Behind The Shield

Mike Tucker spent a full career in the fire service, retiring as a Fire Chief. He now holds the position of Bureau Chief of the Florida State Fire College. We discuss his entry into the profession, working for unique taxpayers, his powerful cancer story, bringing wellness to fire recruits and officers alike, the firefighter work week and so much more.

Travis Ortmayer is a professional strongman, coach and competitor. We discuss his journey into strength training, his near career ending injury, addiction, suicide, his powerful road to recovery, the power of visualisation, chasing the World's Strongest Man title, training the tactical athlete and much more.

Dave Castro is a Navy SEAL veteran and the former CEO of Crossfit. We discuss his journey into the military, finding Crossfit, transitioning out of the Navy, tactical athlete fitness testing, law enforcement weapons training, the obesity epidemic, reading, competitive shooting, hunting and much more.

Jeff Byers is a retired NFL player and the CEO of Amp Human. In this second conversation, we discuss the impact of the pandemic, the importance of sunlight exposure, vitamin D and immune health, sleep, brain health and much more.

Pete Saunders is a British Army veteran and Guernsey firefighter. We discuss Guernsey's incredible success in stopping COVID on the island, the importance of preparation, staffing a multidiscipline station, the history of the island's Nazi invasion and much more.

Chuck Liddell is an MMA legend, author and actor. We discuss his early life, overcoming physical challenges, his grandfather's mentorship, altruism, his journey into the martial arts, intrinsic motivation, transitioning out of professional fighting and so much more.

Jason Lacayo is a veteran police officer, Emergency Service Unit member and half of Reps for Responders. We discuss his journey into law enforcement, the importance of mentors, tactical fitness, defensive tactics, community policing and much more.

Kate Casey is an author, film maker and the host of the Reality Life Podcast. We discuss parenting, unscripted television, her powerful 9/11 story, the power of storytelling, terrorism, documentaries, reality television and much more.

Matt Fiorenza and Jared Cheselske are veteran firefighters and suicide survivors. We discuss their traumatic childhoods, their journeys into the fire service, suicide ideation, the treatments that did not work, the Save a Warrior program and much more. Get a glimpse into the before and after treatment in this powerful two part episode.

Al Benjamin spent 35 years as an FDNY firefighter, mostly on the revered Rescue 1. We discuss his early life in Brooklyn, the impact of mentorship on his career, the role of the senior man, his heartbreaking 9/11 story, the human under the uniform and so much more.

Todd Robinson is an actor, writer, director and Save a Warrior alum. We discuss his journey into acting, the power of storytelling, his mental health battle, the warrior's journey, making "The Last Full Measure" and so much more.

Steven Sashen is a former elite gymnast, comedian and current tech guru and founder of Xero Shoes. We discuss the coach who changed his life, enjoying the journey of physical excellence, overcoming injury, barefoot training, creating minimalist shoes and much more.

Jules and Gédéon Naudet are the French brothers behind the documentaries 9/11, November 13 and Notre Dame to name a few. We discuss their childhood in Paris, studying film in NYU, what took them to the FDNY, their accounts of September 11, the heroism at the 2015 Paris attacks, saving Paris' most treasured landmark and so much more.

Jonathan Montgomery is a musician, retired firefighter and co-founder of First In Nutrition. We discuss the rock and roll lifestyle, overcoming his own chronic ill health, fitness vs wellness, training the tactical professions, the power of nutrition, jiu jitsu and so much more.

Yousef Badou is a former Marine Infantryman with multiple combat tours, and an industry leading expert in the areas of Situational Awareness and Behavioral Analysis. We discuss his childhood in Kuwait, joining the US Marines, the power of communication, threat assessment, EDC and much more.

Sara Jahnke is the director and a senior scientist with the Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research at the National Development & Research Institutes. In this second conversation, we discuss COVID-19 and first responders, the science behind vaccinations, the impact on the special needs community, the importance of overall wellness and so much more.

Terry, Joe and Rich were my Truck Crew at Anaheim FD. To celebrate this 400th episode, we sat down for the second time. In this episode, we discussed Joe's COVID-19 hospitalisation, leadership, dealing with loss, hiring standards, mental health and more.

Scott Geiselhart is a mechanic, veteran firefighter and peer support counselor. Scott survived both Meth addiction and a suicide attempt. We discuss childhood trauma, dealing with tragedy, unhealthy coping mechanisms, divine intervention, EMDR and much more.

Matthew Pollard is an internationally-recognized business consultant, speaker, blogger and the author of "The Introvert's Edge". We discuss his challenging childhood, understanding personality types, the power of storytelling, entrepreneurship, business success, mental health and much more.

Todd Edwards is a 38 year veteran of the fire service. Among other projects, he is the co-founder of Mission Resurrection with fellow Georgia firefighter Danny Dwyer. We discuss firefighter fitness, realism in training, the current pandemic, the power of mentorship, leadership and much more.

Alex Jabr is a veteran Paramedic, Grief and Death Educator and founder of Emergency Resilience. We discuss her childhood in Lebanon, entering EMS in the US, terminating lifesaving attempts on a cardiac arrest, death notifications, moral injury, her own powerful mental health journey and much more.

Travis Wade is a Marine, actor, producer and Save A Warrior alum. We discuss his traumatic childhood, military service, the craft of acting, exposing Hollywood predators, making "The Last Full Measure", heroism in Vietnam and much more.

Dr. Ballard is a board-certified orthopedic and sport clinical physical therapist specializing in assisting first responders, military personnel and athletes. We discuss the benefits of multi sport athletes, screening candidates, injury prevention, rehabilitation, rotational training, tactical footwear, sleep and so much more.

Jason Gardner is a former Navy SEAL, combat leader and member of Echelon Front. Iris is a former EMT, horse wrangler and author. In this second conversation, we discuss living off the grid, foraging, the healing power of horses, children and hunting, the health of the nation and so much more.

Davis Odell is a retired firefighter and special operations Lieutenant. He was also the officer at Orlando Station 5 when the Pulse Nightclub attacks occurred only a block from his station. We discuss his journey into the fire service, overcoming addiction, forging diversity, responding to Pulse, mental health and much more.