Behind The Shield

David Shuford is a twenty year veteran of the fire service. He is the Union President for Gainesville Fire Rescue and their Hazmat Training Captain. We discuss becoming a volunteer firefighter at 18 years old, the high level of competition to become a firefighter 10 short years ago, the recruitment and retention crisis, how they made the move to the 42 hour (24/72) work week, the health and financ...

Sean Glass is a former SEAL Officer. His tours include combat deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Eastern Africa. Sean was the Officer in Charge of the final phase of the initial SEAL selection pipeline where he helped select, train and mentor future SEALs. His last tour in the Navy he served as the Officer in Charge of all wartime training for the West Coast SEAL teams. He is a leadership instru...

Dennis Pishock is the author of “Demons and Angels”, a book about Trauma, Peer Support and how to care for yourself while in a career in public safety. He is a 24 year veteran in Law Enforcement, Firefighting, Swift Water Rescue, EMT-I, and Peer Support. He holds a rank in multiple martial arts, defensive tactics & combatives. He holds certifications in all aspects of public safety, including...

Dr Belisa Vranich is a Clinical Psychologist who teaches breath work for both physical and mental wellness. Dr Vranich is also the founder of The Breathing Class. We discuss healthy relationships, sex myths, diaphragmatic breathing, mental health and much more. A clinical psychologist and a leading expert in mental health and fitness, Dr. Belisa Vranich is the author of Breathe: The Simple, Revolu...

Jay Morgan Hyrons is an author, bodybuilder, grief counselor and a Falklands War widow. We discuss her turbulent childhood, losing her military husband in combat, her powerful grief story, gym therapy, near death experiences, counseling and so much more. Jay was born in the War Memorial Hospital in Crickhowell, Wales in 1957 unsurprisingly leading her to a life as a War Widow and Military Family R...

Jason Griffasi and Trip Harlan are body and brain optimization specialists and the founders of The Bio Optimization Institute. We discuss youth athletics, Trip's traumatic brain injuries, his powerful recovery story, altitude training, neurodegenerative diseases, elite performance and so much more. Jason combines his personal "pain to purpose" wellness experiences along with over 19 years of launc...

Founded by Patrick Long, a firefighter with over a decade of service in Southeast Georgia, The Decon Project began with a deeply personal mission. In February 2025, Patrick was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma. After six rounds of chemotherapy, he is now grateful to be cancer free—but his fight didn’t end there. Unsure whether his cancer was linked to the job, Patrick knew one thing fo...

Tori Gonzalez was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas when a former student murdered 17 school children and staff in 2018, including her boyfriend Joaquin Oliver. Anthony Gonzalez is Tori's father and was one of the responding firefighters to the attack. We discuss their early lives, Tori and Joaquin's romance, the aftermath of the massacre, grief, tactical medicine, the media, mental health and...

Tim Houweling works as a Fire Captain, Paramedic, and Hazmat Technician on a Type 1 Heavy Rescue for a San Francisco Bay Area Fire Department. Tim has also been a professional dog trainer since 2004. Tim is also co-founder of the S.I.R.E.N Project which helps first responders access sacred medicine served by indigenous people. Tim began his career with search and rescue dogs in 2005 and has certif...

Dr Neale Kinnear is an internationally recognised behavioural scientist with over 20 years’ experience understanding human behaviour in transport, technology, and risk. As a Chartered Psychologist, he specialises in bridging the gap between academic research and commercial application, translating evidence into effective products and policies that save lives. He is a Trustee of the Road Safety Tru...

Dewey Yopp is a retired Army warrant officer 24 years service and a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. Dewey was deployed in 2002, spending a total of eight and a half years in Afghanistan. He was the Chief training officer “embedded” for the Afghan Army and Police Force, training 19 NATO weapons systems. He lived with the ANA and trusted civilian contacts. In this conversation, we discuss his...

Michael Lopez turned a life of addiction and gang life into a degree in forensic psychology and the genesis of Mission Echo, helping feed the homeless on Skid Row. We discuss childhood trauma, the tribal element of gangs, addiction, finding the power to change, altruism and much more. As a young man, Michael Lopez found himself on a path of gang life and addiction. One day, he made the decision to...

Ryan Lucas is a second-generation journeyman power lineman and the creator and host of Powerline Podcast, one of the most trusted platforms in the electrical utility and line trade. With over two decades in the field, his experience spans urban distribution, major transmission construction including 500kV barehand work, helicopter operations, and large-scale infrastructure projects work rooted in...

Marc Wysocki is a dedicated clinician and public safety leader with over 30 years of experience in emergency response and sports medicine. Currently serving as the Head Athletic Trainer and Associate Director of Campus Safety at Berkshire School in Sheffield, MA, Marc has spent over two decades to help developing crisis response protocols and leading athletic training services student-athletes as...

Jonathan Williams is a modern country artist from Vernon, British Columbia, whose music blends heart, grit, and the honesty of lived experience. A retired RCMP officer turned singer-songwriter, Jonathan’s journey from the front lines of law enforcement to the spotlight of the Canadian country scene is a story of resilience, redemption, and rediscovery through music. His breakout single “That’s Wha...

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Craig Mitchell is the founder of the Skid Row Running Club which is featured in the documentary Skid Row Marathon. Founded in 2012, The Skid Row Running Club provides a running program for the Skid Row Community of Los Angeles and involves the larger community in supporting its members in overcoming alcohol/drug abuse and achieving positive life goals. It all began...

Dr. Yosef “Sefi” Chodakiewitz, MD, serves as the Medical Director of Primary Care Radiology and the Founding Medical Director of Clinical Research at Prenuvo. Dr. Chodakiewitz directs the Hercules Project—a 10-year clinical study with the goal of enrolling 100,000 participants for proactive WB-MRI screening, coupled with longitudinal follow-up to evaluate diagnostic accuracy and long-term health o...

Recently retired after 25 years with the United States Secret Service, brings a wealth of experience from his distinguished career. In his final position as an instructor and liaison at the National Center for Credibility Assessment (NCCA), he trained thousands of federal law enforcement and intelligence agents in credibility assessment and elicitation techniques. Brad also served on the protectio...

Mark Pearce is a British health and fitness coach specialising in tactical populations, with over 20 years’ experience in the fire service. He spent 17 years as an operational firefighter and three years as a fire service fitness advisor, giving him first-hand insight into the physical, psychological, and organisational demands placed on frontline professionals. A qualified Strength and Conditioni...

Ishmael Beah grew up in the African Country of Sierra Leonne. At the age of 10, civil war broke out and his world change forever. By thirteen, his family had all been murdered and he was forced into war as a boy soldier. Three years later, he was rescued by members of UNICEF and ultimately brought to the US. We talk about his journey through this nightmare, how he rehabilitated, gratitude, forgive...

Sheila Thelen, President of Vestibular Training Services and Master Rated Figure Skating Coach, applied these world class vestibular training tools (US PATENTED) INNOVATION on how spinning affects the vestibular system and can improve the brain’s ability to balance the cognitive processes. How these sports innovation can help the entire general public. Vestibular Training Services, LLC specializes...

Michael D’Angelo was born and raised in Las Vegas. He left high school his junior year to join the Marines, escaping the war back home. The Corps saved his life, and after he got out, his buddies pushed him into standup comedy. He started performing in 2013, spent four years in the Vegas scene, then moved to LA to sharpen his skills. In 2018 he launched the Rapid Fire Comedy Tour, a 501(c)(3) brin...

WildFitLife805 is a family-run business owned by Justin and Jenny Mahaffey. They have five kids and are passionate about challenging themselves to grow. As the driving force behind this Southern California company, Justin has been a wildland firefighter for 15 years. WildFitLife805 was born out of his commitment to growing stronger and building a community. Anyone is welcome — firefighters, athlet...

Thomas Newman is a coach, Sports Scientist and the Chief Innovation Officer at Hawkin Dynamics. We discuss his journey into sports, the power of Sports Science data analysis, tactical athlete selection, fostering longevity, sleep and recovery, his own physical and mental recovery journey following a brain tumor, his non-profit and so much more. Spanning nearly two decades, Thomas Newman's career i...

Dr. Dave Rabin MD, PhD is a board-certified psychiatrist, translational neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and inventor who has studied resilience and the impact of chronic stress on our lives for over 15 years. Dr. Rabin and his team collaborate with clients at the Apollo Clinic, empowering clients to take control of their mental and physical health by tapping into our abilities to adapt and heal ours...