Behind The Shield

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.

Scott Geiselhart is a mechanic, veteran firefighter and peer support counselor. Scott survived both Meth addiction and a suicide attempt. We discuss childhood trauma, dealing with tragedy, unhealthy coping mechanisms, divine intervention, EMDR and much more.

Matthew Pollard is an internationally-recognized business consultant, speaker, blogger and the author of "The Introvert's Edge". We discuss his challenging childhood, understanding personality types, the power of storytelling, entrepreneurship, business success, mental health and much more.

Todd Edwards is a 38 year veteran of the fire service. Among other projects, he is the co-founder of Mission Resurrection with fellow Georgia firefighter Danny Dwyer. We discuss firefighter fitness, realism in training, the current pandemic, the power of mentorship, leadership and much more.

Alex Jabr is a veteran Paramedic, Grief and Death Educator and founder of Emergency Resilience. We discuss her childhood in Lebanon, entering EMS in the US, terminating lifesaving attempts on a cardiac arrest, death notifications, moral injury, her own powerful mental health journey and much more.

Travis Wade is a Marine, actor, producer and Save A Warrior alum. We discuss his traumatic childhood, military service, the craft of acting, exposing Hollywood predators, making "The Last Full Measure", heroism in Vietnam and much more.

Dr. Ballard is a board-certified orthopedic and sport clinical physical therapist specializing in assisting first responders, military personnel and athletes. We discuss the benefits of multi sport athletes, screening candidates, injury prevention, rehabilitation, rotational training, tactical footwear, sleep and so much more.

Jason Gardner is a former Navy SEAL, combat leader and member of Echelon Front. Iris is a former EMT, horse wrangler and author. In this second conversation, we discuss living off the grid, foraging, the healing power of horses, children and hunting, the health of the nation and so much more.

Davis Odell is a retired firefighter and special operations Lieutenant. He was also the officer at Orlando Station 5 when the Pulse Nightclub attacks occurred only a block from his station. We discuss his journey into the fire service, overcoming addiction, forging diversity, responding to Pulse, mental health and much more.

Raul Rivas is a veteran law enforcement officer and member of the SWAT team that responded to the Pulse Nightclub attack. We discuss his journey into law enforcement, the importance of training standards, tactical medicine, hostage rescue, killing the Pulse shooter and much more.