Behind The Shield

Jason Gray has been in the stunt industry for amost four decades working in film, television, commercials and music videos. We discuss his childhood in Iowa, wrestling, the genesis of Orlando's theme parks, live show dangers, sleep deprivation in entertainment, specialisation, The Oscars and so much more.

"Growing up a sports-crazed kid (a champion pole vaulter & wrestler)on a farm in Iowa, I set my sights on first serving my co...

Debbie Johnson is a financial professional and a dedicated nonprofit leader with a profound passion for supporting law enforcement K9 units. Her journey into advocacy began following the tragic death of St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office K9 Baron in 2015, which inspired her to invest significant time and resources to understand the unique needs of these heroic dogs.

Driven by her newfound appreciation for K9 units, Debbie founded K9s...

Trisha Stavinoha is an Army Veteran, Dietitian and elite endurance athlete. We discuss her journey into the military, hydration myths, sports drinks, fluid replacement in tactical athletes, relief aid in third world countries and much more.

Trisha retired in 2018 after a 20-year career as an Army Dietitian, the last 12 years serving in a performance nutrition capacity. She earned her BS in Nutrition from Texas State University in 1...

Mike Landis has been with Destin Fire for 17 years and has been the Deputy Chief since 2024. Mike sits as Region 1 FASAR Coordinator, TRT-109 Coordinator and Team lead, is a FL USAR Rescue Specialist, Paramedic, and is a graduate from Florida State University with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Mike is a Florida local who has grown up in the Destin area and attended Crestview High School.

Mike's background is in educati...

Andrea “Mahigun” Bogiatto is a Deputy Sheriff in Colorado and a former Italian National Police officer (Reparto Mobile). He developed the Human Factor – Behavioral Architecture Under Operational Pressure, a framework focused on behavioral patterns and decision-making under stress.

His background includes crowd control, K9 environments, and international training collaborations, with ongoing development of a university-level course ...

Jake Ryks is a firefighter, EMT, and HazMat Specialist with the Saint Paul Fire Department, currently assigned to Squad 1 and HazMat 1. He serves as the HazMat training coordinator within the department. Jake was recognized as the 2024 Minnesota Firefighter of the Year and received the Michael O. McNamee Award of Valor for his role in rescuing multiple children from a house fire.

Outside of the firehouse, Jake is actively involved...

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.

Greg Walsh has walked upright down a path of resistance for most of his life. The discovery of BMX bike riding and hardcore ...

Dr. Cordle is a retired Navy captain with 30 years of service and a human factors engineer. In this second conversation, we discuss his family's generational combat service, the current crisis in Iran, the financial cost of forced sleep deprivation, servant leadership, technical competence and his latest book "Letters to Myself".

John was the 2018 Proceedings Author of the Year, Surface Navy Association Literary Award winner in 2013...

K. L. Sadler is a retired U.S. Diplomat and Supervisory Special Agent with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. Over a 26-year career as a sworn law enforcement officer and federal agent, she served in high-threat assignments across Iraq, Afghanistan, Uganda, Mexico, and El Salvador, where she received multiple Superior Honor Awards for leadership and crisis response. She began her law enforcement career as a...

Brian Brush is a 30 year veteran of the fire service, instructor and the training chief for the Midwest City (OK) Fire Department. We discuss his journey into the volunteer fire service, wildland firefighting, firefighter fitness, putting family first, his near career ending medical event, mentorship and so much more.

Brian's background spans several states from rural volunteer to metro-sized departments. He has a master’s degree i...

RJ Casey has held numerous roles including as an Army Special Forces Medic, Air Force Pararescueman, Physician's Assistant and Stuntman. We discuss his journey into the military, trauma medicine, education, realism in training, working with Mel Gibson and so much more.

RJ has 30+ years of Special Operations experience with the Department of Defense and other government agencies. He has multiple combat tours in countries including Af...

Dr Ken Ford is a Navy veteran, former NASA computer scientist and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer Emeritus of the Florida Insitute for Human and Machine Cognition. We discuss his journey into the military, living in Guantanamo Bay, the genesis of computers in the military, the moon landing, exploring Mars, Tier One operators, the firefighter workweek, exoskeletons, sleep for performance and so much more.

With campuses in Pe...

Mike Wynn is the Director of The Quell Foundation’s First Responder Resilience Project (FRRP), where he leads the development and execution of strategic programming focused on supporting the mental health and well-being of first responders nationwide.

A former Chief of Police for the Pittsfield (MA) Police Department, Mike brings nearly 30 years of leadership experience in law enforcement, training, and community engagement. He has ...

Dan John is an elite athlete, author and revered strength and conditioning coach. We discuss the impact of war on his family, training the youth athlete, physical education, gut biome, rehabilitating the tactical professions and so much more.

Dan has spent his life with one foot in the world of lifting and throwing, and the other foot in academia. An All-American discus thrower, Dan has also competed at the highest levels of Olympic...

Rob Sweetman is a former Navy SEAL turned sleep scientist, dedicated to optimizing human performance through the science of sleep. With firsthand experience in high-stakes, sleep-deprived environments, Rob transitioned from special operations to research, earning his MBA and becoming a leading advocate for sleep as a cornerstone of health and readiness.

In this second conversation we discuss his perspective on the pandemic, robots i...

Brian McGinnis is a combat Marine, veteran firefighter and politician. In this second conversation we discuss the back story of his vocal protest, the atrocities endured by the Iranian people, government overreach, the importance of moral courage, the dangers of blind nationalism, the West Bank and so much more.

Brian graduated from Quincy Senior High School in Illinois in 2000 and left for Marine Corps boot camp just days later. H...

Dr Michael Donato is a podiatrist, athlete and member of O2X. We discuss the evolution of footwear, the affect of improper shoes on the body, barefoot training, tactical footwear and much more.

Mike, co-owner of Rappahannock Foot & Ankle Specialists joined the practice in 2002. He obtained his A.B. in Economics from Princeton University in 1986. He graduated as a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine from California College of Podiat...