Lee Burton has a Doctorate Degree with an emphasis in health and wellness, is a certified athletic trainer and is the co-creator of the Functional Movement Screen. He presents on numerous sports medicine topics nationally and internationally, has produced instructional videos and consults with a wide variety of organizations including NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, military/government entities, as well as the Cooper and Mayo Clinics on injury prevention and performance enhancement.
Jan 23, 2025•2 hr 7 min•Ep. 1035
Richard Rice spent three decades in the US armed forces and was one of the founding members of what would become the revered Delta Force. We discuss his journey into the military, being hunted in Vietnam, compassion in combat, Mogadishu, transitioning into education, innovating veterans' education, GORUCK and so much more. Richard retired from the U.S. Army as a Special Forces Senior Non-Commissioned Officer in 1994 after 30 years of service. The last 25 years of which were spent in various Spec...
Jan 22, 2025•2 hr 40 min
Kendra Fisher, still laughs as she remembers standing in the Kincardine arena at 4 years old, watching her big brother playing hockey, turning to her parents, and proclaiming, “I don’t want to figure skate anymore. When I grow up to be a boy, I’m going to play hockey.” And after realizing that goalies get to play the whole game and that there was always a chance to be the “hero”, she settled on her position and quickly discovered that girls can play too! And so it began, a journey towards the on...
Jan 19, 2025•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 1034
Jeffrey Engel is an Air Force Security Forces Veteran, Special Agent and a New Jersey Dectective Corporal. We discuss his journey into the military, serving in Korea, Force Protection, municipal law enforcement, some career calls, his powerful mental health journey, Boulder Crest and much more. Jeffrey Engel began his career in military law enforcement career in 2001 and later separated active duty, where he transitioned into civilian law enforcement. Over the years, he has served as a patrol of...
Jan 19, 2025•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 1033
Ben Strahan is a veteran wildland Hotshot, human performance coach and athlete. We discuss his journey into the fire service, the physical demands of wildland firefighting, the inmate crew program, staffing, mental health, why fires are getting bigger and so much more. "From 2020 to present I have operated as the Superintendent of the Eldorado Hotshots, an elite Wildland Fire Handcrew for the US Forest Service. During this time, I have operated as their leader on almost every large wildfire in t...
Jan 16, 2025•2 hr 31 min
Melissa Mercado is a tactical athlete strength and conditioning coach and the Tactical Manager for Teambuildr. We discuss her journey into coaching, training Marines, the Wounded Warrior Battalion, nutrition, sleep and performance, wearables, disceminating prorgamming to the first responder population, spiritual wellbeing and much more. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Science from Radford University and a Master of Science from Liberty University. Her career began with three collegiate internships a...
Jan 14, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 1032
Rob Garnett is a 22 year Navy SEAL veteran, athlete and the Managing DIrector of One More Wave. We discuss surfing as a child, his journey into the military, compassion on the battlefield, veteran suicide, his perspective on reducing war, veteran suicide, the therapeutic power of surfing and much more. https://onemorewave.com/
Jan 12, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 1031
Otto Drozd III is a seasoned leader in fire and emergency services with over 35 years of distinguished experience, dedicated to protecting communities, driving innovation, and advancing fire service excellence on a global scale. In this second conversation, we discuss the pandemic, the fire service recruitment crisis, lithium ion fires, courageous leadership and much more. Currently, Otto serves as the Executive Secretary of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association under the National Fire Protec...
Jan 11, 2025•2 hr 2 min•Ep. 1030
Paul Collette is a former Senior Probation Officer, Navy Reservist with 30 years experience as a mental health counselor. We discuss his journey into law enforcement, the world of probation, hunting sexual predators, mental health and much more. Hi, I'm Paul! I'm a retired federal LE and an Associate Professor at Connecticut State Community College. I helped those with addiction and co-occurring disorders who are struggling with their recovery. I've built a successful career at helping high-risk...
Jan 09, 2025•2 hr 15 min•Ep. 1029
In January 2014 I ejected from a US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet at 695 mph. The fastest survived ejection in the history of naval aviation. The violent ejection left me with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), broken neck, broken arms, broken legs, and a variety of nerve and blood vessel damage. The speed of the ejection shredded my dry suit and I plunged into the icy Atlantic Ocean. A malfunction in my survival gear left my parachute attached to me instead of disconnecting upon impact with the salt w...
Jan 07, 2025•2 hr 13 min
Based in Southfield, Michigan, Dr. Richard Veyna is not just a renowned Board Certified Neurosurgeon but also the driving force behind RSV Medical and Transcend Company. This groundbreaking initiative encompasses a dedicated team of NPs and PAs who are specialists in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and peptide therapy, licensed across all 50 states. They serve as the pivotal consultation backbone for patients at Transcend, a leading health and wellness company committed to redefining healthcar...
Jan 06, 2025•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 1028
Craig Harrison joined the Blues and Royals, a Household Cavalry regiment, at sixteen. He has served in Bosnia, two tours of Iraq and two tours of Afghanistan. He trained to become a sniper after his first Iraq tour and holds the world record for the longest recorded sniper kills. He was mentioned in dispatches for his bravery. We discuss his childhood around horses, his journey into the military, the Balkans, his infamous sniper shot, the danger the publicity put his family in, his powerful ment...
Jan 04, 2025•1 hr 59 min•Ep. 1027
Steven Barger has dedicated 16 years to Fire and Emergency Services, demonstrating a deep commitment to public safety and community service. He currently serves as a shift commander at the Village of Bald Head Island Department of Public Safety, where he oversees operations and ensures the safety of residents and visitors. Steven holds multiple certifications, including National Registry of Paramedic Certification, North Carolina Advanced Firefighter Certification, and North Carolina Intermediat...
Jan 03, 2025•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 1026
Dr Michael Lange is an optometrist, nutritionist and radio personality. We talk about vision, eye health, physicals, nutrition and much more. Dr. Michael Lange, optometrist has worked extremely hard at developing one of the top eye care centers in the country. Lange Eye Care and Associates was started on March 15, 1993 by Dr. Michael Lange. Ocala Florida was his very first location and the beginning of his dream to build a state of the art eye care center utilizing the latest in technology. Lang...
Jan 01, 2025•1 hr 24 min
Ben Iverson is a veteran Wildland Firefighter and Training Specialist for the US Forest Service. We discuss his journey into the world of firefighting, forging human performance, the recruitment crisis, learning from Line of Duty Deaths, addressing the increasing wildfires, his own powerful mental health story and much more.
Dec 29, 2024•2 hr 13 min•Ep. 1025
Award winning author Sebastian Junger talks about human yearning to be part of a tribe. We discuss the effects of war on man and how the tribal culture is fundamental to First Responders. Sebastian Junger is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of THE PERFECT STORM, FIRE, A DEATH IN BELMONT, WAR and TRIBE. As an award-winning journalist, a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a special correspondent at ABC News, he has covered major international news stories around the world, and has rece...
Dec 28, 2024•1 hr
Megan Lautz is a Registered Dietitian, Personal Trainer and the woman behind RescueRD. We discuss her joruney into nutrition, her immersion into the first responder world, the impact of shift work on health, caffeine, alcohol, forging performance and much more. "I have been working as a full-time, embedded civilian dietitian for departments of +1,400 firefighters since 2017. I have trained for and passed CPAT, and am always up for a ride-along or a fitness challenge. I can often be found at a st...
Dec 26, 2024•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 1024
Johnny Torgeson is an Army Veteran, Assistant Fire Chief of Operations and the man behind FireDawg Consulting. We discuss his early life, his journey into the military, his powerful 9/11 story, protecting military assets from a civilian fire department, the recuitment crisis, forcing teams, leadership and much more. In 2000, Johnny Torgeson (Dr. JT) started his career with the US Army as an NCO. He's worked for several fire departments in the US and different countries. He became a successful bu...
Dec 25, 2024•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 1023
Zack Ferguson is a former Navy SEAL team 7 veteran with multiple deployments to Iraq, Yemen, Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. He served as his platoons Lead Sniper/Pointman, JTAC, Combatives Instructor, and Weapons Ordnance Specialist. In this powerful conversation, he discusses his powerful mental health story and how psychedelics helped heal both himself and his family. Additionally, Zack is a competitive 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, as well as an amateur MMA fighter. His goal is to...
Dec 22, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 1022
Sam Quinones (pronounced Kin-YOH-Ness) is a Los Angeles-based freelance journalist, a reporter for 37 years, and author of four acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction. He is a veteran reporter on immigration, gangs, drug trafficking, the border. He is formerly a reporter with the L.A. Times, where he worked for 10 years. Before that, he made a living as a freelance writer residing in Mexico for a decade (1994-2004). His latest book, released in November, 2021, is The Least of Us: True Tales of ...
Dec 21, 2024•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 1021
This week's guest is America's most infamous farmer. Featured in the documentaries Food inc, Fresh and Polyfaces. Joel is a pioneer in a return to holistic sustainable farming. He prides himself in not using chemicals or medications in his livestock and poultry. Joel uses a transient grazing model to ensure that the food his animals is optimized. Joel Salatin, 59, calls himself a Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer. Others who like him call him the most famous farmer...
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 18 min
In the intensely demanding world of first responders, Michael emerges as an advocate of unwavering commitment and innovative approaches to mental health. His journey, spanning over two decades in healthcare innovation and dedicated service as a Firefighter/EMT, ofers a vivid testament to his firsthand understanding of the deep-seated mental health challenges facing our nation's first responders. After personally experiencing the healing potential of psychedelic medicines, he recognized its trans...
Dec 17, 2024•2 hr 18 min•Ep. 1020
This unique episode is a recording of the live Q&A I hosted at the FFCA Safety and Health Conference. The panel featured three leaders from departments who had recently made the switch to the 24/72 firefighter schedule. Sleep researcher Joel Billings also joined us and discussed his 48/96 study. They told of why they made the change, where the financing came from, the impact on recruitment and retention, the importance of courageous leadership, the results they witnessed first hand and so mu...
Dec 16, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 1019
In this unique episode, I sat down with both the Army and Navy's leading sleep researchers to bring the gamut of Military research to the woefully understudied first responders professions. We discussed the immense financial cost of sleep deprivation related accidents, the impact on operational readiness, sleep and performance, the impact on decision making, the importance of courageous leadership and much more. Dr. (MAJ) Allison Brager is an active duty Army neuroscientist. She is the recipient...
Dec 15, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 1018
John Travolta starred in one of the few movies about our profession that is truly respected. We talk about his early career, Ladder 49, training with Baltimore FD and the charitable projects he now champions. Nominated for two Academy Awards, eight Golden Globes and two Emmy awards, two-time Golden Globe and Emmy winner John Travolta recently starred in the film THE FANATIC and won the lead acting award at the Rome Film Festival for his role. John most recently filmed Quibi comedic action series...
Dec 12, 2024•40 min
As a retired Sergeant in the US Army, Eric earned several honors, including the Purple Heart, two Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Operation Iraqi Freedom Campaign Medal with Star, the Global War on Terror Service Medal, the Valorous Unit Award, and the Combat Infantry Badge. His military career was marked by bravery and an unbreakable spirit, even in the face of severe injuries. After his military service, Eri...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 1017
This week's episode is unique as it's actually the Firehouse Leadership Podcast. I was invited as a guest by host Joshua Chase, but it was his testimony of the impact my book "Kinder" had on him that I wanted to share. I wrote it to put hope in the mental health conversation, to show that we can overcome the trauma we encounter and become better versions of ourselves. You will hear Josh's experience, one that I hope you will have too. I am a husband, father, fireman, author, writer, public speak...
Dec 08, 2024•2 hr 16 min•Ep. 1016
Diamond Dallas Page is a retired professional wrestler and founder of the yoga system DDPY. We discuss his early life, combating injury, addiction, discovering yoga and much more. Film and television actor and personality Dallas Page has been entertaining millions of fans for over 20 years. The athletic, 52 year-old Page knew at an early age that he was born to entertain. His grandmother called him “energetic”—truly an understatement. Whether it was barreling through his grandma’s kitchen on his...
Dec 07, 2024•57 min
Robert Banghart serves as the Vice President of Community Integration for Shine A Light Foundation and is the Program Manager for CrossRoads. His personal journey from homelessness, which lasted five years above and below ground, took a pivotal turn when he received a scholarship to Freedom House. Now, Robert shines as a beacon of hope, dedicated to helping others find their second chance. In this conversation, we discuss his journey into addiction, the homeless city that dwells in Las Vegas' tu...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 1015
Jason Blasi is a 23-year veteran with the Miami-Dade Fire Department, where he serves as a member of IAFF Local 1403. In addition to his role within the department, Jason is also a member of the department’s peer support team and is dedicated to fostering a resilient and supportive culture within his department and beyond. Outside of his professional responsibilities, Jason is also a person in recovery who is committed to overcoming life’s challenges and becoming the best version of himself. Jas...
Dec 04, 2024•2 hr 25 min•Ep. 1014
