All Episodes

2026 FIFA World Cup Final Prep

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

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

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

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

Stop Guessing. Start Forecasting.

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

Overcoming Pushback: A Guide To Motivation

Minneapolis, Snowstorms, and ICE: A Nation on Edge

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

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

Travis Kaufman | Drone, Medics, & Training in Ukraine

The Gratitude Sandwich - 2025 Leadership Lessons For 2026

John Badger | Grounded Boots Relief

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

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

John Scardena | 250 Episodes Later: How the Sauce Was Made — Building The Disaster Tough Podcast

Stephanie DeLorenzo | Author | Navigating The Chaos

Dr. Chris Ellis | Author of Resilient Citizens

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

Andrew Donawa | Pasco County Sheriffs Office

Moose Mutlow | Yosemite SAR Expert & Author

Juliette Murphy | FloodMapp

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

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

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

Joel Wish & Pete Gaynor | Bright Harbor

Erik Kramer | National Center For Urban Operations

Cameron Hamilton | Former Acting FEMA Administrator

Gwyn Winfield & Zoe Rutherford | CBRNe World

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

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

Andre Mackey | Chair of the Specific Environments Panel | NATO

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

Emergency Management: Unfiltered Thoughts from the Field

Is The World On Fire?

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

JT White & Susanna Pho | Co-Founders, Forerunner

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

The Double-edged Sword of Sacrifice - 2024 Recap with John Scardena

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

Author & OEM Director Lori Hodges | Larimer County, Colorado

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

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

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

Emergency Manager Ashley Ahlquist | Yavapai County Office of Emergency Management

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

Meteorologist John Honoré | Texas Division of Emergency Management

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

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

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

EM Specialist Chris Housley | United States Air Force

Senior Manager Kevin Dye | Executive Protection & Threat Assessment Professional

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

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

Public Affairs Officer Amy Forsythe - U.S. Navy

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

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

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

Manager Michael Tobin - Emergency Operations at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

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

Here's To Grinding - Bonus Track DTP

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

Editor Gwyn Winfield - CBRNe World Magazine

Vice President Drew Neikirk of JP Morgan Chase

Founder & CEO Nathan Miller - Miller Ink, Inc.

Director Christopher Godley - Office of Emergency Management, Stanford University

Director Lee Nelson - Ambipar Response Training Center

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

Deputy Emergency Manager Rob Dale - Ingham County

Emergency Preparedness Specialist Jake Babb - Omaha Public Power District

Branch Chief John Conklin - Pentagon

Emergency Momagers Take Over DTP

Leading the way with Colorado DHSEM Director Michael Willis

Leading the Right Way with Chief Walt Lewis

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

Maximizing Efficiency in EM Leadership - Interview with Michelle Cechowski

Beware the Ides of March | Special Webinar w/ Former FEMA Administrator, Pete Gaynor

American Optics - Interview with National Security Strategist, Judd Mahfouz

Facilities, Functions & People: Interview with Cori Smith of Wells Fargo

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

I Could Have Saved Everyone In Pompeii with These EM Skills

Sneak Peak Into Leading During Crisis with Pete Gaynor

DTP Season 5, Ep 184 Looking Back while Moving Forward: 2023 After Action Review with John Scardena

DTP Season 5, Ep 183 Keeping Things Cool with David Ronsen, President of Acela, Inc.

DTP Season 5, Ep 182 JetBlue’s Innovative Approach to Business Continuity - Interview with Penny Neferis

DTP Season 5, Ep 181 Emergency Management: Helping the People Who Help People - Interview with EM Expert Brad Milliken

DTP Season 4, Ep 180 2023: A Year of Innovation & Grit with Zack Borst

DTP Season 4 Ep 179 Be Cool, Not Cold, for Christmas - with John Scardena

DTP Season 4 Ep 178 How Innovation & Grit Creates Solutions with NYC EM Interagency Coordination - with Doug Bainton

DTP Season 4 Ep 177 Comparing Air Force EM To University EM with for. Airman, Deputy Dir. Vanessa Flores

DTP Season 4 Ep 176: East Coast vs West Coast in EM with PBEM Director Shad Ahmed

DTP Season 4 Ep 175: The Five I’s of Gaza with Military Expert, Director Chris De Ruyter

DTP Season 4 Ep 174: There Is No Such Thing As Balance with John Scardena

DTP Season 4, EP #173 : Improving Readiness Through Risk Assessment with Barry Moss

DTP Season 4, EP #172 : Mastering Emotions in the Media Spotlight with Prescott Nadeau

DTP Season 4 EP #171 : Looking forward to the National US&R Conference with Chief Walt Lewis

DTP Season 4 EP #170 - Plan, Act, Optimize: Leadership Interview with Richard Danforth, CEO of Genasys

DTP Season 4 EP #169 - Stop Getting Schooled By Disaster: 3 Tips to Improve School Readiness

DTP Season 4 EP #168 - Sounds of Hawaii... Six Lessons Learned From the Maui Wildfires

DTP Season 4, EP #167 A New Kind of Hurricane Responder - L3 Harris Webinar with John Scardena & Zack Borst

DTP Season 4 #166 Leading the “A” Team of Animal Care In Disaster Interview with Susan Anderson of ASPCA

DTP Season 4 #165 Big News - Bigger Ideas with John, Zack, and Prescott

DTP Season 4 EP#164 You Should Never Compromise This.

DTP Season 4, EP #163 How to Avoid Burnout in Emergency Management

DTP Season 4: Ep #162 From Churchill Downs to University of Kentucky - Organizational EM with Sarah Razor

DTP Season 4: Ep #161 How to land a job: The Do's and Don'ts of Job Hunting

DTP Season 4: Ep #160 Emergency Medical & Emergency Management: with Portland's Expert Paramedic, Jake Shores

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

DTP Season 4 #158 The DHS Safety Act: An Important EM Readiness Tool - Interview with Latasha Thompson

DTP Season 4 #157 Emerging Technology in Emergency Management & Response - Interview with EM Weekly Host, Zack Borst

DTP Season 4 #156 How To Create A Success School Safety Program: Tasks, Organization, Approach

DTP Season 4 #155 The 3 Underutilized Tips in Communications (That Will Improve Your Life in EM)

DTP Season 4 #154: Atmospheric River Incidents at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo

DTP Season 4 #153: Innovation in Active Shooter Mitigation (EM & Physical Security Assessments)

DTP Season 4 #152: You Need A "Branding Operations Plan" Interview with Noble Creative Collective Co. Founders

DTP Season 4 #151: Everything You Need To Know About Press Briefs - Interview with Prescott Nadeau

DTP Season 4 #150: Slack VP Talks About Lifelines - Interview with Mark “Whit” Whittington

DTP Season 4 #149: Police Need Emergency Managers - Interview with Corporal Haley Evans

DTP Season 4 #148: Reaction to the East Palestine Ohio Train Disaster - Interview with Eric Helpenstell

DTP Season 4 #147: The Waverly Train Disaster 45 Years Later: How it Changed EM Forever - Interview with Yasmine S. Ali, M.D.

DTP Season 4 #146: Creating a Better Pipeline of Information for Emergency Responders - Interview with Lindsay Sander of Buxus

DTP Season 4 #145: Leading By Example: Mentoring The Rising Generation in Emergency Services - Interview with Martin Killion

DTP Season 4 #144: Emergency Managers as Diplomats & Ambassadors - Interview with Dillon Taylor

DTP Season 4 #143 Florida Hazardous Materials Symposium Recap & Roundtable

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

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

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

#139 BONUS - Wesley & John Kickback at DyPop

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

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

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

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

#134 Breaking out of Old Molds, the Many Paths of Emergency Management - Interview with Shawn Steadman

#133 Right Message, Right People, Right Time - Interview with Prescott Nadeau

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

BONUS: Make It Better & Disaster Tough Collaboration

#131 The Preparedness Guy Returns - Interview with Nat Sellers

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

#129 A 2022 Retrospective for Emergency Management Worldwide - Interview with Kyle King

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

#127 A Look Back at National Preparedness Month & EM Weekly Preview - Discussion with Zack Borst, New Host of EM Weekly

#126 The Hoosier Approach to Readiness in Clark County, Indiana - Interview with Gavan Hebner

#125 Rising to the Readiness Occasion at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport - Interview with Michael Rega, Emergency Planner

#124 Preparing For The Good - Commentary by Disaster Tough Podcast Host John Scardena

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

#122 "The Philly Special" - EM Style - Interview with Director Dominick Mireles of Philadelphia's Office of Emergency Management

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

#120 The Recipe for Quality Emergency Management - Interview with Rachell Laucevicius

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

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

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

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

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

#114 Emergency Management on Campus - Interview with Debbi Fletcher

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

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

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

#110 Working with Search & Rescue - Conference Report

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

#108 Revamping Mass Messaging - Interview with Eddie Bertola

#107 Small Town, Big Heart, and Big Readiness - Interview with Mayor John Morris III of White Castle, Louisiana

#106 Coordination, Collaboration & Compassion in EM - Interview with Erica Bornemann, Director of Vermont Emergency Management

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

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

#103 Be Ready, Be Steady - Interview with Homeland Security Officer Sgt. Nick Golden

#102 Master of the Preparedness Arts - Interview with The Preparedness Guy

#101 When You're, Training, You're Gaining - Interview with Dr. Stephen Johnson

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

#99 Crushing the Minimum Standard - Interview with Public Information Officers: Connor Wist and Eric Hurst of South Metro Fire & Rescue

#98 Interview with Justin Pierce, EM Director of LAX

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

#96 Security and Emergency Management - Interview with Zack Borst

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

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

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

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

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

#90 Disaster Tough After Action

#89 Football & Christmas! Interview with Matt Hernandez

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

#87 NATO VS US: An International Perspective on Emergency Management with Kyle King

#86 USAR Recap: Chief Walt Lewis of Orlando Fire

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

#84 Happy Thanksgiving! FEMA Administrator Brock Long Episode

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

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

#81 Building Local Emergency Management Teams: Interview with Andrew Donawa

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

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

#78 Thoughts on Preparedness - Interview with Kyle McPhee

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

#76 Preparing Cities - Interview with Asher Morris

#75- Ashley Lauria-Golden is back with BIG NEWS!

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

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

#72 How to Network in Emergency Management with John Scardena

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

#70 The EM Student - Interview with Host Franzi Economy

#69 Collaboration in the Disaster Zone - Interview with host Eric Holdeman

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

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

#66 Qualifying Emergency Managers - Interview with FEMA's Kevin Coleman

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

#64 State of Emergency - Interview with Todd DeVoe

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

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

#61 USAR & Emergency Management - Interview with Chief Walt Lewis

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

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

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

#57 Trailblazing Emergency Management- Interview with FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor

#56 Mitigation In Action - Interview with Jack Krolikowski

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

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

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

#52 The Purpose of Training - Interview with Jayson Kratoville

#51 The DNA of an Emergency Manager - Interview with Kevin Pigg

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

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

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

#47 Interview with Jessi Nalepa Former FEMA Director of External Affairs

#46 The Last House Standing Documentary -Interview with Director George Siegal

#45 Emergency Management Analytics: Interview with Caitlin Von Stein

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

#43 Interview with Former FEMA Administrator Brock Long

#42 Risk Management: Responding to Threat - Interview with William Jackson

#41 2021 Domestic Terrorism, USAR Perspective- Joe Hernandez Returns For Another Interview!

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

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

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

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

#36 The Rise of Covid And Your Value

#35 Santa and Space Weather with Jason Clap

#34 Interview with the FEMA National IMAT Red Operations Chief Tim Britt

#33 The Pilgrims

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

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

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

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

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

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

#26 Federal Response to Disasters with FEMA Corps Program Liaison Kevin Coleman

#25 October - The 2020 All Hazards Month

#24 Thunderclap! Wildfires & Hurricanes with Emergency Manager Meteorologist Jason Clapp

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

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

#21 National Preparedness Month: Major Disaster Prep

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#9 Tactical Level Disaster Drones!

#8 Hurricane Season and the Emergency Management Need to Knows

#7 Catastrophic Dam Failures in Michigan

#6 Lessons in leadership with the expert emergency manager Rodney Melsek

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

#4 PART 1 The Humanitarian Life, Interview with Cam Starrett

#3 COVID 19 Situational Awareness

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

#1 Pandemic, Earthquakes, Tornadoes! Oh my!