Act ASAP

Featuring Sherri Combs, Founder & CEO of SilverStreak Senior Services

If your aging parent needed help at 2 A.M., would you knowwhere to find their medications, emergency contacts, and important documents?

Would you know who has the authority to make critical decisions?

These are questions many families don't consider untilcircumstances force them to.

In this episode of the Act ASAP Podcast, DanielKilburn welcomes Sherri Combs, founder and CEO of Silver Streak Senior Services, for a practical conversation about aging in place, family caregiving, protecting older adults from fraud, and preparing for the unexpected.

Together, they explore why meaningful family preparednessinvolves more than having documents in a folder. It requires conversations, clear responsibilities, trusted information, and the confidence to act when circumstances change.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

• Why families should begin discussing aging and caregiving before a crisis.
• How to prepare essential information and clarify family responsibilities.
• Why maintaining independence and preparing for assistance can go hand in hand.
• Practical approaches to recognizing and verifying potential fraud.
• How caregiving responsibilities can affect employees and workplace continuity.
• Simple steps families can take today to strengthen their readiness.

Continue the Conversation and Explore These Resources

Read the companion article:
Why Family Preparedness Cannot Wait Until a Crisis
https://www.emergencyactionplanning.com/family-preparedness-for-aging/

Learn more about Silver Streak Senior Services:
https://silverstreakhelp.com/

Get the Just-In-Case Starter Checklist:
https://silverstreakhelp.com/just-in-case-starter-checklist?src=actasap

Preparedness isn't about expecting the worst. It's aboutgiving the people who depend on us the information, support, and confidence they may need when circumstances change.

Preparedness Is Leadership.

Stay Informed and Stay Safe.

Daniel Kilburn
Founder, Emergency Action Planning
https://whatstheplandan.com

What could disaster response look like if establishedorganizations had greater access to communications, equipment, coordination, and the ability to deploy their existing capabilities where they're needed most?

In this episode of the Act ASAP Podcast, I sit downagain with Mark Matheson, founder of the developing eCERT® Program, for an update on where the initiative stands and where he believes it is headed.

Mark discusses the program's developing infrastructure,including plans surrounding the Port of Portland and a program service center in Guam. We also take a closer look at the MAVIS unit, the communications and technology platform Mark describes as a central component of the eCERT® concept.

More importantly, we dig into how the proposed model isintended to work at the organizational level: independent nonprofit organizations maintaining their own missions and capabilities while potentially operating within a broader system for coordination and disaster deployment.

We discuss questions surrounding membership, training,equipment, deployment, specialized capabilities, organizational independence, and what it could take to build a network capable of supporting communities during major disasters.

The eCERT® Program is still developing, and there is considerable work ahead. This conversation provides a look at the concept, the assumptions behind it, and the direction Mark sees the program taking.

Learn more about the developing eCERT® Program:
ecertprogram.com

Act ASAP — Stay Informed. Stay Safe.

What happens to your organization when the technology you depend on suddenly isn't there?

Cyberattacks, cloud outages, telecommunications failures, power disruptions, and other events continue to remind us just how dependent modern organizations have become on technology. Technology gives us tremendous capabilities, but there's a difference between using technology and becoming unable to operate without it.

In this episode of the Act ASAP Podcast, I explore why business continuity leadership must go beyond software, written plans, and backup systems. We look at what happens when technology fails, why people remain the most important part of continuity, and five questions every leader should be able to answer before disruption puts their organization to the test.

Because when the system goes down, technology may not be available to save the day.

Leadership has to take over.

Read “When the System Goes Down, What Happens Next?” for the complete discussion, supporting resources, and practical questions you can use to evaluate your organization's readiness:

Read the full article: https://www.emergencyactionplanning.com/when-the-system-goes-down-what-happens-next/

📘 Read Why Plans Don't Prepare You
Discover what real readiness looks like when leadership is tested.
https://whatstheplandan.com/book

📋 Assess Your Organization's Readiness
Complete the Start Independently – Business & Community Continuity Assessment to identify strengths, vulnerabilities, and practical next steps for improving your organization's resilience.
https://whatstheplandan.com/start

Preparedness Is Leadership.

Until next time, stay informed and stay safe.

Daniel Kilburn
Founder, Emergency Action Planning

"When disruption comes, people don't follow plans. They follow leadership."

It's revealed when the plan no longer works.

In this episode of the Act ASAP Podcast, Daniel Kilburn explores what real readiness looks like when leaders face uncertainty. Discover why preparedness is about more than emergency plans—it's about building the confidence, communication, and leadership that help families, businesses, and communities respond effectively when disruption occurs.

Whether you're responsible for your household, a business, a nonprofit, or a community organization, you'll walk away with practical leadership insights you can apply before the next emergency tests your readiness.

📘 Get your copy of Why Plans Don't Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is Tested
👉 https://whatstheplandan.com/book

📊 Take the Start Independently – Business & Community Continuity Assessment
Evaluate your organization's current level of readiness and receive a practical roadmap to strengthen your continuity before disruption occurs.
👉 https://whatstheplandan.com/start

Remember: When disruption comes, people don't follow binders—they follow leadership.

Stay informed. Stay safe.

#Leadership #CrisisLeadership #Resilience #RiskManagement #ActASAPPodcast

What if the greatest threat to your organization isn't a natural disaster or cyberattack, but the building you're sitting in today?

In this episode of the ACT ASAP Podcast, I sit down with Josh Lowe and Nic Guedenet of AkitaBox to explore why business continuity planning starts long before an emergency. We discuss facility intelligence, preserving institutional knowledge, deferred maintenance, leadership, and how understanding your buildings today can prevent costly disruptions tomorrow.

Whether you're a business owner, facilities manager, nonprofit leader, school administrator, or emergency manager, this conversation offers practical insights you can apply immediately.

✔ Why deferred maintenance is really deferred risk
✔ How facility intelligence strengthens business continuity
✔ Why institutional knowledge is one of your greatest assets
✔ How technology supports leadership—but never replaces it
✔ Why preparedness begins long before an emergency

📖 Read the companion article:
Business Continuity Planning Begins Before the Emergency
https://www.emergencyactionplanning.com/business-continuity-planning-begins-before-the-emergency

📘 Get my book, Why Plans Don't Prepare You:
https://whatstheplandan.com/book

🌐 Learn more about Emergency Action Planning:
https://www.emergencyactionplanning.com

Learn more about AkitaBox and how facility intelligence can strengthen your organization:
https://home.akitabox.com

The ACT ASAP Podcast features conversations with leaders, experts, and innovators who help organizations strengthen preparedness, business continuity, crisis leadership, resilience, and communication.

Preparedness Is Leadership.

If you found this episode valuable:

👍 Like the video
💬 Share your biggest takeaway in the comments
🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, preparedness, and organizational resilience

#BusinessContinuity #BusinessContinuityPlanning #PreparednessIsLeadership

What does 90 years of life teach us about leadership, resilience, marriage, service, and what truly matters?

In this special episode of Act ASAP, I sit down with Jim Paulk, a man whose life has spanned nearly a century of American history. From his days at the U.S. Naval Academy and a distinguished Navy career to decades of marriage with his wife Pat, family, leadership, and a life built on purpose, Jim shares lessons that simply can't be found in a textbook.

This isn't just a conversation about growing older. It's about growing wiser.

You'll hear stories of service, communication, trust, enduring love, and why the strongest leaders understand that people—not plans—carry us through life's greatest challenges. Jim's reflections remind us that resilience is built one decision, one relationship, and one act of leadership at a time.

If you enjoy this conversation, I've also written a companion article that explores many of the lessons Jim has learned over the past nine decades.

Read the full article:
"What 90 Years of Life Can Teach Us"
Read the blog article

Whether you're leading a family, a business, or simply trying to leave a meaningful legacy, I think you'll find something in Jim's story that will stay with you long after this interview ends.

I'm Daniel Kilburn, and this is Act ASAP.

Preparedness is Leadership

Welcome to another episode of the Act ASAP Podcast, where we explore leadership, preparedness, and resilience to help families, businesses, schools, nonprofits, and communities become better prepared before disaster strikes.

Today's conversation began with a simple question inspired by a YouTube video from the Prepper Potpourri channel:

Has America lost a shared social language for preparedness?

That question led me to research how countries throughout Europe and Asia have made preparedness a normal part of everyday life—and what we here in the United States can learn from their approach.

The result is one of the most thought-provoking articles I've written to date: "Building a Culture of Preparedness." In it, I explore why preparedness should be viewed as an act of leadership rather than a reaction to fear, and how each of us can help create a culture where readiness becomes part of everyday life.

📘 You can read the full article at:
https://www.emergencyactionplanning.com/building-a-culture-of-preparedness/

I encourage you to read the article after today's episode and join the conversation by sharing your thoughts.

Now, let's get started.

Sometimes the plan fails. Leadership doesn't.

Every once in a while, life gives you an opportunity to practice the very principles you teach.

My recent conversation with retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Trey Morriss, author of DOOM 34, became one of those moments.

Trey and I had an outstanding discussion about leadership under pressure, communication, trust, accountability, endurance, and what real preparedness looks like when things don't go according to plan. Unfortunately, I discovered more than 40 minutes into our conversation that I had forgotten to start the recording.

Rather than discard an interview filled with valuable insights, I chose to do what leaders do when faced with an unexpected disruption: adapt.

What you'll hear is the recorded portion of our conversation. The complete story behind "The Lost Recording Session," along with additional leadership lessons from our discussion, is available in the companion blog article.

👉 Read the full article here:
https://www.emergencyactionplanning.com/the-lost-recording-session-with-trey-morriss/

I'm also pleased to share that Trey has agreed to return for a focused follow-up interview, where we'll dive deeper into DOOM 34, leadership under pressure, and the lessons every leader can apply when the stakes are high.

Enjoy the conversation, and remember:

Preparedness Is Leadership.

Stay Informed & Stay Safe,

Daniel Kilburn
Host, Act ASAP Podcast

Why do I keep repeating the same messages about preparedness, leadership, and communication?

Because human nature has not changed.

In this episode of the Act ASAP Podcast, I explore the timeless wisdom of Ecclesiastes 1:9–10: “What has been will be again… there is nothing new under the sun.” Although our world continues to evolve through technology, AI, and modern conveniences, people still make many of the same mistakes they made generations ago.

Leaders still delay difficult decisions.
Organizations still ignore warning signs.
Families still assume tomorrow will look like today.

Then disruption strikes.

Suddenly everyone wants answers.
Suddenly everyone wants a plan.
Suddenly everyone wishes they had acted sooner.

This episode is a direct and honest conversation about why repetition matters in leadership, why preparedness often feels boring until it becomes critical, and why pressure always reveals weakness.

I also discuss a hard truth many people avoid:

The world does not reward ignorance. It punishes it.

If you are responsible for protecting people, leading teams, running an organization, or caring for your family, this conversation is for you.

Preparedness is not about fear.
Preparedness is leadership.

Listen in as we discuss why truth worth hearing is truth worth repeating—and why real readiness begins long before disruption arrives.

📘 To go deeper into building real readiness, grab your copy of Why Plans Don’t Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is Tested here:
Get the Book Here

We were told technology would make life easier.

Instead, many people now face more barriers than ever.

Apps, portals, QR codes, AI chatbots, endless passwords, and digital verification systems are creating a new kind of exclusion—especially for the elderly and the underprivileged.

In my latest blog post, The Ever-Present Techno Babble, I explore how our growing dependence on technology may be creating hidden vulnerabilities in our homes, businesses, and communities.

Because when systems fail, people don’t follow apps… they follow leadership.

Read the full article here:
The Ever-Present Techno Babble