Crew 1st Culture Podcast

I’m blessed to be joined today for part 2 of a 2 part conversation with one of America’s favorite personalities of the fire service, Ric Jorge. In part 1 Ric went into a little bit of his story but we mainly focused on training, mindset, and of course firefighter resiliency which he is well known for. This episode he digs deeper into his story, his purpose, and the importance of finding your own p...

Monday Mindset Check - From the outside, courage  is a term that our citizens use regularly to describe those in the fire service. But are we truly embodying courage or are we imposters that hide behind a thin veil of strength and bravery but are truly crippled by fear on the inside where it counts. To gain your purpose in life Your have To face your fears, you have to get out of your comfort zone...

I’m blessed to be joined today for part 1 of a 2 part conversation with one of America’s favorite personalities of the fire service, Ric Jorge. In part 1 Ric goes into a little bit of his story but we mainly focus on training, mindset, and of course firefighter resiliency which he is well known for.  It was great to meet and start to get to know Ric, he is the epitome of someone using the circumst...

It’s so easy to create a narrative in your head about how dumb someone’s choices were, how lazy someone is because of things they didn’t get done, and so on when we look at the situation through our own perspective. And we’re always quick to jump to the opinion that they are in the wrong because of the difference. What we need to do is put ourselves in their shoes  to gain a little bit different p...

My guest today is Jim Moss. Jim is the coauthor of Firefighter Functional Fitness and recently has released another book on his own Firefighter Success. We discuss some of the parts of Firefighter Success that were the most impactful to me and dig deeper into areas like humility, values, and mentoring. I really enjoyed the book and suggest it to anyone. See more on Jim and his book on Facebook at...

Some times as parents/spouses/leaders we have to make a decision between options that all suck. As we get older decision making send to get harder.  We gain more responsibility, become parents, and life starts hitting  us with everything that it can. Even if every choice we have to pick from carries risk and the potential for bad outcomes we still have to make a decision.  Being a grown up some ti...

My guest today is Kyle Kondoff. Kyle is a Texas firefighter with a story to tell. Kyle talks about his fight through multiple serious injuries (one that nearly took his life), and being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes with all the challenges that have come with that. Kyle is an inspiration and a voice to a huge Diabetic community. He teaches us all that no matter what life hits us with we have to k...

Do the right thing even if it means breaking some rules! Those are words from an Instagram post from @firefightersuccess and that’sa decision that sooner or later we probably will have to make. The risk/benefit model doesn’t only apply to emergency scenes, we also need to be weighing the risk versus rewards in the firehouse. The mental health, morale, team work, and relationships of the crew need...

Justin Lorenzen joins me today. Justin works for the Oklahoma City Fire Department in their training division. Justin shares his insight of what he has seen from the other side and lessons that he's learned from all the people and crews that he has trained. His bottom line that we need to be better at - Humility (and I agree). Being humble solves so many problems and lacking humility causes s...

It’s a great day! How long has it been since you’ve heard  that? Now days, we most likely don’t hear it much. But if you’rea firefighter that’s exactly what you should be saying every day you arrive at the fire house. We are so blessed to be able to do what we do and we should be so grateful for that opportunity.  Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think...

I’m joined today by a fellow podcast host that has been killing it for 4 years now. James Geering is my guest, host of the popular podcast Behind The Shield Podcast and author of the book “One More Light”. James talks about being a host and getting the opportunity to share incredible stories from the lives of amazing people.  Special thanks to our sponsor Wood’s Forcible Entry Door Kits. I’m proud...

No matter what your family Is like or what choices have been made for generations, or what has always been done at your department; we always get to make our own choices. So is there something that needs to stop at home or at work? Then be the one to stop it. Is there something at home out work that has never been done or that no one has accomplished? Then be the first one to do it. We all have a...

Today I am joined by stand up comedian and inspirational YouTuber Rodney Norman. Rodney shares his story of finding a different avenue to share humor after his ability to perform in front of crowds was taken away. He also talks about the importance of humor and not taking yourself so seriously in the serious world we live in. Special thanks to our sponsor Wood’s Forcible Entry Door Kits. I’m proud...

Episode 73 was my first attempt at a live show. For this Monday Mindset Check I dig into the responsibility that we take on as leaders and the weight that we should feel with that. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!

Today I’m joined by who I feel is one of the biggest up and coming voices for a better fire service. Ljay Geist shares his passion, his positivity, and his humility with me in one of my favorite conversations so far. I wanted him to be my first guest of 2021 and give him a chance to help us all focus on the positive and take the best out of every situation. I hope to hear lots more from Ljay becau...

Even though we may not be where we want to be as a crew as long as we have a foundation of respect and built relationships we will accomplish great things. The rest will come over time with continued effort but we have to have that foundation. Team Before Self, that’s something that needs to be nonnegotiable. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think &amp...

Some of the most special guests I’ve ever had join me today for this last episode of 2020, my kids. I thought it would be fun to hear what leadership looks like through the minds of our youngest generation. There’sa lot to be learned from even kids and also remind us of how important it is for us to be living the example because they are always watching us. Happy New Year! Thank you for listening!...

What a year, I take a little time to look back at the good that came from 2020 and look forward to what’s to come in 2021. Happy New Year everyone and thank you for listening. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!

Jarrod Sergi joins me today. Jarrod is the author of No Nonsense Leadership and has the Trial By Fire social media pages. Jarrod has some great insight into leadership, team building, and mentoring that he’s gained from his years I’m not only the fire service but also the military. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted...

“Now we are not afraid, although we know there is much to fear!” Lyrics from When You Believe by Pentatonix. Such a great song and message which I try to share with those of us who are struggling with fear, pain, or whatever battle you’re fighting. I hope you all have a great holiday season! Thank you! Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how t...

It such an honor to be joined today by a mentor to so many of us, Chief Frank Viscuso. What I have come to love the most about Chief Viscuso’s message is that he always finds a way to bring it back to family.  Just like I love being around people that are passionate about the fire service because that passion is contagious, I also love being around people that are passionate about their family and...

With the new year approaching we can’t expect it to be any better than this one unless we do things differently than we did this year. The best opportunities for personal growth usually come from the worst circumstances that we’re faced with.  Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came f...

Chief Jason Hoevelmann joins me today. The author of No Exceptions Leadership and The New Company Officer as well as lots of articles, I’ve been looking forward to talking with and learning from the Chief. As a starting point he discusses when to know if you’re ready to promote and when it may be necessary to gain some more experience first. But as all good conversations go, we go lots of other di...

It’s so much easier to cuddle up in our comfort zones instead of stepping out and working to learn, grow, and get better. But those comfort zones are really danger zones because in them there is no growth and nothing will ever get better. Find the strength to try something new, to push yourself harder, and to make your life better. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me k...

Joining me for the second time is Brooke Ames. Today we dig into the topic of Perception and the role it plays for those of us trying to do good things for the fire service. The Perception of others can be taken many different ways. We can use it as an excuse to quit trying because of negative perceptions of us and allow them to be a stumbling block keeping us from sharing our message. Or we can u...