Behind The Shield

Alex Racey is a veteran of the Army's most elite unit and a human performance coach. We discuss his journey into the military, training the tactical athlete, realism in training, transition, the Human Performance Project and so much more.

Scott McElroy is a law enforcement veteran, martial artist, stuntman and circus strongman. We discuss his journey into policing, entering the movie world, on set injuries, Chinese medicine, the history of wrestling, the importance of strength, combatives and so much more.

Steven Nisbet is a veteran of Air Force Pararescue's Tier One unit and the co-founder of the non-profit Shields and Stripes. We discuss his journey into the military, his paramedic clinicals, combat trauma medicine, losing a brother in training, creating solutions for physical and mental and so much more.

Spencer Thomas is a former football athlete turned stunt performer and John Cena's stunt double. We discuss growing up around athletics, moving to LA, humility on set, his journey into stunts, the mental impact of injury, his connection with the fire service, John's altruism, and so much more.

John Saporsky is a military college graduate, retired law enforcement officer and the man behind Law Enforcement Connect. We discuss his journey into ROTC, military education, fitness standards in policing, transitioning into the civilian space, the corporate application of a tactical skillset and so much more.

Flora Kasy is a firefighter for Kalifi County Fire and Rescue Department in Kenya. We discuss her journey into the fire service, the impact of the pandemic on Kenya, distance running, the need for PPE, the mental health cost of being ill-equipped, women in the African fire service and so much more.

Jason McCarthy is a former Green Beret, author and the co-founder of GORUCK. In this second conversation, we discuss the humanist lens of the Ukraine invasion, the mental health impact of the pandemic, the power of community, his three day fitness festival Sandlot Jax and so much more.

Susan Lopez is an Army veteran, military spouse and the woman behind "Tactical Dietitian". We discuss her journey into nutrition, school food, leadership in the kitchen, fueling the tactical athlete, sleep, meal prepping and so much more.

Panayioti Yannitsos is a filmmaker and the man behind the documentaries Freedom Besieged and Florian's Knights. We discuss his childhood visits to Greece, the financial crisis that bankrupted a nation, the opiate epidemic, firefighter mental health, finding healing through riding motorcycles and so much more.

Norman Penny spent three decades in the Canadian military, initially in the Army and then as a Search and Rescue Technician for the Air Force. We discuss his journey into the armed forces, serving in Yugoslavia, the Pararescue training pipeline, some of his team's notable rescues, the importance of realism in training, mental health and so much more.

Brock Bevell is a retired law enforcement officer and the man behind the "Chase the Vase" Podcast. We discuss the impact of childhood trauma, his journey into policing, his own powerful addiction story, the Fentanyl crisis and so much more.

Lance Davis, Sean Lazio and John Perez are military veterans and members of The Rising Warrior team. We discuss their own journeys into the military, the true price of war, the transition struggle, physical and mental healing and so much more.

Tyler Carroll is an Army Medic veteran, Texan firefighter and co-founder of Dead Reckoning Collective, Tyler Carroll. We discuss growing up in Austin, his journey into the military, the military industrial complex, firefighter fitness, the power of written word and so much more.

Ben Patrick is a basketball athlete and the creator of the "Knees over toes program" ATG. We discuss how we are injuring our youth athletes, his own knee injury journey, cultural contributors to muscle imbalances, physical education, creating joint mobility and strength and so much more.

Will Ayres is a firearms instructor, Regional Director for 5.11 and the host of their podcast "Call to Service". We discuss training youth gun safety, his journey into 5.11, designing clothing for the tactical communities, his lens on international policing and so much more.

Julien Pineau is a movement specialist, philosopher and the founder of Strongfit. In this fifth conversation, we discuss lactate as a stress marker, the physical and mental health crisis, sleep, government overreach, nutrition, alcohol and so much more.

BC Sanders is a veteran Gang Unit officer and author for Skillset Magazine. We discuss the straight edge culture, his journey into law enforcement, the genesis of gangs, the ripple effect of drug prohibition, America's unsung heroes and so much more.

Dr EJ Caterson began his career as a firefighter/EMT and is now a renowned plastic surgeon. We discuss his journey into medicine, the powerful story that took him into plastic surgery, face and arm transplants, treating burn injured patients, mental health, Sons of the Flag, The Human Performance Project and so much more.

Doug Orchard is a professional cinematographer, director, editor and an expert researcher. Doug's documentary "The Motivation Factor" shows the incredible positive ripple effect of La Sierra High School's PE program in the 1960s. We discuss his journey into film making, the personal tragedy that drove his quest for health information, the obesity epidemic, nutrition and immunity, the social impact of shared suffering, how healthcare costs are crippling our economy and much more.

Nicole Kopolovits is a Florida firefighter, SWAT medic and Smoke Diver. We discuss her journey into the fire service, strength and conditioning, the power of mentorship, her preparation for the fire service's most grueling week, diversity through skillsets and so much more.