Restless Native: Ben O'Brien, YETI Marketing Guy, Writer, Philosopher

“We have control of how we’re perceived. We don’t have control of the prism for which that perception happens.”

- Ben O'Brien, Hunting Marketing Manager, YETI

Perception isn’t just important. Perception is reality.

Today’s guest is outdoor philosopher, writer and the Hunting Marketing Manager at YETI, Ben O'Brien. Ben's made some waves lately with his comments on that reality for hunters. He’s known for speaking his mind, and not shying away from controversy. Beyond his commentary on grip and grins and why he doesn't share them anymore, you might have heard about a little disagreement between his employer and the NRA. He saw it all first hand. 

And yes, we talk about it. 

This show's so much more than that though. We go deep on some fresh topics with Ben. I've been a fan of Ben's for a few years now. He's a great writer, and I love how he challenges authority and common perceptions. He doesn't accept ideals just because they've existed for decades. In fact, he's the kind of guy who might find that as a reason to challenge them. 

We’ll talk about Ben’s background as a writer, and I surprise him with a few fun questions from a hunter most of you probably know well. If you make it to the end, I'll even introduce you to another fella named Coyote Walsh. Yep.  

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Topics Covered:

• Thoughtful conversation in hunting
• The Hunting Collective, brought to you by Corona
• NRA piece, “A Right to Be Human”
• Who’s controlling the future of hunting?
• The prism of perception
• Ben’s “grip and grin” tale
• Hunting with superstars & trying to stay grounded
• Logical fallacies within hunting
• Pittman-Robertson funds
• “I’m a snowman, not a snowflake”
• Social media—it’s not the problem, we are
• The Yeti and the NRA…
• Lanai recap and a surprise question from a celebrity
• Coyote Walsh
• Hunting with the ultimate hunting badasses & turkey hunting woes