Former U.S. President, John F. Kennedy is often credited for saying “a rising tide lifts all boats.” This is an aphorism, an observation that contains a general truth. In this case, the “tide” refers to a collective effort, and the “boats” represent the individuals or organizations who are a part of that effort.
What Kennedy’s aphorism implies, is that, if we collectively focus our efforts towards a singular purpose, those who are actively taking part in that effort will benefit as a result. I’d like to take a moment to highlight how Nick Italiano’s Raise The Flag podcast is doing just that.
Black Flag Survival
Nick is an outdoor enthusiast who has made it his life’s mission to not only empower those working in the outdoor industry, but to teach others some basics of outdoor survival skills. His efforts embody the spirit of “a rising tide”, and the contributions he’s made to those who have reached out for his help cannot be understated. Some of Nick’s accomplishments include:
- Black Flag Outdoor Academy: An online resource that teaches some fundamentals of surviving the outdoors.
- Black Flag Business Solutions: A platform to help those outdoor industry folks navigate things like sales, marketing, finance and more.
- Black Flag Survival Blog: Where Nick pays homage to some of his favorite gear and outdoor topics.
- Raise The Flag: And last but not least, the weekly podcast where Nick and his crew—Heather Saulsbury of PNWBushcraft, and Tom “Nuge” Nugent of Knives By Nuge—discuss anything and everything amongst themselves and with guests.
It was on the Raise The Flag podcast that Vargöld made its first overt foray into the public sphere! We were honored when Nick invited us on to the show, and it really was a motivating force to get the website running smoothly, and to get that first online course put together and published.
Vargöld will always be grateful for the opportunity to bump podcast elbows with such a great group of people! Truth be told, it was a little nerve wracking to speak about something you’ve worked so hard on, knowing it would be broadcasted to a potentially endless audience of listeners.
However, despite working through a few bouts of “uh’s” and “um’s” while thoughts were collected, Nick and the crew were friendly, pleasant to converse with, and made it easy to feel comfortable as a guest. (and first time podcaster)
You can listen to the podcast below, and hear for yourself how passionate the folks over at Black Flag are about what they do.
Raise The Flag
In the year 2024, we are bombarded with messages that divide us, or encourage us to focus inward—care only for ourselves. And that is truly unfortunate. As in Kennedy’s time, when humanity achieved space travel for the first time, we can accomplish so much more by working together. People like Nick, Heather, and Tom “Nuge” are a light in the darkness for folks in the outdoor industry who struggle each day to see their efforts take off.
A Toast To The Black Flag
Sometimes it is easy to forget all of the extra things that helped you achieve your goals. Maybe a single sentence of advice from an old friend, or some random occurrence that lead to the next great idea. Fortunately, we have things like this blog post to memorialize events, and contemplate the past, present and future.
Which is why I’d like to give a virtual toast to Black Flag Survival and its Raise The Flag podcast. And especially to Nick, Heather and Tom, we cannot thank you enough! It is my hope that you can continue to encourage and inspire others through an act as simple as inviting them to embarrass themselves on a podcast. Keep up the amazing work, and keep floating those boats!
Learn Before You Go!
Enhance your survival and self-reliance skills before attending an in-person course:
- Online Survival Courses: Dive into a range of topics with our comprehensive online courses.
- In-Person Training and Gear: Explore survival and self-reliance training companies, and stores that sell great gear.
- Gear Store: Gear up with the latest equipment from our ever-growing selection.
Leave a Comment