The Rich Outdoors Podcast Por Cody Rich: Hunter | Entrepreneur | Dad arte de portada

The Rich Outdoors

The Rich Outdoors

De: Cody Rich: Hunter | Entrepreneur | Dad
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The Rich Outdoors is hosted by Cody Rich, an entrepreneur, and hunter. In this podcast, Cody interviews all kinds of folks about hunting, business and adventure to find the nuggets that will make you more successful in life, hunting, and anything else you wish to accomplish.
Episodios
  • From Doing to Being: Why 'I Am' Statements Changed My Hunting

    From Doing to Being: Why 'I Am' Statements Changed My Hunting
    Apr 15 2026
    EP 678: Darin Hardy Level Seven High Terrain "You can't half-ass walking on uneven ground—and that lesson translates to everything: relationships, fatherhood, business, life." What's up everyone! This week I'm sitting down with Darin Hardy, and man, this conversation goes places I didn't expect. Darin is a former Marine Corps special operations guy who spent 20 years and 13 deployments in the military, and now he's using horses, nature, and even AI to help executives and leaders transform their lives. Yeah, you heard that right—AI and horses. Stay with me here. This episode sits right at the intersection of ancient wisdom and cutting-edge technology. Darin breaks down how he's using emotionally intelligent AI to help distill his thoughts and experiences in the field, then using horses as living mirrors to reflect back what people need to see about themselves. It's wild, it's different, and it's honestly one of the most unique approaches to coaching I've ever heard. We dive deep into what Darin calls "window moments"—those rare experiences in nature where you feel like you're between worlds. He shares two incredibly powerful stories: one about syncing with a horse at 16 years old and losing all sense of where he ended and the horse began, and another about a forked-horn mule deer that walked within arm's reach and taught him he had permission to forge his own path. These aren't just cool hunting stories—they're formative moments that shaped how he shows up in the world. But this isn't all woo-woo spiritual stuff. Darin gets tactical too. He talks about hitting the wall on day five of an elk hunt, using "I am" statements to shift from doing to being, and how those three words helped him arrow a bull when he was ready to quit. We also get into the difference between power over versus partner with, why he cried in a pasture when three horses wouldn't let him catch them, and what that taught him about 20 years of narratives he'd been carrying. One of my favorite parts of this conversation is when Darin talks about being "porous"—how life doesn't just happen to you or for you, but through you. And how as outdoorsmen, we're naturally land-informed and nature-informed, which gives us this unique lens to filter everything else in life. It's the same reason I believe elk hunting teaches you more about business and life than most MBA programs ever could. If you're someone who's looking for transformation, willing to get uncomfortable, and open to the idea that horses and mountains might teach you more about yourself than any boardroom ever will, this episode is for you. Darin's work is for people who refuse to live small lives—people who want authentic experiences, not hand-fed success. https://www.level7highperformance.com/retreats Sponsors Tricer - I run Tricer gear for a reason. One of my favorite products is the RP Bipod—a legit hunting bipod with all the high-end features you'd expect. At 10.5 ounces, it's lightweight enough for any hunt. Comes with long legs, short legs, works on Picatinny or Arca. For $350, it's a no-brainer. I've shot a ton of critters off mine. Head to tricer.com and use code TRO to save 10%. OnX Hunt - The new weather feature is a game-changer. Instead of checking weather for the nearest town, you can tap anywhere on the mountain and get hyperlocal weather data that takes topography into account. See wind variations across different parts of your hunting area. Become an Elite member at onxmaps.com and use code TRO to save 20%. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro: Ancient tech meets AI 05:15 - Darin's military background: 20 years, 13 deployments 11:30 - From infantry to special operations 16:45 - Transitioning out and the two things he promised himself 22:20 - How passion becomes your job (whether you want it to or not) 28:40 - Being "porous" - life flowing through you, not just to you 34:15 - The horse window moment at 16: losing boundaries 40:30 - The mule deer at arm's reach: permission to forge your own path 46:50 - Hong Kong beach: glowing plankton and Disney magic 52:10 - Flow state in the red zone: from doing to being 58:35 - Using AI to distill "I am" statements 1:03:20 - Day five of the Idaho hunt: hitting the wall 1:08:45 - Three horses that wouldn't let him catch them 1:12:30 - Power over vs. partner with 1:16:00 - Level Seven High Terrain and authentic experiences 1:20:15 - Cow elk hunts as transformation: range day to butchering Three Key Takeaways Shift From Doing to Being - Darin uses AI-assisted coaching to help people create "I am" statements instead of "I do" goals. When he was exhausted on day five of an elk hunt, ready to quit, he repeated "I'm resilient, I'm flexible" as he climbed—pointing himself back to a state of being rather than performance. Ten minutes later, he arrowed a bull at 20 yards. The power isn't in what you do, it's in who you are. Those qualities remain true regardless of whether ...
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    1 h y 15 m
  • Josh Smith of MKC: Getting Sued, Scaling Culture, and Taking on Giants

    Josh Smith of MKC: Getting Sued, Scaling Culture, and Taking on Giants
    Feb 12 2026
    EP 677 Josh Smith - MKC What's up! This week on the Rich Outdoors Podcast, I'm sitting down with Josh Smith—founder of Montana Knife Company and honestly one of the most inspiring entrepreneurs in the outdoor space right now. This is a podcast I've been wanting to do for a long time, and we did not disappoint. Josh went from being a lineman for the power company, making knives on the side in a 200 square foot shop in his horse pasture, to building one of the most beloved brands in the hunting industry from the ground up. No investors, no conglomerates, no selling out. Just a guy who refused to quit and built something that hunters actually care about. We talk about the origin story of MKC, why he saw a massive hole in the hunting knife market, and how he quietly infiltrated the hunting community like a Green Beret special ops team before anyone even knew he was there. We get into the Benchmade lawsuit and why his entire team cheered when they found out they were getting sued. We dive deep into building company culture at scale, hiring the right people, why listening to your customer beats watching your competitor every single time, and why most people have no idea how many hunters have never even heard of a brand they think everyone knows about. But this one goes way beyond knives. We talk about Bridger Watch, building a product in a category dominated by giants, the parallels between what Josh built and what we're trying to build, and the advice he gave me that I'm going to be thinking about for a long time. We also talk about legacy—knives that get passed down, stories behind the blades, and why sometimes the most important tool isn't the most impressive one, it's the one that means something. This is one of those conversations that reminds you why you started. Whether you're a hunter, an entrepreneur, or both—this episode is for you. Let's get into it. Interested in the Bridger Watch? If you heard us talk about the smartwatch we're building for hunters and want to be the first to know what we're up to—head over to bridgerwatch.com and get on the list. Three years in the making and we're just getting started. Go check it out. Episode Sponsors Tricer Tripods - They make gear that's fast, light, and simple, from amazing tripods to bino mounts, panhead truck mounts, and now even bipods. Trier just dropped their new updated AD and BC tripods, and I got to test the new Tritech technology this year. The center post is now a T-post, which makes it pack down smaller and cleaner—Drew is a mad scientist and he just keeps innovating. If you want to use code TRO, it'll save you 10% at checkout. Go support a great company. Head over to tricer.com. Stone Glacier - If you're in the market for a new pack, I ran the Sky Archer 6400 this year and packed out a lot of animals with it including a couple of elk. What I love about Stone Glacier packs is they work great whether you're on a 10-day backpacking trip or day hunting from the side-by-side. Minimalist, tough, and they work. You don't need to own multiple packs—this thing does it all. Check it out at stoneglacier.com and use code TRO for a discount. Chapter Timestamps 0:00 - Intro & Sponsors 3:45 - Welcome Josh Smith: Driving Across Montana for a Podcast 6:30 - Why Josh Started Montana Knife Company 10:15 - Seeing the Gap: What Was Missing in the Hunting Knife Market 14:00 - Authenticity from Day One: Building Community Without Money 18:30 - Sending Knives Out with No Ask: How Word Spread 22:00 - From the Horse Pasture to 11 Employees: The Growth Timeline 26:15 - The Green Beret Strategy: Quietly Taking Over the Hunting Space 30:00 - Getting Sued by Benchmade (And Why the Team Cheered) 34:30 - Don't Watch Your Competitor, Listen to Your Customer 38:15 - Scaling Fast Without Losing Culture 42:00 - Hiring Doers: What Josh Looks for in Employees 46:30 - The Pizza Rule: Why You Can't Manage Too Many People 50:15 - How MKC Uses Transparency to Build Employee Buy-In 54:00 - Taking on Giants: Parallels Between MKC and Bridger Watch 58:30 - Most Hunters Have Never Heard of You (And Why That's Exciting) 1:02:15 - The Legacy of a Knife: Stories Behind the Blades 1:07:00 - Building a Family Heirloom vs. Building a Gadget 1:11:30 - Josh's Advice for Bridger Watch 1:15:00 - Don't Quit Your Day Job Yet: How to Chase a Dream Responsibly 1:18:30 - The People You Surround Yourself With Matter Everything 1:21:00 - Final Thoughts & What Josh is Most Excited About Three Key Takeaways Listen to Your Customer, Not Your Competitor - One of Josh's most powerful pieces of advice: don't open your competitor's website every day and react to what they're doing. Your product roadmap should be driven entirely by what your customer is telling you they need—not by what the big brand is doing. By the time you react to a competitor, you're already behind. The companies that win are the ones so locked into their customer's needs that by the time the big guy realizes ...
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    1 h y 23 m
  • Heart Rate, VO2 Max, and Hunt Readiness with MTNtough

    Heart Rate, VO2 Max, and Hunt Readiness with MTNtough
    Feb 5 2026
    EP 676 Heart Rate, VO2 Max, and Hunt Readiness with MTNtough What's up! This week on the Rich Outdoors Podcast, I'm sitting down with Jason and Nick from MTN Tough Fitness to talk about something we've been geeking out on for a while—health metrics, performance tracking, and what "hunt readiness" actually means for backcountry hunters. As we're building the Bridger Watch (yeah, the smartwatch for hunters), we've been having deep conversations with the MTN Tough crew about what metrics actually matter when you're training for elk season. Because here's the thing: most fitness wearables are built for runners, cyclists, and gym rats—not for hunters humping 60 pounds on their back through deadfall at 9,000 feet. Nick is a MTN Tough coach and physical therapist who programs their daily workouts, and Jason is one of their athletes who's joining the Bridger team. These guys know what it takes to train for the mountains, and more importantly, they understand the difference between sustained Zone 2 cardio and getting absolutely crushed by a 42-minute Mountain Tough workout that leaves you laying on the floor. We dive into what a "hunt readiness score" could look like, how to measure work capacity beyond just heart rate, why rucking strain is completely different than cardiovascular strain, and how we can use wearables to help hunters stay in that 80-90% efficiency zone all day long. We also talk about the mental side of fitness—how to make better decisions under fatigue, why discipline in the gym translates to discipline in the mountains, and what happens when you're on day two of a hunt with frozen boots and a broken water filter. This episode is part fitness science, part backcountry hunting strategy, and part startup talk about building products that actually solve problems hunters face. Whether you're training for September or just trying to figure out how to not get your butt kicked on your next western hunt, there's a lot of good stuff in here. Let's get into it. Tricer Tripods - They make gear that's fast, light, and simple, from amazing tripods to bino mounts, panhead truck mounts, and now even bipods. Tricer makes gear that's fast, light, and simple. I love their gear, and if you're looking for a new system for better glassing, check out Tricer. Head over to the website tricer.com. They make great products and it's just a great company. Awesome dudes. Been using the heck out of the bipod—killed a lot of critters with it. Use the code TRO and you'll save yourself 10% at checkout. Stone Glacier - I've packed out a lot of animals with my Stone Glacier pack this year. The Sky Archer 6400 has been with me to Alaska, British Columbia, Wyoming, Montana, and I love the thing. Whether it's a 10-day backpack hunt or you're day hunting from the side-by-side, that's what I love about Stone Glacier—it's minimalist, it's lightweight. You can use it day hunting or for an alpine backpack hunt. Stone Glacier makes an entire suite of hardcore mountain hunting gear. If you're in the market, head over to stoneglacier.com. Use the code TRO and you'll save yourself a discount and get some great gear. Chapter Timestamps 0:00 - Intro: Fresh Off a MTN Tough Workout 3:15 - Meet Nick: MTN Tough Coach & Physical Therapist 6:30 - Jason Joins Bridger: Startup Life with a Kid on the Way 9:00 - Why We're Talking About Health Metrics for Hunters 12:45 - The Backcountry Boondoggle: Testing Fitness in the Field 16:30 - How Many Miles? Average Archery Season Days 19:45 - Have You Ever Bonked on a Hunt? 23:15 - The Hunt Readiness Score: What Would It Look Like? 27:30 - Heart Rate Efficiency & Staying in the 80-90% Zone 31:00 - VO2 Max vs. Work Capacity: What Really Matters? 35:15 - The Rucking Problem: Muscular + Neurological Strain 38:45 - Measuring Strength Load vs. Cardio Load 41:30 - Subjective Scores & Mental Toughness Training 44:15 - Decision Making Under Fatigue 47:00 - Discipline in the Gym = Discipline in the Mountains 50:30 - Baby #2, Hunt Plans & Balancing Family Life Three Key Takeaways Heart Rate Monitoring Can Keep You in Your Efficiency Zone All Day - Most hunters blow themselves out on day one by pushing too hard when camp isn't where they thought, or the trail is longer than expected. A wearable that monitors your heart rate and keeps you in an 80-90% efficiency zone (based on your current fitness level) could be the difference between being smoked for three days versus being able to hunt hard every single day. It's not about going slow—it's about understanding what pace your body can sustain without bonking.Rucking Strain is Completely Different Than Cardiovascular Strain - Carrying 60-70 pounds on your back for 8 hours isn't primarily a cardio challenge—it's muscular, skeletal, and neurological strain. Most fitness wearables only measure cardiovascular load based on sustained heart rate, but they can't quantify what it feels like to have weight on your frame all day. Building a "hunt readiness ...
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    54 m
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