Keep the Promise Podcast - Fire Service Lessons for Strength, Resilience, and Real Life
Keep the Promise Podcast is built on lessons from the fire service. It’s for anyone who wants to get stronger, become more resilient, and be ready for real life.
Host TJ shares practical advice on fitness, recovery, mindset, and performance. You’ll learn how to handle stress, build a body that holds up, and show up better at work, at home, and when it matters most.
With nearly two decades in the fire service, TJ shares real experience, honest lessons, and practical insight.
You’ll learn about:
- building strength and conditioning for real life
- preventing injury and recovering well
- improving nutrition, energy, and performance
- building mental toughness and handling stress
- staying disciplined, consistent, and ready
- applying fire service lessons to everyday life
From solo episodes to guest interviews, each episode helps you get stronger, think clearer, and become harder to break.
Hit subscribe and start building a stronger body, a steadier mind, and a life you can be proud of.
Episodes
86 episodes
088. Is Telling Your Story Self-Centered… or Service? (Part 2)
Is telling your story self-centered… or is it service? Jim Burneka walks through the real process of writing Overcoming Tuesday: from trauma-dumping the truth to turning it into a resource that helps firefighters get support. He...
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29:55
087. When the Phone Stops Ringing: The Real Shock of Retirement (Part 1)
Retirement sounds like freedom… until the phone stops ringing. Jim Burneka breaks down what life really feels like after you hang up your gear for the last time: better sleep, sure, but also the ego hit, the identity shift, and ...
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33:35
086. Don’t Take the Fire Service So Seriously [Part 2]
Want to be the calm one when everything goes sideways? This is how you build that. Captain Brian Yonkin talks speaking up, handling imposter thoughts, and using systems to sharpen leadership instead of guessing. Then he tells the story o...
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38:23
085. The Firefighter Fixer Trap (And How To Break Out) [Part 1]
If you’re the “fixer” at home and in your firehouse, this episode will punch you right in the gut. Captain Brian Yonkin breaks down what changed since 2024—promotion to captain, hard family stress, and realizing he was running on fumes w...
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31:54
084. Goodbye...
...to 2025 and hello to 2026!This year either made you better or it made you bitter. In this episode, we close out the year by pulling the real lessons from 2025 and turning them into a simple plan for 2026. We talk standards, hea...
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16:10
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083. It’s Okay Not To Be Okay… But Stop Pretending You’re Fine [Part 2]
You're the fixer. But what happens when it’s you that needs fixing?In this hard-hitting follow-up, Brad Schriefer peels back the layers on substance abuse, trauma loops, and why we suck at taking our own adv...
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44:11
082. The Boiling Frog Problem: How Trauma Creeps Up on Us in the Fire Service [Part 1]
You swore to protect others — but when was the last time you checked in on yourself?Brad Schriefer, a third-generation firefighter and mental health advocate, shares his raw journey through trauma, peer support, and post-traumatic...
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48:58
081. Training In Turnout Gear Could Be Wrecking Your Health [Part 2]
It’s one thing to call out the problem. It’s another to build the solution.In Part 2, Ryan takes us behind the curtain of Carna Bunker Gear — from late-night ideas to market-ready innovation. He shares what it really takes to desi...
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43:07
080. The Gear That's Killing Firefighters [Part 1]
If you're training to be a better firefighter but wrecking your body in the process, you're not alone — and Ryan Conley’s had enough.In this powerful first episode, Ryan breaks down the hidden dangers of training in contaminated b...
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42:02
077. Don't Wear Your Uniform Home [Part 2]
Don’t wear your uniform home—your kids will thank you. Tara Cornett (FLAME Decon) returns with a family-first decon plan: keep gear out of living spaces, run smarter laundry, and make kid station visits safe. ...
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42:33
076. The “Goldilocks” Decon That Firefighters Will Actually Use [Part 1]
If you think “no smoke smell” means you’re clean, you’re wrong. Navy vet and FLAME founder Tara Cornett shows how her multi-charcoal “Goldilocks” blend pulls cancer-causing junk off your skin. Crews tested it af...
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44:00
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075. The Failures Make Me Who I Am [Part 3]
What happens when you take firehouse grit and channel it into building a business? Ralph shares how his passion for the job evolved into launching Cervitas Training Solutions — and how leadership, failure, and brutal lessons learned in the fire...
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41:45
074. You'll Learn Something From Everyone You Work With [Part 2]
Leadership in the fire service isn’t about the badge — it’s about the lives that depend on you. In this episode, Ralph Suppa opens up about the sleepless nights, the toll of responsibility, and the lessons learned from failure. If you’ve ever q...
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33:25
073. The Real Cost of Promotion in the Fire Service [Part 1]
Promotion changes everything — not just your title. In this episode, Captain Ralph Suppa opens up about his journey from rookie firefighter to respected officer, the wins that built him, and the failures that shaped him. From grueling tests to ...
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34:36
072. There Are Two Types of Senior Men: Which One Are You? [Part 2]
You can build something incredible and still serve. In Part 2, Mike gets real about growing Frontline Optics while staying grounded in firefighter values. He shares the emotional highs and gut checks of going all-in on a br...
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33:52
071. Senior Man Is a Title You Have to Earn: Frontline Optics [Part 1]
You can love the job and still build the next chapter. In Part 1, former firefighter-paramedic Mike Ettenberg tells us how a kid who chased sirens on a bike turned his party-bus side hustle into Frontline Optics. From the EMT...
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33:42
070. People Love Us, Don’t Let Them Down: Bobby Eckert [Part 3]
The gloves are off in Part 3.Captain Bobby Eckert returns to finish what he started, and he doesn’t hold back. From being called “the villain” of the fire service to commanding firegrounds and building one of the most respected t...
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33:01
069. The Working Fire Is The Great Equalizer: Bobby Eckert [Part 2]
Some people post quotes. Bobby Eckert lives them.In Part 2 of this no-holds-barred conversation, Captain Bobby Eckert gets brutally honest about leadership, firehouse culture, and the broken state of firefighter training. From...
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29:32
068. Fires Are The Easiest Part of the Job: Bobby Eckert [Part 1]
In this raw and real conversation, Bobby Eckert opens up about his roots, leadership, and the gut-punch layoff that nearly derailed it all. From childhood drills to navigating Camden’s chaos, this is a story about resilience, fatherhood, and th...
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33:18
067. The Fire’s Out, But the Stress Stays: Finding Peace After the Chaos [Part 3]
In Part 3 of our powerful series with retired FDNY Captain Rob Cefoli, we explore how first responders—and anyone living under high stress—can take control of their internal world. This episode dives into body-based interventions like tr...
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44:44
066. Shake It Off: The Firefighter’s Way to Release Trauma [Part 2]
Can your body shake off trauma? Retired FDNY Captain Rob Cefoli returns to dive deep into the science and power of Trauma Release Exercises (TRE)—and how tremoring can help firefighters heal.In this episode, we explore:...
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41:45
065. The Trauma Doesn’t Retire: FDNY’s Rob Cefoli on Healing After the Job [Part 1]
Retired FDNY Captain Rob Cefoli spent 20 years on the job—and now he’s reshaping how firefighters recover, rebuild, and stay resilient. In this episode, Rob dives into:His journey with PTSD and finding TRE (Trauma Release Exercises)...
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40:54
064. The Job's Not Meant For Everyone [Part 2]
In this second installment of our conversation with Joff Fierro, we cover insights on resilience in the hiring process, debunk toxic firehouse culture, and provide actionable steps for aspiring and current firefighters. You will lea...
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50:54
063. Don't Let Your Ego Get In The Way [Part 1]
In this episode of the Keep The Promise Podcast, Joff Fierro returns to share his grueling journey to becoming a firefighter. From facing rejection in the hiring process to battling the toxic culture in firehouses, Joff opens up about the trial...
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50:07
062. Addressing Duty Bound Grief: Building Mental Resilience for First Responders [Part 2]
In this episode of the Keep the Promise podcast, part two of our series with Rachael Belcher, we cover the critical topic of mental health among first responders. With nearly three decades of experience in the fire service and 21 years as a par...
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40:05
