Ep. 177: SBS Special Forces Veteran on Violence, Awareness, and Self Protection

Violence arrives fast and leaves a long shadow.Former British SBS Special Forces veteran Sonny Smith returns to the Silvercore Podcast for a grounded conversation on awareness, personal safety, and the realities of physical confrontation.Drawing from experience in UK Special Forces, executive protection, surveillance work, and professional bare knuckle boxing, Sonny talks through how people are selected as targets, how situations escalate, and where confidence drifts ahead of capability. We discuss awareness as a practiced discipline, avoidance as a measure of competence, and the responsibility that comes with force.As the conversation deepens, it turns inward. We explore life after high risk work, mental health, identity, and the weight carried once the external danger fades. Sonny speaks openly about his personal experiences with ayahuasca as part of a broader reflection on trauma, accountability, and integration, without instruction or advocacy.This episode is a clear-eyed look at judgment, restraint, and what survival demands, both in moments of danger and across a lifetime.Buy Man Protect Here - https://a.co/d/2C4SVkxFollow Sonny - https://www.instagram.com/sixsightco/Six Sight Training Wing - https://www.instagram.com/sixsight.coSix Sight Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@SixSight_____Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.travSilvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors____Timestamps00:00 – Why most people misunderstand violence03:45 – Bare knuckle boxing and reality versus fantasy08:55 – Confidence, competence, and dangerous gaps13:40 – Awareness without paranoia18:25 – How predators actually select targets23:10 – Situational awareness beyond buzzwords28:00 – Subtle cues people miss before violence starts33:15 – Why most self protection training fails38:05 – Avoidance as a trained skill43:20 – When violence becomes unavoidable48:10 – Knives, firearms, and uncomfortable truths54:30 – The psychological cost of physical confrontationMental Health and Psychedelics01:00:05 – Life after violence and high risk careers01:04:30 – Trauma, identity, and suppressed damage01:10:15 – Why some people turn to ayahuasca01:16:40 – Expectations versus reality01:22:30 – Integration, responsibility, and accountability01:28:10 – Mental health without shortcuts01:33:40 – What survival actually means long term