Behind The Shield

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.

Mike Goosby is a 31 Veteran LAPD Police Officer, Chief K9 Trainer and a Board Member of K9s United. We discuss his early life in Los Angeles, gang culture, the power of mentorship. his journey into law enforcement, entering the world of K9s, myths surrounding Police Dogs, the proactive, lifesaving application of a K9 program and so much more.

Emily Kaplan is an investigative journalist covering topics including violent crime, technology and health. She has also launched, run and sold four start ups. In this second conversation we discuss big sugar, diabetes and the obesity epidemic, menstruation and exercise, The Broken Science Initiative, The Crossfit book and so much more.

Emily Kaplan has spent over 17 years as an investigative journalist covering topics including violent crime, technology and health. We discuss her journey into journalism, women and research, the cancel culture, her 9/11 experience, Crossfit, Greg Glassman, the American health crisis and so much more.

Leigh Hosy-Pickett is a British Firefighter and the author of "Up in Smoke". We discuss his journey into the fire service, history vs tradition, the power of innovation, leadership, sleep deprivation, the Human Performance Project, mental health and much more.

Dr Ken Druck is a Clinical Psychologist, speaker and the author of numerous books. We discuss his journey into psychology, responding as a grief counselor to the Columbine massacre, 9/11 and Sandy Hook, losing his 21 year old daughter, his grief journey, aging, caring for an elderly relative, mental health, addiction and so much more.

Jamie Lissow is a comedian, writer and actor. We discuss childhood experiences that contributed to using humor, his journey into stand up comedy, the facade of "overnight success", mental health in entertainment, the dark side of Kratom, living in Alaska, his work with Rob Schneider and so much more.

Jadie Miller is a veteran Canadian firefighter and the founder of Pyroc. Dr Christopher Frueh is a Clinical Psychologist, co-founder of Pyroc and the man who created the diagnosis "Operator Syndrome". We discuss Jadie's traumatic childhood, being homeless at 8 years old, her journey into the fire service, Chris' journey into psychology, the holistic approach to mental ill health, "Firefighter Syndrome", sleep deprivation and much more.

Brendan Quisenberry is an Army Special Forces veteran and former 101st Airborne Division Parachute Demonstration Team member. He met his wife Nikki during war time and like many military and first repsonder marriages, they were exposed to the physiological and psychological traumas of service. We discuss Brendan's journey into the military, how they met, traumatic brain injury, mental health, infidelity, rebuilding trust, exogenous testosterone and health, the Human Performance Project, bodybuilding and so much more.

Amelia Lara spent over two decades in the Marines serving as a Military Police Officer, Criminal Investigator and was part of their boxing team. During her early career, she was stationed at Camp LeJeune and became one of over 500,000 servicemembers with catastrophic health issues from contaminated water. We discuss her journey into the Military, war and mental health, Marines Law enforcement, some of her career cases, her terminal cancer diagnosis, her fight for proactive change and so much more.

Heidi Chance is a veteran undercover Detective and the founder of "A Chance for Awareness". We discuss her journey into the Police Cadet program, her transtion into policing, the school resource officer, working undercover in the world of prostitution, sex trafficking, warning signs for parents, tools for first responders and so much more.

Josh Chase is an Army Veteran, fire service leader and author. We discuss his journey into Army aviation, transitioning from military leader to probationary firefighter, marriage, mental health, grief, leadership, his books, the rescue that earned him the Medal of Honor and much more.

Jason Van Camp is a Green Beret Veteran, author and the founder of Warrior Rising. We discuss his Westpoint experience, his journey into the military, serving in the Special Forces, Epilepsy, his transition out, entering the world of business, the genesis of his non-profit and so much more.

Kevin Hazzard is a Paramedic and the author of 1000 Naked Strangers and American Sirens. We discuss his journey into EMS, journalism, 911 abuse, burnout, career calls, mental health, the unknown story of America's first paramedics in Pittsburgh, racism and so much more.

Lee Sammartino is a BASE Jumper, musician and Marketing guru. We discuss his journey into extreme sports, his path into business, branding the fire service, his perspective on the drug industry, how to start a non-profit, leveraging marketing tools, social media, the power of relationships, the Human Performance Project and so much more.

Scott Chappell is a Florida Fire Captain, US&R/HazMat/MARC Program Coordinator and instructor. We discuss his journey into the fire service, responding to international incidents, special operations, firefighter fitness, shift work, sleep deprivation and much more.

John Doolittle is a former Navy SEAL Captain, Chief Revenue Officer for KAATSU and a public speaker. We discuss his journey into the Navy, the power of mentorship, his perspective on war, human performance, blood flow restriction, the Frogman Swim, transition, sleep and so much more. https://kaatsu.com/ https://johndoolittle.com/

Ben Bergeron is an author, podcaster and one of the world's most successful Crossfit coaches. We discuss his early life, coaching the youth athlete, his philosophy on mental toughness, seeking discomfort, Icelandic athletes, sleep and so much more.