Behind The Shield

Eric Colby is a Coast Guard Veteran turned financial consultant. Eric was assigned to the Port of New York and responded to the attacks on 9/11. We discuss the mass evacuation of Manhattan, the importance of preplanning, mental trauma, homelessness, financial wellness and much more. Eric is a loving family man, Financial Coach/Consultant, and a proud US Coast Guard Veteran. He is very passionate a...

Roberto Ortiz is a Mexican law enforcement professional and Intelligence Coordinator from Chihuahua, Mexico, whose life changed forever on April 15, 2022, when he was critically injured during an operation and lost both of his legs above the knee. After approximately seven days in a coma, months in the hospital, a year in a wheelchair, and years of rehabilitation and prosthetic training, Roberto r...

Jo Terry is a recently retired licensed physical therapist who owned her own outpatient physical therapy clinic for over 20 years. She was married to Assistant Chief Alan “Chip” Terry, (ret) from the City of Covington Fire Department for 31 years who completed suicide in 2017 after being misdiagnosed. Since his death in 2017, Jo has spent her time working with first responders and their families a...

Zar Horton is a retired Albuquerque 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. Zar has been training others in the use of kettlebells since 2004. For the last 16 years he has devoted himself to bringing...

Dany Cotton spent over three decades serving with the London Fire Brigade, retiring as Commissioner. We discuss her journey into the fire service, forging diversity through mentoring, the impact of budget cuts on service and health, violence on first responders, heroism at the Grenfell Tower fire, dirty politics and much more. Dany retired as the Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade following a...

Emily Ireland is the founder of Hardcore Healing, Inc. and the creator of Light Touch®. Her background includes more than two decades of study and work across craniosacral therapy, functional anatomy, integrative movement, and wellness research. Her work explores how subtle interventions may support focus, recovery, sleep, emotional balance, and overall wellbeing. Through Light Touch®, Emily’s goa...

Kris Copeland is a dedicated Sport and Performance Psychology Consultant with a passion for helping individuals and organizations unlock their full potential. With a diverse background in working with military populations, corporations, school districts, hospitals, and athletes of all ages, he has honed his skills in elevating performance across a broad spectrum. Currently, Kris works as a Cogniti...

Joel Salatin is a world renowned holistic farmer, author and speaker. We discuss COVID and a fragile population, factory farming, abattoir monopolies, the obesity epidemic, resilience through nutrition, school food, lowering the carbon footprint and much more. Joel Salatin, 62, calls himself a Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer. Others who like him call him the most f...

Joseph Pfeifer is globally recognized for his expertise in crisis leadership, disaster management, and adaptive resilience. Operating at the intersection of high-stakes public service and academia, he translates decades of frontline command experience into actionable frameworks for leading through uncertainty. Currently, he serves as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s School of Internat...

Geoff Thompson is a retired bouncer, martial artist, author, playwright, screenwriter and philosopher. We discuss childhood trauma, violence, the martial arts, ownership, writing, Chuck Norris, emotional growth and much more. Geoff’s first book, Watch My Back, detailing his experiences working as a nightclub bouncer in Coventry for over a decade, hit the Sunday Times bestsellers list, was made int...

Garrett Cathcart served 9 years as a United States Army Cavalry officer and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Garrett’s service included three years in ground combat leadership roles. Garrett served as a Reconnaissance Scout Platoon Leader in Baghdad during the Surge in 2007, colloquially known as the bloodiest year in Iraq, as an embedded milit...

Dr Michael Greger is a physician, author and internationally recognized nutrition expert. We discuss the causes of chronic disease, plant based diet, carcinogens, disease reversal and much more. Michael Greger, M.D. FACLM is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized professional speaker on a number of important public health issues. Dr. Greger has lectured at t...

Brooke Bartlett is a Licenced Clinical Psychologist and the founder of the Center for Trauma, Anxiaety and Stress. She is als contracted by the Bureau of Land Management as a trauma specialist. In this second conversation we discuss the mental health impact of wildfires, psychotherapy and psychedelics, unpacking Moral Injury, the physiology of anxiety and depression, organisational stress, NuCalm...

Kyle Ebersole, PhD, LAT is currently a Professor and a Licensed Athletic Trainer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences & Technology teaching within the Physical Therapy and Athletic Training programs. Since 2010, Kyle has partnered with the Milwaukee Fire Department on a research and service partnership where he serves as the Health and Fitness...

Ashley Deringer is an educator, entrepreneur, curriculum creator, and nonprofit founder dedicated to changing lives through education and advocacy. Ashley is also the founder of the Clean Gier Foundation, a nonprofit established in honor of her father, firefighter Floyd Gier, who lost his battle with occupational cancer. The foundation is committed to improving the health, safety, and well-being o...

Lee Spencer is a 24 year veteran of the Royal Marines and has undergone some incredible feats to raise money and awareness for various charities. We discuss his early life, recruitment, Ireland, combat, his near death experience, rowing across the Atlantic and much more. Lee Spencer, a single leg amputee, is the first physically disabled person to have rowed solo across the Atlantic. He smashed th...

Dean Lister is a veteran jiu jitsu competitor, MMA fighter, co-founder of Victory MMA and a member of the Echelon Front family. We discuss his early life in the Americas, his journey into grappling, competing in the UFC, the power of plant medicine, BJJ Hero Retreats and so much more. Dean Lister is a Founder and Owner of Victory MMA, and instructs members daily in both Gi and No-Gi Jiu Jitsu. He...

In this episode, I welcome the founders of The Unmasked Warrior: Sam Juan is a U.S. Army combat veteran, former CST with SEAL Team 6, artist, writer, and advocate for authentic leadership. Noah Galloway is a combat veteran and speaker focused on post-traumatic growth. Anton Nootenboom is a Dutch army veteran, multiple world record holder and men’s mental health advocate. Dr. Mike Sapiro is a clini...

Mayra Uribe was elected to the Board of Orange County Commission District 3 in 2018 and has since been re-elected in 2020 and 2024. Mayra is currently running for the position of the Mayor of Orange County. She is an Orlando native, born and raised in the district she represents. Mayra is of Colombian and Argentinean descent and celebrates the diversity in herself and in our community. Mayra is a...

A fourth-generation Floridian, Bernard Taylor is a dedicated EMT/Paramedic, husband, father of five, and community advocate who has spent years serving and protecting the people of Florida. Now, he's running for Congress to fight for the people our elected congressional representatives are ignoring. Bernard was inspired to run to represent his community after seeing how the disparities in access t...

The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11 is a deeply moving documentary narrated by actor Gary Sinise. Produced by Gier Productions in collaboration with SoldierStrong and directed by Michael Gier, an award-winning director/producer, the film goes beyond the tragedy of September 11 to showcase the incredible acts of bravery, humanity, and resilience that followed. Through the eyes of first responders, s...

For over 45 years, Tony Blauer has been at the forefront of personal defense, fear management, and performance psychology, revolutionizing the way individuals and teams prepare for real-world violence. Since 1977, Blauer has dedicated his life to helping people become safer, sooner, bridging the gap between science, psychology, and combatives. He is the creator of the SPEAR System®, the world’s fi...

Kelly is an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor at Daydream MD, bringing a unique blend of clinical training and lived experience to his work as a therapist. Before beginning his career in counseling, Kelly served as a firefighter/paramedic for 22 years, where he was a peer support team leader and assisted with critical incident stress debriefings. This extensive frontline service gave him a...

I'm reposting this today in memory of Nimsadi Purja, who lost his life on Pakistan's Broad Peak. Nimsdai was a former Ghurka, member of the British SBS, record breaking mountaineer and author. We discussed his powerful journey into the special forces, Project Possible, mountain rescues, his book "Beyond Possible", environmentalism, forging an indomitable spirit and so much more. Born in Nepal, Nim...

Jonathan Sheinberg is a cardiologist, chief medical officer, police officer and Air Force veteran. He has over 30 years of experience in providing advanced cardiovascular care. He is passionate about preventing coronary disease and managing acute and chronic cardiovascular conditions. Jonathan has a strong background in non-invasive imaging and cardiac catheterization, and is nationally known in t...