Behind The Shield

Rian Ilett is a Royal Marine, author and cancer survivor. We discuss his early life, attending a scared straight programme in Mexico, his journey into the military, his perspective on war, kindess on the battleground, the injury that revealed his brain tumor, his powerful recovery journey and so much more. Former Royal Marine Commando Lance Corporal (LCpl) Rian Ilett, from Portsmouth in Hampshire, was diagnosed with a brain tumour after he was caught in an explosion while on operations in the Middle East in February 2019. An MRI scan identified the tumour and a biopsy later revealed it was a grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), carrying with it a stark prognosis of just 12 to 15 months. The veteran underwent surgery to debulk the tumour, followed by intensive radiotherapy and chemotherapy. He finished treatment in December 2019 and his scans have remained stable ever since. Now nearly three years post-diagnosis, Rian, a 33-year-old dad-of-two, has written and self-published a book about his experiences. His hope is that ‘Every Day Is A Battle: Fighting demons, Jihadis and terminal cancer’ will inspire and motivate others suffering with physical and mental health problems caused by a life-changing diagnosis.

Daryle Lamont Jenkins is an Air Force veteran, filmaker and the founder of One People's Project. We discuss the power of mentorship, community, the commonalites of Hip Hop and Punk, Neo Nazi groups in America, overcoming division and so much more. Recent movies like “Alt Right- Age of Rage” and the Academy Award-winning short film “Skin” as well as the feature by the same name have shown some of the work done by our founder Daryle Lamont Jenkins.Born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in nearby Somerset, Daryle became influenced by the civil rights movement as a young man. Reading about “enemies” of the civil rights movement made him wonder what happened to the KKK members. Where are they now? Are the leading normal lives and no one knows?At 19, while serving in the military, Daryle saw an episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show on Skinheads. That grew into a lifelong passion for documenting hate politics on the right.Upon returning from the service, he became a part of the punk rock scene. He produced two public access programs about the music he was promoting, and political activism. His work cased conflict with his position as a reporter and an editor for local newspapers.One People’s ProjectWith the founding of One People’s Project, his passion found a home. More importantly, One People’s Project played an instrumental role in causing the collapse of hate groups throughout the country. Daryle’s efforts have exposed those involved in hate politics nationwide. People trying to escape white power circles find support here as well. Bryon Widner is featured in the documentary “Erasing Hate” after working with Daryle to get out of the skinhead movement. “Erasing Hate” has now been turned into a feature-length motion picture! “Skin” starring Jamie Bell, Danielle Macdonald, Vera Farmiga and Mike Colter playing Daryle.Idavox , the media outlet of One People’s Project, keeps us up to date with the latest reports from around the country on hate groups. One People’s Project aims to form a larger community of activists dedicated to antifascist work. The conditions in this country that can lead to racism must be fought at all levels of society.Daryle was a consulting producer of the short film “Skin”, which won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short and has appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show, The Montel Williams Show, 20/20, and AM Joy.

Chuck Liddell is an MMA legend, author and actor. We discuss his early life, overcoming physical challenges, his grandfather's mentorship, altruism, his journey into the martial arts, intrinsic motivation, transitioning out of professional fighting and so much more.

Steve Sakaguchi is a 21 year veteran firefighter and instructor. We discuss the Japanese internment camps of WWII, growing up in the restaurant industry, his journey into the fire service, his leadership failures, finding solutions from outside our profession, the application of leadership, building a training department, firefighter fitness and so much more.

Audra and Chelsi are both married to firefighters and are the women behind the Dear Chiefs Podcast.We discuss their early lives, their partners' journies into the fire service, the impact of mandatory overtime on families, shift work, sleep deprivation, burnout, mental health, healthy transition from work to home and so much more."Once upon a time in the middle of a pandemic, two fire wives and complete strangers met on the internet and decided to start a podcast for first responders and their families. First responders provide safety to our country, and our world, but their safety whether it be mental or physical is severely lacking. Families of these brave and selfless first responders witness the impact of answering the call every day." Through this podcast, we hope to help families understand, support, and build stronger relationships with their first responders, while also finding community and appreciation for themsevles.

Geoff Speyrer is an Army veteran and athlete. We discuss his early life, his journey into the military, protecting EOD, losing friends, TBIs, his jarring transition, incarceration, overcoming addiction, suffering, hormone therapy and so much more.

Mark Testa DC is a Chiropractor, Accupuncturist and the Executive Vice President of Regenexx.We discuss his journey into hollistic medicine, the story behind "Quackery", dry needling, stem cell therapy, PRP, the healing power of Bone Marrow Concentrate, tactical athletes, sleep, aging and so much more.

Kyle O'Neill is a veteran firefighter, cancer survivor and now holds a wellness role where he helps fellow firefighters with their own cancer journeys.We discuss his path into the fire service, some career calls, sleep deprivation, carcinogens, post fire decontamination, PFAS, his own powerful cancer survivor story, building resources for prevention and treatment and so much more.

Ken Druck, Ph.D. is a leading mental health expert focused on the areas of civility, relationships, and aging. He writes regularly for the national press and is the author of several books including "How we go on."In this second conversation, we discuss mental health in our children, aging, grief, the psychological impact of war and so much more.Dr. Druck's pioneering work over the past 40 years, has included Executive Coaching/Consulting, Visionary Leadership, The Psychology of Men, Parent Effectiveness, Healing After Loss, Resilience and, most recently, Courageous Aging.Recipient of the "Distinguished Contribution to Psychology" and "Visionary Leadership" awards for his community service and lifetime achievements, Dr. Druck is widely recognized as a lifeline to the countless thousands of individuals, families, communities and organizations he's helped. His body of work, including the founding of The Jenna Druck Center to honor the life and spirit of his daughter, Jenna, set a new standard of care and healing following tragedies like 9-11, Columbine, Katrina and Sandy Hook.Today, Dr. Druck lives and maintains a small coaching and consulting practice on the ocean in Del Mar, California, writing and speaking prolifically on subjects he loves, working on community service and civility projects and enjoying the quiet beauty of life.

Royal Marines Commando Mark Ormrod lost both legs and an arm after kneeling on an IED on Christmas Eve, 2007. Mark defied all odds, becoming an elite athlete and Invictus Games multiple gold medalist. We discuss the importance of training, trauma medicine, physical and mental resilience and so much more.In the early hours of Christmas Eve 2007, Royal Marines Commando Mark Ormrod was out on a routine foot patrol in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan when he stepped on and triggered an Improvised Explosive Device. Thanks to the swift action of the men around him and the intervention of the Medical Emergency Response Team he was airlifted via helicopter to an emergency field hospital in a desperate attempt to try and save his life. An innovative and dangerous procedure carried out onboard a Chinook helicopter en route to the hospital did save his life. He woke up three days later in the UK in Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham: Both legs amputated above the knee and his right arm amputated above the elbow. He was the UK’s first triple amputee to survive the Afghanistan conflict.During his recovery the doctors told him that he’d never walk again and that he should prepare himself for the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Now it would have been understandable for Mark to bitterly withdraw in a state of anger and depression and to resign himself to live life on the sidelines. It would have been easy for him to cash in his disability pension and whittle away the days, forever regretting the decision to join the Marines and to deploy to Afghanistan, but he didn’t. To the contrary he used his set back as a springboard for growth and reinvention.Today, Mark Ormrod is an internationally acclaimed motivational speaker, a peak performance coach, and the author of the award winning auto-biography Man Down. He is a source of daily inspiration for the thousands of people who follow him on Social Media. He has three children, a beautiful wife and an insatiable lust for life. He is a relentless charitable fund-raiser and a daredevil who has performed stunts that many able bodied athletes would find daunting. He has not used a wheel chair since June 9th 2009 and he jokes about the fact that children call him Iron-Man because of his high-tech prosthetics legs. As well as a peak performance coach he is a mentor and a role model to other amputees and an ambassador for the Royal Marines Association. His sense of humour is only equalled by his sense of wonder, love for learning and love for life.Mark Ormrod turned his personal tragedy into an on going story of personal success and he is now committed to helping others who may have suffered setbacks or feel they are not yet achieving their maximum potential to take charge of their lives, unleash their personal power and live a life with#NoLimits

John Wolf is a strength and conditioning coach and the man behind Wolf Pack Coaching and Consulting.We discuss his journey into strength training, kettlebells, mace work, the psychology of coaching, foundation training, his powerful mental health story, growth and much more.

John Womak was seven years old when his mother's intoxicated boyfriend crashed, ejecting John, leaving him with life long scars. He became a police officer and by a twist of fate, headed up his department's DUI division. We discuss his healing form the physical and emotional injuries as a child, his journey into law enforcement, traffic deaths, improving road safety, school education, smart phones and accidents, alcohol, his work with MADD and much more.

Gerard Devine is an award-winning Irish poet who lives a life less ordinary. The former carpenter is a full-time firefighter in Dublin City. We discuss his early life, building houses in Ireland and America, hurling, dispatch, mental health, fitness, his poetry and much more.Prior to joining the fire brigade, Gerard spent many years working on the building sites of Dublin, Boston and San Francisco. He still plies his building skills by volunteering to work in third-world countries such as Africa. An animal and nature lover Gerard recently moved up into the inspiring Wicklow mountains where he lives in harmony with nature with wife Stephanie and their rescue dog Saoirse.While his favourite poet is the wonderful WB Yeats much of Gerard’s poetry is inspired by Irish ballads and singers like Shane McGowan and Christy Moore.Gerard was recently invited back to his old school O Connell’s where ex-pupils include Thomas Kinsella, James Joyce, and Luke Kelly.Gerard’s poetry is now being studied there which is a great honour to the Dublin native.

Jay Dobyns is a retired 27 year veteran of the ATF agent who spent two years undercover infiltrating the Hell's Angels. We discuss his early life, courage, bullies, the price of service, the Columbine massacre, slapdicks, organizational failure and much more.Jay Dobyns is a retired federal agent having served for twenty-seven years at ATF.He achieved worldwide notoriety as one of history's most daring undercover operators during high-octane missions targeting America's violent crime while playing a shrewdly-calculating hitman, mob debt collector, and gunrunner. He is best known for his landmark infiltration of the notorious Hells Angels motorcycle gang.Jay has been featured in over a dozen film and television shows and is the author of two best-selling books, No Angel, My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels, and, Catching Hell, A True Story of Abandonment and Betrayal. A criminal defense attorney once described Jay as: "...a government-trained ‘Predator’ repeatedly sent on seek and destroy missions in search of drugs, guns, and violence with instructions to succeed at any cost without regard for the agent himself or those he crosses paths with.”Jay was an All-Pac 10 wide receiver and All-American candidate at the University of Arizona, coached high school football coach for 15 years, and is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona.                                                                  

Dr Jonathan Edwards is an anesthesiologist and the author of multiple books including "The Revolutionary Ketamine."We discuss the suicide that sent him into medicine, riding motocross, anaesthesiology, his lens on COVID, the healing power of Ketamine, pain, post traumatic growth, first responder and military mental health, percutaneous hydrotomy and much more.

David Hughes is a retired North Carolina State Trooper and father to Drew Hughes, who died after a series of medical errors at only 13 years old. David tells Drew's powerful story to try and educate the medical community and prevent a tragedy like his son's death from occurring again. Do not miss this powerful and tragic story.https://www.doitfordrew.org/

Professor Alan Shebaro earned his Black Belt from Carlos Machado in 2004 and is currently ranked as a 4th degree Black Belt under Professor Chris Haueter. He was 1 of only 4 Black Belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the U.S. Army and is the first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt in Special Forces Regiment. He is also the founder of the Veteran non-profit We Defy Foundation.We discuss his early life, his path into the martial arts, his journey ito the military, how 9/11 was the catalyst for his special forces career, his invaluable perpective on Gaza, healing through jiu jitsu and much more.

Eric Tung is is a 16 year Law Enforcement officer and the man behind Blue Grit Wellness.We discuss his family's immigration story, his journey into policing, the emotional cost of officer involved shootings, the power of humility, social media, mentorship, schood safety and so much more. Eric Tung has been a police officer in Washington state for 16 years.  He currently serves as a patrol operations commander in Kent, WA.  He also oversees peer support and wellness programs at his department and collaborates regionally with other police wellness leaders.His experiences and those of his teammates, colleagues and best friends have shaped his focus and desire to guide and mentor in forms that support mental and physical health and resilience.  As an officer, he worked in Patrol, as a Field Trainer, K9 Officer and in the Civil Disturbance Unit (riot response).  After promoting to sergeant, he supervised various patrol squads and was a team leader and trainer in the Civil Disturbance Unit.After working briefly as the supervisor in neighborhood response (community education/chronic problem solving), he undertook the challenge of Recruiting and Hiring for his police department.  With a department of 166 sworn having seen recent vacancies hovering around 25%, he knew it was where he could make the most significant impact for his team's culture, morale, and critical value to the community.Eric has been a long-time member of his department's Peer Support Team, but became the team coordinator following his promotion and loss of his friend and colleague, Diego Moreno. As the coordinator of peer support efforts, Eric is also one of the department's certified Critical Incident Stress Debrief facilitators.  He runs such CISDs for his department as well as other area agencies for such incidents as traumatic calls, officer-involved shootings, and line of duty deaths.  As a fitness trainer for his agency, Eric programs and leads group and individual workouts and coaching.   As a Certified Functional Strength Coach via CFSC, Mike Boyle's system, he delivers practical exercise and fitness content that promotes performance and longevity.In his current role, in addition to the oversight of day-to-day operations, his focus is on building a culture of mentorship and wellness through innovative thinking, intentional effort, modeling, and unparalleled relationship-building. ​Eric became a police officer to help others and challenge himself.  He has been able to continue to grow in his various roles and looks to use Blue Grit to connect with, coach, and mentor not only police officers and first responders, but those looking to enter the career field, and agencies looking to expand and develop in the realms of health, wellness, culture-building, recruitment, and retention.

Pasi Sahlberg is a Finnish author, educator and speaker. He has spent his entire life around education, living in both the US and Australia. We discuss his early life, the Finnish education model, standardised testing, supporting schools in low income areas, the importance of play, mental health in children and much more.Pasi Sahlberg is Finnish educator, teacher, and author. He has worked as a schoolteacher, teacher-educator, academic, and policymaker in Finland, and he has advised schools and education system leaders around the world. He served as a senior education specialist at the World Bank (Washington, DC), lead education specialist at the European Training Foundation (Torino, Italy), director general at the Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture (CIMO), and visiting professor of Practice at Harvard University. He is a recipient of several awards for his lifelong service in education, including the 2012 Education Award (Finland), the 2014 Robert Owen Award (Scotland), the 2016 Lego Prize (Denmark), Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Resident Fellowship in 2017, and Dr Paul Brock Memorial Medal in 2021. In 2013 his book “Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland” won the Grawemeyer Award (U.S.) for an idea that has potential to change the world. His most recent books include "Let the Children Play: How more play will save our schools and help children thrive" (2019, with William Doyle), "Finnish Lessons 3.0: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland” (2021), and "In Teachers We Trust: The Finnish way to world-class schools" (2021, with Tim Walker). He is currently Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Pasi lives in South Melbourne with his wife and two sons.

Brian Hillard is a 25 year veteran special effects artist and CEO of Metasphere industries.We discuss his early life, his journey into movie make up, zombie auditions, moulage and training, veteran and first responder mental health, using his special effects skillset as therapy for trauma and so much more.

Nick Hall was 8 years old when a murderer invaded his family's home. Through a tragic miscommunication, his mother shot by a police sniper after being mistaken for the attacker. Despite this trauma, Nick followed a career in law enforcement, choosing to be part of the solution.We discuss his early life, living through a hostage situation, his journey to overcome trauma, his journey into policing, fitness, nutrition and so much more.

Mickey Farrell is a Lieutenant in the New York City Fire Department, a third-generation firefighter with 29 years of experience, the last 23 years being with the FDNY. Also a team instructor at the New York City Fire Academy, founder and author of Top Floor Tactics, and host of A View From the Top Floor Podcast.We discuss his journey into the fire service, his powerful 9/11 story, truck company operations, his thoughts on primary search, lithium ion battery fire, firefighter fitness, cancer and much more.

Eric Potterat, Ph.D. is a Clinical, Performance and Sport Psychologist who is considered one of the leading experts in high performance psychology, performance optimization, decision-making and teamwork under pressure, mental skills training, and individual and organizational resilience. He retired as a Commander in the Navy after 20 years of service, the last 10 of which he served as the Head Psychologist for the US Navy SEALs and was responsible for all the psychological Assessment, Selection, Development, Maintenance and Enhancement programs for all Navy SEALs worldwide.He also worked for the Los Angeles Dodgers as their Director of Specialized Performance Programs for 7 years, where he managed the mental performance optimization programs, the pre-draft talent acquisition and scouting character assessments, player mental performance profiles/development, etc. His experience in sport is wide ranging. He was also with Red Bull North America for 6 years as their High Performance Psychologist, where he developed and managed the mental performance and mental skills optimization programs for over 850 Red Bull athletes worldwide.He has been the performance psychologist on teams that have won the MLB World Series and the FIFA World Cup. For the last 25 years, he has focused his research and practice on teachable and actionable mental performance techniques, stress resilience, character development, selection, neuropsychology, decision-making under stress, mental toughness training, and elite human performance in extreme environments. He is also credited for developing and implementing the Mental Toughness Training Program for the U.S. Navy SEALs and embedding it into their training pipeline, as well as creating the Performance Psychology program for Red Bull High Performance athletes.He has 30 peer-reviewed, professional journal and/or chapter publications, has been featured on national media (History Channel, MSNBC, national magazines, etc.), and has served as a consultant and speaker on human factors, assessment and selection, performance optimization and mental toughness to many organizations including, NASA, Fortune 500 Companies and Executives, the U.S. Olympic Training Center, many law enforcement and government agencies, and numerous professional (NFL, MLB, NBA, etc.) and collegiate sports teams.https://learnedexcellence.com/

1SG (Ret) Matt Eversmann was one of the Army Rangers portrayed in the movie "Black Hawk Down", chronicling the courageous actions of Task Force Ranger, during the Battle of Mogadishu. We discuss the importance of training, setting the bar high, complacency, ownership and much more.First Sergeant (ret) Matt Eversmann personifies the importance of duty, courage and selfless service to succeed when ordinary circumstances become extraordinary challenges.On October 3, 1993, Matt was placed in charge of a group of Army Rangers to lead a daytime raid against an eager enemy militia. His inspiring story of survival was immortalized in the epic film, Black Hawk Down, which recounts the harrowing experience. For his actions on the battlefield he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device.During his remaining time in uniform, he worked at the Army War College, taught at The Johns Hopkins University and finally deployed to Iraq where he lived with the Iraqi Army for 15 months during The Surge. He remained on active duty until May of 2008, when he retired after 20 years of service.His frustration with the typical hiring process for veterans fueled his desire to help others avoid the “veterans predicament” —great servicemen and women overlooked because of the status quo. He and his wife Tori founded Eversmann Advisory in early 2018. Their mission is to connect great veterans with exceptional employers who realize their value.Represented by Keppler Speakers, he is also a published author, The Battle of Mogadishu, and documentarian. His film “Send Me” is in post production. He and Tori live in West Palm Beach, Florida with their daughter and two black labs. Matt is a big fan of his Big Green Egg, travel and is an aspiring surfer.

Mike Jolly is a former College Football player, actor, stuntman, coach and the inventor of "The Iron Neck".We discuss his athletic journey, concussion and youth athletes, neck strength and brain health, acting, professional wrestling, firefighter helmets, aviation, traumatic brain injuries and much more.

Buck Brannaman is a a world renowned horseman, author and subject of the documentary "Buck". We discuss his traumatic childhood, the healing power of kindness, mentoring, equine therapy, prisons and much more.For over 30 years, Buck Brannaman has been working with horses and their owners and today is one of the world’s leading practitioners of handling horses based on classical concepts from the California vaquero tradition; working with the horse's nature, using an understanding of how horses think and communicate to train the horse to accept humans and work confidently and responsively with them. One of his stated goals is to make the animal feel safe and secure around humans so that the horse and rider can achieve a true union. Buck travels most of the year doing horsemanship clinics in the United States, Europe and Australia & New Zealand. When not on the road, he lives with his wife Mary and their horses in Sheridan, Wyoming.

Ted Stern is a former law enforcement officer, coach and the co-founder of Fit Responder. We discuss his early life, his journey into policing, training the tactical athlete, fitness standards, his own weight loss story, creating a more resilient workforce, building a business and much more.

Ryan Allen is a veteran firefighter, international rope rescue competitor and member of the Orange County climb team.We discuss his journey into the fire service, California vs Florida training, the recruitment crisis, his path into special operations, some notable water rescues, firefighter fitness, knowledge sharing with international agencies, the nuances of the Orlando Wheel training, The Central Florida Rope Rescue Challenge and much more.

Joel Salatin, 64, calls himself a Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer. Others who like him call him the most famous farmer in the world, the high priest of the pasture, and the most eclectic thinker from Virginia since Thomas Jefferson. Those who don’t like him call him a bio-terrorist, Typhoid Mary, charlatan, and starvation advocate.We discuss the devolution of faming, the carcinogens in our food, repairing our farm land through regenerative farming, the obesity and cancer crisis, plant medicine and so much more.

Thaer Ahmad, MD is a board certified emergency medicine physician in Chicago. Dr. Ahmad is the assistant program director for the emergency medicine residency program at Advocate Christ Medical Center. He also serves as the global health director and medical ethics director for the emergency department at Advocate Christ. Dr. Ahmad is a clinical assistant professor at the university of Illinois at Chicago and a board member for MedGlobal, a medical humanitarian NGO that works at building healthcare capacity at reducing health inequities globally.Thaer just returned from a humanitarian medical aid mission in Gaza. We discuss his parents' immigration story, the Israeli doctor that saved his father's life, the community in Jerusalem, violence and addiction in Chicago, the impact of poverty in America, October 7, the immense civilian death toll in Gaza, the lifeline UNRWA is for the Palestinian people, how we can help and much more.

Dr Andrew Lock is a world record holding strength athlete, bodybuilding judge and physiotherapist.We discuss his early life in Australia, training the youth athlete, body dysmorphia, the anatomy of shoulder pain, the power of corrective exercise, the evolution of the spine, healing back pain, MMA, the tactical athlete and so much more.

Jim Lydon is a former firefighter, dispatcher, fire chief, city manager and current member of the All American Leadership team.We discuss starting volunteer firefighting at a very young age, the evolution of dispatching, his journey through the ranks, how he overcame losing sight in one eye, his powerful mental health story, his cancer battle, leadership in the fire service and so much more.

Tori Gonzalez was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas when a former student murdered 17 schoolchildren and staff in 2018, including her boyfriend Joaquin Oliver. Anthony Gonzalez is Tori's father and was one of the responding firefighters to the attack. We discuss their early lives, Tori and Joaquin's romance, the aftermath of the massacre, grief, tactical medicine, the media, mental health and so much more.

Tommy Aceto is a former Navy SEAL and a member of the Veteran's Mental Health Leadership Coalition,We discuss his early life, his journey into the Navy, Special Operations, his perspective on war, his transition story, how psychedelic therapy saved his life, the power of plant medicine, Robert Kennedy Jr and so much more.

Jocko Willink is a Retired US Navy SEAL officer, author and co-founder of Echelon Front. We discuss the impact of the pandemic, overcoming fear, efficiency in business, building a resilient population, mental health, the evolution of Echelon Front and much more.

Bruce Schutter is a former volunteer rescue squad member, EMT and the man behind "Becoming a Mental Health Warrior.We discuss volunteering at a very early age, the impact of trauma on a young mind, some career calls as an EMT, his battle with alcoholism, consumerism, his post traumatic growth story, the tools he shares to overcome addiction and so much more.

Jonathan Levitt is an athlete, podcaster and the Senior Sales Executive for InsideTracker.We discuss youth athletics, his experience as a camp counselor, the importance of comprehensive bloodwork, sleep, hormone disruption, their First Responder Panel, his passion for running, podcasting and much more.

Ron Stallworth is a Colorado Springs PD Veteran and the subject of the movie Blackkklansman. As a young black undercover officer, Ron was able to infiltrate the local KKK chapter. We discuss his journey into law enforcement, white supremacy in America, dirty cops (and firefighters), unorthodox policing, courage, community and much more.

Greg Grogan is a Marine veteran, Coast Guard Reserve, Law Enforcement officer and co-founder of The Overwatch Collective.We discuss his journey into the military, policing our waterways, first responder mental health, finding culturally competant clinicians and much more.

Chris Lytle was one of the top UFC welterweight fighters whilst serving as a full time firefighter. Since then, Chris continues to serve his community as a firefighter and advocate through his project "The Chris Lytle Foundation". We talk training, fighting, setting the bar high in the fire service, why he entered politics, his foundation and much more.

Pat Kenny is a retired Illinois Fire Chief and the Author of "Taking the Cape Off".In this third conversation, we discuss the house fire that affected his own family, his powerful trip to Ireland, multi generational trauma, the hiring crisis and much more.

Captain Dale Dye is a Marine veteran, author, actor and renowned Hollywood military technical advisor.We discuss his latest project Masters of the Air, the unique military bootcamp he put the cast through, a behind the scenes glimpse at the technology involved, Band of Brothers stories, his powerful perspective on mental health, the Afghanistan withdrawal and much more.

Jim Wendler is a world renowned strength coach, powerlifter and the creator of the 5/3/1 system.We discuss Jim's early life, his journey into strength training, collegiate football, powerlifting, training the tactical athlete, mentorship, his own near death experience and much more.

Lisalee Loew is a Natural Healing Practitioner, breathwork coach and part of the team at the Shatterproof program for military and first responders.We discuss her early life, her powerful story overcoming alcoholism, the 12 step program's incredible success rate, the hollistic therapies she gleaned along her healing journey, using breath to combat trauma and so much more.

Pat Kenny is the Fire Chief of Western Springs, Illinois and published author in the fire safety and mental health arena. We discuss childhood trauma, mental health, his son's battle with depression, suicide, cancer, messages from heaven, resiliency and much more.

Jason Gilbert is a Human Performance Optimization Specialist, author and a World Surf League Sports Practitioner. We discuss his childhood back pain that led him into Chiropractic, heavy metal poisoning, functional medicine, prevention through nutrition, Foundation Training the surf athlete, the power of sleep and much more.

Nicole Angemi is a Pathology Assistant, author and the woman hehind "The Gross Room".We discuss becoming a mother at a young age, her journey into medicine, finding pathology, using her work to educate, obesity, cancer, pregnancy, firefigher marriage and so much more.

Dr Edith Eger is a psychologist, author and Auschwitz survivor. We discuss her early life in Hungary, living through ballet, seeing kindness amongst immense cruelty, her own journey of healing, counselling veterans, finding the bigot within yourself, the first responder community and so much more.

Jeremy Scharlow is a public speaker, advocate for military and law enforcement veterans, and author of the book, “My Brother’s Keeper: Relearning to Live with PTSD.” We discuss his journey into policing, the world of dispatch, the shooting that left him with physcial and psychological wounds, his powerful mental health story, the tools he used for post traumatic growth, the healing power of community, Operation Enduring Warrior and much more.

Capt. Dale Dye revolutionized Hollywood war movies by putting the actors through a military style boot camp. We talk about his career in the Marines, the horrors of war, mental health, his transition into the film industry, Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and his latest project "No Better Place To Die".