Behind The Shield

Behind The Shield

by James Geering

Fitness Mental Health

Jo Terry (Losing her Firefighter Husband to Suicide, Physical Therapy and the Mental Health Revolution) - Episode 1285

Jo Terry is a recently retired licensed physical therapist who owned her own outpatient physical therapy clinic for over 20 years. She was married to Assistant Chief Alan “Chip” Terry, (ret) from the City of Covington Fire Department for 31 years who completed suicide in 2017 after being misdiagnosed. Since his death in 2017, Jo has spent her time working with first responders and their families affected by PTSD and teaching the class she developed called Trauma and its Effect on First Responders and Their Family, telling Chip’s story and the effects of suicide on those left behind. The course will also review the anatomy of the brain and help individuals understand the physiological changes that occur with PTSD, identify warning signs and symptoms of PTSD, as well as, share new methods for treatment and identify access to help. Jo is the President of The Chip Terry Fund for First Responders which she and her children established to provide first responders and their families with educational, financial, and emotional support. Jo is the mother of 6 children and in her spare time she enjoys working on her farm, hiking, exercising and traveling. https://thechipterryfund.org/

Zar Horton II (Firefighter Strength & Conditioning, BMX Racing and Life After the Uniform) - Episode 504

Zar Horton is a retired Albuquerque Battalion Chief and a StrongFirst Master Kettlebell trainer. We discuss his transition out of the fire service, BMX racing, glycolytic training, exercise and the nervous system, fostering longevity, the importance of sleep and so much more. Zar has been training others in the use of kettlebells since 2004. For the last 16 years he has devoted himself to bringing safe, functional, strength training and fitness, along with greater quality of life and longevity, to fire service, law enforcement, and our military members. He currently holds position of Master Kettlebell Instructor with StrongFirst. He has instructed across the United States and internationally.

Dany Cotton (The Grenfell Fire, London Fire Brigade Heroism and Organisational Betrayal) - Episode 349

Dany Cotton spent over three decades serving with the London Fire Brigade, retiring as Commissioner. We discuss her journey into the fire service, forging diversity through mentoring, the impact of budget cuts on service and health, violence on first responders, heroism at the Grenfell Tower fire, dirty politics and much more. Dany retired as the Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade following a service that spanned 33 years. Dany had responded to a host of disasters in her career including the Clapham Junction rail crash and the Grenfell Tower fire.

Emily Ireland (Craniosacral Therapy, Somatic Movement and First Responder Performance) - Episode 1284

Emily Ireland is the founder of Hardcore Healing, Inc. and the creator of Light Touch®. Her background includes more than two decades of study and work across craniosacral therapy, functional anatomy, integrative movement, and wellness research. Her work explores how subtle interventions may support focus, recovery, sleep, emotional balance, and overall wellbeing. Through Light Touch®, Emily’s goal is to make this kind of support more accessible in everyday life through a simple, consumer-facing wearable. Emily studied at Sarah Lawrence College, the Kane School of Core Integration, and the Upledger Institute, and continues to engage with researchers and wellness professionals interested in the intersection of physiology, consciousness, and the human system. She also leads the Hero Resilience Initiative, which works to expand access to Light Touch® for first responders, veterans, and others in high-stress service communities. https://www.mylighttouch.com/

Kris Copeland (Performance Psychology, Training Special Forces Cognition and Traumatic Brain Injury) - Episode 1283

Kris Copeland is a dedicated Sport and Performance Psychology Consultant with a passion for helping individuals and organizations unlock their full potential. With a diverse background in working with military populations, corporations, school districts, hospitals, and athletes of all ages, he has honed his skills in elevating performance across a broad spectrum. Currently, Kris works as a Cognitive Performance Specialist for the US Army where he is developing curriculum to enhance warfighter readiness, physical performance, mental fortitude and improve overall performance metrics. He is a firm believer in data-driven interventions that will show lasting results in real-life settings. Enhancing physical performance with cognitive training is something Kris has a passion for and he believes (if implemented correctly) is the future of military readiness, corporate performance, athletic victory and human sciences.

Joel Salatin II (The American Beef Industry, Factory Farming and the Obesity Crisis) - Episode 336

Joel Salatin is a world renowned holistic farmer, author and speaker. We discuss COVID and a fragile population, factory farming, abattoir monopolies, the obesity epidemic, resilience through nutrition, school food, lowering the carbon footprint and much more. Joel Salatin, 62, calls himself a Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer. Others who like him call him the most famous farmer in the world, the high priest of the pasture, and the most eclectic thinker from Virginia since Thomas Jefferson. Those who don’t like him call him a bio-terrorist, Typhoid Mary, charlatan, and starvation advocate. With a room full of debate trophies from high school and college days, 12 published books, and a thriving multi-generational family farm, he draws on a lifetime of food, farming and fantasy to entertain and inspire audiences around the world. He’s as comfortable moving cows in a pasture as addressing CEOs in a Wall Street business conference. His wide-ranging topics include nitty-gritty how-to for profitable regenerative farming as well as cultural philosophy like orthodoxy vs. heresy. A wordsmith and master communicator, he moves audiences from laughs one minute to tears the next, from frustration to hopefulness. Often receiving standing ovations, he prefers the word performance rather than presentation to describe his lectures. His favorite activity?–Q&A. “I love the interaction,” he says. He co-owns, with his family, Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia. Featured in the New York Times bestseller Omnivore’s Dilemma and award-winning documentary Food Inc., the farm services more than 5,000 families, 50 restaurants, 10 retail outlets, and a farmers’ market with salad bar beef, pigaerator pork, pastured poultry, and forestry products. When he’s not on the road speaking, he’s at home on the farm, keeping the callouses on his hands and dirt under his fingernails, mentoring young people, inspiring visitors, and promoting local, regenerative food and farming systems. Salatin is the editor of The Stockman Grass Farmer, granddaddy catalyst for the grass farming movement. He writes the Pitchfork Pulpit column for Mother Earth News, as well as numerous guest articles for ACRES USA and other publications. A frequent guest on radio programs and podcasts targeting preppers, homesteaders, and foodies, Salatin’s practical, can-do solutions tied to passionate soliloquies for sustainability offer everyone food for thought and plans for action. Mixing mischievous humor with hard-hitting information, Salatin both entertains and moves people. Seldom using a power-point and often speaking from an outline scribbled in a yellow legal pad, he depends on theatrics, style, and compelling content to hold attention and defend innovative positions. The rare combination of prophet and practitioner makes him both a must-read and must-hear in a time desperate for integrity leadership and example. https://polyfacefarm.com/

Chief Joseph Pfeifer (Losing a Brother on 9/11, the Community of 9/12 and the Power of Moral Courage) - Episode 1282

Joseph Pfeifer is globally recognized for his expertise in crisis leadership, disaster management, and adaptive resilience. Operating at the intersection of high-stakes public service and academia, he translates decades of frontline command experience into actionable frameworks for leading through uncertainty. Currently, he serves as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Senior Fellow at West Point's Combating Terrorism Center. Pfeifer’s academic insights are forged from a distinguished 39-year career with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). As the former Acting Fire Commissioner and First Deputy Commissioner, he managed 17,000 Fire, EMS, and administrative personnel, strategic policies, and a multi-billion-dollar budget. As FDNY’s Chief of Counterterrorism and Emergency Preparedness, he founded the Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness, pioneering landmark intelligence-sharing initiatives, innovative technologies, and interagency frameworks that transformed emergency response. Throughout his career, Pfeifer commanded operations during some of the most defining crises in recent history. Notably, he was the first incident commander at the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001. He later played a critical command role during the Miracle on the Hudson, Superstorm Sandy, and other extreme events. His profound reflections on these events are recounted in his New York Times bestselling book, Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir of 9/11, and he is widely featured in major news broadcasts and documentary films. Today, Pfeifer shapes future leaders through his academic roles. At Columbia University, he teaches a crisis leadership course, directs the Leading with Impact program, and advises Capstone teams on extreme weather events. At the Harvard Kennedy School, he teaches in executive education programs and leads disaster response research. He also shares his knowledge with cadets at the U.S. Military Academy. Pfeifer, a respected voice on global risks, has testified before the U.S. Congress and addressed the United Nations. He is a trusted advisor to government officials, military leaders, and public service professionals worldwide on leading in extraordinary times.He holds master’s degrees from the Harvard Kennedy School, the Naval Postgraduate School, and the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception

Geoff Thompson (Nightclub Bouncers, the Art of Violence and the Warrior's Healing Journey) - Episode 345

Geoff Thompson is a retired bouncer, martial artist, author, playwright, screenwriter and philosopher. We discuss childhood trauma, violence, the martial arts, ownership, writing, Chuck Norris, emotional growth and much more. Geoff’s first book, Watch My Back, detailing his experiences working as a nightclub bouncer in Coventry for over a decade, hit the Sunday Times bestsellers list, was made into a stage play, adapted to a BAFTA nominated short film starring Ray Winstone, and a BIFA nominated motion picture for cinema. He has also written articles for national magazines and broadsheets, including The Times, Men’s Fitness (former columnist), GQ and FHM. His work as a playwright started when he was invited to join The Royal Court Young Writers Group. He has gone onto write many successful plays that have toured nationally. His musical We’ll Live and Die in These Towns was produced and performed to great acclaim at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, in 2018. He is also a BAFTA winning screenwriter, penning multi-award winning films for luminaries such as Ray Winstone, Paddy Considine, Orlando Bloom, Maxine Peake, Anne Reid, Alison Steadman and James Cosmo. Geoff Thompson is one of the world’s highest ranking (8th dan) martial arts teachers. The prestigious Black Belt Magazine USA polled him as the most influential martial artist in the world since Bruce Lee. He lives in Coventry, West Midlands and has written over forty books. Some of his work in the self-help genre has been published in 21 languages and has appeared on the Sunday Times bestseller list several times.

Garrett Cathcart (Rebuilding Communities, Servant Leadership and the Human Cost of War) - Episode 1281

Garrett Cathcart served 9 years as a United States Army Cavalry officer and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Garrett’s service included three years in ground combat leadership roles. Garrett served as a Reconnaissance Scout Platoon Leader in Baghdad during the Surge in 2007, colloquially known as the bloodiest year in Iraq, as an embedded military advisor living and operating with the Iraqi Army in 2008, and as a Cavalry Troop Commander in Afghanistan responsible for the security, governance and development for two Afghan districts in 2010. His final assignment on active duty was serving as Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General of the 4th Infantry Division. Garrett’s awards include three Bronze Star Medals, an Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device and a Meritorious Service Medal. In 2021, Garrett joined The Brickyard (formerly +More Perfect Union) as the Co-Founder and Executive Director. He leads the mission to establish the nonprofit as the next-generation civic and service organization. The Brickyard’s mission is to unite the country and strengthen communities through social gathering, service, and civic connection. Prior to joining The Brickyard, Garrett served as the founding Executive Director of Mission Roll Call, a national organization that provides veterans a powerful and unified voice in public policy, and as the first Southeast Regional Director of veteran service organization Team Red, White and Blue. Garrett is also a Major in the Army Reserves where he serves as an Associate Professor of Leadership and Military Science at Georgia Tech. Garrett graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2004 and the Goizueta School of Business at Emory University in 2018. He holds a certificate in nonprofit executive leadership from the University of Georgia, and he is a George W. Bush Veteran Leadership Scholar. He is also an accomplished public speaker who has addressed the Atlanta Hawks, New York University, The Home Depot, The Federal Reserve, and guest lectured at the US Military and Air Force Academies. He has appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, CNN, USA Today, Fox News, and CBS World News.

Dr Michael Greger (Reversing Chronic Disease, Plant Based Diet and Letting Food be thy Medicine) - Episode 227

Dr Michael Greger is a physician, author and internationally recognized nutrition expert. We discuss the causes of chronic disease, plant based diet, carcinogens, disease reversal and much more. Michael Greger, M.D. FACLM is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized professional speaker on a number of important public health issues. Dr. Greger has lectured at the Conference on World Affairs, the National Institutes of Health, and the International Bird Flu Summit, among countless other symposia and institutions; testified before Congress; has appeared on shows such as The Colbert Report and The Dr. Oz Show; and was invited as an expert witness in defense of Oprah Winfrey at the infamous "meat defamation" trial. In 2017, he was honored with the ACLM Lifestyle Medicine Trailblazer Award. Dr. Greger's most recent scientific publications in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Critical Reviews in Microbiology, Family and Community Health, and the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition, and Public Health explore the public health implications of industrialized animal agriculture. Dr. Greger is also licensed as a general practitioner specializing in clinical nutrition and is a founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He was featured on the Healthy Living Channel promoting his latest nutrition DVDs and honored to teach part of Dr. T. Colin Campbell's esteemed nutrition course at Cornell University. Dr. Greger's nutrition work can be found at NutritionFacts.org, which is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit charity. He is the author of Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching and Carbophobia: The Scary Truth Behind America's Low Carb Craze. Both of his latest books, How Not to Die and the How Not to Die Cookbook, became instant New York Times Best Sellers. View the book trailer here. Dr. Greger is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Greger is proud to be a Council of Directors member of the global voice for lifestyle as medicine, the True Health Initiative (THI). This is a growing coalition of more than 360 world experts representing 35 countries. It is an unprecedented assembly that includes physicians, university Deans, former Surgeon Generals, Olympic athletes, chefs, environmental professionals and a diverse group of nutritionists. Together they offer clarity over confusion and support the foundational principles of healthy eating and healthy living. All speaking fees and proceeds Dr. Greger receives from the sale of his books and DVDs are donated to charity.

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