Chris Warner, Mountaineer, Second American to Summit every 8,000 meter peak Join Preston Cline as he and Chris Warner talk about his experiences in Mountaineering, in business, and in experiential education. Chris was one of Preston’s first instructors as a wilderness guide in 1989 and their lives have been intertwined ever since. https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/everest/this-climber-just-became-the-second-american-to-summit-every-8000-meter-peak/

Chief Brian Fennessy of the Orange County Fire Authority joins us to talk about leading and innovating in the face of history, tradition and bureaucracy. Brian began his career in 1978 with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, working as a hotshot crewmember, hotshot/helishot/helitack captain and, ultimately, crew superintendent. In 1990, Fennessy joined the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) and,...

Preston converses with Eric Hipke and Jim Cook on the power of staff rides in the South Canyon Fire. Documentary 1994 South Canyon Fire on Storm King Mountain https://youtu.be/ZzGTjfTHihU Highly recommended report to anyone interested in the fire behavior and firefighter movement on the fire.  Fire Behavior Associated with the South Canyon Fire (1998)   https://www.fs.usda.gov/rm/pubs/rmrs_rp009.pdf   Staff Ride Library: https://www.nwcg.gov/wfldp/toolbox/staff-ride/library  

Commander Reid Wiseman is an American astronaut, engineer, and naval aviator. He served as Chief of the Astronaut Office until November 14, 2022. He was a member of the crew of Expedition 40/41, which launched to the International Space Station on May 28, 2014, and returned on November 10, 2014. Before joining NASA, Wiseman was a naval aviator and test pilot. Wiseman was the Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office from June 2017, working under Chief Astronaut Patrick Forrester. On December 18,...

Dr. Anna Simons: The Anthropology of Mission Critical Teams Dr. Anna Simons recently retired as a Professor of Defense Analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School. She holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from Harvard University and an A.B. from Harvard College. She is the author of Networks of Dissolution: Somalia Undone and The Company They Keep: Life Inside the U.S. Army Special Forces. Most recently she is the co-author of The Sovereignty Solution: A Commonsense Approach to Global...

Eldership with Chief Chuck Downey Chief Chuck Downey joined the FDNY in 1990 and is entering his 33rd year with the department. He is currently serving as the Chief of the FDNY Fire Academy on Randall’s Island, otherwise known as “The Rock,” Where he oversees all selection and training for the over 17,000 members of the FDNY. His brother Joe Downey is a 37-year veteran and the battalion commander of the FDNY Rescue Battalion, and together, they are the sons of legendary FDNY Chief Ray Downey,...

NASA Astronaut Selection with Duane Ross Mr. Duane Ross has been a key member of the Astronaut Selection Program at NASA since 1978. Duane Ross, has also been involved with or managed the Astronaut Candidate Program at NASA since 1978. He has worked at the Johnson Space Center, in Houston Texas, since 1967, and sat in Mission Control during the moon landing. He spent five decades as the Manager of the Astronaut Selection Program, which means that he has helped select almost every American...

Dr. Sharon M. Ravitch is a Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, Fulbright Fellow, 2022–2023. In an internationally recognized researcher and educator joins us to talk about Communities of Practice, Reflection, Use of Emotion as an Instructor, Creation of New Knowledge through collaboration, effective use of risk in training and education. One of the greatest living minds in on the practice of training and...

In this episode, Dr. Preston Cline and Sebastian Junger talk about what it is to transition between the critical and routine world. They discuss ideas of Freedom and the obligation and benefits of being part of a tribe.   Sebastian Junger is an American journalist, author, and filmmaker, he is the author of multiple books including The Perfect Storm, Tribe, and Freedom. He has also produced and directed the documentary, Restrepo

In this episode, Dr. Preston Cline and Dr. Micheal Platt talk about the role emotion plays in giving and receiving feedback. The implications of having a social brain and the way in which Synchrony is a precursor to the flow experience. Dr. Michael Platt. Who is the James S. Riepe University Professor, Professor of Neuroscience, Professor of Psychology, and Professor of Marketing. With appointments in the Perelman School of Medicine, the School of Arts & Sciences, and the Wharton...

With the Melbourne MCTI Summit only weeks away, in this episode, Dr. Preston Cline and MCTI’s Director of down-under, Harry Moffitt, prime the audience for some of the subject matter that will be covered at the summit – themed this year around Navigating Change.    The MCT community is home to the oldest institutions on earth – military, medical, fire and emergency, police – and in the modern age, all are grappling with the issue of change. How to prepare for change, how to manage it, and how...

In this episode, Dr. Preston Cline and Dr. Art Finch talk about the types of people who choose the hard path. Where do they excel, where do they struggle, and why don’t they quite fit in with “normal” People. We focus on different learning and motivation profiles as well as the transitions between the routine and critical worlds.   COL(R) Art Finch, Ph.D., spent over 23 years providing psychological insight to the leading Special Operations and Tactical Law Enforcement organizations in the...

Join Dr. Preston Cline, Clare Murphy and Dr. Angus Fletcher as they discuss the role of story in navigating transitions. Dr. Angus Fletcher is an English professor and faculty within “Project Narrative” at Ohio State. Clare Murphy, the Director of Story at MCTI is a professional storyteller who tells myths, folklore and history throughout the world. Angus Fletcher's new book Wonderworks is available now.

Please enjoy Harry's conversation with cognitive coach, Paddy Steinfort. Paddy is rare in that he is a psychologist who has lived the high performance life. A former elite Australian Rules Footballer for the Richmond Football Club in Melbourne, Paddy has worked with the Philadelphia Eagles, Blue Jays, 76ers, Red Socks, UPenn, Texas Tech and is now Director of Performance at Football Australia. Over his journey he has worked with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Ben Simmons, and Toronto phenom...

Please enjoy Preston's conversation with Jay Hennessey, focused on his perspective of developing both SEALs and Professional Baseball players, as well as the lessons he has learned along the way. Jay is currently the Vice-President of Learning and Development at the Cleveland Indians (soon to be the Cleveland Guardians). Prior to joining the Guardians, Jay spent 25 years in Naval Special Warfare (The Navy SEALS). During the latter part of his career, he was the Commanding Officer, Naval...

Please enjoy Preston's conversation with Dan Dworkis on "lessons from the ER and beyond on developing the tools it takes to succeed during emergencies and apply knowledge under pressure". Dan Dworkis, MD PhD, is a clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine at USC’s Keck School of Medicine, a board-certified emergency medicine physician at Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center, and a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He trained at Brigham and Women’s Hospital /...

In 2013, Jimmy Lee Dykes walked out of his house in Alabama, boarded a school bus, and abducted an autistic child. He then retreated into a bunker and contacted law enforcement with a list of demands. This Teamcast is about how the Federal Bureau of Investigations Hostage Rescue Team rescued that child. The recording does not name any of the agents involved and was done with the permission and support of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the intent to show one aspect of the pressures...

Please enjoy Harry's conversation with Professor Kate Stevens and Ben Pronk. Kate is a cognitive scientist and Professor in Psychology who’s work investigates humans interacting with each other, their environment, and with technology. Ben is a veteran and former Commanding Officer of  Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment and is now the managing partner of Mettle Global. They have a broad ranging discussion on whether or not creativity is more prevalent or necessary in the MCTI community, or is...

Please enjoy Preston's conversation with Rowdy Muir on the evolution of Wildland Fire. Rowdy Muir came up through the ranks in the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management and was a District Ranger on the Ashley National Forest in Utah and was an Area Commander on one of three existing Area Command Teams.

Please enjoy Preston's conversation with Command Chief Master Sergeant Greg Smith on the evolution of Special Operations Forces. Command Chief Master Sergeant Gregory A. Smith is the tenth command senior enlisted leader, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Florida. He assumed the position on July 11, 2019. Chief Smith entered the U.S. Air Force in 1990 as an aircraft armament systems specialist. His initial assignment was with the 3246th Test Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. In...

The DR5 model In this episode, Dr. Zab Johnson, Dr. Al’ai Alvarez, and Dr Preston Cline will break down the DR5 model using a Trauma Resuscitation scenario. The DR5 represents the latest version of the original MCTI Learning Diagnostic Tool (The LERP and then the DR4) that was developed through a collaborative inquiry process between the Mission Critical Team Institute, Naval Special Warfare, and the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative (UPENN), to improve the training for hostage rescue teams....

Preston converses with ret. Chief Bob Maynes of FDNY and Chief Dan Oltrogge of Wildland Fire on the Southwest Incident Management Team at 9/11.

Clare Murphy talks with Dr. Martin and Nurse Griffiths about the world of medicine, how the medical community operates under pressure, how the training shapes the doctor, life on deployment, strategies for coping in crisis, and the power of narrative medicine. As well as how the telling of doctors stories supports doctors to stay in the profession. Reading List: Atul Gawande, Being Mortal Henry Marsh, Do No Harm Christie Watson, The Language of Kindness Rita Charon, Narrative Medicine Kathryn...

NASA Chief Flight Director Holly Ridings' talk with Dr. Preston Cline Holly Ridings was selected by NASA in 2018 as the first female chief flight director. Holly hails from Amarillo, Texas, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University. She joined NASA in 1998 as a flight controller in the thermal operations group. She was first selected as a flight director in 2005. Since then, she has served as the lead flight director for several missions...