Beyond The Barrel Podcast

What happens when the career you’ve dreamed of is suddenly taken away, not by a dangerous suspect or a critical incident, but by a diagnosis you never saw coming? After just two years serving as a police officer in Wisconsin, Jack’s life changed forever. On April 26, 2025, he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer that forced him to step away from the p...

What does it take to become a better leader, a stronger teammate, and a better version of yourself both on and off the job? In this episode of Beyond The Barrel, we sit down with Chad Barber-Simpson, a 14-year law enforcement veteran and founder of The Blue & Beyond, a coaching and content brand dedicated to helping law enforcement professionals grow personally and professionally. Throughout his c...

Former Investigative Police Commander Roberto Ortiz spent his career going toward the danger others were trying to escape. From organized crime and homicide investigations to kidnappings, extortion, narcotics, intelligence operations, and high-risk arrests, Roberto served on the front lines of some of Mexico’s most dangerous law-enforcement operations. Then one operation changed everything… ...

This week on Beyond the Barrel, we sit down with veteran K-9 handler and trainer Justin Featherly. Justin has spent 17 years in law enforcement, beginning his career with the San Diego Police Department in 2009. In 2015, he earned a spot in the K-9 Unit, where he spent the next seven years as a handler and trainer. During his time with SDPD, Justin worked two patrol and article detection dogs whil...

After more than 30 years in law enforcement, retired Captain Sonny F. Garcia knows that some of the toughest battles an officer faces never happen on the street. Sonny’s career spans state and federal service, with experience as a Deputy, State Trooper, SRT operator, bomb technician, federal criminal investigator, and federal polygraph examiner. He also holds a Master’s degree in Forensic Psycholo...

What happens when an active interdiction officer sits down with a former Arizona State Trooper and interdiction officer who left law enforcement and entered the cannabis world? AJ, host of the Blue to Green Podcast, joins me for a conversation that probably won’t make everyone in law enforcement comfortable. We come at recreational and medical marijuana from different perspectives—and we don’t shy...

Keith Shibley spent more than two decades in law enforcement—working patrol, investigations, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, and responding to major critical incidents, including the Washington Navy Yard shooting and the 2025 mid-air collision over the Potomac River. But this episode isn’t about what Keith accomplished on the job. It’s about what happened when the job followed him home—and h...

What can someone’s body tell you before they ever say a word? On this episode of Beyond The Barrel, we sit down with Sean Grogan—a former Special Investigations Detective, narcotics investigator, K-9 handler, gang investigator, Marine Corps veteran, and nationally recognized expert in body language and behavioral analysis. Sean spent much of his career working narcotics for the Woodbridge, New Jer...

Nearly 23 years as a U.S. Secret Service Special Agent. Fifteen years in special operations. Four presidential administrations. Missions across the world where failure simply wasn’t an option. But what does that level of service actually cost the person behind the badge—and the people waiting for them at home? On this episode of Beyond The Barrel, we go far beyond executive protection, presidentia...

Retired Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sergeant Jenn Benjamins joins Beyond the Barrel to share the incredible experiences that shaped her 22-year law enforcement career. From working undercover against organized crime, narcotics, human trafficking, and vice, to leading specialized investigative units and supporting officers through peer support, Jenn has seen nearly every side of polici...

The Badge Doesn’t Make You Bulletproof In this episode of Beyond The Barrel, we sit down with Robyn a Maine police officer, K9 handler, single mom, and someone who refuses to stop growing when life gets difficult. Robyn has served in law enforcement since 2011, following a path shaped by a family rooted in police and military service, along with her own experience in firefighting and EMS. Today, o...

Scott Howell, host of the Iron Sights Podcast and CEO of Red Dot Fitness, joins Beyond the Barrel for a conversation that goes far beyond the gym. With more than 25 years in the health and fitness industry, Scott has built a platform centered on preparedness, discipline, self-reliance, and what it takes to WIN in fitness, business, and life. We get into his recent travels throughout Asia and what...

Not every wound is visible. This episode of Beyond the Barrel features retired police sergeant and former U.S. Air Force Captain Michael Sugrue, whose career placed him on the front lines of law enforcement, military service, narcotics investigations, and critical incidents. After years of cumulative trauma led to a medical retirement, Michael transformed his experience into a mission to help othe...

What does it take to build one of the best K-9 teams in law enforcement? In this episode of Beyond the Barrel, we sit down with Steven Antommarchi—veteran police K-9 handler, instructor, and founder of Next Level K9—for an unforgettable conversation about the realities of working dogs in some of the most demanding situations imaginable. Steven shares how witnessing search-and-rescue dogs at Ground...

What happens when the toughest battle isn’t on the street but inside your own mind? In this episode of Beyond the Barrel, we sit down with retired Sgt. John Kelly, national keynote speaker, law enforcement life coach, and author of Surviving Self-Inflicted Wounds. After surviving decades in law enforcement, John reveals how addiction, alcoholism, infidelity, post-traumatic stress injury, and suici...

Some careers aren’t transformed by changing what you do they’re transformed by changing where you do it. This episode follows a narcotics K-9 handler whose career began at just 21 years old, working from detention deputy to patrol and eventually into interdiction and drug enforcement. She shares what it’s like to dedicate your career to stopping narcotics trafficking, protecting communities, and w...

Human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing criminal enterprises in the world—and it’s happening far closer to home than most people realize. In this episode of Beyond the Barrel, we sit down with Trent the man behind Anti-Predator Project, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works on the front lines of combating human trafficking, locating missing and abducted children, protecting victims a...

On this episode of Beyond the Barrel, we sit down with Mike Sandilla—Nashville-based alternative rock artist and U.S. Army Green Beret veteran whose music is rooted in truth, resilience, and the experiences that never fully leave you. Influenced by the raw emotion of ‘90s grunge and alternative rock, Mike writes songs for people who’ve lived through life’s hardest moments. His music explores ident...

After more than 22 years with the Las Cruces Police Department, Adrian De La Garza has built a career defined by resilience, leadership, and service. Beginning his law enforcement journey in 2004, he currently serves as a Traffic Investigator, a role he has held since 2009, specializing in serious and fatal crash investigations. Beyond the badge, Adrian is an instructor in multiple disciplines, in...

Fan-favorite guest Anthony Shefferly is back on Beyond the Barrel for a conversation that every current and aspiring law enforcement officer needs to hear. In this episode, we dive into the disconnect between the recruiting videos many agencies produce and the realities of the profession. We discuss how unrealistic expectations can leave new officers mentally unprepared for the trauma, stress, and...

Beyond the Barrel is where we pour truths—straight, no chaser. In this powerful episode, we sit down with men connected by service, sacrifice, and a mission bigger than themselves. Justin Jones, Founder and President of American Hero Hunt, accompanied by Travis Linder share how a simple idea in 2016—to give back to a few deserving veterans through hunting trips—grew into a nationwide nonprofit tha...

Most Cops Aren’t Ready to Go Hands-On — Steven Chin Explains Why Steven Chin has spent nearly three decades immersed in the world of combat, defensive tactics, firearms, and survival training—where failure can cost lives and preparation is everything. As the owner of Direct Action Training Inc., Steven provides specialized instruction in hand-to-hand combat, edged weapons, improvised tools, CQB fi...

Some cases never leave you. In this episode of Beyond the Barrel, we sit down with Carlos Rodriguez — author of The Ugly Underneath and a former crimes-against-children detective sergeant who spent nearly three decades confronting some of the darkest realities imaginable. After 27 years with the Washington State Patrol, Carlos retired as a nationally recognized expert in child exploitation investi...

Most people in law enforcement training only see the instructor on stage. They don’t see the late-night emails, scheduling issues, travel logistics, contract negotiations, host agency communication, marketing, payment tracking, or the nonstop work happening behind the scenes. On this episode of Beyond the Barrel, we sit down with Teresa, founder of BadgeOps, to discuss the side of the law enforcem...

Who’s Saving the Ones Who Serve?  In this episode of Beyond the Barrel, we sit down with Greg Grogan a law enforcement officer who’s lived the job on both coasts, from the streets of Northern California to the front lines in Louisiana. But Greg’s story doesn’t stop at policing. A United States Marine. A current member of the Coast Guard Reserves. A man who’s seen what this life can take and decide...