Reinforce Radio

For today's episode, I am joined by Grant Darnell, our resident strength and conditioning coach for the squadron. In today's episode, he spends time helping you understand how you can best optimize your personal workouts (when you are not following one of Grant's personalized programs!). Physical resilience definitely falls in his wheelhouse, not mine! I hope you guys find this episode informative and value-added!

Thanks for listening, and until next time...

Doc McKay

We're going through historic change in our country, in our culture, and in our military and its mission. So when the foundation for what we define as meaningful in our lives changes, how do we adjust? How do we find meaning and purpose in our lives when the mission set shifts under our feet? In today's episode, I had a great conversation with Chief Master Sergeant Evan Serpa. We explore his lengthy career and how he has found and sought meaning when life circumstances and mission changes both at work and at home. I hope you find this conversation informative and intriguing.

I know I did.  

Thanks for listening! Until next time,

Sleep.

We all love it, and don’t get enough of it. Whether it is sleep deprivation because you don’t have the TIME to sleep, or insomnia because you CAN’T sleep, the effectrs are awful and the road back can be hard.

In today’s episode, we talk about the process of sleep, how that process gets disrupted, the negative effects of sleep deprivation, and what you can do to get back to good sleep patterns. 

Hope you guys find this episode helpful. Hit me up if you have any questions. Thanks for listening!

Until next time,

-Doc McKay

P.S. I mentioned in the episode that I would include graphics and charts in the show notes. Sorry, it will not let me do this here, so click the link below for a file that includes all the discussed graphics and descriptions. Probably easier for you now because you can download and keep!

So you think you perform well under pressure? Well, you probably do. But understanding the nature of stress and how our thoughts and attitudes impact performance under stress can boost your skill utilization even more. In this episode, we explore the nature of stress and ways you can optimize your performance under pressure before, during, and even after the stressful event itself. It's a long one, but good stuff!

Thanks for listening!

Until next time,

-Doc McKay

In this episode, we go back to the body and Nate spends time talking about cryotherapy and its roles and risks in physical recovery from injury. Hope you guys find this episode helpful and informative!

Until next time...

-Doc McKay

In today's episode, I interview Dr. Barb Thompson, Operational Psychologist for the 724th Special Tactics Group. She spends the episode talking to all of you about the importance of consistency of effort, and not always chasing the exciting tasks... always Chasing the Dragon, as we often refer to it. The benefits of consistency on the daily tasks of life have benefits for you, your brain, and your support system, and is something you need to remember as you go through your career in Special Tactics.... and after.

I hope you find this episode helpful, and thanks for listening. Until next time...

-Doc

Thought we'd bring a different perspective today, so Nate Borget, 17 STS Certified Athletic Trainer, runs the show exploring medical imaging, the misconceptions, and the things you should consider about imaging as you are assessing and rehabilitating from injury.

I hope you find this episode helpful, and thanks for listening.

-Doc

Let's face it. 2020 has been kind of a dumpster fire. We all have a tendency to focus on the negatives around us, especially with the news constantly throwing the negative in our faces. But what happens if you focus instead on the positives - things in yourself and your life that you have to be grateful for? In this episode, we explore the concept of gratitude, the neurological basis of gratitude, the huge benefits in your life of taking on a grateful perspective in life, and how you can start practicing an "Attitude of Gratitude". Trust me on this. You want to listen to this episode.

Perfect timing for the holidays as well. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I will see you in the new year with new episodes, new ideas, and new guests!

Until next time,

Doc 

The holidays are stressful enough as it is. Add the flaming chaos of 2020 to it. Now mix in separation due to deployment. Too. Much. Stress.

Today's episode is just a quick shot where we talk about the stress of the holidays, especially during deployment, and some things you can do both downrange and back at home to make the separation a little easier to manage for both the operator and the family back home. 

I hope you all find ways to make this holiday season a little less stressful and a lot more joyful!

Thanks for listening, and we'll see you again soon for the next episode!