Behind The Shield

Alan Stott is an entrepreneur, author and the wife of British Special Forces soldier Dean Stott. We discuss the accident that left her horrendously burned as a child, the physical and mental rehabilitation journey, banking, the 2008 crash, eating disorders, the Mrs World competition, the challenges of the military spouse, her new books "She Who Dares" and "How to ask for Money", human trafficking and so much more.

Matt Hesse is an Army Veteran, Bullrider, Entrepreneur and the founder of The University of Health and Performance. We discuss childhood trauma, chasing adrenaline, grief, strength and conditioning, the supplement industry, how he grew his business, veteran transition, training coaches and so much more.

Andy Millar is a Social Worker, Athlete and cancer survivor. We discuss his Leukemia diagnosis at 2 years old, the physical and mental toll of chemo on a child, social work in the ER, his work in Hospice, finding Crossfit, the immense price tag of a cancer diagnosis, fighting a brain tumor during the pandemic, how his fitness saved his life and so much more.

Chief John Norman is a 50 year veteran of the fire service including 27 years with the FDNY. He is the author of multiple books including "Working with Giants". We discuss his father's teachings on service, his journey into fire prevention, joining the FDNY, notable rescues, the inability to save, 9/11, the WTC collapse, firefighter fitness, mental health, diligence in training and so much more.

Ken Corigliano is a world record holder athlete, 20 year service member and the man known as "Air Force Ken". We discuss trauma and homelessness as a child, his journey into the military, his perpective on war, the failure that drove him to physical excellence, the TBI that left him with Synesthesia, leadership, artificial intelligence and so much more.

Kelsi Sheren is a Canadian Army Veteran and the founder of Brass and Unity. We discuss her childhood martial arts story, the dark side of parental trust, her journey into the military, losing brothers in arms, compassion fatigue, her powerful mental health story, art therapy, entrepreneurialship, catharsis through podasting, her new book and so much more.

Jessie Gould is a former Army Ranger and the founder of Heroic Hearts Project. We discuss his journey into finance, 9/11, joining the military, his perspective on war, traumatic brain injury, his powerful mental health story, finding plant medicine, the healing power of psychedelics and so much more.

Katheryn Basso is a Marine and the founder of KADRI Clothing. We discuss her journey into sports medicine, joining the Marines, the female tactical athlete, the injury risks from ill fitting military equipment, international cyber threats, the obesity epidemic, entrepreneurialship, the genesis of KADRI and so much more.

Chris Irwin is a former Navy SEAL, musician and the creator of "Rare Sense". We discuss his journey into the Navy, his Crossfit evolution, his powerful mental health story, holistic medicine, leadership, catharsis through music, mind fitness and so much more.

A native of Riga, Latvia, Vlada Parrott grew up in a household influenced by Russian Ballet and Gymnastics. Her mother was a gymnastics coach to elite athletes, and her father was a world-renowned ballet dancer and director. We discuss her childhood in Eastern Europe, her journey into dance, touring as a professional performer, the injury that sent her down a holistic wellness path, the healing power of movement, pelvic floor health, motherhood, military families, the Human Performance Project and much more.

Greg Walsh is an athlete, martial artist and the founder of Wolf Brigade. We discuss his journey into extreme sports, the straight edge Hardcore scene, Crossfit, Jeet Kune Do, kettlebell training, youth athletes, mace work, strength and conditioning for the tactical athlete, the aging athlete and so much more.

Jack Carr is a former Navy SEAL, best selling author, outdoorsman and podcaster. In this second conversation, we discuss the creation of The Terminal List series, mental health, therapy dogs, leadership, his latest book 'Only the Dead" and much more.

Paige Figi's daughter Charlotte was only 3 months old when she started having regular seizures, ultimately being diagnosed with Dravet's Syndrome. By the time she was four, after a gamet of pharmceuticals have proven ineffective, Charlotte was on life support with only days to live. Desperate, Paige had begun researching plant medicine and found a high concentration Cannabanoid (CBD) from the hemp plant. She watched in disbelief as Charlotte began improving and the near constant seizures became infrequent. In this powerful conversation, we discuss Paige's early life as a rescue diver, her role as a military spouse, Charlotte's heartbreaking health struggles, how Paige began helping other families, the Coaltition for Access, the Major League Baseball team who is standing behind CBD and so much more.

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.