One of the many take aways from my first trip to FDIC last week was one of opportunity. I am a firm believer that we are all given several opportunities each day to make a difference. Some of these may be big opportunities but most are probably something that may seem minor at the time. No matter how big or small they seem if we are given an opportunity to add value or make a difference in someone's life we have to take advantage of it. What are you doing with the opportunities that you are give...
May 02, 2023•27 min•Ep. 139
I am sure everyone out there has weathered a few storms in their lifetime. The storms I am referring to are the storms that the circumstances of life seem to bring here and there. I have been through my share, and I think it is safe to say that my family is weathering one once again currently. The biggest difference from those storms in my past and this one is that I have a great teammate in my spouse this time. The trials of past years that I have faced without that close support left me feelin...
Apr 20, 2023•14 min•Ep. 138
Today I want to talk some about leveling up our leadership by going from being a good leader to becoming a transformational leader. That transformation has to start within us first, we can't add value to others if we don't have anything valuable to give. Once we have something valuable to share, we have to keep our eyes open for the opportunities to share it with others. "Success comes when we add value to ourselves, significance comes when we add value to others." - John Maxwell Thank you for l...
Apr 03, 2023•25 min•Ep. 137
This episode is part 3 of a 3 part series with Ric Jorge. If you missed the last 2 episodes go listen to them so you’re caught up as this one picks up right where we left off at the end of part 2. Without a doubt, Ric is one of my favorite people in the world and I’m so excited to share that conversation with you all. After visiting Ric and his team (Tactical Resiliency Training-TRT) at NFFX during their “Developing High Performance” class I knew that I had to get him on the show again to talk a...
Mar 24, 2023•40 min•Ep. 136
This episode is part 2 of a 3 part series with Ric Jorge. If you missed the last episode go listen to it first as this one picks up right where we left off. Without a doubt, Ric is one of my favorite people in the world and I’m so excited to share that conversation with you all. After visiting Ric and his team (Tactical Resiliency Training-TRT) at NFFX during their “Developing High Performance” class I knew that I had to get him on the show again to talk about the importance of connection. I was...
Mar 20, 2023•41 min•Ep. 135
This episode is part 1 of a 3 part series with Ric Jorge. Without a doubt, Ric is one of my favorite people in the world and I’m so excited to share that conversation with you all. After visiting Ric and his team (Tactical Resiliency Training-TRT) at NFFX during their “Developing High Performance” class I knew that I had to get him on the show again to talk about the importance of connection. I was blown away by Ric and his team and how close they were, a true community. Please take the time to ...
Mar 17, 2023•42 min•Ep. 134
Today's thoughts come me from a quote by Jean-François Millet, “We cannot force someone to listen to a message they are not ready to receive. But we must never underestimate the power of planting a seed.” What quickly stood out to me when seeing this quote was how we always like to say "I wish so-and-so was here for this class, they really need it." I'm not judging, I've said it to but just because they’re there doesn’t guarantee anything anyway. If they aren’t ready to hear it, they won’t. Don’...
Mar 11, 2023•21 min•Ep. 133
Kevin Housley joins me today for a conversation full of noteworthy thoughts and takeaways. Kevin is the creator of Firefighter Craftsmanship and is working on his Masters in Sports Psychology. I honestly took more notes during this conversation than I ever have while trying to host at the same time. Among other topics Kevin explains the Self Determination Theory (SDT) and gives insight on how fire service leaders can use it as a guide to keep their people motivated and engaged. Bring a pen and p...
Mar 02, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 132
Today I would like to share one of the many invaluable lessons that I have learned through my leadership trials and errors. The lesson is that having the goal or vision that you are wanting to pursue and getting started in that general direction is way more important than having all the details of the journey figured out before we start. Sometimes we as leaders don't know all the right answers or make all the right choices but if we know where we want to get to eventually and we start pushing fo...
Feb 26, 2023•25 min•Ep. 131
Today I am going to elaborate a little more on a recent post that I feel is very important for leadership right now. The post is adapted from a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote in which gives us some very important questions to reflect on. For those in leadership roles and especially those who are making big decisions for crews and departments we have to ask ourselves when we are faced with choices what we will allow the deciding factor to be. We are constantly faced with overwhelming and diffic...
Feb 22, 2023•19 min•Ep. 130
I always love having conversations with people that I already consider to be good friends and for this episode I was blessed to have 2 of those people with me. Joining me for this episode are Justin Mann and Ljay Geist. Both of these guys are not only great firefighters but are outstanding human beings as well and they are doing some really great things for the fire service. In this episode we have a conversation about "our part", no longer placing blame on any and everything we can think about ...
Feb 10, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 129
I strongly believe that one of the most important mindsets that we can adopt is a growth mindset and pursue that growth daily. However, are we really getting the full benefit of that investment? If we aren't focusing that growth where we need it most we may not be. Today we will talk about focusing in on getting the most out of our daily growth and how we can increase our effectiveness with it. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this ep...
Feb 07, 2023•24 min•Ep. 128
It's always a fun time when I get to record a conversation with a friend and that's what I had the opportunity to do in today's episode with guest Mitch Huner. Mitch has used his passion and knowledge for fire service tools to create Fire Maul Tools, a company that lives out their tagline of "Innovative Solutions". I enjoyed using this opportunity to not only learn about Mitch's journey with FMT but also let him share about who he is and what made him who he is today. I am a big fan of the tools...
Jan 30, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 127
Today I am going to talk through some things I have been fighting within myself lately; things that aren't easy to admit to such as insecurity, envy, and imposter syndrome. As I looked into these issues it didn't take long to find out what was probably causing this embarrassing inner struggle that I was experiencing - I had lost focus of my purpose and mission. We have a tendency to see the accomplishments and achievements of others as if they just happened totally ignoring everything that it to...
Jan 24, 2023•35 min•Ep. 126
This is one of those podcasts that I might lose some friends over, in fact I almost guarantee it. But it needs to be said and we all need to hear it including myself. The fire service doesn’t owe us a dang thing. Reaching the minimum standards is basically saying “congratulations, you’re one step above incompetent”. One step above incompetent! Are we really ok with that? Is that who you want to depend on to save your life, is that who you want to depend on to save the lives or your loved ones? E...
Jan 17, 2023•34 min•Ep. 125
Be the one! Are you on a crew that lacks leadership, drive, passion, knowledge, ability? Then it’s time to be the one that changes it. Be the one who inspires others to do better. Be the one who cuts a new path towards excellence. Be the one to make a difference! No matter what you come from, something great can come from you! Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great thin...
Jan 11, 2023•35 min•Ep. 124
In my opinion connection is one of the most important tools a leader can use to affect positive cultural change in the firehouse. Without it it’s almost impossible to foster an environment of trust, respect, and open communication. A leader focused on connecting to their team is going to be much more likely to gain buy-in from their team members. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you c...
Jan 05, 2023•25 min•Ep. 123
The incompetent and complacent are not the ones that will destroy an organization, because they’ll never be in a place to have that much influence. It’s those who have achieved something in the past and yet rest on that achievement from that point on that you should be leery of because they’re closed minds and dated knowledge will forever be an impediment for future growth. Don't be afraid to learn something that you already think you know. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message ...
Dec 30, 2022•24 min•Ep. 122
I'm so excited to be joined by my friend Benjamin Martin for a conversation that I have been looking forward to having for a while. Today Benjamin digs into expectations, and definitely makes some really great points. Setting expectations has always been a cornerstone of what I thought was required of all leaders but that for me has changed. Do yourself a favor and take the time to listen to this conversation, I promise that you will at the very least leave with several takeaways and quite possi...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 121
Never fear failure, but fear succeeding at something that doesn’t matter. Lately the word Purpose has really been on my mind and heart. What is truly my purpose and how do I pursue it? How do we use our life’s journey to help others? These are the questions that I discuss in this episode. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!...
Oct 21, 2022•29 min•Ep. 120
I'm joined today by my friend Taylor Anderson host of the Couplings Fire Podcast. Taylor talks about her journey that has brought her into the fire service and into becoming a podcast host. I enjoyed giving her the opportunity to be on the other side of the microphone this time and loved hearing her story. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!...
Sep 28, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 119
Do you have a mission, do you have a vision, & what's the difference. Just as I have finally felt like I was getting a handle on the real meaning of these words a couple of friends of mine come by to make me once again question everything that I thought I knew. You don't want to miss this conversation with 2 great fire service leaders as we discuss the difference between mission and vision but also dig into what may be the even more important term to focus of - purpose. See more from Marc Al...
Sep 23, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 118
Discomfort & Pain are the price that we have to pay for growth. As much as we all wish this wasn't the truth, it truly is. Are we letting the fear of being uncomfortable or getting hurt keep from growing or from making a difference somehow? As hard as it is to see sometimes, the choices that we make to avoid this discomfort and pain will most likely lead to much more of each in the future because growth was not achieved when it should have been. We need to stay strong together and face the d...
Sep 19, 2022•34 min•Ep. 117
Excuses are easy to find if we really want to. No matter what area of life we’re talking about, there is always something that we can find to blame our shortcomings on. But who or what is truly to blame. I think you know where I’m headed, join me in a little tough conversation on why it’s time to stop stepping back and start stepping up. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from,...
Aug 22, 2022•25 min•Ep. 116
Today's episode we will be looking at some of the objectives that are discussed in my class called "Impact Beyond Firehouse Wall -Going Outside Your Department's District Lines To Reach Your Full Potential". How can we each make the biggest impact on the fire service? Finding your passion and developing your voice and your message are all things that will be discussed in this episode. Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impa...
Jul 27, 2022•26 min•Ep. 115
Today I want to share one of the biggest challenges of my life. Being a leader has always been something that I strived for and enjoyed but there have always been huge holes in my leadership ability. These holes resonate from my conflict avoidant personality, I have not always backed up what I've preached, and I've paid for it (and still paying for it). I have either completely turned a blind eye to things or just dealt with enough of it that it appeared like it was being addressed, but I was ly...
Apr 11, 2022•49 min•Ep. 114
Mission vs. Vision - This is a topic that I have really changed my perspective on recently. First of all I didn’t truly grasp the difference between the two so that definitely doesn’t help. I’ll talk through some of the differences that I’ve learned about lately and then go into how a change in perspective has caused me to rethink my mission statement. This is a great topic for any leader to think about and hopefully I can give a little clarity to what a lot of people find to be a confusing subj...
Mar 25, 2022•34 min•Ep. 113
This is a special release of my guest appearance on the Coupling’s Fire Podcast. I really enjoyed my conversation with host Taylor in which we talk about a little bit of my story that I’ve never discussed publicly. I hope you enjoy it as well! ———————— How do I even begin to describe this episode? I'm joined by Jeremy Sanders from the Crew 1st Culture podcast - and we dig DEEP. Choosing what "hill to die on", doing things in your own time, finding your place, pursing daily growth, managing life ...
Mar 13, 2022•2 hr 24 min
Anyone else ever wait on doing a good thing for whatever reason and then end up missing the opportunity or just forgetting about it completely? The answer for me is - all the time. But why, why do we waste opportunities that might help others because we are hesitant? I have realized that I just need to “Do It Now!” If I have a nice thought about someone I need to say it. If there’s something that I know I need to do or start that will be helpful to others, I need to just do it. Stop waiting for ...
Mar 10, 2022•28 min•Ep. 112
To me the key to a proficient team is everyone working on their individual responsibilities independently but all focused towards a common goal. That and more about the playbook Mindset on this episode. Crew1stculture.com Thank you for listening! Click here to leave a message to let me know what you think & how this episode impacted you. No matter where or what you came from, great things can come from you!...
Mar 02, 2022•23 min•Ep. 111
