Behind The Shield

Kate Casey is an author, film maker and the host of the Reality Life Podcast. We discuss parenting, unscripted television, her powerful 9/11 story, the power of storytelling, terrorism, documentaries, reality television and much more.

Matt Fiorenza and Jared Cheselske are veteran firefighters and suicide survivors. We discuss their traumatic childhoods, their journeys into the fire service, suicide ideation, the treatments that did not work, the Save a Warrior program and much more. Get a glimpse into the before and after treatment in this powerful two part episode.

Al Benjamin spent 35 years as an FDNY firefighter, mostly on the revered Rescue 1. We discuss his early life in Brooklyn, the impact of mentorship on his career, the role of the senior man, his heartbreaking 9/11 story, the human under the uniform and so much more.

Todd Robinson is an actor, writer, director and Save a Warrior alum. We discuss his journey into acting, the power of storytelling, his mental health battle, the warrior's journey, making "The Last Full Measure" and so much more.

Steven Sashen is a former elite gymnast, comedian and current tech guru and founder of Xero Shoes. We discuss the coach who changed his life, enjoying the journey of physical excellence, overcoming injury, barefoot training, creating minimalist shoes and much more.

Jules and Gédéon Naudet are the French brothers behind the documentaries 9/11, November 13 and Notre Dame to name a few. We discuss their childhood in Paris, studying film in NYU, what took them to the FDNY, their accounts of September 11, the heroism at the 2015 Paris attacks, saving Paris' most treasured landmark and so much more.

Jonathan Montgomery is a musician, retired firefighter and co-founder of First In Nutrition. We discuss the rock and roll lifestyle, overcoming his own chronic ill health, fitness vs wellness, training the tactical professions, the power of nutrition, jiu jitsu and so much more.

Yousef Badou is a former Marine Infantryman with multiple combat tours, and an industry leading expert in the areas of Situational Awareness and Behavioral Analysis. We discuss his childhood in Kuwait, joining the US Marines, the power of communication, threat assessment, EDC and much more.

Sara Jahnke is the director and a senior scientist with the Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research at the National Development & Research Institutes. In this second conversation, we discuss COVID-19 and first responders, the science behind vaccinations, the impact on the special needs community, the importance of overall wellness and so much more.

Terry, Joe and Rich were my Truck Crew at Anaheim FD. To celebrate this 400th episode, we sat down for the second time. In this episode, we discussed Joe's COVID-19 hospitalisation, leadership, dealing with loss, hiring standards, mental health and more.