Behind The Shield

Jeremy Donch is a firefighter, entrepreneur and the man behind National Fire Radio. We discuss his firefighting family legacy, tradition, volunteerism, igniting a burning desire to serve, the work life balance struggle, fire service innovation, the power of podcasting and much more.

Ernie Colling is an Army Infantry veteran and founder of the wellness company Transcend. We discuss his early life, his journey into the military, multiple near death experiences, contracting, entrepreneurship, the factors that cause homone imbalance, testosterone replacement therapy, blood work, mental health, The Transcend Foundation, 7x and much more.

Shane Trotter is an Educator, Strength and Conditioning Coach and the author of "Setting the Bar". We discuss Shane's journey into teaching, coaching the youth athlete, the obesity epidemic, physical education in our schools, the impact of social media on our children, creating an environment for them to thrive and so much more.

Jim Poole is Chairman, President and CEO of Solace Lifesciences, Inc., maker of NuCalm® which is a neuroscience technology designed to relieve stress and improve sleep quality without drugs. We discuss growing up in a family of mental health professionals, his journey into neuroscience, homelessness, the neurobiology of mental illness, the science behind NuCalm, how it's used by NASA, Special Operators and Monks, the smartphone technology that has finally made it available to the general public and so much more. Take the time to listen to this episode. I promise you won't be disappointed. And then try NuCalm and begin your own healing journey. https://www.nucalm.com/

Sandy wall is a retired law enforcemet officer, SWAT legend and the author of "The Long Road Home". We discuss his early life, his journey into law enforcement, the war on drugs, the evolution of SWAT, the importance of K9s, school safety, the mental health crisis, catharsis through writing and so much more.

Brandon Evans is a Canadian firefighter and the man behind "Fire to Light". We discuss the journey to India that led him to studying mindfulness under the Dalai Lama, his journey into the fire service, his own powerful mental health story, the power of compassion, meditation, living in Costa Rica, education and much more.

Ken Rideout is a former prison guard, investor and elite endurance athlete. We discuss growing up in Boston, his road into corrections, entering finance, overcoming his opiate addiction, finding running, the genesis of his athletic success, the power of the growth mindset, leadership, discipline, his podcast with Teddy Atlas and so much more.

Dave Sanders joined the police in 2001. He retired in January 2023 having spent his career in London in a variety of posts from foot patrol to public order units, serving the last ten years on Armed Response Vehicles as a team sergeant, operational firearms commander and firearms tactical advisor. In this second conversation, we discuss his personal experience of the Pandemic, fitness in law enforcement, the knife crime epidemic, firearms and the UK, domestic terrorism and so much more.

John Spera and Corey Sutton are both Colorado firefighters and the men behind Respond Wellness. We discuss Corey's journey into professional football, traumatic brain injury, his road into the fire service, sleep deprivation, the tactical athlete, shift work, the healing power of CBD, the genesis of their company and so much more.

Javeno McClean is a former professional cricket player, champion powerlifter and the man behind the J7 Health Centre. We discuss his early life in England, playing cricket in India, his journey into coaching, training the adaptive community, the importance of physical touch, some of the incredible athletes he's coached, seeing humanity in everyone and so much more.

Derek Woodske is a former world champion hammer thrower, revered strength and conditioning coach, and law enforcement officer. We discuss his early life in rural Canada, his journey into athletics, performance vs wellness in young athletes, overcoming injury, studying under Charles Poliquin, the power of sleep, his path into law enforcement, supplementation and so much more.

Alex Jabr is a Paramedic, EMS Coordinator and the woman behind Emergency Resilience. In this second conversation we discuss the impact of loss of life during the pandemic, her PhD on Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy in the Fire Service, Ketamine myths, the successes Ketamine has had in PTSD, her own experience with this therapy and so much more.

Joe DiBernardo is a retired FDNY Deputy Chief and the President of the Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation. We discuss his early life, serving as Army Reconnaissance in Vietnam, his road into the fire service, some of his many career calls, his son Joseph's path into the FDNY, the "Black Sunday Fire", losing his son in 2011, the importance of bail out equipment, the foundation and so much more.

Nicholas Seedsman is a former Australian SAS operator and the founder of the Warrior Refit Foundation. We discuss his early life in Australia, his journey into the Special Forces, his perception of war, traumatic brain injury, the crippling effects of autoimmune disease, mental health, the power of stem cell therapy, psychedelics, his non-profit and so much more.

Jason Bitzer is a Hawaii Ocean Lifeguard, author and the founder of "Never Off Duty". In this second conversation, we discuss the pandemic's impact on Oahu's beaches, tourism, understaffing, wave parks, proactive lifeguarding and his powerful perspective on his son's pediatric cancer diagnosis.

Beau Porter is a veteran Los Angeles firefighter and the man behind "Firefight Mentality". We discuss his multi-generational firefighting family, his own journey into the fire service, homelessness, addiction, gang violence, his powerful perspective on the pandemic, losing his best friend, his own mental health story, the genesis of his project and so much more.

Justin Brooks is a veteran lawyer, the founder of the California Innocence Project and the author of his new book "You might go to Prison even though you're Innocent." We discuss his early international life, his journey into law, the margins of error in the legal system, interrogation psychology, racial bias, plea bargains, some of his wrongful conviction cases and much more.

John Graham is a former British Army Paratrooper and member of 22 SAS. He is also known as his pen name John Geddes, the author of "Spearhead Assault" detailing his experience in the Falkland Islands War and "Highway to Hell" telling his military contracting story in Iraq. We discuss his early life in England, his journey into the military, serving in Northern Ireland, The Battle of Goose Green, war in the Middle East, contracting, close protection work, mental health, leadership and much more.

Luis Nevarez is a veteran firefighter who retired at the rank of chief. In 2002, he lost an arm in an electrocution at a house fire and fought to return to the profession he loved. We discuss escaping gang culture as a child, his journey into the fire service, firefigher fitness, leadership, the physical and mental rehbilitation journey, his perspecitve through the ranks, mentorship, the Phoenix Society and so much more.

Damian Porter is a former Australian special forces operator, police officer and current active duty firefighter. We discuss his early life in New Zealand, bodybuilding, his journey into the military, his perspective on war, the transition into law enforcement, entering the fire service, his new platform "The How not to Die Guy" and so much more.

Mark Watson spent the early part of his career in education before transitioning into cognitive rehabilitation. We discuss his own learning challenges as a child, his journey into teaching, physical education, traumatic brain injury, strokes, neuroplasticity, reahabilitation programming and much more.

Chuck DiChiara has spent 35 years in Law Enforcement with a majority of his time in SWAT. We discuss his journey into policing, fitness standards in SWAT, defensive tactics, police grappling, compassion in Law Enforcement, use of force, school safety, mental health and much more.

Jason Friedman is a veteran firefighter/paramedic whose career spans from New York to Florida. We discuss his journey into the volunteer fire service, his road to paramedicine, some of his career calls, losing his parents, his powerful mental health story, the Shatterproof program, Ketamine therapy and so much more.

Dr João Goulão is Portugal's Director of Addiction Intervention and one of the men who spearheaded the decriminalization of all drug use. In this second conversation we discuss Portugal's pandemic experience, the mental health ripple effect, fighting smuggling, what happens when support and funding are cut, obesity, gender dysphoria and so much more.

Jason Kasper is a former Green Beret and USA Today bestselling author of the Spider Heist, American Mercenary, and Shadow Strike thriller series. In this second conversation we discuss the Afghanistan withdrawal, his fight to rescue his interpreter, the pandemic, the Mlitary Industrial Complex, catharsis through writing, his powerful mental health story, the healing power of psychedlics and so much more.

Courtney Starkey is a Hypnotherapist and the author of "Cornflower". We discuss her turbulent childhood, her pursuit of mental health tools, the journey into hypnotherapy, hypnosis myths, the spiritual realm, alternative realities, healing, high performance and so much more.

Rob Ramirez is a veteran South Florida firefighter, USAR TF2 team member and National Rescue Consultants instructor. We discuss his journey into the fire service, responding to special need patients, entering special operations, Hurricane Katrina, the Parkland attack, the Surfside collapse, Hurricane Ian, firefighter fitness, realism in training, mental health and so much more.

Noah Galloway is an Army Airborne Veteran, amputee, author and altruist. We discuss his father's amputation, Noah's journey into the military, the IED that took his arm and leg in Bagdhad, his powerful physical and mental rehabilitation journey, obstacle racing, his book "Living with no Excuses", his non-profit and so much more.

Al Kavadlo is a strength and conditioning coach, author and one of the leaders in calisthenics training. We discuss his journey into fitness, bodybuilding, his introduction to coaching, the incredible power of bodyweight training, the importance of mobility, training the aging athlete, music and much more.

Lee Jeffries is an accountant and photographer who work spans from the homeless poulation to Metallica. We discuss his journey into accounting, the importance of mentorship, the chance encounter with a homeless woman that began his photography journey, catching a person's soul through film, how he ended up working with one of our generation's greatest bands and so much more.

Steve Gillespie is a retired FDNY Special Operations Firefighter and the man behind "Surviving the Job". We discuss volunteer firefighting as a teen, his journey into the FDNY, training diligence in Special Operations, his harrowing 9/11 story, The "Black Sunday" fire, the Deutsch Bank fire, processesing multiple LODDs, his own mental health story and much more.

Chance Burles is a Canadian Army veteran and the host of The Collective. We discuss childhood trauma, his journey into the military, his deployment in Afghanistan, transition, horsemanship, the healing power of equine therapy, podcasting, jiujitsu and so much more.

Alan Stott is an entrepreneur, author and the wife of British Special Forces soldier Dean Stott. We discuss the accident that left her horrendously burned as a child, the physical and mental rehabilitation journey, banking, the 2008 crash, eating disorders, the Mrs World competition, the challenges of the military spouse, her new books "She Who Dares" and "How to ask for Money", human trafficking and so much more.

Matt Hesse is an Army Veteran, Bullrider, Entrepreneur and the founder of The University of Health and Performance. We discuss childhood trauma, chasing adrenaline, grief, strength and conditioning, the supplement industry, how he grew his business, veteran transition, training coaches and so much more.

Andy Millar is a Social Worker, Athlete and cancer survivor. We discuss his Leukemia diagnosis at 2 years old, the physical and mental toll of chemo on a child, social work in the ER, his work in Hospice, finding Crossfit, the immense price tag of a cancer diagnosis, fighting a brain tumor during the pandemic, how his fitness saved his life and so much more.

Chief John Norman is a 50 year veteran of the fire service including 27 years with the FDNY. He is the author of multiple books including "Working with Giants". We discuss his father's teachings on service, his journey into fire prevention, joining the FDNY, notable rescues, the inability to save, 9/11, the WTC collapse, firefighter fitness, mental health, diligence in training and so much more.

Ken Corigliano is a world record holder athlete, 20 year service member and the man known as "Air Force Ken". We discuss trauma and homelessness as a child, his journey into the military, his perpective on war, the failure that drove him to physical excellence, the TBI that left him with Synesthesia, leadership, artificial intelligence and so much more.

Kelsi Sheren is a Canadian Army Veteran and the founder of Brass and Unity. We discuss her childhood martial arts story, the dark side of parental trust, her journey into the military, losing brothers in arms, compassion fatigue, her powerful mental health story, art therapy, entrepreneurialship, catharsis through podasting, her new book and so much more.

Jessie Gould is a former Army Ranger and the founder of Heroic Hearts Project. We discuss his journey into finance, 9/11, joining the military, his perspective on war, traumatic brain injury, his powerful mental health story, finding plant medicine, the healing power of psychedelics and so much more.

Katheryn Basso is a Marine and the founder of KADRI Clothing. We discuss her journey into sports medicine, joining the Marines, the female tactical athlete, the injury risks from ill fitting military equipment, international cyber threats, the obesity epidemic, entrepreneurialship, the genesis of KADRI and so much more.

Chris Irwin is a former Navy SEAL, musician and the creator of "Rare Sense". We discuss his journey into the Navy, his Crossfit evolution, his powerful mental health story, holistic medicine, leadership, catharsis through music, mind fitness and so much more.

A native of Riga, Latvia, Vlada Parrott grew up in a household influenced by Russian Ballet and Gymnastics. Her mother was a gymnastics coach to elite athletes, and her father was a world-renowned ballet dancer and director. We discuss her childhood in Eastern Europe, her journey into dance, touring as a professional performer, the injury that sent her down a holistic wellness path, the healing power of movement, pelvic floor health, motherhood, military families, the Human Performance Project and much more.

Greg Walsh is an athlete, martial artist and the founder of Wolf Brigade. We discuss his journey into extreme sports, the straight edge Hardcore scene, Crossfit, Jeet Kune Do, kettlebell training, youth athletes, mace work, strength and conditioning for the tactical athlete, the aging athlete and so much more.

Jack Carr is a former Navy SEAL, best selling author, outdoorsman and podcaster. In this second conversation, we discuss the creation of The Terminal List series, mental health, therapy dogs, leadership, his latest book 'Only the Dead" and much more.

Paige Figi's daughter Charlotte was only 3 months old when she started having regular seizures, ultimately being diagnosed with Dravet's Syndrome. By the time she was four, after a gamet of pharmceuticals have proven ineffective, Charlotte was on life support with only days to live. Desperate, Paige had begun researching plant medicine and found a high concentration Cannabanoid (CBD) from the hemp plant. She watched in disbelief as Charlotte began improving and the near constant seizures became infrequent. In this powerful conversation, we discuss Paige's early life as a rescue diver, her role as a military spouse, Charlotte's heartbreaking health struggles, how Paige began helping other families, the Coaltition for Access, the Major League Baseball team who is standing behind CBD and so much more.

Chris Macklin is a 20 year veteran South Metro firefighter and the head of one of the country's most progressive wellness departments. We discuss his journey into EMS, responding to the Columbine massacre, his own mental health journey, the genesis of Peer Support, training the tactical athlete, the importance of subject matter experts, injury rehab, fitness standards and so much more.

Paul Harris is a former Royal Marine who just completed a walk around the entire mainland Britain. We discuss the imact his childhood had in later years, his journey into one of the UK's most elite military units, his powerful mental health journey, teaching, the kindness and compassion that he found on his walk, the healing power of community and so much more.

Pat Byrne is a leader in sleep and fatigue management and the author of Inconvenient Sleep. We discuss his early work in Occupational Health and Safety, the tragedy that led him into sleep research, working with NHL athletes, the pros and cons of wearables, first responder sleep deprivation, AI in medicine and so much more.

Kevin Basik is a US Air Force Veteran, former Director of Character and Leadership Development and the current Chief of Leadership Programs at the Medal of Honor Institute. We discuss his journey into the military, the ROTC program, character, leading through the storm, some of the powerful Medal of Honor stories and so much more.

Joe De Sena is an athlete, author and the founder of Spartan. In this second conversation we discuss moving his headquarters to Orlando, the impact the pandemic had on both the athletes and his business, first responder recruitment, the health crisis, altrusim, community and so much more.