Forged by FIRE with Ryan Rodriquez

If you listened to last week’s episode, then you heard me announce this new program I’m developing for people looking to connect with me and others in an exclusive group called “The Cadre”. Well, just as a refiner’s fire forges steel into its intended purpose, this group exists to refine us as men and women in the fire service into our highest quality and potential. That being said, I’m changing the name to “The Forge”. It’s pretty “on the nose”, right? I’ll dive into the details of that later, but first…I’d like you to think on these questions; How often do you set goals? How often do you revisit your list?

I’m a huge advocate for having an active list of goals to work on. Sometimes they fall by the wayside and sometimes we don’t actively set any goals at all.

In today’s episode, I will talk about the importance, benefits, and value of goal setting, how this program will benefit you not just in your professional life, but your personal life as well, and how connecting with others interested in leveling up improves the quality of the fire service as a whole.

As firefighters and EMS professionals, we see things sometimes on a daily basis that “normal people” don’t see their entire lives.

The traumatic things we see take a toll, whether we want to admit it or not.

In today’s episode, I will talk about how the unpredictability of the things we see affects us, how confronting (not ignoring) our emotions will make us better firefighters, and I will give you 5 strategies we can make self-care a part of our career.

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IGNITEd Firefighter Facebook Group

IGNITEd Readers Book Club

FEMA Report

Last week I focused on how if you aren’t growing, then you’re dying. Growth looks different for everyone. The question that really matters is, “what does growth look like for you?”

The key to growth is to learn new things. But what kinds of things should we be learning and how do we choose?

In today’s episode, I will talk about why it’s important for us to always be learning, categories that we should focus on if we don’t know where to start, and how we can make learning a part of our daily routine.

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IGNITEd Firefighter Facebook Group

IGNITEd Readers Book Club

Holmatro V Strut

Aurora Fire Rescue - Minuteman Hose Deployment

If you aren’t growing, you’re dying. Think about that statement. Think of all the living things on this earth and then accept the fact that if they aren’t growing, they are dying. The same goes for us.

The opposite of growth is death. As we progress through our lives, we hinge our purpose on a sense of growth. If you don’t have something to work toward, then you come to a place of complacency and death; death of your body, death of your spirit, and death of your mind.

As firefighters, we understand the importance of growing our physical capacity to make sure we can perform the life-saving actions that our job demands. But what about our spiritual and mental capacities?

According to a study out of the University of Rochester Medical Center, people with a sense of purpose and who fostered a growth mindset were 15% more likely to live longer than those who said they were more or less aimless. But what exactly does it mean to have a growth mindset?

In today’s episode, I will talk about what it means to have a growth mindset, why we should take ownership of our path to growth, why we should always seek to grow ourselves in more ways than one, and I will provide some strategies we can use to implement this mindset into our daily lives.

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IGNITEd Firefighter Facebook Group

IGNITEd Readers Book Club

Episode 148 - Create a Flow Path!

People Who Feel They Have a Purpose Live Longer

Mindset by Carol Dweck, Ph. D

If you aren’t watching Ted Lasso on Apple TV+, then you are missing out! Jason Sudeikis plays an American college football coach who heads to London to manage AFC Richmond, a struggling English Premier League soccer team.

There’s a specific episode that’s my absolute favorite. Season 1, Episode 8. It’s titled “The Diamond Dogs” and we’ll get into why it’s called that and the several reasons it is my favorite in just a minute.

While I was rewatching this episode, I was inspired to share with you why this show and particularly this episode is my absolute favorite. There are some great takeaways that I’d like to share with you like putting together a group of close-knit people who can act as your own personal advisory board, my thoughts on the acronym COAL, servant leadership, and how asking questions keeps you curious, not judgmental.

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IGNITEd Firefighter Facebook Group

IGNITEd Readers Book Club

Ted Lasso - S1:E8

Real AF with Andy Frisella - Episode 249

John Maxwell Podcast - Players vs Pretenders (Part 1)

I recently had the opportunity to do a guest spot on another podcast called “Fight the Burnout” hosted by Chris Chandler-Yates. His show is focused on gaining different perspectives when it comes to burnout in public safety and the strategies we use to fight it.

Chris was gracious enough to share his audio with me so that I can share it with you. In our conversation, we talked about some of the things we have in common when it comes to burnout as well as the unique ways that we’ve personally dealt with it and how we keep it at bay.

Burnout is something that we face when we are met with resistance in our growth. Growth as individuals and growth as an organization. And I’m not just talking about how many square miles we are serving or looking to expand. I’m talking about our growth as people. When that is stifled, people stop trying, or they leave to grow somewhere else.

I had a really good time talking to Chris and I love the opportunity I get to talk to people all over the world about things that I’m facing. It lets me know that I’m not alone in this plight and reinforces my drive to make things better. I hope you’ll get a lot out of this conversation, I know I did.

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Fight the Burnout Podcast with Chris C-Yates

IGNITEd Firefighter Podcast Community (Facebook Group)

IGNITEd Shop

We all have different backgrounds and experiences which we bring to our role as firefighters and EMS professionals. This is the true sense of diversity that allows us to bring our unique skills to the table.

David Berez has had PLENTY of different opportunities to learn a multitude of skills; EMT, Police Officer, and even an internship with the medical examiner! He’s taken his experience and rather than just sit on it, he’s structuring it into a system that can help others improve their organizations and teams.

He’s had some incredible opportunities to serve and has had some very close tragedies in his life. He’s focused on taking those experiences, good or bad, and using them to help others better their situations.  I was glad to have this conversation and am honored to bring it to you.

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SIX 4 Consultants, LLC

IGNITEd Firefighter Podcast Community (Facebook Group)

IGNITEd Shop

When it comes to being a firefighter, we absolutely love what we do. But just because we love what we do, doesn’t mean that we love where we're at. Now, that could mean where we’re at in our career, what crew we’re on, or even what organization we work for.

In his book, “I Love It Here”, Clint Pulver talks about the elements that create an environment that people are proud to be in.  He’s done undercover work and asked the real questions that need to be asked when it comes to what organizational leaders are doing, and what they CAN do in order to make you say, “I Love It Here!”

His book was our reading selection for the IGNITEd Readers Book Club which is focused on reading about elements that we can apply to our leadership approach and interpersonal relationships.  Clint shared some great insight and perspective during our conversation and I’m very eager to share this episode with you all.  Without further delay, here’s my conversation with Clint Pulver...

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ClintPulver.com

Be A Mr. Jenson (YouTube)

IGNITEd Firefighter Podcast Community (Facebook)

IGNITEd Shop

Less Than Jake

Quality nutrition can help your body reach its full potential and keep you off of those prescribed medications for things like hypertension, high cholesterol, or even diabetes!

By using food in conjunction with a comprehensive approach to wellness, you can find balance and sustainability, decrease your job-related health risks and improve quality of life. It all starts with food.

In today’s episode, I will talk about 5 steps you can take to improve your nutrition as a firefighter, I will give you some workout nutrition guidelines, and give you some tools to help make a plan for your success!

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IGNITEd Firefighter Podcast Facebook Group

IGNITEd Readers Book Club

Zoom Meeting (Nutrition)

Precision Nutrition

According to a recent article in Business News Daily, the top three most stressful jobs in America are; enlisted military personnel, firefighter, and airline pilot.  The factors used to determine this list include things like physical demands, on-the-job hazards, environmental conditions, and the risk of personal injury.

As firefighters and EMS professionals, we might be surprised that our profession is in the top three, but we certainly aren’t surprised that we’ve made the list.

As a new year is upon us, we typically take that as an opportunity to look at our current situation and make a plan for change if needed.  Before we can effectively decide what changes need to be made, we need to take a real look at the things that aren’t serving us, or worse, hurting us.

In today’s episode, I will talk about self care & coping mechanisms, what they are, and what we can do to make sure we have systems in place to effectively help us make those positive strides we’re hoping to make in 2022.

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IGNITEd Firefighter Podcast Facebook Group

IGNITEd Readers Book Club

Zoom Meeting