Situational awareness isn’t about being paranoid. It’s about staying present, being prepared, and moving through the world with confidence.

Still, a lot of people, often without realizing it, develop habits that can make them more vulnerable, especially in transitional spaces like parking lots, stairwells, or elevators.

The good news? These are simple mistakes, and with a few small changes, they’re easy to fix, and could even save your life.

Mistake #1: Being Distracted or Looking Down

We’ve all done it, scrolling through our phones, digging through our bags, fumbling for keys.

But here’s what a predator sees:
“She’s not paying attention. She won’t see me coming.”

Distraction is a green light for someone looking to take advantage. When your eyes are down and your mind is elsewhere, you can’t spot a threat, or avoid it.

How to Fix It:

Keep your head up and stay alert.
Put the phone away when you’re walking.
Get your keys or access card out before you step outside.
Walk with purpose...

When you hear the word interrogation, you might picture a dimly lit room, a one-way mirror, and a detective sliding into the “Good Cop” role to break someone down.

That’s old-school thinking.

Today’s investigations require more—something smarter, more ethical, and backed by behavior science.

It’s time to move beyond outdated tactics and start having Effective Investigative Conversations.

Why the Reid Technique Doesn’t Hold Up Anymore

For years, the Reid Technique set the standard for interviews in the U.S. It relies on:

• Accusatory tactics
  
• Pressuring the subject through manipulation
  
• Isolating them from support
  
• Asking leading questions designed to get confessions
  

But here’s the issue:

• It can lead to false confessions
  
• It damages trust with the subject
  
• It focuses more on confessions than truth
  
• It doesn’t hold up well under legal or ethical scrutiny
  

In today’s environment—with body cams, tighter HR policies, and growing legal risk—manipulative tactics aren’t just outd...

When people think of executive protection (EP), they often picture sleek suits, tinted SUVs, and teams trained to handle high-speed getaways or worst-case scenarios. But in reality, EP doesn’t usually fall short in moments of action—it breaks down well before that point.

The truth is: executive protection often fails during the planning phase, not when a threat shows up.

Yes, firearms and evasive driving are important tools, but they’re reactive by nature. The best protection work ensures those tools never need to be used.

The Issue: Too Much Emphasis on Tactical Skills

Many protection teams dedicate the majority of their time, sometimes as much as 80%, to tactical training: shooting drills, convoy driving, and physical security maneuvers.

These are valuable skills, but they’re not what typically determines the success or failure of an assignment.

In most cases, it’s smart planning and risk mitigation that prevent problems from ever surfacing.

An effective protection professiona...

When most people think about predators, they picture random attacks—sudden, violent, and impossible to predict.

But the reality? It’s more disturbing… and far more empowering.

Because predators don’t act on impulse.
They watch.
They study.
They test boundaries.
They choose their moment.

Just like predators in the wild, their behavior follows patterns, and if you know what to look for, you can often spot them before they make a move.

What Predators Look For

Whether it’s a crowded shopping center, a quiet parking garage, or a busy online platform, predators consistently look for three key things before making a move:

1. The Right Location

Predators gravitate toward transitional spaces—areas where people are on the move, distracted, and not paying close attention:

• Parking lots
  
• Elevators
  
• Stairwells
  
• Gas stations
  
• Building entrances
  

These places offer two major advantages: low awareness and quick exit routes.

They’re public, but not protected. Visible, but not secure. In oth...