Behind The Shield

Skilled but generally the most un-athletic player on the high school and college basketball court, Ben Patrick didn’t need knee pain and injuries to stack the competitive odds further against him - but that’s what he got.Instead of launching a career in pro basketball, Ben endured knee surgeries, pain medication addiction and serious depression.Rather than succumb, Ben became determined to help not just himself, but others. With intensive research and experimentation, he developed a series of exercises that turned him into a superb, pain-free athlete and provided a path for others to follow for a happier, healthier life. Ben Patrick is founder and president of ATG Online Coaching, a global training program helping tens of thousands of people of all ages and athletic abilities.https://www.atgonlinecoaching.com/

Brian Sizemore lost his Law Enforcement son Lucas to suicide in 2024. In his early career, Lucas had worked with Homeland Security Special Agent Jared. It was Lucas' death that brought these two men together through the creation of The Lucas Foundation and the 'Bring them Home Relay'.We discuss Lucas' early life, his journey into law enforcement, the world of Homeland Security, processing grief, first responder mental health, the relay and so much more. https://www.lawenforcementsunitedcrusadeagainstsuicide.com/2nd-annual-polar-plungehttps://www.lucascrusade.org/

Dr. Peter Antevy, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Handtevy, stands as a visionary force in healthcare. His innovative development of the Handtevy System has propelled the company to the forefront of emergency medical care.Dr. Antevy’s profound educational journey commenced at the University of Miami School of Medicine, where he attained his medical degree in 1999. He further honed his expertise with pediatric training at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and pursued a subspecialty degree in Pediatric Emergency Medicine from the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Marking a significant milestone in his career, Dr. Antevy was among the pioneering cohort to achieve board certification in Emergency Medical Services in 2017.Currently, Dr. Antevy holds the pivotal role of EMS Medical Director for a host of fire-rescue departments, overseeing the crucial work of 2500 paramedics in Broward and Palm Beach County, Florida. In addition to this extensive responsibility, he also leads as the President of the Florida Chapter of the National Association of EMS Professionals (NAEMSP).Dr. Antevy’s transformative contributions to pre-hospital emergency medicine have been widely recognized, earning him the esteemed Raymond H. Alexander EMS Medical Director of the Year Award in 2014 and placement among the 2015 Top Ten Innovators in EMS by JEMS. As he steers Handtevy’s future course, Dr. Antevy’s unyielding commitment to progress remains his guiding principle, positioning him at the vanguard of life-saving advancements in pre-hospital care.https://www.handtevy.com/

Marc is a 25 year veteran of the fire service and serves at the rank of Captain for a Georgia Fire Department as well as working as a paramedic for the last 28 years. Marc is a certified instructor with Yoga For First Responders and an instructor with the Tactical Resiliency Training cadre. He’s also a tremendous advocate for first responder mental health.In this conversation, we discuss his journey into the fire service, firefighter fitness, the power of yoga in tactical athletes, the Struggle Well program, The SIREN Project, his powerful healing journey and so much more.Marc is a husband, a father and a grandfather. Marc has been in Public Safety for over 28 years and is currently a Fire Captain / Paramedic. From any early age his parents instilled in him a sense of service and empathy for others. He has been blessed to have many opportunities to serve and grow. He was able to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout at the age of 13 and the values and lessons learned in scouting created a strong foundation for the life of service that he was called to.Marc did two years of missionary work in Chile and is fluent in Spanish. After returning from doing mission work, he enrolled in EMT and subsequently paramedic school and has been serving in public safety ever since. After spending a couple of years working on an ambulance, he found his true passion of becoming a firefighter and has been blessed to be a student of the craft for 25+ years. He also served as a tactical medic on the SWAT team for seven years.One of the most important lessons that he has learned throughout his career is the importance of resiliency and a strong support group. First Responders all too often are exposed to unspeakable traumas and hardships that are only understood by those who have walked similar paths.He has learned that there is no “magic pill” to overcoming the daily challenges of life and has embraced a holistic approach to post traumatic growth. His own healing journey is based in faith, mindfulness and meditation, yoga and being anxiously engaged in good causes.Marc is a huge proponent of peer support and has seen how valuable that is when someone may be struggling. He has volunteered with the Florida Firefighter Safety and Health Collaborative as a Co-chair for the Family Caregiver section. He is a certified in Peer Support through the ICISF and the IAFF. He is also active as a squad leader for Yoga For First Responders and travels the country teaching first responders how to use Yoga to enhance performance, build resilience and process stress.

Bas Rutten is a Dutch MMA legend also known as a coach, actor, commentator and innovator. We discuss bullying, Bruce Lee, his MMA career, overcoming extreme injury, his O2 Trainer and much more.Bas Rutten is a retired Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He was the UFC Heavyweight Champion, a three time King of Pancrase world champion, and finished his career with not a single loss in his last 22 fights.Bas is now a well-recognized color commentator, accredited actor, television host, coach and entrepreneur. He is also a children’s fitness advocate on the Cartoon Network and a participant in the networks highly publicized “anti-bullying” campaign.https://basrutten.com/

John Reynolds is a Hollywood stuntman, bouncer and life strategist. We discuss his early life in New Zealand, moving to Australia, bodybuilding, violence de-escalation, his journey into the stunt industry, Japan, working with Captain Dale Dye, masculinity, etherial beings and so much more.https://www.instagram.com/johnwarrioroflight72/

Justin Davis is Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Operational Support Team, Langley AFB, VA. We discuss his journey into coaching, training the tactical athlete, the impact of the obesity crisis on military recruitment, minimal effective dose, fitness standards, TeamBuildr and so much more.Coach Justin Davis was born and raised in York County, VA. Attending Tabb high school, he was a multi-sport athlete playing club & varsity soccer and running indoor track in the winter to maintain fitness for the grueling spring season. Father Keith Davis was an aerospace engineer at NASA and mother Patricia Davis was a chemical and electrical technician also at NASA. Needless to say, education was important in the Davis household! His older brother served time in the US Navy as a "Nuke" aboard a submarine. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master's Degree in Exercise Science from The George Washington University where he graduated cum laude, soon after obtaining the prestigious certification of Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach through the NSCA. Having spoken on the national level and state level on work capacity and its importance in tactical strength and conditioning, he continues to push the envelope in the Tactical S&C setting maintaining readiness and lethality using the Tier System and testing work capacity in those under his coaching care. He has coached all over the world and has coached every branch of the armed forces outside of the Marines, spending time as a Fitness Director at Ft. Eustis, time in Romania supporting the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System, Ft. Campbell, KY as a Strength Coach for the H2F system, and he is currently the Operational Support Team Strength Coach supporting Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, VA leading their Explosive Ordnance Disposal team full time while also supporting various squadrons in a rotational embedment. Always down for a round of golf and a beer, he plans to continue coaching until retirement.

John Brunacini retired as a Fire Captain from the Phoenix Fire Dept Oct. 2006, where he served 26 years in the positions of Firefighter, Engineer and his last 14 years as a Captain. As a Captain on the department he developed and managed the Phoenix Fire Network, he worked in the field as the Company Officer on Ladder 11 B-shift for 10 years, and his last 3 years on the job he managed the department's Command Training Center. After retiring, John became one the major co-founders of the Blue Card Incident Commander Training and Certification Program (for Type 4 & 5 Incident types) that was released in 2008. The end of 2020, after 14 years of managing Blue Card, John retired from Blue Card, where he has since written and published the textbook "Managing a Fire Company". John is currently in the process of developing a corresponding Company Officer training and certification program that is based on and is supported by his new textbook.

Will Chesney is a Navy SEAL, author and the handler of elite warrior dog, Cairo. We discuss his journey into the military, fighting an unseen enemy, chasing excellence, becoming a dog handler, Cairo's near fatal heroism, the Osama Bin Laden raid, PTSD, TBIs, canine therapy and so much more.Two dozen Navy SEALs descended on Osama bin Laden’s compound in May 2011. After the mission, only one name was made public: Cairo, a Belgian Malinois and military working dog. This is Cairo's story, and that of his handler, Will Chesney, a SEAL Team Operator whose life would be irrevocably tied to Cairo's. Starting in 2008, when Will was introduced to the SEAL canine program, he and Cairo worked side by side, depending on each other for survival on hundreds of critical operations in the war on terrorism. But their bond transcended their service.Then, in 2011, the call came: Pick up your dog and get back to Virginia. Now. What followed were several weeks of training for a secret mission. It soon became clear that this was no ordinary operation. Cairo was among the first members of the U.S. military on the ground in Pakistan as part of Operation Neptune Spear, which resulted in the successful elimination of bin Laden.As Cairo settled into a role as a reliable “spare dog,” Will went back to his job as a DEVGRU operator, until a grenade blast in 2013 left him with a brain injury and PTSD. Unable to participate in further missions, he suffered from crippling migraines, chronic pain, memory issues, and depression. Modern medicine provided only modest relief. Instead, it was up to Cairo to save Will's life once more—and then up to Will to be there when Cairo needed him the most.

Erik Usher has nearly 30 years of widespread clinical trauma experience and currently serves as a rotor-wing flight nurse/paramedic for Bayflite in Tampa, FL. Erik began his trauma career in 1988 in Connecticut working for a busy hospital-based EMS agency. While continuing to work EMS, Erik obtained his nursing degree at St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing, where he trained in the emergency department of one of Connecticut’s largest and busiest Level I trauma centers. In 1998, Erik began working for the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. In concert with working in the trauma center, Erik started flight nursing for Mercy Air in 1998, when he became manager and helped establish the current Las Vegas medevac flight program. Erik also worked in the trauma center and in EMS as a Las Vegas street paramedic.Erik is an active speaker at national conventions and a lead instructor/dissector for advanced procedural cadaver labs throughout the country. Erik is an instructor for the Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and the American Heart Association’s pediatric advanced life support (PALS). He has also published many textbooks and medical journals throughout his career.Erik is also the author of multiple children's books, helping first responder families with both service and Line of Duty Deaths.