Behind The Shield

Dr João Goulão is Portugal's Director of Addiction Intervention and one of the men who spearheaded the decriminalization of all drug use. In this second conversation we discuss Portugal's pandemic experience, the mental health ripple effect, fighting smuggling, what happens when support and funding are cut, obesity, gender dysphoria and so much more.

Jason Kasper is a former Green Beret and USA Today bestselling author of the Spider Heist, American Mercenary, and Shadow Strike thriller series. In this second conversation we discuss the Afghanistan withdrawal, his fight to rescue his interpreter, the pandemic, the Mlitary Industrial Complex, catharsis through writing, his powerful mental health story, the healing power of psychedlics and so much more.

Courtney Starkey is a Hypnotherapist and the author of "Cornflower". We discuss her turbulent childhood, her pursuit of mental health tools, the journey into hypnotherapy, hypnosis myths, the spiritual realm, alternative realities, healing, high performance and so much more.

Rob Ramirez is a veteran South Florida firefighter, USAR TF2 team member and National Rescue Consultants instructor. We discuss his journey into the fire service, responding to special need patients, entering special operations, Hurricane Katrina, the Parkland attack, the Surfside collapse, Hurricane Ian, firefighter fitness, realism in training, mental health and so much more.

Noah Galloway is an Army Airborne Veteran, amputee, author and altruist. We discuss his father's amputation, Noah's journey into the military, the IED that took his arm and leg in Bagdhad, his powerful physical and mental rehabilitation journey, obstacle racing, his book "Living with no Excuses", his non-profit and so much more.

Al Kavadlo is a strength and conditioning coach, author and one of the leaders in calisthenics training. We discuss his journey into fitness, bodybuilding, his introduction to coaching, the incredible power of bodyweight training, the importance of mobility, training the aging athlete, music and much more.

Lee Jeffries is an accountant and photographer who work spans from the homeless poulation to Metallica. We discuss his journey into accounting, the importance of mentorship, the chance encounter with a homeless woman that began his photography journey, catching a person's soul through film, how he ended up working with one of our generation's greatest bands and so much more.

Steve Gillespie is a retired FDNY Special Operations Firefighter and the man behind "Surviving the Job". We discuss volunteer firefighting as a teen, his journey into the FDNY, training diligence in Special Operations, his harrowing 9/11 story, The "Black Sunday" fire, the Deutsch Bank fire, processesing multiple LODDs, his own mental health story and much more.

Chance Burles is a Canadian Army veteran and the host of The Collective. We discuss childhood trauma, his journey into the military, his deployment in Afghanistan, transition, horsemanship, the healing power of equine therapy, podcasting, jiujitsu and so much more.

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.