Behind The Shield

Anthony Ortiz is a veteran Fire Captain, Instructor and Entrepreneur. We discuss growing up in a firefighter family, his own journey into the fire service, courage in leadership, the 24/72 workweek, fighting for a healthy marriage, firefighter fitness, the power of mentorship and so much more. Anthony Ortiz is a second-generation firefighter whose family has protected the Ocala community for more...

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...

Andrew Douglas is a former firefighter/paramedic and creator of the mental health app Siento. Blake Richardson is the son of a firefighter and co-founder of the alert system EaseAlert. We discuss impriving firefighter rest and recovery, how to avoid waking crews unecessarily, using AI to help improve peer support conversations and so much more. Blake Richardson grew up around the firehouse. His da...

Darin Kinder is a former Special Agent of the United States Secret Service, where he spent decades protecting world leaders and navigating high-stakes environments. On September 11, 2001, he was on the ground in New York City when the World Trade Center was attacked—an experience that earned him the Secret Service Medal of Valor and forever shaped his perspective on life and leadership. Beyond his...

Rick Mountcastle is a former United States Attorney and the leader of the team who prosecuted Purdue Pharma, following their deadly predatory actions with Oxycontin. We discuss his journey into law, prosecuting mobsters, the genesis of the opioid crisis, FDA corruption, the dark side of nursing homes, "Dopesick", his new documentary "No Country for Old People" and so much more. Rick Mountcastle jo...

John Graham is a former British Army Paratrooper and member of 22 SAS. He is also known as his pen name John Geddes, the author of "Spearhead Assault" detailing his experience in the Falkland Islands War and "Highway to Hell" telling his military contracting story in Iraq. We discuss his early life in England, his journey into the military, serving in Northern Ireland, The Battle of Goose Green, w...

Stephanie Waugh is a mother, firefighter, strength athlete, firefighter spouse and co-founder of the non profit Waughstrong. We discuss her journey into powerlifting and strongman, her journey into the fire service, navigating the schedule when both partners are firefighters, the impact of mandatory overtime on families, pregnancy, breastfeeding and so much more. WaughStrong: https://waughstrong.o...

Dr Nathan Jenkins has nearly two decades of experience in exercise physiology and sports nutrition, working with top athletes and high performers. We discuss his journey into the world of exercise physiology, the biology of cascular disease, the healing power of food, supplementation, comprehensive blood panels, Rapid Health Optimization and so much more. "I am passionate about advancing the scien...

Marcus Edwards is the Cofounder and CEO of Stationwise, a company transforming how fire departments manage staffing, scheduling, and labor rules. Raised in a family of firefighters, his father, uncle, and grandfather all served. Marcus grew up immersed in the fire service culture, and he saw firsthand how outdated tools made a hard job even harder. Marcus began his career as a consultant at Bain &...

Olivia Jackson is a model, muay thai fighter and professional stunt performer. We discuss growing up in South Africa, modelling, fighting, her near death experience, overcoming physical and mental trauma and much more. "As an adult, my professional journey took a unique turn as I transitioned from an International Model to a Stuntwoman in films. I contributed to a number of blockbuster films such...

Mike was born and raised in North Bellmore, New York where he graduated from Hofstra University with a degree in accounting in 1991. After starting his accounting career, he realized that his real passion lay in Law enforcement. Mike wanted to become an FBI agent, but they were on a federal hiring freeze at the time, and coupled with the fact that he wanted to experience a different way of life, H...

Jimmy Sands is an FDNY veteran and survivor of the infamous Deutsche Bank Fire. We discuss his journey into the volunteer fire service, joining the FDNY, the tragedy on 9/11, the unity of 9/12, losing his brothers in 2007, the mental health impact and so much more. https://www.youtube.com/@nycfireguy/shorts

Dr Marc Bubbs ND, MSc, CISSN, CSCS is a naturopathic doctor, performance nutrition lead for Canada Basketball, and performance nutrition consultant for a portfolio of professional and Olympic athletes. Marc is the author of the best-selling book Peak: The New Science of Athletic Performance That Is Revolutionizing Sports. Marc also hosts The Performance Nutrition Podcast, connecting listeners with...

Marcus Capone is a former Tier 1 Navy SEAL and the founder of "Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions". We discuss his journey into the Navy, TBIs and microtraumas, his powerful mental health story, the healing power of Ibogaine and so much more. When he was medically retired after 13 years. and multiple combat deployments as a U.S. Navy SEAL, Marcus Capone and his wife, Amber, thought that life w...

Josh Clemente was a lead Life Support Systems Engineer at SpaceX, but his discovery that he was metabolically unhealthy led him down a path of research into the intersection of blood glucose and health. From there, his mission became figuring out how to get that important data into the hands of more people. Josh is now the founder of Levels Health, a metabolic fitness startup that uses continuous...

Marc Coull is a Master Police Officer, Gang Detective veteran and Community Policing Instructor. In this second conversation we discuss his own jarring transition out of law enforcement, first responder fitness, combatives in law enforcement, leadership cowardice, moral courage, the ICE raids, National Guard deployments, Gaza and much more. Marc is also a Combatives Instructor, Swat, Swat Maritime...

Dan Lennon is a U.S. Air Force veteran, Lieutenant with Orange County Fire Rescue, and the founder of The First Responder Realtor® brand. We discuss his journey into the fire service, firefighter fitness, the fiscal and mental health benefits of a second career, the world of real estate and so much more. With over 17 years in the fire service, Dan has built his career and his business around one g...

Doug Orchard is a professional cinematographer, director, editor and an expert researcher. Doug's documentary "The Motivation Factor" shows the incredible positive ripple effect of La Sierra High School's PE program in the 1960s. We discuss his journey into film making, the personal tragedy that drove his quest for health information, the obesity epidemic, nutrition and immunity, the social impact...

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

Dr Todd Otten is a board-certified family physician and co-founder of Our Quadruple Aim, a movement that challenges the status quo in healthcare and promotes patient experience, quality care, lower costs, and provider wellness. Todd has over 20 years of experience in providing quality patient care, leading teams, and managing projects in various settings, including the United States Navy, where he...

Vanessa Frost-Piedrahita currently serves as the Health & Fitness Coordinator for the Pflugerville Fire Department. Since 2016, she has overseen all aspects of health and performance for the department’s active firefighters and multiple academies. She focuses on balancing health and performance for tactical personnel through movement quality, evidence based practices, and realistic approaches....

Danny Boy O'Connor is the co-founder of House of Pain and the founder of The Outsiders House. We discuss his early life, his journey into Hip Hop, fame, his powerful addiction story, the impact "The Outsiders" had on his life, the healing power of community and so much more. The Outsiders House Museum unveils a behind the scenes layer that everyone loves: the trivia, the untold yarns, the story be...

Anthony ‘Harry’ Moffitt recently retired from the Australian Defence Force after almost 30 years, most of which was spent with Australia’s elite Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment as a Team Commander and Team Specialist. He has completed 11 active service deployments, including being wounded in action in 2008. Harry completed his time with the SAS as its Human Performance Manager. He’s a Registere...

Mat McLaughlin is a firefighter and Army veteran from Perth, Western Australia. Mat underwent MDMA-assisted therapy, an experience he credits not only with saving his career, but possibly his life. We discuss his journey into the fire service, military service, East Timor, natural disasters, losing his father, the healing power of MDMA and so much more. With over 20 years of service, he has worked...

Jared Reston is a law enforcement veteran and the founder of Reston Group Critical Solutions. We discuss his journey into policing, fitness standards, the importance of realism in training, surviving a murder attempt, weapon design, the Charlie Kirk assassination and much more. Jared retired from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office after 20 years of service. 17 of those years were on their Full-Time...