The Leadership Crucible Podcast

PATRICK J. KENNY has been a member of the fire service for over 38 years, and before retiring in January 2021 served as the Fire Chief in Hinsdale and Western Springs, Illinois. He has been a Chief Officer for over 25 years and a speaker in multiple countries on Mayday for Mental Health® for more than a decade. He is the international best-selling author of TAKING THE CAPE OFF: How to Lead Through Mental Illness, Unimaginable Grief and Loss and has articles published in the areas of mental health, leadership, fire safety, and fire code challenges. He was awarded the Fire Chief of the Year in 2004 by the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and in 2021 he was awarded Fire Chief Emeritus status by the Executive Board of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association. He was awarded the Fire Engineering/International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) George D. Post Instructor of the Year Award for 2020-2021.<p>This is Part 1 of a two part interview with Pat Kenny. Be sure to listen to Part 2 for the follow-up interview.<p>Click here to watch the Video Podcast on Youtube<br>Click here to download the Team Discussion Guide

Dr. Reginald D. Freeman is the 37th Fire Chief for the City of Oakland, CA. Prior to Oakland, Chief Freeman served as Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director for the City of Hartford, CT and Fire Chief for Lockheed Martin. He also served as a civilian Fire Chief in Iraq for the U.S. Department of Defense from 2004-2008. He has worked in a number of fire service capacities in his career including Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Fire Captain, Fire Service Instructor, Assistant Fire Chief, and Fire Chief.<p>Chief Freeman’s educational accomplishments include a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership from Bellevue University in Bellevue, NE. He earned his Master’s Degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ and earned his PhD in Emergency & Protective Services from Capitol Technology University located in Washington D.C. Chief Freeman is also a graduate and Fellow of Harvard University’s Senior Executives for State & Local Government (Class of 2007) program at the Kennedy School of Government and is a graduate of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative program (Class of 2019). Chief Freeman previously served as the Chair of the Industrial Fire & Life Safety Section for the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and a previous Board member of the Executive Fire Officer Section of the IAFC and Technical Committee member of NFPA 1021 (Fire Officer Professional Qualifications), respectively. Additionally, Chief Freeman formerly served as a Commissioner for the Commission on Professional Credentialing via the Center for Public Safety Excellence, Inc. from 2010-2016 and Chairman from 2016-2019. He is also the Director of Training for the Caribbean Association of Fire Chiefs. Chief Freeman is a credentialed Chief Fire Officer (CFO) through the Center for Public Safety Excellence, Inc (CPSE). as well as a credentialed “Fellow” with the Institution of Fire Engineers, USA Branch. He also serves as the Area 7 Director for the California Fire Chiefs Association as well as the Board of Directors for NFPA and CPSE.<p>Chief Freeman is an Adjunct Professor for Anna Maria College, Capitol Technology University, and the University of Florida where he lectures in both undergraduate and graduate Fire Science and Master of Public Administration programs.<p>Click here to watch the Video Podcast on Youtube<br>Click here to download the Team Discussion Guide

Dr. Tracy S. Hejmanowski is a licensed clinical psychologist, with over 20 years of expertise working with service members, first responders, veterans, and their families. Her work began in a VA Medical Center, followed by an assignment working with repatriated prisoners of war. She was stationed both overseas and stateside as an active-duty U.S. Navy psychologist, followed by work as a DoD contractor for 11 years as the Program Manager of Naval Hospital Jacksonville’s Deployment Health Center. Dr. Hejmanowski worked full time as a Baptist Behavioral Health outpatient provider in early 2020 through the pandemic and transitioned to part-time teletherapy for first responders and veterans in late 2021.<p>For the past 9 years, she has provided program development and lead clinical facilitation for non-profit organizations that provide reintegration and recalibration retreats for veteran and first responder communities. She currently serves as an embedded consultant within the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Shield Program. She is the Executive Director of the First Responder Project, a non-profit for first responders and their families.<p>Dr. Hejmanowski is a nationally requested speaker on trauma-related subjects for military and first responder communities. She is a frequent presenter for Navy and Army Special Warfare Operations reintegration programs and has authored articles on operational stress. She was recognized for innovative behavioral health initiatives related to first responder trauma and was nationally recognized by the Center for Operational Stress Control with the Caregiver of the Year Award – the first time awarded to a civilian provider.<p>To support the First Responder Project, visit:<p>https://firstresponderproject.org/<p>Click here to watch the Video Podcast on Youtube<br>Click here to download the Team Discussion Guide

Lee Cockerell retired as the Executive Vice President of Operations for the Walt Disney World® Resort. Growing up in Oklahoma, Lee attended Oklahoma State University for two years before joining in the United States Army. Lee’s career includes eight years with Hilton Hotels, seventeen years with Marriott International and sixteen years with The Walt Disney Company. Lee Joined Disney in 1990 as Director of Food and Beverage, Quality Assurance and Vice President of the hotel division for Disneyland Paris.<p>In 1993 Lee became the Senior Vice President of the hotel division at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida and in 1997 was promoted to Executive Vice President of Operations for all of Walt Disney World Operations, serving in that position for ten years before retiring to start his own business, Lee Cockerell, LLC., a training and development company. Lee is author of six books on leadership, management, and world class customer service:<p>Creating Magic…10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney (22 languages.)<p>The Customer Rules...The 39 Essential Rules for Delivering Sensational Service (16 languages.)<p>Time Management Magic…How to Get More Done Every Day. Move from surviving to thriving.<p>Career Magic…How to Stay on Track to Achieve a Stellar Career<p>Hardwiring Magic…A guide to implementing Disney Magic into your business (co-author)<p>A-Game Magic…Business 101Course and Workbook (college text book, co-author)<p>To find out more about The Cockerell Academy, visit:<p>https://www.cockerellacademy.com/<p>Click here to watch the Video Podcast on Youtube<br>Click here to download the Team Discussion Guide

There are moments in every person's life when they face intense adversity, their crucibles, that forge who they become as individuals and as leaders. Now more than ever, we need leaders who are called to a higher standard, focused on “leaving it better than they found it” and “paying it forward” to the next generations. Join Chief Bruegmanas he speaks with leaders from all walks of life, as he explores and learns from their personal journeys and the crucibles they have faced to make them better leaders and better people.