Leadership Under Fire

Welcome to the second part of Jim McNamara's Senior Man Feature Episode with Jerry Smith Jr., BCFD. This episode picks up with guest host James McNamara, who is a senior Firefighter at the FDNY and serves as a Human Performance Advisor for Leadership Under Fire. He's also the principal author of the Leadership Under Fire Senior Man’s Performance Journal. Our guest, Jerry Smith Jr., is a Firefighte...

Jim McNamara hosts this episode of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast. Jim is a senior Firefighter at the FDNY and serves as a Human Performance Advisor for LUF. He's also the principal author of the Leadership Under Fire Senior Man’s Performance Journal. Our guest in this episode, Jerry Smith Jr., is a Firefighter with the Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) currentl...

When faced with a career-halting injury, our guest in this episode, used the challenge as an opportunity to hone his skills in a way that ultimately helped the Chicago Cubs break the Curse of the Billy Goat and capture the World Series in 2016. Kyle Schwarber played baseball for Indiana University where he was an All-American for the Hoosiers. During the summer, he played for the Wareham Gatemen o...

The conversation you will hear in this episode was recorded in early 2019 at a Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Summit, which took place in Annapolis, Maryland. The event was devoted to the concept of resilience, the ability to navigate adversity and absorb failure and loss in high-risk settings. We explored the concept from the individual, team and organizational level as well a...

What is going on inside of the mind of one of the USMC's top marksman? Joining us in the latest episode of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast is Julia Carlson. Among many other accomplishments, she was the first female to graduate the Small Arms Weapons Instructor School. Her marksmanship and Marine Corps highlights include: over 15 Interservice awards, five Internation...

In this episode, Leadership Under Fire welcomes back to the Optimizing Human Performance Podcast American journalist, author and filmmaker Sebastian Junger. Sebastian was featured on the show in March of 2019, but that conversation seems even more relevant as our entire society is navigating a deadly pandemic that has brought with it great uncertainty while disrupting many of our social norms and...

In this episode of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast, we'll unpack Justin Legg's unprecedented story of resilience. In 2006, Justin experienced a major medical setback, but as discussed, his mental fortitude has carried him through every challenge in life. Justin is a retired Navy SEAL Officer who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2000 with a B.S. in Systems Eng...

Laurence Gonzales is the author of three novels and five books of nonfiction. His bestselling book Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why has been published in six languages and was followed by Surviving Survival: The Art and Science of Resilience. His other works include Flight 232, Lucy and House of Pain. Gonzales has received numerous awards including two National Magazine Awards and the D...

This episode is hosted by Jim McNamara. For those tuning in for the first time, Jim is a senior Firefighter at the FDNY and serves as a Human Performance Advisor for Leadership Under Fire. He's also the principal author of the Leadership Under Fire Senior Man’s Performance Journal. Bob Athanas is our guest in this episode. Bob recently retired after 37 years of service with the FDNY. Bob grew up i...

Jake Dutton is a firefighter with the FDNY currently assigned to Ladder Company 102 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. He was previously assigned to Engine Company 235 and has worked as a paramedic in the New York City Emergency Medical Services system since 2006. A native of Northern California, Jake grew up as a competitive skier and avid outdoorsman. He began his career in the fire...

Ben Oliva is a certified mental performance consultant and mental health counselor. He is a member of the SportStrata team, which utilizes the most recent innovations in sport and performance psychology to coach individuals and teams to reach their maximum potential. He specializes in training athletes and elite performers using evidence-based mental skills training. Ben is the mental performance...

Charlie Black is a retired Marine Corps Officer with diverse experiences that span over three decades of service on four continents with conventional and special operations forces. His mission-focused leadership consistently enabled success in the most demanding and uncertain environments by building resilient and adaptive teams. For close to a decade since active service, he has pursued a range o...

Captain Michele Fitzsimmons is an 18-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department. She currently is the Department’s highest-ranking, senior woman in fire operations as the Company Commander of Ladder 12 in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. From 2002 through 2004, she was the president of FireFLAG, the FDNY’s Gay and Lesbian organization. In 2007, she co-founded Phoenix Firecamp, a weekl...

In this episode, we're honored to have U.S. Marine Lieutenant General Lawrence Nicholson as our guest. General Nicholson served as the Commanding General of III Marine Expeditionary Force, leading 30,000 Marines and Sailors in the Asia-Pacific region, from 2015 to 2018. He retired in August of 2018 after 39 years of dedicated service. During his career, he commanded at every level in USMC infantry...

Welcome to the second part of our 2019 Year In Review. This episode picks up with podcast host Patti Murphy, Leadership Under Fire Founder and President Jason Brezler and FDNY Senior Firefighter James McNamara. In the previous episode, we discussed the LUF team's accomplishments and focused efforts during 2019. Now, we'll dive deeper into some of the lessons Jason and Jim learned firsthand during...

In this episode, host Patti Murphy is joined by Leadership Under Fire Founder and President Jason Brezler and FDNY Senior Firefighter James McNamara. Together they discuss the LUF Team's 2019 accomplishments and focused efforts which included the rigorous examination of resilience--most specifically, exploring the question of "what happens when we play to win and lose?" Jason and Jim also share as...

Timothy Clarke is an FDNY Firefighter in Ladder Company 12 in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan and an International Association of Firefighters Peer Certified Fitness instructor (which is a personal trainer for firefighters). He spent three years racing professionally in the sport of triathlon and is a QT2 systems level 3 certified triathlon coach. As both an athlete and a coach, Tim has spen...

In this episode, listeners will hear from a guest who you may recognize from an episode we published in the spring of 2019 on Risk and Resilience. Please welcome back Deputy Chief Eric Nurnberg who currently serves as our team’s Leadership Director. Eric is a Deputy Chief with the Iowa City Fire Department and is a second generation firefighter. He’s a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and...

Charles “Sid” Heal retired as a Commander from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department in 2008 after nearly 33 years of service, more than half of which was spent in units charged with handling law enforcement special and emergency operations. He was present for emergency operations at the Oklahoma City Bombing, the 1992 Los Angeles Riots, the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, and the 2001 attacks. Sid als...

Hannah Huesman is a Mental Performance Coach with the Philadelphia Phillies. She earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Psychology and Motor Behavior from The University of Tennessee, focusing on improving performance amongst athletes of all ages. Throughout her career she’s worked with business executives, actors, and members of the FDNY. She is also the host of #MentalSweatMonday on social m...

This is the second and final installment in a series dedicated to Remembering FDNY Captain John T. Vigiano. Captain Vigiano passed away on July 8, 2018, after a long battle with cancer—leaving behind an indelible impression on those who knew him best. Captain Vigiano was a resilient leader, dedicated to a life of service. Aside from his impressive professional record, Captain Vigiano was most prou...

FDNY Captain John T. Vigiano was a resilient leader, dedicated to a life of service. On July 8, 2018, he passed away after a long battle with cancer, but left behind a far-reaching legacy.  Captain Vigiano was a former Sergeant in the US Marine Corps. Prior to his enlistment in the Marines, he enlisted in the New York National Guard at the young age of fifteen. He eventually joined the FDNY in 196...

This summer, we took a hiatus from publishing new episodes. But thanks to the brief pause, the Leadership Under Fire team accomplished a lot. In this episode, listeners are brought up to speed and get a glimpse of what's to come. 

Romeo Okwara currently is a Defensive End for the NFL’s Detroit Lions. Prior to this, he played college football at Notre Dame and signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Born June 17, 1995, Romeo stands 6’4” and weighs 275 pounds. But as we’ll discuss in this episode, when it comes to Okwara, there’s more than meets the eye. He moved to the United States from Nigeria w...

Renewable energy offers many benefits to the environment and its workforce. But while these are often great jobs, they can also be dangerous. Renewable energy workers are exposed to hazards that can result in fatalities and serious injuries. Many incidents involving falls, severe burns from electrical shocks and fires, and crushing injuries have been reported to the Occupational Safety and Health...