Behind The Shield

Chad Lyman has combined his years of operational law enforcement and Mixed Martial Arts experience to emerge as one of the nation’s leading defensive tactics trainers. We discuss his journey into law enforcement, the importance of high training standards, combatives, excessive force vs improper technique and so much more.

Tom Satterly spent 25 years in the US Army, 20 of which serving with the elite Delta Force. Jen Satterly spend years embedded with the special forces as a Director of Video and Photography. We discuss Tom's journey through the military, Mogadishu, videography, mental health, suicide, their All Secure Foundation, writing and so much more.

Brian Mackenzie is an innovator in human performance on stress adaptation and a pioneer in the development and application of custom protocols to optimize human health and performance. In this second conversation, we discuss breathing and the tactical population, deregulating the nervous system, breathing health and COVID and much more.

Eric Siena was a veteran firefighter and special operations Lieutenant. Eric was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. His wife, Christy is also a fire Lieutenant. I sat down with them and Tom "Bull" Hill earlier this year when Eric was still undergoing treatment. We discussed his journey into the fire service, hazardous materials exposures, the cancer presumption bill, PTSD and much more. Eric Siena passed away on May 11, 2021. This episode is dedicated to him and every other first responder battling or taken by cancer.

Major Allison Brager is an Army neuroscientist, Crossfit competitor and astronaut candidate. We discuss advances in sleep research, transgender athletes, the mission to Mars, fitness testing and much more.

Roger Schei is an Idaho Police Chief, SWAT officer and jiu jitsu practitioner. We discuss his journey into law enforcement, strength and conditioning standards, combatives, using Echelon Front's principles in his department and much more

Melvyn Downes is a British Army veteran with 12 years spent in the SAS. We discuss his early life in England, the importance of mentorship, his journey into the military, mindset, reality television, Dubai living and much more.

Fahim Fazli is an Afghani native, American immigrant, actor and former interpreter for the US Marine Corps. We discuss the impact of the withdrawal on our veterans and the Afghani people, the ripple effect of previous conflicts, the industrial military complex, his latest film and much more.

Jeff Schwerdtfeger is a retired firefighter and the Vice President of Worldwide Peer Support. We discuss his journey into the fire service, gang violence, the addiction epidemic, special operations, his near death experiences, mental health in first responders and much more.

Jay Smith is a strength and conditioning coach and the president of the first responder testing and wellness company FitForce. We discuss his journey into coaching, entering the law enforcement community, the ADA and entry testing, wellness and injury prevention, forging longevity and much more.

Beth Bowersox is a former firefighter and resident of Paradise CA who was on duty as a dispatcher when the Camp Fire destroyed her community. We discuss her journey into the fire service, physical fitness, sleep deprivation, guilt from the inability to save, mental heath in dispatchers and so much more.

Dr Ellen Kirschman is an author and clinical psychologist who has spent her career working with the first responder professions. In this second interview, we discuss psychological testing, mental health in the wildland community, the importance of rituals, first responder families and so much more.

Richard Rice is one of the founding members of Delta Force with a career spanning Vietnam to Mogadishu. Jason McCarthy is a Green Beret veteran who served in Iraq. Emily McCarthy is a retired CIA case manager, serving in West Africa. In this unique episode, I sat down with all three to get their unique perspectives on recent events. We discuss the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the importance of trust in diplomacy, the courage of our indigenous allies, the mental health toll of combat, the power of community and so much more.

Zar Horton is a retired Battalion Chief and a StrongFirst Master Kettlebell trainer. We discuss his transition out of the fire service, BMX racing, glycolytic training, exercise and the nervous system, fostering longevity, the importance of sleep and so much more.

Byron Branch is a law enforcement officer, elite fencer and amputee. We discuss his multifaceted childhood, the importance of mentorship, his journey into fencing, the traffic accident that took his leg, the incredible physical and mental road back to full duty, wheelchair fencing and so much more.

Jeremiah Wilber is a Green Beret combat veteran, cowboy and self described mountain man. We discuss his early life on the reservation, the dark side of the Indigenous Residential School program, profiteering from war, the mental health toll of the Afghanistan withdrawal, the vulnerability of those left behind and so much more.

Dr Chris Colvin is a Veteran, ER Physician, EMS Medical Director and author. In this important third conversation, Chris takes two hours to fully explain the truths and myths surrounding this pandemic. We discuss the demographic being hit in this second wave, the pros and cons of vaccination, the second pandemic of misinformation and so much more.

Dr Edith Eger is a psychologist, author and survived Auschwitz. 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.

Brooke Ames is a Wisconsin firefighter, bodybuilder, powerlifter and coach. We discuss growing up in rural America, her childhood obesity, becoming a volunteer firefighter, her incredible weight loss and fitness journey, learning from the corporate world, mentorship, personality diversity and so much more.

Johnny Walker is an Iraqi interpreter that became the SEAL team's trusted member. Jason Tuschen is a retired Navy SEAL Command Master Chief who worked alongside Johnny. We discuss their parallel early lives, the Taliban's terror campaign in Mosul, the power of communication, his powerful immigration story and so much more.

Colin Broderick is an author, playwright and filmmaker. We discuss growing up in Northern Ireland during the troubles, laboring in London, his powerful addiction story, the catharsis of writing, self belief, the importance of seeing commonalities and so much more.

Bill Anthes is a Green Beret veteran, strength and conditioning coach and psychology student. We discuss his journey into the special forces, training the tactical athlete, the emotional and mental components of coaching, nutrition and so much more.

Jarred Alden is a veteran firefighter, SWAT Medic and an authority on clandestine explosives. We discuss his journey into the fire service, how the tactical medicine program unified FD and PD, juvenile offenders, terrorism and so much more.

Denise Olsen is a nurse, yoga teacher and the widow of Jeff Olsen, one of the 343 firefighters killed on 9/11. We discuss her entry into healthcare, the genesis of their romance, protecting the WTC, the ripple effect of the attacks, grief, healthy coping mechanisms, growing from trauma, the importance of movement and so much more.

Judge Craig Mitchell is a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge and the founder of the Skid Row Running Club. We discuss his challenging childhood, teaching in South Central, the importance of parents, the power of mentorship, homelessness, addiction and so much more.

Akshay Nanavati is a Marine Veteran, endurance athlete and the author of "Fearvana". We discuss his childhood in India, moving to the US, entering the military, mental resilience, the importance of fear, his explorations and much more.

Felix Manjarrez is a veteran FDNY firefighter, strength and conditioning coach and jiu-jitsu practitioner. We discuss his early life, EMS in New York City, entering the fire service, the importance of mentoring, diversity through education, FDNY Grappling and much more.

Terrance Kosikar is a retired firefighter and the founder of Camp My Way. We discuss life in the Canadian Mountains, the pandemic, the healing power of nature, mental health and much more.

Jamie Cochran is the Chief Operating Officer of Echelon Front and a military spouse. We discuss her early life, becoming a Navy SEAL wife, her journey into Echelon Front, the genesis of the Musters, dealing with grief, the cost of service, her powerful presentation and so much more.

Jim Burneka is a veteran firefighter, podcaster and the founder of Firefighter Cancer Consultants. In a tragic twist of irony, Jim is also battling cancer himself. We discuss his journey into the fire service, becoming involved in firefighter wellness, mental health, dealing with a cancer diagnosis, the harmful chemicals in our gear and much more.

Jon Hancock is a Marine Veteran and the subject of the documentary "Bastards' Road". We discuss his journey into the military, Cartel violence, his work in human intelligence, transitioning out, PTSD, his cross country ruck, making the film and so much more.

Tom Morgan is a British firefighter, strength and conditioning coach and former bouncer. We discuss working the door, his journey into the fire service, embracing innovation, training the tactical athlete, the pandemic, his powerful mental health journey and so much more.

Dan Skidmore is a veteran Air Force special operations combat controller, GORUCK cadre and a member of team Force Blue. We discuss his journey into the military, conflict in Africa, living in Morocco, tribalism and much more.

Kory Pearn is a veteran firefighter and the man behind Crackyl Magazine. We discuss his journey into the fire service, mentoring future firefighters, overcoming a near fatal cardiac condition, mental and physical health, the origin story of Crackyl and much more.

Tom McLay has spent his career in corrections, working his way up to the Superintendent of Powder River Correctional Facility. We discuss his journey into corrections, recidivism, addiction, drug prohibition, adopting the Norwegian Prison model, the wildland firefighter program and so much more.

Debbie Lee is an author, public speaker, political activist and the mother of fallen Navy SEAL Marc Lee. We discuss her early life, domestic abuse, suicide, grief, forging resilience through loss, the SEAL brotherhood, her non profit America's Mighty Warriors, the importance of gratitude and so much more.

Marc Polymeropoulos is a retired Senior CIA officer and the author of "Clarity in Crisis". We discuss his adventurous childhood, entering the CIA, the importance of professionalism, grooming agents, leadership, humility and much more.

Paul Combs is a retired firefighter and world renowned cartoonist. Frank Viscuso is a retired firefighter and best selling author. We discuss their new children's book, retirement, mental health, internet trolls, leadership and so much more.

Robert Ingram is a lifelong martial artist, instructor and the man behind McDojo Life. We discuss bulling, assault, his journey into the martial arts, the importance of humility, fraudulent schools, sexual predators, and much more.

Alex Vazquez is a veteran firefighter, comedian and Dive Rescue team member. We discuss his traumatic early life, comedy, his mental health struggle, the healing power of altruism, the IAFF Center of Excellence, OCD and much more.

Tom Beaver is an elite endurance athlete, welder and the founder of BeaverFit. We discuss farm life, bridge building, SAS selection, creating strength and conditioning equipment elite tactical athletes, bringing solutions to strength and conditioning space challenges, his incredible endurance feats, rhinos and so much more.

Nick Norris is a Navy SEAL veteran, elite endurance athlete and the executive director of the C4 Foundation. We discuss his journey into special operations, TBIs, losing his brother, his own mental health journey, the power of Ibogaine therapy, drug prohibition and so much more.

Kathy, Madison, Sarah and Tracy share a common bond of being firefighter spouses. They started the organization "Fire Wife Life" to forge a community in first responder families. We discuss volunteer firefighter families, shift work, the unseen toll of mandatory overtime, mental health and much more.

Steve Brown is a veteran of the British Army's revered "Pathfinders", survival instructor and author. We discuss his challenging childhood, the importance of mentorship, training in global theatres, the impact of losing soldiers, his powerful mental health journey and much more.

Benjamin Martin is a veteran firefighter and the man behind "Embrace the Resistance". We discuss his journey into the fire service, shift work, sleep deprivation, leadership mistakes, the importance of humility, tactical fitness and much more.

Matt Domyancic is a former powerlifter, strength and conditioning coach and a law enforcement veteran. We discuss military service, sports vs tactical athletics, fitness standards, getting comfortable being uncomfortable, peer support and much more.

Nick Koumalatsos is a Marine Recon veteran, entrepreneur, author and founder of The Raider Project. We discuss his journey into the military, training the tactical athlete, transitioning out, mental health, altruism, gym ownership during the pandemic and much more.

Craig Davidson is a Hawaiian lifeguard, waterman and stuntman. We discuss his journey into lifeguarding, rescues and losses, the importance of humility, fitness, entering the stunt world, set safety, rigging and much more.

Richard Rice spent three decades in the US armed forces and was one of the founding members of what would become the revered Delta Force. We discuss his journey into the military, being hunted in Vietnam, compassion in combat, Mogadishu, transitioning into education, innovating veterans' education, GORUCK and so much more.

Frank Babinec is the former City of Coral Springs Fire Chief and current City Manager . Chris Bator is a Battalion Chief and Health and Safety Officer. We discuss their journeys into the fire service, trauma medicine, mental health, responding to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas massacre, MCI, triage, clean cab, compassion, humility and so much more.