Siento was born from the personal experiences of its CEO, Andrew Douglas, who spent years on the front lines as a firefighter/paramedic and union leader. After confronting his own battles with PTSD and a suicide attempt, Andrew felt compelled to create the solution he wished he had during his darkest times. Understanding the intense pressures and unique challenges faced by those in high-stress professions, he was driven to create a tailored solution that effectively addresses the mental health n...
Oct 06, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 989
Andy Puddicombe is the creator of the meditation app Headspace. We discuss his childhood trauma, becoming a monk in India, the many benefits of mindfulness and meditation, mental resilience and much more. Andy is a meditation and mindfulness expert. An accomplished presenter and writer, Andy is the voice of all things Headspace. In his early twenties, midway through a university degree in Sports Science, Andy made the unexpected decision to travel to the Himalayas to study meditation instead. It...
Oct 05, 2024•59 min
Danny Long is a US Army Veteran, 22 year veteran of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, 8 year member of the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force and the Founder of the Oklahoma First Responder Division. We discuss his journey into the military, entering law enforcement, contracting, weapons training, his multiple officer involved shootings, his powerful mental health journey, creating a wellness solution in his state, the healing power of exercise, Beaverfit equipment and so much more. "After dedicating my...
Oct 04, 2024•2 hr 24 min•Ep. 988
Ian "Mongoose" Jones is a BJJ Black Belt, Muay Thai champion and World Catch Wrestling champion. We discuss his turbulent childhood, his journey into the combat sports, striking, head trauma, martial arts for law enforcement grappling, addressing the 'grey area' with catch wrestling and so much more.
Oct 02, 2024•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 987
Alex Othmer is a Merchant Marine, Navy SEAL veteran and the Chief Executive Officer of Guardian Revival, We discuss his unique journey into the SEAL teams, Somali piracy, his transition story, psychedelic therapy, canines, the healing power of music and so much more. Guardian Revival Website: https://www.guardianrevival.org/
Sep 29, 2024•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 986
Mike Taylor and Alex Roodhouse are Navy Riverine Veterans and co-founders of BeaverFit USA. We discuss their journeys into the military, standing up an elite unit from scratch, training for the unknown, equipping the tactical athlete, training under stress and so much more.
Sep 28, 2024•1 hr 33 min
Joel Billings is a former Volunteer Firefighter, EMT and researcher. We discuss volunteerism, his published study on the 48/96 firefighter shift, the health and performance impact of sleep deprivation, shift start times, alerting systems and much more. Joel is an assistant professor at Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University. He is the Program Chair for the undergraduate degree program in Emergency Services teaches courses in fire and emergency services. Dr. Billings’ research expertise focuses on ...
Sep 26, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 985
Brian McGinnis is a US Marine, veteran firefighter and humanitarian. We discuss his early life, his journey into the military, his 9/11 story, being part of the Iraq invasion, some notable fire service calls, stolen land he witnessed whilst in the West Bank, the forcible tactics Israeli settlers are using, what will cause a ceasefire in Gaza and so much more.
Sep 25, 2024•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 984
Donn Bradley is a former law enforcement officer and Licenced Marriage and Family Therapist. We discuss his early life, the crushing weight of grief, his journey into policing, his powerful mental health story, becoming a therapist, first responder marriages and so much more. "You'll find that I'm not your typical patches-on-the-sleeves, "tell me about your mother" style therapist. After a career as a first responder, I have come in contact with a great many mental health challenges. My clients ...
Sep 22, 2024•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 983
Gavin Meenan is a personal trainer and the man behind the Modern Warrior Programme. We discuss growing up in Ireland, the car accident that changed his world, overcoming guilt, porn addiction, his powerful mental health story, the importance of fitness, empowering men and so much more. Gavin is a leading voice in the Irish health and fitnesscommunity and a former European Powerlifting Champion. He has personally helped hundreds of people achieve life changing results. Originally from Donegal, Ga...
Sep 20, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 982
Nimsdai is a former Ghurka, member of the British SBS, record breaking mountaineer and author. We discuss his powerful journey into the special forces, Project Possible, mountain rescues, his new book "Beyond Possible",, environmentalism, forging an indomitable spirit and so much more. Born in Nepal, Nims had a distinguished 16-year military career, of which he spent 6 years as a Ghurka and 10 years with the UK Special Forces (SBS). He has since become a truly historic mountaineer, accumulating ...
Sep 19, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Christine Collins is a decorated veteran, having served as a U.S. Air Force Captain and trauma nurse during a pivotal deployment to Afghanistan in 2009. Stationed at Bagram Air Base, she found herself at the epicenter of the conflict, tirelessly working to save the lives of American troops, Afghan civilians caught in the crossfire, and even enemy fighters. Through her raw and poignant memoir, Christine unveils the physical and emotional toll of war, not just on those fighting but also on the med...
Sep 17, 2024•2 hr 30 min•Ep. 981
John Vargas is a Los Angeles firefighter, mental health advocate and the man behind the Grab Lives Podcast. We discuss gang culture, the power of mentorship, traumatic brain injury, mindfulness, spirituality, psychedelics, firefighting and so much more.
Sep 15, 2024•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 980
Dave Castro is a Navy SEAL veteran and the former CEO of Crossfit. We discuss his journey into the military, finding Crossfit, transitioning out of the Navy, tactical athlete fitness testing, law enforcement weapons training, the obesity epidemic, reading, competitive shooting, hunting and much more.
Sep 14, 2024•1 hr 35 min
Jason Bitzer is a veteran ocean lifeguard, author and the founder of "Never Off Duty". In this third conversation, we discuss his son's pediatric cancer battle, water safety in schools, the prevelance of shark attacks, fitness standards, bleeding control kits and much more. Jason has been a lifeguard on the beach since 1999--working the last 10 years on Oahu's dangerous North Shore where he was awarded the Mayoral award for lifesaving merit in aiding in the rescue of professional surfer, Evan Ge...
Sep 13, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 979
MSgt (Ret.) Miguel Zeran, aka Z, is a former USMC Force Recon Marine who holds a BS in Health & Wellness, an MS in Kinesiology, and is in his third year of doctoral pursuits in Human & Sport Performance. He is a CSCS, CPT, SFG1, and trained Health Coach who is sitting for the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches (NBHWC) board exam this year. He has spent over 14 years teaching, coaching, and training military and first responder populations in USMC Reconnaissance, USARNG, Naval ...
Sep 10, 2024•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 978
This week I welcome back two of the most respected first responder Psychologists to upack all things mental health. We discuss psychological recruitment testing, the educational requirements of the different mental health practitioners, the pros and cons of EAP programmes, what a counseling session should look like, how to find a culturally competent clinician, provider red flags, overcoming financial barriers and so much more. Dr Brooke Bartlett: “I am a licensed clinical psychologist (PSY33545...
Sep 08, 2024•2 hr 20 min•Ep. 977
Stephen Davis is a former Divison Chief, Entrepreneur and author of "Alone in the Fire". He was terminated by Orange County, FL in 2021 after refusing to enforce erroneous vaccine madate write ups. In this second interview, we revisit the mental and financial cost of the first responder terminations, the fallacies on the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine and social distancing, the government overreach that remains unchecked, the first responders who continue to lose their jobs and much more. Step...
Sep 07, 2024•2 hr 26 min•Ep. 976
On September 11th, 2001, Port Authority Police Officer, William Jimeno, left his home unsuspecting of what the day was about to hold. Just a few hours later he lay crushed beneath the Twin Towers' 220 stories of concrete, steel, and glass. Most of his team had already died. He and his sergeant were helplessly trapped. The pain and anguish had only begun. Many have seen Oliver Stone's World Trade Center, which depicted this horrific day and the rescue of Will and his Sergeant, John McLoughlin. Su...
Sep 05, 2024•2 hr 25 min
Michael Hawkes served in the British Military for 24 years with 12 years in 22 SAS (Including 6 years Covert operations). He spent 2 years as a military advisor to the British Secret Intelligence Services in London (MI5 for Covert operations). The last 22 years have been spent in corporate security operating out of Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Sudan, Libya and the last 6 years in West Africa. We discuss gymnastics, his journey into the military, North...
Sep 04, 2024•2 hr 42 min•Ep. 975
Gwen Grimes is a former firefighter, paramedic and law enforcement officer as well as the winner of the TV show "Naked and Afraid". We discuss how outdoorsmanship forged resilience as a child, the unique challengers for first responders in remote communties, the proactive nature of policing, the driver who ended her career, her powerful mental health story, competing in reality television, creating a wilderness retreat and so much more.
Sep 01, 2024•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 974
Denise Olsen is a nurse, yoga teacher and the widow of Jeff Olsen, one of the 343 firefighters killed on 9/11. We discuss her entry into healthcare, the genesis of their romance, protecting the WTC, the ripple effect of the attacks, grief, healthy coping mechanisms, growing from trauma, the importance of movement and so much more. On the eve of Sept 11, 2001 my husband kissed me goodbye, left for work at his firehouse in downtown Manhattan and I never saw him again. He left behind 3 small childr...
Aug 31, 2024•3 hr 1 min
Rudy Reyes is an American conservationist, martial arts instructor, actor, and Recon Marine. He is best known for portraying himself in the HBO TV miniseries Generation Kill. In this second conversation we discuss the suicide epidemic, courageous vulnerability, the importance of tribe, hormonal disruption, peptides, emotional TCCC and so much more. Rudy was born in 1971 on Richard’s Gebauer Air Base in Missouri while his father, a US Marine, was fighting in Vietnam. His parents had 2 other sons,...
Aug 29, 2024•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 973
After eight years interviewing the greatest minds in wellness, I decided to record a live Q&A on how to transition to the 24/72 firefighter shift schedule. In this episode, I discuss the immense physical and mental health costs caused by sleep deprivation, the false economy of breaking our first responders, the cost savings of a shorter work week, how to solve the current recruitment crisis and so much more. Podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/live/nn3PX3Qtq3o?si=oTvbOwQVB6gICGOc Here are...
Aug 26, 2024•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 972
JP McMichael is a law enforcement veteran, professional wrestler, MMA fighter and the man behind "Catalyst of Change". We discuss his journey into policing, responding to the Pentagon on 9/11, the kindness of 9/12, his powerful mental health journey, suicide, Operation Enduring Warrior, the Strugglewell program and so much more. J.P. is a veteran First Responder of 20+ years. A responder to the Pentagon on the morning of September 11, 2001, J.P. was later diagnosed with PTSD and in 2003 almost e...
Aug 25, 2024•2 hr 25 min•Ep. 971
Timea Nagy is Human Trafficking survivor turned author and victim advocate. We discuss her early life in Hungary, human trafficking myths, how predators target the vulnerable, using fear as a restraint, DeliverFund and much more. Human trafficking survivor, author, speaker, and social advocate Timea Nagy immigrated to Canada in 1998. Her nightmare unfolded in Toronto that same year after arriving from Budapest, Hungary in the hopes of finding meaningful employment. The daughter of a Hungarian po...
Aug 24, 2024•1 hr 57 min
Craig Weller is a former USN SWCC (Special Warfare Combatant Crewman) and the co-founder of "Building the Elite". We discuss his journey into the military, fighting extremism in the Phillippines, his transition story, training the tactical athete, sleep and performance, injury prevention, his incredible book and so much more. He is also certified under the Department of State’s Worldwide Personal Protective Service-2, and spent nearly two years on the High-Threat Protection team for the U.S. Amb...
Aug 22, 2024•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 970
Robb Milano is 30 year veteran of the Fire Service. He is currently the Division Chief of EMS for the Vancouver (WA) Fire Department. We discuss his journey into the fire service, the impact addiction had on his family, the progressive solutions his department has in place to combat the opiod crisis, the innovative 911 Telehealth integration they've employed to reduce non-emergent calls, leadership, shift work and so much more. He has had the privilege of serving in multiple departments as a hig...
Aug 21, 2024•2 hr 5 min•Ep. 969
Travis Gribble is a 24 year veteran of Law Enforcement, SWAT commander and the man behind "My Arena" We discuss his journey into policing, fitness standards, his officer involved shooting, the child abuse call that almost broke him, the damage a mismatched counselor can do, his healing journey, the Strugglewell program and so much more. My name is Travis Gribble and I am a retired 24 year law enforcement veteran. I spent 11 years in Michigan where I worked as a deputy, deputy sergeant, and SWAT ...
Aug 19, 2024•2 hr 35 min•Ep. 968
Tom Eberhardt is a Senior Adviser for the Norwegian Correctional Service (KDI) and Amend Norwegian Director. He was educated at the Correctional Service of Norway Staff Academy as a prison officer and has higher education in economics and crisis management. Tom worked 26 years in different prisons in Norway and held several management positions. Tom was the Warden at Bastøy Prison for six years. Since February 2020, he has worked full time for Amend. We talk crime, guns, healthcare, prison model...
Aug 17, 2024•56 min
