In this episode I'm giving you more detailed information about me and my law enforcement career, the factors that pushed me to start this podcast and what I hope to give each of you through this podcast.

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Derek Stephens served almost 26 years between the Air Force and law enforcement, before a medical retirement in 2019. While he was still an active police officer he started Rally Point Training & Consulting in 2012. Through his company he trains his OODA Loop based officer survival seminars in addition to emergency casualty care. Derek’s teaching philosophy is officer survival through preparation, not paranoia. Derek is also a published author on officer survival and training.

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CONNECT WITH DEREK:

https://www.rallypointtraining.com/

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

Benjie Manibog served 15 years in the Marine Corps as a Raider and a member of MARSOC. He had deployments to the Middle East, Africa, and SouthEast Asia. Benjie’s road to the military was not an easy one. Growing up, Benjie came from a broken home and was addicted to alcohol and methamphetamine at an early age. Benjie chose to end his military career early because his wife was diagnosed with stage 5 kidney failure and being home to care for her and his family is more important to him. Today he has a master’s degree from USC’s Marshall School of Business, and he is the CEO of Thrash ‘N Raid a skateboard and apparel company. Benjie’s new why in life is to illuminate the hearts of others, so that they may rise above their barriers and summit the highest peaks. Benjie helps people rise above their barriers by donating skateboards to at-risk youth and offering opportunities for people to inspire and make a difference in their local communities through their Raid Brigade program. Likewise, as the Chief Operations Officer for the nonprofit, Six Feet Above, he helps connect and support veterans and service members battling mental health issues, by introducing skateboarding as a positive therapy to reduce stress, anxiety, and other symptoms of PTS.

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CONNECT WITH BENJIE:

https://thinknrebel.com/

https://sixfeetabove.org/

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

https://www.instagram.com/benjie_manibog/

https://www.instagram.com/thrash_n_raid/

https://www.instagram.com/six_ft_above/

James Espinoz served 6 years in the Army and has been a police officer for the last 18 years. In 2018 James lost his brother, a retired Army Lt. Colonel, who took his own life after a several year struggle with transitioning to the civilian world. Through the loss of his older brother, who James calls his hero, James was inspired to the start The Veteran Mentor Project Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping and mentoring veterans and first responders to assist them through their transition from these careers and to end suicide.

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CONNECT WITH JAMES:

https://thevmpi.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-espinoza-ms-vmpi/

Rob Garnett served 23 years as a Navy SEAL. He deployed 10 times; 6 were to Iraq and Afghanistan. While active duty he developed TBI from a ship boarding fall and blast concussions. He went through treatment at NICoE and was able to retire non-medically in 2015. Following his retirement, Rob did consulting work for some government contracting firms, but realized that was not what he wanted for him or his family. Today, Rob is the Director of Operations for One More Wave, a veteran based nonprofit. One More Wave is a community of surfing veterans with a passion to help those in need. Their mission is to provide wounded and disabled veterans with customized surfing equipment and a community to surf with.

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CONNECT WITH ROB:

https://www.instagram.com/1mwave/

https://www.onemorewave.com/

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

Jose Gasca served in the Marine Corps with 2nd FAST Co and deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Today he’s a police officer with LAPD. Jose has also trained and competed in Jiu Jitsu since 2008. Through his own loss of brother Marines, he started the nonprofit Fighting Hole Jiu Jitsu and gives back to the veteran and first responder communities by offering free jiu jitsu classes. Jose believes the mental health benefits coming from time on the mats helps veterans deal with their PTS while off the mats. He wants to help veterans without all the medication, without feeling not in control. They help veterans the old fashion way, human connection, with belief in the human spirit.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

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CONNECT WITH JOSE:

https://www.instagram.com/fightingholejj/

https://fightingholejiujitsu.com/

Eddie Hernandez served 12 years in the Army, first with the 1st Cavalry Division and then 10th Special Forces Group. Struggling with inuries and PTS, he was medically retired in 2014. After leaving the military he went to culinary school, graduating in 2016 from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School. In 2020 he started his own BBQ catering company – Stars & Stripes BBQ. He is also involved with three non-profit organizations, FrontSight Military Outreach, Working Dogs for Warriors, and Oath to County Foundation. Eddie’s new mission is to give back to the military community and help those suffering with PTS issues as he did.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

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CONNECT WITH EDDIE:

https://www.instagram.com/stars_stripesbbq/

https://www.oathtocountryfoundation.org/

Fred Reynolds spent 6 years in the Marine Corps. After the Marines he spent 32 years in law enforcement. Starting with the Compton Police Department in the 1980s and transitioning to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department when the City of Compton relinquished their police department in 2000. Fred worked gangs and homicide investigations and retired as a sergeant. Always interested in writing, after he retired, he wrote and published his memoir Black White and Gray All Over. The book is a fantastic read, and not just for first responders.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

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CONNECT WITH FRED:

https://authorfrederickreynolds.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/frederick-reynolds-b92987139/

Tom Byrnes served 13 years in the Army. Today he is the owner and CEO of ThreatStop. His business model is the use of network threat intelligence at maximum effectiveness, providing cybersecurity solutions to small companies on the same scale of Fortune 1000 companies. Early investors in his company were also initial investors of Google. Tom holds three (3) patents in network security. ThreatStop’s executive staff is comprised of military veterans and former law enforcement members. 

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH TOM:

https://www.threatstop.com/

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

Nick Wilson spent 13 years in law enforcement before medically retiring due to work related injuries. Additionally, due to the exposure to trauma Nick had to address his own Post Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI) and mental health, initially trying to deal with it through self-medication. This eventually led to his own DUI and a stay in rehab. From this experience Nick founded the Resiliency Project in 2017 to end the silent suffering of first responders addressing PTS and ending suicide through peer support and treatment.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH NICK:

https://theresiliencyproject.info/

https://www.instagram.com/the_resiliencyproject/