Writing When Violence Is the Answer was only possible with the help and support so many people, more than I can attempt to completely list here.
Some of those people I’m not allowed to name, and I’m incredibly thankful for their support behind the scenes. They do amazing jobs in dangerous environments, and were extremely patient with my questions and extremely helpful with understanding just how violence works in some of the worst parts of our society. To them, I truly, truly thank them for their service and sharing their expertise.
For those I can name, I’m especially grateful for the following people:
First and foremost, my incredible wife, Sasha. She is a captain with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, a mother to my four children, an incredible wife and support system. Without her I never could have been able to write this book and have the time to really craft the information. She supported my travel, my extended interviews, and time away from the family. And she did so with a smile on her face, and with tremendous love. For that I’m eternally grateful to her.
Steven Pressfield, the amazing author of so many great books, like Gates of Fire, and, of course, The War of Art. Years ago Steve hosted me at his house in Malibu, took me to dinner, calmly listened to me while I told him of my exploits, and at the very end told me I had to write a book.
I protested that I didn’t think people would be ready for this type of information, nor find it interesting. He stopped me right there and said, “Tim, I’ve been listening nonstop for the last four hours, and I find it fascinating… so write the book.” To him, I say thank you. He’s the only reason this book exists.
My good friend, Tony Robbins. He has been an amazing friend and supporter. Tony came and trained with me years ago, and our relationship has grown ever since. He made sure that I got the intros to the right people that allowed this book and others to be written. He’s been a tireless supporter of mine, and for that I’m eternally grateful. It’s rare when I meet a celebrity who truly walks the walk. Tony is that guy. Thank you, brother.
Officer Jason Seely, who works at Clark County Detention Center. Jason is a well-connected, low-profile operator in the corrections community, and he selflessly opened many doors to the asocial world of prison gangs, putting me in touch with subject-matter experts whom I never would have had access to as a civilian. They patiently answered my questions, and when it was understood what I was looking for, they thought it was unique and were very helpful. Without Jason this book wouldn’t have much of the crucial info that is critical to true self protection. They shared so much great info; much that was beyond the scope of this book. That is my motivation to dig deeper into this world for my next book and share more of these useful yet disturbing truths.
My good friend and Master Instructor Chris Ranck-Buhr. Chris and I have been training people how to deal with violence for almost a quarter century now. I believe Chris is one of the greatest thinkers and communicators when it comes to how to correctly train people for this subject, and I’m eternally grateful to have been able to spend all these years collaborating with him and learning from him. He’s an amazing individual and, I feel, one of the best communicators when it comes to how to survive asocial violence. Many of the ideas in this book were crafted during my numerous conversations with Chris over the years. He is a gracious man, and a deep thinker.
I am eternally grateful to the very patient, world-class wordsmith Nils Parker. He helped me pare down almost 2,000 pages of information and arrange it, edit it, and wordsmith it into a tight, well laid-out manuscript. I don’t know where I’d be without his guidance.
Ryan Holiday and Brent Underwood of Brass Check. Ryan, in addition to becoming one of my new favorite authors (Ego Is the Enemy, Daily Stoic), is a great strategist and really helped me craft a compelling proposal and then fight for the spirit of the book as we went along the process. Brent has helped me to make sure I reach out to the right people the right way to share the book’s message.
To the TFT instructor staff, clients, and all of my associates that I’ve had discussions with about these topics over the past twenty years. Much of what’s in this book has been developed from those conversations and observations. I’m blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing people, who have delved into this topic with me. Luckily, I never have to worry about being the smartest person in the room, and I’m incredibly thankful for that fact.
To all the great folks at Little, Brown: my editor John Parsley, Gabriella Mongelli, and Michael Noon. They took me through every step of the process, were extremely patient with delays, and really supportive in putting out the book that I’ve wanted to put out for quite some time. I can’t thank them all enough.
To Byrd Leavell, my amazing agent, who fought for this book, and fought for the tone of the book. He got me the deal, and was tireless in his support. I very much appreciate him. He’s a fantastic guy, as well as an incredible agent.
Last but not least, I want to thank my children. My oldest, Conner, is in his twenties as I write this book. He was in my thought process the whole time I was writing it, hoping that he gets to navigate these years without having to use any of this information.
My three youngest, my son Brock and my twin daughters, Rumi and Raegan: It is truly my hope that they get to live lives free of asocial violence. I know that would be a very rare thing, so just in case, I’m leaving this book behind to help them navigate. They were my inspirations.