Behind The Shield

Neville Johnson is a native South African, British Army veteran and author. We discuss growing up during apartheid, his journey into the British military, Northern Ireland, contracting, transitioning out, catharsis through poetry and so much more.

Sgt Maj Sebastien Lavoie is a retired commanding officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, use of force expert and elite tactical athlete. In this second conversation we discuss the medical event that could potentially take one of his legs, the physical and mental rehab journey, jiujitsu, his incredible mindset, deploying to Haiti and so much more.

Richard Browning is a former oil trader, Royal Marine Reservist and the founder of Gravity Industries. We discuss British education, the impact of losing his father as a child, military service, what affects petrol prices, challenging science, the military and first responder applications of his jet suit and so much more.

Mike Salemi and Danielle Cook Kawash are wellness coaches and the founders of First In Wellness. We discuss the impact of the last two years on the first responder communities, the power of breath, nutrition, supplementation, kettlebell training, their new 90 Day Resilience and Fitness programs and so much more.

Erik Paulson is a former Shooto world champion and renowned catch wrestling coach. We discuss his journey into the martial arts, Jeet Kune Do, weapons, training the tactical professions, his time in the stunt industry, coaching the older martial artist and so much more.

Frank Wright was one of the original Marine Raiders who fought on both Guam and Iwo Jima in WWII. We discuss his journey into the Marines, special forces selection, hand to hand combat, facing banzai attacks, his powerful mental health story, writing his book and so much more.

Johnny McLaughlin is a veteran firefighter and one of the early Crossfit athletes and coaches. We discuss his time as a lineman, responding to Hurricane Andrew, his journey into the fire service, his first Crossfit workout, training the tactical athlete, the evolution of Crossfit, mental health and so much more.

Kathryn Walker is a former ER and ICU Nurse and current CRNA and the CEO of Revitalist Lifestyle and Wellness. We discuss the powerful story that inspired her journey into medicine, ICU psychosis, the mental health epidemic, the healing power of Ketamine, IV vitamin therapy and so much more.

Sean Lake is a former professional snowboarder, extreme sports manager and the co-founder of BUBS Naturals. We discuss his journey into winter sports, his lifelong friendship with Navy SEAL Glen Doherty, Glen's heroism defending American diplomats in Benghazi, how Glen's death inspired an alturistic supplement company and much more.

Derek Robinson is a veteran firefighter and the author of "Continue". We discuss his early life, finding solace in swimming, lifeguarding in Australia, his journey into the fire service, his powerful mental health story, catharsis through writing and so much more.

Kara Smith is an Airforce, FBI and NSA Intelligence Analyst Veteran and an integral part of the DeliverFund team. We discuss her journey into the military, terrorist watch lists, the Patriot Act, tracking human traffickers, the porn industry, red flags for first responders and so much more.

Paul Tylla is a veteran firefighter, Swift Water Rescue instructor and the creator of HEAL. We discuss his time in search and rescue, realism in training, the power of nutrition, losing his wife to ALS, creating a nutritional supplement for both palliative and everyday nutrition and so much more.

Patrick McKeown is a world renowned breath coach and bestselling author. We discuss the childhood ailments that led him into breath work, Da Costa's syndrome, the power of nose breathing, disease reversal, athletic performance, nervous system deregulation and so much more.

Merritt Cassell is a veteran law enforcement officer and the host of the "Brownie in Blue" Podcast. We discuss his childhood in El Salvador, childhood trauma, his journey into policing, the work of Dr Gabor Maté, organizational stress, mental health, the importance of fitness and so much more.

Codey Gandy is a Marine veteran and a member of the Echelon Front team. We discuss the youth athlete, his journey into the Marines, his leadership highs and lows, the transition struggle, mentoring the first responder communities, Roll Call and much more.

Mike Gagliano is a retired firefighter, author and speaker. Mike and Anne began writing and speaking about the multiple stressors in a first responder marriage. We discuss the beginning of their romance, the impact of firefighting life on their own relationship, finding solutions to some of the common problems in our professions, the mental health epidemic and so much more.

Rodney Smith Jr is a Bermuda native who founded Raising Men and Women Lawn Care Service. We discuss his childhood on the island, his journey into IT, finding purpose, the power of mentorship, giving back to the community, immigration and much more.

Josie V is a law enforcement officer and elite tactical athlete. We discuss growing up in Holland, Dutch policing, chasing the American dream, her cancer diagnosis, the grueling physical and mental health journey, jiujitsu, Crossfit and so much more.

Jeff Nichols was an operator in the Navy's most elite special operations team and is one of the most respected tactical athlete strength and conditioning coaches today. In this fourth conversation we discuss the importance of underlying health for resilience, traumatic brain injuries, his non-profit Project Lyceum, supplementation, mental health and much more.

Lisa Houlé spent a majority of her career as a prosecutor for the LA DA before becoming a defense attorney. We discuss her journey into law, the role of childhood trauma in crime, PTSD as a legitimate defense, Save a Warrior, the dark side of sexting and so much more.

Tyler Gaddy is a veteran firefighter and yoga instructor. We discuss his journey into the fire service, fulfillment, his mental health story, finding yoga, foundation training and much more.

Joe Lowrey is a Green Beret Veteran and the co-founder of United Wings of Liberty. We discuss his journey into the military, special forces selection, surviving a near fatal head wound, his incredible mental and physical rehabilitation journey, creating a non-profit and so much more.

Rachel Vickery is a former Team New Zealand gymnast turned performance coach. We discuss her journey into gymnastics, the parallels between sporting and tactical athletes, abuse in sport coaching, breath and stress, performing under pressure and so much more.

Ben Wadham is a Royal Marine Commando veteran, Physical Training Instructor and coach. We discuss his journey into the military, the true cost of war, training elite tactical athletes, transitioning out, his mental health road, refinding purpose, the healing power of community, altruism and so much more.

London Papamichael is a fitness trainer based in LA. We discuss living in Cyprus, witnessing the grip of addiction on his mother, feeling unfulfilled in the business world, pursuing his mentor, coaching elite athletes and much more.