Some of the hardest fires in the fire service start inside the station. Retired Fire Chief and author Jerry Streich joins Arjuna George to explore how difficult behaviour, gossip, entitlement, and unclear expectations can affect morale, safety, retention and the people waiting at home. Jerry shares the leadership lessons behind…
Shelley Hegedus thought she understood the demands of the fire service. Then she began noticing subtle changes in her husband, Ron. More vigilance. More irritability. Less sleep. Less desire to leave home. Small changes that were easy to explain individually, but together were changing their relationship. Then came another life-altering…
Nobody signs up for this job expecting to carry it home. Clinical social worker Iris Waichler has spent over 40 years sitting with people in the worst moments of their lives, first on a hospital burn unit, and later interviewing hundreds of firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics for her book Burnt…
What if becoming a better firefighter starts with becoming a better human being? In Episode 114 of Beneath the Helmet, Arjuna George sits down with firefighter, author, husband, and father Matt Cooper for a deeply honest conversation about self-leadership, purpose, fatherhood, and the quiet work of building character. Inspired by…
Frank Viscuso has written 16 books, spoken to rooms of thousands, and led firefighters through calls most people will never imagine. But the leadership lesson that stuck with him most did not come from a fire. It came from a waitress who served him twice in one day, cold and…
What if one of the most powerful leadership tools in the fire service isn't found in a policy manual, leadership course, or in the Chief's office? In this episode of Beneath the Helmet, host Arjuna George sits down with former Navy Command Master Chief, leadership educator, podcaster, and Firehouse Freedom…
Behind the Mask: Firefighter Mental Health With Dr. Marc Wysocki | Beneath the Helmet Podcast Ep. 111 What can the fire service learn from sports medicine, athletic recovery, and leadership psychology? In this episode of Beneath the Helmet, host Arjuna George sits down with Dr. Marc Wysocki, athletic trainer, educator,…
What does it look like when a firefighter walks out of a 40-day PTSD recovery program and builds a wellness room in his fire station -- entirely through community donations? That is exactly what Chris Johnson did. And in this episode of Beneath the Helmet, he walks us through every…
Adaptive Resilience: Leading Through Crisis, Recovery, and Uncertainty - Beneath the Helmet | Episode 109 with Savio Clemente What does it truly take to lead through crisis… and then recover from it? In this powerful episode of Beneath the Helmet, Arjuna George sits down with TEDx speaker, author, and wellness…
What if the hardest skills in the fire service have nothing to do with tactics? In this episode, Fire Captain and author Jared Vermeulen returns to Beneath the Helmet to talk about what it actually takes to lead people — not manage them — through one of the most demanding…
Talk About Talking: Connection Matters | Stronger Relationships in High-Stress Careers In this powerful episode of Beneath the Helmet, host Arjuna George sits down with Dr. Christie Dion, a psychologist specializing in sex therapy, couples therapy, and first-responder families. Together, they explore the realities of relationships in the first-responder world,…
“I’m Burnt Out”: The Realities of EMS and the Story Behind Code 3 | Patrick Pianezza In this powerful bonus episode of Beneath the Helmet, host Arjuna George sits down with Patrick Pianezza to explore the real story behind the hit film Code 3. This conversation goes far beyond filmmaking.…
The Rescuer Mentality: Why First Responders Stay Always On and How It Impacts Their Lives | Beneath the Helmet S4E105 In this episode of Beneath the Helmet, Arjuna George sits down with licensed mental health professional Dennis Carradin to explore the reality behind the “always on” mindset in first responders.…
In this episode of Beneath the Helmet, host Arjuna George sits down with Brad Robinson, a former Team Canada baseball player, retired fire service lieutenant, and founder of The Complete Athlete. Brad shares his deeply personal journey through firefighter burnout, nervous system dysregulation, and the long path toward healing. After…
Unlocking the Vagus Nerve: Engineering Self-Healing for Trauma and Stress In Episode 103 of Beneath the Helmet, Arjuna sits down with Chris Duquemin — mechanical engineer turned bodyworker, founder of New Vision Therapy (NVT), and author of The Body Engineer. After suffering 10 years of chronic shoulder pain that conventional…
Psychedelics and First Responder Mental Health: A Fire Chief’s Journey | Beneath the Helmet Ep. 102. In Episode 102 of Beneath the Helmet, I sit down with retired Battalion Chief Matt Thierfelder to have an honest conversation about burnout, hypervigilance, retirement, and exploring psychedelic-assisted therapies. After more than 30 years…
From Fireground to Research: Annette Zapp on Translating Science into Firefighter Wellness In Season 4, Episode 101 of Beneath the Helmet, retired fire officer and Fire Rescue Wellness founder Annette Zapp (known as AZ) joins Arjuna George to explore how science can and must be translated into real-world tools for…
The George Family Beneath the Helmet: A Proud, Proud Look at Fire Service Family Life Season 4 • Episode 100 This milestone episode of Beneath the Helmet is unlike any other. For the Season 4 opener and 100th episode, Arjuna George sits down with the people who lived the fire…
Season Three Reflections: Leadership, Resilience, and the Human Side of the Fire Service Beneath the Helmet – Episode 99. Season Three comes to a close with a powerful reflection on leadership, resilience, wellness, and the human cost of serving in the fire service. In this milestone Episode 99, host Retired…
In this episode, Taking a Knee: A Fire Captain’s Journey Back to Self, Captain Michael Sears joins host Arjuna George for a raw conversation about operational stress, moral injury, identity, and what it truly takes to find your way back after years in the fire service. Michael shares his experience…
In Episode 97 of Beneath the Helmet, Arjuna George sits down with psychiatrist Dr. Hector Rodriguez, founder of White Butterfly Clinic, for a grounded conversation on healing the soul through psychiatry, trauma awareness, and human connection. Dr. Rodriguez shares how trauma patterns show up in the brain, why emotional intelligence…
Moral Injury in First Responders: Understanding the Hidden Wound. In this powerful conversation, Dr. Lorraine Smith McDonald joins host Arjuna George to break open one of the most misunderstood wounds in public safety, moral injury. Dr. McDonald is an Assistant Professor and Co-Chair in the Department of Psychotherapy and Spirituality…
What if your brain could tell you how close you are to burnout long before you ever feel the symptoms? In this conversation, neuroscientist Dr. Nolan Beise shares how cognitive resilience technology is helping firefighters understand their brain health, prevent Operational Stress Injury, and build long-term resilience. Dr. Beise is…
Firefighter Recovery: The Truth About C★B and First Responder Wellness. What happens when a firefighter takes recovery into their own hands? The discussion covers the science behind C★B, its impact on sleep, inflammation, and anxiety, and the challenges of drug testing in the fire service. Tune in to learn how…