OpsFitness Podcast

1. Tell me a little about yourself and how long have you or served behind the front line for? In What capacity?
I am 62 YO male, married have two daughters and a son. I worked at Orange County Fire and Rescue in Winter Park Fl for 35 years and have been retired two years in June and live in New Smyrna Beach, Fl-The Shark Capital of the World. I am one of the owners of Firesled Fitness and Training. We develop Firefighter Functional Fitness and Training Equipment.I worked in many ranks and capacities when I worked at OCFRD:• Firefighter• Engineer (Driver)• Lieutenant• Wellness Coordinator• Bike Patrol Coordinator• Safety Captain• Battalion Chief• Safety and Wellness Chief

2. What was the hardest time of your life? What tools did you use to get through it?
I got a call one afternoon when I was on shift from a family member who explained that my dad had fallen on a job site and I needed to go there immediately. When I arrived, I saw the coroners' van and one of my worst nightmare had come true. It was hard to believe that my hero who I had looked up to and relied on most my life was gone. I not only had to process that, but I also had to figure out how to tell my mom, a woman who did not drive and to my knowledge never worked. He was her world. I used the tools my dad left me with. You do what is expected of you which is take care of your family the best way you can.


3. What are your greatest successes?
• My kids are all very independent and out in the world. • My current marriage.• My health after 35 years in the Fire Service and a rough youth.• The FD Wellness Program I was credited with creating.• The Firesled Fitness and Training business and the equipment that we invented. There is nothing like it.

4. Now that you have experienced life a little, what would you tell your 20-year- old self?
Nothing good lasts forever, and nothing bad lasts forever.



5. Who is your greatest role model and why?
My Dad and probably too many reasons to list but here are the main ones. His primary purpose in life was to take care of his family and friends. He worked as an ironworker, wielder-boiler mechanic. I don’t ever remember him calling in sick and rarely took a vacation. It was hard back breaking work, I know because he brought me to work as soon as he thought I was old enough to pull my weight. He taught me to work hard and that your employer deserves a good day’s work and appreciate the opportunity that they gave you. He led by example, he was respected by the people that worked for him and had often loaned them money to purchase tools or equipment they needed to work. Some didn’t pay him back and when I asked him why he kept doing it, he just said it was the right thing to do. He was a simple man that got joy from his horses and animals he raised and took care of. Basically-he was a superhero in my eyes.

6. Any particular stories that stand out from your days serving behind the front line? How has fitness played a role in it?
Most of the stories that stand out are ones I choose not to dwell on. Don’t get me wrong there were more good times than bad, but those slides don’t come up as easy. I had great crews that worked hard as a team and enjoyed being together on and off duty. We did a lot of good and saw a lot of bad things happened to good people.Fitness played a role in almost every call from lifting heavy patients to kicking down doors and fighting fire. I took pride in lasting the longest on a bottle and working longer and harder overhauling. Probably my biggest testament to the important role fitness played in my career would be the length I served without a life ending disease or a carrier ending injury. Fitness made me resilient.

7. What is your favourite failure that has led to success?
Not sure that I have any favorite failure, but there is one that comes to mind that led to success. When the Fire Chief selected me as OCFRD’s first Wellness Coordinator, he pulled me from shift work where I was very comfortable and

Tell me a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up, and what didyour parents do?
So, I grew up in Detroit, Michigan, actually in the heart of Detroit. My dad was injournalism and marketing; he worked for multiple companies from CompuwareFortune 500 to EDS, and then he got into a real estate, which he currently stilldoes. And my mother has worked in medicine for the last 30-plus years, workingin oncology and then followed by nephrology.
My parents have been go-getters their whole life. I grew up in Detroitand it’s been a great life. My parents divorced when I was five years old but theyparented me well together and managed to keep the divorce from hurting therelationship for the family, so it was great. I love my parents dearly, and theygave me everything I needed to survive in life, so super grateful.It’s kind of how it went, just moved off outside of Detroit to the suburbs andthen moved into an area called Clinton Township Michigan, or Macomb County,where I ended up finishing up school high school there at Chippewa Valley HighSchool. And that's where I was influenced by a teacher into the service.

So, tell me a little bit about yourself, and how long have you served behind the frontline for, and in what capacity in the Navy SEALs?
Let’s see, a little bit about myself. I played hockey growing up I always lovedsports, I love team sports. I've always been the guy that had a nickname; theyused to call me Purp or Pond Rocket Parrot in hockey. Because in Michigan weplay a lot of pond hockey outside as well as inside. And then I went to Perrote, andthe French men don’t know where that came from. And then I went to in theSoup in the SEAL Teams, and then it’s been Birdman ever since.
But, growing up in Michigan, I love Michigan. I think that it’s a place thateverybody needs to visit. People don't really get a good idea Michigan, theythink it's Detroit, they think it's a dangerous place, and it's all city, and it’s not. It's a gorgeous place, the north part of Michigan is beautiful, gorgeous lakes, you can't get enough water there. It's a place that you need to see, the fall time you get change of colors everywhere and I love it, that's my home. Idon't consider Texas my home I consider Michigan my home, will always be.
I served eight years in the military, all of that in the SEAL Teams if not in training,but all in Naval Special Warfare. I think I did three months outside of NavalSpecial Warfare in the beginning through boot camp and then my A school, andthen after that it was all with the Naval Special Warfare Command. So, I wentthrough BUD/S class 245, 246. After the program, I went to SEAL Team 7, and Iserved for six years at SEAL Team 7.
I was in Alpha platoon, two platoons, I went to Foxtrot platoon, and then I wentover to Advanced Training Command as an instructor for just under a yearbefore I got out of service. Eight years in San Diego, actually in Coronado. It waswonderful, it was like an unbelievable experience. We were going out a lot andwould come back home, I would come back to my house in San Diego and thinkit was a vacation home. So it's super cool.
I was blessed. You get everything you can possibly imagine from the military, youget GI Bill, college tuition, you get friends that will last a lifetime, you get to doepic things, and you get to do this all in the name of protecting the nation. Foranybody who’s messing around with the idea of wanting to join the military, I saydon't hesitate, do it. And anybody who doesn't know anything about the militaryI think they should go and do some more research and learn about it because it'sincredible. It was wonderful for me; it was everything I needed. Served eightyears and then I decided to move out to the Dallas Texas to pick a job and trynew things.

How was school for you, and what made you become a Navy SEAL?
School for me was difficult, I just was not entertained by teaching, teachers, anykind of academics, it was all boring to me. I always excelled in the physic

1. Tell me a little about yourself and how long have you or served behind the front line for? In What capacity?

I first fell in love with firefighting in 2006 after I enrolled in the Pre-Service Fire Program at the college in my hometown. From there I took the Paramedic Program, then became a volunteer firefighter. I was a volunteer for over four years and worked as a 911 Dispatcher in Timmins, Ontario, dispatching police, fire, and ambulance. I followed this up with a few years working as a personal trainer and dispatching for other services (namely police and fire in Ottawa). I'm now a career firefighter in Ottawa, Ontario and have been for three years.

2. What was the hardest time of your life? What tools did you use to get through it?

I went through a period in my life where I felt lost. I was unhappy with my job, divorced, and had no solid direction (which is frustrating for a goal-oriented person). I had to look internally and refocus myself. I spent time changing my mindset, worked hard physically, mentally and spiritually, and came out on top and happier than ever.

3. What are your greatest successes?

My greatest success would be my life as a whole. I have an amazing daughter, a great partner, a career that I have a passion for, I'm surrounded by incredible people that I love, and I truly enjoy my life.

4. Now that you have experienced life a little, what would you tell your 20-year- old self?

I would tell myself not to worry because everything is going to workout exactly the way it’s supposed to. I’m happy with the way I’ve lived my life so far and wouldn’t change anything as it would mean changing who I am now.

5. Who is your greatest role model and why?

I would say that I am my own greatest role model. I am the one person that I can control and be exactly who I want in a person. I am always evolving and striving to be better but staying true to myself and trying to be someone that I can be proud of.

6. Any particular stories that stand out from your days serving behind the front line? How has fitness played a role in it?

I feel like fitness has played a role in every single experience I have serving behind the front line. Whether it's in full gear at a working fire, hauling hose, climbing stairs, assisting people, climbing ladders, being a reliant crew member, having enough stamina for a busy 24-hour shift, my fitness is absolutely paramount. I am always striving to make myself better for my crew, the public we're serving and myself by working out hard in a functional way. I need to continue to work on being strong, having cardiovascular endurance, being explosive, etc. I wouldn't be able to effectively do my job without constantly working on my fitness.

7. What is your favourite failure that has led to success?

My favourite failures would be the firefighting jobs I applied for out of college and didn't get. It taught me to work my ass off to get what I want. In the time between my first applications and getting hired, I ended up having amazing experiences, met fantastic people and built up my resume. I'm so thankful for that, and it's made me a better person.

8. What do you feel most proud of?

I'm most proud of my daughter. I'm working hard every day to ensure that I'm the best mom, a good role model and give her the best life I can possibly give her.

10. What do you want your tombstone to say?
"She lived a full life full of love and passion" It should also say "Kayla MusselWOMAN" haha.

11. How do you spend your free time?

Mostly with my daughter, husband, and dog enjoying family time. I also love to workout, be outdoors, read and watch The Bachelor.

12. Who do you admire the most in life and why?
I have a lot of people that I admire. My grandparents have always been people I look up to. But, someone I feel I can relate to and parallel much of my life on is my aunt. She decided to completely change careers and become a police officer. She worked so incredibly hard to get hired;

Tell me a little about yourself and how long you served on the front line

Well, long story short, I wanted to be a fireman ever since I was a little boy but the British Medical Service told me that I was colour blind so I could never be a firefighter, a fighter pilot or any of the cool jobs and it took me another twenty years to have the epiphany that this must be wrong and I can see colours so I challenged the whole philosophy but it happened to coincide when I moved to America. So I had always wanted to be on the medical side too. I had been a lifeguard in England and worked in summer camps lifeguarding, and teaching water sports here in the U.S., but when I finally moved over here I got married to a girl from the States and I realized that if I just went to the Fire Academy I am sure there was a way I could get around the whole passing that little colour blind test thing. So long story short, I went through school in Orlando, came out and told them that and they asked me to name some colours around the doctor’s office and I was good to go. So that barrier that I had for twenty years ended with being complete BS. So as far as the fire service that was about 15 years ago now. I started in Florida, and my now ex-wife she wanted to be in the movie and singing industry so we moved to Miami and then she went on to Hollywood so I worked for Anaheim Fire which I loved, and California. Then we got pregnant and had a little boy so we wanted to move back to family so then I worked for Orange County, which is the county that Orlando is in, for about five years. I got divorced and became a single dad and discovered how some employers may not create the best employee environment for certain people and I was forced to seek a position elsewhere to support myself and for my son and not be forced to stay 48 hours for every single shift. That is where we are now. I work for the Department that protects Disney, it is called Reedy Creek. I have been there for about five years until today.

What was the hardest time in your life and what tools did you use to get through it?

I have been very lucky, and I am blessed, I really am, but the hardest time in my life definitely has been the divorce. Not because I was grieving the marriage but when you have a child then you realize the effect that the divorce is going to have on them. That was tough, and being a single dad. I actually went through medical school during my divorce as well so it was working 24 hours and doing school the next day and then doing a 12 hour clinical the following day and did that solidly for a year while still making sure I was there for my son. The tools are just drive. First you put in perspective, like I said, divorce is rough and then when you are an exhausted fireman you are mentally already drained and then you go through that it definitely tests your mental strength as it were, but the other thing is putting into perspective my little boy was healthy, we didn’t grow up in Rwanda or didn’t see our family killed or get disease so when I took a step back and saw how fortunate I was so then it was just drive. You know, how much did I want to be a fireman, how much do I want to make sure that I offset any of the bad side of my son’s life by making it as good when he is with me and then knowing that once I got through medical school and once we got through the pain of the divorce that there would be happiness on the other side. So that was pretty much the tools that I used.

What are your greatest successes?

Hopefully being a good dad, a good husband and serving my community. I think that’s it. I can’t put any financial you know, the car or the house of any of that stuff. I think if you wake up in the morning and try and make everyone’s life around you better then you succeed for that day.

Now that you have experienced life a little what would you tell your 20-year-old self?

That’s funny, that is one I always I liked from the Tim Ferriss show too. I was

Check out this week's podcast with Jason Patton the creator of Fire Department Chronicles (https://www.facebook.com/firedepartmentchronicles/)

We talk about his time as an Olympic Weight Lifter, how he became a firefighter, pranks and when it gets too far.

Tell me a little about yourself and how long have you or served behind the front line for? In What capacity?

I was on active duty for over 13 years and served in several capacities. My first 2 ½ years was spent on a 210’ vessel out of Galveston TX. Our major operations were patrols looking to counter drug and migrant smuggling and illegal fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. I was part of the deck force, and we were the deckhands who handled all of the vessel mooring unmooring, helicopters tie down and tie down equipment maintenance, maintenance of the ships exterior, watch duties, helmsman duties, watch for rounds on the vessel while underway. I was leading seamen when I left which is the highest ranking E3 in that department. I was a vessel rescue swimmer, and I was involved in multiple rescues and recoveries of both living and deceased victims of human trafficking. This was one of my biggest operational accomplishments while on the vessel, and I was awarded a Letter of Accommodation (LOC) for this and given a challenge coin by the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Commander as an E3.
I went to my specialty rating training in 2007 and became a Marine Science Technician Petty Officer 3rd class upon graduation. I was awarded the most inspirational and earned the most fitness points while attending this training out of all my graduating class. Our roles as MST’s are generally handling the regulation of the United States commercial storage and transferring of oil and hazardous materials in the ports and waterways which are subject to the laws of the Federal Government of the United States. We perform safety and security inspections on facilities, vessels, local governments and the other entities involved in the handling of commerce.
I was stationed in Baton Rouge LA enforcing laws in the Mississippi River and ports around Baton Rouge.
I was stationed in Texas City TX enforcing laws in the Gulf of Mexico, Galveston Bay, and the ports Galveston and Texas City.
I was stationed in Houston TX enforcing the laws in the Houston Ship Channel and the Ports surrounding Houston.

What was the hardest time of your life? What tools did you use to get through it?

Well, this question has layers for me, but I think my life has created a lot of hard times consistently for me. Faith in God and his promise and the drive to wake up and do your best, look for the best in all situations and strive to be better are the things that overcome all for me.
Synopsis of challenges. Parents divorced at 5, moved into a trailer park without any money, mom married an alcoholic and addict with three sons who didn’t necessarily like me, lived in a financially poor situation and constant fighting and chaos. Meanwhile, my father remarried and had two stepchildren who were well off financially I didn’t get along with my stepmother either. My father never had to pay child support, while he and his new family were going on vacations buying homes and property. We eventually had seven children living in a three bedroom sharecroppers home built in the 1800’s often without heat due to lack of funds and the choice between electricity or gas. My mother worked 12-hour shifts as a waitress and was also an addict. Because of this, my oldest sister took care of us. She took her frustrations of having lost much of her childhood out on me mainly, and I can’t blame her for that. It was just a roller coaster of a childhood, and I ended up living in 10 different homes with different family members by the time I left for boot camp at the age of 20. I also started drinking heavily at a young age and tended to make a lot of bad decisions as a teen and an early adult.
When I first joined the USCG, I was still making very immature decisions and got pulled over and arrested in 2005 and was Captains masted twice within my first nine months in the U.S. Coast Guard. I thank God that I was not discharged as that would have probably led to my demise. This was when I started t

1. Tell me a little about yourself and how long have you or served on the front line for? In What capacity?
My name is Jason Lacayo and I have been a police officer since 2005. I was born in the Bronx. Both my parents are immigrants from Honduras. Currently, I am assigned to the Emergency Services Unit in the City of White Plains.

2. What was the hardest time of your life? What tools did you use to get through it?
The hardest time in my life was losing my grandmother in 2010. I just really turned to my faith in God to get through that time.

3. What are your greatest successes?
My greatest Successes are graduating from the NYPD police academy. I was able to sit court level during my graduation and seeing my family smiling as I graduated was the most gratifying day of my life.

4. Now that you have experienced life a little, what would you tell your 20-year- old self?
Well with the experience I have now I would just tell my 20-year-old self not to hurry and grow up so quick lol. In all seriousness, I would just cherish the moments I had with the loved ones that are no longer here. When ur young you take time for granted. I would just slow things down a bit and enjoy the moments more.

5. Who is your greatest role model and why?
My father is my greatest role model. He’s a military veteran and was a correctional officer for 25 years on Rikers Island. He taught to be a man of respect and dignity. He also prepared me for the trials and tribulations life offers. He is a huge reason why I am in law enforcement.

6. Any particular stories that stand out from your days serving behind the front line? How has fitness played a role in it?
I chased a burglar down on foot and upon apprehension, I had to use armbar to subdue the perp. 2 block chase and quick but very hard to try to remain calm and stay focused.

7. What is your favourite failure that has led to success?
Losing in my junior high school championship game. Failure made me work harder off the court and perfect my craft. Defeat builds character.

8. What do you feel most proud of?
My proudest moment is my father hugging me after my graduation from the police academy and telling me that he was very proud of me. He wasn’t a very emotional man so it meant a lot to me.

9. What do you want your tombstone to say?
On my tombstone, I would love for it to say “Here is a man who served his God and loved his family and community and died protecting the honor of both”

10. How do you spend your free time?
I spend my free time as a coach in a Crossfit gym. I also train high school students in strength and conditioning.

11. Who do you admire the most in life and why?
The thing I admire the most about life is the fact that we are here to serve a higher purpose. So we need to live for that purpose and not for selfish reasons. To use the gifts that God has given us to be the humans we could possibly be
12. What are you most afraid of?
The thing in life I am most afraid of is letting my family down.

13. What was your most embarrassing moment?
My most embarrassing moments was in elementary school I was called up to the bored to solve a math problem and I tripped on my way up to the board and ripped my pants! Lol

14. If you could eliminate one weakness or limitation in your life what would it be and why?
One weakness I wish I could eliminate is stubbornness. It hinders my progression and makes learning new things a bit of a task

15. What was your greatest failure and how did you overcome it?
My greatest failure in life was not becoming a detective. It pushed me to become a SWAT officer in which I have truly found a love for.

16. What motivates you to succeed?
My God and my family motivates me to succeed!

1. Tell me a little about yourself and how long have you or served on the front line for?

In What capacity? I'm currently a personal trainer and going to school for a business degree. I was in the U.S. Navy for four years working as a master at arms. My duties included law enforcement, anti-terrorism, and force protection.

2. What was the hardest time of your life? What tools did you use to get through it?

One of the hardest times of my life was probably transitioning back to civilian life. I followed my ex-wife to the Washington D.C. area so I had no network there, and no job lined up. My left knee was also jacked up really bad, and the doctors hadn't figured out what was wrong with it. It turns out my it band and muscles were so tight my patella was grinding on my femur. To get through it, I just set objectives to accomplish. Get a job, find a place to live, fix my knee, train what I could without pain, etc.
3. What are your greatest successes?

I would say being able to affect people are my greatest successes positively. That's what's great about training people for a living. If you drop 50 pounds off of a client then you know they're able to go through daily life better because of you.

4. Now that you have experienced life a little, what would you tell your 20-year- old self?

Go ahead and join the military and ship out asap.

5. Who is your greatest role model and why?

Brian alshrue. I love the way he programs workouts and uses them to translate to other areas of people's lives. He is honestly a great dude, and I learned so much at his gym Neversate.

6. Any particular stories that stand out from your days serving behind the front line? How has fitness played a role in it?

When I was stationed in Bahrain, I was a part of the security reaction force, and we were reserved for worst case scenarios. We maintained high levels of fitness and trained in a lot of things most other people didn't. One of these things was grappling because we got into a lot of fights. There was a 100 pound female on my shift, and I drew the short straw to roll with her. I was trying to lock in an arm bar, and she was strong enough from all of our training to not only pick me up and slam me but to pick me up and slam me twice! I had about 60-70 pounds on her, and she wrecked me.

7. What is your favourite failure that has led to success?

I almost bombed out of my first powerlifting meet. I did a good weight on my first attempt and jumped too much weight and failed my second and third attempt. That was a trial by fire on weight selection for contests.

8. What do you feel most proud of?

Being a veteran and competitor.

10. What do you want your tombstone to say?

I mak sikkar. I make sure is my family motto.

11. How do you spend your free time?

If I'm not training or doing school work, I tend to research things about training. I also love Marvel movies and nerdy stuff.

12. Who do you admire the most in life and why?

No one person comes to mind. The types of people I admire are the ones that pursue their passions and work to be the best at what they do.
13. What are you most afraid of?

A permanent injury that would prevent me from training or competing.

14. What was your most embarrassing moment?

Probably forgetting to set the alarm the night before 2nd class Indoc. Showing up an hour late set me in deep poo.

15. If you could eliminate one weakness or limitation in your life what would it be and why?

Having unlimited funds would be nice. I would be able to have all the equipment and food I could ever want or need. I would still drive an older car, but you'd best believe I would have all of the specialty bars.

16. What was your greatest failure and how did you overcome it?

Failing out of college the first time. I dropped out and joined the Navy.

17. What motivates you to succeed?

I want to impact and influence people positively. I have the drive to be a great trainer and coach to be able to do that.

1. Tell me a little about yourself and how long have you or served on the front line for? In What capacity?
I've been an EMT for 5.5years; official fire-card for almost two years. I've been on my fire department for all five years and worked in private transport for 3.5years.


2. What was the hardest time of your life? What tools did you use to get through it?

Emotionally would be either when my sister moved out of state or when the gym where I worked closed four weeks before Christmas, and my wrist was dislocated to where I couldn't even work out to get rid of some energy. Physically would be when the person on my truck with me (I can't call him a partner) endangered a patient and me resulting in my back getting screwed up.


3. What are your greatest successes?

Not entirely sure I would say I've had any successes...


4. Now that you have experienced life a little, what would you tell your 20-year- old self?

Take more time for you to build professional and personal relationships. You have the rest of your life to work.


5. Who is your greatest role model and why?

My parents. They have both overcome so much in their lives and learned from it. They gave us key phrases and rules throughout our childhood that still ring in the heads of my brother, sister, and I whenever we need to do something, make a decision, or just live.


6. Any particular stories that stand out from your days serving behind the front line? How has fitness played a role in it?

For a lot of time on my shift, I was the only female. However, my partner and I were able to refuse most lift assists and keep up with the other crews regardless of my being smaller than everyone else. I had started functional training to make sure I was strong enough to do my job well.


7. What is your favorite failure that has led to success?

I maxed out of cortisone shots my senior year of high school due to bad knees. Was getting ready to have to quit working EMS because of my knees and by then my back, but I finally caved and saw a chiropractor. My partner noticed the difference in my lifting and general movement in about two weeks, and the men in my department in about four weeks.


8. What do you feel most proud of?

Even though I do regret not taking more time to attend college events, I am proud of being able to work full-time nights while going to school full-time days and working a few part-time jobs to graduate from a private university practically debt free.


10. What do you want your tombstone to say?

I've already planned to leave that decision up to my family.


11. How do you spend your free time?

Reading, cooking, writing.


12. Who do you admire the most in life and why?

I think this question goes back to who do I have as role models. It's still my parents.


13. What are you most afraid of?

Losing someone I love without being able to either say good-bye or help.


14. What was your most embarrassing moment?

So many options...not narrowing it down to one! Although, it is a bit embarrassing to fall out of the squad in front of a patient or two.


15. If you could eliminate one weakness or limitation in your life what would it be and why?

Currently, lack of funds is a huge limitation. I have a lot of plans that are set up, but no funds to put them in action.


16. What was your greatest failure and how did you overcome it?

I wouldn't say I've had any great failures either...Currently, I'm between failure and success.


17. What motivates you to succeed?

As a Christian, I'm challenged to do my best in everything I do. Outside of that, I want to leave a legacy for my fire department the way my parents, grandparents, and great-uncle have. I want to leave a legacy for any kids and grandkids I may have

Like many people after 9/11 in small town Texas, people joined the military to serve their country and Josh Cherry was one of them. He was a Helicoptor Door Gunner with the Marine Core. Listen to the podcast to find out what the experience was like and what he is doing now with his business partner.Robbie and Josh announce something EPIC. You have to listen to find out!

1. Tell me a little about yourself? How long have you been a firefighter for?

I am married with two children, and I have been in the fire service for 31 years now. I started as a volunteer, and have spent a good part of my career in line and chief officer positions. Currently, I am Chief Fire Marshal and Asst. Chief for my municipality, and I also speak and present programs nationally on the topic of firefighter fitness and health. I am the co-author of the best selling book, Firefighter Functional Fitness, I serve on the IAFC - SHS Section board of directors, and I am a certified peer fitness trainer.

2. What was the hardest time of your life? What tools did you use to get through it?

I am not sure I can pinpoint the hardest time of my life. Life is a roller coaster of successes and failures in my opinion, so I try to learn from the mistakes and capitalize on the successes. I don't let myself get too high or too low on myself, I try to keep an even keel and maintain perspective.

3. What are your greatest successes?

Certainly what I am most grateful for is my family. I'm immensely proud of my wife and kids and blessed that they can put up with me! On a personal level, I'd have to say that I am very proud of co-authoring a book that is aimed at helping firefighters live healthier lives.

4. Now that you have experienced life a little, what would you tell your 20-year-old self?

Don't wait to get your education if you can help it. It is a lot harder as an adult. Take a chance now and then, and enjoy yourself. Be in charge of your life, don't let it be in charge of you.

5. Who is your greatest role model and why?

My greatest role models are my parents. They provided me with a fantastic upbringing that taught me a great combination of compassion, tenacity, honesty, determination, and ethical and moral values that I strive to uphold every day.

6. If you had a chance for a "do-over" in life, what would you do differently? Or would you keep everything the same?

Although I have certainly made my share of mistakes in my lifetime, I can honestly say I would not go back and change anything, simply because it is the body of experience in my life so far that has gotten me to where I am right now. Changing anything in the past, in my opinion, changes everything about the future as well.

7. What do you feel most proud of?

I think I am most proud of my children. They are developing into amazing people that I know will do great things for other people as they mature and become adults. There's nothing more satisfying than that, in my opinion.

8. What do you want your tombstone to say?

I intend to be cremated. LOL. All joking aside, I am not someone who thinks about what legacy I might leave. I believe that if there is one, it would be up to those I have impacted to decide.

9. Why did you join the fire service?

Honestly, I grew up in firehouses and in a family of public servants, both firefighters and police officers. I don't think I ever had a choice, but that being said, as long as I have been in the fire service, I have not worked a day. It's a privilege to have a career that I enjoy going to every day. I think it's always been in my blood, and I never had any interest in doing anything else.

10. How do you spend your free time?

I like to train with Russian kettlebells; I have recently been helping to coach my older daughter's softball team. I golf, and I am a big baseball and hockey fan, but most importantly, I love to travel and do things with my family. As busy as I am, I really have come to cherish the times we can get away and spend that time as a family.

11. Who do you admire the most in life and why?

Again, I would have to say, my parents. They were such amazing role models. Of course, they were not perfect, no one is, but they lived their lives with their priorities in order, and by that I mean, nothing was more important to them than their kids, and that has left a lasting impression on me.

1

1. Tell me a little about yourself and how long have you been a police officer for?

Well, I am 47 years old. I have been married to my beautiful wife Nicole for 18 years. We have twowonderful daughters (Junior and Senior in H.S) We own a Strength and Conditioning facility in CentralOregon and have been doing that for ten yrs. I was in LE for 17 years. One year in corrections and one year inProbation/Parole and then I spent 15 yrs. As a Police officer where I retired at the rank of Sergeant. Inaddition to working in the fitness space, I am still actively involved in training Law enforcement andMilitary in skill domains like combatives, tactics and shooting as well as constitutional Force response.When not doing all of the that, I serve as the Co-teaching Pastor of a local church.

2. What was the hardest time of your life? What tools did you use to get through it?
I would say probably in my late 20’s. Just a series of poor decisions, carried a lot of anger, I seemedgood on the outside, but on the inside, I was pretty empty, and I remembered a day when I was justtrying to find the courage to end it. My faith or better yet, being called back to my faith in God was thegame changer.

3. What are your greatest successes?
This is always a tough one. I would definitely say finding an amazing wife has been a gigantic success. Ibelieve that having the support of someone who sees you at your worst, but still believes in your best ishuge. The years I spent active in law enforcement was some of the best times of my life. Opening ourStrength and Conditioning Facility. Earning my SFG Level I and some of the people that I have met as aresult. Serving the Law Enforcement and Military communities as a Trainer has been a massive success inmy life. I have coached athletes who have done well at the local, national and International level(amateur) of strength sport. Helping others attain there SFG’s. Published Author (Articles). Those are afew
4. Now that you have experienced life a little, what would you tell your 20-year- old self?
I would say to 20 years old me…Everything matters. I sometimes think when we are younger that webelieve that we have two lives. One that is our young, wild, foolish life and then our older life, and neverthe twain shall meet. I would say to younger me that they are inextricably connected and thateverything has a ripple. Think about the man you want to be in 27 years and start mentoring him now.
5. Who is your greatest role model and why?
Another Great question. I have two if that is okay. Professionally I would say, George Williams. He is oneof my closest friends and the Director of Training for the law enforcement training company that I havebeen with for almost 20 years. He is the consummate professional and one of the five most brilliantpeople I personally know. He saw something in me as a 30-year-old guy and has been a tremendous Mentor about what it means to be a professional. Personally – I would say my grandmother Maxine.She passed away when I was 22 (my mom’s mom), and she was the complete embodiment of love andcommitment. If she never told you she loved you, there would still have been no doubt she didbecause her life was love.
6. Any particular stories that stand out?
I am not sure if you mean from when I was a police officer or in general. But there was one incidentwhen I was an officer that myself and another officer were nominated for a National Award. I Thinkwhat stood out for me was remembering how nervous and unsure I was, but the Assistant chief and thefirst guy I went through the door with, said of all the guys I was the one they wanted going through first.And people who say that in critical incidents that time seems to slow down…It really does.
7. If you had a chance for a do-over in life, what would you do differently? Or would you keepeverything the same?
You know this is another one of those interesting questions to consider. On the outside I think our initialresponse is sure, but if we sit w

We have a VERY special podcast for you this week. Meet Rob Cannon graduate of US Naval Academy in Annapolis, and he has served as a fire service leader for over 25 years!
Rob's firefighting career began in 1986 as a shipboard firefighter in the United States Navy, and his personal citations include a Navy Commendation Medal for his leadership during the Hurricane Katrina response.
Folks, it doesn't get much better than this. Listen to this podcast; you will not regret it!

1. Tell me a little about yourself? How long have you been a firefighter for?
I have been a firefighter for 14 years. I am in a fulltime career department just outside Chicago. We are staffed with 18 firefighter/paramedics, and we run approx. 3000 calls per year. I am 32 years of age, married for five years with no kids. I work two side jobs, one being a fire instructor for a local fire academy and I run a candidate fitness testing center.

2. What was the hardest time of your life? What tools did you use to get through it?

I would say the FD testing process. I took many tests and was not successful for a while. I kept my confidence up and used grit and determination to finally land myself a fulltime job. Which is not always easy to come by.

3. What are your greatest successes?

Getting a full-time fire department job for a department, I always wanted to work for. Becoming a fire service instructor and helping firefighters in the world of health and wellness.

4. Now that you have experienced life a little, what would you tell your 20-year-old self?

Slow down every once and a while. Enjoy the little things and don't sweat the small stuff.

5. Who is your greatest role model and why?

First, that comes to mind is Josh Bridges. his will and drive to be the best and better every day really inspires me. We have some of the same characteristics, so I relate well to him.

6. If you had a chance for a "do-over" in life, what would you do differently? Or would you keep everything the same?

Start CrossFit at an earlier stage in my life. Other than that I have no regrets.

7. What do you feel most proud of?

Some of my accomplishments in the fire service for being on the younger side. Running the cpat testing center, being a fire service instructor. The impact I have on the health and wellness of firefighters and people in general.

8. What do you want your tombstone to say?

"He lived life to the fullest and never looked back" "be ready for anything" "baby we were born to run"

9. Why did you join the fire service?

The thrills and the brotherhood. You get to experience. We get to do things no one else will ever get a chance to do. I love high-stress situations along with the adrenaline rush!

10. How do you spend your free time?

Traveling with my wife, working out, cooking new foods, listening to music and collecting things from the 50s and 60s for my rock n roll diner.

11. Who do you admire the most in life and why?

My wife, Laura. She is the best in the world, and we have so many things in common. She has worked extremely hard in her profession and with her education. She rose to a high-level position in a huge company.

12. What are you most afraid of?

Not being able to perform at a high level.

13. What was your most embarrassing moment?

I need to think about this one; there might be many... hahaha

14. If you could eliminate one weakness or limitation in your life what would it be and why?

The pressure I put on myself and sometimes getting down on myself. Sometimes this can hold me back from progressing forward.

15. What was your greatest failure and how did you overcome it?

Failing my paramedic test the first time I took it. I thought it would hold me back from getting the job I had always wanted. I hit the books got down to business and passed the test. Kept my head in the game and stayed confident.

16. What motivates you to succeed?
I want to better every day both mentally and physically. I want to be the hardest worker in the room and I want to be able to handle anything life will throw at me.

1. Tell me a little about yourself and what do you do in the military? How long have you served so far?

Tyler MacInnis, I am 30 years old and have currently served 11.5 years in the RCAF as an Aircraft Structures Technician. I come from a military family as my father, grandfather and brother have all served and together we combine for roughly 90 years of service. I grew up in Petawawa as a base brat and after school moved to southwestern Ontario for a couple of years after my Dad retired from the Army. I worked in the automotive manufacturing industry for two years before I joined the Canadian Forces.

2. What was the hardest time of your life? What tools did you use to get through it?

I would have to say for me it was pretty hard moving to southwestern Ontario after I graduated high school because I didn't know anybody there nor did I know the area at the time and also wasn't fond of my job at the time. I honestly used the gym as a coping method while I was there and eventually met a lot of great friends through the gym that I am still close with today. I've always felt that training has been a great stress reliever for me and always feel more mentally sound when I am training.

3. What are your greatest successes?

I would have to say that the greatest success of my life to this point would have to be the birth of my son Conor and my relationship with my girlfriend Jessica. After that a few things that I am proud of would have to be winning CF hockey nationals, this year I broke the provincial squat record in Manitoba in the 120+kg weight class with a squat of 302.5kg, and currently, hold all but one record in 2 different weight classes for provincial powerlifting records in Manitoba.

4. Now that you have experienced life a little, what would you tell your 20-year-old self?

I think that if I could tell my 20-year-old self-something, it would probably just to be more patient.

5. Who is your greatest role model and why?

I would have to say that my father is probably my greatest role model in life because he was such a good father and husband that it taught me how to be a good man and have respect, morals, and just work hard for things that you want in life.

6. What were the tours that you have been on? Any particular stories that stand out?

Unfortunately, no tours to talk about just Temporary Duties. I did have the privilege early in my career to travel to France and Belgium for Remembrance week, and the ceremonial burial of a Canadian WWI veteran whose remains were discovered in a farmers field. We did multiple Remembrance parades during our week there, and it was an unbelievable experience to see the appreciation that the people of Belgium have for our Military liberating their country so many years ago. Something I will never forget.

7. If you had a chance for a "do-over" in life, what would you do differently? Or would you keep everything the same?

I'm not sure that I would go back and have any major "do-overs," I think that we learn more from our mistakes than anything else and its how we react to them that defines who we are.

8. What do you feel most proud of?

My son is only four months old, but I would already have to say that I feel most proud of him.

10. What do you want your tombstone to say?

I'm not sure what I would want my tombstone to say. I would rather leave that up to the people who put me to rest and have them decide how I affected their lives.

11. Why did you join the military?

I joined the military because coming from a military family I was pretty aware of the things that the military had to offer. Good pay, benefits, pension plan, sports, and at the end of the day serving your Country is something to be proud of too I guess ;)

13. How do you spend your free time?

If I'm not spending my free time with my family, I can usually be found training in my gym. I'll spend the odd night out with some buddies but those nights are few and far between these days.

14. Who do yo

Tell me a little about yourself and where are you a firefighter? How long? What did you do before?

37 years old, ten years in the fire service, 13 as a paramedic. I am a Lieutenant/Paramedic with the Metro West Fire Protection District in St. Louis County, Missouri. I was in college before the fire service.

2. What was the hardest time of your life? What tools did you use to get through it?

Dealing with the death of my father, to whom I was very close. He passed away due to complications from open-heart surgery. He was overweight, had diabetes, and didn’t take care of himself. My faith in God and my family/friends are what helped me to get through his passing. His declining health during the last two years of his life was a big wake up call to me and my fitness. His father also passed away from heart issues, so I know I have a genetic predisposition to what they battled. My dad’s death forced me to focus on better nutrition (less sugar, alcohol, and processed foods).

3. What are your greatest successes?

Being happily married for 14 years to my amazing wife Ali and having our three children. It’s an honor to be a training officer and lieutenant at my fire department, and my book has had worldwide success, but my family is my most significant success and priority.

4. Now that you have experienced life a little, what would you tell your 20-year-old self?

Pick your battles… you don’t always have to be right.Don’t let your pride get the best of you. Be humble, be teachable, learn from your mistakes, apologize.Start taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally as early as you can.Your time in the fire service isn’t a sprint. Take time to really master the basics.Worry less about career advancement, and more about connecting with the people you work with.

5. Who is your greatest role model and why?

My father. He always made his children a priority in his life. He coached my teams, always told us that he loved us, and he made it a priority to spend time with his kids simply. He was the hardest worker I know. He went through an incredible about of hardship as a child and had a terrible father, but he was a great dad to my siblings and me.

6. Being a past firefighter myself there was a lot of jokes being played on one another. Especially myself.Any particular stories that stand out?
I’ve got nothing that comes to mind…

7. If you had a chance for a "do-over" in life, what would you do differently? Or would you keep everything the same?

I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, but I definitely believe that everything happens for a reason. Even though I’ve failed and fallen short a lot, it makes the victories (big and small) that much better. I wouldn’t change anything.

8. What do you feel most proud of?

Being able to support and provide a comfortable living for my family; this is only by the grace of God. I believe in being a good steward of what has been entrusted to you, and that is what I have tried to do—work hard and take advantage of the opportunities afforded to me.

10. What do you want your tombstone to say?

“Protector, provider, servant, man of God.”

11. Why did you become a firefighter?

This is a funny one. I was in college to become a high school Spanish teacher. It was my junior year, and I decided I wanted to become a firefighter because 1) I couldn’t see myself behind a desk and in front of a classroom for 5 days a week, 2) I wanted a job that required hard physical work, 3) I wanted to be able to serve others and also have an ever-changing environment, and 4) I liked the firefighter schedule. (my schedule now is two days on and four days off… I love it).

13. How do you spend your free time?
What free time? Haha. I have three kids, and the youngest is six months old. I am heavily involved with numerous committees at work. I spend most of my “free time” promoting Firefighter Functional Fitness on social media, taking fitness photos/videos for posts, and writing/speaking.

14

My name is Jim Hatcher I’m 75 years old and have been mostly retired for the last fifteen years. I like to describe myself as a pretty common guy who has done a couple of uncommon things. I’m not a fitness professional, but I have been involved with the iron in one way or another for more than 60 years. My real world of work was as an educator and a businessman. Also, I spent 23 years in law enforcement as a volunteer accumulating over 10,000 hours of volunteer time. More about that later.

What was the hardest time in your life? What tools did you use to get through it?

The hardest time of my life: probably my mid-forties. Uncertainty about career choices and the feeling that time was fleeting if I was ever going to make a change. Time has a way of solving many perceived problems, and that was certainly the case with me. Alls well that ends well.

What are your greatest successes?

Greatest successes: Father of two, grandfather of eight and married for fifty years. Lesser successes: Third place in my age and weight class at a National Masters Power Lifting Championship meet at 45 years of age and StrongFirst Level 1 Kettlebell Instructor Certification at 72 years of age. (At that time the oldest person ever certified Level 1, and I believe that is still the case)

Now that you have experienced life, what would you tell your 20-year-old self?

Character Counts in all things. Find a career that you love and pursue it with passion. Life goes by quickly!

Who was your greatest role model and why?

I didn’t really have an active father in my life, so at several important points, there were significant surrogate fathers that became role models at just the right time.

Any particular stories stand out from your storied career?

There were stages in my work that gave me great satisfaction. In business, there were many people that I hired who worked for me for several years and then moved on to extremely successful futures. I took great pleasure in knowing that their time with me contributed to their ultimate success. In law enforcement, having spent a long time in investigations, I had a particular affinity for the victims and their families of violent crimes. While it could never make anyone whole again, I took great satisfaction in helping to see that justice was served and offenders received sentences commensurate with their crimes.

If you had a chance for a "do-over" in life, what would you do differently? Or would you keep everything the same?

Hard to say, I have enjoyed nearly all aspects of my career. If anything, I might have stayed with the teaching and coaching rather than the business career, but who knows. No regrets

What do you want your tombstone to say?

“He did his best and gave his all.”

Why did you join law enforcement?

The law enforcement career began as an effort to introduce some variety into my life.

How do you spend your free time?

Free time that there is spent reading. Mostly books on leadership.

Who do you admire the most in life and why?

People who overcome adversity and persevere. Also, people who are committed to a specific calling and succeed in their efforts.


If you could eliminate one weakness or limitation in your life what would it be and why?

The reluctance to step out in matters of importance to the general population where I might have been able to make a difference.

Tell me a little about yourself and what did you do in the military? What was your trade? How long have you served?

I spent my childhood and teens playing in the great outdoors with maps, compasses, traps, dens, and fires. I always had a burning desire to play soldier, like my grandfather who was a Commando during WWII. He led a troop of Commandos onto the beaches of Normandy and wrote a book about it – Swiftly They Struck. The war kicked off in Afghanistan in 2003, and I wanted to be a part of it. Not for the sake of Queen and country, I just really wanted to be a professional soldier and go to war. I joined the beloved Royal Marines Commandos in 2005 at the grand old age of 26, after being a nightclub manager in Bristol.

I look back on the nine months of basic Commando training with only happy memories. I was very well prepared and loved it, mostly. After receiving my green beret, I was drafted to 42 Commando, which is where I managed to remain for the rest of my career, luckily. 42 Commando is one of the three main fighting units within the Corps. To ensure involvement in the action, I joined the heavy weapons branch, who were always in the thick of it. I specialized in machine guns, missiles, and pistols.

I completed two, seven-month frontline tours of duty in Afghanistan, both of which were very lively. Luckily these were before the Taliban fully realized the effectiveness of planting improvised explosive devices everywhere. The vast majority of combat consisted of good old-fashioned firefights, which is the Royal Marines’ bread and butter, so we wiped the floor with them. My weapon of choice was the general purpose machine gun: A little slow to maneuver in close quarters but with slick drills, it’s highly effective at winning firefights.

The two tours included over 14 air assault operations, which involved being dropped by Chinook into bandit country and left there to fend for ourselves for anything from two days to four weeks. The tours also included several long-range vehicle born operations, dug-in defensive operations, observation, and reconnaissance operations and being bombed more times than I care to remember by rockets and mortars. There’s nothing like a cigarette during a mortar attack!

My action-packed career in the Corps ended after just six years when I met my soon-to-be-wife, Casey, while on holiday in NYC.


What was the hardest time of your life? What tools did you use to get through it?

The hardest time of my life was settling into civilian life - trying to build a business as a personal trainer in central London. The first year after leaving the Corps was my hardest working year. I look back on it and just see darkness, anger, and anxiety. I would rather go through Royal Marines recruit training again twice than build a personal training business from scratch in London. My opinion of why service folk struggle so much after leaving is mainly because civilian life is just so much harder. Nobody has your back. You’re not surrounded by all of your best friends, who share the same situation. Monthly beer money won’t just appear in your bank account. Everything costs, a lot, especially in London. Bills, bills, bills and no perceived control over your own life.

People often think that going to war or being in the military is uncontrolled and stressful. On the contrary, dear Watson. A good Marine is well organized and has his shit together, all the time. All admin jobs are completed before going to bed every single day so you can literally wake up and operate, immediately. This is a polar opposite of civilian, self-employed life, where no matter how organized or productive you are, you always go to bed with a mountain of other things to do. A good Marine practices his weapons and combat drills so his brothers can rely on him when the shit hits the fan. Again, a polar opposite from civilian life where nobody has your back and people who call themselves colleagues are mostly just pretending.

The

This podcast was a lot of fun for me as I got to interview a terrific friend of mine. We were both firefighters in the military at the same base in Cold Lake, and we had a lot of fun times together. I'm so proud of the accomplishments he has done so far.
My idea of creating this podcast is to get more people active who are still serving,(fire, police, ems, military) and it doesn't have to be "working out in the gym" For Alex, his mindset just changed and he did a complete 360! Find out how.
We also talk about his passion towards MMA and our military firefighting days. It's an episode you don't want to miss.
Check it out!

For our second podcast of Ops Fitness, meet Garry Pomerleau who is a Tactical Paramedic who has 20 plus years experience out of North Carolina in the United States.Find out how important fitness is towards his profession and how he overcame his accident. Plus why he will never use a BB gun again and what he really thinks of The Rock!



1. Tell me a little about yourself and how fitness has made an impact on your life, especially as a paramedic.
Well, we have to go back a couple of years. I have been a paramedic for 25 years, and 28 years in the profession. I distinctly remember being about 19 or 20 years old and I was up at 1:00 in the morning. I remember being in high school and I never went to bed late; I was always an early to bed/early to rise kind of guy. On occasion I would be up late, but I was always doing something that wasn’t that late, so when I got into the EMS profession I was initially a volunteer and then, of course, became part of the paid staff where I was working in, and I distinctly remember being up at 1:00 in the morning and I was thinking that this was kinda neat and this was kinda cool and how did this happen? It was kind of like a little fold in my memory, if you will, on how things work out. A couple of years down the road I was probably 23 or 24 years old, and I was playing basketball, and I quickly caught on that I was out of shape. My mom commented that a lot of the guys who I worked with were kind of fat or were out of shape and she alluded to that, and I almost didn’t identify, and then it hit me. I was like wow, this is a huge issue. When I was a little older, and I moved a little bit more and had more aches and pains but didn’t sustain an injury until 2011. I hurt my back in ‘05, but that was such a minor incident that I only took one day off from work. But when it comes down to fitness once I started trying to get back into shape, ironically enough before I got married, I discovered the work that you had to put into it and profoundly how fitness and movement and everything plays together whether you are a paramedic or whether you are a paralegal or whatever you are it makes you do things better, it makes you move better, it makes you move more efficiently. It makes you just feel better in general. So over the years, it has been an interesting evolution that it was exercise, it was when you were working and moving, and then it became more a discussion of lifting better and doing better and then it became a conversation of just as you get older you don’t want to be limited. You hear so many people in this profession say it is a young man’s profession and I don't agree with that. It can be anyone's profession. I remember being a very young educator and having someone walk up to me who was in his mid 40’s and this guy is still a medic today, I mean 20 years later he is in his 60’s and working in the County here in North Carolina, and he is still out there doing it and he loves it. He has found a way to rejuvenate himself. I think that fitness and the impact as a medic is movement. You are meant to move; you are meant to lift things. If you believe it is too big of a quest for you, then you are defeated. It is a very interesting mix of how fitness plays hand in hand with being anything, especially in a very physical profession and especially in para medicine where you mentally and physically have to be in shape to be able to conquer a lot of the things that we see.


2. What was the hardest time of your life? What tools did you use to get through it?

Everyone thinks about interesting times in their life, but I had a double whammy. In ‘09 I was working for a big agency here in North Carolina, fairly successful, I was doing very well. I was a lieutenant, and I was a tactical medic. Everything was coming together and then I had, I guess you could call it a falling out if you will, and it was almost like a mental breakdown or a mental meltdown. It shook my belief in any system to believe in anyo