Leadership Under Fire

What the USS Indianapolis Tells Us About Resilience with Sara Vladic and Lynn Vincent

Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic are the NY Times bestselling authors of the book Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in US Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man. In early 2019, LUF recorded an interview with them, which you will hear in this episode. This was recorded at a Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Summit, which took place in Annapolis, Maryland. The event was devoted to the concept of resilience, the ability to navigate adversity and absorb failure and loss in high-risk settings. We explored the concept from the individual, team and organizational level as well as from a physical, mental, emotional and moral perspective. Guest presenters included FDNY Black Sunday survivor Firefighter Brendan Cawley, Columbia University's Dr. George Bonano, and  Dr. Preston Cline and Coleman Ruiz of the Mission Critical Team Institute--just to name a few. You can hear audio from the entire Summit by visiting leadershipunderfire.com. To help listeners gain context for each Summit discussion, LUF Founder Jason Brezler and podcast host Patti Murphy discussed their reflections shortly after the event. So, you’re about to hear that conversation and then the live recording of the event. 

Remembering FDNY Captain Timothy M. Stackpole

In this episode of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast, we're honored to bring you the inspiring story of FDNY Captain Timothy Stackpole—told by his family, friends and fellow firefighters who were influenced by his leadership. On June 5‚ 1998‚ Timothy Stackpole was severely injured in a fifth alarm fire in Brooklyn. Two of his fellow Firefighters were killed, and more injured in a collapse at the operation. Stackpole spent more than two months in the Burn Center with fourth and fifth degree burns over 30% of his body. He endured many surgeries and years of grueling rehabilitation. During that time, he had two goals: to recover and spend as much time as he could with his family‚ and to return full-duty to the job he loved. Against popular opinion‚ he succeeded. On March 10‚ 2001‚ Stackpole returned to his job as an FDNY Lieutenant. He was promoted to Captain on September 6‚ 2001‚ and was off-duty‚ the morning of September 11th. Of course, he responded. Stackpole was one of the hundreds of FDNY members who answered the call after the World Trade Center was struck by two airplanes — and one of the 343 who were killed when the Twin Towers collapsed. Timothy Stackpole was a devoted husband, loving father and courageous firefighter. It has been said, Stackpole was a hero, not only because of how he died but more importantly‚ because of how he lived.

Revisiting Life As Sport with Dr. Jonathan Fader

The original broadcast date for this episode of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast was December 28, 2018, but the conversation is still relevant today. “Life As Sport.” It’s an approach to performance and everyday situations that Dr. Jonathan Fader strongly believes in based on his experience working with top athletes. Dr. Jonathan Fader is a licensed performance psychologist who served two seasons as the Director of Mental Conditioning for the New York Football Giants and also served as the team psychologist for the New York Mets for nine seasons. In this episode, we’ll unpack some of the skills Dr. Fader teaches professional athletes and find out more about how he is influenced by his experience working with high performers in various fields.

Revisiting Love and War with Photojournalist Lynsey Addario

This episode from 2018 is our very first of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast. Our guest in this episode has spent two decades traveling to some of the most dangerous and remote areas of the world—masterfully capturing all facets of the human experience. Lynsey Addario is an American photojournalist whose work appears regularly in the New York Times, National Geographic and Time magazine. She’s covered conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Darfur, and the Congo, and has received numerous awards, including the MacAthur Fellowship. In 2009, she was part of the New York Times team that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. She’s been kidnapped twice, nearly killed, married and had a son, but still is committed to documenting injustice in the world. Why does she do it? We’ll discuss this and more on the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast.

Leading with Character and Curiosity: From Combat to Moneyball with Sandy Alderson

Mr. Sandy Alderson has served as an executive in Major League Baseball for four decades. His teams have won six division titles, three American League pennants, one National League pennant and a World Series Championship. He served as a General Manager, Chief Executive Officer and/or President with the Oakland Athletic, San Diego Padres and New York Mets. He was the architect of the Oakland Athletics teams that played in three consecutive World Series from 1988 to 1990 and won the 1989 World Series. Sandy guided the 2015 NY Mets to a National League pennant and the World Series. He has also served as an executive for Major League Baseball on two separate occasions. Sandy presently serves as a Senior Advisor to Baseball Operations for the Oakland Athletics. Prior to his MLB career, Sandy served four years as a US Marine Infantry Officer with a tour of duty in Vietnam. He holds degrees from Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School.

Jim McNamara's Senior Man Feature Episode with Jerry Smith Jr., BCFD--Part II

Welcome to the second part of Jim McNamara's Senior Man Feature Episode with Jerry Smith Jr., BCFD. This episode picks up with guest host James McNamara, who is a senior Firefighter at the FDNY and serves as a Human Performance Advisor for Leadership Under Fire. He's also the principal author of the Leadership Under Fire Senior Man’s Performance Journal. Our guest, Jerry Smith Jr., is a Firefighter with the Baltimore City Fire Department currently assigned to Rescue Company 1 and is a member of the BCFD Dive Team. In the previous episode, they discussed Jerry's early career, the role of the senior Firefighter and lessons learned during Baltimore's periods of civil unrest. Now, they'll discuss Jerry's diving career, optimizing human performance and the value of being lifelong learners.

Jim McNamara's Senior Man Feature Episode with Jerry Smith Jr., BCFD--Part I

Jim McNamara hosts this episode of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast. Jim is a senior Firefighter at the FDNY and serves as a Human Performance Advisor for LUF. He's also the principal author of the Leadership Under Fire Senior Man’s Performance Journal. Our guest in this episode, Jerry Smith Jr., is a Firefighter with the Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) currently assigned to Rescue Company 1. He was previously assigned to Truck Company 15 and entered the fire department in 2004. Jerry grew up in suburban Philadelphia, which is where his fire service career began as a volunteer. He is a member of the BCFD Dive Team and serves as the public safety scuba instructor. Jerry was also a member of the Central Maryland Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 2. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from Loyola University of Maryland. Currently, Jerry is involved with the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute in their three year study of Fire Service Residential Home Size-up and Search and Rescue Operations serving as a member of the technical panel. Jerry has been actively involved with Leadership Under Fire since its inception in 2012.

A Competitor's Mindset with Chicago Cubs Slugger Kyle Schwarber

When faced with a career-halting injury, our guest in this episode, used the challenge as an opportunity to hone his skills in a way that ultimately helped the Chicago Cubs break the Curse of the Billy Goat and capture the World Series in 2016. Kyle Schwarber played baseball for Indiana University where he was an All-American for the Hoosiers. During the summer, he played for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Kyle was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the first round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. He signed on June 11th and made his professional debut with the Boise Hawks just three days later, going 3-4 with a home run and three RBIs. In his first year of professional baseball Kyle played several levels of Class A ball as well as Double-A. The Cubs promoted Kyle to the Major Leagues in June of 2015 after having played just one year in the Cubs Minor League system. Kyle finished his rookie season having played 69 games, with a .246 batting average, 16 home runs, 52 runs scored, and 43 RBIs in just 273 plate appearances. At just 22 years old, Kyle hit several epic home runs for the Cubs in the 2015 National League playoffs. The Cubs and Kyle entered the 2016 with high hopes though Kyle’s season certainly did not go as planned. Last season, Kyle hit 38 home runs and 92 RBIs while batting .250. In addition to being a World Series Champion slugger for the Cubs, Kyle is a leader in the community where he is incredibly passionate about supporting first responders with his charity Schwarber's Neighborhood Heroes. The campaign is designed to recognize first responders by honoring their heroism, courage and devotion to duty. 

Risk, Restraint and Resilience in Lethal Environments with James Roussell, USMC (Ret) & Chicago PD (Ret)

The conversation you will hear in this episode was recorded in early 2019 at a Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Summit, which took place in Annapolis, Maryland. The event was devoted to the concept of resilience, the ability to navigate adversity and absorb failure and loss in high-risk settings. We explored the concept from the individual, team and organizational level as well as from a physical, mental, emotional and moral perspective. Guest presenters included FDNY Black Sunday survivor Firefighter Brendan Cawley, Dr. Preston Cline and Coleman Ruiz of the Mission Critical Team Institute and Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic—the NY Times bestselling authors of Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in US Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man. That’s just to name a few. You can hear audio from the entire Summit by visiting leadershipunderfire.com. To help listeners gain context for each Summit discussion, LUF Founder Jason Brezler and podcast host Patti Murphy discussed their reflections shortly after the event. So, you’re about to hear that conversation and then an introduction to Jim Roussell, followed his contribution at the Summit.

USMC Top Shooter's Perspective on Optimal Performance with J. Carlson, USMC (Ret)

What is going on inside of the mind of one of the USMC's top marksman? Joining us in the latest episode of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast is Julia Carlson. Among many other accomplishments, she was the first female to graduate the Small Arms Weapons Instructor School. Her marksmanship and Marine Corps highlights include: over 15 Interservice awards, five International awards of which two were Combat Precision against all militaries in the world, over 40 National titles and awards to include four history making championships by being the first woman to ever win since the induction of the competition in 1902. She was named the Female Athlete of the Year for the Marine Corps in 1998 and has held three National Service Rifle records. She earned her Distinguished Rifleman Badge in 1997 and her Distinguished Pistol Shot 2014 and is one of four known female Marines to become double distinguished. During her time as a member of the Marine Corps Shooting Teams (both active and reserve), she has taught marksmanship skills to active and reserves around the country, youth, civilian groups, law enforcement, and other branches of the military as well. She retired from the US Marines as a Master Sergeant in 2016 with twenty-two years of service.