Ep. 166: The Trade Gap Is Killing Us - Here’s What No One’s Talking About

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The Silvercore Podcast with Travis Bader

Travis Bader

172 episodes

5 days ago

The Silvercore Podcast explores the mindset and skills that build capable people. Host Travis Bader speaks with hunters, adventurers, soldiers, athletes, craftsmen, and founders about competence, integrity, and the pursuit of mastery, in the wild and in daily life. Hit follow and step into conversations that sharpen your edge.

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Ep. 166: The Trade Gap Is Killing Us - Here’s What No One’s Talking About

The Silvercore Podcast with Travis Bader

1 hour 17 minutes

3 months ago

Ep. 166: The Trade Gap Is Killing Us - Here’s What No One’s Talking About

Zach Hanson was thriving in the world of AI and big tech...until the layoffs came. Two mortgages, a family to support, and no job in sight, he did what few with a white-collar background ever dare: he turned to trapping to survive. In this raw and timely conversation, Zach reveals how losing the comfort of corporate life reconnected him to skills that most of society has forgotten, skills that may be our only hedge in an uncertain future.

Travis and Zach explore what it means to be truly self-reliant in a world increasingly propped up by fragile systems. From welding school to wolf trapping, from modern brain rot to the mental health cost of career fragility, this is a conversation about grit, identity, and rediscovering the value of getting your hands dirty. Zach's new book, The Trade Gap, might just be the blueprint for how to stay human in an AI-powered world.

Order Here: https://geni.us/the-trade-gap

https://thetradegap.com/

https://www.instagram.com/letmedielearning/

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Silvercore Club - https://bit.ly/2RiREb4
Online Training - https://bit.ly/3nJKx7U
Other Training & Services - https://bit.ly/3vw6kSU
Merchandise - https://bit.ly/3ecyvk9
Blog Page - https://bit.ly/3nEHs8W

Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav
Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors

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Timestamps of Key Moments:

00:01:42 – The nostalgic charm of Merits Café and small-town hospitality
00:04:50 – Fishing in Idaho and the surprising joy of tenkara rods
00:08:00 – Life in Atlanta, Idaho and Travis' transformative trip to the Hansons' cabin
00:09:55 – From white collar to off-grid: Zach’s journey into trapping and trades
00:10:45 – Laid off and out of options: how trapping paid the mortgage
00:14:10 – Welding school, starting from zero, and why it matters
00:15:30 – How America abandoned trades and built a fragile workforce
00:18:45 – The great shift in education: STEM vs. self-reliance
00:22:15 – Redefining general education and the modern renaissance person
00:26:50 – The Venn diagram of AI and trades: where the winners will be
00:30:05 – Brain rot, social media, and the cost of convenience
00:34:45 – Travis' AI blunder with GSP and the perils of outsourcing sincerity
00:39:00 – Should we disclose when AI helps us? Ethical lines in creativity
00:44:20 – The power draw of AI and the trades crisis nobody’s ready for
00:47:05 – Oklahoma’s model for reviving trades in high school
00:52:25 – TVM vs. TVE: Why building it yourself will always matter more
01:00:55 – What do you really do? Redefining identity outside of job titles
01:04:00 – What success looks like when you stop chasing titles
01:10:30 – A friend lost to suicide and the mental health cost of obsolescence
01:15:15 – The Adobe example: fear of learning something new vs. choosing growth
01:17:00 – Why The Trade Gap is ultimately about giving people more options