Forged by FIRE with Ryan Rodriquez

In the fire service, we are often heard telling each other to “suck it up” or “deal with it”. And while these phrases might seem harsh, there’s a lot of truth to them.

Many people hear these phrases and think it means that they just need to ignore their problems and keep going despite any pain or trauma they have endured, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. One of the ways that this is manifested on the fire ground is by establishing a “rehab sector” that allows crews to have a respite where we can rest, hydrate, and get new bottles for our air packs. This allows us to do a mini reset to return to fighting the fire.

In today’s episode, I will talk about how we can “deal with it” when it comes to the different types of trauma we endure, why we need to provide ourselves with ways to do a mini reset so we aren’t killing ourselves or exposing others to our collateral damage. 

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Own It!: Build a Fire Service Culture of Trust and Integrity Through Accountability (Book)

The whole process of refinement is all about continual improvement. If you’ve been listening to the podcast for any amount of time, you’ll know that the way I started is a bit different than where I am now. And in my opinion, much better.

My goal is to focus on the FIRE framework that I’ve developed to help people from all over the world gain insight into what lights them up. I’m acting as your guide to get you to where you want to be in the most effective and efficient way possible.

In today’s episode, I will be launching the newest version of the podcast, now called, “Forged by FIRE with Ryan Rodriquez”, and I will be drilling down on what it means to be ‘forged’. I will also share with you the framework that is at the foundation of true success.

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Forged by FIRE Facebook Group

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Own It!: Build a Fire Service Culture of Trust and Integrity Through Accountability (Book)

As May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, it's crucial to emphasize the significance of prioritizing our mental well-being. Whether you're a first responder or not, neglecting mental health can have profound effects on our lives.

If your head isn’t right, nothing else will be either.

In today's episode, we'll delve into what mental health entails, offer a self-assessment through five key questions, and provide practical daily habits to nurture your mental well-being.

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SHOW NOTES/LINKS:

Join The Forge! (Application)

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Own It!: Build a Fire Service Culture of Trust and Integrity Through Accountability (Book)

ARTICLES/TOOLS:

Your Mental Health Today (Test) - Psychology Today

VIDEOS:

We All Have Mental Health (YouTube)

How To Manage Your Mental Health | TEDx (YouTube)

As we go throughout our lives, we more often than not feel a sense of belonging at our places of work, within our families, and the people we choose to spend our time with.

But sometimes we just don’t “fit in”. That can make things awkward, it can stifle us and it can impact our mental health in some seriously negative ways. But what’s the difference between belonging and fitting in? And what can we do to remove the uncomfortable and limiting feelings we get when we don’t?

In today’s episode, I will distinguish the difference between what it means to belong vs “fit in”, how acting intentionally can work for us or against us, and how giving up the effort to “fit in” leaves more energy for things that truly matter.

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You Do Not Need to “Fit In” to Belong | Nila Conzen (Article)

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brene Brown (Book)

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IGNITEd Podcast Facebook Group

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Own It!: Build a Fire Service Culture of Trust and Integrity Through Accountability (Book)

We hear the term “resilience” a lot lately; mental resilience, emotional resilience, and physical resilience. Sometimes we don’t know what that means. I’ve heard people describe resilience as a person’s ability to “take a punch and get back up”.

But what about being able to see the punch before it happens and dodge it?

Today I’m going to talk about how we can embrace resilience proactively and give you strategies for things you can do BEFORE the stuff hits the fan so when it DOES, you can take minimal damage.

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Join The Forge! (Application)

IGNITEd Podcast Facebook Group

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Own It!: Build a Fire Service Culture of Trust and Integrity Through Accountability (Book)

ARTICLES/TOOLS:

Proactive Resilience versus Reactive Resilience (Article)

The Importance of “Proactive” Resilience (Article)

Sometimes it can be difficult to stay on track when it comes to achieving your goals. Discipline is the name of the game; doing a repeated behavior day in and day out until you achieve your desired outcome. This process can be monotonous which can lead to you falling off your desired path.

One of the ways that I stay on track is by gamifying my goals. What this does is help me stay mentally engaged so I don’t get bored with my desired pursuit. 

In today’s episode, I will share with you what it means to gamify your goals and I will share with you the 7 steps that I take to accomplish great things.

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SHOW NOTES/LINKS:

Join The Forge! (Application)

IGNITEd Podcast Facebook Group

Buy my book!

Own It!: Build a Fire Service Culture of Trust and Integrity Through Accountability (Book)

ARTICLES/TOOLS:

3 Ways to Gamify Your Life (Article)

Gamify Your Life and Become Massively Successful (Article)

The Secret Psychology of Why We Love Completing To-Do Lists (Article)

Forest Tracking (App)

STREAKS Tracking (App)

Habitica - Gamify Your Goals! (App)

VIDEOS:

5 Great Apps to Gamify Your Life (YouTube)

How do you define “wisdom”? Is it the practical application of knowledge? Is it simply the curation of information? There are lots of different ways to define the term “wisdom”, but I think my favorite way to describe the difference between knowledge and wisdom is this; “knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is understanding that it doesn’t belong in a fruit salad.”

As I go throughout my day, I intentionally seek ways to gain wisdom. What this does is expand my understanding of a multitude of topics from science, to art, to business, to technology. If there’s a podcast for it, then it’s something that I can learn about. The amount of information out there can seem daunting, but there is a way you can simplify things so that you can gain wisdom daily.

In today’s episode, I will share with you why it’s important to gain wisdom daily, I’ll share with you some ways that I practice this principle, and I will give you some ideas on how you can introduce this habit so you can expand your understanding of the world (& the people) around you.

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SHOW NOTES/LINKS:

Join The Forge! (Application)

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Own It!: Build a Fire Service Culture of Trust and Integrity Through Accountability (Book)

Have you ever approached an escalator that goes up only to see an out of order sign that says, “Out of service, take the stairs”? What did you do when you saw that sign? Was it ever an option for you to just accept the fact that the fast and easy track to the next level was out of your reach and just decided to NOT take the stairs?

You can probably see where I’m going with this. In today’s day and age, technological advances might give us an out by providing an elevator. But are you going to spend the time to find it or would you just suck it up and take the stairs?

In today’s episode, I will use this analogy to help you shift your perspective to understand that those things that may seem to impede your progress aren’t there to stop you, but to make you stronger. And once you’ve got this perspective available to you, you’ll start to see opportunities for growth all around you.

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Join The Forge! (Application)

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Own It!: Build a Fire Service Culture of Trust and Integrity Through Accountability (Book)

I’m an inquisitive person by nature. I ask a lot of questions. The more knowledge I have, the more I can make an informed decision. 

My curious nature has led me down the path of becoming a coach. I’ve obtained certifications in personal training, nutrition, peer support, and last year I obtained my master health coach certification which incorporates all of that, but also incorporates aspects of sleep, stress, and recovery.

I’m not telling you this to brag about myself. I’m telling you this to let you know that even though I’ve collected all of that knowledge and can apply it to my daily life, I STILL have coaches in my life.

Why do I think it’s important for me to have a coach in my life? I’m glad you asked! In today’s episode, I will share with you how having a coach in my life has benefited me, how it can benefit you, and I will give you 7 reasons to back up my claims!

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SHOW NOTES/LINKS:

Join The Forge! (Application)

IGNITEd Podcast Facebook Group

Buy my book!

Own It!: Build a Fire Service Culture of Trust and Integrity Through Accountability (Book)

VIDEOS:

Want to get great at something? Get a coach | Atul Gawande

200 EPISODES!!!

If you would’ve told me 10 years ago that I’d be writing, producing, and publishing my own podcast, I’d tell you that you were crazy. Telling me that I’d get to 200 episodes would be even further from what I thought I could do!

Not only did I not have the confidence in what I had to say having any value, but I didn’t have the technical know-how either. But oftentimes when we feel called to something and we don’t know how to do it or have fully confident feelings about it, we take steps toward that thing and the path becomes clearer along the way.

In today’s episode, looking back on 200 episodes, I will share some of my favorite episodes with you, some lessons I’ve learned along the way, as well as what things will look like moving forward!

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Join The Forge! (Application)

IGNITEd Podcast Facebook Group

Buy my book!

Own It!: Build a Fire Service Culture of Trust and Integrity Through Accountability (Book)