Shows
SkillistEP 25 Bird Language and Awareness Skillist PodcastIn this episode of the Skillist Podcast, hosts Matt Corradino and Brad Salon delve into the fascinating world of bird language and its complexities. They explore the lifelong journey of understanding bird calls, the significance of behavioral context, and the reliability of bird language in real-life situations. Through personal experiences and insights, they discuss the importance of keen observation and the connection between humans and nature, emphasizing that mastering bird language requires both concentrated study and a deep appreciation for the natural world. In this conversation, the speakers explore themes of fatherhood, nature observation, and the intricacies of bird...2025-06-181h 13SkillistSign Tracking Skillist Podcast EP 24In this episode of the Skillist Podcast, hosts Matt Corradino and Brad Salon delve into the fascinating world of sign tracking in wildlife observation. They discuss the importance of recognizing signs left by animals, such as scat, feeding signs, and other disturbances, which provide valuable insights into animal behavior and presence in an area. The conversation emphasizes the often-overlooked practice of sign tracking compared to traditional track identification, highlighting its practical applications in hunting, trapping, and survival skills. The hosts also explore the dynamic relationship between tracks and signs, the learning process involved in identifying these signs, and the...2025-06-0354 minSkillistSkillist Podcast EP 21 Awareness (Situational & Sensory Awareness for Wilderness Survival and Life)Ep 21 is all about Awareness! In this conversation, the hosts explore the concept of awareness, discussing its importance in daily life and the challenges posed by modern distractions. They delve into how cultural influences and technology shape our perception and attention, emphasizing the power of choice in enhancing awareness. The discussion includes techniques for training awareness, the impact of movement, and the distinction between mindfulness and mindlessness. The conversation concludes with creative strategies for improving awareness and the significance of engaging the senses. This conversation delves into the multifaceted nature of awareness, particularly in the context of n...2025-05-201h 28SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 19 Winter SurvivalIn this episode of the Skills Podcast, Brad and Matt delve into the complexities of winter survival, discussing the challenges posed by cold weather, the importance of shelter and fire, and the necessity of proper gear and clothing. They share insights on navigation, water management, and cultural perspectives on survival skills, emphasizing the need for preparation and awareness in winter conditions. In this conversation, the speakers delve into the challenges and skills associated with winter survival, including foraging, hunting, and the importance of gear maintenance. They discuss the significance of firearms as survival tools, the art of fire making...2025-05-201h 08SkillistEP 23 Blades - Knives, Saws, & Axes for Survival and SkillsIn this episode of the Skillist Podcast, hosts Brad and Matt delve into the world of cutting tools, discussing various types of knives, saws, and hatchets. They explore what makes a good survival knife, the efficiency of different cutting tools, and the importance of craftsmanship in knife making. The conversation also touches on the practical applications of machetes and the ongoing debate between saws and axes for outdoor survival. Throughout the discussion, the hosts share personal experiences and insights, emphasizing the value of comfort, efficiency, and supporting local makers in the outdoor gear community. In this engaging conversation, the...2025-05-201h 00SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 22 Navigation for Survival (Dont Get Lost!) Tips, Tricks, MythsIn this episode of the Skillist Podcast, hosts Matt Corradino and Brad Salon delve into the essential skill of navigation, discussing its importance for safety in the wilderness and how it intertwines with naturalist knowledge. They explore various techniques for improving navigation skills, including understanding maps, terrain association, and the significance of cardinal directions. The conversation emphasizes the need for practical navigation tools, the role of memory in navigation, and the benefits of exploration and wandering as methods for enhancing navigational abilities. In this conversation, the speakers delve into the intricacies of navigation, exploring various methods and skills essential...2025-05-061h 08SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 20 Flint Knapping History (What does knapping say about humans and how we learn)In this episode of the Skillist Podcast, hosts Matt Corradino and Brad Salon delve into the fascinating world of flint knapping, exploring its historical significance, the challenges of archaeological dating, and the complexity of techniques involved. They discuss the evolution of human intelligence in relation to stone tools, the differences in learning processes between past and present, and the spiritual aspects of craftsmanship. The conversation highlights the intricate relationship between intuition and systematic learning in developing skills, ultimately reflecting on how these ancient practices inform our understanding of human evolution and creativity. This conversation delves into the evolution of...2025-04-221h 15SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 18 Survival Trips (How to test your skills and get the most out of your trip)In this episode of the Skillist Podcast, hosts Matt Corradino and Brad Salon delve into the nuances of survival trips, emphasizing the importance of practical experience in survival skills. They discuss the balance between learning and practicing essential skills like shelter building, water sourcing, and food procurement, while also highlighting the mental resilience required in survival situations. The conversation explores the significance of local knowledge and the need for structured goals in survival training, ultimately advocating for a hands-on approach to mastering survival techniques. In this conversation, the speakers delve into the complexities of survival trips, emphasizing the importance...2025-04-121h 20SkillistEP 17 Common Mistakes Survival and Primitive Skills Students Make (Mostly Our Own)In our 17th Episode Brad Salon of the Roots School and Matt Corradino of Caribbean Earth Skills talk about common mistakes we and other students we teach make when approaching learning the skills. Both in short classes and over a long time there are a lot of mistakes you can avoid to save yourself time and grief. Let us know your thoughts in the comments or future topics you'd like to hear us discuss!Check out Matt at https://www.caribbeanearthskills.com/Check out Brad at https://rootsvt.com/2025-04-021h 00SkillistSkillist EP 16 Making Babies with Ruth Ann Colby Martin - From Survival Instructor to MidwifeIn our 16th Episode of the podcast we finally have our first guest, Ruth Ann Colby Martin. Ruth Ann was an instructor at the Tracker School in the early 2000's when Matt and I attended our Standard courses (the basic intro class). Since then she has gone on to become a midwife, a midwife instructor, an author, mother, and speaker. In this episode expect to learn what she thinks about the connections between tracking, awareness, survival, and helping to deliver babies. Her thoughts on becoming a parent, supporting birth, and how to prepare for a birth in a context...2025-03-261h 08SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 15 Keeping The Fire Stoked (How to stay focused & disciplined on skills)In our 15th Episode Brad Salon of Roots School and Matt Corradino of Caribbean Earth Skills discuss how to keep the passion for skills and discipline to work on them once you have left a class or finished some kind of education. Expect to learn how to incorporate skills into your everyday life. How to progress your challenges to keep yourself facing new edges, and how to make the skills new for yourself once you have been at it for a long time.Let us know your thoughts in the comments or future topics you'd like to...2025-03-241h 08SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 14 Tropical SurvivalIn our 14th episode Brad Salon of the Roots School joins Matt Corradino of Caribbean Earth Skills at his home in St Croix. In this episode we talk about survival in the tropics, and cover topics such as hazards, tropes and myths of survival, and what survival used to look like here in ages past.Let us know your thoughts in the comments or future topics you'd like to hear us discuss!Check out Matt at https://www.caribbeanearthskills.com/Check out Brad at https://rootsvt.com/2025-03-241h 21SkillistSkillist EP 13 Flint Knapping - Copper Bopper Haters (How to approach learning to knap)In our 13th episode Matt Corradino of Caribbean Earth Skills and Brad Salon of Roots School talk about Flint Knapping. Expect to learn why they love to knap, what their favorite rock sources are, their opinions about tool kits, how to approach learning it and much more.Let us know your thoughts in the comments or future topics you'd like to hear us discuss!Check out Matt at https://www.caribbeanearthskills.com/Check out Brad at https://rootsvt.com/2025-03-241h 12SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 12 Tracking Fact Vs FictionIn our 12th episode Matt Corradino and Brad Salon talk tracking. We discuss what is hard about it, what is hard to teach about it, and where we see the lines of what is possible in the world of tracking. Expect to learn what role, if any, intuition plays in tracking, what it takes to age a track, what a "pressure release" is, and what pitfalls face people trying to learn tracking.Let us know your thoughts in the comments or future topics you'd like to hear us discuss!Check out Matt at https...2025-03-2450 minSkillistSkillist Podcast EP 11 Surviving Alone (The Myth of the Lone Survivalist)In our 11th Episode Matt Corradino and Brad Salon talk about the idea of one person surviving in nature and how glamorized and unrealistic it is. Expect to learn how groups are best for survival, what skills are best done alone, how being alone has created difficulties when doing skills or in survival situations, and when being alone is ideal from our perspectives. Did you get into survival with the idea of being a lone survivor?Let us know your thoughts in the comments or future topics you'd like to hear us discuss!Check out...2025-03-241h 05SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 10 Caretaking The Land (Stewardship and Why Leave No Trace Doesn't Make Sense)In our 10th Episode Matt and Brad talk about caretaking, or stewarding the landscape. We talk about engaging with the landscape through harvesting and collecting, selective cutting and clearing, planting and more. Expect to learn about having long term relationships with the landscape, our failures and successes, and our opinions on how to build biodiversity, for the sake of human survival as well as the landscapes own benefit.Let us know your thoughts in the comments or future topics you'd like to hear us discuss!Check out Matt at https://www.caribbeanearthskills.com/...2025-03-241h 10SkillistEP 9 Scout Skills- The What and Why (No, NOT Boyscouts) Awareness, Stealth, Self Defense, SurvivalIn our 9th Episode Brad Salon of Roots School and Matt Corradino of Caribbean Earth Skills discuss their experiences learning, practicing, and teaching "scout skills" . These skills include but are not limited to situational and sensory awareness, threat detection, stealth movement, team work and leadership, self defense martial arts, and a host of other skills people have used to protect themselves and their communities.Let us know your thoughts in the comments or future topics you'd like to hear us discuss!Check out Matt at https://www.caribbeanearthskills.com/Check out Brad at...2025-03-241h 20SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 8 Wilderness Survival Fire Skills (Friction Fire, Fire Building, Survival Uses)In our eighth episode Matt Corradino of Caribbean Earth Skills and Brad Salon of Roots School talk all things fire. In this general look at all things fire skills we talk about preferences and tips for making , learning, and teaching bow drill fire and other friction fire techniques. We also talk about the value of fire building skills and pushing the one match fire. Also expect to learn about the many uses of fire in survival and primitive skills as we discuss some of our favorite applications and uses.Let us know your thoughts in the comments...2025-03-241h 08SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 7 Primitive Arrow Making Rants (Tips and Tricks)In our 7th episode Brad Salon of Roots School and Matt Corradino of Caribbean Earth Skills talk about making primitive arrows. Whether for traditional archery, traditional hunting, or for survival skills, we talk about our preferences and mistakes for making arrows from scratch out of natural materials. Expect to learn about selecting and straightening arrow shafts from the wild, hafting the arrowhead, pitch glue, fletching with feathers and sinew, spining the arrow, cutting nocks, broadheads, and more. Let us know your thoughts in the comments or future topics you'd like to hear us discuss!Check ou...2025-03-241h 16SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 6 Teaching Wilderness Skills to Kids (Your Own and Other Peoples')In our 6th episode Brad Salon of Roots School and Matt Corradino of Caribbean Earth Skills talk about their experience teaching kids wilderness skills. Expect to learn what Matt and Brad do with their own kids to foster the skills from a very early age and keep them engaged with them as well as working in groups with other peoples children over the years. We talk about teaching kids to carve and use knives and saws, archery, bow drill, and a spectrum of survival skills and primitive skills. We do an okay job of not bragging about our kids...2025-03-241h 34SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 5 Wilderness Survival Priorities (Is the "Sacred Order" sacrosanct?)In our fifth episode Brad Salon of Roots School and Matt Corradino of Caribbean Earth Skills talk about their opinions regarding survival priorities, or what to do in what order in order to stay alive. Expect to learn about survival mindset, shelter building, fire making, water purification, hunting and foraging as well as some other nooks and crannies of survival we get into. A good general primer for survival skills and primitive survival. Let us know your thoughts in the comments or future topics you'd like to hear us discuss!Check out Matt at https://w...2025-03-241h 07SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 4 Bow Making Fails and TipsIn our fourth episode Brad Salon of Roots School and Matt Corradino of Caribbean Earth Skills talk about their own their students worst failure points with bow building. We also cover tips and tricks, our favorite cheat codes, and generally talk smack about bows.Yes my autofocus failed until 18 minutes in! Such is life, there's nothing to see by my ugly mu until then anyways. Clearly we're still working out the kinks.Let us know your thoughts in the comments or future topics you'd like to hear us discuss!Check out Matt at https://w...2025-03-241h 09SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 3 Survival Skills and FitnessIn our third episode Brad Salon of Roots School and Matt Corradino of Caribbean Earth Skills talk about their experiences and opinions surrounding fitness and survival skills. We talk which skills are hardest on the body, which exercise is applicable to survival, and why fitness is important to pushing these skills.Let us know your thoughts in the comments or future topics you'd like to hear us discuss!Check out Matt at https://www.caribbeanearthskills.com/Check out Brad at https://rootsvt.com/2025-03-241h 01SkillistSkillist Podcast EP 2 Debris Huts (AND WHY THEY SUCK)In our second episode Brad Salon of Roots School and Matt Corradino of Caribbean Earth Skills debate debris huts and their use as a survival shelter.Let us know your thoughts in the comments or future topics you'd like to hear us discuss!Check out Matt at https://www.caribbeanearthskills.com/Check out Brad at https://rootsvt.com/2025-03-2456 minSkillistSkillist Podcast Ep 1 Stone vs Steel (For Survival and Primitive Skills)In our first episode Brad Salon of Roots School and Matt Corradino of Caribbean Earth Skills debate the use of stone vs steel tools for survival, primitive skills, and day to day tasks. Let us know your thoughts in the comments or future topics you'd like to hear us discuss!Check out Matt at https://www.caribbeanearthskills.com/Check out Brad at https://rootsvt.com/2025-03-2459 min