Behind The Shield

The moment CHP Officer Kevin Briggs responded to Kevin Berthia's suicide attempt became a picture that touched the world. I have interviewed both of these men independantly but in this episode they joined me together to discuss all things mental health. Kevin Briggs entered the US Army in 1981. In 1987, he became a correctional officer and worked at Soledad and San Quentin State Prisons. In 1990,...

Guy Miles was wrongly convicted of a robbery after eyewitnesses wrongly identified him. The three true perpetrators ultimately admitted to committing the crime and they exculpated Guy Miles in the process. On a day in June 1998, at a Fidelity Financial Institution in Fullerton, California, Trina Gomez and Max Patlan faced a horrifying incident. As they were closing up, two men, Jason Steward and H...

Siento was born from the personal experiences of its CEO, Andrew Douglas, who spent years on the front lines as a firefighter/paramedic and union leader. After confronting his own battles with PTSD and a suicide attempt, Andrew felt compelled to create the solution he wished he had during his darkest times. Understanding the intense pressures and unique challenges faced by those in high-stress pro...

Andy Puddicombe is the creator of the meditation app Headspace. We discuss his childhood trauma, becoming a monk in India, the many benefits of mindfulness and meditation, mental resilience and much more. Andy is a meditation and mindfulness expert. An accomplished presenter and writer, Andy is the voice of all things Headspace. In his early twenties, midway through a university degree in Sports S...

Danny Long is a US Army Veteran, 22 year veteran of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, 8 year member of the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force and the Founder of the Oklahoma First Responder Division. We discuss his journey into the military, entering law enforcement, contracting, weapons training, his multiple officer involved shootings, his powerful mental health journey, creating a wellness solution in...

Ian "Mongoose" Jones is a BJJ Black Belt, Muay Thai champion and World Catch Wrestling champion. We discuss his turbulent childhood, his journey into the combat sports, striking, head trauma, martial arts for law enforcement grappling, addressing the 'grey area' with catch wrestling and so much more.

Alex Othmer is a Merchant Marine, Navy SEAL veteran and the Chief Executive Officer of Guardian Revival, We discuss his unique journey into the SEAL teams, Somali piracy, his transition story, psychedelic therapy, canines, the healing power of music and so much more. Guardian Revival Website: https://www.guardianrevival.org/

Mike Taylor and Alex Roodhouse are Navy Riverine Veterans and co-founders of BeaverFit USA. We discuss their journeys into the military, standing up an elite unit from scratch, training for the unknown, equipping the tactical athlete, training under stress and so much more.

Joel Billings is a former Volunteer Firefighter, EMT and researcher. We discuss volunteerism, his published study on the 48/96 firefighter shift, the health and performance impact of sleep deprivation, shift start times, alerting systems and much more. Joel is an assistant professor at Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University. He is the Program Chair for the undergraduate degree program in Emergency S...

Brian McGinnis is a US Marine, veteran firefighter and humanitarian. We discuss his early life, his journey into the military, his 9/11 story, being part of the Iraq invasion, some notable fire service calls, stolen land he witnessed whilst in the West Bank, the forcible tactics Israeli settlers are using, what will cause a ceasefire in Gaza and so much more.

Donn Bradley is a former law enforcement officer and Licenced Marriage and Family Therapist. We discuss his early life, the crushing weight of grief, his journey into policing, his powerful mental health story, becoming a therapist, first responder marriages and so much more. "You'll find that I'm not your typical patches-on-the-sleeves, "tell me about your mother" style therapist. After a career...

Gavin Meenan is a personal trainer and the man behind the Modern Warrior Programme. We discuss growing up in Ireland, the car accident that changed his world, overcoming guilt, porn addiction, his powerful mental health story, the importance of fitness, empowering men and so much more. Gavin is a leading voice in the Irish health and fitnesscommunity and a former European Powerlifting Champion. He...

Nimsdai is a former Ghurka, member of the British SBS, record breaking mountaineer and author. We discuss his powerful journey into the special forces, Project Possible, mountain rescues, his new book "Beyond Possible",, environmentalism, forging an indomitable spirit and so much more. Born in Nepal, Nims had a distinguished 16-year military career, of which he spent 6 years as a Ghurka and 10 yea...

Christine Collins is a decorated veteran, having served as a U.S. Air Force Captain and trauma nurse during a pivotal deployment to Afghanistan in 2009. Stationed at Bagram Air Base, she found herself at the epicenter of the conflict, tirelessly working to save the lives of American troops, Afghan civilians caught in the crossfire, and even enemy fighters. Through her raw and poignant memoir, Chri...

John Vargas is a Los Angeles firefighter, mental health advocate and the man behind the Grab Lives Podcast. We discuss gang culture, the power of mentorship, traumatic brain injury, mindfulness, spirituality, psychedelics, firefighting and so much more.

Dave Castro is a Navy SEAL veteran and the former CEO of Crossfit. We discuss his journey into the military, finding Crossfit, transitioning out of the Navy, tactical athlete fitness testing, law enforcement weapons training, the obesity epidemic, reading, competitive shooting, hunting and much more.

Jason Bitzer is a veteran ocean lifeguard, author and the founder of "Never Off Duty". In this third conversation, we discuss his son's pediatric cancer battle, water safety in schools, the prevelance of shark attacks, fitness standards, bleeding control kits and much more. Jason has been a lifeguard on the beach since 1999--working the last 10 years on Oahu's dangerous North Shore where he was aw...

MSgt (Ret.) Miguel Zeran, aka Z, is a former USMC Force Recon Marine who holds a BS in Health & Wellness, an MS in Kinesiology, and is in his third year of doctoral pursuits in Human & Sport Performance. He is a CSCS, CPT, SFG1, and trained Health Coach who is sitting for the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches (NBHWC) board exam this year. He has spent over 14 years teaching, co...

This week I welcome back two of the most respected first responder Psychologists to upack all things mental health. We discuss psychological recruitment testing, the educational requirements of the different mental health practitioners, the pros and cons of EAP programmes, what a counseling session should look like, how to find a culturally competent clinician, provider red flags, overcoming finan...

Stephen Davis is a former Divison Chief, Entrepreneur and author of "Alone in the Fire". He was terminated by Orange County, FL in 2021 after refusing to enforce erroneous vaccine madate write ups. In this second interview, we revisit the mental and financial cost of the first responder terminations, the fallacies on the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine and social distancing, the government overre...

On September 11th, 2001, Port Authority Police Officer, William Jimeno, left his home unsuspecting of what the day was about to hold. Just a few hours later he lay crushed beneath the Twin Towers' 220 stories of concrete, steel, and glass. Most of his team had already died. He and his sergeant were helplessly trapped. The pain and anguish had only begun. Many have seen Oliver Stone's World Trade C...

Michael Hawkes served in the British Military for 24 years with 12 years in 22 SAS (Including 6 years Covert operations). He spent 2 years as a military advisor to the British Secret Intelligence Services in London (MI5 for Covert operations). The last 22 years have been spent in corporate security operating out of Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Sudan, Li...

Gwen Grimes is a former firefighter, paramedic and law enforcement officer as well as the winner of the TV show "Naked and Afraid". We discuss how outdoorsmanship forged resilience as a child, the unique challengers for first responders in remote communties, the proactive nature of policing, the driver who ended her career, her powerful mental health story, competing in reality television, creatin...

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. On the eve of Sept 11, 2001 my husband kissed me goodbye, left for...

Rudy Reyes is an American conservationist, martial arts instructor, actor, and Recon Marine. He is best known for portraying himself in the HBO TV miniseries Generation Kill. In this second conversation we discuss the suicide epidemic, courageous vulnerability, the importance of tribe, hormonal disruption, peptides, emotional TCCC and so much more. Rudy was born in 1971 on Richard’s Gebauer Air Ba...