EPISODE 50: CASEY WEST

🔥From Combat to Consciousness – A Story of Survival, Transformation, and Alternative Healing 🔥

What happens when a Marine, a motorcycle club member, and a terminal diagnosis collide? A story so intense, so raw, and so life-changing, that you won’t be able to stop listening.

In this episode of Tuxes & Tomahawks, we sit down with a former combat Marine, adrenaline junkie, and unconventional healing advocate who has lived through war, destruction, and his own body turning against him—only to come out stronger, wiser, and on a mission to help others reclaim their power.

• From a broken home to the battlefield – How growing up between Richmond, VA, and East Texas shaped an unstoppable warrior.

• The Marine years – 94 combat missions in 160 days, serving as a helicopter mechanic and gunner in Helmand, Afghanistan.

• The dark side of adrenaline – Post-military life led to a 1% motorcycle club, but running from the past only led to more pain.

• A wake-up call like no other – How a terminal cancer diagnosis forced a radical shift in mindset and purpose.

• Breaking away from the system – Why he refused traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy and took healing into his own hands.

• The biohacking blueprint – Exploring hyperbaric oxygen, methylene blue, cold plunges, sauna, and red light therapy as powerful alternatives.

✔️ You can’t outrun your trauma—but you can face it head-on. ✔️ Cancer and emotional wounds are more connected than we think. ✔️ Alternative healing is real—and sometimes, it’s the only way. ✔️ Survival isn’t just about the body—it’s about mindset, discipline, and radical self-awareness.

💭 This is more than a story—it’s a call to arms for anyone who refuses to be a victim of circumstance. If you’re ready to take your healing, your health, and your mindset to the next level, this episode is for you.

🎧 Tune in now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you get your inspiration fix!

📢 Join the conversation: #WarriorMindset #HealingWithoutLimits #UnbreakableMinds  #DarkSabreProductions #Tuxes&Tomahawks

Instagram: @transmute_that_innerg

GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/a6bfc591

Website: www.transmutethatinnerg.com

COLORADO POLITICS: Carol Riggenbach

Carol Riggenbach on Fighting for Southern Colorado: A Vision for Colorado District 3 

In this bold and unfiltered episode, we sit down with Carol Riggenbach, the unapologetic voice for Southern Colorado and former Republican candidate for House District 62 and a candidate for CD-3 Chairman. Representing a stretch of Colorado that includes Pueblo County, Alamosa, and numerous rural communities, Carol is on a mission to shake up the status quo at the Capitol.

With key endorsements from Rocky Mountain Gun Owners and the National Federation of Independent Business, Carol brings a firebrand message of freedom, family, and economic common sense—a platform rooted in the values that matter most to the people she hopes to serve.

🔥 Inside the Episode: Carol doesn’t hold back. She breaks down her approach to tackling the cost-of-living crisis, rising crime, and the need to stand up for Colorado's forgotten communities. Whether it’s advocating for veterans and seniors, pushing for parental rights and school choice, or defending Colorado’s energy and agriculture sectors, Carol brings a pragmatic—and passionate—vision for the future.

💡 Top Highlights Include:

• The real story behind the CD-3 Reorganization Meeting — and who’s getting left behind

• Her no-nonsense stance on anti-corruption in CD-3

• Why revitalizing rural economies starts with small business, energy, and ag

• Fighting for kids, seniors, and veterans—not bureaucracy

If you're ready for a dose of political reality from someone who’s ready to fight for the underdog, this episode is for you.

🎧 Tune in now to hear how Carol plans to flip the script for CD - 3—and why she believes Southern Colorado deserves a stronger, louder voice under the Gold Dome.

EPISODE 49: JOEL & KARMELA WALDMAN

🔥 From Network News to True-Crime Royalty – The Incredible Story of Surviving the Survivor 🔥

What happens when an Emmy Award-winning journalist and his Holocaust survivor mother launch a podcast together? A mix of true crime, raw storytelling, and deeply personal revelations that has taken the world by storm.

In this gripping episode of Tuxes & Tomahawks, Joel Waldman, former Fox News Washington correspondent and Fox 5 investigative reporter, shares his journey from covering Capitol Hill to uncovering the most compelling survivor stories. Alongside his mother, Karmela Waldman, a Holocaust survivor and psychotherapist, the duo delivers riveting, emotional, and sometimes laugh-out-loud moments as they navigate life, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit.

• From Breaking News to Podcasting Stardom – Why Joel left network news and found his true calling.

• The True-Crime Phenomenon – How Surviving the Survivor became a must-listen hit in the world of true crime.

• Karmela’s Untold Story – How she survived World War II by hiding in a boys’ Catholic school and the emotional toll of losing a son and facing life without her husband of 63 years.

• The Art of Mother-Son Podcasting – The hilarious, touching, and brutally honest dynamic between Joel and Karmela.

• Mastering Life’s Biggest Questions – A rare, unfiltered look at aging, parenthood, grief, and what it really means to survive.

✔️ What true crime can teach us about resilience and the human condition. ✔️ Behind the scenes of investigative journalism and why some stories haunt reporters forever. ✔️ Why survival isn’t just about escaping danger—it’s about finding meaning in tragedy. ✔️ How an unlikely podcast turned into a life-changing experience.

📢 If you love true crime, gripping storytelling, and heart-to-heart conversations, this is an episode you can’t afford to miss.

🎧 Tune in now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms!

🔗 Follow & Stay Connected: 📚 Book: Surviving the Survivor 📸 Instagram: @survivingthesurvivor 🎙️ Podcast: Surviving the Survivor

🔥 Join the Conversation: #SurvivingTheSurvivor #TrueCrime #Resilience #PodcastingWithMom #DarkSabreProductions #Tuxes&Tomahawks

Michael Herrick is a Midwest-based director and producer who has become a driving force in the music industry, most notably for the chart-topping band Hot Mulligan. With an impressive portfolio of collaborations with major labels like Elektra Records, Sony Music, Columbia Records, and Pure Noise Records, Herrick has built a reputation for crafting innovative music videos and media that resonate deeply with both new and nostalgic audiences. His work stands at the intersection of creativity and emotion, offering a fresh yet familiar perspective that has reinvigorated the post-emo music scene.

Through his visionary direction, Herrick has brought new life to a genre while honoring its roots, creating music videos that not only captivate but inspire a new generation of listeners. His transformative work with bands like Hot Mulligan has helped shape the sound and aesthetic of modern rock, bringing back the raw, unfiltered energy of post-emo while drawing in a fresh fan base. With every project, Michael Herrick continues to push boundaries, blending nostalgia and innovation to create a dynamic fusion that has forever altered the landscape of music media.

Today, I wanted to have a one on one discussion with my listeners after a rather hectic 18 months. 

Enjoy!

Instagram: adam.derito2010

X: @AdamDeRito

YouTube: @AdamDeRito

TikTok: adamderito2010

www.adamderito.com

Kathy Reeves is a Colorado native, and both parents were immigrants. Her dad was born in Canada, and her mom in Hungary. They met and married in Budapest, moved here and both became U.S. Citizens through Naturalization. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother to a wonderful family and homeschooled her children for a few years. Her career was in Information Technology for HewlettPackard and later for State Farm Insurance. She has been a missionary, a volunteer educator and a client advocate. She is dedicated to serving the people of Colorado as a Representative for House District 11.

https://www.reevesforcolorado.com/

Joseph Gibson is a successful entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist with a unique journey from a wrongful conviction to becoming a prominent figure in the world of business and finance. Known for his early and strategic investment in Bitcoin, which catapulted him to financial success, Joseph now uses his platform to inspire and uplift others. As the author of the book *"From Felon to Philanthropist,"* Joseph shares his transformative story and the lessons learned along the way. His passion for justice, economic empowerment, and community development has driven him to become a vocal advocate for policies that foster equality and opportunity for all. In this podcast, Joseph will delve into strategic approaches for engaging the Black community in political discourse, drawing from his personal experiences and deep understanding of socioeconomic dynamics. He believes in the power of informed and inclusive strategies to bring about meaningful change and will discuss how these can be leveraged to garner support for political movements, including potential pathways for Donald Trump to gain traction within the Black electorate.

Ken DeGraff is a 27 year AF veteran of the Air Force Active Duty, Guard and Reserve. With his wife Kim they are blessed with three wonderful children and one outstanding son-in-law. They had the bitter-sweet opportunity to change military postings about 20 times, to include Canada and Germany. 

DeGraff began his Air Force career at the Air Force Academy where he earned a degree in Aerospace Structures, then went on to earn his Masters of Science in Structural Dynamics as a Guggenheim Fellow at Columbia University.

During his career, he flew a whole spectrum of aircraft--Attack, Tanker/Transport, Trainer & Remotely Piloted. Ken was an Environmental Manager for five years, working cooperatively with state and federal environmental agencies. As a Flight & Ground Safety Manager, Ken helped develop Explosive Site Plans and worked with peace officers from across the state on ATV and snowmobile operator courses. 

Ken concluded his military service career teaching advanced calculus and powered flight at the USAF Academy. After retirement from the USAF, Ken resumed his career in commercial aviation that began after leaving Active Duty.

In 2022, Ken DeGraff was elected to serve in the Colorado House of Representatives.  Having helped hold the line against “foreign enemies of our Constitution,” Representative DeGraff is now engaged against the domestic variety.

John is a retired member of the Senior Executive Service and former Field Office Director (FOD) for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO). The jurisdiction John oversaw includes Colorado and Wyoming, covering 200,000 square miles and more than 200 federal employees. John began his career of service by joining the United States Air Force. During his 4 years in the Air Force, John served as a Security Police and Security Forces member. John began his civilian federal career in 1996 with the Federal Protective Service (FPS) as a police officer for the General Services Administration (GSA), where he was assigned to the New York Terrorist Trials Operations Command in New York City. In 1997, FPS sent him to Denver, Colorado, to work on both Oklahoma City Bombing trials. Two years later, he became an officer for the former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in Denver. In 2003, John was selected as an instructor for the newly formed U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, where he taught in the Physical Techniques Division and the ERO Fugitive Operations Academy. In 2005, John was promoted to Supervisory Officer for the ICE Denver Field Office. There, he helped establish the Criminal Alien Program and numerous fugitive task forces. He was promoted in 2011 to Assistant Field Office Director (AFOD), where he presided over Criminal Prosecutions and Fugitive Operations. He later served as the AFOD over Field Operations, Emergency Management, and Intelligence. During this time, John attended the United States Marshals Service Training Academy and completed the Fugitive Investigator Course. John greatly impacted the State of Colorado, as he served as the Denver Field Office, Deputy Field Office Director from 2017 to 2020, when he was then promoted to Field Office Director. During this tenure, John was detailed for six months to the DHS Joint Task Force West in San Antonio, Texas, where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff. John oversaw the initial rollout of Operation Opioid Counterstrike, a multi-agency, cross-corridor operation at the federal, state, local, tribal, and international level to disrupt Transnational Criminal Organizations' trafficking in opioids. In 2021, he was detailed to Washington, DC, to work in the DHS Operations section as the Director of Independent Departure for the Afghanistan Refugee crisis, Task Force Operation Allied Welcome. In 2023 he received the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Silver Medal for Meritorious Service Award. He was also awarded the Meritorious Life Saving Medal from Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office for saving a life in a fire. John retired from ICE on July 31, 2022 and now resides in Aurora, CO. He is happily married to Eileen and has two beautiful children, Olivia and Symon. They also have two rescue pups named Thor and Layla. In John’s free time, he trains in Brazilian Jiu jitsu, provides self-defense training to the local communities, and enjoys hunting on his property in Craig, CO.