EP 163: Causing a Pause for the High Performers with Charles Anderson

In this episode of the Guns & Mental Health podcast, Michael Sodini and Kevin Berry sit down with Charles Anderson, CEO in the firearms media world behind Bleeker Street Publications, Athlon Outdoors, and its family of brands.

What starts as a chance bar conversation at NASGW turns into a powerful, honest discussion about what it looks like to live with mental health struggles while building a high profile career. Charles shares his path from growing up poor in a wealthy New York town, to the high pressure brokerage world later portrayed in The Wolf of Wall Street, to venture capital, and eventually to becoming one of the most influential voices in firearms media.

Along the way, he breaks down the reality of imposter syndrome, why “success” does not protect anyone from dark moments, and the coping framework that helped him survive when nothing else felt believable. Michael and Kevin connect the conversation to WTTA’s “Cause a Pause” mindset, and explore why the firearms industry has often been hesitant to engage tough topics like suicide prevention, and why that is finally changing.

If you’ve ever looked successful on paper but felt like you were one bad day away from unraveling, this one is for you.

Resources:

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 in the U.S. for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Chapters

00:00 — Welcome and introductions

01:10 — How Michael and Charles met at NASGW

03:20 — The phrase that stopped Michael in his tracks

04:10 — Charles’ background, Detroit and “keeping it real”

05:30 — Normalizing mental health talk in gun culture

06:40 — Growing up poor in a wealthy town

07:40 — From teenage stockbroker to Wolf of Wall Street reality

09:20 — Pressure, substance abuse, and the crash

10:20 — 9/11 grief, New York’s collective trauma, and leaving for Michigan

12:10 — First gun, training, and starting a blog

13:40 — When the blog started outranking major gun companies

14:50 — From agency life to running major publications

16:20 — Why authenticity matters, especially in this industry

18:10 — Imposter syndrome, image, and the pressure to “fit in”

21:20 — Chat question, why so little 2A legal coverage in publications

23:50 — Why “facts only” content struggles to get attention

27:10 — Why the gun industry avoided mental health for so long

31:40 — “You could kill yourself tomorrow”, what it really means

35:10 — The link to addiction recovery and getting through the next minute

38:30 — Why it works in conversation, but not as a slogan

41:10 — Permission, options, and Dr. Conte’s framework

44:30 — How imposter syndrome shows up, even during success

48:10 — What helps, therapy, self-awareness, and catching it earlier

57:40 — External “pull backs”, friends, helping others, and connection

01:01:30 — The “doom scroll” problem and a surprising coping tool

01:08:40 — The gambler mindset vs stability, and why some people must build

01:17:30 — How Charles

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Walk the Talk America would like to thank our partners who make these conversations possible and would like to highlight our top two partner tiers below!

Platinum Tier:
Ruger
Armscor
Bleeker Street Publications

Gold Tier:
NASGW
Lipsey's
Davidson's