Decision making during high stress , life and death situation is difficult for most well trained first responders and the military personnel. With that being said, many Americans have found themselves listening to soundbites and watching incomplete clips of tragic events that forever change men and women’s life. At core of each watched or listen to encounter, is a burning question of why did this event occur as it did. Do I have all the information? Was it the police officers fault? Is it the suspects fault? Is it the systems fault? The outcry for answers is often deafening. What so many armchair critics and keyboard warriors fail to understand is that there are decades of research when it comes to Human Performance and Human Dynamics. Empirically, peer reviewed research is constantly informing training commissions across the nation on the best way to approach potentially deadly situations, but we have to listen to the data and implement the findings.

At the center of this research is the Force Science Institute (FSI) FSI is led by executive director Dr. William “Bill” Lewinski. Dr. Bill Lewinski has spent the better part of his life asking critical questions about how the human body works under and incredible amount of stress. Which is faster, Action or Reaction? What is the human experience with time distortion? How do we create experts? What is at the route of human error and how do we mitigate against the bodies tendency toward self preservation verses the best decision when a decision must be made. How does experiential bias impact a man or woman when faced with a decision that needs to be made in under 1 second? During this interview with Dr. Bill, he sheds some light on a few of these questions during our time together. This is a man that has sacrificed so much in the name of science and has provided vetted solutions to help prevent injustices toward the men and women who have sworn to serve and protect the constitution of the United States and the Laws of other nations around the globe.

My guest today is Robbie Kroger of Blood Origins. Robbie is helping hunters ask deeper and meaningful questions about the ethics of hunting through blood origins. Whether the motivations for hunting are rooted in food provision, the challenge, or even giving back through conservations efforts to save the vast number of habitats every hunting should be examining what it means to be a hunter. Robbie is on a mission to help educate anyone willing to listen to hear a perspective about the values of the hundreds of thousands of hunters worldwide. 

Have you ever made a mistake and excused the behavior by saying, “Well, I’m only human!” There is so much truth in that statement the only problem is we often do not take the time to unpack what it means to be human. My guest today is Mike Musengo. Mike is a Force Science Institute instructor and prior law enforcement SWAT Team leader. He has walked though numerous critical incidents and has had to face how human factors play in how we respond adversity and how heal from difficult circumstances. We cover the topics of Human Performance, Biomechanics, learning, acquisition of new skills, attention, inattentional blindness, human errors, and human sensory systems.

Today’s guest, Eric Rittmeyer is a former US Marine and an expert in the fields of mental toughness and emotional intelligence. He’s been a professional speaker for the past decade, and is a regular guest on all of the major television outlets including Fox, CNN, NBC and ABC. Eric’s also the author of the book “The Emotional Marine – 68 Mental Toughness and Emotional Intelligence Secrets To Make Anyone Instantly Like You”.

Impact, influence, and legacy are all words that weigh heavily on fathers. Using every moment on this earth to lead, teach, and inspire children while they are under a father or mothers care is a mission that all parents embark on.  We never know where life will take us or the moment we will no longer be on this earth to care for our family.  Preparing NOW is always the right thing to do.Blake is on a mission to help 1 million dads write a least one well written meaningful, lasting Legacy Letter to their children. Black has a wonderful Wife and loves being a father to his three children, all under 5.  As he leads his family, he draws from many mentors, but none more important that his late father Larry Brewer.Blake share a story of resilience as tragedy struck his family while on vacation many years ago. Since that time, Blake has found meaning and purpose because of a power and inspiring action his father took in an effort to lead and provide for his family.  Enjoy this conversation with Blake and be sure to check out the Legacy Letter Challenge.

Honest story telling is at the core of what the Copeland Creative Team believes. Owner, Caleb Copeland has assembled an All-Star Team of field producers, and together they are pushing the envelope with their skills and creativity in the outdoors space.  They are producing some of the largest and most impactful shows in the outdoor industry like the Crush with Lee and Tiffany Lakosky, Hunt Masters with Gregg Ritz, and Nockon TV with John Dudley to name a few .  Caleb Copeland, Ryer Porter and Clay Courington make up the primary team at Copeland Creative and in addition to the powerful stories they tell with a camera, they somehow make the time to give back to others in the production space. These guys are never short on stories and laughs, but have a way of simplifying technical information and delivering it in a concise and helpful way for their audience

As children across the nation are preparing to return to school there are many important questions on the topic of school safety beyond the health concerns that parents need to be asking their children, their children's teachers and administrators. There are many questions about mental health and the toll the pandemic has had on children. It is critical that we all prepare now and know the risks that our schools face, not so we will live in a constant state of fear, but that we might be informed to have a greater level of confidence that the appropriate mitigation strategies are implemented to save the most lives should an act of evil come to our communities. "Knowledge diminishes fear," and this conversation with (Ret.) Chief Tony Pustizzi will move us one step closer to equipping ourselves with the information to engage in tough conversations with the local school systems.

On todays show Steve Hallman is joined by the founder of Veterans Club Inc, Jeremy Harrell. Jeremy shares his story of overcoming adversity in childhood and as an adult. After being deployed to Iraq in the U. S. Army Jermey had to confront an internal and external battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Jeremy found the courage to confront difficult circumstances head on and has overcome the effects of trauma in his own life and has since started the non-profit organization Veterans Club in the state of Kentucky to help other veterans learn learn about themselves through a variety of therapy methods.

Today retired Oak Creek, Wisconsin Police Officer Lt. Brian Murphy shares his story with Steve Hallman. Lt Murphy shares about his time in the Marine Corp and his assignment to the United Nations and then his transition to Law Enforcement in 1990. Lt. Murphy talks about how his commitment to excellence and preparedness served him as he was the first responding officer to the Sikh Temple massacre in August 2012 which left 6 dead and another 3 wounded. Lt. Murphy was shot 15 times during the gunfight with the suspect. Lt. Murphy has been recognized on both a state and national level for his actions.

After an incredible two days at the Total Archery Challenge, the Interrupted Outdoors Team sat down to debrief the 2 days of shooting at the Seven Springs Resort in Pennsylvania. John Bennett, Stephen Johnson, and Steve Hallman sit down and talk about the challenging and technical courses they shot over the two days they were at the event. They talk about the importance of taking time with friends and family and what it means to "reset" in the outdoors.

John Dudley of Nock On Archery stopped by to answer a few questions and share what he learned from this event and why he cares so deeply about archery and the people that choose to participate in the sport.

Simplicity is not a word that many will use to describe the world we now live in. Stress and anxiety is often what is the experience of many who allow the complex to overwhelm. Understanding process in the key areas of life, like health, finance, relationships, and religion are just a few of the areas guest, Thom Shea discusses on this show.

Thom Shea retired as a Senior Chief after serving in the SEAL teams for 23 years. Thom developed his leadership process and methods during his military career where he served in three wars, ultimately leading a team of SEALs into Afghanistan in 2009. There he earned a Silver Star, Bronze Star with Valor, Army Commendation with Valor and his second Combat Action Medal. He was later hand-selected to serve as Officer In Charge of the famed SEAL Sniper course.

Thom is the author of his bestselling book, “Unbreakable: A Navy Seal’s Way of Life” and his latest release, “Three Simple Things: Leading During Chaos.” As founder of Unbreakable Leadership, Thom has trained thousands of people around the world to overcome chaos by applying the rule of Three Simple Things to their lives and businesses.

Childhood Poverty is a crisis that is affecting over an estimated 1 billion children. Of the approximately 1 billion children, over 350 million children are living on less than $1.90 a day. Being able to go to bed every night on a full stomach and never having to wonder where your next meal may come from is a benefit millions of us get to experience, however millions of children are not able to have that same experience. Moses Ashaba shares his powerful story on the Interrupted Podcast of being born into poverty and not knowing where his next meal would come from along with other challenges of Poverty. Moses was fortunate to receive a sponsor through Compassion International as an 8 year boy living in Uganda. Through the life-giving words and financial gifts of his sponsor Nelson, Moses was able to graduate grade school, go onto college, attend law school in Philadelphia, and now speak on behalf of Compassion International to continue to release children around the world from poverty in Jesus' name.

Today, Brandon Caton sits down with Steve Hallman to share stories about chasing gobblers in Maryland. They talk about past hunts and get ready for the 2021 season. They share tactics and discuss ethics while trying to find the words that convey just how much hunting and specifically turkey hunting means to them both.

Becoming a better leader is a mission that we all need to make a priority. Today, I am joined by Echelon Front team member Codey Gandy. Codey is a Marine Corps veteran and an Echelon Front instructor for the Field Training Exercise (FTX) program. In 2015, the New York Times best selling book Extreme Ownership was released by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin and is still challenging men and women across the globe to examine their own leadership style and how to embrace the 5 laws of combat to better lead their teams to success on every mission. Since the books release, Jocko Willink’s and Leif Babin’s company, Echelon Front has be rapidly growing. One of the many trainings that is being used to better equip tomorrows leaders is the Field Training Exercise (FTX) program. Codey Gandy is an instructor for the FTX program and is teaching leadership is an extremely practical way. Aside from Codey’s role on the Echelon Front team, he is a husband, father, and dedicated athlete. Codey’s positive attitude toward all of life’s interruptions is both refreshing and inspiring. This is a must listen to conversation to help teach you to win in every area of life.

Tragedy and evil exist in this world and our ability to bounce back from devastating life events is directly correlated to meaning, purpose and satisfaction in life. The trauma that we all endure from living through both tragedy and evil is extremely personal, however the faster we find the courage to surrounded ourselves by a supportive community the sooner we position ourselves to step into the process of healing from our wounds.

On this show, the executive director of The Mighty Oaks Foundation, Jeremy Stalnecker joins me for a powerful conversation as we explore trauma, faith, hope, healing, resilience, and a number of other topics that will provide us all with the tools to prepare now to face the challenges we have encountered and the ones that are still around the corner. Jeremy is a United States Marine Corps veteran, speaker, and author. Jeremy is helping men and woman around the country fight the difficult battles that come with unaddressed trauma. Jeremy shares his personal stories of leading men into battle and how the lessons he learned are now helping to lead other veterans and first responders discover victory in their own lives by realizing that we are all uniquely created for a purpose and are able to step into that purpose when we examine our own life and make the choice to trust the one who created us.

Living in a time with great unrest, we all need to examine our ability to survive. Whether it be a natural disaster, a violent encounter, or a silent attack like sleep deprivation, post traumatic stress, or the guilt and shame of our past we all need to take inventory as to the skills and knowledge we have to press on during difficult times.

My guest today, is (Ret.) Lt. Col. Dave Grossman who has spent his life preparing for the unknown. He served in the military for 24 years as an Army Ranger, and Paratrooper. Additionally, he was a professor of psychology at West Point. He has been retired for almost as long as he was in the military and still travels the majority of the year training military and law enforcement personnel. Lt. Col. Grossman studied the psychology of killing and combat and wanted to better understand the topic and educate warriors about what to expect when involved in violent encounters like war and protecting the communities of this Nation. He is the author of On Killing, On Combat, Assassination Generation, and the children’s book, Sheepdogs: Meet our Nations Warriors. Lt. Col. Grossman is a man of faith, and two of his more recent books, On Spiritual Combat and Bulletproof Marriage address matters or faith and spirituality.

The conversation covers a number of topics to include, increasing murder rates, the conditioning of violence in children, becoming a sheepdog, hope for those dealing with trauma, and the epidemic of sleep deprivation.

In a world where so many are seeking to better understand their place in it all, Aaron Walker learned that when you prioritize the pursuit of significance, your impact and the amount of value you are able to add to others lives will increase ten fold. Aaron has founded over a dozen business's in the last 40 years and has used his gifts to teach others the value of accountability through Mastermind Groups. Aaron sold his first business and retired at the age of 27 and learned quickly that there is more to life than just building wealth. He never said wealth was not important it just can not be what we solely pursue. Aaron was privileged to be one a handful of men who meet weekly with Dave Ramsey for over a decade and learned the importance of building a brotherhood that would allow those you trust and respect to speak openly and honestly into your life. Aaron has now written a wildly popular book called View from the Top: Living a Life of Significance, and has written the Mastermind Playbook Blueprint. Aaron spends his time now running the Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind group that host of 19 Groups nationally and internationally. He can be found almost daily posting content to Linkedin and other social media platforms that continue to help transform men and woman across the globe. Aaron desires for us all to move past meaning and purpose and discover a life of deep significance that will leave a last legacy to future generations.

We talk about marriage, business, entrepreneurship, faith and overcoming life-shaking interruptions to discover significance.

With each passing day, the future can can be difficult to make sense of in light of current events, but the future begins to come into focus when we spend some time glancing at the past. Today, I am joined by Salisbury University Professor Tim Robinson. Tim has been a member of the faculty since 2009 with a focus on Early American History. In addition to being a professor, Tim is a sworn Law Enforcement Officer in the State of Maryland. Tim shares his enthusiasm and passion for the events of the past as he highlights both pivotal and interesting events in American History. Tim has a refreshing perspective on how the events of the past need to inform us as individuals and educate society as a whole, so we do not repeat the mistakes of the earlier generations. Tim shares a few stories from Maryland’s Eastern Shore that many may have never heard before. His commitment to helping all of his students discover the “fun” in history and and for a brief moment travel back in time in order to ask big questions about how men and women lives so very long ago. We cover topics such as war, race, politics, presidents, and even space travel to name a few. This conversation will surely cause you to stop an examine what you thought you knew about history, and it might even push you to go buy a new book, listen to podcast, attend a talk, or even jumps right into to a college level course like the one Tim teaches at Salisbury University.