Behind The Shield

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.

Brock Bevell is a retired law enforcement officer and the man behind the "Chase the Vase" Podcast. We discuss the impact of childhood trauma, his journey into policing, his own powerful addiction story, the Fentanyl crisis and so much more.

Lance Davis, Sean Lazio and John Perez are military veterans and members of The Rising Warrior team. We discuss their own journeys into the military, the true price of war, the transition struggle, physical and mental healing and so much more.

Tyler Carroll is an Army Medic veteran, Texan firefighter and co-founder of Dead Reckoning Collective, Tyler Carroll. We discuss growing up in Austin, his journey into the military, the military industrial complex, firefighter fitness, the power of written word and so much more.

Ben Patrick is a basketball athlete and the creator of the "Knees over toes program" ATG. We discuss how we are injuring our youth athletes, his own knee injury journey, cultural contributors to muscle imbalances, physical education, creating joint mobility and strength and so much more.

Will Ayres is a firearms instructor, Regional Director for 5.11 and the host of their podcast "Call to Service". We discuss training youth gun safety, his journey into 5.11, designing clothing for the tactical communities, his lens on international policing and so much more.

Julien Pineau is a movement specialist, philosopher and the founder of Strongfit. In this fifth conversation, we discuss lactate as a stress marker, the physical and mental health crisis, sleep, government overreach, nutrition, alcohol and so much more.

BC Sanders is a veteran Gang Unit officer and author for Skillset Magazine. We discuss the straight edge culture, his journey into law enforcement, the genesis of gangs, the ripple effect of drug prohibition, America's unsung heroes and so much more.

Dr EJ Caterson began his career as a firefighter/EMT and is now a renowned plastic surgeon. We discuss his journey into medicine, the powerful story that took him into plastic surgery, face and arm transplants, treating burn injured patients, mental health, Sons of the Flag, The Human Performance Project and so much more.

Doug Orchard is a professional cinematographer, director, editor and an expert researcher. Doug's documentary "The Motivation Factor" shows the incredible positive ripple effect of La Sierra High School's PE program in the 1960s. We discuss his journey into film making, the personal tragedy that drove his quest for health information, the obesity epidemic, nutrition and immunity, the social impact of shared suffering, how healthcare costs are crippling our economy and much more.

Nicole Kopolovits is a Florida firefighter, SWAT medic and Smoke Diver. We discuss her journey into the fire service, strength and conditioning, the power of mentorship, her preparation for the fire service's most grueling week, diversity through skillsets and so much more.

Brandon Webb is a former Navy SEAL, author and the man behind SOFREP. We discuss his journey into the military, Navy Search and Rescue, losing friends in Benghazi, veteran mental health, journalism and so much more.

Bedros Keuilian is a best-selling author, speaker and business consultant. He’s the founder and CEO of Fit Body Boot Camp. We discuss his childhood in Armenia, immigrating to the US, the obesity epidemic, warning signs of tyranny, capitalism, his powerful mental health story and so much more.

Kevin Cyr is a RCMP SWAT Commander who has worked in multiple specialist teams in his 21 year career. We discuss his journey into policing, jiujitsu in law enforcement, physical fitness, the war on drugs, his powerful mental health story, Echelon Front and so much more

Dr Sean Rockett is the Head Orthopedic Surgeon for the Crossfit Games and a lifelong athlete. We discuss his journey into medicine, injuries in the youth athlete, finding Crossfit, healing injury through movement, when to get surgery, opiates and so much more.

Ryan Parrott is a former Navy SEAL and the man behind the burn charity "Sons of the Flag". In this first of the HPP Series, Ryan unveils the Human Performance Project and the incredible 7X event that he will endure in January 2023. He has assembled some of the greatest minds on the planet to develop a guide book for physical, mental and spiritual excellence. You can be part of this incredible community today.

Katherine Grimm is a massage therapist, strength and conditioning coach and meditation teacher. We discuss her journey into wellness, the power of massage therapy, coaching tactical athletes, Project Lyceum, healing relationships and so much more.

Jim McDonald is a strength and conditioning coach and firefighter. We discuss his journey into coaching, the importance of movement diversity in youth athletics, coaching high level sports athletes, his journey into the fire service, training the tactical athlete and much more.

Doug Mitchell and Dan Shaw are veteran firefighters, authors and members of Traditions training. We discuss the importance of mentorship, combat readiness, physical fitness, learning from line of duty deaths, mental health and so much more.

Neville Johnson is a native South African, British Army veteran and author. We discuss growing up during apartheid, his journey into the British military, Northern Ireland, contracting, transitioning out, catharsis through poetry and so much more.

Sgt Maj Sebastien Lavoie is a retired commanding officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, use of force expert and elite tactical athlete. In this second conversation we discuss the medical event that could potentially take one of his legs, the physical and mental rehab journey, jiujitsu, his incredible mindset, deploying to Haiti and so much more.

Richard Browning is a former oil trader, Royal Marine Reservist and the founder of Gravity Industries. We discuss British education, the impact of losing his father as a child, military service, what affects petrol prices, challenging science, the military and first responder applications of his jet suit and so much more.

Mike Salemi and Danielle Cook Kawash are wellness coaches and the founders of First In Wellness. We discuss the impact of the last two years on the first responder communities, the power of breath, nutrition, supplementation, kettlebell training, their new 90 Day Resilience and Fitness programs and so much more.

Erik Paulson is a former Shooto world champion and renowned catch wrestling coach. We discuss his journey into the martial arts, Jeet Kune Do, weapons, training the tactical professions, his time in the stunt industry, coaching the older martial artist and so much more.

Frank Wright was one of the original Marine Raiders who fought on both Guam and Iwo Jima in WWII. We discuss his journey into the Marines, special forces selection, hand to hand combat, facing banzai attacks, his powerful mental health story, writing his book and so much more.

Johnny McLaughlin is a veteran firefighter and one of the early Crossfit athletes and coaches. We discuss his time as a lineman, responding to Hurricane Andrew, his journey into the fire service, his first Crossfit workout, training the tactical athlete, the evolution of Crossfit, mental health and so much more.

Kathryn Walker is a former ER and ICU Nurse and current CRNA and the CEO of Revitalist Lifestyle and Wellness. We discuss the powerful story that inspired her journey into medicine, ICU psychosis, the mental health epidemic, the healing power of Ketamine, IV vitamin therapy and so much more.

Sean Lake is a former professional snowboarder, extreme sports manager and the co-founder of BUBS Naturals. We discuss his journey into winter sports, his lifelong friendship with Navy SEAL Glen Doherty, Glen's heroism defending American diplomats in Benghazi, how Glen's death inspired an alturistic supplement company and much more.

Derek Robinson is a veteran firefighter and the author of "Continue". We discuss his early life, finding solace in swimming, lifeguarding in Australia, his journey into the fire service, his powerful mental health story, catharsis through writing and so much more.

Kara Smith is an Airforce, FBI and NSA Intelligence Analyst Veteran and an integral part of the DeliverFund team. We discuss her journey into the military, terrorist watch lists, the Patriot Act, tracking human traffickers, the porn industry, red flags for first responders and so much more.

Paul Tylla is a veteran firefighter, Swift Water Rescue instructor and the creator of HEAL. We discuss his time in search and rescue, realism in training, the power of nutrition, losing his wife to ALS, creating a nutritional supplement for both palliative and everyday nutrition and so much more.

Patrick McKeown is a world renowned breath coach and bestselling author. We discuss the childhood ailments that led him into breath work, Da Costa's syndrome, the power of nose breathing, disease reversal, athletic performance, nervous system deregulation and so much more.

Merritt Cassell is a veteran law enforcement officer and the host of the "Brownie in Blue" Podcast. We discuss his childhood in El Salvador, childhood trauma, his journey into policing, the work of Dr Gabor Maté, organizational stress, mental health, the importance of fitness and so much more.

Codey Gandy is a Marine veteran and a member of the Echelon Front team. We discuss the youth athlete, his journey into the Marines, his leadership highs and lows, the transition struggle, mentoring the first responder communities, Roll Call and much more.

Mike Gagliano is a retired firefighter, author and speaker. Mike and Anne began writing and speaking about the multiple stressors in a first responder marriage. We discuss the beginning of their romance, the impact of firefighting life on their own relationship, finding solutions to some of the common problems in our professions, the mental health epidemic and so much more.

Rodney Smith Jr is a Bermuda native who founded Raising Men and Women Lawn Care Service. We discuss his childhood on the island, his journey into IT, finding purpose, the power of mentorship, giving back to the community, immigration and much more.

Josie V is a law enforcement officer and elite tactical athlete. We discuss growing up in Holland, Dutch policing, chasing the American dream, her cancer diagnosis, the grueling physical and mental health journey, jiujitsu, Crossfit and so much more.

Jeff Nichols was an operator in the Navy's most elite special operations team and is one of the most respected tactical athlete strength and conditioning coaches today. In this fourth conversation we discuss the importance of underlying health for resilience, traumatic brain injuries, his non-profit Project Lyceum, supplementation, mental health and much more.

Lisa Houlé spent a majority of her career as a prosecutor for the LA DA before becoming a defense attorney. We discuss her journey into law, the role of childhood trauma in crime, PTSD as a legitimate defense, Save a Warrior, the dark side of sexting and so much more.

Tyler Gaddy is a veteran firefighter and yoga instructor. We discuss his journey into the fire service, fulfillment, his mental health story, finding yoga, foundation training and much more.

Joe Lowrey is a Green Beret Veteran and the co-founder of United Wings of Liberty. We discuss his journey into the military, special forces selection, surviving a near fatal head wound, his incredible mental and physical rehabilitation journey, creating a non-profit and so much more.

Rachel Vickery is a former Team New Zealand gymnast turned performance coach. We discuss her journey into gymnastics, the parallels between sporting and tactical athletes, abuse in sport coaching, breath and stress, performing under pressure and so much more.