Leadership Under Fire

In this episode, we welcome back to the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast American author, journalist, and filmmaker Sebastian Junger to discuss his latest book, Freedom. In three succinct chapters, Junger takes us on a physical and philosophical journey exploring the concept of Freedom—and the disparities that exist at its core in today’s modern society. While the book is...

This episode is part one of two. What you’re about to hear is a recording of a live event. The "Fireside Chat" has become a staple of Leadership Under Fire leadership development and human performance resident programs. The conversation affords seasoned leaders the opportunity to candidly reflect on leadership lessons and human performance principles resulting from the many wins and losses they’ve...

Our guest in this episode is Battalion Chief Thomas Smith from CAL FIRE Nevada Yuba Placer Unit and the Placer County Fire Department. Smith started his career in 2005 as a Firefighter with the North Tahoe Fire Protection District. In 2006, he was hired with CAL FIRE NEU as a Firefighter I and promoted through the ranks of FFII and Engineer working in Battalions 12, 17, and 18 as well as the Grass...

Gabe Angemi is a second-generation member of the Camden NJ Fire Department. He presently serves as a Captain and is assigned to Squad Company 7. Gabe has spent many years serving in Camden’s Special Operations companies and is a member of NJ-TF1 FEMA USAR since 2008. He completed undergraduate study in Public Safety Administration from Neumann University and holds a master’s degree in Emergency &...

Journalist Joe Flood is the founder of n2 Communications and the author of the book The Fires, which examines New York City’s 1970s fire epidemic and fiscal crisis. In The Fires, Flood provides an X-ray of the inner workings of NYC during the ‘70s using the dramatic story of a pair of mayors, an ambitious Fire Commissioner, and an even more ambitious think tank to illuminate the patterns and formu...

Rachel Balkovec is making history this 2021 season as the first woman hired by a major league baseball team to work as a full-time hitting coach. Balkovec currently serves as a minor league hitting coach for the New York Yankees and has worked in professional baseball for seven years. Breaking through in 2014, she was hired as the minor league strength and conditioning coordinator for the St. Loui...

Josh Wiener is a Lieutenant in the FDNY and is currently assigned to the Rescue Battalion. His previous assignments were to Division 7 as a covering Lieutenant, Squad 252 and Ladder 133 as a firefighter. Josh also spent 20 years in the United States Marine Corps as an Infantry Unit Leader and retired at the rank of Master Sergeant. He is a combat veteran of the war in Iraq. Josh serves as a leader...

On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory in New York City burned, tragically killing 146 workers. It is remembered as one of the most infamous incidents in American industrial history. The tragedy brought widespread attention to the dangerous sweatshop conditions of factories, spurred the creation of the FDNY’s Bureau of Fire Prevention, and led to the development of a series of...

This episode features Lindsay Dare Shoop. Lindsay is a lifelong athlete turned coach, author, and speaker. She is an Olympic gold medalist, a three-time World Champion, and a National Rowing Hall of Fame inductee. With a focus on performance optimization and longevity throughout sport and life, Lindsay coaches and hosts clinics and workshops for coaches, athletes, and teams of all ages and skill l...

Dan Saalfrank is our guest in this episode of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast. Dan is a FDNY Lieutenant assigned to Ladder Co. 4 in Midtown Manhattan. He previously served with Ladder Companies 169 and 176, both in the borough of Brooklyn. Within the FDNY, Dan is a Battalion Delegate for the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, a member of the FDNY Pipes and Drums an...

Jon Matthews was a police officer in Greensboro, North Carolina, for more than a decade, from 2008 to 2019, before leaving the policing profession to enter ministry with a local church. After a year and a half in ministry, he returned to police work during one of the most challenging times in his department's history in late 2020. He is currently assigned to a Community Resource Team, which is a s...

Pat Maloney is a retired 39-year member of the Chicago Fire Department, who rose through the ranks to become the Chief of Special Operations. Pat entered the ranks of the Chicago Fire Department in 1981. Prior to his promotion to Battalion Chief, Pat served as the Captain of Squad 2 for eleven years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Fire Science Management from Southern Illinois University. Pat ser...

Nick Kalt is our guest in this episode of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast. Nick serves as a Captain with the Long Beach, California Fire Department. Prior to entering the professional fire service, Nick was a Captain in the United States Marine Corps. He was seriously wounded in the Battle of Fallujah in November 2004 while serving with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion...

In this episode, host Patti Murphy is joined by Jason Brezler and Jim McNamara as we look back at a year that was like no other we've experienced in our lifetimes. Against the backdrop of a global Coronavirus pandemic, 2020 catapulted all of us into world-changing events. From the tragic loss of life and economic effects of the pandemic to civil unrest to ongoing wildfires, 2020 has certainly been...

Erin Cafaro is one of the most decorated female rowers in American history. Cafaro was a star rower at Cal from 2001 to 2006, helping the Golden Bears win the NCAA Championship in both 2005 and 2006. She helped the United States win the gold medal in the Eight boat in both the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Erin was also a five-time medalist at the World Ro...

Salvatore Cassano is the former Commissioner of the New York City Fire Department. He was appointed Commissioner by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in January 2010 and retired from the FDNY in 2014. Mr. Cassano became an FDNY member in 1969 and served in every uniformed rank, including the highest—Chief of Department. From 2001 to 2006, he served as Chief of Operations – a position to which he was appoint...

Dr. Nathaniel Zinsser has been a sport psychology teacher and trainer for three decades. He has served on the faculties of William Paterson College in New Jersey, East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, the University of Virginia system, and since 1992, he has directed the nation’s leading mental skills training program at West Point’s Center for Enhanced Performance. This program has been ad...

Chris Summers is a Physician Assistant, Critical Care Specialist and Quality Assurance and Education Coordinator, who has practiced cardiothoracic surgery and critical care medicine in New York City for the past 14 years. He is a veteran of the US Coast Guard stationed in the North Atlantic and a former New York City Paramedic that has responded to countess catastrophes both on land and at sea. Ch...

This episode is the second and final installment of a two-part interview featuring guest host Jim McNamara and retired FDNY Captain Alexander Hagan. Captain Al began his career in 1973 and served in some of the FDNY's busiest companies. After 35 years of service in the field, he decided to become part of union leadership. Hagan began his union service as the Captain’s Rep, and then the President o...

This episode is part one of two. Alexander (“Captain Al”) Hagan began his career during the War Years of the FDNY, in 1973, when he was assigned to 36 Engine in Harlem. After several years in Harlem, Al studied and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, and was assigned to 44 Truck in the South Bronx. Al would later promote again, and assume command of 43 Truck in Spanish Harlem. After 35 years o...

Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic are the NY Times bestselling authors of the book Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in US Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man. In early 2019, LUF recorded an interview with them, which you will hear in this episode. This was recorded at a Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Summit, which took place in A...

In this episode of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast, we're honored to bring you the inspiring story of FDNY Captain Timothy Stackpole—told by his family, friends and fellow firefighters who were influenced by his leadership. On June 5‚ 1998‚ Timothy Stackpole was severely injured in a fifth alarm fire in Brooklyn. Two of his fellow Firefighters were killed, and more i...

The original broadcast date for this episode of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast was December 28, 2018, but the conversation is still relevant today. “Life As Sport.” It’s an approach to performance and everyday situations that Dr. Jonathan Fader strongly believes in based on his experience working with top athletes. Dr. Jonathan Fader is a licensed performance psycho...

This episode from 2018 is our very first of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast. Our guest in this episode has spent two decades traveling to some of the most dangerous and remote areas of the world—masterfully capturing all facets of the human experience. Lynsey Addario is an American photojournalist whose work appears regularly in the New York Times, National Geographi...

Mr. Sandy Alderson has served as an executive in Major League Baseball for four decades. His teams have won six division titles, three American League pennants, one National League pennant and a World Series Championship. He served as a General Manager, Chief Executive Officer and/or President with the Oakland Athletic, San Diego Padres and New York Mets. He was the architect of the Oakland Athlet...