Behind The Shield

Don Campbell is a District Chief, 23 year veteran of Gainesville Fire Rescue and a member of Florida Task Force 8. He has instructed at the Florida State Fire College for 18 years and is a Florida Smoke Diver. We discuss growing up with a firefighter father, his own journey into the fire service, the Smoke Diver Program, firefighter fitness, leadership, Gainesville's pioneering switch to the 24/72...

Greg Yacoubian is a 26 year veteran of LAPD and a Litigation Attorney who has become a champion for first responders still being terminated over vaccine mandates. We discuss his family's immigration story, his journey into policing, the Rampart Scandal, the LA Riots, drug prohibition, government overreach, cowardice in leadership and so much more. Greg Yacoubian and his wife, Sue, have three grown...

Dr Sean Rockett is the Head Orthopedic Surgeon for the Crossfit Games and a lifelong athlete. In this second conversation, we discuss the impact of the pandemic on gyms, firefighter cancer, saving Emily Rolfe's arm, aging and exercise, Workman's Comp, rehabiliting the injured tactical athlete and so much more. Dr. Rockett has been with Orthopedics New England since 1999 and is the senior partner....

The Goode Show is hosted by Surinder Goode, a military spouse who has experienced 14 deployments over 25 years. Her husband served 30 years as a Navy SEAL in Coronado before retiring as a CMC. We discuss her childhood in England, her journey to the airline industry, opening coffee shops on Coronado, how some military families are living below the poverty line, racism, rugby and much more. Surinder...

Ethan Suplee has starred in a spectrum of film and television roles including "My name is Earl", "American History X" and "Remember the Titans". We discuss childhood obesity, eating disorders, the Tour de France, his weight loss journey, self experimentation, weight training, racism and much more.

Tina Guiler is a veteran firefighter, head of the FFF page and creator of the Female Firefighter Plush Dolls. We discuss her journey into the fire service, diversity through mentorship, her cancer recovery story, mental health, inspiring young women, entrepreneurship and so much more. "I am a Lieutenant for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) in Miami, Florida, in the US.I started my career in 1999 as a...

Christina is an author, TEDx speaker, and perpetual question-asker. She grew up in a conservative, Christian home and earned a degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in Christian Ministry from Belhaven University. As a young adult, Christina assumed she had a solid understanding of how the world works. That changed when she and her husband became foster parents in 2014. The neat bow she had t...

Daniel Corbett III served as an elite Navy SEAL operator, part of SEAL Teams 5, 6, and 17. He’s now an ex-military operator for hire. He joined the navy shortly after graduating high school in 2002 and was deployed to Iraq in the summer of 2005 with SEAL Team 5. He joined SEAL Team 6 in 2007, deploying to various locations around the world. In 2010, Daniel returned to the West Coast and began inst...

Marcus Waugh is the World's Strongest Firefighter and Ohio's Strongest Man. We discuss college football, his journey into law enforcement, his experience in the jails, powerlifting, his path into the fire service, strongman competition, training the tactical athlete, fitness standards, the firefighter marriage, the powerful spiritual experience that bolstered his faith and so much more.

Alex Douglass was an 11 year veteran of the Pennsylvania State Police when his station was ambushed by a psychotic gunman. His brother trooper Bryon DIckson was murdered and Alex suffered near fatal wounds. We discuss his journey into law enforcement, the horrendous attack, the manhunt that followed, his mental health journey, the decision to amputate his leg, Operation Enduring Warrior, the heali...

Josh Brolin is a former wildland firefighter, actor and the author of his upcoming book "From Under the Truck" . In this second interview, we discuss social media, fame, family, kindness, trolls, adventure, writing and so much more.

Amanda Testa is a Sex, Love and Relationship Coach and the founder of Find Your Feminine Fire. We discuss the impact of childhood on sexuality, how open conversation improves your childrens' safety, body dysmorphia, tantric sex, the negative impact of porn, sex and marriage and so much more. "Something I often see in working with busy women as a Sex and Relationship Coach is that on the outside it...

Chuck DeSmith is a 35 year veteran of the fire service and the Deputy Fire Chief at Renton Regional Fire Authority. We discuss his early life, his journey into the fire service, the evolution of Fire/EMS, 911 abuse, the recruitment crisis, sleep deprivation, peer support and much more.

David Vaux began his career working as a London Firefighter, serving for 15 years on fire rescue operations and as physical education officer until he suffered a career ending injury. He subsequently retrained as an Osteopath and threw himself into the world of academia. He successfully applied strength and movement research to his own rehabilitation from long-term pain and disability. As one of t...

Clint Malarchuk is an NHL veteran as both a goalie and coach, author and mental health advocate. Clint cheated death three times, one notoriously when he almost bled out on the ice after taking a skate to the neck. We discuss his childhood mental health challenges, outworking the competition, OCD, addiction, suicide, EMDR, recovery, post traumatic growth and much more. Hockey is notorious for its...

Peter J. Forcelli is a recently retired Deputy Assistant Director of the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), where he served as head of training. Before becoming a Special Agent for the ATF in 2001, Forcelli was a NYPD homicide detective and survivor of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Forcelli became widely known as a whistleblow...

Thaer Ahmad, MD is a board certified emergency medicine physician in Chicago. Dr. Ahmad is the assistant program director for the emergency medicine residency program at Advocate Christ Medical Center. He also serves as the global health director and medical ethics director for the emergency department at Advocate Christ. Dr. Ahmad is a clinical assistant professor at the university of Illinois at...

Brandon Harding is the man behind the incredibly successful “Veterans in the Wild”, a wilderness program that has been embraced by the US Military. Anthony Droz is a Marine Veteran, Spartan Instructor, and wilderness guide. He aided Brandon in his quest to bring this wilderness program to life, as it was also his goal to provide wellness to Marines and Sailors. We discuss their journeys into unifo...

Angela Graham-Houweling is a former firefighter and co-founder of the SIREN Project. We discuss her early life, her journey into the fire service, some career calls, her powerful mental health story, the psychedelic journey that saved her life, the creation of her non-profit to help first responders find healing with entheogenics and so much more. My name is Angela Graham. I’m a Co-Founder of The...

Shawn Coss is an ER Nurse and the artist behind Any Means Necessary. We discuss his early life in Ohio, his journey into medicine, the opioid epidemic, his love of art, Cyanide and Happiness, working on a Stephen King movie, mental health art, music and so much more. Shawn was born in England whilst his Father was stationed there during his time in the Army, but moved back to America with his fami...

Ruari Fairbairns is a former Oil Broker and the man behind "One Year, No Beer". We discuss his childhood mental health struggles, the letter that changed his life, alcohol and business, introversion, the health impact of alcohol, its impact on sleep, the predatory actions of marketing, the power of peer support, healthy downregulation and so much more. Born on the Isle of Mull, Scotland, from an e...

Robert Burke is an actor and veteran volunteer firefighter. We discuss his early life, his journey into acting, the tragedy that inspired his fire service, portraying General Mattis in Generation Kill, working on Rescue Me, martial arts, altruism, his powerful sobriety story, becoming Robocop and so much more.

Eric Reynolds is a former police officer and the man behind Cops and Campers and Keto Five O. We discuss his mother's capture of Griselda Blanco, his own path into law enforcement, being wounded in an officer involved shooting, his rehabilitation journey, his powerful mental health story, the power of ketosis, creating a non-profit and so much more. As a 54-year-old retired wounded police veteran...

Matthew Harrison and Brian O'Connell are members of the Gainesville Fire Rescue in Florida which will be transitioning to the 24/72 schedule in August. Matt is a SWAT Medic and Brian in the Vice President of the FIrefighter's Union. We discuss their journeys into the fire service, the mental and physical imact of shift work, sleep deprivation, the recruitment crisis, the money saved by this transi...

Bethel Cagan lost her firefighter husband to suicide in 2022. We discuss Frank's journey into the fire service, his love of martial arts, becoming a father, the unwraveling she witnessed, the compounding elements of psychiatric meds and holds, processing grief, improving mental health in the fire service and so much more.