Matthew Harrison and Brian O'Connell are members of the Gainesville Fire Rescue in Florida which will be transitioning to the 24/72 schedule in August. Matt is a SWAT Medic and Brian in the Vice President of the FIrefighter's Union. We discuss their journeys into the fire service, the mental and physical imact of shift work, sleep deprivation, the recruitment crisis, the money saved by this transition, how they overcame resistance at each level and so much more.
Jun 19, 2024•1 hr 58 min•Ep. 942
Bethel Cagan lost her firefighter husband to suicide in 2022. We discuss Frank's journey into the fire service, his love of martial arts, becoming a father, the unwraveling she witnessed, the compounding elements of psychiatric meds and holds, processing grief, improving mental health in the fire service and so much more.
Jun 16, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 941
Dany Cotton spent over three decades serving with the London Fire Brigade, retiring as Commissioner. We discuss her journey into the fire service, forging diversity through mentoring, the impact of budget cuts on service and health, violence on first responders, heroism at the Grenfell Tower fire, dirty politics and much more.
Jun 14, 2024•2 hr 3 min
Ricky Nuttall is a veteran of the London Fire Brigade and was one of the firefighters at the Grenfell Tower fire that claimed 72 lives. We discuss his journey into the fire service, physical fitness, budget cuts, building construction, the inability to save, PTSD, addiction, suicide, community, poetry and much more.
Jun 14, 2024•2 hr 48 min
Rashad Evans is the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Hall of Famer and co-founder of Umbo. We discuss his turbulent childhood, mentorship through wrestling, his journey into MMA, his powerful mental health story, psychedlic therapy, functional mushrooms, entrepreneurship and so much more. Retired professional MMA fighter, UFC Hall of Famer, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and Ultimate Fighter 2 winner, now living my entrepreneurial dreams. As one of the founders of UMBO, we have deve...
Jun 12, 2024•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 940
Nick Hall is a veteran Police Officer and speaker. In 2000, an armed intruder held Nick and his family hostage. Through a tragic miscommunication, an Orlando PD sniper shot Nick's mother, Andrea. After struggling through both grief and aner, Nick decided to become a law enforcement officer and thus part of the solution. In this second conversation we discuss fatherhood, vascectomies, post traumatic growth, fitness, sefl sufficiency, mentorship and so much more. I was born in Long Island, New Yor...
Jun 09, 2024•1 hr 59 min•Ep. 938
Marcos Orozco is a veteran firefighter and the man behind Hard Knox Sunday. We discuss his journey into the fire service, chasing his dream department, firefighter fitness, his powerful sobriety story, organisational stress, Hard Knox Hitters and much more. I have been passionate about fitness since the age of 12 when my Dad bought me my first gym membership. Growing up I played football, baseball, and ran track through high school, and ran track for Arizona State University. I graduated from AS...
Jun 05, 2024•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 937
Sean Spencer is a filmakerm whose work includes 'Nguen', 'Grunt' and 'Ranger'. David Waterhouse is the subject of 'Ranger', which tells an essential story of the wars we sent our young men and women to for twenty years and the ripple effect of trauma. We discuss thir journeys into their respective careers, David's path into the Ranger Regiment, retrieving the fallen from Operation Red Wings II, losing Pat Tillman, Ramadi, homecoming, David's powerful mental health story, the military industrial ...
Jun 04, 2024•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 936
Ed Monroe is a veteran firefighter, speaker and soon to be author. He was first on scene after the horrific Murder/Suicide at LA County's Station 81 in 2021. We discuss his journey into the fire service, mentorship programs, inmate wildland crews, the horrendous events at station 81, the physical and mental health ripple effects, post traumatic growth, warning signs and so much more. I am a 53-year-old Fire Captain for Los Angeles County Fire Department. Born in Del Rio Texas, the son of an Air ...
Jun 02, 2024•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 935
In her new hour standup special Big Guy , which premieres on Netflix May 21st, Comedian and Actor Rachel Feinstein invites us into her delightfully chaotic life as the wife of a firefighter, a mother, and a comedian. In the words of her 3-year-old daughter, “my daddy’s a hero and my mommy’s sarcastic.” Rachel explores her marriage to a first responder who is also married to his firehouse family and unpacks what it’s like to navigate emotional intimacy with someone whose job it is to save people’...
May 30, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 934
Darren Pallatina is a British Military Veteran seving in both the Army and Navy. He deployed on multiple tours during the GWOT. We discuss his journey into the military, the role of a Combat Engineer, the trauma of war, his powerful mental health journey, his Decision of Power project and so much more.
May 28, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 933
After marrying her high school sweetheart turned Air Force hubby, Monica Fullerton quickly learned that the military community was ripe with creators, makers and entrepreneurs. Many of her fellow spouses were pursuing their passions in between deployments and even as full-time businesses, but there wasn’t a central location to shop and support these deserving entrepreneurs within the military community – therefore Monica launched Spouse-ly! She is a twin mom on a mission to provide more career f...
May 26, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 932
Frank Wright was one of the original Marine Raiders who fought on both Guam and Iwo Jima in WWII. We discuss his journey into the Marines, special forces selection, hand to hand combat, facing banzai attacks, his powerful mental health story, writing his book and so much more. I fought like mad as the Japanese stormed down the hill yelling "Malians you die, Malians you die." I emptied my rifle magazine, twice. Out of ammo I slashed and plunged my bayonet into as many as I could until... Battles ...
May 25, 2024•2 hr 53 min
Mark Pfeifer is a former Canadian soldier, firefighter and the founder of Ronin Rescue. We discuss his journey into the military, his exposure to rope rescue, firefighter fitness, rope redundency, cancer, mental health, chasing innovation, the importance of humility, knowledge sharing and so much more.
May 23, 2024•2 hr 38 min•Ep. 931
For years as an award-winning war reporter, Sebastian Junger traveled to many front lines and frequently put his life at risk. And yet the closest he ever came to death was the summer of 2020 while spending a quiet afternoon at the New England home he shared with his wife and two young children. Crippled by abdominal pain, Junger was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. Once there, he began slipping away. As blackness encroached, he was visited by his dead father, inviting Junger to join him. “I...
May 21, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 930
Ben Jenkin is a Parkour champion, stuntman and most recently one of Ryan Gosling's stunt doubles in 'The Fall Guy'. We discuss the daredevil influences in his childhood, finding Parkour, his journey into the stunt industry, recognising the stunt community, set safety, MMA, some behind the scenes stories and so much more. Ben Jenkin was born in Germany, raised in Blackburn, England, Ben spent his early childhood in many different schools due to his dad being in the military. At the age of 4 Ben m...
May 18, 2024•2 hr 1 min•Ep. 929
Sara Jahnke is one of the most respected researchers in firefighter health. In this third conversation we focused solely on the acute and chronic impact of sleep deprivation and how more rest is imperative for our firefighters. We discuss the alarming rise in childhood diseases amongst first responder parents, hormonal disruption, sleep deprivation and mental health, weight gain, how shift work is a known carcinigen and how the 24/72 shift would revolutionise firefighter health. Dr. Sara Jahnke ...
May 16, 2024•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 928
MIck Southall was only 16 years old when he joined the Junior Paratrooper programme in the British Army. In 1982, at the age of 17, Mick volunteered to fight alongside his fellow Paras against the Argentinians in the Falklands war. We discuss his early life, the mentors he found in the military, the courage of the Falklands, taking Mount Longdon, his homecoming story, Northern Ireland, Sudan, his journey int EMS and much more.
May 14, 2024•1 hr 50 min•Ep. 927
Summer of 2022 is one we will never forget. We received a call that our 16-year-old daughter, Layla, was being trauma hawked after an ATV crash. We didn’t know much about brain injury then, but we were about to get a firsthand look. Layla was in a coma. She had multiple brain bleeds, a dissected carotid artery and a broken jaw. They explained her type of injury was typically fatal, a grade 3 DAI. They said at best, she would survive but potentially remain unconscious or be severely disabled the ...
May 12, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 926
Jim Burneka is a firefighter, podcaster and the author of 'Overcoming Tuesday. In this second conversation, we discuss his powerful mental health story, the Save a Warrior program, his time in the IAFF's Center of Excellence, catharsis through writing, his conference 'Brothers helping Brothers' and so much more. As a first responder, firefighter paramedic Jim Burneka encounters traumatic events the average person will likely never experience, but to him, it’s just another day—it’s Tuesday. In sp...
May 09, 2024•2 hr 13 min•Ep. 925
Johann Hari is the author of Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight-Loss Drugs. We discuss the weight struggle that led him to explore pharmceuticals, the psychology of obesity, processed food and disease, Japan's food philosophy, the importance of sleep and so much more. Johann Hari is the author of three New York Times best-selling books, and the Executive Producer of an Oscar-nominated movie and an eight-part TV series starring Samuel L. Jackson. His boo...
May 07, 2024•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 924
Shaun "Bish" Bishop is a former 22 SAS Air Troop Sergeant with 24 years of military experience and over 14 combat deployments worldwide. A Sniper Instructor for the elite 22 SAS CT Wing, 22 SAS CQB Instructor and SAS Patrol Medic. He is a subject matter expert on firearms training, tactics and planning. He is also a liaison to local police forces while conducting high risk arrests, SIA licensed close protection officer. Most importantly Bish is a father, husband and warrior. We discuss his journ...
May 05, 2024•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 923
Kyle and Emily, married in 2016, have been a husband and wife coach/athlete team for the past 8 years. In addition to Kyle’s full time job in law enforcement, he programs and coaches his wife, Emily, who is in her quest this year to qualify for her sixth consecutive CrossFit Games. Emilys best finish at the games was last year in 2023 when she placed 12th, a successful comeback after her season ended early in 2022 due to a life threatening injury.
May 02, 2024•1 hr 58 min•Ep. 922
Mike Nasti is a 21 year veteran of the fire service and the man behind the 'Tip of the Spear Leadership Podcast'. We discuss his early life, volunteer firefighting, his 9/11 story, entering the career fire service, his leadership mistakes, mental health, firefighter fitness, his podcast and much more. Lieutenant Mike Nasti is a seasoned firefighter with 17 years of dedicated service in a major metropolitan fire department located in the Washington metropolitan area. Currently serving as the offi...
Apr 30, 2024•2 hr 32 min•Ep. 921
Vin is a master mindset & Executive coach. He's a licensed psychotherapist, full-time entrepreneur and angel investor. Also Vin is a former FDNY firefighter who served during the C-19 pandemic. He has spent over 12 years learning techniques, skills and tools to help people create lasting change. Vin has worked in virtually every setting imaginable in mental-health, he has worked in hospitals, clinics, homeless shelters, in-patient units, department of education, and private practice. In the ...
Apr 28, 2024•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 920
Major James Capers is one of the most decorated Marine Recon veterans who operated on over 50 classified missions in Vietnam. We discuss his challenging childhood, racism in the South, his indominable marriage, the impact of losing men, coming home, PTSD and so much more.
Apr 27, 2024•2 hr 37 min
Tony Long and Mark Williams are former British Armed Police Officers. Tony is the author of the book Lethal Force which documents his career. Mark now serves as the CEO of the Police Firearms Officer Association. We discuss their journeys into policing, the power of mentorship, armed unit tactics, organisational betrayal, the media, fitness standards, Britain's knife crime epidemic, the support the PFOA offers and so much more.
Apr 25, 2024•2 hr 51 min•Ep. 919
Ben Timberlake is a former SAS soldier, Contractor, archaeologist and the author of "High Risk". We discuss his early life, joining the British Special Forces, the horrors of war, kindness in combat, his powerful and unique addiction story, his full circle back into archaeology and so much more. High Risk: This is a dark, raw and uncompromising tale of the human condition in extremis, drawing on the many lives of Ben Timberlake: as an archaeologist, Special Forces soldier, combat medic and drug ...
Apr 23, 2024•2 hr 20 min•Ep. 918
Thomas Ansu is a former New York EMT, current FDNY Squad firefighter and the founder of The Burn Box. We discuss growing up in New York, the importance of mentorship, his experiences as an EMT, his journey into the Fire service, servant leadership, special operations firefighting, entreprenurship, The Burn Box and so much more. Burn Box was founded in 2020 by Thomas, an active FDNY firefighter with the mission to enable people everywhere to support firefighters. Every Burn Box features a collect...
Apr 21, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 917
Tom Hewitt MBE, is founder and CEO of Surfers Not Street Children. He has worked in the field with street children in Africa for over 28 years. In 1998 he founded the Durban Street Team which went on to be renamed Surfers Not Street Children in 2012. Tom was awarded and MBE by HRH Queen Elizabeth II in 2011 for his work with street children in Africa. Tom is perhaps most well known for his successful advocacy campaign to end the forced removals of street children in Durban, South Africa. These r...
Apr 20, 2024•1 hr 18 min
