The O2X Podcast

-Dr. David Meyer is an O2X Resilience Specialist and a licensed Clinical Psychologist with a focus on PTSD/trauma

-While attending college for environmental science and psychology, he worked as an EMT/firefighter with the US Forest Service. In his 14 years of fire/EMS experience, he served as a wildland firefighter, EMT, engine foreman, and helicopter rappeler with the Jackson Helitack before deciding to shift his career toward psychology, with an emphasis on trauma and work with first responders and survivors of trauma

-He earned his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Dakota with a specialization in Disaster Psychology through the Disaster Mental Health Institute. In this time, he responded with the American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Team and worked with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Thailand and completed his internship with multiple VA Healthcare Systems. For his postdoctoral fellowship, he served as the project director for a study focused on risk and resilience in firefighters, working with recruits throughout the US and Canada to identify potential factors that increase resilience

-He then went on to work with the Maine VA Healthcare System as a member of the PTSD Clinical Treatment Team for five years, where he offered trauma focused treatment to military, veterans, and first responders. Today Dr. Meyer is part of Health Psych Maine, a group practice in Waterville, Maine, where he works with clients on managing stress, treating symptoms of PTSD, and mood disorders. He specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and empirically supported treatments. He has worked with multiple law enforcement agencies and corrections facilities as well as being included in a Maine Public Broadcasting documentary, A Matter of Duty

FirstNet Built with AT&T:
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Building Homes for Heroes:
https://www.buildinghomesforheroes.org/

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app.o2x.com

Let us know what you think:
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-Jeremiah Wilber enlisted in U.S. Army after graduating high school in Las Vegas, NV.

-After basic training, he attended the Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood. As an MP, he served two combat tours, served as a drill sergeant, completed the Sapper Leader Course and Army Ranger Course, and subsequently attended Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS).

-He was selected for the elite Green Berets, where he served in 3rd Special Forces Group as a Special Forces Communications Sergeant and in 10th Special Forces Group as a Special Forces Operations (Team) Sergeant with multiple combat rotations to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa.

-After a 20 year military career, he to cofound War Party Movement and War Party Ranch. These organizations are fiercely committed to taking action in breaking cycles of abuse and fundamentally changing the way women are treated, across the country and particularly in Native communities. Through their 501(c)3 non-profit, they provide opportunities for women and girls to create working and life skills that foster independence and self reliance in all aspects of their lives and in all future endeavors.

Support War Party Movement:
https://warpartymovement.com/

FirstNet Built with AT&T:
http://www.firstnet.com/healthandwellness

Building Homes for Heroes:
https://www.buildinghomesforheroes.org/

Download the O2X Tactical Performance App:
app.o2x.com

Let us know what you think:
Website - http://o2x.com
IG - https://instagram.com/o2xhumanperformance?igshid=1kicimx55xt4f 

-James Byler graduated from Purdue University as member of the NROTC program and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps

-Stationed at Camp Pendleton (CA) as an Infantry Platoon Commander, he was in charge of training, leading, mentoring, and preparing about 40 Marines for what was to be a very difficult deployment in Afghanistan

-On October 17, 2010, he was leading his platoon on a dismounted patrol of a narrow alley in Northern Helmand Province - one of the deadliest provinces in Afghanistan at the time. During this Patrol, he subsequently suffered the loss of both his legs after being hit with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED)

-He remained conscious until he was anesthetized in the Medevac chopper and was medically evacuated to Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. The superior training his men received enabled them to stabilize him and save his life. As a result of the events that day,  he suffered the loss of both legs above the knee, as well as the loss of both pinky fingers

-He has since gone on to find success in the civilian world, where he currently works in investment banking as a Central Risk Book Principal Trader and next month will be attending an O2X workshop sponsored by BHFH

FirstNet Built with AT&T:
http://www.firstnet.com/healthandwellness

Building Homes for Heroes:
https://www.buildinghomesforheroes.org/

Download the O2X Tactical Performance App:
app.o2x.com

Let us know what you think:
Website - http://o2x.com
IG - https://instagram.com/o2xhumanperformance?igshid=1kicimx55xt4f 

-Mark Swinger is a retired Naval Aviator and former Left Wingman (#3) for the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels

-After the completion of Officer Candidate School and U.S. Navy Flight School, he became Designated Naval Aviator in July of 2002, and went on to serve just under 23 years on Active Duty flying the F-14D Tomcat and all variants of F-18 Hornet and Super Hornet

-He completed a total of 7 Aircraft Carrier Deployments, including multiple combat deployments in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. During this time he logged over 3700 flight hours and over 800 successful Air Craft Carrier landings

-From 2008 to 2009, he flew as the Left Wingman (#3) and Slot Pilot/Training Officer (#4) for Blue Angels, a flight demonstration squadron of the US Navy. It was here where he traveled country to demonstrate the aerial capabilities of the Super Hornet

-He holds an undergraduate degree from University of Delaware, a Masters in Business Administration from Washington State University, and is currently a 737 pilot for United Airlines

FirstNet Built with AT&T:
http://www.firstnet.com/healthandwellness

Building Homes for Heroes:
https://www.buildinghomesforheroes.org/

Download the O2X Tactical Performance App:
app.o2x.com

Let us know what you think:
Website - http://o2x.com
IG - https://instagram.com/o2xhumanperformance?igshid=1kicimx55xt4f 

-Tim Bayley is an O2X Mental Performance Specialist with a background in elite athletics

-He competed at a high level in cricket, soccer, and most notably track & field – ultimately winning the British Championships for the 800 meters in 2005

-This translated to getting recruited to the United States on a track & field scholarship to run at Iona University in New Rochelle, NY, where he became a 4x All-American athlete and member of the Iona Hall of Fame

-As a professional runner, Tim was a sub-four minute miler and was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2010 World Indoor Track & Field Championships in Doha, Qatar

-He holds a doctorate in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Western States and is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) through the Association of Applied Sport Psychology

-Most recently, he joined the O2X Integrated Specialist Program with Berkeley Public Safety where he serves as an On-Site Mental Performance Specialist

FirstNet Built with AT&T:
http://www.firstnet.com/healthandwellness

Building Homes for Heroes:
https://www.buildinghomesforheroes.org/

Download the O2X Tactical Performance App:
app.o2x.com

Let us know what you think:
Website - http://o2x.com
IG - https://instagram.com/o2xhumanperformance?igshid=1kicimx55xt4f 

-Zac Paugua currently competes in Light Heavyweight division of the UFC

-He is a former NFL running back, having played college football at Colorado State University where he was eventually picked up by the Houston Texans.

-Following his NFL career, he played professional rugby in two separate leagues and also served as a Law Enforcement Officer for the Wheat Ridge (CO) Police Department

-Most recently, he competed on Season 30 of The Ultimate Fighter which eventually translated into a contract with UFC. He will compete in his fourth fight under the UFC banner on February 10th against Bogdan Guskov

FirstNet Built with AT&T:
http://www.firstnet.com/healthandwellness

Download the O2X Tactical Performance App:
app.o2x.com

Let us know what you think:
Website - http://o2x.com
IG - https://instagram.com/o2xhumanperformance?igshid=1kicimx55xt4f 

In 2023, O2X executed over 250 training events to total over 500+ training days.

During these engagements, we trained over 6100 tactical athletes and built over 200 new course curriculums. As compared to 2022, that is a 22.5% increase in the amount of events conducted and a 24% increase in the amount of tactical athletes trained.

O2X’s Integrated Specialist Program doubled in size, with new programs starting at: Air National Guard (4 OSS), Baltimore County Fire (1 OSS), Palm Beach County Sheriff’s (1 OSS), West Palm Beach Fire (1 OSS), Arlington County Police (1 OSS), Howard County Fire (1 OSS), Timberline (1 OSS), Navy HSCW (3 OSS), and Phoenix Police (2 OSS).

Today, to discuss the accomplishments of O2X in 2023, we are joined by O2X Cofounder Paul McCullough. After a career in SEAL Teams, Paul founded O2X in 2013 alongside Gabriel Gomez and Adam La Reau. He currently serves as a Managing Partner and steers the overall growth strategy of O2X, ensuring the company’s products and offerings are best positioned for maximum impact across current and future O2X clients. You can hear Paul’s full story on episode #44. 

-Erik Melanson is an O2X Lead Instructor who currently serves on active duty in the United States Marine Corps as an Intelligence Officer.

-He has spent the majority of his career in the special operations community, deploying in support of combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa. While serving in Marine Special Operations Command or MARSOC, he was introduced to human performance. From that point forward, human performance and the role of the tactical athlete have been a staple in his life.

-In August of 2020 after returning from Afghanistan, he suffered a traumatic injury that left him paralyzed below the knee in his left leg. His doctors, surgeons, and rehabilitation team credit his physical and mental conditioning as the main reason he has been able to remain on active duty, and recover to the level he has from his limb salvage injury. It was during his time at Walter Reed that his passion for helping fellow injured and wounded individuals rehabilitate their body and mind really took off. He is a huge proponent of the mental health aspect of human performance and looks for every opportunity to break the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health and substance abuse issues.

-He’s a graduate of Norwich University, holds graduate certificates in leadership from Wharton and Harvard Law, an MA in Military Studies from Marine Corps University, and is finishing up his MA in Global Policy from Johns Hopkins University.

FirstNet Built with AT&T:
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Download the O2X Tactical Performance App:
app.o2x.com

Let us know what you think:
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IG - https://instagram.com/o2xhumanperformance?igshid=1kicimx55xt4f 

-Billy Cushing is a 17 year veteran of the Braintree (MA) Police Department and the President & Founder of the K9 Kit Foundation

-He is a 2-time recipient of George Hannah Award for Valor among other honors and is a highly respected member of not only BPD, but the K9 community and the law enforcement field as a whole

-11 of his 17 years of service have been spent as a patrol K9 Handler, where he was partnered with K-9 Kitt. Tragically, on June 4th 2021, K9 Kitt made the ultimate sacrifice while apprehending an armed suspect in Braintree (MA). During this encounter, Billy was shot on 5 separate occasions alongside his fellow Officer Matthew Donoghue - who shot once

-In K9 Kitt’s memory, his started the K9 Kitt Foundation, 501(c)3 non-profit that connectis embers of the public interested in providing support to K9 Teams around the country who work tirelessly to serve communities and their front-line policing partners

Donate to the K9 Kitt Foundation:
https://k9kittfoundation.com/

Boston Magazine Article about K9 Kitt:
https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2023/08/10/kitt-the-police-dog/

FirstNet Built with AT&T:
http://www.firstnet.com/healthandwellness

Download the O2X Tactical Performance App:
app.o2x.com

Let us know what you think:
Website - http://o2x.com
IG - https://instagram.com/o2xhumanperformance?igshid=1kicimx55xt4f 

-Wayne Sasso is an On-Site Mental Performance Specialist and Program Manager for Arlington County (VA) Police Department. In his role, he applies his experience in Performance Psychology to support sworn and unsworn members of the department in the areas of performance improvement, stress management, leadership and organizational development.

-For over 8 years, he has been working in the human performance field with a myriad of populations. He comes to O2X from the ‘Optimizing the Human Weapon System’ program in Tucson (AZ), which provides fighter pilots with embedded physical and psychological support to improve readiness. It was here where was responsible for designing and implementing a psychological program that included a standardized curriculum, one-on-one coaching and cognitive training for  A-10 Warthog pilots.

-Prior to that he worked as a Mental Conditioning Coordinator providing sport psychology services to teams and individuals at the youth through professional levels of sport. In this role, he helped athletes with performing under pressure, rebounding from performance errors and building awareness of the mental game. He is known for helping performers build self awareness and implement incremental changes to improve performance, consistency and quality of life.

-He received his Bachelor’s degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology from West Virginia University and Master’s degree in Counseling with a focus in Sport and Performance Psychology from Boston University

Wayne’s article 'Optimizing Mental Performance: The Importance of Mental Well-being in Law Enforcement':
https://www.o2x.com/mental-performance-in-law-enforcement/

FirstNet Built with AT&T:
http://www.firstnet.com/healthandwellness

Download the O2X Tactical Performance App:
app.o2x.com

Let us know what you think:
Website - http://o2x.com
IG - https://instagram.com/o2xhumanperformance?igshid=1kicimx55xt4f