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All Episodes

Disaster Tough Podcast — 270 episodes

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Title
1

As I Exit... The Bridge Builder, New Beginnings, and Gratitude

2

5 Executive Problem Solving Skills For Emergency Managers

3

2026 FIFA World Cup Final Prep

4

Drew Downing: Choosing the Right Hard, Gratitude & Building Trust

5

Erin Scardena: Business Partner, Designer and Emergency “Momager”

6

So What? Now What? Change & Big News at FEMA

7

Major General Kelly, US Army Corps of Engineers- Leadership, Resilience, and National Readiness

8

Stop Guessing. Start Forecasting.

9

War in Iran: Using ASCOPE, the Planning P, and Three-Block War to Navigate Complex Disasters

10

Overcoming Pushback: A Guide To Motivation

11

Minneapolis, Snowstorms, and ICE: A Nation on Edge

12

January 10, 2020: Leadership, Resilience, and Building a Mission-Driven Life | John Scardena

13

What Did the Verizon Outage Remind Us About Emergency Services? | Thursday Thoughts with John

14

Travis Kaufman | Drone, Medics, & Training in Ukraine

15

The Gratitude Sandwich - 2025 Leadership Lessons For 2026

16

John Badger | Grounded Boots Relief

17

George Siegal | Film Producer | Built To Last: Buyer Beware

18

Lt. Gen. Jody J. Daniels | Former Chief & Commanding General | U.S. Army Reserve Command

19

Building The Disaster Tough Podcast

20

Stephanie DeLorenzo | Author | Navigating The Chaos

21

Dr. Chris Ellis | Author of Resilient Citizens

22

Lauren Taylor | Dispatcher | Oct 1 2017 Las Vegas Active Shooter Incident

23

Andrew Donawa | Pasco County Sheriffs Office

24

Moose Mutlow | Yosemite SAR Expert & Author

25

Juliette Murphy | FloodMapp

26

Part 3: Church Security | Jim Balthazar | Security & Law Enforcement Expert

27

Part 2: Charlie Kirk, Schools, & Mitigation | Jim Balthazar | Security & Law Enforcement Expert

28

Part 1: Leadership In The Field | Jim Balthazar | Security & Law Enforcement Expert

29

Joel Wish & Pete Gaynor | Bright Harbor

30

Erik Kramer | National Center For Urban Operations

31

Cameron Hamilton | Former Acting FEMA Administrator

32

Gwyn Winfield & Zoe Rutherford | CBRNe World

33

Major General Jason Kelly | US Army Corps of Engineers - Celebrating 250 Years!

34

Bill Gregory & Michael Schmidt | Founder/CEO & Director of Operations | RSET

35

Andre Mackey | Chair of the Specific Environments Panel | NATO

36

Pete Gaynor | Vice President - Hill International, Inc. | Former FEMA Administrator

37

Emergency Management: Unfiltered Thoughts from the Field

38

Is The World On Fire?

39

Director Travis Kaufman | DMSc, APA-C | Colorado Academy of PAs | Former White House Medical Officer

40

JT White & Susanna Pho | Co-Founders, Forerunner

41

Krista Haugen | MN, RN, CMTE | National Director of Patient Safety | Global Medical Response

42

The Double-edged Sword of Sacrifice

43

Director John Scrivani, Office of Safety, Security & Emergency Management | Virginia Department of Transportation

44

Author & OEM Director Lori Hodges | Larimer County, Colorado

45

Tim Page-Bottorf MS, CSP, CIT | Safety, Health & Environmental Expert

46

Jeremy R. Urekew, WP-C, TP-C, HTM | Hoist Rescue Paramedic | Emergency Manager

47

Author & Former Green Beret Herb Thompson | Principal Program Manager of Veterans Services at ServiceNow

48

Emergency Manager Ashley Ahlquist | Yavapai County Office of Emergency Management

49

Emergency Manager & City Councilmember Brenden Winder | Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand

50

Meteorologist John Honoré | Texas Division of Emergency Management

51

Col. Kim "KC" Campbell (Ret.) | USAF Fighter Pilot | Author & Keynote Speaker

52

Security Expert Mark Lynd - Top Cybersecurity & AI Thought Leader Executive | Author | Speaker

53

Director Brian Gard - Office of Emergency Management | University of Tennessee

54

EM Specialist Chris Housley | United States Air Force

55

Senior Manager Kevin Dye | Executive Protection & Threat Assessment Professional

56

Security Expert Patrick Kane - Global Security | Travel & Global Risk Management

57

Risk & Resilience Executive David Mitchell, MBA | Financial Services Industry

58

Public Affairs Officer Amy Forsythe - U.S. Navy

59

Lieutenant General Jeffrey Buchanan - U.S. Army (Retired)

60

Chief Operating Officer Jerome Lebleu - Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE)

61

Senior Director Denise Whisman - Emergency Management, Enterprise Risk & Resilience | ASU

62

Manager Michael Tobin - Emergency Operations at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

63

Senior Director Sweta Patel | Convergence Threat Intelligence & Business Continuity at Lowe's Companies, Inc.

64

Here's To Grinding - Bonus Track DTP

65

Specialist Anisha Borthakur | Emergency Management Specialist, City & County of Denver

66

Editor Gwyn Winfield - CBRNe World Magazine

67

Vice President Drew Neikirk of JP Morgan Chase

68

Founder & CEO Nathan Miller - Miller Ink, Inc.

69

Director Christopher Godley - Office of Emergency Management, Stanford University

70

Director Lee Nelson - Ambipar Response Training Center

71

Asst. Special Agent in Charge Chip Cooke, US Drug Enforcement Administration

72

Deputy Emergency Manager Rob Dale - Ingham County

73

Emergency Preparedness Specialist Jake Babb - Omaha Public Power District

74

Branch Chief John Conklin - Pentagon

75

Emergency Momagers Take Over DTP

76

Leading the way with Colorado DHSEM Director Michael Willis

77

Leading the Right Way with Chief Walt Lewis

78

Emergency Management in Dynamic Populations with University of Kentucky's Sarah Razor

79

Interview with Michelle Cechowski

80

Special Webinar w/ Former FEMA Administrator, Pete Gaynor

81

American Optics - Interview with National Security Strategist, Judd Mahfouz

82

Interview with Cori Smith of Wells Fargo

83

Amazon's Disaster Relief Program: Delivering When It Matters Most with Abe Diaz

84

I Could Have Saved Everyone In Pompeii with These EM Skills

85

Sneak Peak Into Leading During Crisis with Pete Gaynor

86

2023 After Action Review with John Scardena

87

Keeping Things Cool with David Ronsen, President of Acela, Inc.

88

JetBlue’s Innovative Approach to Business Continuity - Interview with Penny Neferis

89

Helping the People Who Help People - Interview with EM Expert Brad Milliken

90

A Year of Innovation & Grit with Zack Borst

91

Be Cool, Not Cold, for Christmas

92

How Innovation & Grit Creates Solutions with NYC EM Interagency Coordination - with Doug Bainton

93

Comparing Air Force EM To University EM with for. Airman, Deputy Dir. Vanessa Flores

94

East Coast vs West Coast in EM with PBEM Director Shad Ahmed

95

The Five I’s of Gaza with Military Expert, Director Chris De Ruyter

96

There Is No Such Thing As Balance

97

Improving Readiness Through Risk Assessment with Barry Moss

98

Mastering Emotions in the Media Spotlight with Prescott Nadeau

99

Looking forward to the National US&R Conference with Chief Walt Lewis

100

Interview with Richard Danforth, CEO of Genasys

101

Stop Getting Schooled By Disaster: 3 Tips to Improve School Readiness

102

Six Lessons Learned From the Maui Wildfires

103

L3 Harris Webinar with John Scardena & Zack Borst

104

Interview with Susan Anderson of ASPCA

105

Big News - Bigger Ideas with John, Zack, and Prescott

106

You Should Never Compromise This.

107

How to Avoid Burnout in Emergency Management

108

From Churchill Downs to University of Kentucky - Organizational EM with Sarah Razor

109

How to land a job: The Do's and Don'ts of Job Hunting

110

Emergency Medical & Emergency Management: with Portland's Expert Paramedic, Jake Shores

111

DTP Season 4 #159 Going Above & Beyond with Responder Tech - Interview with Blake Resnick, CEO of BRINC Drones

112

The DHS Safety Act: An Important EM Readiness Tool - Interview with Latasha Thompson

113

Emerging Technology in Emergency Management & Response - Interview with EM Weekly Host, Zack Borst

114

How To Create A Success School Safety Program: Tasks, Organization, Approach

115

The 3 Underutilized Tips in Communications (That Will Improve Your Life in EM)

116

Atmospheric River Incidents at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo

117

Innovation in Active Shooter Mitigation (EM & Physical Security Assessments)

118

You Need A "Branding Operations Plan" Interview with Noble Creative Collective Co. Founders

119

Everything You Need To Know About Press Briefs - Interview with Prescott Nadeau

120

Interview with Mark “Whit” Whittington

121

Police Need Emergency Managers - Interview with Corporal Haley Evans

122

Interview with Eric Helpenstell

123

How it Changed EM Forever - Interview with Yasmine S. Ali, M.D.

124

Interview with Lindsay Sander of Buxus

125

Leading By Example: Mentoring The Rising Generation in Emergency Services - Interview with Martin Killion

126

Emergency Managers as Diplomats & Ambassadors - Interview with Dillon Taylor

127

Florida Hazardous Materials Symposium Recap & Roundtable

128

“Building an Enhanced Next Level SitRep & Northern California’s endless Atmospheric River Event”

129

Becoming Disaster Tough in 2023- Goals and Ideas with Zack Borst from EM Weekly

130

A Year of Change & Growth for Disaster Tough - 2022: The Year in Review with Host John Scardena

131

#139 BONUS - Wesley & John Kickback at DyPop

132

Improving the Process of Emergency Management Leadership - Interview with Erica Bornemann, Director of Vermont Emergency Management

133

Emergency Comfort Food: Anytime, Anywhere - Interview with David Marks of Operation BBQ

134

Media & Emergency Management - Interview with DTP Producer, Aman Chabra

135

Emergency Management in Action: A Recent Field Perspective from Pete Gaynor, Former FEMA Administrator

136

Interview with Shawn Steadman

137

Th Right Message, The Right People, The Right Time - Interview with Prescott Nadeau

138

The “Rabbit Holes of Emergency Management” - Interview with James Podlucky

139

BONUS: Make It Better & Disaster Tough Collaboration

140

The Preparedness Guy Returns - Interview with Nat Sellers

141

A “Hoya Saxa” Approach to Emergency Management at Georgetown University - Interview with OEM Director Marc Barbiere

142

Interview with Kyle King

143

Fire & Water: A Conversation About The Similarities and Differences between Wildfire and Hurricane Response with Patrick McGinn

144

A Look Back at National Preparedness Month with Zack Borst

145

Interview with Gavan Hebner

146

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport - Interview with Michael Rega, Emergency Planner

147

5 Key Areas to Achieve Greatness

148

#123 The Hurricane Harvey Deployment with Super Storm Sandy GIUL & GIS Expert James Dewar - Episode 20 Replay

149

Interview with Director Dominick Mireles of Philadelphia's Office of Emergency Management

150

The Best Training in Emergency Management - Interview with Chief Walt Lewis & Zack Borst

151

Interview with Rachell Laucevicius

152

The Little Wiggles of Hurricane Season - Interview with National Weather Service Director, Ken Graham

153

#118 EM Kings of New York - Interview with Steven Kuhr & Kelly McKinney

154

The Value of Education in Emergency Management - Interview with Dr. Jeff Stern, FEMA EMI

155

Readiness in the Eye of the Storm - Interview with Jamie Rhome

156

Shedding Light on “Operation Lights Out” - Interview with Jessica Kindig

157

Emergency Management on Campus - Interview with Debbi Fletcher

158

Lightning in a Bottle: Drones for Good - Interview with Chief Funkhouser

159

Readiness Before Regret: What You Need to Know - Interview with George Siegal

160

Ready for Summer, Ready for Hurricane Season - Interview with Meteorologist Greg Padgett

161

Working with Search & Rescue - Conference Report

162

The Role of Tech in Emergency Management - Interview with Heidi Hessler

163

#108 Revamping Mass Messaging - Interview with Eddie Bertola

164

Interview with Mayor John Morris III of White Castle, Louisiana

165

Interview with Erica Bornemann, Director of Vermont Emergency Management

166

Oklahoma City Bombing Retrospective, Modern Domestic Terrorism & USAR - Interview with Joe Hernandez

167

Data, Technology, & Human Experience: A Recipe for EM Success - Interview with David Mejia

168

Interview with Homeland Security Officer Sgt. Nick Golden

169

Master of the Preparedness Arts - Interview with The Preparedness Guy

170

Interview with Dr. Stephen Johnson

171

Training and Experience Create Professionals - Interview with Col. Chris A. McKinney

172

Interview with Public Information Officers: Connor Wist and Eric Hurst of South Metro Fire & Rescue

173

Interview with Justin Pierce, EM Director of LAX

174

Team Up to Clean Up: Improving Emergency Cleanup & Response – Interview with Aaron Titus

175

Security and Emergency Management - Interview with Zack Borst

176

#95 Developing Strategic Vision in Emergency Management: Interview with Steven Kuhr

177

#94 Disaster Class Joins the Readiness Lab – Interview with Jason Perez & Wesley Long of Instinct Ready

178

The I-95 Snow Storm Disaster - Interview with VA Chief Regional Coordinator, Andy John

179

Hospitals and EM - Interview with NYU Emergency Manager, Kelly McKinney

180

Leadership in Emergency Management Now and in the Future – Interview with Eric McNulty

181

#90 Disaster Tough After Action

182

Football & Christmas! Interview with Matt Hernandez

183

#88 Interview with Dan Scott, Host of the EM Student Podcast

184

An International Perspective on Emergency Management with Kyle King

185

USAR Recap: Chief Walt Lewis of Orlando Fire

186

Mumbai Terrorist Attacks - Interview with the West Point Chair of Urban Warfare Studies, John Spencer

187

Happy Thanksgiving! FEMA Administrator Brock Long Episode

188

#83 NOTICE: DISASTER TOUGH HAS BEEN HIJACKED BY MOVIE AAR

189

Amazon's IT Risk Management & Supply Chain Considerations: Interview with Andrew Owlett

190

Building Local Emergency Management Teams: Interview with Andrew Donawa

191

Injects! A Roundtable Discussion with State and Federal Partners in Indiana

192

Next Level in Earthquake Planning: A Roundtable Discussion with FEMA Region's X, IX, IIIV

193

#78 Thoughts on Preparedness - Interview with Kyle McPhee

194

NATO & US Military Learn About Emergency Management - Presentation Recap with John Scardena

195

Preparing Cities - Interview with Asher Morris

196

Ashley Lauria-Golden is back with BIG NEWS!

197

Reflections of the 9/11 Ground Zero Response with Medical USAR Expert, Joe Hernandez

198

#73 EM National Preparedness - Interview with FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor

199

How to Network in Emergency Management with John Scardena

200

The National Strike Team & EM Operations - Interview with Ops Chief Tim Britt

201

#70 The EM Student - Interview with Host Franzi Economy

202

Collaboration in the Disaster Zone - Interview with host Eric Holdeman

203

Emergency Management In the National Capitol Region - Interview with VDEM's Andy John

204

The Salvation Army Disaster Response Team - Interview with Director Patrick McGinn

205

Qualifying Emergency Managers - Interview with FEMA's Kevin Coleman

206

Surfside Building Collapse: Response After Action Review - Interview with Joe Hernandez

207

#64 State of Emergency - Interview with Todd DeVoe

208

Miami Condo Collapse: Urban Search and Recue Sitrep - Interview with Joe Hernandez

209

Pulse Nightclub Shooting AAR - Interview with Incident Commander Chief Bryan Davis

210

USAR & Emergency Management - Interview with Chief Walt Lewis

211

Utilizing Drones in Emergency Response - Interview with 'Fritz' Skydio's Head of Public Safety

212

Saving Restaurants & Survivors Through Food Relief- Interview with Matt Cohen of Off The Grid

213

FEMA's Pandemic Response - Interview with the National Vaccination Coordinator Joe Dellamura

214

Trailblazing Emergency Management- Interview with FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor

215

Mitigation In Action - Interview with Jack Krolikowski

216

Lessons in Leadership by CalOES Chief of Response - Interview with Lee Dorey

217

U.S. Special Forces MedEvac Pilot to Emergency Manager - Interview with Margaret Larson

218

The 'So What?' of Emergency Management - Interview with Former FEMA Admin, Craig Fugate

219

The Purpose of Training - Interview with Jayson Kratoville

220

The DNA of an Emergency Manager - Interview with Kevin Pigg

221

Improving the Tempo of EM Through Data - Interview with Patrick Campion

222

Fire Response and Oil Spill Hazmat Incidents - Interview with Eric Helpenstell

223

Interview with United Kingdom's Chem/Bio Counter Terrorism Expert, Dr. Stephen Johnson

224

Interview with Jessi Nalepa Former FEMA Director of External Affairs

225

The Last House Standing Documentary -Interview with Director George Siegal

226

Emergency Management Analytics: Interview with Caitlin Von Stein

227

Mitigating Long-Term Risk in the National Capital Region: Interview with Dr. Earl Stoddard

228

Interview with Former FEMA Administrator Brock Long

229

Risk Management: Responding to Threat - Interview with William Jackson

230

2021 USAR Perspective- Joe Hernandez Returns For Another Interview!

231

FDNY Firefighter in New York City OEM: Interview with Emergency Response Expert- Doug Bainton

232

FEMA Logistic Section Chief assigned to the White House for COVID Response, Interview with Joe Dellamura

233

#38 2021 Emergency Manager Goals & Tough Calls, Interview with Todd De Voe from EM Weekly

234

Peace in No-Man's Land: How 1914 Can Impact Emergency Managers Today

235

#36 The Rise of Covid And Your Value

236

Santa and Space Weather with Jason Clap

237

Interview with the FEMA National IMAT Red Operations Chief Tim Britt

238

The Pilgrims

239

The Motivational AAR, Interview with Patrick McGinn from The Salvation Army

240

"That's your Gold Sword of Disaster Response." Interview with USAR Expert & FEMA Instructor, Joe Hernandez

241

"Like Army Men Stuck in Egg Salad" Interview with USAR Expert and FEMA Instructor, Joe Hernandez

242

Part 2: Urban Planner and Emergency Manager discusses hazard mitigation, Interview with Cynthia McCoy

243

Part 1: The New Cross-Discipline - Urban Planning & Emergency Management with Cynthia McCoy

244

Interview with Georgetown University Director of Emergency and Disaster Mgmt. Dr. Frazier

245

Federal Response to Disasters with FEMA Corps Program Liaison Kevin Coleman

246

October Updates

247

Thunderclap! Wildfires & Hurricanes with Emergency Manager Meteorologist Jason Clapp

248

The Leslie Knope of Earthquakes - Interview with Amanda Siok From FEMA Region 10

249

Never Forget 9/11 with Retired Firefighter Paramedic and Army Veteran Mike Levasseur

250

National Preparedness Month: Major Disaster Prep

251

The Hurricane Harvey Deployment with Super Storm Sandy GIUL & GIS Expert James Dewar

252

Intersection of Training and Research with Interim Director Jayson Kratoville at National Center for Security & Preparedness

253

Paramedic to Deputy Director of Emergency Management with Ashley Lauria-Golden

254

The Beirut Explosion - What 75 Years Since The Hiroshima Bomb Has Taught Emergency Managers

255

Why Doberman? And why, Disaster Tough? Also, 10,000 downloads! Thank you!

256

PART 2 - Regional Disaster Services Director at The Salvation Army Patrick McGinn

257

PART 1 - Regional Disaster Services Director at The Salvation Army Patrick McGinn

258

Dual Threat Response: Hurricanes & COVID-19 Pandemic Preparations with Cam Starrett

259

Military Veteran, Emergency Manager, Tactical Firearm Response Trainer & Owner of Gladiator Gunz Training Group William Jackson Jr.

260

Interview with Public Safety and Professional Communications President at L3Harris Nino DiCosmo

261

Response, PTSD, and Prevention with Human Trafficking Expert - Mary Kent

262

Tactical Level Disaster Drones!

263

Hurricane Season and the Emergency Management Need to Knows

264

Catastrophic Dam Failures in Michigan

265

Lessons in leadership with the expert emergency manager Rodney Melsek

266

PART 2- The Peace Corps & Cornavirus Emergency Evac , Interview with Cam Starrett

267

PART 1 The Humanitarian Life, Interview with Cam Starrett

268

#3 COVID 19 Situational Awareness

269

Disaster Data, There's No Such Thing As The Boy Who Cried Wolf

270

Pandemic, Earthquakes, Tornadoes! Oh my!