Free Daily Podcast Summary
Behind The Shield: Daily Summaries Delivered
by James Geering
Bringing the greatest minds in mental and physical wellness to the men and women who serve our communities.
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- 2 days ago2h 13m
Erica Hay (The Deadly Cost of Organizational Betrayal, Sex Crimes and Compassionate Policing) - Episode 1304
Erica L. Hay is the owner and managing attorney of Spartan Law of Florida, PLLC, bringing more than 30 years of combined experience in law enforcement, criminal justice, and legal practice. Before becoming an attorney, she served more than 28 years in Florida law enforcement, including supervisory and investigative roles with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Ocala Police Department. Her practice focuses on representing law enforcement officers, correctional officers, firefighters, and other public employees in labor and employment matters, administrative investigations, disciplinary proceedings, grievances, and arbitration. She serves as a collective bargaining negotiator for the Police Benevolent Association and Fraternal Order of Police, and as a Critical Response Attorney for the Police Benevolent Association. Erica also has experience in criminal defense, civil litigation, and dependency law. She has completed Florida Supreme Court-approved arbitration training and family law mediation training. Her combined law enforcement and legal background informs her approach to workplace rights, public safety, and dispute resolution.
- 6 days ago2h 7m
Zamia Cohen (Performance in Uniform, Microcurrent Point Stimulation and GLP-1s) - Episode 1303
Zamia Cohen is a personal trainer, physiologist and the woman behind Good Human Fitness. We discuss her journey into coaching, the importance of sleep, microcurrent point stimulation, health psychology, her pro bono work with veterans and first responders, GLP-1s and so much more."I became a certified personal trainer and joined the personal training team at Equinox Fitness Club in 2002. I quickly became one of their top tier trainers and helped launch Equinox’s West Coast Tier 4 (now Tier X) Coaching program. Throughout my now 22 years (and counting) in the industry of health and wellness, I strive to be the best for my clients, always learning and advancing myself through seminars, workshops and certifications.In 2017, I felt my calling to go beyond working with clients in a gym setting. After 14.5 years, I left Equinox to create Good Human Fitness on the core belief that being of able body and mind is fundamental to good health. Being healthy is the key to living an optimal life, not only for you, but for the world as a whole."
- 1 weeks ago2h 33m
John Ryan (Prosecuting the Masterminds of 9/11, Crimefighting in the 80's and Refinding the Kindness of 9/12)
John Ryan is a seasoned law enforcement professional with over four decades of distinguished service at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department. He rose through the ranks from Police Officer to Detective Lieutenant Commander and served as Chief of Department in 2012. Throughout his career, he held leadership roles in multiple regional, federal, and joint task forces, including the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force where he served as a Commander for both the NY Office and the Newark FBI. He was part of the Executive Board for both the NY office and Newark FBI, NYPD HIDTA, NJSP Regional Operations Center and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. He served as the Commander of the Rescue and Recovery Task Force Operation at the World Trade Center from September 11, 2001, until its conclusion in June 2002, and has been involved in every aspect of the rebuilding mission. His career reflects a deep commitment to public safety, interagency collaboration, and national resilience.
- 1 weeks ago1h 58m
Dr Jerome Puryear (Obesity Medicine, The Power of Sleep and Forging Longevity) -
With more than 30 years in medicine, including a background in diagnostic and interventional radiology, Jerome Puryear helps people navigate one of the hardest parts of modern healthcare: knowing what to trust, what matters most, and what to do next. His work focuses on cutting through conflicting advice, misinformation, overlooked warning signs, and complex medical information so people can make clearer, more intentional decisions about their health.At the center of his work is The Puryear Lens, a simple three-step framework for making better decisions when health information feels noisy or overwhelming: Clarify. Focus. Respond. It helps people separate signal from noise, identify what matters, and take an intentional next step, especially when making decisions about their health.For over 30 years, Dr. Jerome Puryear has helped people look beneath the surface of their health. As a radiologist and interventional physician, he has seen what most people never do the early progression of chronic disease, the hidden inflammation, the silent damage that begins long before symptoms appear. Those years taught him a powerful truth: most disease is preventable.While many patients receive advice, few receive the tools to make sustainable lifestyle changes. Dr. Puryear’s mission became clear to guide people across the wellness bridge between knowledge and action. He focuses on preventive medicine, functional health, and evidence-based wellness strategies that empower individuals to regain control of their health before disease takes hold.After completing his residency and fellowship training at The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Jackson Memorial Hospital, Dr. Puryear pursued board certification as a Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) through Duke University and advanced certification in Obesity Medicine. Instead of simply treating illness, he committed to helping people build long-term vitality, resilience, and longevity.He later developed the CLARITY Bridge™, a structured, science-backed framework that blends behavioral health coaching, functional medicine principles, sustainable lifestyle change, and personalized wellness strategies. It’s designed to help individuals align daily habits with deeper values creating real, lasting transformation.Dr. Puryear’s books go beyond information they equip. Each page gives readers the insights, tools, and motivation needed to break free from self-defeating habits and move toward a healthier, stronger, and more vibrant life. His work supports anyone seeking integrative wellness, disease prevention, or the path to healthy aging.https://www.drjeromepuryear.com/
- 2 weeks ago1h 28m
Sara Wilkinson III (Catharsis through Travelling, the Power of Community and Turning the Page on Grief) - Episode 1300
Sara Wilkinson is the founder of the Step Up Foundation, skateboarder and Gold Star Widow. In this third conversation, we discuss catharsis through travelling, addressing the mental health crisis through community, turning the page on grief and so much more. Sara was always familiar with a military life as she grew up the youngest to a father in the Marine Corps. Her upbringing allowed her to understand the stress, high cycle times, of deployments and frequent training trips while furthering to instill her independence and resilience.Unfortunately, she’s learned even the most prepared can be unprepared in the wake of suicide. Sara has seen firsthand the hardships among the special operations community specific to multiple combat deployments, high cycle times and too many friends lost leaving lasting stress on the operators and their families. While her experience is within the Navy SEAL community she fully understands that many of our veterans are struggling regardless of branch, rank, or time in service. Sara is dedicated to using her voice and her story to change the narrative and the number to this veteran suicide epidemic.
- 2 weeks ago1h 57m
Dr Jessa LaCroix (The Mental Health Cost of Sleep Deprivation, Forging Performance and the Suicide Epidemic) - Episode 1299
Dr. Jessa LaCroix is a social psychologist, behavioral health researcher, and scientific advisor focused on advancing mental health, suicide prevention, and human performance. She is a Research Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and serves as a Lead Scientific Advisor for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) through Strategic Engineering Solutions.Her work has spanned federally funded research initiatives addressing suicide prevention, cognitive optimization, and mental health. She is passionate about bridging behavioral science and health innovation to develop more effective approaches to prevention, treatment, and resilience.Dr. LaCroix is particularly interested in how biology, psychology, social context, and meaning-making interact to shape human health—and how a deeper understanding of these processes could unlock new possibilities for healing and well-being.Please note that Dr. LaCroix's views are her own and do not represent her employer, the Department of War, ARPA-H, or the federal government.
- 3 weeks ago1h 35m
Dixon Phillips III (The Truth Behind Amendment 3, the Success of the 24/72 and Fatherhood) - Episode 1298
Dixon Phillips is a former collegiate athlete, Pasco County firefighter and former union president of IAFF Local 4420. In this third conversation, he unpacks the history, mistruths and realities of Florida's Amendment 3, the negative impact it will have on Florida's first responders and the safety of their citizens. We also discuss proactive solutions to government overspending from community medicine to the 24/72 firefighter shift. "As President of IAFF Local 4420, Pasco County Professional Firefighters, I proudly represented over 800 members who serve our community with dedication and professionalism. In this role, I led collective bargaining efforts, negotiate contracts, handle member grievances and disciplinary matters, and advocated for legislative change and appropriations that directly impact the fire service.With nearly a decade of experience as a firefighter paramedic, I understood the challenges our members face on the job and fought every day to ensure they have the support, protections, and resources they need. Whether it's pushing for better benefits, addressing workplace issues, or securing funding at the local and state level, I was committed to advancing the rights and well-being of our membership."
- 3 weeks ago50 min
Dr Thaer Ahmad (Unifying Faiths in Gaza, Healing through Storytelling and the Rebirth of Humanity) - Episode 1297
Dr. Thaer Ahmad, MD is a board-certified emergency medicine physician, global health expert, educator, and humanitarian who has provided medical relief and healthcare capacity-building in some of the world's most devastated conflict zones for over fifteen years.A Palestinian-American raised on Chicago's South Side, Dr. Ahmad first traveled to Gaza in 2009 on a medical mission and has returned multiple times since. After borders reopened in late 2023, he was deployed by the World Health Organization as part of an Emergency Medical Team to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in 2024, where he worked in the emergency department's resuscitation room.His humanitarian medical work has also taken him to Lebanon (missions in October 2024 and May 2026) and to the West Bank (four medical missions, most recently July 2026), with capacity-building across Syria, Türkiye, Jordan, and Kenya, and refugee-health work across Europe and the Middle East.Since October 2024, Dr. Ahmad has been denied entry into Gaza by Israeli authorities on five separate occasions, most recently on July 29, 2026, despite planned humanitarian medical missions.At home, he is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Global Emergency Medicine Academy at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) and on the advisory board of The Borgen Project. He is a board member of the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and a past board member of MedGlobal.A three-time recipient of the Humanitarian Award from his medical staff and the 2025 SAEM Global Emergency Medicine Academy Humanitarian Service Award honoree, he has become a leading public voice — testifying before the United Nations, speaking with Refugees International, and now appearing in the documentary American Doctor (dir. Poh Si Teng), which premiered at Sundance and opens in select theaters from August 14, 2026.https://thaerahmad.com/
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