Guns and Mental Health by Walk the Talk America

In this episode of the Guns & Mental Health podcast, Michael Sodini and Kevin Berry sit down with Charles Anderson, CEO in the firearms media world behind Bleeker Street Publications, Athlon Outdoors, and its family of brands. What starts as a chance bar conversation at NASGW turns into a powerful, honest discussion about what it looks like to live with mental health struggles while building a high profile career. Charles shares his path from growing up poor in a wealthy New York town, to the high pressure brokerage world later portrayed in The Wolf of Wall Street, to venture capital, and eventually to becoming one of the most influential voices in firearms media. Along the way, he breaks down the reality of imposter syndrome, why “success” does not protect anyone from dark moments, and the coping framework that helped him survive when nothing else felt believable. Michael and Kevin connect the conversation to WTTA’s “Cause a Pause” mindset, and explore why the firearms industry has often been hesitant to engage tough topics like suicide prevention, and why that is finally changing. If you’ve ever looked successful on paper but felt like you were one bad day away from unraveling, this one is for you. Resources: If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 in the U.S. for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome and introductions 01:10 — How Michael and Charles met at NASGW 03:20 — The phrase that stopped Michael in his tracks 04:10 — Charles’ background, Detroit and “keeping it real” 05:30 — Normalizing mental health talk in gun culture 06:40 — Growing up poor in a wealthy town 07:40 — From teenage stockbroker to Wolf of Wall Street reality 09:20 — Pressure, substance abuse, and the crash 10:20 — 9/11 grief, New York’s collective trauma, and leaving for Michigan 12:10 — First gun, training, and starting a blog 13:40 — When the blog started outranking major gun companies 14:50 — From agency life to running major publications 16:20 — Why authenticity matters, especially in this industry 18:10 — Imposter syndrome, image, and the pressure to “fit in” 21:20 — Chat question, why so little 2A legal coverage in publications 23:50 — Why “facts only” content struggles to get attention 27:10 — Why the gun industry avoided mental health for so long 31:40 — “You could kill yourself tomorrow”, what it really means 35:10 — The link to addiction recovery and getting through the next minute 38:30 — Why it works in conversation, but not as a slogan 41:10 — Permission, options, and Dr. Conte’s framework 44:30 — How imposter syndrome shows up, even during success 48:10 — What helps, therapy, self-awareness, and catching it earlier 57:40 — External “pull backs”, friends, helping others, and connection 01:01:30 — The “doom scroll” problem and a surprising coping tool 01:08:40 — The gambler mindset vs stability, and why some people must build 01:17:30 — How Charles tends to his mental health in real life 01:21:40 — Sponsors and shout out to Aguil Send us a text Walk the Talk America would like to thank our partners who make these conversations possible and want to highlight our top two partner tiers below! Platinum Tier: Ruger Armscor Gold Tier: NASGW Lipsey's Davidson's