Your knowledge of survival skills could literally spell the difference between life and death. At the very least, your ability to successfully navigate a dangerous situation says a lot about who you are as a man. My guest today, survival expert and TV show host, Creek Stewart, teaches us about the basics of survival, the biggest survival mistakes people make, and how to be prepared for any situation.
00:00:00.000You never know when you'll be placed in a survival situation, whether it's a natural disaster, becoming lost in the wilderness, or surviving a bear attack like we talk about on the show today.
00:00:07.760Your knowledge of survival skills could literally spell the difference between life and death.
00:00:11.840At the very least, your ability to successfully navigate a dangerous situation says a lot about who you are as a man.
00:00:17.300My guest today, survival expert and TV show host, Creek Stewart, teaches us about the basics of survival, the biggest survival mistakes people make, and how to be prepared for any situation.
00:00:26.420You're a man of action. You live life to the fullest. Embrace your fears and boldly chart your own path.
00:00:32.760When life knocks you down, you get back up one more time. Every time.
00:00:37.240You are not easily deterred or defeated. Rugged. Resilient. Strong.
00:00:42.260This is your life. This is who you are. This is who you will become.
00:00:46.460At the end of the day, and after all is said and done, you can call yourself a man.
00:00:51.480Guys, welcome back to The Order, man. I am your host, Ryan Mickler, and I've got one of the best interviews lined up for you to date.
00:00:58.820My friend, Creek Stewart, is going to teach us how to build and develop our survival skills and be prepared for any situation life can throw at us.
00:01:07.180We talk about the best tips, the biggest survival mistakes, and even how one of his friends survived a grizzly bear attack.
00:01:13.080Now, before I get into that interview, though, let me give a shout-out real quick to Werder2, who left us an iTunes review.
00:01:20.900Thanks for that word or two. If you have not left your review yet, you can do that at orderofman.com slash iTunes.
00:01:43.680Now, he mentioned the Facebook group that we've got going on, and I wanted to share that with you, too.
00:01:47.900We're now just under 800 men strong, and we have some amazing, amazing conversations about fitness and leadership, dealing with family issues, and just about anywhere in between.
00:01:58.280I think last week we talked about firearms, how men take their coffee, and also how to deal with a spouse who has been unfaithful.
00:02:04.960So, make sure you're joining us. You can join us at facebook.com slash groups slash orderofman.
00:02:11.180And this week, we've got a fitness challenge underway, so be sure to catch us over there.
00:02:14.920As always, guys, the show notes for this show, the links, the best quotes, all of that stuff can be found at orderofman.com slash 031.
00:02:21.960Guys, I'm stoked to introduce you today to Creek Stewart. He is a survival expert. He's been in the business for 20 years.
00:02:28.220In fact, he started leading survival skills courses at the age of 21 in his school, Willowhaven.
00:02:32.800It was named one of the top five adventure trips in the U.S. by Chicago Magazine and one of the top 10 survival schools by MSN Travel.
00:02:40.260He's also the host of the Weather Channel's Fat Guy in the Woods, a great show.
00:02:43.280Every week, he brings in three average Joes to the woods to survive for a week with only one objective, that is to survive.
00:02:49.980And then he teaches them skills to make them men.
00:02:52.760Creek's been featured on the Today Show, Inside Edition, Fox & Friends, Men's Fitness Magazine, Backpacker Magazine, Outdoor Life Magazine,
00:02:59.780The Weather Channel, American Survival Guide, Huffington Post, MSN News, Lifehacker, and The Daily Beast.
00:03:04.960So he's got a lot of credibility. He's got a lot of experience. He's also the author of four books.
00:03:09.580Creek is currently the lead trainer for the new survival competition series, Escape the Woods, and he's here to talk with us about all things survival.
00:03:17.400Creek Stewart, glad you're here. Thanks for joining us today.
00:03:19.720Hey, it's an honor, man. I've been enjoying all your content.
00:03:22.600Yeah, and same here. I've been following you for some time now, so I'm stoked to have you on the show.
00:04:12.800But I tell you, I realized that I really had a passion for the outdoors in college when I was removed from the outdoors, when I went to a big city.
00:04:20.780And so I actually wrote my first survival book and taught my first survival course in college, and that's been almost 20 years ago.
00:07:11.800Yeah, I think it's important for men to be around other men, you know, other like-minded men especially.
00:07:19.100There's definitely a sense of, you know, I always use the phrase, you know, metal sharpens metal.
00:07:25.940And when you're around people who challenge you and push you and encourage you, especially other men, you know, who tend to do that, who tend to be competitive and challenging and at the same time encouraging if you're hanging around the right guys.
00:07:43.320You know, that does nothing but make you a better person, you know, it's easy to become lazy and comfortable.
00:07:51.800And when you're around other men who are pursuing great things, it's very difficult to be comfortable.
00:08:00.820I'm a longtime believer in that you become like the people you associate yourself with.
00:08:05.260And because of that, you know, I do my best in my life to associate myself with incredible people.
00:08:09.900So yeah, yeah, it's amazing when you surround yourselves with the right people, what they can actually do for you and how, how, well, actually how you can help each other, right?
00:08:20.080So tell me a little bit about the show, Fat Guys in the Woods, because I've enjoyed watching some of those episodes and seeing what that's all about.
00:08:27.800Tell me a little bit about the premise of the show and then maybe even some lessons that the guys you're having come on are learning.
00:08:33.120You know, it's, it's all about men being men, you know, getting back to the, getting back to at least one theme of what I would consider very manly things.
00:08:43.100You know, um, it, the show really embodies what I've, what I've tried to do my entire career.
00:08:48.360It's funny because I started off in the survival industry doing this stuff because I liked it and it was fun.
00:08:54.220And that was really kind of the extent of how I thought about it when I was, when I was young in my early twenties, you know, but I'm, I'm almost 40 now I'm 39 and I look at it very differently now than I did then.
00:09:08.080And it has a lot to do with, you know, it has a lot to do with how I come off in the show.
00:09:12.620You know, I always say that I started survival, started teaching survival skills because they were fun and I still do it almost 20 years later because they matter.
00:09:20.980In the show, I take three guys who are all to point in their life where they're kind of stuck in a rut.
00:09:25.880You know, they need to kick in the pants.
00:09:31.440And they're guys who just need an extreme situation to bring about what they would consider as extreme change.
00:09:39.880And there is just absolutely nothing else in life, like a survival scenario where you're stripped of pretty much everything to bring about a sense of perspective about life back at home.
00:09:51.480Then what I do for these guys, we take them out in the woods for six days, five nights, six days with hardly anything, just a knife and a canteen.
00:09:58.260And we got to, we got to fight for everything we get, you know, shelter, water, fire, and food.
00:10:02.840And it's a huge dose of perspective, but at the same time, it instills all kinds of mental skills.
00:10:08.680You know, obviously they learned the physical skills like shelter and water and fire and food, but those always take second place to what I think are the most important skills.
00:10:16.400You know, the life skills, the confidence and the perseverance and the I can do with attitude and the teamwork and the camaraderie, you know, those are things that they can, when they get back home, that can really truly change their life.
00:10:29.740Yeah, they may one day find themselves in a survival scenario where they build a fire to stay alive, but it's really more about changing how they think about life so that when they get back home, they can really put some, put some things to work and really make some changes in their life.
00:10:45.300Yeah, that makes sense. And the way you do one thing is the way you do everything, right? So those lessons can transfer over.
00:10:50.240That's right. You know, that's a really great way of saying that, you know, that's a really great way of saying that. And it's so true.
00:10:56.460So what can guys at home that maybe aren't in the, you know, don't have the opportunity to be on the show, for example, but guys at home who feel like they're stuck in a rut, is there something that they can do on their end that maybe incorporates some of the skills and things that you're doing to create change in their lives?
00:11:11.340Well, you know, I'm a survival guy. So I'm a huge proponent of outdoor skills. You know, I think, I think outdoor skills are, are very important. You know, I'm not just because they're important from a survival perspective, but there is just something about connecting a connection with nature, with the wilderness, with the outdoors. That is powerful.
00:11:33.140I believe, you know, I believe that the most powerful force on the planet is the outdoors. And when you can kind of connect with that and have a relationship with the wilderness and the outdoors, that is, you know, successful where you feel like you can work with it to kind of meet basic human survival needs.
00:11:50.680There's something very powerful in that and rewarding. There's a lot of lessons that come from survival skills and the struggle to kind of master them, whether it's shelter, fire, finding water, finding food. There's, there's a lot of just very rewarding material from just being able to provide yourself with basic human survival needs.
00:12:14.000It's the most basic of basic that we need to stay alive, especially for men who are natural providers, who naturally, I mean, a lot, I don't know about you, man, but a lot of, a lot of men that I meet, they just kind of wonder, can I really take on mother nature and come out on top? There's something about guys. There's a little bit of Rambo in all of us, you know?
00:12:34.280Of course, of course. Yeah. And, you know, just tackling some of these basic survival skills just builds confidence. And when you build confidence, it affects all areas of your life.
00:12:45.920So yeah, just getting out there and doing it right. Getting after it, learning about it. What are some of the basic skills that you think guys should start with? You know, I'm, I, I obviously I camp a little bit. We do some hiking, but nowhere to the degree that you are.
00:12:57.760Where, where do we start? Where do we, where do we start this journey of, of discovering nature and learning more about ourselves?
00:13:03.560You know, I, I always say, start in your backyard. There's a huge misconception that you got to be out in the middle of nowhere on 80 acres. Right. You know, and it's just not true. You know, a lot of survival skills can be mastered in your backyard, no matter how big or small it is. And when I, when people ask me, what should I start with? You know, when it comes to learning survival skills, I always say, start with fire because fire is, in my opinion, the most important survival skill.
00:13:31.960It's directly related to all other survival priorities. It can make up for a horrible shelter in cold weather, can boil and purify water, cook food, signal for rescue, make tools. And when you're in a survival scenario, it's your best friend in the woods because it's, it's literally almost like a friend there with you.
00:13:49.940And I think I've heard you say that you've talked about fire in addition to the things you just mentioned, but also a big boost for morale as well. Right.
00:13:57.680It is, which is huge. And when you're down and out, you know, survival is 90% mental and 10% physical and, and a fire is a big part of just, you know, morale and just giving yourself a, just a mental boost in a horrible situation. But there's, you know, I just say, you know, when people ask, where should I start? I say, start with fire. There's so many different ways you can start a fire. You learn a lot of lessons about yourself when struggling with starting fire.
00:14:24.180And yeah, it's, it's, it's a great category that has applications all throughout other survival priorities.
00:14:31.740So what are those, what are some of those ways? I mean, I, I know some of those ways, but, but give us some insights into several different ways that we can start a fire.
00:14:38.680Yeah. There's, I mean, there's all kinds of different categories. I always start with the basics, you know? I mean, when I, when I take somebody from zero to a hundred with fire, we start with the easy stuff and work our way down to the, to the more difficult ways.
00:14:51.720Obviously you've got disposable lighters and matches. You'd be surprised at how many guys who have never started a fire with matches. Believe it or not.
00:14:58.940Yeah, absolutely, man. It's, um, we live in, we live in a crazy world. So, and there's nothing wrong with that. You know, there's, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just, um, it's just a truth of, you know, how convenient things are for us, you know?
00:15:13.760Right. Yeah. In the society we live in. So we move from matches to Flint to like a, it's called a ferro rod, like a striker. It's like a metal match, showers of sparks. And that can be, that can be really tricky, you know, if, if you don't know exactly what you're doing.
00:15:29.820So you work from there, um, into friction fires, which are rubbing two sticks together, together, like a caveman, you know, all kinds of different friction fires. You learn a lot about the fire principles through that process. One of my favorite categories is solar, whether it's with a magnifying glass or, uh, something, you know, like a, a clear balloon, a clear bag filled with water, a piece of ice. There's all kinds of different ways to start fire with the sun, which is my favorite category.
00:15:58.440Really? Yeah. I've never even, I mean, obviously the magnifying glass, right. Cause you think about burning ants when you're a kid or whatever, but yeah, yeah, it's a whole with ice as well though. Huh? Yeah. You know, it's all about the shape, a sphere, you know, if you can get anything clear and fill it with water, that's in a circle, you can start, you can, you can focus the sun rays and, and start a fire. Um, it's a really, yeah, it's a whole different ball of trash water bottles, you know, all kinds of different stuff. So interesting. All right.
00:16:27.720So what's next after fire. So you say fires first, where do we go from there?
00:16:31.300Well, you know, your priorities, your basic survival priorities are based on just a very, it's the most basic phrase in the survival industry is what we call the three survival rules of three in extreme conditions. You can survive for three hours without shelter, three days without water and three weeks without food. And obviously fire is related to all of those.
00:16:52.620After fire, I start teaching basic sheltering principles, you know, how to insulate yourself, how to block wind, how to take advantage of natural, what I call mother nature, give me shelters, you know? And then after shelter, we start talking about water. Uh, there's a natural progression of survival priorities, just simply based upon what we need as humans.
00:17:14.400Yeah. That makes sense. Just the priority of those things, right?
00:17:16.700Yeah. Yeah. So what are some of the, when it comes to survival situations, one of the things I've thought about are what are some of the common mistakes that you see people making that, uh, we should be aware of?
00:17:28.740Well, I mean, the biggest mistake people make in a survival scenario, they make it before they even leave their house. And it's that they do not tell at least three people where they're going and when to expect them back.
00:17:43.420Just that one step alone could mitigate 80% of survival scenarios where people are lost or are misplaced in the wilderness. And someone, one of their loved ones, friends or family just have no idea where they're at and when to expect them back. So they have no idea that they're lost to begin with.
00:18:05.280Interesting. Yeah. Just an easy way to, to take care of that, right?
00:18:09.000It's huge. It is, it is huge. And, um, that's, that's the biggest mistake people make. And the second largest mistake people make, it's a natural instinct. Um, it's actually one of our first survival instincts when we're born is denial. You know, it's one of the first things we develop to protect ourselves. Even when we're little kids, when, you know, our parents ask us, did you spill this milk? And obviously our natural instinct is to deny that, to protect ourselves.
00:18:38.240Right. Yeah. And we carry that all throughout our life, even into survival scenarios where people will deny early on that they are in a bad situation. For example, someone will be walking and they will be lost in the woods and deep down in their head, they know they're lost.
00:18:58.180And of course, right. And at that point they should stop before it's too late. They should assess their survival scenarios. They should put a plan together and they should start kind of mitigating that situation by building a shelter or a fire and just wait it out.
00:19:12.720But instead people will deny that and they will push and continue to push the admission that they've made a mistake or they're lost. It can be a huge, huge mistake in a survival scenario. You know, it's funny. I was talking to a lady one time who was mauled by a bear.
00:19:31.840Oh my goodness. And she told me, she says, I remember when that bear was charging me, I was thinking to myself, who behind me is that bear angry with?
00:19:44.260Oh yeah. So she, yeah. Just like you said, that denial, like it's not going to happen to me. Right.
00:19:48.800That's right. And rather than get down into a position that would protect herself more from that bear, she waited for that bear to pass by her, you know, which obviously it didn't. It mauled her.
00:20:23.740But she, she curled up into kind of a fetal position ultimately to protect, you know, her core, her chest and neck and face and, and play dead.
00:20:35.580Um, that's, that's kind of the rule of thumb with a grizzly bear is you play, you play dead because nine times out of 10, a grizzly bear is attacking you in a defensive attack.
00:20:45.720So it's, it's goal is to neutralize the threat and once it's neutralized, that's right. That's right. So she did, she did what was necessary ultimately, but, um, you know, but it could have ended a whole lot worse.
00:20:58.100Yeah. So eventually the bear just lost interest and, and headed out.
00:21:02.180Yeah. You know, grizzly, you know, to your typical bear attack are, are defensive attacks, not offensive attacks. They're not really out to eat you.
00:21:11.000You know, if, if typically when you're being attacked by a grizzly bear or a black bear, it's because you've entered their personal space. It's because their cubs feel threatened.
00:21:19.620Uh, you've come up on them when they're eating, you know, they're protecting a food source. Uh, so they're just, their goal is to neutralize a threat.
00:21:27.480Right. Right. All right. So let's go back to what you're talking about, which is some of those things that we're just, we're just born with, right? Those defense mechanisms. Are there some other instincts or emotions that actually work against us in survival situations?
00:21:40.800Well, you know, me personally, I mean, I learned some hard lessons in early on in my survival career. Cockiness can work against you.
00:21:48.220Of course. Yeah. Right. Thinking, you know, everything, you know, when I was young in the survival industry, of course I knew everything, you know, and the more I've learned, the more I realize I don't know. Uh, but I can remember, you know, I can remember doing a live newscast one time back in the day when I knew everything. And I was going to show the world how to, how to do a bow drill fire friction live on the news.
00:22:17.520Yeah. So I think just, you know, there's, there's a difference between confidence and arrogance and while a survivor, you know, someone who studies survival skills or an outdoorsman should be confident, they should never be arrogant.
00:22:30.900Right. Just realizing there's more to learn, right?
00:22:34.100Uh, where, what do you, let's talk a little bit about preparation. I think obviously that's a huge component of it. And we've talked a little bit about some of the skills, obviously working on just fire, for example, in, in your, in your backyard.
00:22:45.500What are some other things that you would suggest we have as a, you know, food storage, emergency preparedness, other types of skills. What are the things that we should be prepared with before a natural disaster or survivor type situation happens?
00:23:00.120Well, you know, survival skills, it's all about taking steps to be prepared. It's really not about wishing oneself luck. I look at survival skills as making your own luck.
00:23:11.800I always say the phrase, make your own luck, you know, rather than I wish you good luck because survival skills is in essence, making your own luck. And you can watch all the videos. You can take classes from the best instructors.
00:23:23.180You can read all the books, but none of it matters until you put plans into action and you do the stuff with your own two hands. Literally none of it matters. Uh, there's, there's a critical, the 80, 20 rule is true is true. Even in survival, you know, the critical 20% of a skill comes from hands-on experience, but natural disasters and, you know, at home preparations is certainly a facet of survival skills.
00:23:50.520And I'm a huge proponent of preparing for worst case scenarios by storing food and by storing water and by having backup energy plans and power plans. The simplest step to get started in all of that, which teaches all kinds of lessons is just to simply build what I call a bug out bag, or it's a three day survival kit.
00:24:10.560You know, it's a backpack that you put all kinds of supplies and tools in to get you through three days of independent survival, just in case a natural disaster would strike and you'd be forced to suddenly and unexpectedly flee your home for safety.
00:24:24.600Yeah, I actually did some YouTube videos on that with a friend of mine who is really into survival as well. And it's actually one of our most popular YouTube videos to date. I think it's something that definitely strikes a chord. What should we consider including some, some basic things that we should consider including in our, in our bug out bag or our survival bag?
00:24:41.660Well, first I would say I did, I saw your content on the bug out bag and it's, and it's very, very thorough. No, it's great. No, it's great. You know, I, it was, it was spot on. It was great content. And any of your listeners or subscribers who haven't looked at that yet, who are listening to this podcast should definitely check that out because it's spot on information.
00:25:03.260Good. That means a lot coming from you. So I'm glad I'm like, Oh, he, he watched it. Now I'm in trouble.
00:25:07.540Yeah, no, it's good. Good stuff. You know, I always, you know, I always say when preparing a survival kit, I say, whether it's a bug out bag or a pocket kit, I say the same thing. Every time you want to cover the core four shelter, water, fire, and food. You want to do all those first. Uh, because if you've covered those four categories of survival, your most basic survival needs, then you're 90% there. All, all the rest is just bonus and gravy.
00:25:33.160Okay. That's good. That helps us get started. What, what, when you say food, I know for me, like I really like those, um, those mountain house meals. I'm sure you've seen those. Yeah. Yeah. Is there other things that you'd recommend as far as food and having in like a bug out bag?
00:25:47.120Yeah. You know, when, when I pack food in bug out bags, I, I prefer to pack what I call open and eat meals, you know, meals that you can eat literally while you're walking, while you're in transit from point A to point B meals that do not require preparation. You know, like the mountain house meals, for example, you got to kind of, you got to kind of stop down for a minute. You got to heat up some water, the water, pour it in. Right.
00:26:10.660Yeah. You know, so there's a couple extra steps there. Um, it's not to say that that's a bad decision because that's a great lightweight, long-term food choice, you know, and it definitely meets a lot of those bug out bag food criteria. They should be lightweight. They should have a long shelf life and they should be packed with calories, you know, things that you need in, in a survival scenario. But I, I'm a huge proponent of a handful of like power bars, cliff bars.
00:26:40.660Calorie bars that you can open and eat along the way. Food is on the bottom of the priority list. When it comes to survival priorities, I keep it pretty simple with, with food and just stick with high calorie bars.
00:26:53.720Yeah. That makes sense. I like that idea of just open and ready to eat and you don't have to stop. It's just, you just go, right?
00:26:59.940I want to ask you this. What is the toughest experience or toughest situation that you've been in and tell us a little bit about that.
00:27:08.000Well, I tell you, you know, it probably, it's probably, it's probably during filming of fat guys in the woods, you know, we put ourselves in some extreme scenarios in some of the most extreme and remote parts of that.
00:27:21.960The United States has to offer there, there, there was a week in Kentucky that was a really brutal week.
00:27:29.720And it was just simply because the weather was so horrible. The one thing that really makes being in the out that really can make being in the outdoors horrible is the weather.
00:27:41.480You know, it's, it's always our most, it's, it's, it's our original and most aggressive survival adversary.
00:27:49.500It's like, it's at the top of every priority list is to protect yourself from exposure.
00:27:54.820And this particular week in Kentucky's cave country, we started the week with 18 inches of snow, which I don't mind snow, you know, temperatures, but you know, it started to warm up.
00:28:05.020The snow started to turn to slush. Then it started to rain and it poured for like three days, day and night in the high thirties, low forties.
00:28:13.480And it's just miserable and absolutely just deadly, you know, conditions for, it's the perfect storm for hypothermia and just staying wet and cold to, you know?
00:28:25.760So I would say that's probably the most miserable week that I've had.
00:28:30.760Did you guys, did everybody make it through? Did anybody give up in that scenario?
00:28:34.300Yeah, no, everyone made it through. It was, um, it was a constant, it was a constant, it was a situation where we just literally constantly fed the fire.
00:28:43.600I always, I always say, you know, and you heard me say it earlier that fire can make up for a crappy shelter in horrible weather.
00:28:51.860If you have a big enough fire, it can, it can make up for incompetencies in the shelter department.
00:28:57.800And while our shelter was good, a natural primitive shelter, it just can only handle so much rain.
00:29:03.800Of course. Yeah. It's going to come through.
00:29:05.740Yeah. And so we were in a situation where our shelter was beginning to suffer because of just constant rain.
00:29:12.340And so our focus, our shelter priority became, let's just build the biggest fire we can possibly build.
00:29:20.020And then, and you guys made it through, did you have anybody? Cause I think two, two seasons into the show, right?
00:29:25.380Right now. We, we, we filmed two seasons of the show. And if you haven't heard yet, the weather channel is moving to strictly live weather.
00:29:33.700So they are not renewing any original programming, including fat guys, but, um, it was a great run.
00:29:39.660We filmed two seasons now in that two seasons. Did you have anybody quit?
00:29:44.800Did you have anybody not make it through, through their week long excursion?
00:29:49.400Yeah. We had no one quit, you know, no one, no one quit the show. And I always say that, you know, that's how I know that these guys who signed up came for the right reasons and not just to be on TV.
00:30:02.240Because if someone would have came just to be on TV, they would literally quit the first day. I mean, literally those guys would quit the first day, but you know, the casting, the casting group did an amazing job in selecting guys who really were there for the right reasons and were motivated by something significant.
00:30:21.460Yeah. And so no one quit, but not everyone may made it, you know, we had a couple of guys go to the hospital and one, not one guy not come back.
00:30:31.140Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes, you know, in life and in survival, you know, our, our mind writes a check that our body just can't cash. That's a huge lesson. It's a huge lesson to anyone because I'll always say until the day I die, our most important survival tool is our body. And if you do not maintain your body, then you cannot expect it to take care of you when the going gets tough.
00:30:57.120Yeah. So how do you know that limit? And then how do you personally push that limit to get yourself in a better situation physically to handle some of these things?
00:31:05.820Well, I mean, it's, it's really simple stuff. You know, I didn't invent the wheel when it comes to, you know, maintaining your body. You know, I, I try to eat right. You know, I eat, um, I, I try my best to eat a hunter gatherer diet, basically meats and grain and greens. I stay away from processed foods as much as I can. I don't overeat and I work out, you know, I typically work out four or five days a week. In addition to an already active lifestyle.
00:31:33.120Yeah. Right. With all the activities you have going on.
00:31:36.660Yeah. You know, it's just, uh, the, your body is so important, man. At the end of the day, you know, my dad used to tell me when I was a kid and I didn't really understand it until later in life. But if you, you know, he always used to say, if you, if you don't have your health, you got nothing. And it's so true. You know, anybody who's down and out with something right now is nodding their head because they're like, you know what? It's, it's so true, man. You know, if we've all been at a, at a point when we're not feeling,
00:32:03.100feeling good or when we're at a surgery or something like that. And it just brings, it just brings that into perspective. Like, like nobody's business.
00:32:11.540Yeah, you bet. You bet. So Creek, I want to switch gears here a little bit because I know a lot of the guys that are listening have questions about something you said earlier, which was that seven years ago, roughly you switched from turning this, you know, part-time passion project into this full-time career. And I know a lot of guys are interested in doing that.
00:32:31.900So I'd love to hear your thoughts and your insights into how you made that work for you.
00:32:35.620You know, it's, it's ironic that you asked me that question because it's the most popular question that anyone asked me. You'd think it'd be about survival skills or the outdoors or fire something. But when people come to my school in Indiana, nine times out of 10, the first question that people ask me is how in the world did, are you able to do this for a living?
00:32:57.680How are you able to convert your love for the outdoors, your passion for the outdoors into a full-time career?
00:33:03.200My answer, it's, it's not really that revolutionary, but it's the, it's the real and it's the honest answer. And quite frankly, it's the answer that a lot of people don't want to hear because at the end of the day, it has everything to do with doing the work.
00:33:19.180You know, I've, there's always a quote that I use and it's successful people do the things that unsuccessful people just aren't willing to, or don't want to do.
00:33:29.800So I'll say until I'm an old man that I'm not the smartest or the fastest or the tallest or the most talented, the most gifted at anything. I just refuse to quit and I'll put my work ethic up against anybody else's in the world.
00:33:44.500And that for me is what has made the difference between making it and not making it just being willing to make the sacrifices and do the work when quite frankly, other people just are not willing to do that.
00:34:01.820You know, I mean, for many, many years, you know, I was working when my buddies were out playing football or gaming or hanging out with their family or friends, you know, I was working those Saturday nights and those Friday nights, you know, because I was willing to do the work that ultimately would turn into what I believed would be a career for myself.
00:34:24.540And that's really the magic behind making it work. You know, I've seen guys with horrible ideas, make them work because they were just willing to work.
00:34:33.640Right. Willing to do it. Yeah. And it's, you know, people, so, so many people want something for nothing. You know, there's a lot of people who want it, but there are very few people who really want it. And there's a big difference between the two.
00:34:48.920Yeah, it makes sense. I know my wife and I just had a conversation about this today because as we're growing Order of Man and some of the things that we're doing, frankly, there's a lot of imbalances in my life right now because of how busy with my, you know, full-time career and then also how busy I am with this project.
00:35:04.300And so, but we're on the same page, you know, we both can see the future and we're both willing to make the sacrifices. So I'm glad you said that. And sometimes it's so easy. The answer is so easy. It doesn't mean it's simple. It's just easy. And we overlook the importance of that simple answer, right?
00:35:21.680It is really the simplest of answers. You know, I equate it to every, a really simple analogy here is every night before I go to bed, I practice holding my breath.
00:35:33.660I think I saw that. I either read that or saw that, that you do that. I think maybe just even yesterday. Tell me about that.
00:35:39.700Before I go to sleep, I practice holding my breath. You know, I practiced it every night because, you know, I'm, I'm someone who prepares for the not if, but when moments in life, you know, because you never know when you might be in a situation where you've got, where you've got to hold your breath.
00:35:54.040Every night before bed, I practice holding my breath. And as soon as I take that first deep breath, you know, I want to breathe. Obviously, you know, I want to breathe 30, 30 seconds into it. I'm, I kind of want to breathe, you know, and that's where most people are at. But when I get to three minutes, I want to breathe so bad that I can't stand it. It's the only thing I'm thinking about.
00:36:18.300It's the only thing I'm feeling. Everything in my body is saying, I need to breathe. It's the difference. And that's the same difference between wanting it in the beginning, just kind of wanting it and really wanting it.
00:36:34.400Interesting that you say that I was, I went on a run. I'm training for a Spartan race right now. And I went on a run this morning and I was about mile three and my body was saying the same thing like, ah, you don't need to do this. Just stop, slow down, take a breath.
00:36:48.300Either take a break. You can start back up in a second. And it was so hard not to like, you know, or to, to not stop, to overcome that and just keep going. Right. Yeah. So I know exactly how it is. Well, Creek, we're winding down on time a little bit. So, but I want to ask you a couple of, uh, of questions before we let you go for the day, if that's good with you.
00:37:07.140And so the first question I have, and I prepared you a little bit for this one, but still throwing in the spot a little bit. And that's a question I ask every guest that comes on. And I want to know your perspective on it. What does it mean to be a man?
00:37:19.040It's a big question, you know, and, um, I'm actually, I'm actually going to lean on my scout days for this one a little bit. I heard a guy speak once Rex Tillerson, uh, CEO of Exxon mobile that, um, he's an Eagle scout. And he said something really interesting. That's always stuck with me.
00:37:36.620He said, if you kind of gauge all of your decisions by the scout law, then you'll never make a bad decision. I've tried my best, you know, obviously I'm not perfect. You know, I'm, I'm far from perfect, perfect. The most imperfect individual there is, but I do my best to gauge my decisions as a man based upon the scout law. It says a lot about what I think about what a man is.
00:37:59.600You know, the scout law says a scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. And I think you could very easily from my definition of what a man is substitute the word man in for scout. A man is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
00:38:27.800Easy as that. And I've never had anybody related to that. So that's such a good definition. And we'll make sure we, we, uh, link up the scout law so everybody can take a look at that again. Creek, I appreciate you sharing that.
00:38:39.500So what's next for you? You've got, uh, big plans, anything in the works that we can be expecting and looking forward to from you?
00:38:45.280Yeah. You know, I'm always busy, you know, I live and breathe survival skills. So I, you know, in order to make a living, I got to stay busy, you know, it's a, it's a crazy business. So something really, you mentioned Spartan race, you know,
00:38:57.080something really exciting that I'm involved in right now is a event series competition called escape the woods.
00:39:05.680And it's, it's a, it's a competition, a survival themed competition where we train me and a group of trainers train people in the morning and then they compete in the afternoon to win prizes.
00:39:18.720You know, the, the catchphrase is learn it, prove it, win it. And so, um, I didn't start escape the woods, but I'm the lead trainer for escape the woods. And it's a revolutionary kind of survival training concept. We've had our first one this past weekend and it is very, very cool.
00:39:38.180Awesome. Yeah. We'll link that up. We'll have to take a look at that. I've looked at that a little bit and it sounds like it's going to be pretty exciting as you, as you progress with that as well.
00:39:44.900It is. And we're, we're going to take the show on the road. We're doing several more events this fall and you know, then 2016, it's just going to blow up. So, but I'm, but I'm, I'm continuing to write. I got a new book coming out in spring of 2016. I continue to teach and speak and do appearances at survival gatherings. So I'm, I'm staying super busy, Ryan.
00:40:05.100Good, good. Glad to hear it. Well deserved. And then, uh, if anybody wants to connect with you, they want to learn more about what you're doing, whether it's escape the woods or other things that you have going on.
00:40:13.700What's the best way to connect with you?
00:40:15.440There's all kinds of ways. Websites, creekstewart.com. My school website is willowhavenoutdoor.com. And then you can find me on Facebook at facebook.com forward slash creekstewart. And I post a lot of updates there too. So.
00:40:28.540Creek, thanks for taking your time. I know you're busy. It sounds like you've got a ton going on. Thanks for taking time to talk with us today. Appreciate having on the show.
00:40:34.860Hey man, you're, you're doing a good thing for men, man. And I'm, and it's an honor for me to, for me to do your show. I really appreciate it.
00:40:43.360There you have it guys, Mr. Creek Stewart. I hope that you enjoyed the show as much as I did. If you're like me, you know that you have a long, long way to go with a lot of these survival skills. I hope this gives you some insights and points you in the right direction. I'm going to be working on building fires this week in my yard. And so I would challenge you to hone some, if not all of these survival skills as well.
00:41:02.940Now, again, if you enjoyed the show, if you learned something new, if you want to say thank you to me and Creek for giving you this information, head over to order of man.com slash iTunes, order of man.com slash iTunes. And you can leave us your rating review. And remember guys, our Facebook group, facebook.com slash groups slash order of man. We've got a fitness challenge going on this week. So I encourage you to join us for that.
00:41:23.160Next week, I got an interview lined up with an author. I know you'll be interested in hearing from him and I talk about the differences between masculinity and morality and why that matters for each and every one of us. Guys, I look forward to talking with you next week. But until then, take action and become the man you were meant to be.
00:41:37.800Thank you for listening to the order of man podcast. You're ready to take charge of your life and be more of the man you were meant to be. We invite you to join the order at order of man.com.