The Get Balanced Podcast, with Dr. Donnie Hutchinson: Recent Episodes
Donnie Hutchinson
If you’re looking to hear some impactful stories of a Servant & Holistic Leader in the fire service, then Chief Scott Stanton’s story will not let you down. You’ll learn about his active career in Oregon and as a federal firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service. Chief Stanton is a lifelong learner and instills this trait into the members of ...
We are kicking off season 4 with an incredibly helpful podcast from Chief John Schmidt of Pasco County, who also serves on the board of the IAFC SHS section. John discusses the importance of being mindful that our firefighters are also husbands, wives, brothers, and sisters. He talks about being intentional with his health and the health of the firefighters ...
In Episode 153, Chief Todd LeDuc (Ret) and I have a discussion with East Hartford, CT IAFF Local 1548 Presiden Brian Gunnoud. We discuss union leadership, the IAFF Health Trust, Behavioral Health, Life Scan physicals, and much more …
In Episode 152, Chief Todd LeDuc (Ret) and I have a discussion with Chief DeSmith about his career journey including his health and safety officer experience at Renton Regional Fire Authority, his recent experience at FDSOA, and the current health and wellness trends within the fire service.
In Episode 151, Chief Todd LeDuc (Ret) and I discuss Robbi King’s career journey, Vector Solutions’ learning management system, occupational health, behavioral wellness, and much more. For more information on Vector Solutions, please visit Vector Solutions.
In Ep. 50, we speak with Dr. Reyna about her personal experience and research on Traumatic Brain Injury. Her husband, Humberto was in a horrific auto accident while on duty as a North Carolina State Trooper. The accident resulted in 24/365 care. Listen as she shares her experience as a caretaker and researcher on TBI. If you would like to ...
In Ep 149, Chief Todd LeDuc (Ret) discusses with Dr. Donnie the megatrends in the fire service. Listen and discover the latest challenges and how the fire service is coming together to discover solutions and support each other.
In episode 148, Chief Todd LeDuc (Ret) and Dr. Donnie discuss with Firefighter Kory Pearn (KP) his journey in creating Crackyl Magazine. Crackyl is the first magazine dedicated to the health and wellness of firefighters. For more information and to subscribe, please visit www.crakylmag.com
In Ep. 147, Chief Todd LeDuc (Ret) delivers a high-level overview of the upcoming Fire Department Safety Officers Association annual Health and Safety Conference. It will be held at the Tradewinds Island Grand in St. Pete’s Beach, Florida from January 15 – 18, 2023. The conference brings together the most informative firefighter researchers, speakers, and trainers from America. For more ... Read More
In Ep. 146, we chat with Center for Public Safety Excellence CEO Preet Bassi about her career journey, CPSE programs, health and wellness, mentorship, and much more…..
In Ep 145, Chief Todd LeDuc (Ret) talks in detail about AFG Grant Applications provided by FEMA. Todd takes a deep dive into the do’s and don’ts of writing grant applications. He also reviews FAQs and does an end-to-end walkthrough of the process. This is an outstanding educational episode where FREE money is involved. For more info, please visit www.fema.gov/grants ... Read More
In Ep. 144, I’m talking about breaking work-life balance into three categories. I discuss the importance of taking Action, being Bullish, and staying Committed to your priorities in life. Listen as I share some insight on how to balance all the areas in your life through an ABC approach. Need some additional help? Please check out my online courses that ... Read More
In Ep. 143, I’m giving you a pep talk on attaining a greater work-life balance. I discuss the importance of mastering the basics. Listen as I share some insight on how to balance all the areas in your life. Need some additional help? Please check out my online courses that will help you keep your priorities front and center while ... Read More
In Ep. 142, I’m talking about why balancing all the roles we play in life matters. I discuss the practice of work-life balance and how balance ebbs and flows. Listen as I share some insight on how to remember to balance all the areas in your life. Need some additional help? Please check out my online courses that will help ... Read More
In Ep. 141, we are talking with Dr. Brittany Hollerbach, Deputy Director, Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research, NRDI-USA. We discuss Dr. Hollerbach’s work on women firefighter health issues, her fire service and academic research journey, Covid, and her research focus on firefighter health & wellness.
In Ep. 140, I’m talking with my oldest daughter, Rachel Hutchinson. We discuss the challenges (and benefits) of working remotely. Listen as she shares some insight on how challenging it can be to work remotely regarding one’s self-care and work-life balance. Need some additional help? Please check out my online courses that will help you keep your priorities front and ... Read More
In Episode 139, we talk with Baltimore County, MD Fire Chief Joanne Rund regarding her career path at Howard County. We then shift to her leading the Baltimore County, MD Fire Dept. Our discussion points include concerns such as women in the fire service, health and wellness, IAFC Safety, Health & Survival Section, behavioral wellness, and much more.
In Ep. 138, I’m talking about keeping it simple. We don’t need to overcomplicate our lives. There is a power in simplicity. The easier it is to do, the more likely you will do it. Listen as I share some insight on how self-care is foundational to work-life balance and effective relationships at home. Need some additional help? Please check ... Read More
In Ep. 137, I’m talking about how food, water, and shelter are the basics of preparing for a hurricane. This is similar to how self-care is foundational to work-life balance. Need some additional help? Please check out my online courses that will help you keep your priorities front and center while you develop a work-life balance implementation plan. Online Courses
In Ep. 136, I’m talking about scoring more touchdowns in life for and with your family. You and your spouse are essentially the quarterbacks of your family team. Teaching and coaching your children through the ups and downs and how to score more wins in life is the highlight of this podcast. Listen as I share how to successfully get ... Read More
Don’t miss this one! We discuss Chief Goldfeder’s four-decade fire service journey, the Secret List and Firefighter Close Calls, his Pass It On book series, recent cancer diagnoses, and his 40+ Fire Campaign sponsored by Life Scan Wellness Centers to raise awareness of the importance of early detection.
In Ep. 134, I share how my work-life balance ebbs and flows. There are times when we simply run out of time or just have too many competing priorities. Listen as I share how to successfully get through these times by listening to the early warning signs. Need some additional help? Please check out my online courses that will help ... Read More
In episode 133, we discuss Chief Donna Black’s career journey from bed and breakfast to the chief of department for the beachside Town of Duck, NC. We also discuss her vision for her term in 2022-2023 as President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and much more….
In Ep. 132, my college kids, Gabriella and Hannah are in the guest seats. I’m blessed to have them in my life and on the podcast to share their perspectives on how parents can support and guide their college students back to school. Need some additional help? Please check out my online courses that will help you keep your ... Read More
In Ep 131 of the Life Scan Learning Lab edition, we discuss Chief Rhodes recently retired as chief of dept of the Nashua, NH Fire Dept and the IAFC North East Division Director. We discuss his career, behavioral wellness, Life Scan early detection, and much more.
In Ep. 130, “I’m talking about preparing, guiding and leading your children back to school”. Whether your children are in elementary, middle, or high school, setting them up for success is a vital part of parenting. And I believe their success begins with you. Listen as I discuss the reflect, reset, and rebalance model as a tool on how to ... Read More
In episode 129, Chief Gary Kirchbaum (Ret) discusses his fire service career with Prince Georges County, MD Fire Department, his work now at the First Responder Center for Excellence, and a pearl of leadership wisdom!
In Ep. 128, “I’m talking about living your life with enthusiasm to help fulfill your work-life balance”. Are you waking up in the morning with a smile, happy, and grateful thoughts that fuel your high energy, or are you waking up worrying about the stresses of the day? Our morning habits and routines can make or break our productivity for ... Read More
In Ep. 127, I’m talking about “I’m talking about creating a vision for your work-life balance”. How do you want things to be in your life with your family relationships, and your physical, mental, social, and spiritual health? If you can picture it, think it, and speak it, you are creating your vision. Our physical lives follow our most dominant ... Read More
In Ep. 126, I’m talking about “How Work-Life Balance is a Strategic Path to Family Success and Fulfillment. Two of the top universal priorities in life are one’s health and family. Therefore, balancing the demands of work with health and family responsibilities is paramount to success. Listen as I share evidence-based research on how to take the first step in ... Read More
Chief Todd LeDuc discusses with Steve Greene his career and service to the fire service after Steve’s career-ending injury. Listen as Steve shares the wonderful work his non-profit, 5-Alarm Task Force Corp is doing today. You can learn more from Steve at www.-alarmtaskforcecorp.org
In Ep. 124, I’m talking about “How to Manage Your Inner Voice”, that chatter that goes on in your mind. If you are like most, do you have thoughts of sunshine, thunderstorms, and rainbows? We all have positive and negative thoughts. The key to managing your inner chatter is the focus of this podcast. Listen as I get personal on ... Read More
Chief John Butler discusses his marine corp combat experience, his unlikely journey into the fire service, his time at Howard County, his current service as Fire Chief of Fairfax County, VA., serving as the 2nd VP of the IAFC, and much more…
In Ep. 122, I’m talking about how your spouse and children are watching you. They are watching how you are doing with your health & wellness, family relationships, work, and all areas of your life. How are you doing with leading your family? Are your daily behaviors in alignment with your priorities in life? Listen as Dr. Donnie explores the ... Read More
Listen as Todd and Donnie give a mid-year update and discuss what’s coming up for the 2nd half of 2022!
What are your windows of summertime? In other words, what kind of things do you plan on doing with your family, health, & wellness? Listen as Dr. Donnie provides some fun summer activities that you can do with your spouse, children, and wellness. Summertime is a great time to reconnect and further align your daily behaviors with your priorities in ... Read More
We discuss his career journey, Maynard FD, his educational journey, the impact of Life Scan on his organization, and his own personal health journey.
Living a well-balanced life is all about the ebb and flow of priorities. It’s important to understand perfection is not the goal. Finding and sustaining success in one’s health & wellness, family relationships, and career is about managing the ebb and flow. Listen as Dr. Donnie discusses some strategies on how to manage the hills and valleys of living life.
In Episode 117, we discuss Vicki’s fire service journey including her time at the IAFC where she worked to get First Net off the ground, what she is doing now, and the role of technology in the fire service.
Is finding balance possible? You bet it is. We first need to decide for ourselves what is balance? In episode 116, Dr. Donnie works to inspire and encourage you to begin taking action to find your balance of passions. He pulls from past episodes of how others have found balance. These first responders include Andy Starnes, Reginald Freeman, Frank Leeb, ... Read More
In Episode 115, Chief Todd LeDuc and I discuss Chief Drozd’s fire service journey, his new role as the NFPA liaison for the Metro Chiefs Section, and his utilization of Life Scan Wellness at Seminole County, FL Fire Department, and more.
In Ep. 114 of “The Get Balanced Podcast,” host Dr. Donnie Hutchinson is speaking with Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, our U.S. Fire Administrator. This episode is filled with outstanding advice and stories from one of the most influential and kindest leaders in the fire service. Listen as she discusses in-depth the immediate need for proactive “resiliency” training for our Gen Z ... Read More
We discuss Chief Johnson’s fire career journey along with what are the latest advancements at Loudon County, VA Combined Fire-Rescue system. The conversation continues with discussing his term as President of the Virginia Chiefs Association, behavioral health priorities, and work-life balance.
This is 100% an Instant Classic! Listen as Dr. & Oakland Fire Chief Reginald Freeman begins with a story about how he leads by example by prioritizing his family. He extends his vulnerabilities by opening up and sharing his work-life balance stories. He discusses in-depth his upbringing, family, faith, and his servant leadership style. If you know Chief Freeman, you ... Read More
We discuss the Chief’s fire service career and journey including his current effort leading the Arlington County, VA Fire Dept. We get into technology, leadership, and his department’s utilization of Life Scan for their early detection.
What if you aligned your actions with your priorities in life? What if you don’t? Will there be ramifications? Good or bad? In episode 110, Dr. Donnie works to inspire and encourage you to begin taking action on your priorities in life. Oftentimes, these priorities have something to do with health & wellness and close family relationships.
He fell in love with firefighting at the age of 16. Listen as we chat with Deputy Chief Sean Downs about his career journey including his progression at DC Fire & EMS, the regional approach of the Metro Washington Council of Government, his Life Scan Wellness Centers physical experience with Chief Donnelly, and his family.
In episode 108 Dr. Donnie teaches about situational stress awareness and how we can mitigate much of our preventable stress. Listen and learn how positive spillover is a viable answer to many of our preventable stressors. Reduce our stressors and our work-life balance improves.
We connect with the Director and Deputy Director of the Office of the Florida State Fire Marshall and discuss careers, health and wellness, personal cancer journeys, work aimed at cancer prevention from the State of Florida, and the role LSWC physical played in saving his life!
In episode 106 Dr. Donnie teaches how self-care is the foundational means to achieving work-life balance. Balance is all about aligning your daily behaviors with your priorities in life. Good health and positive family relationships have been the top two priorities for thousands of firefighters and law enforcement officers that have attended my workshops. Listen and learn that when you ... Read More
Capt. Scott Mullins, who is the President of the Professional Firefighters of North Carolina, discusses their efforts to pass NC legislation for cancer presumption benefits, the work of the PFNC, his career, and the need for expanded access to comprehensive early detection physicals for first responders.
In episode 104 Dr. Donnie discusses the importance of improving your work-life balance by taking one step at a time. Balance is all about aligning your daily behaviors with your priorities in life. Good health and positive family relationships are the top two priorities of most people. Listen and learn how to rediscover your priorities in life and the importance ... Read More
We discuss with Dr. & Chief Smith his career beginning with his Military service to his firefighter career in Orlando and now as fire chief at Charlottesville Fire. We discuss many aspects and styles of leadership. You also get to meet Brandon, one of his Charlottesville firefighters who had bladder cancer discovered early thanks to his annual Life Scan annual ... Read More
Ep. 102 proudly shares the positive personality and wisdom of Investigative Sgt. Eric McCants. If you’re on Linkedin, you might know Eric. He shares inspirational and encouraging words to help law enforcement offices and all first responders. Listen as Eric shares his authentic philosophy behind his attitude of success with work, health, and family relationships.
Newport News, VA Fire Chief Jeff Johnson- we discuss his time as deputy chief of Kansas City, MO FD, east versus west fire service perspectives, Surviving the Fire Service chapter on fire ground survival, the Newport News Fire Department and Life Scan Wellness Centers coming to Newport News for enhanced early detection.
Ep. 100 proudly showcases Sherri Martin, the Director of Wellness Services for the National Fraternal Order of Police. Listen as Sherri and I discuss her thoughts and wisdom on the top three challenges of wellness and her personal top three priorities in life. This episode is filled with exciting news and information on how wellness is growing and positively affecting change ... Read More
Jonathan Tate, DC Firefighter and Founder of Food on the Stove is working to change the health and wellness of members of the fire service from around the kitchen table. Listen to his passion, drive to change the firehouse food culture, on and off duty, and the innovative partnership with Life Scan Wellness Centers to demonstrate how healthy living can ... Read More
In episode 98 Dr. Donnie discusses the importance of improving your work-life balance journey today, don’t wait until tomorrow because tomorrow often never comes. Balance is all about aligning your daily behaviors with your priorities in life. Good health and positive family relationships are the top two priorities of most people. Listen and learn how to rediscover your priorities in ... Read More
In Ep. 97, Chief Todd LeDuc and I have a discussion with Dave Fischler, Ret. Suffolk County NY Fire Commissioner. WE discuss NY Chiefs, IAFC, 9/11 illness, and a brand new discussion: Firefighter head trauma. Don’t miss the latest news on firefighter head trauma.
In episode 96 Dr. Donnie discusses the need for personal accountability regarding work-life balance and self-care. I witness personal accountability on the job all the time. However, do we have the same drive for our personal health and family relationships? Or do we blame others, the system, genetics, or anything in between for not getting what we desire in life? ... Read More
Chief Todd LeDuc, Ret., and I take a look back at 2021 and discuss some of the highlights and all the special friends on the podcast. Chief Todd then discusses what to look for in 2022. It’s going to be a great year!
An incredibly helpful podcast episode for all firefighters, first responders, and anyone that needs some help with balance. Chief John Dixon delivers an instant classic with his openness, wisdom, and sharing of his best practices. There are at least twelve golden nuggets of how to live a balanced life. Be sure to listen when John talks about his accountability network! ... Read More
Chief Keith Bryer serves as the Chief of Dept. for Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Fire Rescue, an internationally accredited department. We discuss, succession, leadership lessons, empowerment, prioritizing health, wellness, and safety to include Life Scan Wellness physicals.
In episode 92,” I discuss the inner details of work-life balance. I begin by encouraging some of you to not get caught up in the term work-life balance if that term bothers you. Instead, focus on the components and attributes of WLB. Listen as I discuss the components of WLB to include meeting your health & wellness needs (self-care) that ... Read More
Superintendent of the National Fire Academy Eriks Gabliks discusses his fire service career, journey, service at the Oregon State public safety training institute as well as the offerings of the National Fire Academy, Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg Maryland. We also discussed focusing on the physical and mental well-being of first responders throughout their careers.
In episode 90,” I discuss taking a look ahead in 2022. We begin by reviewing what went right in 2021 with family, health, and work. We then begin looking at all the great things in store for 2022. Listen as I share some best practices on how to achieve your desired 2022 by choosing to take action today. Self-awareness, discipline, ... Read More
From high school English teacher to paramedic to the world of online education, Hilary Gates’s path is like no other. You don’t want to miss this informative podcast where self-care, behavioral health, Alexandria Fire, and Life Scan are the topics of the interview!
Ep. 88 of “Get Balanced Podcast,” host Dr. Donnie Hutchinson shares another classic podcast, Firefighter Capt. Robby Owens! This episode sets the foundation for living a balanced life. Listen as he discusses how legacies don’t really happen versus the impact a first responder can have on people, especially their families. Capt. Robby, aka Average Jake Podcaster, talks about his learned ... Read More