Behind The Shield

Ernis Colling served in the United States Army as an 11B infantryman from 2000-2004. He spent almost a decade as an overseas contractor working for a variety of agencies. Ernie quickly realized that service members and private contractors, as well as himself, were constantly feeling sluggish and unable to achieve peak performance. Ernie found that it was often viewed as an unnecessary issue and that medical establishments were unable to address many of the issues. This void provided the framework, motivation, and drive to create Transcend Company in 2020 and subsequently launch the Transcend Foundation in 2022.We discuss his early life, his journey into the military, multiple near death experiences, contracting, entrepreneurship, the factors that cause homone imbalance, testosterone replacement therapy, blood work, mental health, The Transcend Foundation, 7x and much more.https://transcendcompany.com/

Justin Sheehan is a Michigan Native of the Whittemore-Prescott Area, and graduated High School in 2003. Following the horrific events of 9/11, he enlisted in the US Navy with ambitions of becoming a Navy SEAL. After an arduous two-year pipeline, he graduated with BUDS Class 261 and earned the right to carry that title, and wear “The Trident”.Justin received orders upon graduation to report to SEAL Team Two, Little Creek, Virginia. While assigned there he deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and received the Bronze Star with “Valor” for combat actions. Later, Justin screened for the elite hostage rescue team, SEAL Team SIX, where he would remain until 2017. There, he deployed several more times, conducting discrete missions around the globe as a SEAL Team SIX Operator.During his service time he held the following qualifications: Demolition Expert Open Water Diver Static Parachutist Freefall Parachutist Combat Medic SEAL Sniper Pashtun Language Specialist Heavy Breacher CrossFit Level 1 TrainerAfter working for the last several years towards becoming a physician, After returning home, he completed a Bachelors of Science from Grand Valley State University. He is now the founder of Carcajou Resilience Group LLC., a company centered around strengthening the body and mind through tactical training, firearms competency and jiujitsu.

Ian Thurber is a 17 year veteran of the fire service and health coach. We discuss his journey into the fire service, water rescue, his health decline, healing the gut biome and so much more. "Health and fitness has always been important to me but I've alwaya felt that something was missing, especially in the first responder community. Over the past year and a half, I've dived deep in the world of gut health and now share it however I can as the missing link in first responder (and general) health and wellness as well as preventative measures. I've also obtained my Life and Performance Coaching certificate to better help and serve."

Founder of the Child Liberation Foundation, Paul Hutchinson, is a dedicated philanthropist and entrepreneur. He has committed his life to protecting vulnerable children. With experience in over 70 undercover rescue missions across 15 countries, Paul has played a vital role in combating human trafficking. Additionally, as an Executive Producer of the impactful film “Sound of Freedom”, he raises awareness and inspires action against child trafficking.Paul’s journey took a transformative turn when he began leading undercover operations. These efforts aimed to rescue children from the horrors of child sex trafficking. Over 70 missions across 15 countries highlight his extraordinary bravery and dedication. His role as a guardian and advocate showcases his tireless commitment to safeguarding the most vulnerable.https://liberating-humanity.com/

Dr Bonni Goldstein is a Pediatric Emergency physician, Cannabis Medicine physician and author of "Cannabis Revealed". We discuss emergency medicine, modern chronic disease management, cannabis medicine successes, CBD and much more.A native of New Jersey, Dr. Bonni Goldstein received her undergraduate education at Rutgers College. She pursued her medical degree at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Her post-doctoral education included internship and residency at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Dr. Goldstein also served as Chief Resident at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. She was a Clinical Instructor in Pediatrics at USC School of Medicine in Los Angeles, Emergency Transport Attending Physician at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and Emergency Medicine Attending Physician in the Pediatric Emergency Department at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.In 2008, Dr. Goldstein developed an interest in the science of medical cannabis after witnessing its beneficial effects in an ill friend. Since then she has been evaluating both adult and pediatric patients for use of medical cannabis. Dr. Goldstein has given numerous lectures to many patient support programs, including the Cancer Support Community, Southern California Prosthetics, and Pediatric Epilepsy. She has also lectured at CannaMed 2016 at Harvard University, United in Compassion Medical Cannabis Symposium in Sydney, Australia, Patients Out of Time 2015, and United Patients Group Conference 2016.She is currently the Medical Director of Canna-Centers, a California-based medical practice devoted to educating patients about the use of cannabis for serious and chronic medical conditions. She is a Medical Consultant to WeedMaps.com. She is a Member of the International Association of Cannabis as Medicine, the International Cannabinoid Research Society, and the Society of Cannabis Clinicians.

Adam Boyd is a law enforcement veteran, Leadership & Wellness Expert and the Founder & CEO, Soleful Training A distinguished leader in resilience training and wellness, with a career spanning over a decade as a police officer, SWAT operator, and Detective. As the founder and CEO of Soleful Training, Adam leverages his extensive experience to equip first responders, military personnel, and professionals with the tools to build physical, mental, and emotional resilience.Throughout his law enforcement tenure, Adam spearheaded wellness initiatives, designed and implemented department-wide resilience programs, and served as PT team lead—revamping the SWAT PT applicant process to enhance operational readiness. His expertise is backed by elite certifications, including:A dedicated ultra-runner, Adam has completed more than a dozen ultra-distance races, including two 100-mile runs, further exemplifying his commitment to endurance and resilience. His deep understanding of the physical and psychological demands faced by first responders led him to develop the Soleful Warrior, a holistic wellness program, built on four core pillars: physical resilience, mental resilience, social resilience, and purpose. Unlike traditional wellness programs, Soleful Training focuses on behavioral change, ensuring that individuals develop lasting strategies to manage the stressors of high-performance careers.One of Adam’s most impactful teaching tools is the Wim Hof Method, a scientifically-backed approach combining breathwork, cold exposure, and mindset training. He has delivered this transformative method to medical professionals, SWAT teams, first responders, business leaders, and Special Forces operators, helping them unlock peak performance, stress resilience, and mental clarity.Beyond his work in wellness and resilience training, Adam serves on the leadership councils of two international organizations dedicated to protecting children. His commitment to safeguarding vulnerable populations reflects his deep-rooted dedication to leadership, service, and making a lasting impact on communities worldwide.Through Soleful Training and his global advocacy efforts, Adam Boyd continues to lead the charge in redefining wellness, empowering to strengthen their bodies, sharpen their minds, and build an unshakable foundation of resilience.

Patrick currently serves as a Fire Fighter/Paramedic with The City of Tipp City, Ohio, Patrick has 4 children Haley, Ethan, Ava and Callie. Patrick has a Bachelor’s of Fire Science degree from Columbia Southern University and an Associates of Applied Science in Ems from the University of Toledo. Patrick is an IAFF certified Peer Supporter. We discuss his journey into the fire service, the weight of serving your own community, rural firefighting, mental health, working the 24/72 schedule, Save a Warrior and so much more.

HUNTER K. JONES, Lt Col (Retired), U.S. Air Force Lt Col (Retired) Hunter Jones currently serves as Owner & CEO at Jones & Associates – Consulting & Concierge Services, LLC. He previously worked as Director of Business Development & Sales at Liberty Source, PBC; Account Executive & Business Development Manager at Babel Street; VP – Federal for Red Vector. Prior to Red Vector, he served as a Strategic Security Consultant at Chameleon Consulting Group, Fortem Technologies, System High, Babel Street, & Clearspeed, in addition to serving as an Advisory Board Member for Red Vector before coming on full time. He previously served as a Security Consultant with Insight Global working at Penn Medicine within their Information Security Division. Prior to Penn Medicine, he was the Government Security Leader at the Boeing Company, Ridley Park, PA and PAX River, MD. Prior to Boeing, he served as an Associate with Booz Allen Hamilton for several years. During his time with Booz Allen, he worked on-site for three distinct clients: U.S. Coast Guard Counterintelligence (CI) Service, Headquarters Department of Homeland Security Counterintelligence Mission Center, and U.S. Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT).As an active-duty Air Force officer, Hunter served as a career federal agent for the Office of Special Investigations (OSI). During his career with OSI, he had extensive exposure to a wide array of missions within the scope of OSI duties to include: narcotics investigations, felony crime investigations, executive protection operations, counterintelligence collections & investigations/operations, counterespionage operations, and counterterrorism operations. Lt Col (Retired) Jones served twice as a deployed Special Agent in Charge/Commander during both Operations Iraqi Freedom & Enduring Freedom and was the Global Security Director/Personal Security Advisor to the Air Force Chief of Staff, General John Jumper. He was also assigned as the Special Agent in Charge at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, where he was the Commander of a 24-man unit, interfacing frequently with the Base Commander and the Assistant United States Attorney’s Office in furtherance of his unit’s investigative mission. In his last assignment as an active-duty officer, Lt Col (Retired) Jones served as a staff officer at U.S. Central Command in the Security Cooperation Division leading the Plans, Programs, & Policy Directorate.Hunter cross-commissioned into the U.S. Air Force in 1997 upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) with Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science. He played Varsity Football while at the Naval Academy, in addition to playing at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, RI before attending the Naval Academy. In 2007, he earned a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the National Defense Intelligence College at the Defense Intelligence Agency. He later attended the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, where he earned his Master of Arts in Military Operational Art and Science with emphasis in International Security Studies in 2010.Hunter was born in Bryn Mawr, PA and is married to his spouse (Tara) of twenty-two years and has two boys: Hunter Jr. (20 yrs. old) and Heath (18 yrs. old). They currently reside in Berwyn, PA in same exact neighborhood where he grew up as a young boy. He is a current member of the OSI Association of Special Agents, ASIS International (Board Member), Women in Defense Organization, and Veterans Villages (Board Member). He stays active in coaching various sports teams consisting of football and lacrosse and does so to teach life lessons and mold future leaders within our youth community.https://jonesconsultantservices.com/

Joel Salatin is a world renowned holistic farmer, author and speaker. We discuss COVID and a fragile population, factory farming, abattoir monopolies, the obesity epidemic, resilience through nutrition, school food, lowering the carbon footprint and much more.Joel calls himself a Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer. Others who like him call him the most famous farmer in the world, the high priest of the pasture, and the most eclectic thinker from Virginia since Thomas Jefferson. Those who don’t like him call him a bio-terrorist, Typhoid Mary, charlatan, and starvation advocate.With a room full of debate trophies from high school and college days, 12 published books, and a thriving multi-generational family farm, he draws on a lifetime of food, farming and fantasy to entertain and inspire audiences around the world. He’s as comfortable moving cows in a pasture as addressing CEOs in a Wall Street business conference.His wide-ranging topics include nitty-gritty how-to for profitable regenerative farming as well as cultural philosophy like orthodoxy vs. heresy. A wordsmith and master communicator, he moves audiences from laughs one minute to tears the next, from frustration to hopefulness. Often receiving standing ovations, he prefers the word performance rather than presentation to describe his lectures. His favorite activity?–Q&A. “I love the interaction,” he says.He co-owns, with his family, Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia. Featured in the New York Times bestseller Omnivore’s Dilemma and award-winning documentary Food Inc., the farm services more than 5,000 families, 50 restaurants, 10 retail outlets, and a farmers’ market with salad bar beef, pigaerator pork, pastured poultry, and forestry products. When he’s not on the road speaking, he’s at home on the farm, keeping the callouses on his hands and dirt under his fingernails, mentoring young people, inspiring visitors, and promoting local, regenerative food and farming systems.Salatin is the editor of The Stockman Grass Farmer, granddaddy catalyst for the grass farming movement. He writes the Pitchfork Pulpit column for Mother Earth News, as well as numerous guest articles for ACRES USA and other publications. A frequent guest on radio programs and podcasts targeting preppers, homesteaders, and foodies, Salatin’s practical, can-do solutions tied to passionate soliloquies for sustainability offer everyone food for thought and plans for action.Mixing mischievous humor with hard-hitting information, Salatin both entertains and moves people. Seldom using a power-point and often speaking from an outline scribbled in a yellow legal pad, he depends on theatrics, style, and compelling content to hold attention and defend innovative positions. The rare combination of prophet and practitioner makes him both a must-read and must-hear in a time desperate for integrity leadership and example.https://polyfacefarms.com/homepage

Dr. Nicole Bowles, OHSU’s 2021 Women in Academic Health & Medicine Emerging Leader, and Assistant Professor in the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at Oregon Health and Science University, received a BS in Chemistry with a minor in Mathematics at New York University and obtained her Ph.D. in Neuroendocrinology from The Rockefeller University. She then went on to obtain her MS in Clinical Epidemiology from Weill Cornell Medical College. Her research is supported by the Ford Foundation, an American Academy of Sleep Medicine Young Investigator Award, and the National Institutes of Health.In this conversation, we discuss firefighter shift schedules, THC and sleep, the health and cognitive impacts of sleep deprivation and so much more.