Behind The Shield

Debbie Johnson is a financial professional and a dedicated nonprofit leader with a profound passion for supporting law enforcement K9 units. Her journey into advocacy began following the tragic death of St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office K9 Baron in 2015, which inspired her to invest significant time and resources to understand the unique needs of these heroic dogs. Driven by her newfound appreciat...

Trisha Stavinoha is an Army Veteran, Dietitian and elite endurance athlete. We discuss her journey into the military, hydration myths, sports drinks, fluid replacement in tactical athletes, relief aid in third world countries and much more. Trisha retired in 2018 after a 20-year career as an Army Dietitian, the last 12 years serving in a performance nutrition capacity. She earned her BS in Nutriti...

Mike Landis has been with Destin Fire for 17 years and has been the Deputy Chief since 2024. Mike sits as Region 1 FASAR Coordinator, TRT-109 Coordinator and Team lead, is a FL USAR Rescue Specialist, Paramedic, and is a graduate from Florida State University with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Mike is a Florida local who has grown up in the Destin area and attended Crestview High Sch...

Andrea “Mahigun” Bogiatto is a Deputy Sheriff in Colorado and a former Italian National Police officer (Reparto Mobile). He developed the Human Factor – Behavioral Architecture Under Operational Pressure, a framework focused on behavioral patterns and decision-making under stress. His background includes crowd control, K9 environments, and international training collaborations, with ongoing develo...

Jake Ryks is a firefighter, EMT, and HazMat Specialist with the Saint Paul Fire Department, currently assigned to Squad 1 and HazMat 1. He serves as the HazMat training coordinator within the department. Jake was recognized as the 2024 Minnesota Firefighter of the Year and received the Michael O. McNamee Award of Valor for his role in rescuing multiple children from a house fire. Outside of the fi...

Greg Walsh is an athlete, martial artist and the founder of Wolf Brigade. We discuss his journey into extreme sports, the straight edge Hardcore scene, Crossfit, Jeet Kune Do, kettlebell training, youth athletes, mace work, strength and conditioning for the tactical athlete, the aging athlete and so much more. Greg Walsh has walked upright down a path of resistance for most of his life. The discov...

Dr. Cordle is a retired Navy captain with 30 years of service and a human factors engineer. In this second conversation, we discuss his family's generational combat service, the current crisis in Iran, the financial cost of forced sleep deprivation, servant leadership, technical competence and his latest book "Letters to Myself". John was the 2018 Proceedings Author of the Year, Surface Navy Assoc...

K. L. Sadler is a retired U.S. Diplomat and Supervisory Special Agent with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. Over a 26-year career as a sworn law enforcement officer and federal agent, she served in high-threat assignments across Iraq, Afghanistan, Uganda, Mexico, and El Salvador, where she received multiple Superior Honor Awards for leadership and crisis response. She be...

Brian Brush is a 30 year veteran of the fire service, instructor and the training chief for the Midwest City (OK) Fire Department. We discuss his journey into the volunteer fire service, wildland firefighting, firefighter fitness, putting family first, his near career ending medical event, mentorship and so much more. Brian's background spans several states from rural volunteer to metro-sized depa...

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. RJ has 30+ years of Special Operations experience with the Department of Defense and other government agencies. He has multiple co...

Dr Ken Ford is a Navy veteran, former NASA computer scientist and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer Emeritus of the Florida Insitute for Human and Machine Cognition. We discuss his journey into the military, living in Guantanamo Bay, the genesis of computers in the military, the moon landing, exploring Mars, Tier One operators, the firefighter workweek, exoskeletons, sleep for performance an...

Mike Wynn is the Director of The Quell Foundation’s First Responder Resilience Project (FRRP), where he leads the development and execution of strategic programming focused on supporting the mental health and well-being of first responders nationwide. A former Chief of Police for the Pittsfield (MA) Police Department, Mike brings nearly 30 years of leadership experience in law enforcement, trainin...

Leah Pells is a three time Olympian in athletics, published author of “Not about the medal” and registered clinical counsellor. Leah and runs her own private practice where she mainly works with firefighters. We discuss her own turbulent childhood, catharsis through running, compassionate coaching, burnout in youth athletes, her journey to mental health counseling, sleep deprivation, EMDR and so m...

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. Dan has spent his life with one foot in the world of lifting and throwing, and the other foot in academia. An All-American discus thrower, Dan has also compe...

JD Madden is a retired Deputy Fire Chief, USAR Task Force Leader and Board Member of the SIREN Project. We discuss his journey into the fire service, Hurricane Katrina rescues, the importance of proactive preparedness, recruitment, his powerful mental health story, saving lives with psychedelics and so much more. https://www.thesirenproject.org/

Rob Sweetman is a former Navy SEAL turned sleep scientist, dedicated to optimizing human performance through the science of sleep. With firsthand experience in high-stakes, sleep-deprived environments, Rob transitioned from special operations to research, earning his MBA and becoming a leading advocate for sleep as a cornerstone of health and readiness. In this second conversation we discuss his p...

Brian McGinnis is a combat Marine, veteran firefighter and politician. In this second conversation we discuss the back story of his vocal protest, the atrocities endured by the Iranian people, government overreach, the importance of moral courage, the dangers of blind nationalism, the West Bank and so much more. Brian graduated from Quincy Senior High School in Illinois in 2000 and left for Marine...

Dr Michael Donato is a podiatrist, athlete and member of O2X. We discuss the evolution of footwear, the affect of improper shoes on the body, barefoot training, tactical footwear and much more. Mike, co-owner of Rappahannock Foot & Ankle Specialists joined the practice in 2002. He obtained his A.B. in Economics from Princeton University in 1986. He graduated as a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine f...

Chief John Moon was one of America's first pararmedics with Pittsburgh's Freedom House, ultimately retiring as the Assistant Chief of Pittsburg EMS. We discuss the tragedies that peppered his childhood, the origin story of the Freedom House, the tragedy behind modern CPR, systemic racism, organisational betray, the power of mentorship and so much more. John Moon began his EMS career in 1972 with F...

Gregory Menvielle is an IT Veteran and co-founder of the mental wellness platform Okaya. We discuss his childhood in France, the evolution of the internet, the global mental health crisis, using AI to proactively assess mental health, forging performance, firefighter health, wearables and so much more. Greg Menvielle is CEO of Okaya (SmartTec Inc.), an AI-powered readiness platform whose AI, Sanor...

John P. East Jr. is a Critical Care Flight Paramedic and the Co-Founder and Chief of Staff of The Incomologists, a firm focused on protecting the income and families of clinicians, EMS, and fire service professionals. Raised in Homestead, Florida, by a nurse and a firefighter/boat mechanic, John’s childhood was steeped in adventure - exploring the Florida Everglades, fishing, surfing, and life out...

Craig Davidson is a Hawaiian lifeguard, waterman and stuntman. We discuss his journey into lifeguarding, rescues and losses, the importance of humility, fitness, entering the stunt world, set safety, rigging and much more.

This is one of the most powerful conversations I've recorded to date! In 1997, police officer Tom Morgan was shot in the head by eighteen year old gang member Jason Samuel. What followed was an incredible journey of post traumatic growth and forgiveness that will move you to tears. We discuss Toms' journey into law enforcement, SWAT operations, his rehabilitation after the shooting, Jason's parole...

Rob Jones lost both legs after an IED explosion whilst serving as an Engineer with the Marines. Refusing to let his injuries define him, Rob became an elite athlete competing as a rower in the Paralympics. Rob's latest adventure saw him completing 31 marathons in 31 days. We talk about adaptive athletics, mental trauma, his charitable ventures and much more. Rob Jones is a retired US Marine, comba...

Dr. Pamela Kryskow is the medical lead for the Roots To Thrive Program. She is a founding board member of the Psychedelic Association of Canada and the medical chair of the Vancouver Island University Post Graduate Certificate in Psychedelic Medicine assisted Therapy. Pam is also a a clinical instructor at UBC and adjunct professor at VIU. Dr Kryskow is actively involved in research related to psi...