Behind The Shield

Nick Smith is a Military Police veteran responsible for investigating war crimes. We discuss his journey into policing, the London terror attacks, lifeboats, mental health and crime, his own healing journey and much more.

Cliff Walker is a Navy Veteran, retired Federal firefighter and the founder of USS Battle Series. We discuss lifeguarding, his journey into the fire service, firefighter fitness, the combat challenge, Pearl Harbor and so much more.

Dan Grunfeld is a former professional Basketball player and the son of NBA legend, Ernie Grunfeld. We discuss how his grandmother escaped Auschwitz, his father's powerful immigration story, unification through sport, Transylvania, his book "By the Grace of the Game" and so much more.

Christopher "Douggs" McDougall is a world record holding, world champion BASE jumper and skydiver. We discuss his childhood in Australia, working on oil rigs, his journey into skydiving, how complacency kills, the importance of fitness, living in Switzerland, mental health and so much more.

Chris Jacobson is a 30 year law enforcement veteran and the creator of Operation Enduring Warrior's Task Force Sentinel. We discuss his journey into policing, working with the K9 unit, SWAT, helping wounded warriors transition, Iwo Jima and much more.

Tyr Symank, whose pen name is Charlie Martel, is a Army Special Forces Medic and part of the Black Rifle Coffee team. We discuss the ripple effect of the Afghanistan withdrawal, his journey into the military, trauma medicine, writing, mental health, the power of altruism, BRCC's charitable arm and so much more.

Jason Earle is a former Wall Street stockbroker and the founder of "Got Mold". We discuss his childhood illness, chasing material happiness, enlightenment in Nepal, mold myths and mitigation, addiction and so much more. 1-800-GOT-MOLD Website: https://www.gotmold.com/behindtheshield/

RJ Casey has held numerous roles including as an Army Special Forces Medic, Air Force Pararescueman, Physician's Assistant and Stuntman. We discuss his journey into the military, trauma medicine, education, realism in training, working with Mel Gibson and so much more.

David Vaux is a retired London firefighter and a practicing Osteopath. We discuss his journey into the fire service, fitness standards, the physical and mental impact of injury, Osteopathy, slowing the aging process and so much more.

Nick Hall was 8 years old when a murderer invaded his family's home. Through a tragic miscommunication, his mother shot by a police sniper after being mistaken for the attacker. Despite this trauma, Nick followed a career in law enforcement, choosing to be part of the solution. We discuss his early life, living through a hostage situation, his journey to overcome trauma, his journey into policing,...

Danny Boy O'Connor is the co-founder of House of Pain and the founder of The Outsiders House. We discuss his early life, his journey into Hip Hop, fame, his powerful addiction story, the impact "The Outsiders" had on his life, the healing power of community and so much more.

Dan John is an elite athlete, author and revered strength and conditioning coach. We discuss the impact of war on his family, training the youth athlete, physical education, gut biome, rehabilitating the tactical professions and so much more.

Dorith Mous is a Dutch model, photographer and filmmaker. We discuss her journey into the fashion industry, the impact of social media on our youth, travelling, the power of storytelling, her mental health journey, the dark side of modelling and so much more.

Dustin Osborne is a veteran Australian police officer and Tactical First Aid instructor. We discuss his journey into law enforcement, knife crime, gun laws, the ripple effect of the pandemic, tactical medicine and so much more.

Mike Dugan is a retired FDNY firefighter, podcast host and speaker. We discuss the impact of WWII on his family, his journey into the fire service, the importance of training, fitness, contrasting both of the WTC attacks he responded to, mental health, cancer and so much more.

Alex Racey is a veteran of the Army's most elite unit and a human performance coach. We discuss his journey into the military, training the tactical athlete, realism in training, transition, the Human Performance Project and so much more.

Scott McElroy is a law enforcement veteran, martial artist, stuntman and circus strongman. We discuss his journey into policing, entering the movie world, on set injuries, Chinese medicine, the history of wrestling, the importance of strength, combatives and so much more.

Steven Nisbet is a veteran of Air Force Pararescue's Tier One unit and the co-founder of the non-profit Shields and Stripes. We discuss his journey into the military, his paramedic clinicals, combat trauma medicine, losing a brother in training, creating solutions for physical and mental and so much more.

Spencer Thomas is a former football athlete turned stunt performer and John Cena's stunt double. We discuss growing up around athletics, moving to LA, humility on set, his journey into stunts, the mental impact of injury, his connection with the fire service, John's altruism, and so much more.

John Saporsky is a military college graduate, retired law enforcement officer and the man behind Law Enforcement Connect. We discuss his journey into ROTC, military education, fitness standards in policing, transitioning into the civilian space, the corporate application of a tactical skillset and so much more.

Flora Kasy is a firefighter for Kalifi County Fire and Rescue Department in Kenya. We discuss her journey into the fire service, the impact of the pandemic on Kenya, distance running, the need for PPE, the mental health cost of being ill-equipped, women in the African fire service and so much more.

Jason McCarthy is a former Green Beret, author and the co-founder of GORUCK. In this second conversation, we discuss the humanist lens of the Ukraine invasion, the mental health impact of the pandemic, the power of community, his three day fitness festival Sandlot Jax and so much more.

Susan Lopez is an Army veteran, military spouse and the woman behind "Tactical Dietitian". We discuss her journey into nutrition, school food, leadership in the kitchen, fueling the tactical athlete, sleep, meal prepping and so much more.

Panayioti Yannitsos is a filmmaker and the man behind the documentaries Freedom Besieged and Florian's Knights. We discuss his childhood visits to Greece, the financial crisis that bankrupted a nation, the opiate epidemic, firefighter mental health, finding healing through riding motorcycles and so much more.

Norman Penny spent three decades in the Canadian military, initially in the Army and then as a Search and Rescue Technician for the Air Force. We discuss his journey into the armed forces, serving in Yugoslavia, the Pararescue training pipeline, some of his team's notable rescues, the importance of realism in training, mental health and so much more.