanaugh:

• Website: taylorkavanaugh.com
• Instagram: @TCAVOfficial
• YouTube: Taylor Kavanaugh TCAV TV

Transcript

[Brent Tucker]

And why do we. Why do we care. Why do we care that our guys want to be bigger, stronger, and faster than anyone else on the battlefield? That's what they popped you for.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Well, I'll tell you. And this is, this is what I'll say. I'll play devil's advocate and be like, I get it. Because the police report did not look good.

[Unknown]

Hold on. We're not recording. Do you want to buy a shirt.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

To support military vets?

[Unknown]

People want to see their sausage get made.

[Brent Tucker]

An appropriate level of inappropriateness. Something happens in my family tonight. The Delta Force isn't. Isn't coming to rescue my. My family, my kids. Like it is. First responders that are. That are going to save my. My family.

[Unknown]

They want the culture to be down. They want people to not want to be cops. And the people that do want to be cops are now walking into the job scared to do the job.

[Brent Tucker]

I'm going to try to act like it didn't happen, although we. We all know it did.

[Unknown]

JV team for life. All right.

[Brent Tucker]

All right, buddy.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

We're ready whenever you're ready.

[Unknown]

Welcome back to the anti hero PO Part Delta Force, part Street cop. All truth. I'm Tyler, owner of Counterculture Inc. Go to Counterculture Inc. Threads.com and use promo code ANTIHERO and get 15 off. The best. And Counterculture graphic tees, stickers, hats, flags, ranger panties. You name it, we got it. All the refractive wolf apparel sold their anti hero merger sold their Counterculture Inc. Threads.com promo code ANTIHERO15OFF.

[Brent Tucker]

And I'm Brent Tucker, owner of First Responder Coffee Company and First Responder Cigar Company. Use promo code FRCC15. That's FRCC15. To get 15% off the world's best coffee and cigars.

[Unknown]

And of course, this episode is brought to you by Human Performance TRT. Use promo code HERO and get 20% off. Not just your initial month, but every single month, you get 20% off when you use promo code hero. And if you've had your blood work done in the last six months, whether it was your own doctor or the va, if you submit that blood work, they'll waive the lab costs and and get you in quick. Lots of restructuring with hptrt. All for the good. New new management, new ownership, same everything else. Use promo code HERO20% off.

[Brent Tucker]

And don't forget, if you want to continue to support us, join our Patreon. We have two different levels of Patreon. Both levels get you access to the different forums, gun communities, workout general discussion we post extra content on there and the upper echelons can DM us directly. And of course, Thursday night lives for the boys. Every Thursday night, 8pm to 10pm Eastern Standard Time, you get the rowdy episode. And if you miss it, it still gets recorded. But it's always better live.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Know what someone told me I never thought to think about this. Right. So they took down to think about this. Never thought to think about this.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Never.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Unknown]

Never once.

[Brent Tucker]

Redundant.

[Unknown]

Somebody said they were asking about the Corey Mills episode. It was pulled down as a mystery within 12 hours of him going on a soliloquy about all these accusations on Corey Mills. It was. The only other episode that's ever happened to was the Tim Kennedy episode. It got like, completely. So why.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

It's weird.

[Brent Tucker]

It's weird. So.

[Unknown]

But somebody was like, hey, can you just drop it in the Patreon? I was like, that's fucking genius. That's why you guys pay for the. You know.

[Brent Tucker]

Well, let me go ahead and introduce. Our guest may not need a lot introducing because we got his name from. From our listeners, really from. From you guys, requesting him over and over again on the live and the Patreon. So with us we have Taylor Kavanaugh.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Thanks, guys.

[Brent Tucker]

Appreciate it, man. Thanks for. And you're out of California, man.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

You flew all the way in coast to coast to come. Come hang out with us today.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Manifest destiny, bro. See the shining sea.

[Brent Tucker]

For sure, man. I kind of. Kind of wish we should just do like an impromptu live tonight. Just. Just a lot I wish. I wish you'd have been here on Thursday. It'd be a. Be a good time. It's such a different experience next time.

[Unknown]

You'Re back in town, man.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

What. What's the flow on that? Like just people chime in and then they can reach out direct.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Live. Live, real time.

[Unknown]

We break. So we typically break down a one particular topic that's on the thumbnail that's hot for that week. Like this week's will probably be the terrorist attack.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

But we'll talk about that for like maybe 15 minutes. And then we'll break down viral videos, usually cop videos, because they're entertaining.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

They're either really good or really stupid.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

And then. And then we just do super chats. We engage with the. With the supporters and, you know, that's.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Cool, man, to have that. That interaction.

[Brent Tucker]

The interactions.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, that's cool.

[Unknown]

That really helped build our community.

[Brent Tucker]

It really did. In a weird way. Although they're just screen names so you don't really get to know. You start seeing the same screen names every week. Every week you're like, I know that guy. Oh, I know that guy. But I don't. You know, it's just a screen.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

And then they'll, then we'll get a message. Can I come to the live have no idea it's them. And they're sitting here one day and it's them. But no way.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That's cool.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Well, you guys got a, you guys got a pretty solid crew. Like solid crew of support. What I've seen we.

[Brent Tucker]

It. The. We mean obviously we're not the, the biggest podcast, but I would say this. Like we, we do have a very, very word loyal what I want to want to use but very like loyal following. Like the people who, who do give us time to, to listen to our episodes and hear the things we have to say. Usually, you know, we get to hear the same thing. Hey caught a, caught a couple good episodes, you know, and after a few I started looking at your past episodes and looking at everything you did. And I love, you know, I love what you guys do and what you, what you stand for. Which is great because usually Tyler likes to put some of these gotcha clips on every now and again. I don't know if what I want to use is gotcha clips, but you know, what you're doing.

[Unknown]

They're really in.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, they're really in. But what, but what they don't do and it's no, no fault of anyone's. You don't, you can never get a, a bearing on someone's, you know, personality or character on a 30 second, you know, clip on, on Tick tock or, or YouTube short or Instagram. And so there's people who, you know, we hear it all the time. Like I kind of thought you guys were dicks and I watched enough your clips and then I was like, wow, let me see this whole episode. And they're like, oh, they're not, they're not like anything that, that I thought they were.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. But yes, I could see those chops getting you know, because you guys do come come aggressive. You know, you come, you come at it pretty direct with the, with the communication man.

[Brent Tucker]

And of course you, you know, we talked about Jimmy Watson before, before this and, and obviously, you know, Jimmy, it's, it's kind of the same thing. Like, let's just take Jimmy Watson for for example, like if you see him with just his shirt off and those, what are those? What those glasses.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Oh my God, he's. He's Macho Man, Randy Balenciagas or whatever. Yeah, yeah. Anyways, the fingerprint smears on him.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, yeah. Just being over the top, you know, just being passionate about a subject. Yeah. Like, oh, I know that guy is. No, you don't. Like, go. Go watch the Jimmy Watson episode. You have no idea. It was who Jimmy Watson is. Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That's pretty interesting. You. You cannot get the real material of a person just off those short clips and then you sit people. That's why long form is so powerful on YouTube, that long form, because you can actually develop a thought and you. You see interaction between others, between other men, and you can see how that actually flows because, you know, on a 30 second clip, you got to bring it. You know, shit's got to be entertaining and.

[Brent Tucker]

Right.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You can't be your normal human self.

[Brent Tucker]

They'll just, they'll. They'll flip by so fast.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

You don't grab their attention.

[Unknown]

Four seconds.

[Brent Tucker]

Four seconds.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. And Jimmy's a master at people's attention.

[Brent Tucker]

As soon as that guy comes on your screen.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Veins pop out. His death.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I know. Randy Savage is back.

[Brent Tucker]

All right, well, gotta see what this.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Guy has to say. Yeah. He's a good dude. I love Jimmy.

[Brent Tucker]

And you guys, you guys are starting a podcast.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

We are, man.

[Brent Tucker]

Correct.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

We. The Other than honorable podcast.

[Unknown]

I love that.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That's what it is.

[Brent Tucker]

So much in the name.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And I love that name, you know, And I mean me, Jimmy, we met in buds. Like, the first interaction I ever had with Jimmy, I remember it so, so cleanly. I was out sharpening my knife. We had just finished hell week. We're in, I think started second phase. And he comes rolling through in his red helmet. So he's a phase ahead of me. I have no idea who this guy is.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And he walks up and, you know, someone's a class ahead or. And there's always just kind of talk some shit or. I'm like, all right, here comes this guy. And he goes, hey, man, you guys had a cold hell week, man. That looked like it sucked. He's like, well, see you later. You know, I'm like. I'm like, that guy's cool, man. And that was the first time we ever met. And from that point on, we just had mutual friends and going into sqt SEAL qualification training. And then, you know, we just became really good friends, you know, going out, going to hang out at bars and. What? Interesting. I still knew nothing about his backstory. Never brought it up. Never. I had no idea he was at Blackwater. No Idea. I knew he was in the Marine Corps, but I didn't find any of that stuff out till way, way months. Months. Almost a year later, probably.

[Brent Tucker]

I'm. I'm a say this. I don't know how it's going to work out. Maybe it's just a stupid army thing we do, but. I said but on the, on the army dive side, we get everything from the Navy. The Navy owns diving. I think people realize that.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Just like the army owns jumping.

[Brent Tucker]

That's right. Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

People don't know, like, insert insertion techniques are actually owned by, by certain units. And so in fact, the Navy's actually shut the army down from diving before. Well, they, they took the Draegers away.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Oh, really?

[Brent Tucker]

In the 90s.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

But they're having issues or something.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, yeah. But anyway, that's, that's, that's a different story. You called it a knife.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

You want to stand by that terms? Oh, is it K bar? Okay. All right.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay. When I, When I signed into to dive school, we were doing our, our layout. You had to hand, you know, hold up all your items and. Oh, no, you didn't have to hold it. You had to. You had to check it off.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

And there was dive tool on.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. Okay.

[Brent Tucker]

And I've never heard of a dive pool in my life. Yeah. I'm here in dive school. I'm the dive tool. The hell's a dive tool? And I'm like, I'll figure it out. And I'm looking at everything, look at everything, and I can't figure it out. And I've always been that guy. I don't raise my hand. I'll figure it out. Eventually, I couldn't figure it out. I had to look over to some guy next to me and be like, hey, man, what's. What's a dive. What's a dive tool? And he looked like you an idiot. Yeah. He's like, it's. It's your knife.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Why would you just call it a knife?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah. But they called a dive tool, and I don't understand why. Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

But you know what's funny? I don't even think I knew that. I probably should have. Yeah. We had these K bars that we just had to keep pretty much, you know, through the whole six months of buds and just, you know, out there around with it. But yeah, man, it was a, it was a powerful kind of a. Kind of a sell in, in dive phase. Dude. I don't know. How long is your guys's.

[Brent Tucker]

Oh, gosh. A good question was that after three months.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

So you're a beret and you're going into this now that. Yes, it works.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, yeah, You've. You already have your green beret, you already have a qualification and then you either got assigned to a dive team and now you have to go to dive school.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Okay.

[Brent Tucker]

Even if you wash at a dive school, it's not like you lose your beret. You just don't get to go to a dive.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Okay? Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

So you're either trying to go to the dive team or you just got assigned to the dive team. And that's, that's usually how you end up at dive school. As a Green Beret.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, I fucking. That shit sucks. The drag, I mean, the dragger is an interesting animal because it's. I don't know how they pitched this as far as like in the government contract, but they're like, hey, we got this great thing re breathable rig, okay. You pass packet with soda zorb and scrubs. But if it gets wet, it turns to acid. If the soda sorb gets wet, it turns to acid in it and people like drink it and burn your mouth.

[Brent Tucker]

And I'm like, well, they call it.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

How did they pitch that? Dude, he goes, I gotta, I got an idea. Just wait. If it's wet, it's a little last minute.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, but is there something we can do to ensure that it never gets water in it? Maybe, but we're not going to do that. There's going to be a chance that it, that it happens.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, man.

[Brent Tucker]

Although it's never happened to me. It's. I've, I've seen it happen to guys. Like, it happens. It's rare, but it happens often enough.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Dude. I'd seen guys packing lippers diving. They would gut it. Oh, man, I saw some old school country boys, they would put full lippers in and then go get val out, clear their mask, get their whole compression good. And I'm like, they just gut it.

[Unknown]

See, I've seen dudes sitting.

[Brent Tucker]

Gotta want it, gotta want it.

[Unknown]

I've seen dudes sitting on the bird doing that. But the diving is impossible.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Dude, that's, it's some next level. I'm like, God damn.

[Unknown]

Got holes in your stomach now?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I'm like, I'm a dude. I got heartburn now when I eat Doritos, you know, Made me like check myself. Like, damn, dude.

[Brent Tucker]

Obviously by now again, if they didn't know who you are, they, they, they know. At least they know enough now to figure out that the you're in the Navy, you're part of the SEAL community. Did you get a contract to go right to the seals?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I did, yeah. My path was kind of a little. I had a little bit of a checkered past. I tried to get into the Marines. We kind of talked about Marines, army that. Everybody turned me down. Tattoos, little background, no felonies, nothing crazy, but a lot of dumb Publix DUIs. This was 2009, okay. And so I was on probation, informal probation, but still probation. So I had to go to jail for like four months in county. And so I go to jail, get that cleared up, and then started that process. But I needed a lot of waivers, so. Took me about nine months. I needed a lot of waivers, tattoo waivers. But I just straight asked the. I was like, who. Who writes a letter of recommendation for SEAL contracts in San Diego, where I'm from?

[Brent Tucker]

Okay?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And they said, this old retired lieutenant commander runs a program attached to Naval Special Warfare, and he runs it from Vegas, LA, and San Diego. He's like. And he puts workouts on, like, well, I'm fucking okay. I just went and had FaceTime with him every day that I could. And by about nine months, I got my letter of recommendation and so went straight into the pipeline. Answer your question.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah. And, you know, that's something we've talked about on. On the show before, and I do, like, I. What. Whether they realize this or not at the time, this is what I love about, you know, SEAL candidates, is that if that's what you want to do, awesome. But chances are you're not going to make it. And if you don't make it, your consolation prize is going on, right, Is mopping the deck. I mean, all those are kind of jokes, but there is no combat arms, you know, element. Element that, yeah, you fall back into, you know, if you want to go be a Green Beret and you don't make it, well, at least you get to jump out of airplanes and shoot guns with the 82nd. So, I mean, it's all or nothing. Nothing.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

When you go see it, it was scary, man. Yeah, Terrifying.

[Brent Tucker]

It's got to be in the back of your mind.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Oh, it was always in the back. Okay. It was on the front. She was on the front, dude. And the instructors wouldn't let you forget it. They'd go, hey, hey. Just so you know, if you don't make it, they'd point out to a boat and you'd see like a moon floating by. They go, it's for you, man. So I was terrified, bro. I think fear pushed Me through that whole selection of. Because I'm not a great runner, too.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I'm just not. And. But I'm fast enough. They used to call me bro. They used to call me like. They're like, if you're behind Kavanaugh, you're gonna fail. You'll pass. They go. Because he always passes, but like 10 seconds, 5 seconds. So I was scared of failing, man. And I. I knew I had one push to kind of like, get through it or. You know, I. In my head, I was just. I was not going on a. My grandfather was a captain in the Navy Naval Academy graduate and all that stuff. So my mom was already terrified I wasn't going in as an officer.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

She's like, you're going to go enlisted into the Navy, you know, And I. I was just, you know, real. And it was my last option, too, which was kind of. It was my dream since I was 7, because I think a lot of guys watching. There's like something planted in you that. About that age. And that's what it was for me. And growing up in San Diego and being kind of around it. I heard about it. I was aware of it, and. And then being there, man, it felt like kind of everything pushing together in the right direction.

[Brent Tucker]

The now. Did you say Eddie Gallagher was one of your instructors?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

He was, yeah. He was my. One of my first phase instructors. Oh, yeah, yeah. Fast Eddie. That dude has wheels, bro. He can run. Yeah, they come. Fast Eddie. I mean, from guys who were in his platoons who are also instructors. That was his nickname. But, dude, that dude is a monster cardio.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. He is a beast. He's the real deal, man. You know, but it was cool having those guys because there was a. You know, a lot of those guys are coming back from Afghanistan or Iraq. There was a tough edge.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

At that time that I was grateful for because they weren't around. They weren't around with. If you were ducking boat or you weren't, you know, the guy they saw.

[Unknown]

What is it? Pardon my not knowing, but is it. Is it like ringing that bell? Is it just about that first part? Is it just about not quitting?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

There's. I would say it's about. I mean, you got to be fast enough to be able to swim, too.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You know, you definitely have to be do. Oh course and hit the times. There's some guys that just fail, but most quit or mo or some get injured. You know, it's a. There's a luck piece to it, too.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

The. Again, it's not the same. It's just similarities. You know, when I went to die school like this, this is something that, that jumped out to me. Even though it's, it's all water related of sorts. There's the running aspect and we had a lot of that too, obviously. But even though it's all water, it seems like there's no one's good at every event. No, you know, whether it's the weight belt swim, whether it's a ditch and dawn, whether it's, you know, your breath hold, Whether it's your 50 meter underwater swim, whether it's the tower, there's no one's good at every event.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Do you remember having an event that you're like, I hate this event?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. I almost failed the tread, man.

[Brent Tucker]

The tank tread or the tank tread?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Okay, I, I went to the final test and I actually had to switch the bigger fins and I got hypercapnia, but I passed. But it was, I was terrified at, at failing that. And I can swim, I'm good in the ocean and stuff. So a lot, most of the pool events, but for whatever reason how my legs work and just how I swim, I just could not stay up, man. I'd be like, you're.

[Brent Tucker]

There's other treads besides, besides the tank tread, but any of the, any of the. We had a weight belt tread. We had just a tread. We had to, we had the tank tread.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

The tank tread was the only one I remember having real issues with. I mean I, I failed twice and went to the third test.

[Brent Tucker]

So it's where like you're just, you're just treading water. And most people, except unless you're, unless you're real dumb and there are a few like me who can't get the egg beater motion going and, and they'll just tread water by just, it's just not using your hands, just only your feet can, you know, can, can keep you afloat. And usually, you know, there's all sorts of standards you gotta have to keep your hands out of water, keep your head out of the water.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That was it.

[Brent Tucker]

There's a timed thing and, and then they'll know. They'll make you sing something or.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

They'll make you look like. As if you don't already look like an idiot. But not being strong enough to do this, they'll. Or they'll have you like carry it like pass a brick around or just.

[Unknown]

Oh, JV team for life.

[Brent Tucker]

Tyler, how many critical incidents do you think we've covered so far in this.

[Unknown]

Podcast MAN at least five, six, and.

[Brent Tucker]

And they're not going to stop, you know, there's, you cannot stop them all. So they're going to happen. And you really have, you know, two charters of that. Obviously, one is to stop them from happening. But since you can't stop them all from happening, you owe it to the people that you protect and depend on you to react to those situations in the most effective and efficient manner. And right now, really, whether, you know, you're a fire department, ems, law enforcement, you're stuck with essentially radios.

[Unknown]

And Apollo is the best way to manage resources during these events because it's designed by first responders for first responders.

[Brent Tucker]

It gives first responders a common operating picture which allows them to see where everybody is in real time, overlaid onto a map to see where they are. You can drop pinpoints and let them know where they need to go. And without constant talking on the radio, everybody knows where the incident is, where it's happening, and where they need to be.

[Unknown]

Apollo's an app based application. It's just download and go.

[Brent Tucker]

It's an app and so it works with androids, it works with iPhones.

[Unknown]

Apollo makes sure on the back end everything works and you can just plug and go. They handle all the licensing, all the encryption compliance, all the, all the security. It's all handled by Apollo. It's crucial to know where everyone is and what they are doing in order to effectively control chaos in one of these, either natural disasters or shootings or anything like that.

[Brent Tucker]

So if you want to learn more about Apollo, scan the QR code and ensure your department is ready to react to any crisis in its most effective and efficient manner possible.

[Unknown]

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[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I got, I mean that was in my life, one single event. That was the most exertion I think I've ever put into anything. I went and laid on the pool deck after and I was, I was like all yellow. Full on hypercapnia. I was so up from, from putting out. But past, I think it's five minutes we had to do it. And I was just like, wow, dude, five minutes. But also in terrified of, you know, my dream being crushed from that dude. It was a. You know, some powerful events and you.

[Brent Tucker]

Hate it because there's not ev. No one's good at all of them. But they're as, as you're feeling like I. At some point I'm just gonna go under, you know, like if that's how you felt when you got out. You had those thoughts.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Oh yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

At some point.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Oh man.

[Brent Tucker]

And there's probably someone next to you like joking, you know, and smiling about it. It's just. And it's, and it's his and it's his good event, you know. And there were guys that had no problems with any of the treads.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

I don't understand it.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Those are, it wasn't me. No. I, I, I was, I thought, I thought selection was hard as I, I really got kicked in the nuts. Most events o course, not great running. Not great if you're not good at those two things, bro. You're, especially the running because, because you're Everywhere you're going, you're running. I was always jealous of those guys that would, you know, just like gazelles, dude. But it's kind of nice in that cohesive unit, you know, you help. If I can guide now on ocean swims, I'll help some one of my better runners who, you know. And then on the runs I'd have straight push me sometimes.

[Unknown]

What's that like swimming through the ocean?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That's gotta be horrifying. It's, it's, it's not too bad. I mean, as long as there's no.

[Unknown]

Sharks, that's the only thing.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

So that's.

[Brent Tucker]

We do our training down in Key West.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

And then, and that's just, it's just not a sharky place.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Is that a word? It's just not a sharky place.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

It can be a word.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Okay.

[Brent Tucker]

I don't like where you guys do your swim. I don't like when you guys do your trade. Just cold water.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Cold dark water. Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

It just seems like shark central to me.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Well, it absolutely is. It's San Clemente island and San Diego is what it is. But on San Clemente island, where they actually do the marine operations, they have a south town and all that stuff out there, they're doing boogeyman swims and at night. And I don't know if this was part of the course or just instructors were getting after it. One Night. And this. They were chumming the water on one of our boogeyman's, dude. And I thought they were joking and then like a fish head hit me in the face and I'm like, oh dude, these guys are, they're like chumming the water, bro. And I was like, let's get the out of here, man. It was a fastest I ever swam in my life. But oh, for sure, there's, there's great white shark populations. All the seal, all the seals are all out there, you know, on the, on the rocks. And I'm like, dude, we're. This is sketchy.

[Unknown]

There's only been one special operations operator that has been attacked by a shark on record. Well, he was, it was an Australian.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Guy, I believe it.

[Unknown]

And he was where he was. He was posed on the side of a ship and then he got tagged by a shark and. But other than him and the comments will correct me if it's changed, but it's crazy, dude.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I heard a. Some guys won't say which unit they were at, but they were training in Indian Ocean and, And you know, they were kind of working one of the, one of the STDs and whatever and they. He's going out for a peak, going out for a peek. And so he's going out and the guy's, you know, he's got it. Got the guy out near the actual STBs, got him on a tether. He goes up and then he goes. And he sees. This is the story he told me and he said, just a shark come swimming by. And he goes, dude, it was big. And he goes like this and he just stared at it and he goes. And the dude's like tugging, you know, trying like what the fuck, maybe I'm caught. He's trying to swim and then fucking. He kind of realizes he's getting pulled down. So he gets pulled down and he's like, yeah. He goes, oh. He goes, bro, it's sketchy, man. When you realize what, there's monsters out there.

[Unknown]

Yeah, dude, there's got to be a.

[Brent Tucker]

Lot of close calls that, that, that. Where the stories just haven't been told or we don't know about or when you're doing it at night, there has to be so many close calls you don't even know about.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Oh, that's the scary, scary part.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, because that's what you're training for, you know, that's the standard to do.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

It at night, you know, and people kind of talk about. And I'm sure it's Training for anything. When they're like, you know, are you thinking about it? Are you worried? A lot of times you're busy working, you don't really have time to like, be worried about it, which is, you know, you're. Which is a good thing.

[Unknown]

I mean, just leisurely tread in the.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Middle of the ocean or go swimming underwater at night for hours. Weird, bro.

[Unknown]

You're focused.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You're freezing and you're focused, man. And it's like, you know, and you got somebody there with you. You know, you're not alone. So there's that piece.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, the. So you. You make it. You make it through. You get your trident. Random question. Who's the first person you called when you, when you, when you put your trident on or when you knew you were going to be a. Like, was there anyone you called? Like, I did it.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You know what? I was fortunate enough that the people I would call were there.

[Brent Tucker]

Really?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, because they allowed our. Our families to come. And, you know, I think I called one of my buddies who was a marine and he knew I was going in. That's who I did call. Yeah, like, hey, dude, I made it through. And you know, that, that was cool to do because, dude, it felt like a pipe dream. Yeah, I'm sure. You know, you get to, you know, unit and other places, it's like, it's kind of an idea, but then you're there. Not that it's something. Some crazy thing, but it's. You know, being from San Diego, man, I knew a lot of all American wrestlers and badass swimmers and they went and then never made it. So I'm like, wow, maybe this shit's not really, you know, who does pass and so who the does pass? And so being there, it was, it was a cool thing. We had a really good crew and a lot of those guys, you know, are in that solid crew we had in that class are still operating at the, you know, tip of the Spears, you know, team leads and stuff. And so I knew we had a good crew and it ended up proving to be true. Just numbers wise and it's.

[Brent Tucker]

And it's always constant to be on the. No, the same story, regardless of where you go. I'm a. And I'm gonna, I'm gonna guess this story, but something tells me it's. It's pretty. Pretty on brand. So as you're going through your selection, part of it, no one, no one knows if they're good enough. So when you get selected, you're like, oh, awesome. Like, I get to go to the next phase. Something happens at the beginning of the, of the actual training phase where all the good guys kind of find each other out. And you, you don't really know much about each other. There's just something about the characteristics. We're like, I'm gonna hang out with you. Yeah, I'm gonna hang out with you. And all the good. And I gotta guess. And it doesn't take long, maybe a couple weeks to a month in. By that time, almost everybody knows who's going to pass. Yeah, everybody knows who's going to fail. And everyone knows who the who the who the bubble players are now the bubble players will, will. You'll figure them out through the course. But almost everyone I talk to from every branch of special operations, that's. That's kind of what. What happens every time.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

It's exactly what. How it happened for us. I mean, it was because a lot of our stuff's with height too. And so, you know, if I'm in that like 5, 10 to 6ft, you got a lot of good dudes. You know, it's not like you're at the Smurf crew or the other Giants. They got like, they got what they got, you know. And so for us, we would shuffle around and be like, all right, we got our six, seven guys that are good to go. And so you had a, that, I mean, that was a game changer because if you got everybody pushing the weight at the same, you know, at the same exertion level or it's just, it's totally changes the game. And so that's what was beautiful about that training.

[Brent Tucker]

When. What point did you find out what team you're going to?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

We pick coasts. That's how we do it in the SEAL teams, when you're about to graduate. And then, and I found out, I think right, right near the end. Sqt. Okay, where I was going to go to seven and so that's where I wanted to go. So it ended up working out really well for me. I was stoked on the leadership they had there and some of the guys.

[Brent Tucker]

Why'd you want to go to seven, man?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

There were some, there were some cool names there, man. I mean, I knew the Hanson's were there and I knew some other guys, you know, were, you know, really good leaders. And, and so that's where I wanted to go. And just some of our first phase instructors were there also. They kind of stood that team up because it was the newest team on the west coast. And so it just. That's just kind of where I felt drawn to.

[Brent Tucker]

I'm asked this question for me, I should know the answer to this. I hate how little I know about. About other branches. I do like, of sorts. I know so many of us, man. I know so little about, you know, when comparatively, you know to what I know obviously about what my own background. But at this point, I've talked to enough of them. I should know these answers and I don't.

[Unknown]

Yeah, that's why we have podcasts.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

It's true. I mean that's, that's why we chop it up, man.

[Brent Tucker]

I know some things like east coast, west coast, odd teams, even teams. Like there's some things I know but like Special Forces, you know, the, the different groups and why some people would want to go to different groups is because of the area of operation those groups work in.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

You know, so seventh is going to go to. Down to South America and some people want to operate in that area. Is there anything like that as far as the east coast or west coast or the team numbers as far as AO split around the world?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That's a really good question. There is there before very AO specific and that started to change. Is kind of the war, you know, played out. But there was still, you know, some, some very specific areas. Like one would go to the South Pacific, that part of where they would go. And seven, we didn't really send anybody there. So I knew that seven was going to be Middle east heavy for the most part. Almost everybody went to the Middle east. And so I thought that was part, that was definitely part of it.

[Brent Tucker]

And so, and just break down for me like a SEAL team. So SEAL Team seven is what's, what's the next layer down?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Is it as far as. Yeah, as far as teams or team troops, maybe three troops.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And then it's broken down into platoons.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Unknown]

The troops like a company.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

A little bit smaller. So. So a comp. So it would be about. A full super troop would be about 70 and then a regular sized troop would probably be about 60 something, maybe 50 something guys with leadership and, and some other people.

[Brent Tucker]

What was it like when you, when you first showed up with the team? You know, you have this idea, I'm going to back it up just, just a little bit actually. When you graduated SEAL training and you have that, you know, you have that trident, of course you have. Everyone has an idea of what the job is and everyone has an idea of what the training is. Even when you're going through it. Of course now you're going through it like you have an idea. But were you capable to do the things you thought you would be capable to do once you had that tried in and on? Does that make sense? Like, what I'm asking, like.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Or. Or are you. A little bit. And I don't mean this. And. And this isn't towards seals, because I'll tell you, I think. I think, you know that I have the same experience. That. Or you a little bit underwhelmed at. At the beginning. I can't just. I just thought I could do more.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I feel.

[Brent Tucker]

When you first get your trident.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. So me showing up, I was really kind of in awe, man. I was, like, really happy to be there.

[Brent Tucker]

Right.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, you know, I was. I was so stoked to be there. Like, coming up to my locker, man, in the cage, it was just very surreal. And for the most part, I was into my quals and, like, because there was. They weren't even back from Afghanistan yet. So I just volunteered to stay and not go on vacation. It sent me on a really good wave of, like, com school, jtac, Sniper. Like, I hit a really, like, as a new guy, so I was moving and grooving really quickly. And so, man, I'm. I'm at sniper school as a new guy, and I got dudes from dev group behind me watching me on the line and.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Giving me instruction on hide sites and in tears about how important it is. They've had guys, right?

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Like. Like, and having, like. I get the chills when I think about it, man, because, I mean, they'll sit you down with like a Coors light and go, listen, this matters in a class. Like, I had my homie die because it was the. Just wasn't done right. And, you know, and that hit really well. So I was. I was totally enthralled with where. Where I was at and just really grateful to be there, man. For the most part. And the trips and all that stuff.

[Brent Tucker]

It felt good because I think people have this. This assumption that, you know, as soon as you put that trident on, you're that guy. And. And what. And this. And again, this actually isn't tried in specific. It's just. It just is because. Because you're the guest right now. We could put the same conversation on it on anyone, but you're not a sniper. You're not a master breacher, you're not a master assaulter. What you all. What you are is the master of the basics.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Oh, yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

And then you finally get to your team as a master of the basics, and they Start bolting on all those additional skill sets to you.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. And I'll tell you to answer your question specifically, man, I didn't know so much. I embarrassed the. Out of myself. I think I was on the mic one time and a helicopter was coming in. I was trying to set the hlz, and I'm like, we're ready for pickup. I think I said, like. Like. And I just remember not knowing what the fuck was going on, you know? And guys are laughing at. You know how.

[Brent Tucker]

Yes.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

It's like, well, you. You don't. You idiot. Like, and there was a lot of that. But going into pretty much anything. I'm sure it's rolling into any department or wherever you're going. You got to be willing, if you want to learn anything, to look like a. Yeah, absolutely. There's the guys that will be quiet, and they're like, well, I don't really know how to set up a 50 cal or whatever, you know, and they don't want to. And I understand that you don't want to be put on blast, but guess what? You're never gonna know.

[Unknown]

That's like, even swat, I mean, you're. When you're a new guy on a squat team, it is just like they're hitting a house, and it's like, chaos. And you're like, yeah, what the is going on? Because you trained all the way up to it, and you feel good about it, and then it actually happens, and.

[Brent Tucker]

Well, here's the thing. You. You can either open your mouth and look like an idiot early, or you can keep your mouth shut, still not figured out, and you're gonna look like needed eventually later on, there's no getting.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Around it, you know, and you're gonna look like an idiot. At a time where it's not time. They're like, what? You don't know this? It's been a year. Yeah. Yeah.

[Unknown]

Now I'm too afraid to ask.

[Brent Tucker]

Now I feel like I should know, and now we definitely can't ask.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

There's a. There's a. A homie. I had. It was an instructor who was a dirty. What's up, brother? Dan Corbett. We should get you guys connected. But he goes, hey, don't make a Monday mistake on Thursday, you know? And that's obviously, you know, shortened. But ask the questions now. Make the ups now. So later when you're supposed to know this, you. You do.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah. I. I feel like as. As I became more senior, I'm sure I didn't do it perfectly, but, I mean. And like, like, anyone Else I do. I. I miss how the military talks to men.

[Unknown]

They still do it that way.

[Brent Tucker]

You'll never fully get it out. You'll never fully get it out. Like the. I just. I just did a. A fundraiser for. For the Sentinel foundation, and me and another guy who ran the sniper school for SF or the instructors for the. The sniper lane of it. And we were. We were. Me and these donors were kind of. Kind of talking like that. Talking about this.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

He was like, man, of course he's a wealthy guy. No, no one talks to him like that.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

And I was like, you want me to talk to you like that? He goes, sure. And so Joey was giving him some corrections of spot and scope. He goes, hey, was that. Was that a clean shot? Because he's trying to figure out what if it was a clean shot or not to give him the right correction. Because I don't know. And so I jump. I was like, what do you mean you don't know? You're telling me you don't know how you just shot it? Maybe you shouldn't be on a gun. Why don't you get the F off the gun until you can figure out what it is you just did three seconds ago? Are you that dumb or you just. And looked at me like, I don't think. I don't think I want to be talked to you like this. But that's been.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That's.

[Brent Tucker]

That's how you get talked to. And I love it. And none of the new guys ever. I'm sure maybe things have changed, but none of the new guys ever look back like, oh, why would you talk to me like that? You just take it and you're like. And you just like, all right, I'll do better. I. Message receives. I won't make that same mistake.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

It's also stress inducing, which is helpful, you know, you induce a little bit of extra stress, you know, and that's probably whether it's subconsciously that's how the units are designed. You know, all these elements, it's like, put a little extra stress on when it doesn't. Really isn't that important. So. When it is important.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, exactly. The. So I. I do miss that. Just. Just you. You don't get it anywhere else.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

How was it at the unit? How was it at the unit? Obviously, it's a different level, you know, or it's got to be a little bit more.

[Brent Tucker]

The unit is very professional. It is, but it. You. You can definitely get talk to like that.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I mean, you're going through. You're still going through training and stuff themselves. Right. To kind of sharpen your skills.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah. During the. The training part of it. Before you're qualified. Oh, yeah. Gosh, they. They talk to you like you're an idiot. And. And you are, you know, like, even though you're a seasoned Green Beret, like, when you go to, like, to the next level, just like, Just like I said, you don't know what. You don't know. Yeah, but. But you. They are. You don't get a. You don't get a. You don't get a lot of that. But it's. But, oh, it's still there.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. You can't ever get rid of that.

[Brent Tucker]

Nor should you.

[Unknown]

When did the anti Hero Taylor start coming out, man?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Everybody's tuning in. You know, I was. I've been a knucklehead a lot of my life. Like, I've really. I've been humbled a lot, and I've just done a lot of dumb. I've been like, good 95 of the time. And then I'll. I'll fumble. I'll fumble. Fumble the bag and 5%. And that 5% is really my life a lot of times. I mean, it's. I'm not proud to say it, you know, but drinking too much, partying too much. Just. It's part of the journey, you know, And I just. I had this. I don't know what it is, but this, like, fire inside me that when I'll just kind of turn it on and not start. And not starting problems, but just finding my way into shit somehow. And. And so that, that. I mean, I was very locked on coming out of, you know, college and had to go to jail. And so through that whole selection process, I was like, dude, I got nothing to celebrate. So I was very, very. If guys were going out on the weekends and shit, I would go mom's house and, like, shine my helmet. Like, I was very focused and I wanted to rest. I was exhausted. But then as it goes, man, you start to kind of peak. And as you're peaking, I always say, bro, this is when your window has to narrow. And, you know, I still. This is something I still have to be very aware of is, you know, when you're peaking, that's when you're gonna fall, right? It's when you get ahead of your skis and, you know, the ego starts inflating a little bit, whether not consciously not thinking I'm the shit, but you're acting like that. And that was kind of what happened to me. And you get comfortable like you and I. And I would tell myself I'm not right.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

But I was right because I'm not doing the right things to really protect what just risking your whole career by pushing the pace a little too hard. And I hit a guy in a bar one time and that caused created like an aggravated assault charge just avalanche of shit on me. And. And then, you know, so now I'm.

[Brent Tucker]

As a team guy.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

As a team guy. So I have a top secret clearance. And now I'm you know, this and that. And this was at a time where not to say I'm the but I was early promotes and doing and now I'm kind of looking at this and then boom. All that just came. You get busted down and then handle that for I go to Iraq on bail, which is.

[Brent Tucker]

Your honor.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I'll be back. I promise. The court, the court. Court wrote a letter. The team wrote a letter today. It's quals. We're about to deploy to Iraq. Can we just kick the can down the road on this thing? And they approved it. And I remember being on that helicopter, man. We were flying from Baghdad like south of Missoul. And I just thank God I'm here, bro. I don't have to deal with that until. Because they were facing me six years in prison plus three parole off one hit because it was a gbh because I broke his orbital eye socket.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And it was so. It just one punch, man. It's all you tell guys, bro. It's all.

[Brent Tucker]

You still got that in the back your mind, bro. When you should laser focused. It's still in the backyard.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. And I would like to think I was, you know, but I definitely wasn't as good as I could have been, you know. And I was, I was, you know, sitting on a roof at three in the morning and I'd be there, you know. And then with dark wave would come over and I'm like, dude, I thought about joining the Kurdish pesh merga. Just staying out there, bro. Like dead serious, bro. I could, I could pop in sandals, bro.

[Brent Tucker]

I can do shawarmas.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, dude, I. It was just that. I mean that's, that's. It's sad man. But it was definitely something I don't wish on anybody. The stress of that and then coming back and kind of having to deal with that.

[Brent Tucker]

And that's the worst when, when, when you really sit back and you're. And you're self reflective about it because of sorts it's, it's, it's self Induced.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You know, nobody can do to us what we do to ourselves. For sure, man.

[Brent Tucker]

What. What was the fight over? Do you remember?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. I was at it on a date with the chick from the local town.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And come to find out, the guy. The guys didn't really like there with her. I was there alone at, like, a steakhouse bar. It wasn't like just some random. And, you know, I felt the energy, and I didn't leave. I kind of was like, whatever. And then it. It turned into. You know, on the way out, he kind of gave one of these on the chick, like, or. Or toward us. And I. Just. One shot at him, and. And it was all on camera. There was no getting away from it, man. You know, and so they had to fly up brass to kind of squash it. And so it was just a. A pile of that. I. And it's your whole. It's not even your job, right? It's. I would say it's a lot probably, like, you know, being in swat. It's your identity.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

It's like. It's your. Like. It's not like working at Home Depot. Yeah. It's. It's something you earn.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Years, four. And then you. You're getting crushed from the civilian side and the military side, so you're just getting. Just smashed.

[Brent Tucker]

None of. None of his boys wanted that smoke.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

No. No, dude.

[Unknown]

He just.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You. You know, I always say. I don't. I don't. I don't glamorize anything, but I'll tell you, it was like one of those, you know, when you hit a baseball and it's just like. You don't even feel it, and the thing just sails. It was one of those. And I knew it was a problem, bro. That felt way too good. No scratches, nothing. I'm like, damn.

[Brent Tucker]

How did you hit the girl? Work out?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

No, I didn't work. It didn't work out.

[Brent Tucker]

I was looking for a silver lining. The chances were that's how the story.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

We ended up going out again. We ended up going out out again when I had to go there for court. But I was up there a lot for court.

[Unknown]

Were you really arrested every year?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I was. I was arrested almost every year from. And it was small things, right? I had, like, a drunken public. So then I'm. I'm sleeping it off with the homeless guys in a warehouse as the cops are hooking me up. And then it was, you know, that. And then, you know, it was just one. But you pile enough on, then you get a target on your back. Then the. The command was always great with me because, you know, I would own my. It was. Was what it was. I would take it on the chin and then just continue to work, man. You know, they're early just, you know, really. Because I love the job. I really like being there, but at some point, you don't give them any. You. You got no more slack. Navy JAG was like, Navy JAG came down hard. And. And they were like, well, he's getting kind of out of this with new good lawyers again. We're gonna steroid test them. And they sent my. My blood work up to the Olympic testing center. They were over me, man. And they asked me. They go, you know, you pop for something. One of the guys told me that. And I went. I said, what? You know? He goes, what's this? This? And I go, yep, lit that test up, man. There was no getting out of it. And zero tolerance. That's how they looked at it. And that's. So I took a. I took a general discharge. Not because the commanding officer of Seal Team 7, which I. This was a bro move of him, man. Amazing move is he goes, this guy doesn't deserve an oth. He has the ability to cap it up one. So I got a general, so I'm really grateful to him. Yeah, that was a real bro move.

[Brent Tucker]

But, you know, when they're. When they're headhunting for you is when it's. It's far and few between. But I. I have heard of it. In fact, it happened to one of my really good SF buddies where they. They. They popped him for. For steroids.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Which is. It's just a dick move. Like, you know, it really is. Like, yeah, you. Like, you could almost get them, I feel like, like, legally. But of course, the military works on its own legal system to be like, oh, yeah, why don't you want. Of course, you never do this to the boys. Like, all right, can you really just single me out like this? Go. Go ahead and blood test the. The rest of the team. Yeah, except we'd. We'd lose half of our special operations. Well, and why do we. Why do we care. Why do we care that our guys want to be bigger, stronger, and faster than anyone else on the battlefield? That's what they popped you for.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Well, I'll tell you. And this is. This is what I'll say. I'll play devil's advocate and be like, I get it. Because the police report did not look good. I had been there. This was. I hopped in a golf court at A fucking Jimmy Buffett concert and this. And I was on.

[Brent Tucker]

I love it already.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And I'm on probation at this time, being a knucklehead, you know, just like, you know, drinking. I got no shirt on. I'm just like, I thought it was somebody else's golf cart. But the cops pull up behind me in the parking lot and they're like, hey, what's going on, man? And I'm like, I tried to, you know, pull old, like, you know, cartoon split out of there and they tackled me. I get up, next thing I know, I'm running. They got a dog biting my ass. And then I'm.

[Unknown]

I was gonna ask you, pushing the.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Dog off and then I'm getting tased. A lot of times I'm ripping tasers out, mind you. It's like the Wasting away again. This is going down the background. It's like hundreds of people watching.

[Brent Tucker]

The chillest music in the background.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

The, the juxtaposition must have been powerful. And. But, you know, they, they got me on one of the tasers and gave me all the love. And that police report did not read well.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And so they go, what the, man? And so that I say, bro, I'm definitely no victim in this situation because I brought a lot of heat on myself. And so that was, that was seven years for me in the team. So that was about seven years front to back.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

In the military by the time I was. Had to go back to jail, serve time. And then, you know, as I walk out, I'm got DD214, you know, and I'm. I'm out. So that's pretty much how that went for me.

[Unknown]

Is that body worn camera footage out there?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Oh, dude, it's got to be somewhere out there, bro.

[Brent Tucker]

We gotta find it. We got to break it down alive, man.

[Unknown]

I mean, just this stuff in general we talk about all the time. And you, you weren't there at the last live, I don't think when we talked about. But the rangers that pulled up.

[Brent Tucker]

Oh, yeah, that's right. Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

What happened? I'm not familiar.

[Unknown]

A bunch of rangers instructor pull up on a little boat. What are those boats called, Ribs or something? No, it's a shore up and.

[Brent Tucker]

Oh, Zodiac.

[Unknown]

And they're. And they take an M60 or, you know, 240 or something and they're popping off blank rounds in the air and there's beachgoers just sitting. I'm like. And all these people. And then they start chugging beers, chugging beers with everybody. And it looks Cool.

[Brent Tucker]

Because it was cool.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

But, yeah, it was cool.

[Unknown]

The type of men that go volunteer to go to combat.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Are gonna do.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I know.

[Brent Tucker]

That's the type of men you get.

[Unknown]

Yes. And it's kind of like give and pull.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Like. Yeah. It's, it's. They still try to battle, I'm sure, through all the selections and stuff and that they just smash the be humble thing. Crowding. And you and dudes need it. And it's, it's. But you can't, you can't be too humble because you also gotta think you're the shit. Yeah. In like a weird way.

[Brent Tucker]

That's what I want. I want. I want cocky, arrogant men loading up Blackhawk helicopters in the middle of the night to send the message of America. That strong, steroided, tattooed American men will blow your door off and shoot you in the face because you f'd around and found out. And that's the type of person it takes to do that.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That's a powerful image.

[Brent Tucker]

That's what, that's what it takes.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Choir boys don't do that.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

No.

[Brent Tucker]

But then we ask those guys to go do that and then go sleep like it was another night's work and get up and do it again the next day. He fights at Chile and say, yeah. Oh, by the way. Yeah. Now in your regular life, I want you just to be. I just want you to super. Turn it off.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

And you do have to turn it off to some degree, but you're not.

[Unknown]

You'Re not always gonna poke out.

[Brent Tucker]

That's right. That's the, that's the. God, the, that, that type of guy is what got him there.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

So he's just never gonna separate that, nor do I want him to.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

It's hard, man, because I'm sure all of us at this table have made mistakes. You know, where it's in our lives and relationships and things and a lot of guys watching, dude. It's just men in particular, bro. We have this, like, certain types of men have this, this need to mix it up and you could be locked on for a while and then that little kink in the armor that the devil comes calling, man. And it's, it's, it's really challenging, man, to keep that, that peace, that discipline with that line.

[Unknown]

Yeah. You, well, you always say you want the guys just under the line.

[Brent Tucker]

I, I, I want my assaulters to be 49 criminal.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Right.

[Brent Tucker]

That's what I want. I want them to be 49 criminal. They can never be 50 or 51. It can never be 50. 50.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

They have to be 51 good.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

And 49 bad.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

That's what keeps them from doing war crimes.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

That's what keeps them doing the right thing.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

But that's the type of guy that's going to do that.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, that's powerful, man. That edge is something that you. I heard a great thing some instructor said to me. He goes, dude, you can't teach aggression. Like, you can't. Yeah, there's like.

[Brent Tucker]

I think you can.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

There's like one.

[Unknown]

You can harness it.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You can harness it and control it and pull the reins back. You never want to have to mush somebody and. And through the house or, you know, taking one man or whatever you're doing. You need people that. You need to pull back and those. Pull those dogs back, man.

[Brent Tucker]

Jordan Peterson. Gosh. The. The more I listen that guy, the just the. The more. Brilliant, brilliant. He is genius. But I'm gonna butcher this. But he basically says, like, we like violent men is a good thing. We have to have violent men in this society. Only violent men can counter bad violent men.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, that's it.

[Brent Tucker]

You know, But a good violent man.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Can. Can harness it. You have to have the ability to harness your violence, but you have to have violence in the system.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. Morally good and morally good with the ability to do bad.

[Unknown]

He said. Yeah. In that same speech, I think you said, like a. A peaceful man that can't commit violence is useless.

[Brent Tucker]

That's right. That's right. A peaceful man that's not capable of violence can't protect anyone.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Only violent men can protect.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I think he also said something cool about like, he goes, a rabbit's not virtuous. It's just harmless. You. In order to have virtue, virtue is a. Your ability to restrain something.

[Brent Tucker]

That's right.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

So if you don't even possess it, like, people will be like, oh, I'm ver. He. He was pointing to, you know, those powers. Those people that. Not even powers. People that. Be that we see out on the streets kind of and on. I'm so virtuous because I'm so peaceful. I'm like, no, you're just. You're just. That's totally different. That's. You're. It's nothing so true.

[Brent Tucker]

I agree.

[Unknown]

Yeah. I mean, like, all the cops that listen to this, they'll be able to tell you, because they're the type of guys that listen to our show, is that the harness and pull back, they're now just. The. The climate in general is now drawing people that they don't have to pull back because they don't have the aggression.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

So that's why all these videos we're seeing.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That's interesting.

[Unknown]

They don't have the aggression. And it used to be just like in your situation, Cops kind of learn that boundary when they're new. They're always getting in trouble. Like, hey, man, you can't punch them seven times in the. The face. They can say, you like, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you harness it, and after a couple years, you just kind of become like, this is the level of aggression that I need to do.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

And now, I mean, they're hammering dudes. Like, if you say sit the down on body cam, they're hammering.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Right. Well, it's actually dangerous for the police officers because you have to kind of step forward into that aggression to mitigate possible risk.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Like, you need to be. You need to have a threat.

[Brent Tucker]

How many videos have. Have we watched where when they don't go and put hands on and they don't control the situation, it actually starts to spiral and it just gets worse when it could have been handled so much earlier. Remember that chainsaw?

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

First thing that jumps in my mind, the guy with a chainsaw. And like a retirement home.

[Unknown]

That's not gonna end well.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, Right. But the chainsaw wasn't started. And so it's just a chainsaw. Like, it's not. It's not a sword. And they're basically just sitting there giving them commands from a safe distance. And he tried to start it, and it didn't start at that point. They should have raced in there and put hands on him.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

But they waited until he got it started and. And then he got mobile. And now. Right. And now they're chasing around, and now it's a deadly situation. And if I remember right, they ended up having to shoot him to where they really didn't have to shoot them. If data, if they'd have been more aggressive earlier on. Yeah, they, they, you know, they could have saved a life.

[Unknown]

And that's so true.

[Brent Tucker]

You said that you took a life.

[Unknown]

You sent me a video of a mentally ill guy that ended up getting killed by the police because they call came out, he was wandering around doing some weird shit. The cops like, hey, man, you all right? Which is fine.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

As soon as they start giving you signs like, oh, shit. Everybody that critiqued that video said, put him in handcuffs. You can take the handcuffs off just as easily as they came on, but it's for everyone's safety. Or at least start, start the fight. Like I'm gonna put hands on you. If you're gonna fly to fight, you're gonna do it. There's no, like, I'm not gonna be able to talk to you for five minutes and then, yeah, go put your hands behind your back. You're gonna take off, you're gonna fight. So just go ahead and get that out of the way.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Unknown]

And then that way you don't have.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

To figure out where we all stand.

[Brent Tucker]

Let's, let's quickly JV Team for Life.

[Unknown]

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[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Tattoos are art, expression, identity.

[Unknown]

But not all ink is created equal.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

In the U.S. tattoo inks are not FDA approved. Many contain heavy metals, carcinogens and synthetic dyes that can stay trapped in your body long after the art is healed. Many are filled with toxic compounds like lead, arsenic, formaldehyde, phthalates, titanium dioxide, and even polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Some of the same chemicals found in car exhaust and industrial waste. Toxic heavy metals disrupt the endocrine system, block the lymphatic system and settle in the organs, causing life threatening complications. With recent studies finding that tattooed individuals have a 21% higher risk of developing cancer, specifically lymphoma. That's where Venzio steps in. Formulated with micronized zeolite, Venzio binds, traps and eliminates toxins safely and effectively. Your tattoo tells a story, just don't let it right.

[Unknown]

When inside your body, ask for safer.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Non toxic ink and use Venzio to.

[Unknown]

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[Brent Tucker]

I mean not to, you know, beat the subject, but it's just there's so Many avenues to it. And it's so predominant. I think it's just a good subject to stay on for a second. How many videos do we watch to where if the officer was more aggressive and more capable of violence and subduing the subject, again, it would just ended in an arrest, but now it ends into a fight for his life and having. And it always ends up when. In deadly force.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

And when it didn't have to. Because. Because the person, male or female.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Didn't possess the aggression and the violence to. To. To take control of the situation.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

There's also. There's a lot of not nice people out there that are. Are like not. They don't give a. About your commands or nothing. And I'm sure, see people you've been working, you've come across, there's just people that have no. They don't want to comply. Right. And it's like, well, are you gonna make them comply immediately and. Or. And eliminate the risk?

[Brent Tucker]

Tyler said it once and now when I, like when I watch those videos, it rings in my head every time. And I think you said, this is what I do. Ask, tell, make. Essentially that as tell do or ask till make. And that's exactly what it should be. As a police officer. Like, they're a civilian. Ask them.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

And if they don't tell them at that point, make them.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

And we see it all the time. They. They ask and they ask and they ask.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. And the guy's like, fuck you.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Usually Tyler's over there going, you already asked him go and make them do it now.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Because you're right. I mean, there's, there's people that. They're not going to comply with you. They're not going to try and run into you.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

But in a corner, they're not going to go, all right, you got me?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Some people.

[Unknown]

Most people will. Most people got played the game. I got caught, whatever.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Unknown]

But some people are like, yeah, we're.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Taking me to jail. We're taking this all the way.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And that's. You know, what's, you know, what's interesting, I think about the, the pressure that a lot of police officers deal with is every person you come across or pull over, you have no idea. Like just, Just that, like you walking up to the car, some tinted car. Absolutely no clue.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

What you're walking into. And so there's this, like, psychological threshold. You're gonna have to again and again and again and again. And then something crazy goes on and you still are on shift. Yeah, it's like, you know what? It's like, I have a, I, I were, I have a police officer kind of client. He's like 30 years down in Atlanta. And he goes, and he goes, dude, he's got some cool stories. He's end up going in Ayahuasca and did some other stuff. Shout out Mike, but he's a solid dude. And he goes, bro, I mean there's been times where we see some horrendous and then, and this is probably part of the problem about, you know, the, the stress of it all and then. But it'll be early on in the shift and then you kind of are already kind of brushing it under the rug when it was something very substantial. And he goes, you just are like, I already threw some dirt on it, I'm just gonna not process it at all. And then, you know, it comes out in your marriage and you're this and you're that and you wonder why these things are happening. And it's like, oh, I never dealt with the, you know, the dead child I saw in a pool, you know, earlier on. And it's heavy, man.

[Brent Tucker]

That's, that's a good point. I actually never really thought about in that aspect about a shift. You know, we talk about the, the crossover between military and law enforcement because there is so much of it. And you know that, that applies. But I mean, here's something. I mean I'm sure it applies to like the 82nd out on patrol, but for the most, like we're not working in a shift.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

I go, I do something. If something bad happens.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

We're not there for that long, you know, we come back and you know, I, I can process it then.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

But yeah, As a cop, 12 hour.

[Unknown]

Shifts, 12 hours, you go home, you sleep and you go back.

[Brent Tucker]

Something happens. On hour one of a 12 hour shift, you're still sitting there for 11 hours.

[Unknown]

That's why they have really bad. Cops have really bad. I guess explain to me cortisol levels.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

So you go and you're just. For 12 hours, you're up, you're down, you're up. So then your levels just start staying here naturally. And you have to do things, you have to actually go make you, your body do things to calm down.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. And you're also expected to be home and like. Oh yeah. Past the salt.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You know, with your kids and when you're just experience a lot of stuff, there's no break of like being deployed. You're at home, you know, you're at work seeing this, and then you're right back home. It's like, you have to be a superman and be able to shift psychologically.

[Brent Tucker]

I'm gonna argue that for just a second. I'm say this generally because there's, there's. There's always exceptions to every rule, but I don't, I don't think it takes a superman to switch that. And I do have sympathy for that. But, like, but guess what? That's what your community, and for us, our country, asks us to do.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

They asked us to do something dangerous. They ask us to do something stressful.

[Unknown]

You said yes.

[Brent Tucker]

You said yes. And when you see it, you have to be able to go, okay, that's part of the job. And we call it, you know, switching gears. You have to switch gears mentally and say, hey, that's. That was then, this is now. And the mind is a very powerful thing. And the mind, I'm going to equate this in a really weird way, is almost like, stay with me. Alcoholism.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

When. When what? Bad thoughts and alcoholism. And this is, this is my correlation to it. No one's an alcoholic just because of one drink, but you continue down that road now, you are an alcoholic. And it's a much bigger problem where, if you'd have dealt with it earlier, if you don't deal with bad thoughts early.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

They be. They will become such a big problem that it will take over. That's why it's so. It's why it's so important to control the mind early. And you can absolutely control your mind. Yeah, you can. You can just say, nope, I'm not going to think about that. Yeah, I'm think about this. I'm gonna stay busy. I'm gonna do this. But once you make that decision, that's the decision you made to sit here. And yes, it can flash in your mind, but that's just a flash.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Like, you can sit there and be like, nope. Yeah, I'm not. I'm not.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah. I'm not going to attach myself to this.

[Unknown]

There's that little black box that God gave you down. Just take it and shove it in. You're only here for 80 years.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. Yeah. So.

[Brent Tucker]

And yeah, I had a, you know, psychologist tell me, you know, like, you know, on my way out, like, hey, how do you deal with problems? That's what I said. I said I put them in. I was like, this is how I do it. I put it in a little box, put in the back of my mind.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

And then Every now and again, let's say it's like a teammate's death.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

On this anniversary, I go back in that box, I dig it out, and I think about it for a day, and at the end of that day, back in the box, it goes back like that. And they're like, that's the worst thing you could possibly do.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

We can't let you out.

[Brent Tucker]

They're like, you are a ticking time bomb. Yeah, I'm like. Like, well, I actually didn't ask for this. Like, this is a mandatory interview. I'm.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I'm actually. I'm fine.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, I'm actually doing pretty good. So you should probably do what I say because. Because I'm. I'm doing just fine.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And that's a good. That's a good point. How are your results? Right? How are. It's like I heard somebody say. They go. Somebody was yelling at. They go, you. You said you don't believe in depression. This was somebody else. And he goes, yeah, I don't. And he goes, well, it's. It's real. And he's like, yelling at him. He goes, yeah, but I don't have it and I don't believe in it. So when shouldn't you believe.

[Unknown]

That is one.

[Brent Tucker]

People.

[Unknown]

People argue depression and they're like, oh, well, I. I just sit on the couch for hours, and I can't do basic tasks because they become too daunting. And my mindset is like, you just gotta stand up and do it.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Start moving, bro.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah. I mean, and. And again, like, they're. Hey, and guess what? You can say that. And you can say that. You can. You know that everything we said is true. And there are some people that just aren't cut out for that. And. And. And they. And they meet and they may need help. So I'm not. I'm not shaming anyone who. Who can't take it. But I do know this. I know if you tell a man long enough, you're gonna see something bad and you won't be able to handle it. If you tell a person that they're gonna see something bad, they're like, well, I can't handle it. I was told I can't handle it. Yeah, we've. We have concentrated so much on mental health for what, 10 years now? I mean, we focus on nothing but mental health.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. How.

[Brent Tucker]

How we do it on mental health.

[Unknown]

That's what I was just thinking.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That's good point.

[Brent Tucker]

How we doing on it?

[Unknown]

When Taylor goes, not good.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Probably worse.

[Brent Tucker]

It's probably Worse.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Go back to the beginning of time and where we didn't have psychologists and we had war that was.

[Unknown]

Had to be men.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Really? War. And guess what? Men did got over it. They dealt with it, and they moved on.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Generally.

[Unknown]

I mean, generally, the World War II generation, they didn't. I. I'm. I'm. I don't think the VA Was a thing. There was no compensation. There was no. The war's over. I got to go back to work at the shoe store.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. You know. Yeah. Like, seriously.

[Brent Tucker]

And people are going to nitpick, as they always do, like, oh, well, this. You know, I'll give you a name. And this guy, you know, had mental health issues after World War II, and he committed suicide. And. And those people are out there. But if we look at how horrible war used to be, and then the amount of people that handled it poorly was at a much lower level, and war has actually gotten nicer and holistically.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

And yet our suicide rates and our mental health rates and our PTSD is through the roof. How did that happen?

[Unknown]

When you hit. When your kid. Kid bumps their head, the young toddler, and they look at you, what you go. As opposed to, oh, my God, are you okay? They start bawling their eyes out.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Exactly.

[Brent Tucker]

That's. It's simple, but it's a great comparison.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I always tell guys, man, don't stop thinking so much and just focus on your daily actions.

[Unknown]

I do.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. Focus on what you're doing, man, and through the day, you can work through the other much better. When you feel better and you cannot feel better without doing better, start moving, man, and, like, start up early and exercising some discipline.

[Brent Tucker]

Start moving. Wear yourself out during the day.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Work out. Be productive. Because guess what? Because everything has a domino effect. And now you're tired and you go to sleep, and you go to sleep.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And then you wake up early.

[Brent Tucker]

That's right. And when you're not tired and you're laying there in bed, guess. Guess what. Everything I just talked about.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

The mind starts racing and the. And it happens to me. I mean, I'm not. I'm not sitting here on my high horse being like. Like, I don't deal with any of it.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

I deal with it, I think, at a much lower level, but I still have, you know, weak moments where I sit there in bed and I'm like, oh, yeah, let's run down this road.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Let's run down this road of vengeance. I feel like going down this. I feel like suffering for a minute.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah. And it's never good.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

So wear yourself out. Go to sleep. Tomorrow's a new day.

[Unknown]

Do you, do you kick off every day with a workout?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I don't, I don't go into some crazy hardcore work. I do some like, just light calisthenics, but like real light to start off the day.

[Unknown]

It's early, so that doesn't count as your workout.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Not really. It's mostly, it's mostly kind of movement.

[Brent Tucker]

Gets the blood flowing.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, mostly just kind of a deliberate movement. I do Mike Tyson push ups because they're quiet, and I just started doing the Foreign Legion because it was. I was in a barracks room, man, so I didn't want to. Waking people up.

[Brent Tucker]

What's Mike Tyson push ups? You put your count out loud with the lisp or.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, yeah, you have to do that.

[Brent Tucker]

That's.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That's part of it. You put your feet against the wall and it's like a push up with like a pike push up. Like.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Mixed up. It's. I saw Mike Tyson doing when he was training. I'm like, oh, that looks kind of cool. There's just more fun than regular push ups. Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I do like one max set to start the day. Nothing crazy. It's just a kind of. Yeah, it's just one thing I decided to do and I found it works for me.

[Brent Tucker]

Well, that's, that's a, that's a, a good time to, to move into that. Because if they didn't know already, sure, it'll be in the, in the, the title. But you, you go to the Foreign Legion.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, man.

[Brent Tucker]

The French Foreign Legion.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, the French Foreign Legion.

[Unknown]

I just want to know so much about the mindset and like people, people.

[Brent Tucker]

Ask me about the. That's one of those things, like people ask about foreign, like special operation units all the time. And that's, that's always one that gets brought up because it's one of those units that not. People know a whole lot about.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

And when you don't know a lot about a unit, you start attaching all these, like, these myths to.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. You got a lot of mystique behind it.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, a lot of mystique.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

There's one thing it's not a special place, special operations unit. Right. And that's one thing a lot of people don't know. It's. It's a, it's a highly trained inventory. That's what it is. Right. So it's about 7, 000 guys, but it's interesting. I would say it's more like the Marine Corps than anything else. Okay. Like a one stop shop. They have their own cavalry, parachute regiments, engineering regiments, their own medical. Everything's in house and jungle units, Maritime, small maritime units. They have two, I would call them more elite units within.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

To their commando unit. So it's a Group Commando Parachutiste, Parachute Commando Group and Group Commando Montan, Mountain Commando Group. And I would say those are like highly trained shock troops. They're more like rangers. That's how I would call it.

[Brent Tucker]

So as the name would suggest, you have to be a foreigner to get in. I have so many questions. I've googled it, but I mean there's. There's a Google and there's someone who actually was there.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, it's. It's interesting because it was started like 200 years ago by some king to try to get foreigners out of his bars and stuff back onto the battlefield with the carrot of French citizenship. So it's modeled after the own Roman legions where if you serve your time, you'll get citizenship.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That's how it was modeled.

[Brent Tucker]

You.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

They'll give you a fake name, fake European Social Security number, all that stuff, which is what they did for me also. And so they take your passport. I didn't see that passport from three years.

[Brent Tucker]

Really?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. And you. There's no application. The only way to go do it is to go knock on the door like the wizard of Oz or. That is wild.

[Brent Tucker]

I love it.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Did you have to do 24, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year? If you go on that door, Christmas morning, they'll open the door. It's a. It's a weird kind of a. And some legionnaire with a Famas or a hk, whatever he's carrying is going to open the door and be like, hey, who's on in? And the first thing you do is you get on the pulp bar. That's pretty much. You have two spots. You knew this. One down in South France at the Headquarter regiment and one on the outskirts of Paris.

[Brent Tucker]

How'd you know? How'd you. How'd you know to go knock on the door?

[Unknown]

So how'd you.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Well, I, I think just being in. So fascinated by it as a kid, I, I found out about them at some point.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And then when I got out of jail and I was getting turned down by all the military units, they came back up on my radar and that's when I was like, okay, they take guys with checkered pass. There's a Few things that will disqualify you immediately. Any. They'll do their Interpol background check. So if you have any issues, if you have any sexual crimes in your country, and if you have any, you know, really, really weird, then that's gonna pretty much disqualify you.

[Brent Tucker]

No, just saying. I hate it. Just saying these words could. Could get us pulled, but. So no rapists.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, no, no, no.

[Brent Tucker]

No pedos.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, no. Yeah, exactly. No sexual crimes. And so they're gonna do.

[Brent Tucker]

How about murder? Let's say. Let's say you.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You know, maybe a little murder here. You know, dabble a little murder. You know, I mean, I knew. I knew a kid that was going in. He was from Argentina, and he had like, 17 kidnappings on his record.

[Brent Tucker]

And, hey, he's already good at the job.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. I was like. He's like. But they were only political. They were political. Political. You know, I don't know exactly.

[Brent Tucker]

Political.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, they're only political. I was like, all right, so you have some interesting. And. And the legions protected people from Interpol and stuff when they've knocked on the door and really. Yeah, like, they came to the door, I heard in that ducium rep, which is their. Their parachute regiment on Corsica Island. And they were like, hey, we want this guy. And they're like, we don't know what you're talking about. Right. Because he's there under a fake name also.

[Brent Tucker]

That's right.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And you can keep that fake name or after a few years, run some more paperwork, get your passport back and your name back. That's how that works. Whoa.

[Unknown]

So you didn't. So you did your time. Did you go overseas at all with them?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, so we did. So. So I flew to France pretty much. I was in, like, a suicidal state, man. I was in. I had lost everything again. And worked in this. Yeah. Worked in the civilian world for a couple years, but everything was gone because I had. Dude, I had a. An opiate habit, Adderall habit, a Xanax habit, alcohol habit. All the habits you could possibly have. And, you know, your. Your life's gonna crumble.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

At some point. And it did. And so now I'm with no money, living in my truck for a few days, realizing I'm homeless. Right. I'm going, man. Well, and I was just tired, man. I had a sod off on my passenger seat just. Just thinking about. Just. I was tired of trying, you know, I just kind of exhausted, but had that moment of clarity where I realized, you know, that's. That's not the damage I'm gonna leave for my family and my sister and mom and stuff like that. And so decided man, if I was going to go out, I was going to do it my boots on at least. So maybe they'll send me somewhere. And so I flew, took a one way ticket and flew to France. And so yeah, spent about four and a half years there. We did five months down in French Gan, so jungle operations down there. Then when Ukraine kicked off we did with part of the enhanced floor presence battle group with uk a couple other countries was kind of like flexing on the border kind of like on in Estonia, we're kind of on that Russian border. And so those are pretty much the two deployments. We did some anti terrorism domestic stuff in interior of France. But yeah man, it's, it's a trip because the guys that are there are. It's an interesting spread.

[Unknown]

I was gonna say.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, it is an interesting spread.

[Unknown]

You guys speak differently.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

So that's my question.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

What language you have to learn? French. And I knew no French. I googled what I needed to say to the guy at the door. It's, it's, it's trial by fireman. They. Because you have a lot of eastern block guys, a ton of Ukrainians, Romanians, Hungarians, a lot of that cultures there. And so they're tough, bro, those dudes. Some of those guys are like for three months I ate mice. You know, they come from some hard stock, bro. Like we think we know poor. There's some poor, you know, and physical specimens. You got the Belarus. Belarusia and Belarus. And so you good guys. Some had experience in their countries, but they get paid more there like their pays like triple, you know, because a lot of these countries don't pay and a lot of those countries don't do external operations. We don't really think about that but because America's just been warlike since its inception, but there's countries with warriors in them that don't ever get to operate.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You know, and so yeah, they, so they don't nerf. They're not doing it. They're just training for their whole careers and they're like that. Well at least go to the Foreign Legion who's doing. Was Molly was at the time also. So a lot of stuff happening down in Africa.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, French shoot a lot of stuff in Africa.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

26 Countries in Africa speak French. And a lot of people know that France has had their piggies in Africa for a really long time.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, I'm a little surprised to hear that. As, as you think about generally France and how, how liberal some of their. Yeah, their, their laws can be and how liberal some of their politicians can be. It seems not very liberal of them to make you speak French.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Oh, that's, that's one thing I think that the French don't around with. You better speak French.

[Brent Tucker]

And I, and I. And actually I appreciate that. Yeah, I respect that. As you should.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

They're proud of their, their. And I'll tell you this.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah. Don't come, don't come to another country and not speak their language a thousand percent. Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And the French pushed that, man. And I'll tell you, if they heard of me speaking English, I was gonna, I was getting my pushed. Yeah, I had some rough days, man, because my accent's dog. Also because I'm from California, so I'm like, rr. I'll be speaking French pretty damn good. And they just. My accent sounds like English and they'd go like, speak French over there. And I'm like, I am speaking French, man. But my accent's just terrible. And it was, it was an. French officers run it. So they come from their academy, Saint Cyr, which is like their West Point. And it's kind of a coveted spot to be an officer in the French Foreign Legion because you rule with an iron fist, bro. They're very top down. It's a very top down organization. I mean, most, most things we did, nobody even told me what the we were going to do. Like, just shut the up, man. Here's your gun. And like, they'll give me some basic parameters, but they didn't want questions.

[Brent Tucker]

How long did you, did you serve there?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Four and a half years.

[Brent Tucker]

Four and a half years. Would you consider your French to be really good? I mean, that's a lot. That's a long time to be.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I would say speaking. My head's like this table, it just did not stick. I was also 34 going in there, so I was not a spring chicken. And French was very difficult for me to learn. I can travel and get by and all military orders were in French. And I can write and read some, but I wouldn't definitely not say it's fantastic. Say probably a solid C plus.

[Unknown]

You decided not to stay in France with your fake name.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

No. So I wanted my real name back. I had no desire to be a French citizen. I didn't need it really.

[Brent Tucker]

Right.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I just wanted to burn some time and maybe operate a little bit and get, you know, get some different experience. And so you got it and I got it. I got a Lot of cleaning, toilets and shit too, because they clean, man. They clean and they run. I felt like it was God playing a trick on me, bro. It's like, he's like, oh, yeah, dude, you hate running. Standby. You're gonna do half marathon every morning in the snow. So they. They love their running. They don't eat breakfast, right? So it's like coffee and then you're. You're Charlie Mikin. They're a very light is right unit. They're all. They. Their philosophy is far and fast and drop your security, Just move really quickly. That's. They will. Because I was at the mountain regiment, so we did a lot of training in the French Alps. A lot snow, summer and winter. And dude, they're moving quick. A lot of got 10% of the foreign legions, guys from Nepal, because of the Gurkha selection being so fucking hard that all the guys who want to try to be Gurkhas don't make it. They go in the foreign. So you have about 10% were Ukrainians and about 10% were Nepal and a lot from Brazil also. Those are like the big chunks.

[Brent Tucker]

Is there something that stands out to you in your four and a half years you're there in the French Foreign Legion, or you just kind of sit back and you're like, this is awesome.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

There was. I had a lot of times where I knew it was unique, right. I knew the story was unique and things we were doing, but, man, it was. There were some lonely times, man. You know, because I was getting a lot of extra love. You know, the American former Navy seal, you know, say tough. Here, here's. Here's the chainsaw. You know, we're patrolling.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah. Which is my follow up question of that was. And you know, on the other side, is there any time you're like, what am I doing here? Why did I do this?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, I had a lot of those cold. And this year, gear is not good. Definitely at the beginning when before you kind of start ranking up.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You know, once I started ranking up, it got a little bit better and, you know, had some deployments under my belt. But those first two years are designed. I mean, it's a Navy Seal come clean this toilet. You know, I got a lot of that. And you're living in the company building. And every company building in the Foreign Legion has a bar in it.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Downstairs, man. And you can imagine, as you know. And they'll find any excuse to drink, man. The French culture drinks.

[Unknown]

Yeah, dude.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

They unload the wine with the water. Beer, wine, water. It's all together always. And so that's just part of their culture. And you know, that can, that gets interesting.

[Unknown]

So they, so they weren't, they weren't impressed per se, that you were a seal? It was actually, no.

[Brent Tucker]

A little detrimental.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I wasn't waving the flag of it, that's for sure. But, you know, things trickle down. But, you know, I could shoot. They like that. They like that. They understand. They. I could shoot and. But it was more about, hey, what can you do now?

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Which I actually appreciate. Exactly. It's like, dude, nobody gives a what you did. And, and there's a lot of guys with some decent experience, like they could shoot and they. But it's like, okay, that's all well and good, but. Yeah, what can you do for us now? Yeah, it's really. Well, that mattered something.

[Brent Tucker]

I think that always surprised me. And there were, I mean, don't, don't get me wrong, there's, there's always your outliers, but when it comes to.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Just.

[Brent Tucker]

The like, American muscle, like, that's an American thing. Yeah. As a Green Beret, we got put on a, on a French base out in Herat. And I don't think they even knew that you could put a 45 pound plate on, on the bench press. You know, as soon as you walked in there, there's like tens or 25s. That's, that's all they used on the bench press. The dumbbells were just dusted after £25.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Like. But, and I'm not saying that, that they weren't fit. Like, yeah, they love running, they love other things. And Americans love lifting heavy things and being big. And that really is like uniquely American to, to some degree. Hey, you can go. And that's not just like special operation. You go to the 82nd and find some monsters of men. But like, American muscle really is more like military wide. It's really, it's an American mindset.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Oh, it was, it was very challenging to kind of keep that up because. Finding ways to lift, finding ways to do stuff. You do have some other cultures. You got guys from Czech Republic and like that, that kind of bring that same type of a, you know, get big, get strong. Yeah, but you're, you're, you're balancing it with. On what we kind of talked about earlier was those, you got to be able to do what they're doing.

[Brent Tucker]

Exactly.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And they're running half marathon, right, dude. On a baguette, you know, in the snow, dude. And you know, and going okay. And you know, minimum It'd be five miles. You know, maybe we'll do something and different. But they just. I had to compete. I would put tuna packets in my rucksack, and they're like, what the are you doing? They're like, you can't bring tuna packets. I'm like, I'm bringing some tuna bags. I'm starving.

[Brent Tucker]

What do you. What do you weigh right. What do you weigh right now?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Probably 220.

[Brent Tucker]

220. Do you remember roughly treated what. What you weighed back then?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. And so I was. I was. When I went through.

[Brent Tucker]

Because you don't want to be two. 220. 2:20 run five miles every day.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

185. Probably kind of like what I was in. In about buds. It just. Yeah, you don't have the calories. Because when we went through. When we went through the farm. The farm is their first kick in the nuts, which is literally at a farm. It was very rustic, as they say in French, but it was rocks running some obstacle courses. Very basic shoot, move, and communicate stuff. Weapons manipulation. But, dude, we'd be having to eat out of the trash, bro. Because they'd go, all right, everybody eat. Sit down. All right. Somebody made a noise. Everybody dumped their food in the trash can, dude. And it's freezing. You're in the French. Out of French on. On the Spanish side. So you're kind of near. Near the Spanish border. Not the Alps, but forget the. God, I'm drawing the blank on the mountains out there. Cold, very cold. Freezing my nuts off and just dropping weight like crazy.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

But it was useful because I didn't really need it at that time. Time. But it took me a while. He built it back up, man. And, you know, you'd find some bases and stuff. They'd have some weights. But it's not a big part of their culture.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah. What after what. What's the enlistment that. That you owe them?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You'll pretty much. You're a half decade. That's pretty much what you.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay, okay. Then that's what you gave them.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Did you have any inclination to stay?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

So I screened for their. You get to have to get in. The reason why I went to the mountain regiment was for the commando unit. Right. And so I knew that they deployed and they actually did some kind of more froggy. They're jumping and doing a lot of. And I'm like, okay, let me get there. You have to get invited. It took me about three years, but I get invited up there and I fail one of their run tests. Well, their run test Was hard, man. And I'm 37 at this point. Right. And so I'm trying to pass a selection. Yeah, it's challenging to say at least. And I just failed the run, dude. Like hard. You know, not crazy terrible, but just was not gonna pass. And they're like, hey, you can. We'll invite you to come back. And that was gonna require another five years. And so I'm at the point now I'm. Now I'm kind of working on my own self development, going, dude, am I gonna be wanting to march to Chow at 43, living in a barracks room?

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, playing that out.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, playing that out mentally. And dude, you're making the money's not good. And you are really isolated. I mean, it's all your time.

[Brent Tucker]

All your time and spending money either.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

No, and I actually was saving money because I don't have time. It was like a deployment forever. Yeah, it was like a forever, never ending deployment, dude. Which was, which was honestly another piece of it because before going to the Foreign Legion, I. I know my financial discipline was terrible. You know, I was making okay money, but still living paycheck to paycheck, you know, and stressed out and just because I had a lot of bad habits. And so when I got there, I eliminated and a lot of that shit got removed. And so I was actually learning to save money on. I think I had five shirts in the same pair of shoes for five years. What else did I need?

[Brent Tucker]

Man, when, when you, when you left that thing, do you, do you feel like you left a different man? And what, what is it you, what was the best thing you think you, you got from that experience? What. What did it give you to help round out who you are, bro?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I, I, you know what, Brent? I really started to understand myself and how I could get out of these continuously, continuous cycles of self sabotage. I just, how I approached the world was just not correct. And so I just had to kind of hold myself to a little bit higher standard of, you know, okay, let me think twice about doing this. And let me, let me really kind of understand how I ended up in a French foreign agent barracks room on the other side of the earth with fake name. Like, what the is going on? Like, something brought me here. How I'm doing. This is not normal. Like something, something here is not like the others. And, and that was when I started reading Stoke philosophy and, you know, just starting to really just get more disciplined. In my day, I would have, I would be disciplined. Ish. Which is like, you know, wake up and I'D I'd be working out at the team and doing stuff, but, you know, I'd have bad weekends and bad this and be playing catch up. And I did that my whole life. And so I started to just kind of try to pull myself out of that. And that was helpful. And so I got what I needed there, which was I needed to burn some time and to figure some out. That's exactly what I got.

[Unknown]

What, What'd you get into when you got out?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Immediately I went into coaching.

[Unknown]

Yeah?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. So that. Immediately when I got into like mentorship coaching, some speaking, but I really just. I put my camera down and I put it on my. On YouTube in the foreign Legion barracks.

[Unknown]

I remember I watched it my first video.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I'm like, is he allowed to do that?

[Unknown]

No, no, no.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

They put me, try to put me in jail for that, man.

[Brent Tucker]

Really?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. And I wouldn't pull it down. They told me, you know, and that's why my contract, I had to break it early because they were trying to put me in jail in the Foreign Legion. And I was like, look, I was already getting hundreds of emails from veterans. I talked about being suicidal and this and that and kind of getting some. Correct. And. And they said hundreds of emails of guys being like, hey, dude, I had a. I was in my car with a gun, man, and I appreciate you putting that out there. And I just decided, you know, kind of hold off, you know, if, you know, we've all been in dark times. And so I was like, I'm not taking this down. And I played the administrative kind of fight it game. And I had a lawyer over there who was like, dude, you're not even a citizen. No. So you have no legal rights there. Zero. And so there. If they were going to put me back to. Back to back 30 day jails on the Foreign Legion, not like French jail, but with food discipline and pretty much just breaking big rocks into small rocks until they kick me out. And so we just kind of Rex Salable differences and called it. But, you know, I was already on. I was already on the back nine and I wasn't resigning and they already knew it. I was moving trucks around the base and kind of chilling. So I was trying to prep my next piece. Yeah, like, what am I gonna do, man? I mean, I had. Was starting to look at, you know, different contracting opportunities in Africa and Ukraine and, and all that. But I kind of was just. I wanted some autonomy back. I mean, you know, that world. Well, it's. Dude, that world is. There's not a Lot of happy dudes. Yeah. With longevity in that world.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah. And that type of world just seems, I'm sure you probably saw it in your four years. Happy guys that were happy four years ago are just very serious, almost miserable men now.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

It's, that's real.

[Brent Tucker]

There's something about that type of life that just, that changes people and it's. I saw that in my line of work too.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Like, I feel like I got the chills, man. That's heavy.

[Brent Tucker]

I feel like I didn't. People probably argue this. I feel like it didn't change me as much, you know, because of my mindset. But, but I, I would, I feel like I'd be lying to myself to say if it didn't change me to some degree. Just, just lesser, you know, than other people. But you know, you don't go through those experiences without some sort of change.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. And, and I, I think a good question always to ask guys is look at people 10 years your senior and if that's where the life you want. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean I saw 45 year old guys living in a barracks room. We don't see that. I do drinking at the bar with 19 year old kids. Like. And I'm going, dude, I just, dude, they would just never see their families. I'm like, these dudes are always here and then they haven't had families in France or in other countries. And I'm like, damn bro. I just. Plus I, I had no family at the time. I was like, at some point I want yeah, family and it just wasn't going to happen where I was. And so that's, that's pretty much when.

[Brent Tucker]

I made the call culturally a little more of a speed round, but like the, the cultural difference of leaving, of living over there. Did you ever get used to the food? Was the food good? Just. I know we talked about breakfast but.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Like, I mean if you're going to, if you want to do some French cuisine, it's fucking awesome, you know, I mean it's badass. But in the, in the actual French Foreign Legion was tight.

[Brent Tucker]

Music wise. Did you get to listen to your own music? Did you have to listen to foreign music a lot? You know, like kind of liking their music.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I was listening to a lot of Russian, Russian rap and stuff. You know, I, it was, it was fascinating. Being in a barracks room is very few places in the world because after hours, right. I mean it's pretty much like normal army. Like you get cut away at six if you're not training or working on the Gate. So it's kind of a normal cultural flow. And you would get some weekends off, and so everybody. You'd hear their little music and their conversations, and you'd hear 15 languages walking down the hallway. That's crazy. So I'll give you like, an example. So, like, of my graduating class, it was Thailand, South Africa, Chad, Brazil, Venezuela, Mongolia, Nepal, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Belarus. Just out of 40 guys, I think we graduated like 40. It's about one out of 15 who come to the gate. One out of 10 or one out of 15 that'll actually get a contract to go to boot camp.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Because a lot of the things that cut guys's teeth, Background checks, psyche, vowels, and iq. Teeth, teeth, teeth, man. We forget in the United States, bro. Our teeth are pretty decent here.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, they are.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

They're. I mean, they're a lot. But we forget there's dark holes in the country, dude, that they're not taking care of their teeth. And. And what happened is the French got tired of guys coming into the Foreign Legion get their teeth fist, get their teeth fixed, and then. And so the French got sick of doing it. So they're very strict on the teeth.

[Brent Tucker]

Such a weird thing, but I get it.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I had. There was a. There was an English dude, Afghanistan vet. It was ironically, my same exact birthday and year. Well, when I went into Paris, and so him and I started talking and he was a, you know, combat veteran guy and had done some. And they kicked him out because he had gotten kind of blown up and had two teeth that were fake, and that was enough to get him chopped.

[Unknown]

Did you have the.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I got them done in there. So I had a bunch of chip, but I got them done in Turkey.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Illegally, when I was in the Foreign Legion, you know, because I had a bunch of chips, and in the Foreign Legion, they're not. Not putting your. Your ceramics back in. It just wasn't happening. You know, I had a lot. You don't need it, son. You know, just stuff. And so I flew to Turkey and asked him, was like, how do we get this fixed forever? So I never. They're never gonna chip. He's like, we could do gold. I'm like, put it. He's like, are you sure? I said, nope. But, yeah, let's do it.

[Brent Tucker]

Was there any country that. That they looked down on? And. No, I'm tracking to be like, we. We don't like them.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

So I actually think there's.

[Brent Tucker]

Are they pretty open about every. Like, everyone's.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Everyone's.

[Brent Tucker]

They just hate everyone equally. Is there A little bit of patriotism.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Or they generally don't like countries where you have options. Right. It's because then you guys can leave, you know, so America, Canada, countries with money, Australia, most of the English speakers, ironically, to be at the commando units, you have to be able to speak English. It's like, I don't know what's in our culture, but Australians, Americans, they, Canadians even, they all coagulate, like in the commando units. Yeah, just where guys draw. And so you have to be able to speak English there. But I think Cuba, you're still not allowed. North Korea, obviously there's like a couple countries that are no go, but I think that might be the only two. But mostly they like, they love guys from Nepal, they love guys from Ukraine. They just have a. Brazil also has a very good reputation as far as being in the Foreign Legion and guys doing well and going up the ranks because you can have a great career there. Like you can if you come from a country where it's like maybe not a lot of opportunity and stuff. Dude. There's guys who go in at 17 and a half, which is the limit. You have 17 to 39 and a half. You can go to the door. There's guys that go all the way up the chain, become master chief equivalents or majors and do great, man. They have always decent money.

[Brent Tucker]

Always. On the enlisted side, the officer side is reserved for French.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You normally.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Every once in a while you have some stud come through that, that gets promoted up the chain, goes, sues officer non commission and then has the opportunity to go to the academy. It's very rare, but it happens. It happens. Yeah. And those guys are solid, man.

[Brent Tucker]

Oh, that.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, because they come in and they're like studs from 17 and they're kind of groomed into the system.

[Unknown]

Do they have retirement?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, yeah, they have retirement. It's not great, but it's, it's, it's reasonable for Europe, you know, Europe's not. You're not going to get a ton of benefits, but you will get some disability or something if you get up. And their insurance and like, that's pretty, it's pretty squared away.

[Unknown]

I had a buddy that went. I don't know if it was a company or whatever he got. He wanted the French Foreign Legion. I guess it didn't work out. And he went to Ukraine with some kind of infantry unit and he caught one of those drone bombs and blew his up. Blew his leg up. And he's, you know, he's got all the. He didn't Lose his leg? Yeah, he's in the hospital. I'm like, man, so are they, you know, going to take care? He's like, oh, no. They offered to send you home or you can go back to the front line.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, that's heavy.

[Unknown]

Send you home with no benefits.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Dude, when. When Ukraine kicked off, we lost a lot of guys because they went to go fight. Right. Their families and stuff. And. Yeah, you know, that was an interesting thing because they grouped us all up and they're like, hey, this is going on. You know, you guys can leave. Some of you guys can leave. And even France, this was cool. Them, they offered to bring some of their family into France, guys who were legionnaires, so they could bring them in on buses from Pole through Poland and then to France. And so some guys chose that and some guys were still. Still over there fighting, man.

[Brent Tucker]

Wow. The. The. I'd imagine they do, but I'm gonna take this opportunity. Someone's been there asking all sorts of questions.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Like a history lesson.

[Brent Tucker]

Do they have their own specialty schools? Do they. Do they. Do they have sniper school? Do they have static? Do they have halo? Do they have dive? Like, do they have specialty schools that. That they will send you to as well?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yep. So you can go to plungers to combat, which is divers. And that's. That's another commando unit. And so they're doing cool. They're doing up in the ice and also the jungle. And those dudes are tough, man.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And you have obviously all your under stuff, but the sniper elements and things like that, that's going to be at the parachute regiment generally. They might have some at their infantry units maybe, but you'll have specialty schools. Medics, corpsman. And you can. You can rank up pretty. I should get qual up pretty highly. If you really pick a pipeline and go. Did.

[Brent Tucker]

Did your. Did your schools from. From. From the Navy or, you know, from the. From the American military. Do they transfer over? So, like, okay, you're already static line qualified. You're static line qualified.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

No, that you can. If you can. I heard, because it's NATO equivalent or something, be able to transfer over some of your jump calls.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

But it's very complicated and it's all in French. And so everyone's like it. We're like. And so they're stacked static line their parachute and stuff. I mean, those dudes are, you know, pretty gnarly when you go to the French. French hospital. Yeah, most of them are from the parachute resident. I mean, they. They send these guys out, man. A lot.

[Brent Tucker]

Is there anything. Is there anything they did? I almost say better because you know, the American military is just so fraught with you know, red tape and, and risk adverse and there's sometimes it's very hard to actually get something done. And kind of what I've found out, even, even other really bad militaries, they're just not a good military. But they'll still. Instead of adopting all the good things of the American military, they'll adopt our paperwork and all like the stupid stuff. I'm like, don't adopt that. Yeah, like how'd you feel about their.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That that aspect of them administratively most of it is pretty streamlined because the French officers have so much power. Like even in their own house they can sign that off. Like oh yeah, you guys need to shoot. All right. One guy. Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And then you're. Yeah, you're. That stuff's easy to get done. The. I'll tell you one thing that I that is. Was culturally so different in France. That was. Was not good. Which was their, their after actions. Their ARS or their debriefs were like almost non existence for the low, low bottom shooters. You would not know if there was a deconfliction issue or if there was some kind of a problem because there's a French officers save face that you never let the guys know if you made a mistake for the first. For the most part. So that was kind of unique because there wasn't. There was a lot of lessons I knew could have been learned from training exercises and stuff that they're just like.

[Unknown]

All right everybody, no extreme leadership over there.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

No go clean your weapons and kind of. But they're all. This was a very positive thing is. Are tough because you just. They're like what the you gonna complain about? You know, this is just, you know, shut up man. And you. They just. It facilitate a very. A culture where you're just given not much. And so the. When we went and worked with the French infantry, regular military French, they were. They love working with legionnaires and they're, they're. They're sergeants and stuff. Love it because they're like, you guys are like happy with nothing. You know, he's like, he's like, oh, give him some cots and like whatever and go. They're like, oh, oh, today's already over. It's only been 16 hours, man. We got some time off, man. They're just super easy to work with. I'll never forget clean.

[Brent Tucker]

I had a. A guy on my Q course. It was in the 82nd. He had a first sergeant used to say this. He goes, this first. They'd always complain and he's like, come here. Come here. So come here, Airborne. Let me tell you something. Ain't nothing too good for Joe. And that's exactly what Joe's gonna get. We. That's, you know, that was. Yeah. Early G. What? Hey, early G. What? Even. Even the American military, I think we were still reeling a little bit from the Clinton administration.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

It's not being political, hating on Bill Clinton. It's just. Just the truth like that.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Things got really tight.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

And. And the budget got. Got really tight then. And that guys were going to war, you know, buying their. Buying their own body armor, buying their own kit, buying their own.

[Unknown]

Building out their own homies.

[Brent Tucker]

Oh, yeah. Building out their.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That's crazy.

[Brent Tucker]

And, you know, I bought a lot of my own. I bought my own tack light. Like, I bought my gosh. I bought my own upper. You know, I wanted a shorty upper. I had to buy my own upper.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Damn.

[Brent Tucker]

It was. There was a lot of. I had to buy all my own pouches.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

So people actually forget the American military. It wasn't until I got a guess.05 to 8, like surge time that it took where all that money, like, really made it down to the, you know, to the soldiers. And now, don't get me wrong, at that point, things really turned. Like, like there's, there's, there's almost. I don't. I can't speak for. I'm sure there's some marines listening, like, oh, yeah, you think we got everything? I'm sure, you know, there are some units that didn't get everything they. They wanted, but I do feel like they. They had everything they needed.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

At some point. But it did take a little bit. It took a little bit. It was, it was, it was. It was good to see that. But. Yeah. It wasn't too long ago the American military wasn't that well outfitted either.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. Or.

[Brent Tucker]

And I'm not comparing it. I mean, I don't know how. How little you guys had. Oh, no, I'm sure we still have a lot more. You know, maybe comparatively, but we had everything we needed.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I mean, the stuff. Even in the mountain regimen, I mean, their stuff was nice. Their mountain was nice. I mean, our actual gear and cold weather gear and all that stuff was like, pretty good to go. And the French don't around with their alpine stuff. That's one thing is they're. They're mountain men. A lot of them. You know, they have the Chaucers, the Alpine, which were the. The units that were, you know, out fighting the Italians and they were up in the French Alps and stuff during, you know, World War II. There was some interesting. France has a lot of war history and they have a lot of tradition, man. And, and so they, they take care of their soldiers for the most part. The living quarters might be tight, but our gear and stuff, it was always taken care of. And. And they, they. There was a culture of making sure you had took care of your shit too. And you weren't losing shit because you weren't probably gonna get it.

[Brent Tucker]

That's right.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And. And you would, you know, probably go into legion jail for a little bit. But what I was happy with what we had. We had HK416s too.

[Brent Tucker]

Really? I was about to ask what.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Your primary was brand new too. So we shifted from the Famas, that Bullpup, that weird. Kind of weird looking one. Yep. Which I actually like because it's super light and it shoots great and. But they shifted over to the hk.

[Brent Tucker]

And the weight distribution is good on those things.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

With that.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

But yeah, I really, I really like the Famas. I mean it doesn't. It looks strange, but it does look strange. It's great.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And. But then we shifted the HK so all the weapon systems were really nice and they take really good care of their 50s and all their.

[Brent Tucker]

So it was like, do you have a secondary. You have a pistol or. Or a sidearm.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And I didn't, I didn't carry a sidearm or a radio. It was awesome, man. You know, a lot of hand signals. Every once in a while I side carry radio, but the sidearm. Usually some infantry units would. Mine being at the mountain, we didn't really. And in the jungle we didn't really need it. And other. And when we were patrolling up in Estonia, we didn't need it.

[Brent Tucker]

You know, if you think about it, maybe my first time thinking about them hand and arm signals is. Is languageless.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

You know, the radio may not have been much of a help if no one. If no one can speak the same language.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Understand you.

[Brent Tucker]

But. Yeah, but everyone knows hand alarm signals.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

That's a major part of it is there's like. I think there's a cultural thing in the Foreign Legion. They're like, look, we want guys doing as little talking as possible. And because imagine how hard it is to hear people on the. Their own language. The same.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

On the radio it's like hard imagine now you throw in accents and the words. And they want to keep the radios as clear as possible with just, you know, those who absolutely need. And they'll break it down to like, fire team elements. Yeah, guys got it.

[Brent Tucker]

I like that, though. Yeah, there's. There's.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

It's street that. And to answer your question, they kept it simple and so it actually made movements easier. You. It made.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You're reading, reacting, and you're not relying on listening to some. Some telegraphing of where we're going. It's like, hey, okay, this guy's doing that. Hands. All right, now we're moving. It made things pretty quick.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah. The. You guys have night vision? You guys. We guys. Night vision capable.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. So we were keeping. We had monos on a very low level. And then. Then they had. They had duels sometimes, but we didn't really need. I mean, in the jungle, we didn't. But could use them at all. Yeah, it probably could have. I think they probably had some pairs, but dudes weren't really using them because it was so dark. There was no ambient light or things.

[Brent Tucker]

Right. Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

So deep in. So it was like, almost pointless. And we weren't really patrolling at night. Okay. Trying not to. It just made. Made it so complicated.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. But it was. I was shocked. Down there. It's the wild west down there. What's going on? I had no idea France had territory in South America. And that was. That was kind of news to me.

[Unknown]

Since World War II.

[Brent Tucker]

Right.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, it's a. It's. You know that movie Papillon? It's that old pen colony. It's. It's French gan. So it's right next to Suriname, just north of Brazil, east of Venezuela. And right there, there's a lot of oil and a lot of gold. We would. We would do 14 day patrols and hit illegal gold mines every day on the land. Every day. New one every time. They'd have whole cities built out there with whorehouses and karaoke bars here, bro. I was like, what is going on out here, man? I mean, you. You'd come across like grandmas, you know, with ruck sacks, dude in like sandals in the middle of the jungle. It was tough. Tough people, man. But they're pulling a lot of gold out there. And so France has their legal mining and then their illegal stuff happening, and they just want to kind of clean that part up.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, that's. That's. That's wild. It really is. That's. That's. That's wild. The. So you sit. So you come back, you got. You got into coaching, you know, essentially. How long ago was it that you were. That you were doing that? What years are we talking about?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

So I got back in the United states January of 2024.

[Unknown]

Oh, wow.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

So pretty close. So I was really touched down in December23.

[Brent Tucker]

I can still hear the French in your accent just a little bit.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, yeah. So I got back and, you know, it hasn't been too long, man.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, you're still baguettes.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, still coming up. But it's. Yeah. So we, you know, I started doing. I launched it in the barracks room and then just kind of kept it going and just kept the rhythm.

[Brent Tucker]

Oh, that brings out a whole new set of questions now because you're like on a four year deployment. Almost a five year deployment. Yeah, I mean, I, you know, I'd leave for six to eight months and I'd come back and, you know, people say, hey, like this happened.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Like, people.

[Brent Tucker]

There are times that actually still happens. Like, I've never heard that song. Like, you know, that was a hit song and you realize, like. Or a movie. Like, oh, that was. Was like, you don't remember that movie? I've never heard of that movie in my life. And I really like, oh, man, I was gone for so long. But yeah, I'm gone and back and gone.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I'm back.

[Brent Tucker]

Was there anything that you remember was still pretty fresh. You're like, oh, what have you guys been doing in America?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Dude, I missed all the race riots, all the COVID I missed it all. Completely missed it. And so there was like this. I would see stuff on the news, like every once in a while. It's like, I'm like, what the going on over there? Yeah, like people protest and I don't know what the hell is going on. I'm like, there. The people would ask me, you know, and I'm like, I don't know, man. I don't understand. Because it was like seeing something. It was seeing it from foreign news too. So it was like unbiased news sometimes. And it was pretty. It was very strange to see because I was deployed for some of it for co and like, I just didn't get a lot of that. So we had it in the military and I got. I pretty much got every vaccine. Probably I fucking glow in the dark now because what the fucking Ford Legion juice me up with.

[Brent Tucker]

But when, when you got back to the States, what is it after five years that you're like, man, I forgot how much I missed this.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Dude, the minute I touched down, it was like the ease of things, how simple things are. Like they're, you know, you need to call the bank or you need to do something and then like the vastness of this country.

[Brent Tucker]

Country and yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

How. Oh, you feel it when you touch down in the airport. How big this country feels because Europe's Dude, France particular, man, it's. Dude. It's tough over there now. I mean, Marseille was rated the most dangerous city in Europe with the, you know, immigration and stuff coming in. They're having some issues over there and it just, it's, it's complicated. The roads are tight, the cars are small, people are honking and pissed and there's some beautiful areas. But it's just very hard to get things done administratively because there's a lot of.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Things aren't automated.

[Brent Tucker]

People at certain people and at times unfairly compare the United States to Europe and I'm like, well that's, that's, that's, that's not, that's not country to country.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

You know, like, like, I mean that's this, this country has everything Europe has.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

And it's a singular country.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

You know, we have beaches, we have deserts, we have mountains. We have several, you know, you know, mountains. They're always, you know, this isn't foreigner bash and just, I hate it. Just because I'm pro America doesn't mean I'm anti, you know, anyone else. But. And they'll, they'll say, oh, you know, our, our city is, is just as good as New York City. Or, or just, you know, they'll. Sometimes they'll try to compare cities and then. And usually I'm pretty nice about it, but I think. Yeah. And there is one of those cities. You know, there's a big city or three or four or five in every single state.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Of America. It's crazy like this, the vastness of America just really is, is, it's the what they. The European mind can't, can't comprehend. Yeah. Unless you come here what exactly this, this country really has offered how rich.

[Unknown]

It is in their whole lives here and don't get to see most of it.

[Brent Tucker]

There's, there's a good point. Like, you know. Oh. Like, you know, to some other Americans. Like, oh, you've never left the country. You know, I, I lived here and I went and I went to Germany and I went to Italy. You have to travel other countries to see other things.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

We have all, you know, we have just about, you know, anything geographically or you know, city wise or historically. Anything you want to see is here like, you can spend your whole life just traveling this country.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

It's true, man. And you know what I really missed, too, was coming back to the American culture. Like, I pulled up to my gym, Metro Flex, dude, in Temecula, California, bro, there's just all lifted trucks outside. And, like, the gyms are nice. I miss the gyms and stuff. And because they don't have. The gym culture's not there. France, man, they're not into it. So walking into, like, a gym with rap music playing and people got their shirts off and there's lifted trucks outside, I'm like. Like, my people. I'm back. My people, dude. It's like, yeah, the European mind couldn't comprehend, dude. Like, you know, the amount of diesel engines that's just outside, bro, it's like, it's. It's heavy, man. That's what was. It was so nice to be back and, like, feel that.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

What's up? What. I have a question. I don't know if you've been asked this yet. What's. What was Wes Watson really like?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

What is he like?

[Unknown]

What is he. Because he's in all kinds of trouble now.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Oh, dude. You know, I say love him or hate him, dude, I'll tell you what. What? The few things the guy walks the walk on his daily habits, man, he definitely does do all that. And part of it's for the show, man. Part of it's like be, you know, the Conor McGregor algorithm of being controversial, you know, to. To cause things. But I, you know, here's the thing. You also. You take the good with the bad with that, you know, the guy, one on one, he's awesome, right? Not yelling to. To guys that he knows about. He's. He's cool, you know, and so, you know, he said some. He has got some interesting points, but it's. You know, he's not for everybody.

[Unknown]

He's probably the most hated man in America right now.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

You know, he's. He's not for everybody, you know. You know, I. I know him personally, and he's all. We've always been cool, you know, so I have never had any issues. And if people do watch his YouTube, man, he's. He's done his reading. He knows a lot of. And he's been pretty tapped in. He spent a lot of time in prison doing some thinking, and it just, you know, I hate to see a really good message lost because it gets lost behind people. People get pissed, man, and they get caught, and it sucks because there's actually some really good messaging yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

What's that saying? Good press, bad press. Just don't spell my name wrong.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. Yeah. You know, man, and it's like, it's, it's a lot of, you know, it's a lot of extra to deal with, you know, but if somebody wants to deal with it.

[Unknown]

Oh, you gotta push the line. Sometimes you push a little too far.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

You know, and then everybody's mad at you.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

But it is, you know, always kind of correlated to this. Yeah, it's, it's, it's. It's like. It's like racing a car. Like if you don't ever wreck that car, you don't know what that car is capable of.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

When it comes to pushing the line, like if, if you don't ever go past that line and I'm just speaking generally.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

Then you don't really know, you know, where that line is. Sometimes it takes that back. All right, now I know.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. It's like, all right, I can, I can see what's, you know, what's causing me some issues.

[Brent Tucker]

Like anything else. If you keep on. If you keep on wrecking that car, well, you're an idiot.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

You keep on just jumping over the line. Well, that's just you.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. You know, man, it's like. I think the dude's got a good heart, you know, and that's the truth, man. And it's, you know, it's how you want to, how you want to brand it, though.

[Unknown]

I think it'll be all right.

[Brent Tucker]

What.

[Unknown]

I think it's.

[Brent Tucker]

What. What do you do now?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

So every day I do one on one coaching mentorship. I create content, speak a little bit, add some, you know, we just got approved to speak down and prisons in Arizona. That'll be cool. Yeah. With. I had another buddy down there. It was ex cartel guy who kind of got right that, you know, we got approved with him. And so just trying to grow this network out, man. And really it's just a. My story is just the one of, man, I've. I've been at a really low point and built my life back up and guess what? I'm still trying to figure out, you know, ways to keep straight and, and, you know, just involve people in my learning process. That's definitely no finished product. That's for damn sure.

[Brent Tucker]

I'll ask you this unfair question because one, I love asking. Hopefully we can look back at this answer because the. I've been really bad at guessing my own future and what, you know the saying, if you want to make God laugh Tell them your plans.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

So if you had, if you had to throw out a three to five year plan, what do you think that, what would that look like for you? Where do you want to be in three to five years after all this? You know, in your background and where you're at, not where you're at now and, and the projection of that, what you want to be doing.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

What I want to be doing is exactly what I'm doing now. Just maybe with a little bit bigger scope on a personal level. Man, I'd like to buy a house with some land and you know, I'm engaged right now and I got a five month old baby, which is. Congratulations. A lot of things that had developed, you know, and it's, and it's learning that, you know, failing sometimes, but kind of like learning that piece of, you know, trying to be better and, you know, to not things up and, and be smart about being a better man. Because, you know, I, I didn't necessarily have the best example growing up. I had a lot of turmoil and chaos and so I'm learning that piece and so I just every day trying to get as. Be better. When I do make mistakes, just kind of own them and, and just develop a really good relationship with my family and have the people in my life proud of me. That's pretty much what I want.

[Unknown]

Yeah, I know. Like, I assume that it's crucial for your business model to live the life that you preach. Because I've known, I've known people personally that were more of the motivational side. I'm like, that's not who you are. Yeah, that's not. You don't practice what you preach at all.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. I mean, it's because at some point the light gets turned on. Yeah, you can't. You can. That's why I try to videotape, you know, me getting up and all this other stuff. It's also it. People sense inauthenticity pretty easily now and it's because they see so many interactions and body language and stuff. And so I go, you got to be real. You also got to show up, you know, for all the people, your clients or this or that. You cannot drop the ball anywhere. If you do, if something does drop, you own it and fix it and be good with people because there's all, you know, scam and this and that. You always hear all this. Well, people called that because people don't do what they say they're going to do. And so that's one thing I pride myself on, is being Responsive being. Being honest about what I can do, what I can't do, if I can help people or I fucking can't, and if I can't, then I'll send them to somebody else. And so that's my whole thing.

[Brent Tucker]

Something that used to be so basic has become a superpower, is just doing what you say you're gonna do on the business side of things. Me and. Me and. Me and Tyler run into that problem. Problem all the time. And, well, at some point. Well, maybe we'll discuss it. We're dealing with that, you know, right now.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, just, I'm.

[Brent Tucker]

I really don't have real high standards for other people, to be honest. I don't. I don't put my standards on anyone else. Yeah, just do what you're supposed to.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Do, what you said you're gonna do. I didn't tell you you were gonna do this.

[Brent Tucker]

But it's so rare these days. It's because it's become like, wow, that guy's amazing. Why? Well, and when you break it down, it's like, oh, because he did what he said he was going to do.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

That used to be just.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yes.

[Brent Tucker]

The norm.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

So keep it simple. What you promise people, that's like, you know, keep it very clear. Everybody communicate. Communicate clearly. And that's.

[Brent Tucker]

Don't over promise.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Don't over promise, man. And. And so that's what I've tried to do since day one, is I keep my plan simple for people. I show up when I say I'll do, and I'll just. I'll be there.

[Brent Tucker]

And then, ironically enough, what people don't is the truth is usually good enough.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

But the truth is good enough. So there's no reason to over promise because what. What you're going to offer them. And the truth of what you can offer them is good enough.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. And also who you are. I mean, obviously, we talked about it a little bit. You know, people say they've done this or that, and it's like, one thing about me is like, I'm never gonna church up my military background. I'm not gonna do this. I'm not gonna say I did all this because I didn't. Right. So I'm not gonna say something I did because, man, it's a very short road and there's too many hitters around that are going to be like, wait, I was there. Or you.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah, you didn't do that. I was there.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah, that was me. You know, and it's like, just at least be honest, because I saw somebody Else that said, there's one of my. One of my instructors, and he's still not my instructors, my senior enlisted advisors, and he's still operating. And he said, yeah, it's just had a. They could have just said they had a.

[Brent Tucker]

Okay.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

An okay deployment and went home like her. You know, maybe you even said that too, Brad. It's like you. Yeah, man. You had an okay appointment. You don't need to say more, man, because just.

[Brent Tucker]

Let's just take your story at face value, regardless of whatever. Like, to some degree, we have this. Our own pressure that we put on ourselves that we didn't. We don't have this valor award. We didn't go on this deployment. We weren't on that hit. When it. But when it comes to your audience, you were a Navy seal. You were in the fridge, Foreign Legion, everyone listening to you. They didn't do that. So the truth is good enough.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. You know, and you also want respect from the guys. You also respect. It's like, I'm not gonna walk into this room and be like, hey, I did this. And they're like, when the didn't. And then it's. Then all. Then. Then all credit credibility with. Everybody's lost.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Because.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

You tie everybody into that lie.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. And now. Now. Well, it's. It's. But it's also even the people watching now who. Where you could have been coming from, a strong position of power, just who you were, now that's all chiseled away. Yeah. It's like, why. Why do that to yourself?

[Brent Tucker]

Short term gain.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

It really is.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

I've tried to be very, very aware of that, of just being cognizant of, like, you know, being yourself. It's easy to remember the truth, and.

[Brent Tucker]

That'S hard to remember a lie. And that's what helps us out every time we call someone out, because it's hard to remember a lie.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

No one ever does does.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

And it's. And it's about the skeletons in the closet, too. A lot of my mistakes, it's been great because nobody can pull anything up on me. I'm like, yeah, I got kicked out of the SEAL Teams, man. And I had some issues with Foreign Legion. It's like, yeah, I did some drug use in between and up and.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Anything else? I said that on episode two, just go back. Some guy tried to call me out. He goes, I found out he had a bankruptcy in 2018. I'm like, yeah, yeah. Talked about that in number three, bro. There's no, like, big secrets here. Man.

[Brent Tucker]

Well, for the. For the people who believe the truth is good enough and they love authenticity. Where can people find you?

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Best place to get me is my website, taylorkavanaugh.com. that contact form goes right to me. I don't do any AI or, like, outsource it to other people. My Instagram TCAV official, which. That's how Tyler and I connected. It's like, man, just. It's nice to just have people contact me, able to communicate direct so people can get me there. And my YouTube, Taylor Kavanaugh TCAV TV, man, where we dive into some of those deeper principles. I like to do everything. One take, no edits, and a dude up. You'll see me sometimes low, sometimes feeling good, sometimes at the gym. I do gym sessions with guys, too, but I just try to keep it real, like what's on my mind at the time and lessons learned and as we're still learning them.

[Brent Tucker]

Yeah. Well, one more thing. Before we let you go, tell us a funny story.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Funny story.

[Brent Tucker]

You. You gotta have.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Oh, yeah, I got some, man. So. So, dude, I'm. I'm in. I'm in jail, bro. And. And I'm. I volunteer to. One of the CEOs comes, hey, dude, we need a volunteer. And so I. I go down there. I go, okay, because he'd give me a hamburger. He would always give me a hamburger if I volunteer for some. He goes, but you're gonna need the Hazmat suit. And I'm like, oh, bro. And so I go in the Hazmat.

[Brent Tucker]

Just worth a hamburger.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Me and this other cheese on it. This other big half black dude was in there with. With me. And he goes, can we go in? And I hear the nurse go, oh, no, he's got poop on him. And I go, oh, God. So we go into the observation ward. This dude gets pulled out. He's in the padded room everywhere. And so he gets thrown into the observation tank. And so he's yelling about how gangster he is. Listen, I'm looking into the smeared thing I'm gonna have to clean with smiley faces.

[Unknown]

My dude, not very gangster.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah. And he goes. The dude I was with goes. Goes. He's getting all mad. And he goes over to the. And goes, hey, pooh.

[Brent Tucker]

Pooh.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Painting ain't gangster. And, Tyler, that's a shirt right there, dude. And. And I just sat. And I go. It's maybe one of the truest statements. Painting is not gangster. There's no coming back from that.

[Brent Tucker]

No, no.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Yeah.

[Brent Tucker]

You got to lose all street cred once you become a poop painter, Dude.

[Tyler Kavanaugh]

Pooh painting's not gangster, bro. I don't care what you.