In this engaging podcast episode, Dave Weiner, a military veteran and seasoned law enforcement professional, shares his personal journey from serving 8 years in the Air Force, then over 20 years in Federal law enforcement to starting his own training and education firm, Secure Measures. Dave's expertise lies in bridging the gap between the military and law enforcement communities by offering specialized training programs focused on understanding the veteran experience in public safety.

As a veteran himself, Dave recognizes the unique challenges faced by individuals transitioning from military service to civilian life, particularly in the context of law enforcement. He provides valuable insights into the importance of planning for the future, finding a new mission, and seeking mentorship during the transitional phase.

Listeners will gain firsthand knowledge about Dave's public safety training programs, which aim to equip public safety personnel with a deep understanding of military culture, language, mental health conditions, and common challenges faced by veterans. These programs are POST-certified, ensuring credibility and industry recognition.

The conversation delves into the significance of creating effective communication channels between law enforcement and veterans. Dave shares stories of guest speakers—combat veterans with firsthand encounters with law enforcement—who offer valuable perspectives on how to handle such situations with sensitivity and understanding.

Moreover, the podcast emphasizes the need for proactive engagement with the Veterans Affairs (VA) system. Dave encourages veterans to start planning early, tap into available resources, and establish a preliminary relationship with the local VA, even if they feel they may not need immediate assistance. He shares practical advice for navigating the VA system and maximizing the benefits veterans have earned.

Additionally, Dave shares his own experience of starting a business and provides crucial tips for aspiring entrepreneurs, especially those with a military or law enforcement background. He highlights the significance of finding a mentor, understanding the market, and effectively utilizing social media to establish a strong brand presence.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE 

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH DAVE:

https://secure-measures.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-weiner-mpsy-184bb18/

Kate Allgood, a former ice hockey player and founder of Quantum Performance, shares her journey from being a promising athlete to transitioning into a career in sports psychology. Kate talks about her early years playing hockey in Canada, competing against boys and eventually becoming a potential candidate for the 2010 Winter Olympics. After graduating college, she came to Southern California to train and play in a professional women's league, but the league folded, leading her to reevaluate her career path.

The unexpected turn of events led Kate to reflect on her passion for hockey and consider her future. Being away from the familiar environment of Toronto allowed her to explore her own identity and ambitions. As she weighed her options and contemplated her next steps, she decided to retire from hockey. This decision was met with mixed reactions, particularly from her father, who had high expectations for her.

 Following her retirement, Kate remained in San Diego and pursued a certification program in Muscle Activation Techniques. She also enrolled in graduate school, specializing in applied sports psychology. After completing her studies, Kate founded Quantum Performance, a high-performance coaching firm focused on mental training for high achievers. Kate has since worked with elite athletes, Navy SEALs, SWAT Officers, and Marine Corps Pilots, helping them optimize their performance through mental training.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH KATE:

https://www.qpathlete.com/

https://www.instagram.com/qpathlete/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sportpsychology/

KATES BOOKS:

The Athlete Within: How to build Your Mental Game for Peak Performance

https://www.amazon.com/Athlete-Within-build-mental-performance-ebook/dp/B0BW4X3SC7/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=kate+allgood&sr=8-1

Get Into The Zone: The Essential Guide To High Performance Through Mental Training

https://www.amazon.com/Get-Into-Zone-Essential-Performance-ebook/dp/B098TRFGS6/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=kate+allgood&sr=8-2

Fortitude: The Essential Guide to Building and Sustaining Mental Toughness

https://www.amazon.com/Fortitude-Essential-Building-Sustaining-Toughness/dp/0692925767/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=kate+allgood&sr=8-3

In this engaging episode, Douglas James, a marketing and entrepreneur coach, shares his journey from a troubled upbringing in New Orleans to finding purpose and success after serving in the Navy. Douglas opens up about his childhood escape through art and the challenges he faced growing up in a dysfunctional home. Despite struggling academically and being influenced by his father's negative behavior, Douglas discovered discipline and leadership in ROTC during high school. After graduating, he found himself bartending and enjoying the party lifestyle but realized it wasn't aligned with the life he wanted. Encouraged by his family, he made the life-changing decision to join the Navy.

Douglas explains how he stumbled upon online marketing while in the Navy and began earning more through a side hustle than his military pay. He shares a story of a Master Chief who approached him, seeking guidance on making money outside the military. This encounter sparked his transition into coaching and teaching others.

For military veterans and first responders listening, this episode offers a relatable and motivational narrative. Douglas' journey highlights the power of finding a new path, leveraging skills, and embracing entrepreneurship after military service. His story resonates with individuals seeking personal and financial growth beyond their current professions. Douglas shares his story of resilience, reinvention, and ultimately finding purpose in helping others achieve success.

DIRECT LINK FOR PODCAST EPISODE 91:

https://transitiondrillpodcast.libsyn.com/

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH DOUGLAS

https://thedouglasjames.net/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-james-1a93b8110/

https://www.instagram.com/the_douglasjames/

Rich “Bojo” Bojorquez grew up in a section of Los Angeles heavily controlled by gangs. Growing up he had to fight more to stay out of the gangs, but an unlikely assist from a prominent local gang member was a turning point for him. Always interested in the military, after graduating from high school he enlisted in the Navy. He served four years as a Damage Controlmen (fire fighter). His plan was the military to be his career, but a chance encounter with a friend from high school who recently became a deputy sheriff changed his path. After the end of his enlistment he joined the L.A. Sheriff’s Department in 1990. Today he’s a Sergeant. After many years being assigned to gang enforcement and narcotics teams, today he is the supervisor of the Mental Evaluation Teams (MET) as the Veteran Liaison Officer, in collaboration with the Mayors Challenge for Suicide Prevention. Bojo is a tireless advocate for veterans struggling with mental health issues. His team is also part of the peer support unit for members within the sheriff’s department. Additionally, during his off-duty time, Bojo volunteers with foster children in a sailing program where they learn boating safety and build their own small sailboats. 

DIRECT LINK FOR PODCAST EPISODE 90: 

https://transitiondrillpodcast.libsyn.com/

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH BOJO

[email protected]

Guy Smith was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. Though gangs were all around him, a strong and influential family kept him out of gang life. Growing up he was into martial arts and wrestling, so after high school he ended up in San Diego coaching and fitness training. Many of the clients he was working with were special operations members and they convinced him to join the Navy. Guy enlisted in the Navy and served 6 years as member of Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) and deployed multiple times to the Middle East. Injuries and family responsibilities caused him to leave active duty in 2015 but he did 3 additional years in the reserves. After leaving the military he struggled with redefining his mission and what his identity is along with struggling with alcoholism. He considers himself fortunate to have found the Honor Foundation and graduated from their program. Today he continues to support The Honor Foundation along with The Navy Seal Foundation. Guy work in the fitness and personal performance industry but his new mission is professional body building. He’s recently obtained his pro card and his long-term goal is to compete – and win – the Mr. Olympia.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH GUY

https://www.instagram.com/guysmith_ifbbpro/

Danny Gonzales spent 18 years in law enforcement, starting as a reserve in 1988 and then 16 years as a full-time cop until 2006. Actions by a fellow officer caused Danny to report this activity to command. Danny fought an uphill battle, administration sided with the other officer, and Danny was then the subject of his own IA investigation. Danny was terminated, but he believed his agency when he was told they would include no discipline in his personnel file (he admits he was naïve). When he tried getting hired at other organizations, it became clear that his agency did not amend his file. He subsequently took the city court and won a settlement and his personnel file was amended to reflect no discipline.. Having to take care of his family he took any and all jobs that came his way, which led him to private security and protection work. Today he is the owner of D.A.D. Protection Services, which he started in 2013. He and his team offer security services for ultra-high net worth individuals and families, estate security, and security consulting. Also, in 2021 Danny launched a security service online training program to give back to others who want to learn and get into the security / protection industry.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH DANNY

https://www.dadprotectionservices.com

https://www.thesecuritycoachapp.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-gonzales-44401147/

https://www.instagram.com/dadsecuritysvcs/

Nick Lavery, Army Green Beret and Amputee, in Episode 087 of the Transition Drill Podcast. Nick Lavery didn’t grow up with some polished, pre-written plan. He was a Boston kid who poured his energy into sports, earned a football recruiting path, and treated college like the place he had to be so he could keep playing. Then 9/11 hit during his sophomore year, and the direction snapped into place. He describes it plainly: anger, rage, and a desire for vengeance. The Army offered a direct pipeline into Special Forces, and he took it, learning quickly that performance matters more than a number on a scale.

The center of this conversation is March 11, 2013. Near the end of a deployment, a Ford Ranger pickup rolled inside their compound in violation of their SOP. He noticed it, chose to deal with it later, and calls out the role complacency can play when “crazy” becomes routine. Moments later, an Afghan National Police member climbed into the truck bed and opened fire with a PKM from 30 yards away. Nick moved toward a frozen young infantryman instead of directly executing his trained response, took rounds, and watched his right leg get destroyed. He applied tourniquets, a teammate added more, and he tried to pack gauze into the wound while the fight continued around them. He describes a mass-casualty scene: 12 Americans on the ground, three killed, nine wounded, plus additional Afghan casualties.

What follows is survival by minutes and decisions. He was kept alive long enough for surgery, then nearly died from an incompatible blood transfusion mistake discovered mid-flight. He explains coding, being rushed into surgery anyway, dialysis and transfusions, and waking days later. He arrived at Walter Reed after an amputation to the knee, while also learning he’d been shot in the left leg and was fighting drop foot and nerve damage. A surgeon he calls “JC” chose a harder path than a hip disarticulation, taking dead tissue piece by piece in a long series of surgeries, because keeping more leg kept the door open for returning to the job.

He walks through the grind of rehab, prosthetic testing built for austere deployments, and the path back to operational status, including the Operator Readiness Test that even able-bodied Green Berets called brutal. Two years after the injury, he earned his way back onto the team and was deployed again weeks later. Today, he's closing in on retirement but is already doing public speaking on leadership and motivation.

The best podcast for military veterans, police officers, firefighters, and first responders preparing for veteran transition and life after service. Helping you plan and implement strategies to prepare for your transition into civilian life. Follow the show and share it with another veteran or first responder who would enjoy this.

CONNECT WITH THE PODCAST:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulpantani/

WEBSITE: https://www.transitiondrillpodcast.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulpantani/

SIGN-UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER:

https://transitiondrillpodcast.com/home#about

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS:

[email protected]

EPISODE BLOG PAGE AND CONNECT WITH NICK

https://www.transitiondrillpodcast.com/post/transition-drill-podcast-army-green-beret-nick-lavery-survives-ambush-and-being-shot-with-a-pkm

Jessica “Jess” Quezada has a love for the arts, more specifically photojournalism which led her to join the Marine Corps as a Combat Correspondent in 2013. Quezada’s first assignment was to Marine Corps Recruiting Command stationed at Quantico, and covering all recruiting events across the U.S. She was then assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, where she served as the current and future operations chief for the Public Affairs Office. Her final unit was the Recruiting Station in Orange County, CA where she served as the marketing and communications director. In 2020 Quezada was forced into an Administrative Separation from the Marine Corps with a General Under Honorable discharge after a narcotic positive urinalysis. What is great about Quezada is that she makes no excuses, and she did not let being forced out of the military derail her or her spirit. An adventurer at heart, Quezada travels as often as she can. She had a vision for a veterans travel community, and in 2019 started LiboRisk, which transitioned into an operating business in April 2022. Through her company Quezada hosts low-cost events, retreats and travel excursions for veterans. Her goal is to inspire troops to travel by connecting and educating them in all things travel. Additionally, Quezada is a yoga teacher.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH JESS

https://libo-risk.com/

https://www.instagram.com/liborisk/

Ricky Savage served 25 years in the Marine Corps. He was assigned to aviation crews supporting F/A 18s and Ospreys. He achieved the rank of Chief Warrant Officer and retired as an Aviation Officer in 2015. Ricky had four (4) combat deployments, which, in his words, were scarier with each deployment. In his initial transition he went to college and then worked as a contractor in the aerospace industry from 2016-2020. At this same time, he was also the Director of Operations for the Wingman Foundation, a non-profit providing assistance to the families of Marine, Navy, and Coast Guard pilots who have died in combat. Through this same period he realized he was suffering from PTS symptoms and eventually went through a PTS program through the VA. In 2019 Ricky discovered Jiu Jitsu. In 2020, he officially retired from working, and through good investments became a self-funded “professional” Jiu Jitsu competitor. Today he is a purple belt and has competed in 22 tournaments. He has also gone back to college to study philosophy in what he has coined, his warrior monk journey.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH RICKY

https://www.instagram.com/rickyjsavage/

Dr. Kathryn Hamel retired in 2019 as a lieutenant after serving 25 years as a police officer. During her time as a detective, she investigated cases of domestic violence, child sexual abuse, and rape. About 9 years into her career, she survived a horrific crash during a pursuit and fought her way back to full duty. During her recovery she decided to go back to school and eventually kept going through a doctorate degree. Her initial transition was to take a position as a Dean but then transitioned to the Vice president of human resources for a local college. In March 2021 she was offered the position of CEO for the Hecht Trauma Institute. Kathryn is also the author of body mind and badge, a book to help law enforcement members mitigate the negative impacts of trauma and bolster resiliency. She is also currently a Board Member of KinderVision; a nonprofit co-founded by her late mother, Ashby Sebastian.  

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH KATHRYN

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynhamelphd/

https://www.traumainst.org/

https://www.hti.org

[email protected]

LINK FOR BODY MIND AND BADGE

https://www.amazon.com/Body-Mind-Badge-Strategies-Enforcement/dp/1956837051/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=body+mind+and+badge+hamel&sr=8-1