Sealed Mindset has undergone some significant changes over the last year.  We have gained some partners and lost others.  We have traded surf and sun for lakes and snow.  We have altered our concerns for political correctness and expanded our offers. The one thing that has never wavered is our undying passion for providing everyone the resources to be safe.  Safe when you travel, safe when you go to school, safe when you work, safe when you are alone, and safe when you are with loved ones. As a Navy SEAL who has spent many years working in dangerous environments, at home and abroad, I know what fear is.  Real life is not like the movies where the chiseled hero with the stone faced expression runs towards danger with no fear or concern.  I know fear and I embrace those feelings because I know that they are necessary.  If you have no fear, you are either crazy or dead. What I worry about is that most people I run into have unnecessary fear.  Unnecessary fear comes from a lack of knowledge; unnecessary fear affects your life and restricts your happiness.  We have made it our mission at Sealed Mindset to provide the tools necessary to allow everyone to educate themselves to rid their lives of unnecessary fear. We will use this Blog to share information, training, headlines, opinions, to answer student questions, and to offer advice to those interested in living a secure life, with knowledge of how to deal with life’s dangerous “What ifs?” What if someone follows me in a dark parking lot? What if I am traveling to Mexico and I am worried about my safety? What if my child is about to head off to college and I am worried about his or her safety? What if I want to learn more about firearms, but I am fearful to introduce a weapon into my household? What if I want to know how to choose a good home defense shotgun, but I don’t know who to ask? There will be two voices that you will see regularly in this Blog, each coming from very different backgrounds. I am Larry Yatch, a Naval Academy graduate and former Navy SEAL.  The most important thing to know about me is that from a very young age I was driven to protect others using force.  The last part of that is important, I am no stranger to fighting and have been intrigued by combat from a very early age. My entire life from childhood on was focused on gaining as much experience in weapons, defense, and combat as possible.  While my classmates were celebrating spring break from college drinking in Cabo, I was in Pittsburgh learning the art of fighting with edged weapons.  I never thought I would have any other life than that of a professional solider.  A dangerous SEAL operation in Iraq changed that life path; I was seriously injured and eventually medically retired after the navy’s best efforts at putting me back together. Then, a second life-changing experience occurred, I met my future wife Anne.  Anne’s voice will be the second one you will hear.  She taught me that there was more to being safe than shooting and fighting.  She showed me that knowledge was more important than physical skills.  Of course she had no lack of knowledge – while I was abroad hunting and fighting terrorists, she was learning how terrorists think. Anne studied every aspect of the enemy at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, where she earned her undergraduate degree in International Law and her Masters in International Security and Anti-terrorism. Together we founded Sealed Mindset with one goal in mind – to make the world a safer place.  Instead of focusing outside the country, we decided to make a difference one person at a time right here at home.  It has now become obvious to both of us that we made the right choice. Every student that makes it through one of our courses has dramatic and wide reaching effects in their lives. Our students also become an important part of our lives. These types of individuals who take the time to learn how to assess and avoid threats or learn how to safely carry and employ a defensive firearm can not only protect themselves, but can also protect their loved ones around them.  The best part about changing the way these people see the world is that they will always have a plan of action and will always make the places they go more secure for those they care about.  Those are lasting effects that we know will change the world. So if you have any interest is staying safe or keeping those you care about safe, come back here often for more education. Enjoy! Larry & Anne Yatch