#439 The Job, the Life & Everything in Between with Eternal Recruit Matt Akers

This episode is one of those conversations that quietly gets under your skin.I’m joined by Matt Akers, who currently serves in New Zealand, but whose journey through the fire service spans rural retained firefighting, aviation, London, and multiple countries. Matt’s lived and worked across very different systems, cultures, and tempos of the job, and that perspective runs all the way through this conversation.What we really dig into though isn’t tactics or titles. It’s life. The pressure to stay busy. The way hustle culture sneaks in and convinces you that exhaustion equals progress. The idea of horizon happiness, always chasing the next milestone while missing the moment you’re actually standing in. We talk about parenthood, time, and the realisation that your kids won’t remember the late finishes or the extra emails, but they will remember whether you showed up.Matt speaks openly about the fire service shaping his identity, the differences between rural and urban firefighting, and the privilege of doing this job when it’s kept in the right place in your life. He also shares some very honest reflections on personal struggles, including alcohol, and how travel, community, and becoming what he calls the eternal recruit helped him reset and rebuild.The conversation takes a deeper turn when Matt talks about a health scare that led to him receiving a pacemaker, and the emotional weight that came with that. We explore identity loss, mental health, and the moment he realised counselling wasn’t something to be ashamed of, but something that helped him move forward. There’s no self pity here. Just perspective, responsibility, and resilience.This episode isn’t about chasing more. It’s about recalibrating. About keeping passion without letting the job consume you. About remembering that you can survive without money, but not without people. If you’ve ever felt like you’re running flat out but not sure toward what, this conversation might slow you down in the best possible way.Access all episodes, documents, GIVEAWAYS & debriefs HEREPodcast Apparel, Hoodies, Flags, Mugs HERE our partners supporting this episode.GORE-TEX Professional ClothingFIRST TACTICAL- tactical gear for elite operatorsMSA The Safety CompanyJAFCOIDEXFIRE & EVACUATION SERVICE LTD HAIX Footwear - Get offical podcast discount on HAIX HEREXendurance - to hunt performance & endurance 20% off HERE with code ffp20Send us Fan MailSupport the show***The views expressed in this episode are those of the individual speakers. Our partners are not responsible for the content of this episode and does not warrant its accuracy or completeness.***Please support the podcast and its future by clicking HERE and joining our Patreon Crew