PODCAST · education
Act ASAP
by Daniel Kilburn
The Act ASAP Podcast explores leadership, resilience, communication, preparedness, and continuity planning in a rapidly changing world. Hosted by retired U.S. Army Senior Infantry Drill Sergeant and resilience strategist Daniel Kilburn, each episode features practical conversations with leaders, first responders, educators, and experts who help listeners prepare their families, organizations, and communities for disruption before crisis strikes. This is leadership-driven resilience designed to help people act with confidence when it matters most.
Episodes
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Aging in Place: Why Family Preparedness Cannot Wait Until a Crisis
Featuring Sherri Combs, Founder & CEO of SilverStreak Senior Services If your aging parent needed help at 2 A.M., would you knowwhere to find their medications, emergency contacts, and important documents? Would you know who has the authority to make critical decisions? These are questions many...
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Building a New Disaster Response Model | eCERT® Program Update with Mark Matheson
What could disaster response look like if establishedorganizations had greater access to communications, equipment, coordination, and the ability to deploy their existing capabilities where they're needed most? In this episode of the Act ASAP Podcast, I sit downagain with Mark Matheson, founder…
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When the System Goes Down, What Happens Next?
What happens to your organization when the technology you depend on suddenly isn't there? Cyberattacks, cloud outages, telecommunications failures, power disruptions, and other events continue to remind us just how dependent modern organizations have become on technology. Technology gives us...
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Leadership isn't tested when everything is going according to plan.
It's revealed when the plan no longer works. In this episode of the Act ASAP Podcast, Daniel Kilburn explores what real readiness looks like when leaders face uncertainty. Discover why preparedness is about more than emergency plans—it's about building the confidence, communication, and…
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Business Continuity Planning Begins Before the Emergency
What if the greatest threat to your organization isn't a natural disaster or cyberattack, but the building you're sitting in today? In this episode of the ACT ASAP Podcast, I sit down with Josh Lowe and Nic Guedenet of AkitaBox to explore why business continuity planning starts long before an...
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What 90+ Years of Life Can Teach Us
What does 90 years of life teach us about leadership, resilience, marriage, service, and what truly matters? In this special episode of Act ASAP, I sit down with Jim Paulk, a man whose life has spanned nearly a century of American history. From his days at the U.S. Naval Academy and a…
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Building a Culture of Preparedness
Welcome to another episode of the Act ASAP Podcast, where we explore leadership, preparedness, and resilience to help families, businesses, schools, nonprofits, and communities become better prepared before disaster strikes. Today's conversation began with a simple question inspired by a YouTube...
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The Lost Recording Session with Trey Morriss
Sometimes the plan fails. Leadership doesn't. Every once in a while, life gives you an opportunity to practice the very principles you teach. My recent conversation with retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Trey Morriss, author of DOOM 34, became one of those moments. Trey and I had an outstanding...
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What Has Been Will Be Again
Why do I keep repeating the same messages about preparedness, leadership, and communication? Because human nature has not changed. In this episode of the Act ASAP Podcast, I explore the timeless wisdom of Ecclesiastes 1:9–10: “What has been will be again… there is nothing new under the sun.”...
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The Ever-Present Techno Babble
We were told technology would make life easier. Instead, many people now face more barriers than ever. Apps, portals, QR codes, AI chatbots, endless passwords, and digital verification systems are creating a new kind of exclusion—especially for the elderly and the underprivileged. In my latest…
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Beer Shelf Life at Room Temperature: A Disaster Planning Question Nobody Expected
Welcome to the Act ASAP Podcast, where we talk about leadership, communication, and preparedness—because when disruption strikes, how you respond matters. I’m your host, Daniel Kilburn, with Emergency Action Planning. Today’s topic starts with a question you probably never expected to hear on a...
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Cybersecurity and Personal Preparedness with Robert Siciliano
Welcome to another episode of Act ASAP, the show where we talk about leadership, communications, preparedness, and taking action before disruption forces your hand. I’m your host, Daniel Kilburn, founder of Emergency Action Planning, retired U.S. Army Drill Sergeant, and author of Why Plans Don’t...
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The Connecticut National Guard Just Proved It
Welcome to the ACT ASAP Podcast. I’m Daniel Kilburn. When disruption comes, people do not follow binders—they follow leadership. Today, we’re discussing why real readiness is built through training, communication, and leadership under pressure. Let’s begin.
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The Power of One Decision: CPR, Resilience & The Ripple Effect | Brad & Kiera Newbury
What happens when an ordinary person becomes the first responder during a life-threatening emergency? In this episode of the ACT ASAP Podcast, Daniel Kilburn sits down with father-daughter team Brad Newbury and Kiera Newbury to discuss CPR preparedness, emergency response, the bystander effect…
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Why Plans Don't Prepare You | Summary & Review
Welcome back to the Act ASAP Podcast. I'm your host, Daniel Kilburn. Over the past several weeks, I've shared the complete chapter-reading series of my newly released book, Why Plans Don't Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is Tested. Today, we're doing something a little...
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Why Plans Don't Prepare You | Start Here: Your Readiness Path
Welcome back to the Act ASAP Podcast. Yesterday, Why Plans Don't Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is Tested officially launched on Amazon. Today, we arrive at the final reading from the book. Throughout this journey, we've explored leadership, communication, resilience,...
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Why Plans Don't Prepare You | Appendix | Leadership Tools for Immediate Readiness
Welcome back to the Act ASAP Podcast. Over the course of this book, we've explored an important truth: Preparedness is not about having the perfect plan. It's about developing the leadership, communication, and resilience needed to navigate uncertainty with confidence. In today's episode, I share...
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Why Plans Don't Prepare You | Chapter 14 | Your Next Move
Welcome back to the Act ASAP Podcast. Today, we reach the final chapter in my upcoming book, Why Plans Don't Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is Tested. Over the course of this book, we've explored leadership, communication, resilience, continuity planning, and the...
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Why Plans Don’t Prepare You | Chapter 13 | The Leaders People Look For
Welcome back to the Act ASAP Podcast. When uncertainty rises, who do people look for? Not necessarily the person with the title. Not necessarily the person with the plan. They look for the leader who inspires confidence, communicates clearly, and remains steady when others are feeling uncertain.…
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Why Plans Don't Prepare You | Chapter 12 | Calm, Confident Continuity
Welcome back to the Act ASAP Podcast. When disruption strikes, people don't immediately look for the plan. They look for leadership. In today's episode, I continue the pre-release reading series for my upcoming book, Why Plans Don't Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is...
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Why Plans Don’t Prepare You | Chapter 11 | Boards, Funders, and Stakeholders
What happens when disruption reaches beyond operations and enters the boardroom? In this episode of the Act ASAP Podcast, I continue the pre-release reading series for my upcoming book, Why Plans Don’t Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is Tested. Today’s chapter, Boards,...
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Why Plans Don’t Prepare You |Chapter 10 | What Prepared Teams Do Differently
When disruption occurs, prepared teams behave differently.They communicate clearly, adapt quickly, maintain trust under pressure, and stay focused on continuity instead of reacting emotionally to uncertainty. These behaviors are not accidental. They are developed intentionally through leadership,...
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Why Plans Don’t Prepare You | Chapter 9 | The Difference Between a Binder and a System
Welcome to Chapter 9 of my upcoming book, Why Plans Don’t Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is Tested. In this exclusive pre-release reading, I explain why many organizations mistake documentation for preparedness. A binder may contain policies, procedures, and emergency...
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Why Plans Don’t Prepare You | Chapter 8 | Transform & Thrive—Turn Preparedness Into Culture
Welcome to Chapter 8 of my upcoming book, Why Plans Don’t Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is Tested. In this episode, I read Transform & Thrive—Turn Preparedness Into Culture and explain why true readiness was never meant to be a one-time project or a document placed…
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Why Plans Don’t Prepare You | Chapter 6 | Assess Progress—Test What You Think You Have
Welcome to Chapter 6 of my upcoming book, Why Plans Don’t Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is Tested. In this episode, I read Assess Progress—Test What You Think You Have and explain why completed tasks do not automatically create real readiness. A contact list may be...
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Why Plans Don’t Prepare You | Chapter 5 | Take Action—Motion Defeats Anxiety
Welcome to Chapter 5 of my upcoming book, Why Plans Don’t Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is Tested. In this episode, I read Take Action—Motion Defeats Anxiety and explain why clarity alone is not enough to create real readiness. Many leaders understand what needs to…
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Why Plans Don’t Prepare You | Chapter 4 | Leadership Intent Comes First
Welcome to Chapter 4 of my upcoming book, Why Plans Don’t Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is Tested. In this episode, I read Leadership Intent Comes First and explain why teams perform best when leaders clearly define what matters most before disruption occurs. When...
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Why Plans Don’t Prepare You | Chapter 3 | Why Good Leaders Delay This Work
Welcome to Chapter 3 of my upcoming book, Why Plans Don’t Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is Tested. In this episode, I read Why Good Leaders Delay This Work and explain why even responsible, capable leaders often postpone preparedness and continuity planning. The…
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Why Plans Don’t Prepare You | Chapter 2 | Liability Anxiety Has a Cost
Welcome to Chapter 2 of my upcoming book, Why Plans Don’t Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is Tested. In this episode, I read Liability Anxiety Has a Cost and explore the hidden burden leaders carry when they suspect their preparedness efforts may not be enough. That...
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Why Plans Don’t Prepare You | Chapter 1 | The Lie Leaders Tell Themselves
Welcome to Chapter 1 of my upcoming book, Why Plans Don’t Prepare You. In this episode, I read The Lie Leaders Tell Themselves and reveal why written plans alone do not create real readiness. Listen, share your feedback, and be among the first to hear the book before its June 1, 2026 launch.…
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Why Plans Don’t Prepare You | Introduction | Exclusive Pre-Release Book Preview
Welcome to a special pre-release series on the Act ASAP Podcast. Over the next several weeks, I’ll be reading my upcoming book, Why Plans Don’t Prepare You: What Real Readiness Looks Like When Leadership Is Tested, exactly as it will appear in the published edition. Today’s episode features The...
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National Wildfire Awareness Month
“Welcome back to the ACT ASAP Podcast—where preparednessmeets leadership. This month, we’re focusing on something that impactsmillions of families and communities every year: wildfire awareness. Wildfires don’t just happen in places like California—theycan start anywhere. And the reality is, most...
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The Earliest Sign Your Company Isn’t Prepared for Disruption
Most organizations don’t realize they’re unprepared until it’s too late. Not because they didn’t care… Not because they didn’t plan… But because they assumed. In today’s episode, we’re breaking down one of the earliest, and most overlooked signs that a company isn’t truly prepared for disruption....
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Survival Myths in Preparedness Culture
Are you preparing… or just guessing? In this episode, we challenge some of the most common beliefs in preparedness culture and uncover what really keeps families and businesses stable during disruption. This isn’t about fear. It’s about leadership. 🎥 Watch the episode and read the full article…
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Testing Communications Systems
Strong family communication can make the difference betweenconfusion and calm during an emergency. In this episode, Daniel Kilburnintroduces the March preparedness series “Testing Communication Systems.” Learnhow simple conversations, planning, and practice can help families stayconnected when...
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February Recap: Financial Foundations for Family Security
Welcome back to the podcast. Today we’re taking a moment to look back at the conversations we had throughout February around Financial Foundations for Family Security and Financial Habits for Stability. Over the past month we explored a simple but powerful idea: strong families build stability...
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2026 Disaster Preparedness Outlook
Every year, disruption gets a little more complex—and a little more expensive for organizations that aren’t ready. The 2026 disaster preparedness outlook lays out the trends leaders are facing and the practical steps that protect people, operations, and revenue before disruption hits. If you lead…
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Financial Foundations for Family Security
Welcome back to the show. Today, we’re opening a new conversation, and really, a new focus for the month of February: Financial Foundations for Family Security and Financial Habits for Stability—Leadership Before Disruption. Here’s something most families never get told: Stability isn’t lost…
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eCERT®: Where We Are Now
Today’s conversation is not about theory or hype—it’s about wherewe actually are right now. In this episode, Daniel is joined by Mark Matheson,founder of the eCERT® program, to provide a clear, grounded update on thecurrent state of eCERT®. Together, they discuss what has been built, what...
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Prepare Don't Repair
Uncertainty is everywhere right now. From global instability to personal and financial stress, many people are being told the answer is to simply “learn to tolerate the unknown.” I disagree. In this episode of the Act ASAP Podcast, I explore a different approach—one shaped by decades of military...
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Prepared Beats Perfect
Today, I want to talk about a mistake I see families and leaders make every single year—they wait for the perfect preparedness plan. The truth is, preparedness doesn’t fail because people don’t care. It fails because people don’t practice. In this episode, we’ll explore why one simple drill…
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Where We’re Going in 2026
In today’s episode of the ACT ASAP Podcast, we’re talking about the future; not hypothetical, not fear-based, but intentional and grounded. 2025 showed us what families, organizations, and communities can accomplish when preparedness becomes personal. 2026 challenges us to turn that preparation...
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Interview #3 with Mark Matheson
In this third and final conversation with Mark Matheson, founder of the eCERT Program, we step into the future of disaster resilience—and what it will take to truly protect families, businesses, and communities before the next emergency strikes. This episode goes beyond traditional preparedness...
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Stepping Into Conscious Leadership: A Conversation with Dr. Ron Stotts
Today’s episode is a powerful deep dive into the heart of leadership, communication, and human transformation. I’m joined by Dr. Ron Stotts, a Marine Corps veteran, bestselling author, and transformational leadership coach who has helped thousands of high-performing leaders evolve beyond...
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Behind the eCERT Vision
In this powerful follow-up conversation, Daniel Kilburn sits down once again with Mark Matheson, the visionary force behind the ECERT Program, to explore how communities across America can step into a new era of disaster readiness. This episode dives deep into the operational backbone of a…
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“Inside the eCERT Program: A New Model for National Disaster Readiness
When disaster strikes and the systems we rely on collapse, who steps in to reconnect communities, restore communication, and bring real help where it’s needed most? In this powerful interview, I sit down with Mark Matheson, founder of the eCERT Disaster Response Program, to explore how his team…
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The Business of Disaster
In today’s vlog, I’m breaking down a powerful insighthighlighted in Bloomberg’s recent feature on the rising costs of disasterrecovery in America. “The Disaster Industrial Complex: How Climate DisastersTurned into a Trillion-Dollar U.S. Industry” Read it here:...
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Guarding the Digital Frontier: A Conversation with Jeffrey Lyon of The Cyber Wild
In an age where our personal lives, finances, and family safety are wired into the cloud, cybersecurity is no longer a luxury—it’s survival. In this compelling 30-minute conversation, I sit down with Jeffrey Lyon, founder of The Cyber Wild, to uncover what’s really happening in the digital...
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The New Battlefield
They don’t knock anymore… they click. Scammers have upgraded their game — and now, every text, email, or “urgent message” could be a digital ambush waiting to happen. We’ve all seen them — fake shipping notices, fraudulent charities, even “friends” asking for help through payment apps. But as we...
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When the Reach of Doctors Breaks
Why Every Family Needs to Be Its Own First Responder Recently, I received yet another email from a man whosemessages always carry the same urgent theme: government failures, collapsing systems, and the hidden costs we’re all about to pay. The latest claimed his brother died, not from illness, but...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Act ASAP Podcast explores leadership, resilience, communication, preparedness, and continuity planning in a rapidly changing world. Hosted by retired U.S. Army Senior Infantry Drill Sergeant and resilience strategist Daniel Kilburn, each episode features practical conversations with leaders, first responders, educators, and experts who help listeners prepare their families, organizations, and communities for disruption before crisis strikes. This is leadership-driven resilience designed to help people act with confidence when it matters most.
HOSTED BY
Daniel Kilburn
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Act ASAP have?
Act ASAP currently has 258 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Act ASAP about?
The Act ASAP Podcast explores leadership, resilience, communication, preparedness, and continuity planning in a rapidly changing world. Hosted by retired U.S. Army Senior Infantry Drill Sergeant and resilience strategist Daniel Kilburn, each episode features practical conversations with leaders,...
How often does Act ASAP release new episodes?
Act ASAP publishes regularly with 258 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Act ASAP?
You can listen to Act ASAP on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Act ASAP?
Act ASAP is created and hosted by Daniel Kilburn.
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