Podcast
Beyond the Dispatch
Hosted by Beyond the Dispatch · EN
Welcome to BTD, where we go beyond the uniform to explore the untold stories, personal struggles, and triumphs of first responders/ military members.
34episodes
Episodes
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Chicago PD to Clinical Psychologist: Trauma, PTSD, and Healing for First Responders | BTD Ep. 43
Jan 2701:35:49Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Beyond The Dispatch, we sit down with Dr. Carrie Steiner, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of First Responders Wellness Center. Carrie spent 13 years with the Chicago Police Department, where she experienced the realities of policing firsthand, including a police-involved shooting and the loss of her partner while off duty.After leaving law enforcement, she transitioned into psychology, focusing her work on first responder trauma, PTSD, and nervous system regulation. We talk about why she made that shift and practical tools first responders can use to better manage stress and trauma.Still Here 🤙🏻🎧 BTD Website: https://www.BeyondtheDispatch.com
Transcribe →From Local Policing to the El Chapo Investigation | Mario Elias’ Story | BTD Ep. 42
Jan 2001:36:59Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Beyond The Dispatch, we sit down with Mario Elias, a retired law enforcement veteran with 30 years of service at the Elgin Police Department.For 20 of those years, Mario served as a Task Force Officer (TFO) with the Drug Enforcement Administration, operating deep undercover across the globe. His work took him from California and Chicago to Spain and beyond, embedded in high-level narcotics investigations that most only hear about long after the cases are closed.Mario shares firsthand insight into the realities of undercover work, the mental and personal toll of living multiple lives, and his involvement in major cases tied to international drug trafficking organizations — including El Chapo and the Flores brothers, Pedro and Margarito.This is a rare look behind the curtain from someone who lived it.Listen & Support Below:BTD Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/2jRR6F60PV7sTWWNIsLVJF?si=tkmapUPKS4SIyvMA_pqI4gBTD YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@theBTDpodBTD Merch:https://www.beyondthedispatch.com
Transcribe →Behind the Badge: K9 Tambo, Explosive Detection, and a Handler’s Bond | BTD Ep. 41
Jan 1301:15:20Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Beyond The Dispatch, we sit down with Chris Bingham, the handler and partner of retired explosive detection K9 Tambo.Chris shares what it truly means to work alongside a K9 at the federal level — the trust, the pressure, and the bond that forms when your partner is responsible for keeping people alive. We talk about Tambo’s years of service in explosive detection, what life looks like after retirement, and the reality many working dogs face once the uniform comes off.The conversation takes a hard turn as Chris opens up about Tambo’s cancer diagnosis and the emotional toll of watching a partner who gave everything now fight for his life. We also discuss the lack of long-term support for retired K9s, why organizations like Project K9 Hero are so critical, and what needs to change to better honor these silent professionals.This episode is about loyalty, sacrifice, and the unseen cost of service — not just for the handler, but for the dog who never hesitated to step forward.Listen & Support Below:BTD Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/2jRR6F60PV7sTWWNIsLVJF?si=tkmapUPKS4SIyvMA_pqI4gBTD YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@theBTDpodBTD Merch:https://www.beyondthedispatch.com
Transcribe →A Mother’s Perspective: My Son Was Shot in the Line of Duty | Beyond The Dispatch
Jan 602:00:13Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Beyond The Dispatch, Dom’s mom, Connie, joins us for one of the most personal conversations we’ve ever had on the show.We talk about Dom’s childhood, his decision to join the U.S. Coast Guard, and eventually law enforcement — and what it’s really like watching your child choose a career built around danger and service. Connie opens up about the constant worry, the silent fears, and the emotional toll that comes with being the parent of a first responder.This conversation goes even deeper as we walk through Dom’s shooting in the line of duty and the impact it had not just on him, but on his entire family. Connie shares what that moment was like from a mother’s perspective, how it changed her, and what the recovery process looked like behind the scenes — the uncertainty, the strength, and the moments no one sees.We also talk about Dom’s recovery, resilience, and how the family navigated life after everything changed.This is a raw, honest, and emotional episode about family, fear, strength, and the bonds that hold us together when everything feels like it’s falling apart.Still Here 🤙🏻👉 Follow Beyond The Dispatch for real conversations with first responders, military members, and their families — the stories that don’t always get told.Listen & Support Below:BTD Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/2jRR6F60PV7sTWWNIsLVJF?si=tkmapUPKS4SIyvMA_pqI4gBTD YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@theBTDpodBTD Merch:https://www.beyondthedispatch.com
Transcribe →USMC Infantry Combat Vet Matt Spaid: PTSD Collapse, VA Failure, and the Fight Back to Life | BTD Ep. 37
Dec 902:31:37Tap to summarizeBefore the VA ever failed him… before the mindfulness training… before the mental clarity that helped him survive that flight…Marine infantry combat veteran Matt Spaid suffered a total psychological collapse that nearly ended everything.After two deployments with the Corps, years of blast exposure, a traumatic brain injury no one recognized, and nonstop trauma in the fire service, Matt’s life finally buckled. He lost his sense of direction, couldn’t find his way home, slipped into paranoia, thought contractors were following him, and spiraled into a full psychotic break the system wasn’t prepared to handle — or willing to.And when he reached out for help, the VA turned him away.Misdiagnosed. Overmedicated. Gaslit. Ignored.Just like thousands of other combat vets who come home and discover the war didn’t end — it just changed shape.Months later, when a wave of flashbacks hit him on a flight from Montana to Anchorage, Matt didn’t break. He stayed aware. He stayed present. He regulated. It was the moment he realized he was rebuilding.This episode follows Matt’s entire arc — Iraq to Afghanistan-era training, two deployments, the collapse after firefighting, the VA psych ward, Camp Hope, the brain clinic, and ultimately the birth of Operation Antifragile, a program designed to save the men the system continues to fail.This is one of the rawest mental health journeys we’ve put on the mic. Heavy, honest, and human.Still Here 🤙🏻👉 Follow Beyond the Dispatch for raw stories that bring our heroes out of the shadows — and give them the mic.BTD Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jRR6F60PV7sTWWNIsLVJF?si=tkmapUPKS4SIyvMA_pqI4gBTD YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theBTDpodBTD Merch: https://www.BeyondtheDispatch.com(Include YouTube episode link once uploaded.)
Transcribe →RELOADED* Project Fire Buddies: Firefighter Kurt DeGroot’s Mission to Uplift Terminally Ill Kids EP 21
Nov 2501:31:53Tap to summarizeThey’re not just visiting sick kids. They’re helping them live better—sometimes until their final day.Kurt DeGroot created Project Fire Buddies to connect firefighters with children battling life-threatening illnesses. It started small—one crew, one family, one moment of joy. Now it’s a national movement built on heart, humanity, and the kind of strength you can’t fake.🎧 Subscribe for weekly episodes that bring you inside the minds of America’s warriors — after the fight ends.Chapters00:00 Intro – Kurt DeGroot & Project Fire Buddies 00:03:15 Why Firefighters Are Built for This Mission 00:08:24 The First Family That Changed Everything 00:15:42 Building Fire Buddies from the Ground Up 00:22:50 Pediatric Cancer and the Role of Community 00:30:33 When the Job Becomes Personal 00:37:58 The Story of Noah – One More Good Day 00:46:18 Expanding Nationally & Growing the Impact 00:55:06 What the Public Doesn’t See 01:03:44 Kurt’s Advice to Firefighters Everywhere 01:10:21 Final Reflections – Why the Work Must Continue#ProjectFireBuddies #FirefighterStories #KurtDeGroot #BeyondTheDispatch #ChildhoodCancerAwareness
Transcribe →First Responder Therapist Melissa: PTSD, Burnout & Why Our Heroes Are Breaking | BTD Ep. 36
Nov 1802:05:06Tap to summarizeThe people who save everyone else rarely have anyone saving them. Today, the therapist trusted by firefighters, police officers, and medics sits down and exposes what our first responders are really carrying behind the uniform.Melissa — owner of Sugar Grove Wellness and a licensed clinical social worker of 23 years — opens up about the childhood trauma that shaped her, the suicides that still haunt her, and how she became one of the most sought-after first responder therapists in Illinois.She breaks down the silent signs of PTSD, the burnout destroying families, the anger that hides grief, and why so many first responders are terrified to ask for help. She also reveals the mental-health programs she’s building inside departments — programs already saving lives because someone finally stepped in before it was too late.This conversation is raw, emotional, and deeply human. A rare look into the healer behind the heroes.Still Here 🤙🏻👉 Follow Beyond the Dispatch for raw stories that bring our heroes out of the shadows — and give them the mic.🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theBTDpod🛒 BTD Merch: https://www.BeyondtheDispatch.com🎧 Spotify Show Page: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jRR6F60PV7sTWWNIsLVJF?si=tkmapUPKS4SIyvMA_pqI4g
Transcribe →From Addiction to Fatherhood: Mike Rusnak’s Battle with Alcohol, Recovery, and Resilience | BTD Ep.35
Nov 1101:22:31Tap to summarizeMike Rusnak opens up about his battle with alcohol addiction and how it nearly cost him everything. From hitting rock bottom to rebuilding his life through recovery, fitness, and faith, Mike’s story is one of resilience and redemption. We talk about the importance of buying in to recovery, the mental battles of IVF, and the emotional rollercoaster of becoming a father — only to learn his son was born with congenital glaucoma. The fight never ends, but Mike proves that with the right mindset, you can overcome anything.Still Here 🤙🏻🎙️ Beyond The Dispatch — real stories of first responders, veterans, and everyday warriors.🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theBTDpod
Transcribe →Atlanta Detective Run Over on Duty: Left for Dead, and the System That Nearly Broke Him | BTD Ep. 34
Nov 602:04:27Tap to summarizeHe called his wife to say goodbye — certain he’d never make it home.Atlanta Police Detective Patrick Apoian was crushed beneath a suspect’s car during a violent takedown. His body broke. His radio went dead. And as he lay bleeding on the asphalt, he made one last call to tell his wife and seven-year-old son he loved them.But he didn’t die.He fought his way back — through broken bones, corrupt politics, and the betrayal of a system that was supposed to protect him. From his recovery to winning the Broken City Award, to taking on Georgia’s foster care failures, Patrick’s story isn’t about tragedy — it’s about refusing to quit.This episode will gut you, inspire you, and remind you why we say it:Still Here 🤙🏻👉 Follow Beyond the Dispatch for raw stories that bring our heroes out of the shadows — and give them the mic.🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theBTDpod
Transcribe →Deputy Chief Dan Jungles: Blood, Fire & the Burden of the Badge in Will County | BTD Ep. 33
Oct 2101:51:16Tap to summarizeHe’s spent 26 years walking through blood, fire, and heartbreak — and he’s still standing.Deputy Chief Dan Jungles of the Will County Sheriff’s Office opens up about the calls that scarred him, the mental toll of leadership, and why he’s running for Will County Sheriff. From the chaos of murder scenes and overdoses to the fight for transparency, accountability, and officer wellness — this episode digs into the real cost of the badge.It’s not a campaign piece. It’s a human one — about trauma, family, and what it means to serve when the weight never really lifts.👉 Follow Beyond the Dispatch for raw stories that bring our heroes out of the shadows — and give them the mic.🎧 Watch on YouTube → youtube.com/@theBTDpod👕 Shop Official Merch → BeyondtheDispatch.comStill Here 🤙🏻
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