Behind The Shield

Deputy Assistant Chief Frank Leeb has served the FDNY since 1992. The Chief of Safety for the FDNY’s 17,000 employees. Frank holds a bachelor’s degree in fire service administration from SUNY Empire …

John Wayne Walding was born on the 4th of July. He spent almost 12 years in the US Army, including seven in the prestigious 3rd Special Forces Group.

John has been deployed to both Iraq and Afghanista…

Gina Rollo White, MA Mindfulness Studies, is the founder and director of Mindful Junkie Outreach. A mind body teacher, educator, and author of thesis Mindfulness and Law Enforcement, An Effective Ap…

Danny Alvarez is an Army veteran, lawyer and State Representative. We discuss first responder mental health, the recruitment crisis, immigration, the American dream and so much more.

Danny attended t…

Dick Hoyt is a military veteran and one half of Team Hoyt. His son, Rick, was born with cerebral palsy and at age 15, asked his father if they could run a race together. This began a journey of over …

Ian has 23 years of international professional experience in health, safety and business improvement within military, mining, rail, oil and gas, utilities and elite athletes. Combining scientific res…

LT Kegan "SMURF" Gill miraculously survived the fastest ejection in Naval Aviation history. Despite severe injuries, he overcame the impossible to return to the cockpit of the F/A-18E Super Hornet, a…

Keith Hanks is a retired Firefighter and EMT that dedicated 21 years of his life to the service of others. He serviced his community as a firefighter, EMT, certified educator and training officer alo…

Chuck Liddell is an MMA legend, author and actor. We discuss his early life, overcoming physical challenges, his grandfather's mentorship, altruism, his journey into the martial arts, intrinsic motiv…

Doug White is a veteran law enforcement officer whose career spans from working with the Specal Operations community to bomb disposal in Florida. We discuss his journey into the military, force prote…

Kiran Pital and Peter Holme Jensen are the founders of Cambiotics and are developing a probiotic that will remove PFAS from the human body. We discuss their early lives in India and Denmark, Parkinso…

Richard Rice spent three decades in the US armed forces and was one of the founding members of what would become the revered Delta Force. We discuss his journey into the military, being hunted in Vie…

Kendra Fisher, still laughs as she remembers standing in the Kincardine arena at 4 years old, watching her big brother playing hockey, turning to her parents, and proclaiming, “I don’t want to figure…

Jeffrey Engel is an Air Force Security Forces Veteran, Special Agent and a New Jersey Dectective Corporal. We discuss his journey into the military, serving in Korea, Force Protection, municipal law …

Ben Strahan is a veteran wildland Hotshot, human performance coach and athlete. We discuss his journey into the fire service, the physical demands of wildland firefighting, the inmate crew program, s…

Melissa Mercado is a tactical athlete strength and conditioning coach and the Tactical Manager for Teambuildr. We discuss her journey into coaching, training Marines, the Wounded Warrior Battalion, n…

Rob Garnett is a 22 year Navy SEAL veteran, athlete and the Managing DIrector of One More Wave. We discuss surfing as a child, his journey into the military, compassion on the battlefield, veteran su…

Otto Drozd III is a seasoned leader in fire and emergency services with over 35 years of distinguished experience, dedicated to protecting communities, driving innovation, and advancing fire service …

Paul Collette is a former Senior Probation Officer, Navy Reservist with 30 years experience as a mental health counselor. We discuss his journey into law enforcement, the world of probation, hunting …