The Change Catalyst Podcast

Daniel Herrera is a 16-year law enforcement veteran whose career has included road patrol, street crimes investigations, and his current roles as a School Resource Officer, Crisis/Hostage Negotiator, and instructor. Before entering law enforcement, Daniel spent five years as a school teacher and a decade coaching youth baseball. Daniel is also the author of the children’s school-safety book Office...

After joining the NYPD, Dan became a first responder at Ground Zero during the September 11 attacks and went on to serve in some of the department’s most demanding assignments, including the NYPD SCUBA Team and Emergency Service Unit. He retired in 2020 after a career spent responding to situations most people will never experience. Through those years, Dan also witnessed the toll the profession c...

In Episode 052 of the Change Catalyst Podcast, I sit down with Tyler Bales, a former Anne Arundel County, Maryland firefighter, paramedic, and Emergency Services Special Operations member. Tyler spent years running toward danger and showing up when people needed help most. But behind the uniform, the calls, and the years of service, he was fighting battles of his own. In this raw and deeply person...

What happens when the person everyone depends on reaches the point where he doesn't want to keep going? In Episode 052 of the Change Catalyst Podcast, I sit down with Matt Griffin, a former U.S. Navy Search and Rescue Swimmer, former undercover narcotics detective, bestselling author, and filmmaker. Matt spent years running toward danger, working undercover, and carrying the weight of things m...

Patrick Apoian spent years serving as an Atlanta Police Department detective, but one call in 2011 nearly ended his life. After responding to a suspicious-person call, Patrick was run over by a suspect attempting to escape. Lying seriously injured at the scene, Patrick believed he was going to die. He called his wife and his seven-year-old son to say goodbye. What followed was five weeks in the ho...

Director Steve Jawn is back on The Change Catalyst Podcast! After first joining us on Episode 015, Steve returns to talk about his latest venture — bringing the first annual Delaware Beaches Songwriters Festival to the Delaware coast. Over four days, the festival will bring together an incredible lineup of artists, songwriters, and music lovers for performances at multiple venues throughout the De...

On this episode of The Change Catalyst Podcast, I sit down with Robert Ledogar, a former Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal whose career spans more than three decades of military and federal law enforcement. From serving as a U.S. Navy Master-at-Arms to hunting some of America’s most dangerous fugitives with the U.S. Marshals Service, Robert shares what life was really like behind one of the most res...

A month after high school, he joined the Air Force and deployed to Iraq twice before most people even find their direction. When that chapter ended, he went straight into law enforcement with the City of Buffalo—stepping into a career that would expose him to the absolute worst of humanity. From foot chases to fatal accidents, suicides to homicides—he saw it all. Moments most people could never pr...

This episode is raw, intense, and unlike anything we’vereleased before. Shay Mattera spent over a decade living a lie—11 yearsundercover, fully immersed in extremist movements, cutting off his realidentity, and operating in a world where one mistake could cost him his life. But what people don’t see is what that kind of life does to a man behind thescenes. From the streets of Washington D.C. worki...

What does it really take to hold a family together when life never slows down and the stakes are life or death? In this episode, Amanda sits down with Crystal Jones to talk about a life shaped by love, sacrifice, and constant uncertainty. From reconnecting with her husband after high school to navigating years of military deployments, Crystal shares what it’s like being married to someone who is r...

In this episode, I sit down with Alfred Brenner, aformer United States Marine Corps K9 handler whose life was shaped by service, sacrifice, and survival. From training alongside his military working dog to deploying into a combat zone, Alfred shares what it truly means to trust a partner with your life. During a 2010 deployment, everything changed. An IEDblast left him severely injured and sent hi...

What happens when a police officer’s split seconddecision turns into a life-altering legal battle and a family is left to carry the weight of it? In this episode, I sit down with Barbara Oldrati, themother of New Jersey police officer Salvatore Oldrati, who was indicted on manslaughter charges following an on-duty shooting.. Barbara shares what it’s like to watch your son’s lifechange overnight, t...

What does a lifetime of service acrosslocal, state, and federal levels really look like? In this episode, I sit downwith James “Jamy” Ashmead—a man whose career spans over three decades in lawenforcement, corrections, federal service, and fire/EMS. From starting as aseasonal police officer in Delaware to working armed security for the CIA,Jamy’s path is anything but ordinary. He takes us through h...

What happens when the war follows you home and never lets go? In this episode, I sit down with a former Marine infantryman and sniper team leader who deployed three times to Iraq and Afghanistan. From early days in the Marines to being selected for a sniper platoon and eventually leading his own team, he lived in a world where pressure, precision, and life-or-death decisions were part of everyday...

Chris spent over 15 years in the fire service, working in one of the toughest environments imaginable, high crime, constant pressure, and situations where every decision mattered. Rising to the rank of Fire Captain, he operated in heavy rescue and special operations, leading from the front in moments most people will never experience. Then one day, everything changed. Chris was shot in the line of...

What drives someone to specialize in drug interdiction—and why does it matter? In this episode, I sit down with Kenny Williams, police officer, law enforcement instructor, host of the Beyond the barrel Podcast, and owner of The Justice Academy. We talk about how he developed his passion for interdiction work, what drew him into that space, and why he’s committed to training other officers across t...

Kevin Rodgers joined the NYPD in July of 2001. Just months later, he was sent straight to Ground Zero after the second plane hit the World Trade Center. For the next three months, his life was rescue, recovery, and survival. No days off. Long hours. Surrounded by destruction and loss—while personally losing people he knew. But that was just the beginning. Kevin went on to work some of the most vio...

From the highways of Maryland to the frontlines of the global drug war—this is a conversation you don’t want to miss. In this episode, I sit down with former Maryland State Trooper and now Sheriff Mike Lewis of Wicomico County, Maryland. With decades of experience in law enforcement, Sheriff Lewis has been deeply involved in drug interdiction efforts, taking down traffickers and disrupting the flo...

Today’s guest spent 13 years in the United States Army with the 82nd Airborne Division, deploying multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan, and responding to major disasters like Haiti and Hurricane Katrina. He’s lived through combat, chaos, and one of the most deadly threats on the battlefield an IED blast that he survived. This isn’t a highlight reel. This is what war really looks like—and what it...

Keith Shibley has spent over 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 a 2025 mid-air collision over the Potomac River. But this episode isn’t just about the job. It’s about what the job does to you. After the Navy Yard shooting, Keith was injured—an...

In this episode, TJ Webb sits down with Matt “Jonesy” Jones , a retired Deputy Sheriff who faced the kind of moment every cop knows is possible—but hopes never comes. Matt shares the story of the day a routine patrol turned into a shooting, forcing him to make a split-second decision to protect his own life. He talks about what that moment was really like, what goes through your mind when there’s...

In this episode, TJ Webb sits down with Brock Callaway —United States Marine, former Drill Instructor, and a man who has faced both the chaos of war and the weight of what follows. Brock deployed to Afghanistan twice, operating in some of the most dangerous environments of the war, where IEDs and daily combat were a constant reality. After being wounded stepping on an IED, his path could have easi...

In this episode, TJ Webb sits down with Brock Callaway, Firefighter , United States Marine, former Drill Instructor, and a man who has faced both the chaos of war and the weight of what follows. Brock deployed to Afghanistan twice, operating in some of the most dangerous environments of the war, where IEDs and daily combat were a constant reality. After being wounded stepping on an IED, his path c...

In this episode, TJ Webb sits down with Stefan “The Freak” Talabisco former heavyweight boxer, Marine veteran, and a man who thrives in competition in every form. Known for his knockout power in the ring, Stefan talks about how that same edge shows up across his life today from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to competitive eating contests, where he’s taken that all-in mindset to a completely different arena....

In this episode, TJ Webb sits down with returning guest Joel Diaz for a laid-back but meaningful conversation recapping their recent guys trip to Louisville—highlighted by the experience of selecting their own bourbon barrel. What started as a trip quickly turned into something more. TJ and Joel talk about the importance of stepping away from the daily grind, making time for real connection, and c...