The Fire You Carry
Everyone carries fire. It is inside of you right now. It may be a spark; it may be embers; or it may be full-blown, raging flames. It may have been given to you by someone; maybe passed on from fathers, mothers, grandparents, coaches, or friends. The fire may be acquired from tragedy and difficulties in your own life. Or it may be passed on to you from someone distant; someone you don't even know; but still they have left a mark. These are the things we talk about on this podcast. We, ourselves, have felt this fire. We continue to strive to become better men, husbands, fathers, friends, and citizens. This podcast is the result of our own journey, of our own discoveries; and it is our hope that you will come along with us and discover your own fire. We are constantly interviewing men we respect; men who have kindled their own fires. They may be successful in the workplace, exemplary as a husband or father, or simply set an example in how they stay fit at any stage of life. We are firemen, and we often focus on issues that we face daily: Trauma and PTSD; from how to stay fit when your life might depend on it; to learning how to be present as a husband and father even when we're gone from home a lot of the time. What we are learning applies to the military, law enforcement, EMS, and even UPS drivers. The principles that make anyone a successful man are universal truths that do not change based on a job description or a phase of life. Come, stoke the fires that you carry, and dare to kindle some new ones.
Episodes
216 episodes
209: New Year, New Challenges & Nole gets and Interview.
In this conversation, Nole and Kevin discuss Nole's journey toward the Captain's Academy, exploring the challenges and personal growth that come with it. The discussion shifts to the importance of family time and intentional planning for advent...
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53:52
208: Miguel Aguilar, Rest in Peace Brother.
Miguel Aguilar came on the podcast with Kevin back in December of 2021. His story is truly inspiring and well worth your time. We are reposting this episode because Miguel has tragically passed away. A few months ago, he was followed home by fo...
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1:30:44
207: Resilience, with James Reyes.
In this week's episode, we're back with James Reyes. We really enjoyed the previous conversation with James and wanted to take a deeper dive into the topic of resiliency together. We come at this issue from multiple different angles and regardl...
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1:28:53
206: Christmas, Death & What Matters.
In this week's episode, Kevin and Nole reflect on keeping our focus on the things that matter most. We recently had another death in our department, which always provides a moment to reflect on how tomorrow is never guaranteed. When it comes to...
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45:26
205: Blown Up by an IED in Iraq, with James Reyes.
In this week's episode, we are on with James Reyes. James is here to tell us his story of getting blown up by an IED in Iraq, getting seriously injured as a result, and the journey he went on to overcome those injuries. He went on from there to...
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1:24:40
204: An Unexpected Opportunity Appears
In this week's episode, we are talking about a sudden opportunity that has arisen to possibly promote. Most of the episode hinges on the process that went into making the decision on whether or not we were going to pursue the opportunity and ho...
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48:42
203: Color Code of Awareness with Trevor Graves
In this week's episode, we are joined by Trevor Graves! Trevor came to us with an episode idea, and we quickly roped him into coming on the show to talk about it. The idea from this episode came from a hair-raising experience that Trevor had, a...
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1:17:55
202: Putting Your Faith in the Wrong Places
In this week's episode, Nole shares a personal and somewhat embarrassing story from a time in his life when he put too much of his faith and belief in a man, a man who ended up failing him, at least in his perspective. Where else do we tend to ...
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52:35
201: Idaho, Injury, Politics & Religion with Captain Michael Knobbe
In this week's episode, Nole sits down with Captain Michael Knobbe. If you're a long-time listener to the podcast, you know Michael from episode number 2, along with a couple of others where he guest hosted with us. Today, we're getting into wh...
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1:12:16
200: Reflecting on Four Years of Podcasting, to Commemorate Episode #200!
This is episode 200, a big milestone for us! Join us as we reflect on the last four years of this podcast, you guys have made it worth the time and effort and we can't thank you enough.
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50:32
A Special Bonus Challenge Episode!
Join us in the following challenge!-200 box step-ups every day for 30 days. -Starting on November 1st (or whatever day you listen to this)-The minimum standard is 200 step-ups; you pick the height you can do.-The prescribed ...
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8:15
199: Kevin Are You Ok?
In this week's episode, Kevin gets personal about something he's been struggling with, how it came to his attention, and what he's doing about it. We all need to have corner men in our lives to help us when we're going through the fights of lif...
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45:32
198: Five Ways to Not Create Spoiled Brats, or Five Ways to Affirm Your Children
In this week's episode, we're talking through 5 ways to affirm your children without creating a spoiled child that's intolerable to be around and unable to operate in society. These points come to us from a great email Kevin received from Men i...
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32:58
197: Say No & Take a Break.
It might be time to start saying no. It might be time to take a break. Yes, you are tough; yes, you can do more, help more, show up more, but should you? At what point are you doing too much and sacrificing in the areas that you claim to be the...
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45:16
196: The False Summit.
In this week's episode, Kevin and Nole delve into the phenomenon of the false summit. Many of us have encountered this during our adventures out in the wilds, and like many things we come in contact with in the physical world, it contains some ...
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31:33
195: Nefarious, the Demonic, a Chink in Your Armor & Life Lessons in Roller Hockey.
In this week's episode, we discuss the movie "Nefarious" and the demonic influence in our world. We also get into what make "home", home. We've got a handful of uplifting stories and a unique call to action for you that we hope you can help us ...
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52:51
194: When Leadership Fails to Communicate.
In this week's episode, we are talking about the detrimental effects of ineffective or nonexistent communication down the chain of command. In the large organization we work for, there often seems to be a lack of communication as to why things ...
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41:47
193: Stabbed Nearly to Death During a Routine Medical Call, with Capitan Ben Vernon.
In this week's episode, we are joined by Captian Ben Vernon of San Diego City Fire. During a routine medical call, Ben and one of his fellow firefighters found themselves fighting for their lives and wound up getting stabbed multiple times. Ben...
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1:39:28
192: The Cost
In this week's episode, Kevin and Nole discuss some of the cons and costs associated with being firemen. They endeavor to answer, "Would you still sign up if you knew what you know now about the job?". While the main topic here is the difficult...
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49:50
191: The Gentle Slope.
The world has sold us on the idea that we deserve to be comfortable at every moment. The world is wrong. Embracing that idea is keeping us mediocre; it's keeping us stuck. It's keeping us from growing. We need to step up as men and put in the h...
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12:54
190: Stolen Valor
In this week's episode, Nole talks about stolen valor. This is an issue that has emerged on the national political stage and while we don't really do current events this is an issue that falls in line with our mission here at The Fire You Carry...
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45:42
189: The Battle For Mental Health, With Scott Henderson.
In this week's episode, we are joined by our good friend Scott Henderson. Scott is a firefighter paramedic with Pasadena Fire, a husband, and a father. He joins us today to talk about The Battle for Mental Health, a boxing event fundraiser that...
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1:17:41
188: Staying in the Fight with Mike Yarbrough of Wolf & Iron.
This week's episode features our friend and fellow podcaster, Mike Yarbrough. Mike is the host of the Wolf and Iron podcast and founder of Rustic and Main. He has been in the space of masculinity and developing men for a decade; in this episode...
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1:15:46
187: Are You Humble, Or Are You Hiding?
In this week's episode, Kevin and Nole dig into our thoughts on humility. Humility is a good personality trait and something we aspire to, but can it be taken too far? Are we holding ourselves back and limiting our impact for good on those arou...
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1:07:02
186: Some Life Lessons Gleaned From Loosing Children, Or, Life Lessons Learned The Hard Way.
In this episode, Nole goes solo to talk through some of the lessons he has picked up along the way after the deaths of two of his and his wife's sons. This episode was recorded close to the 19-year anniversary of the loss of their first son and...
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37:41