The Fire You Carry

In this episode we are again joined by special permanent guest host Mike Knobbe as we talk about what life is like as a soldier and as a fireman. While this episode is specifically for guys who are thinking about joining either the military or the fire service anyone will find it interesting as we share what life is like behind the scenes and share stories from both arenas. We even talk about some...

Mike joins us this week to talk about music we like right now, gear that we enjoy or adds value to our life and we wrap up with our experience "competing" in the CrossFit Open last month. Big thank you to My Epic and Facedown Records for the use of their song "Hail" on the podcast. Go listen to the non instrumental version here! https://youtu.be/Dz2RZThURTU "Tithemi"...

This weeks episode with Rich is a fun and lighthearted episode that still contains some great things that we can all take into our own lives in order to be better men. Rich shares his takeaway from the show Wanda Vision and it's actually fascinating and very insightful. We talk about the good and the bad of social media and how to best use it while getting hired along with at any other time i...

In this episode we talk with Mike Caldwell. Mike is a husband, father of 8 and also a grandfather of 4 (soon to be 5). He currently works with the CHP on a Violent Crimes Task Force and in the past has held jobs as an award winning farrier (you don't know what that is? we didn't either, listen to the episode it's awesome!) ran a vineyard, his own small family farm and more. We talk...

Cancer is an unfortunate and very real reality in the world of firefighting. As firefighters we are at a much higher risk of cancer than the general population. In this episode we talk with our good friend Germain, or Germ as the guys here in our department like to call him. Germ was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer a year ago and we walk through what the past year has been like for him,...

In this wide ranging episode we talk with Travis Knabe about his time serving in the Marines as a Forward Observer, seeing real combat in Iraq, including how he tricked his mom into signing the release so he could join the Marines before he turned 18. We also talk about how he and his wife went through miscarriage and how they worked through it, his thoughts on PTSD and how they have changed with...

In this episode we talk with Chris Ruano about fitness, leadership and fatherhood. Chris has been in the fire service for 24 years, starting out as a member of a hotshot crew, getting hired as a municipal firefighter, doing that for ten years and then getting back into the wildland firefighting world. He has spent the last ten years in wildland firefighting and during that time he developed his ow...

In this episode I talk with Kevin about how Heather and I dealt with death of Asher, our first born son. Asher was our daughter Avery's twin brother and he passed away suddenly at 8 months old. I share this story to hopefully give some hope to those who are walking through a loss but also as a bit of a cautionary tale as I walked through some very dark times after the death due to the way I d...

This is a lighthearted episode where Kevin, Mike I tell a few stories of us getting taken advantage of or looking like idiots. Enjoy! Big thank you to Facedown Records and My Epic for the use of their song "Hail" for our intro/outro!

In this special bonus episode we talk about our upcoming challenge for the month of March. We also review our experiences with the 3000 burpee challenge we did back in December with our special permanent guest host Mike Knobbe. Don't skip this one, you can do this with us! Make sure you go sign up for the CrossFit open today!  https://games.crossfit.com/ Remember, if you comment on this podca...

In this episode we talk about why we started this podcast and tell some of the backstory of how it all came about. We also delve into what our logo means and how we ended up with the name after another podcast took our original planned name before we launched. You'll also hear how Kevin's month of carnivore went and how our goals for the year are going.  Big thank you to Facedown Records...

This week Nole tells a war story and we take away lessons on having SOGs (standard operating guidelines) in life and why we believe it is important to not only have them but to also know when it's time to ignore them.  Big thank you to Facedown Records and My Epic for the use of their song "Hail" for our intro/outro!

Ed is one of the most well liked and respected Paramedics on the department. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience that he shares in a humble and entertaining way. He has somehow managed to keep a great positive attitude while working some of the busiest stations in the County for the last 20 years. He has been married to his wife for 27 years and has raised some great children as well. Ther...

Erik is one of Kevin's friends and has always been an inspiration to him. He has adventurer blood running through his veins and a lot of great life philosophies that we delve into in this episode. Erik's blog from the year spent driving his family around the Nation.   https://toddlerroad.wordpress.com/ramblings/ Some of the books that Erik mentions in the episode: A  Walk in the Woods -...

Stan is a good guy. Well liked and well respected here on our job. We sort of tricked him into being on the podcast and the result was a great conversation with some great life lessons to take away. Big thank you to Stan for being such a good sport.  We'd also like to thank Facedown Records and My Epic for the use of their song "Hail" for our podcast. We really love both the record...

Brian was at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival with his wife on the night that a gunman opened fire on the crowd, killing 60 people and wounding hundreds of others. Brian was shot that night and in this episode we walk through that experience and delve into what life was like afterward for he and his family.  Big thank you to Facedown Records and My Epic for the use of their song "Hail&quot...

In this episode Kevin and I go back and forth sharing our thoughts on the things that we want to continue to work on and get better at in the coming year, 2021. While we both worked on our lists separately and did not discuss them before sitting down to record there are a lot of similarities and it is fun to hear how we both came to many of the same conclusions on a handful of ways that we want to...

Sean has degrees from Loyola Marymount in Biology and Health and Body Sciences. He is the creator of Functional Hero, a wellness program geared toward the First Responder community to keep them in a state of year round health and fitness with the ability to function well in their job while also being able to enjoy life at home to the fullest. Sean is also certified with the  National Strength and...

Pops is one of the most well liked humans on the planet. His love of people is infectious. We have a great conversation on his life and influences. He’s a natural born storyteller- and there are some great ones about his parents. We also explore the tragedy of the recent loss of his son Leon Broussard IV. Big thank you to Facedown Records and My Epic for the use of their song "Hail" for...

Captain Dean Rivero has for LA County Fire for almost 30 years. He is a husband, father and a blackbelt in Jiu Jitsu. In this episode we talk to Dean about the life lessons he learned as a father starting Jiu Jitsu somewhat late in life. We also talk about the things he has learned through marriage retreats that he and his wife hosted and attended over the years and what he attributes his marriage...

This is the challenge for the month of December. Brought to us by one of our listeners! We are going to do 3000 burpees. No that is  not a typo, we are doing three thousand burpees in a month. This will be challenging, which is appropriate, for a challenge. Kevin and I think you are fully capable of joining us in it though and we want you to come with us on this journey. Listen to the audio for an...

In this episode we talk to Branden about his time as an infantry soldier in the Marine Corps and how his experiences over a 15 year career with a total of 7 deployments led to him being in a place where a lot of our veterans today find themselves, needing help but not knowing where to turn or even having a desire to do so. Through all this Branden ended up at a Mighty Oaks Warrior Legacy Program a...

In this episode we talk with Landon Patterson who is the Vice President of Sales for Hundred Acre Wine Group. He’s one of the most dynamic people you ever will meet, and a loyal & supportive friend! Big thank you to Facedown Records and My Epic for the use of their song "Hail" for our intro/outro!

In this episode we talk to Jason Teter. Jason is a fireman with LAFD, he is a rescue diver, adventurer, husband, father and a dynamic deep thinker. Jason talks a lot about his lifelong desire to learn what is behind the things that he and others around him believe, not to just understand it on the surface but to really dig deep and learn what is foundational. He also explains what motivated him to...

In this episode we talk to Sergio about how he found his inner fire early in life and how it's been integral in the way he approaches challenges.  From becoming an Army Ranger to realizing his dream to be an officer with LAPD and now being a Homicide Detective. We also delve into how being an officer with LAPD may leave you with only ten years left to live after retirement and what to do abou...