with Sam Carus

What do martial arts, PSYOPs, and surviving a near-death experience have in common?
It’s (nearly) all in your head.

In this episode, we sit down with Sam Carus—lifelong martial artist, special operations veteran, and founder of Randori Resources—to explore what martial arts can teach us about cognitive defense, civic strength, and surviving the stressors of modern life. And yes, nearly dying.

From Russian meme warfare to childhood obesity as national security risk, this conversation covers the intersections of story, survival, civic strength, and the weird things we do under pressure. (Spoiler: you’ll probably want to start visualizing.)

Key Topics

• How martial arts builds narrative resilience (and community trust)

• The reality of modern PSYOPs (and why marketing might be scarier)

• The neuroscience of stress and why it hijacks your thinking

• Why martial arts should be part of public education

• Visualization as real-world training—without the bruises

Notable Quotes

“Martial arts is more than just physical education—it’s civic education.”
“If the vessel that houses our brain is unhealthy, then how can the brain and mind be functioning perfectly?”
“Once you're aware, then the battle really begins.”
“I think being in special operations was easier than being a parent.”
“Visualization helps us make the optimal choice—because we're faced with choices constantly.”

What’s Inside

[00:00:22] – Meet Sam Carus: martial artist, special ops vet, founder of Randori Resources
[00:01:59] – A near-death sailing accident that taught Sam how to stay calm under stress
[00:05:41] – Martial arts as civic—not just physical—education
[00:07:33] – What PSYOPs really are (and aren’t)
[00:09:20] – Russian active measures and meme-based manipulation
[00:14:18] – How narrative warfare undermines nations without firing a shot
[00:19:04] – Why parenting is harder than special ops
[00:21:43] – The body-brain connection, and why health = mental readiness
[00:23:18] – What it really means to know yourself under stress
[00:24:00] – Using negative emotions strategically (yes, really)
[00:25:00] – Martial arts dojos as training grounds for empathy
[00:29:00] – A real plan for integrating martial arts into U.S. schools
[00:33:00] – Obesity, movement culture, and readiness
[00:37:00] – “We’re raising mediocrity and calling it education.”
[00:41:00] – Visualization: mental reps, stress inoculation, and why it works
[00:44:00] – Why this isn’t woo—it’s neuroscience-backed
[00:46:00] – Where we go from here: starting with awareness

MAD ANGEL SPONSOR: Randori Resources

This episode is brought to you by Randori Resources, founded by our guest Sam Carus. Randori helps you train your mind like a fighter—without the mat burns.

👉 Visit randori-resources.com to learn more.

🎶 Plus: Hear our original MAD tribute for Randori inside the episode, made by the great Amine el FIlali.

Want your own custom ad—or to sponsor an episode of MAD? Email us at madwarfarepodcast@gmail.com

Resources + References:
Email Sam Carus: randori@randori-resources.com

Find him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-carus

Shout out to project Cogent Gray: www.cogent-gray.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your Turn

What kind of mental training do you wish you’d learned in school?
How do you protect your neck in the narrative arena?

📬 Email us at madwarfarepodcast@gmail.com
📣 Tag us: @madwarfarepodcast on IG / LinkedIn / YouTube
🔗 Full archive + extras: madwarfare.com