People often ask me why I joined the CIA. The truth is, when you take a look at my childhood it makes perfect sense. When others were picking up girls, I was running around in the woods with a BB gun (or building a potato launcher out of PVC pipe). I also spent lots of time in the Boy Scouts and eventually became an Eagle Scout. If it had to do with adventure, survival, or being prepared, I was drawn to it. As I grew older, I realized I never wanted a normal desk job, and my first job out of college was as a police officer. Soon after, both the Secret Service and the CIA offered me a job. I figured the CIA would be more exciting so I accepted their offer.
When I joined the CIA in 2003, I never imagined that these same tactics I used as a CIA officer for counterintelligence, surveillance, and protecting agency personnel could be so helpful in everyday civilian life. Because of my top-level training, I am blessed to have many unique skills. I can escape from handcuffs within seconds, pick a lock with ease, hotwire a car, use social engineering to get what I want, and know when someone is telling a lie. I can improvise a weapon, pack a perfect emergency kit, and even disappear off the grid if I need to. I can also determine if I’m being followed, deescalate potentially dangerous encounters with would-be attackers, and keep myself and my family safe, both at home and when traveling. Some of these skills are everyday necessities, while others don’t come into play very often and are intended mostly for your “inner spy.” But all of them can and do save lives. I’d like to share these skills with you because, even though I pray you will never find yourself in danger, you may be the next person saved by this information.
Since leaving the CIA to become an entrepreneur and raise a family, it has been my mission to share my life-saving tactics with others. My passion for personal safety and security led me to open my training school, Spy Escape and Evasion, in 2010. After several extremely successful years teaching these techniques to thousands of people all around the world, including CEOs, celebrities, security specialists, high-net-worth individuals, stay-at-home moms, and college students, I realized it was time to share this information with as many people as possible who are interested in keeping themselves and their families safe. It is my hope that Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life will show you that you don’t have to be an intelligence officer to remain safe in an uncertain world. I have successfully taught my spy escape and evasion techniques to thousands of people through my fun and intensive training courses. My Spy Secrets have helped regular, everyday people thwart kidnappings, stop home invasions, prevent muggings, and avoid carjackings. Here are just a few ways these methods have saved lives:
Amy O. from Virginia knew immediately how to handle herself when she realized she was being followed on a running trail near her home.
Jared L. from Las Vegas knew exactly what to do when he was threatened in an elevator in a parking garage.
Dan P. from Los Angeles shared that after taking my class he was able to avoid harm when an angry and threatening man approached his car near the airport.
Gary S., the vice president of a manufacturing company, who travels eleven months out of the year, avoided two separate mugging attempts in China.
Heather M. from Sarasota, Florida, was able to escape using her tactical pen when two men tried to kidnap her at a gas station.
Dennis R. from Texas was able to survive a violent home invasion by using the tactics taught in my Spy Escape and Evasion course.
These individuals survived potentially dangerous or even life-threatening situations because they knew exactly what to do. They reacted using the various tactics from my courses and avoided becoming victims of violent crimes. It is my goal that after reading this book that you will be empowered and confident, knowing how to respond in any crisis or emergency situation you or your loved ones might face.