Behind The Shield

Jake Hastings is a former Air Force mental health counselor, park ranger, ski patroller and firefighter. We discuss growing up with a special needs brother, mental health in our returning combat veterans, the inability to save, his journey into the fire service, treating the special needs patient, the healing power of riding, his non profit and so much more.

Marjorie Lloyd is a Doctor of Physical Therapy who has worked with collegiate athletes, pediatrics and tier one operators. We discuss her journey into physical therapy, footwear and injuries, the aging athlete, the power of sleep, the importance of PE in schools and so much more.

Marcus Capone is a former Tier 1 Navy SEAL and the founder of "Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions". We discuss his journey into the Navy, TBIs and microtraumas, his powerful mental health story, the healing power of Ibogaine and so much more.

Rob Bilott is a veteran Environmental Litigator and the lawyer portrayed by Mark Ruffalo in the movie Dark Waters. We discuss his journey into law, navigating environmental law, how a farmer's dying cattle burst open the unethical practices of Du Pont, the diseases and deaths attributed to "Forever Chemicals" and so much more.

Marc is a veteran law enforcement officer who has served in multiple specialty roles including the Gang Unit and SWAT. We discuss incident that sent him into law enforcement, his martial arts journey, defensive tactics, the importance of fitness, mentorship and so much more.

Bassel Ibrahim is a veteran firefighter, Florida Smoke Diver and a member of the Proactive Rescue Operations team. We discuss his childhood in the Ivory Coast, his powerful immigration story, losing 100 pounds to become a firefighter, the fatality that shaped his mindset, firefighter fitness, realism in training, mental health and so much more.

Michael Easter is a journalist, professor and the author of "The Comfort Crisis". We discuss his journey into writing, the metamorphosis of the magazine industry, the concept of Misogi, the obesity epidemic, seeking discomfort, the importance of boredom and so much more.

Chelsea Burkart is a Performance Dietitian for some of the country's most elite warfighters, working to optimize combat readiness, health, and career longevity. We discuss her journey into nutrition, working with collegiate athletes, energy drinks, hydration, feeding the tactical athlete, supplementation, exogenous testosterone and so much more.

Mohammad Wali Tasleem is a former Afghan Special Forces Company Commander and a member of the Black Rifle Coffee Company team. We discuss his family's fight against the Soviet invasion, watching the Taliban oppress his country, martial arts, his journey into the military, Wali's powerful immigration story and so much more.

Owen Valuch is a veteran firefighter, athlete and Crossfit Medical Operations Team member and who was diagnosed with Lymphoma late last year. In this essential conversation we discuss the importance of his fitness both on and off the fireground, sauna and recovery, fasting with chemotherapy, the mental health toll of a cancer diagnosis, the importance of regular physicals, the incredible news he just received and so much more.

Dr Kelly Starrett is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, the author of the Supple Leopard books and the co-founder of The Ready State. We discuss the importance of hydration, the power of sleep, the aging athlete, overcoming injury, forging wellness in our schools and so much more.

Jake Clark worked for the Secret Service, FBI and LAPD before founding "Save A Warrior". In this second interview we discuss his own healing journey, the importance of a rite of passage, narcissism, courage, philosophy and so much more.

Tim Kennedy is an Army Green Beret, the founder of Sheepdog Response, author and martial artist. In this fourth interview we discuss his work with "Save our Allies", his new schools, mental health, strength and conditioning for jiujitsu, his biography "Scars and Stripes" and so much more.

Jason Khalipa is a former Crossfit Games champion, author and the founder of NCFIT. We discuss Sandlot Jax, jiujitsu and fitness, his journey into Crossfit, overcoming distractions, training the tactical athlete, his daughter's powerful cancer story and so much more.

Pablo Gener is a Florida firefighter and the co-founder of Build Your Culture. We discuss his family's immigration story, toxic relationships, his journey into the fire service, the importance of fitness, common search mistakes, mental health and so much more.

Carmen Ordonez is a TV host, lifestyle expert and the widow of Miami firefighter Fernando Ordonez. We discuss their parents' immigration stories, their romance story, the birth of their son, Fernando's cancer diagnosis, grief, growth, community and so much more.

Dean Stott is a former Special Boat Service operator, contractor, author and mental health advocate. We discuss his journey into the British military, overcoming injury, his cycling world record, royal military service, reality television, mental health and so much more

Kevin Atlas is a former NCAA Division One athlete, author and speaker. We discuss his near death experience at birth, childhood as a congenital amputee, grief, bullying, his powerful journey into basketball, spirituality and mental health, mentorship in schools and so much more.

Keelin Darby is an Alabama law enforcement officer and the wife of Ben Darby; the Huntsville police officer who is currently sitting in a prison on a wrongful conviction. We discuss their journey into policing, the pursuit of higher level tactical training, the suicide call that became an ambush, how both Ben's agency and City stood behind him, the miscarriage of justice from the District Attorney, how we can help overturn this erroneous conviction and so much more.

Nick Wilson is a retired police officer and the man behind "The Resiliency Project". We discuss his journey into policing, the San Bernardino attack, mental health, organizational betrayal, Officer Ben Darby's case and so much more.

Matt Dawson is a finance manager, explorer and the man behind Dawson's Peak. We discuss the career that ended his football journey, the world of finance, the pursuit of happiness, enlightenment in Nepal, overcoming grief, Project Seven for Soldiers and so much more.

Brandon Dreiman is a veteran Indianapolis firefighter, attorney and peer support leader. We discuss his unique journey into the fire service, colour vision, volunteer firefighting, his own powerful addiction story, first responder mental health, yoga and so much more.

Shay Eskew is a burn injured survivor, elite Ironman triathlete, author and proud father. We discuss his near fatal burns at aged 8, the physical and mental recovery, finding endurance sports, the obesity epidemic, forging grit, the Human Performance Project and so much more.

Justin Melnick is an actor, stuntman and plays k9 handler "Brock' on the TV show "SEAL Team". We discuss the nightclub industry, combat photography, his time in law enforcement, warrior dogs, his journey into acting and so much more.

Bridget Truxillo is a former police officer, practicing lawyer and founder of My Protective Wellness. We discuss her journey into policing, SWAT Round Up, organizational betrayal, empowering first responders with legal education, mental health and much more.

Nick Smith is a Military Police veteran responsible for investigating war crimes. We discuss his journey into policing, the London terror attacks, lifeboats, mental health and crime, his own healing journey and much more.

Cliff Walker is a Navy Veteran, retired Federal firefighter and the founder of USS Battle Series. We discuss lifeguarding, his journey into the fire service, firefighter fitness, the combat challenge, Pearl Harbor and so much more.

Dan Grunfeld is a former professional Basketball player and the son of NBA legend, Ernie Grunfeld. We discuss how his grandmother escaped Auschwitz, his father's powerful immigration story, unification through sport, Transylvania, his book "By the Grace of the Game" and so much more.

Christopher "Douggs" McDougall is a world record holding, world champion BASE jumper and skydiver. We discuss his childhood in Australia, working on oil rigs, his journey into skydiving, how complacency kills, the importance of fitness, living in Switzerland, mental health and so much more.

Chris Jacobson is a 30 year law enforcement veteran and the creator of Operation Enduring Warrior's Task Force Sentinel. We discuss his journey into policing, working with the K9 unit, SWAT, helping wounded warriors transition, Iwo Jima and much more.

Tyr Symank, whose pen name is Charlie Martel, is a Army Special Forces Medic and part of the Black Rifle Coffee team. We discuss the ripple effect of the Afghanistan withdrawal, his journey into the military, trauma medicine, writing, mental health, the power of altruism, BRCC's charitable arm and so much more.

Jason Earle is a former Wall Street stockbroker and the founder of "Got Mold". We discuss his childhood illness, chasing material happiness, enlightenment in Nepal, mold myths and mitigation, addiction and so much more. 1-800-GOT-MOLD Website: https://www.gotmold.com/behindtheshield/

RJ Casey has held numerous roles including as an Army Special Forces Medic, Air Force Pararescueman, Physician's Assistant and Stuntman. We discuss his journey into the military, trauma medicine, education, realism in training, working with Mel Gibson and so much more.

David Vaux is a retired London firefighter and a practicing Osteopath. We discuss his journey into the fire service, fitness standards, the physical and mental impact of injury, Osteopathy, slowing the aging process 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.

Danny Boy O'Connor is the co-founder of House of Pain and the founder of The Outsiders House. We discuss his early life, his journey into Hip Hop, fame, his powerful addiction story, the impact "The Outsiders" had on his life, the healing power of community and so much more.

Dan John is an elite athlete, author and revered strength and conditioning coach. We discuss the impact of war on his family, training the youth athlete, physical education, gut biome, rehabilitating the tactical professions and so much more.

Dorith Mous is a Dutch model, photographer and filmmaker. We discuss her journey into the fashion industry, the impact of social media on our youth, travelling, the power of storytelling, her mental health journey, the dark side of modelling and so much more.

Dustin Osborne is a veteran Australian police officer and Tactical First Aid instructor. We discuss his journey into law enforcement, knife crime, gun laws, the ripple effect of the pandemic, tactical medicine and so much more.

Mike Dugan is a retired FDNY firefighter, podcast host and speaker. We discuss the impact of WWII on his family, his journey into the fire service, the importance of training, fitness, contrasting both of the WTC attacks he responded to, mental health, cancer and so much more.

Alex Racey is a veteran of the Army's most elite unit and a human performance coach. We discuss his journey into the military, training the tactical athlete, realism in training, transition, the Human Performance Project and so much more.

Scott McElroy is a law enforcement veteran, martial artist, stuntman and circus strongman. We discuss his journey into policing, entering the movie world, on set injuries, Chinese medicine, the history of wrestling, the importance of strength, combatives and so much more.

Steven Nisbet is a veteran of Air Force Pararescue's Tier One unit and the co-founder of the non-profit Shields and Stripes. We discuss his journey into the military, his paramedic clinicals, combat trauma medicine, losing a brother in training, creating solutions for physical and mental and so much more.

Spencer Thomas is a former football athlete turned stunt performer and John Cena's stunt double. We discuss growing up around athletics, moving to LA, humility on set, his journey into stunts, the mental impact of injury, his connection with the fire service, John's altruism, and so much more.

John Saporsky is a military college graduate, retired law enforcement officer and the man behind Law Enforcement Connect. We discuss his journey into ROTC, military education, fitness standards in policing, transitioning into the civilian space, the corporate application of a tactical skillset and so much more.

Flora Kasy is a firefighter for Kalifi County Fire and Rescue Department in Kenya. We discuss her journey into the fire service, the impact of the pandemic on Kenya, distance running, the need for PPE, the mental health cost of being ill-equipped, women in the African fire service and so much more.

Jason McCarthy is a former Green Beret, author and the co-founder of GORUCK. In this second conversation, we discuss the humanist lens of the Ukraine invasion, the mental health impact of the pandemic, the power of community, his three day fitness festival Sandlot Jax and so much more.

Susan Lopez is an Army veteran, military spouse and the woman behind "Tactical Dietitian". We discuss her journey into nutrition, school food, leadership in the kitchen, fueling the tactical athlete, sleep, meal prepping and so much more.

Panayioti Yannitsos is a filmmaker and the man behind the documentaries Freedom Besieged and Florian's Knights. We discuss his childhood visits to Greece, the financial crisis that bankrupted a nation, the opiate epidemic, firefighter mental health, finding healing through riding motorcycles and so much more.

Norman Penny spent three decades in the Canadian military, initially in the Army and then as a Search and Rescue Technician for the Air Force. We discuss his journey into the armed forces, serving in Yugoslavia, the Pararescue training pipeline, some of his team's notable rescues, the importance of realism in training, mental health and so much more.