Behind The Shield

Chris Macklin is a 20 year veteran South Metro firefighter and the head of one of the country's most progressive wellness departments. We discuss his journey into EMS, responding to the Columbine massacre, his own mental health journey, the genesis of Peer Support, training the tactical athlete, the importance of subject matter experts, injury rehab, fitness standards and so much more.

Paul Harris is a former Royal Marine who just completed a walk around the entire mainland Britain. We discuss the imact his childhood had in later years, his journey into one of the UK's most elite military units, his powerful mental health journey, teaching, the kindness and compassion that he found on his walk, the healing power of community and so much more.

Pat Byrne is a leader in sleep and fatigue management and the author of Inconvenient Sleep. We discuss his early work in Occupational Health and Safety, the tragedy that led him into sleep research, working with NHL athletes, the pros and cons of wearables, first responder sleep deprivation, AI in medicine and so much more.

Kevin Basik is a US Air Force Veteran, former Director of Character and Leadership Development and the current Chief of Leadership Programs at the Medal of Honor Institute. We discuss his journey into the military, the ROTC program, character, leading through the storm, some of the powerful Medal of Honor stories and so much more.

Joe De Sena is an athlete, author and the founder of Spartan. In this second conversation we discuss moving his headquarters to Orlando, the impact the pandemic had on both the athletes and his business, first responder recruitment, the health crisis, altrusim, community and so much more.

Evan Halquist is a veteran LA County firefighter, strength coach and Foundation Training instructor. We discuss the power of second chances, his journey into the fire service, training the tactical athlete, overcoming injury, back health, kettlebell training, contrast therapy and much more.

Meg Tucker is a US Army Major, athlete and the founder of the Valkyrie Project. We discuss her journey into the military, finding Crossfit, Nordic mythology, the physiological differences in the female tactical athlete, mentstrual cyles and training, pregnancy and so much more.

DJ Vanas is an Air Force Veteran, Native American voice and a member of the Ottawa Tribe. We discuss the Native American Warrior legacy within the US military, DJ's journey into the Air Force, homecoming ceremony, mental health, leadership, tribalism, honouring tradition, the power of storytelling and so much more.

The Antarctic Fire Angels are comprised of four British Firefighters who will undergo an expedition to the South Pole in November to raise money for The Firefighters Charity. The team consists of Georgina Gilbert, Becky Hinchley, Rebecca Openshaw-Rowe and Nikki Upton. We discuss their respective journeys into the fire service, the imortance of mentorship, firefighter fitness, mental toughness, their cold weather training in Norway, mental health and so much more.

Dr Kate Pate is a neurophysiologist and the founder of "The Way Back". In this second conversation, we take a deep dive into the world of breath, deregulating the nervous system, flow state, upregulating when needed, posture, efficiency and so much more.