The First Responder Playbook
A podcast for public safety professionals, exploring leadership, training, and mental resilience with guests who have lived the first responder life.
This is a trade-focused podcast for the public safety sector, offering professional development and personal support. It alternates between deep-dive interviews with veterans and experts on their careers and specific challenges like PTSD, and more thematic discussions on concepts like 'servant leadership'. The show serves as a form of peer support and mentorship, translating lived experience into actionable advice.
“Unlike purely academic or journalistic takes on public safety, this show is explicitly 'by first responders, for first responders'. This insider perspective allows for a level of candor and shared understanding, especially on sensitive topics like mental health stigma, that would be difficult for an outsider to achieve.”
Who hosts this show
The First Responder Playbook is hosted by Brent Colbert, a first responder who conducts candid conversations with professionals in law enforcement, firefighting, and EMS. The show focuses on real-world lessons in leadership, resilience, and tactical training, aiming to help those in public safety grow as leaders and sharpen their skills. Episodes feature a mix of one-on-one interviews, group discussions, and co-hosted topic dives, all from an 'in the trenches' perspective.
Credentials & credits
- First Responder
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01
- 02First Responders Breaking Point | The PTSD Reality Nobody SeesFeb 14, 2026 · 41 min
- 03
- 04Servant Leadership vs. Self-Serving Commanders: What's Really HappeningFeb 2, 2026 · 29 min
- 05Surviving 9/11, the Olympics, and War: Lyubim Kogan’s Journey to Wings for HeroesJan 22, 2026 · 1h 15m
- 06Surviving 9/11, the Olympics, and War: Lyubim Kogan’s Journey to Wings for HeroesJan 22, 2026 · 1h 14m
- 07Ashley Jones Interview | Building Strength After Service For First RespondersJan 7, 2026 · 35 min
- 08Shifting Mindsets: Coaching and Wellness for First Responders with Ashley JonesJan 7, 2026 · 35 min
Notable episodes
- 01First Responders Breaking Point | The PTSD Reality Nobody Sees
A raw, personal account of a veteran police officer's struggle with PTSD, including the moment his wife's intervention saved his life.
- 02Empowering Oklahoma Women in Fire: Leadership, Camp Fierce, and Breaking Barriers
Highlights the work of Oklahoma Women on Fire, their charity fundraising, and their efforts to mentor the next generation of female firefighters.
- 03Servant Leadership vs. Self-Serving Commanders: What's Really Happening
A co-hosted format change that provides a practical breakdown of a key leadership philosophy and its direct application within law enforcement agencies.
What you'll be asked on this show
Brent opens by asking guests to introduce themselves in their own words, immediately establishing a collaborative tone. He then typically traces their career path chronologically, starting with broad origin questions like 'How did you get into the fire service?'. He listens for key decision points or formative experiences in their answers, then probes with more specific follow-ups. After establishing a guest's professional bona fides, he skillfully transitions to more personal topics, such as struggles with PTSD, asking direct but empathetic questions like 'How did you realize you were having issues?'.
The show uses a mix of formats: solo-host interviews, group interviews, and co-hosted discussions. Host Brent Colbert is a conversational interviewer who builds rapport by sharing his own experiences. In interviews, he often follows a guest's career chronologically, from their origin story to their present-day role and insights.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
10 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.
origin
3- Q.01
“Could you give yourself a proper introduction for the audience?”
This is his standard opening move, ceding the floor to the guest to frame their own identity.
- Q.02
“How did you get your start in this line of work?”
He asks this early to establish the guest's origin story and initial motivations.
- Q.03
“Was it always this specific path, or did you consider other options?”
This question explores the decision-making process behind a guest's commitment to a specific branch or role.
process
2- Q.01
“Was [specific career step] always part of the plan?”
Used to dig into the intentionality versus opportunism in a guest's career trajectory.
- Q.02
“What was your first assignment right out of training?”
This question helps ground the guest's career story with a concrete starting point after their initial training.
personal
4- Q.01
“Do you have any stories that stand out from your early training?”
He uses this to elicit a memorable anecdote about a formative, often challenging, experience.
- Q.02
“Looking back on your career, what was your favorite assignment?”
A reflective question asked later in the interview to identify the most fulfilling aspects of a guest's service.
- Q.03
“How did you first realize you were dealing with PTSD?”
A direct but gentle entry point into discussing a guest's personal mental health journey.
- Q.04
“Looking back, were there early warning signs of the issues you were facing?”
This follow-up question encourages deeper reflection on the progression of mental health challenges.
advice
1- Q.01
“What are some common mistakes or misconceptions you see around [topic]?”
Used in co-hosted discussions to identify and correct common errors in thinking about a specific concept.
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are typically active or retired first responders, including police officers, firefighters, and military veterans. The show also features founders of non-profits serving the first responder community and experts in relevant fields like mental health and leadership coaching.
- Angie Retzloff, Kendall Taylor, and Alexa Reedon Empowering Oklahoma Women in Fire: Leadership, Camp Fierce, and Breaking Barriers
- Bill Joneson First Responders Breaking Point | The PTSD Reality Nobody Sees
- Sgt. Von Servant Leadership vs. Self-Serving Commanders: What's Really Happening
- Lyubim Koganon Surviving 9/11, the Olympics, and War: Lyubim Kogan’s Journey to Wings for Heroes
- Ashley Joneson Ashley Jones Interview | Building Strength After Service For First Responders
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast is open to business inquiries and has a partnership with The Energy Drink, offering a discount code to listeners. This suggests a sponsor-friendly angle focused on brands relevant to the first responder and military communities.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- What is the host's real name?
- The host is Brent Colbert.
- Is the host a first responder?
- Yes, the podcast is described as being 'hosted by first responders, for first responders'.
- What is the format of the show?
- It varies between one-on-one interviews, group interviews, and co-hosted discussions on specific topics like leadership.
- How can I be a guest on the podcast?
- The show has a profile on PodMatch for potential guests to contact the host, Brent Colbert.
- Is the podcast still active?
- Yes, based on the provided episode data, new episodes were released in February and March 2026.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]The First Responder Playbook - YouTubeyoutube.com
- [02]The First Responder Playbook: Insights on Leadership and Training - PodMatchpodmatch.com
- [03]The First Responder Playbook: Insights on Leadership and Training - Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [04]The First Responder Playbook: Insights on Leadership and Training - Podcast Republicpodcastrepublic.net
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