The Crackin' Backs Podcast
We are two sport chiropractors, seeking knowledge from some of the best resources in the world of health. From our perspective, health is more than just “crackin Backs” but a deep dive into philosophies on physical, mental and nutritional well-being. Join us as we talk to some of the greatest minds and discover some of the greatest gems that you can use to maintain a higher level of health.
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The Crackin' Backs Podcast
Not Done Yet: Firefighter Dennis Lappin’s Comeback From Fear, Injury, and 'You’re Finished'
On today’s episode of the Crackin’ Backs Podcast, we sit down with one of the most quietly powerful humans we’ve ever met—Dennis Lappin, a career firefighter, father, and American Ninja Warrior who embodies what real strength looks like when no one’s watching.
Dennis runs toward burning buildings for a living…
and for fun, he runs straight into obstacles most people wouldn’t ever attempt.
But his story isn’t about the spotlight.
It’s about the moment the lights went out.
While competing on American Ninja Warrior, Dennis tore his Achilles and calf—an injury known to end athletic careers, especially for tactical athletes who rely on explosive strength and stability. Doctors told him he might never compete again. Most people would’ve taken that as their cue to step back.
Dennis didn’t.
He didn’t fight his way back for cameras, applause, or a redemption storyline.
He came back because ordinary people don’t do extraordinary things—extraordinary decisions do.
In this raw, emotional, and deeply human conversation, we explore:
The exact moment he decided “I’m not done”
Was it in the firehouse, during rehab, or alone at home when doubt got loud? Dennis opens up about the internal line he refused to cross.
How he built elite-level fitness around 24-hour firefighter shifts, stress, trauma, and unpredictability
Firefighting isn’t structured—so neither was his training. His system wasn’t built on convenience… it was built inside chaos.
How he balanced three identities: firefighter, athlete, and father
What happens when the heaviest “hat” isn’t the one people see? Dennis talks about emotional load, fatigue, and showing up even when you’re empty.
Why his rehab philosophy wasn’t to “get back,” but to LEVEL UP
He breaks down the one rehab principle everyone ignores—and why it completely changed his recovery.
The real fear he faced—on a fire call and on the Ninja Warrior course
And the exact mindset tool he used to get through the type of fear you don’t talk about.
His message for anyone who says: “I’m too tired, too old, too busy, too late”
Dennis doesn’t give motivational clichés. He gives truth earned in smoke, sweat, and setbacks.
What healthcare providers often misunderstand about firefighters and tactical athletes
If you treat firefighters, law enforcement, or military personnel—this is a masterclass in understanding stress load, biology, and performance under pressure.
The one life lesson he hopes his kids remember from watching him fall and rise again
A moment that will hit every parent, coach, and athlete right in the chest.
This episode isn’t about Ninja Warrior.
It isn’t about firefighting.
It’s about every human being who has ever been knocked down and had to decide whether today is the day they stay down… or rise.
We are two sports chiropractors, seeking knowledge from some of the best resources in the world of health. From our perspective, health is more than just “Crackin Backs” but a deep dive into physical, mental, and nutritional well-being philosophies.
Join us as we talk to some of the greatest minds and discover some of the most incredible gems you can use to maintain a higher level of health. Crackin Backs Podcast
Well, today's guest happens to run towards burning buildings for a living and run straight into obstacles most of us wouldn't even try. Firefighter father and so called regular guy who decided regular wasn't enough on American Ninja Warrior Dennis Lapin tore his Achilles and was told his career might be over, most people would have called it a day, but no, he came back, not for the cameras, not for the applause, but because real strength is what you do when nobody's watching. So if you've ever felt behind, beat up, or told you're done, this is your reminder that you're not. Let's get into it. Welcome to the show, David,
Unknown:you're welcome to show. Sorry. Welcome to the oh, did I say Dennis? Dennis, David, David's our engineer. Dennis, sorry. Man, oh, my God, I
Dr. Spencer Baron:got so caught up in the excitement. Man, good to have you on good to have met you recently. That is, your energy is really, really great. So we look forward to talking to you about, let's start with, you know, doctors told you about the the that your ninja career might be over. What was that? What was that exact moment, whether, whether it was in the gym, the fire house, or at home when you decided, nope, I ain't done
Dennis Lappin:well after I ruptured my Achilles on the show, you know, actually, I was out of work for six months as well. So when I it was crazy how it happened. So the medics that checked me out on the course, they're like, Oh, you just have a sprained ankle. It's like, Oh, okay. So then I went to because it was taped in Denver, Colorado. So ended up going to an urgent care there. They x rayed me. Oh, it's just a really bad sprain. We're going to put you in an air splint. Still no crutches or anything. Okay, flew back to Michigan, went and saw my regular doctor, because it wasn't getting any better, because at any time I leaned forward, I completely leaned forward, I completely fall over. So went and saw my family doctor, and within 30 seconds, he's like, Oh, hey, you have a ruptured Achilles. You're going to be out of work for six months. You need surgery. I was just like, what? He's like, Yeah, you're going to have to learn how to walk again and all that other stuff. I was, well, that's not an option. So so went and saw whoever they referred me to. I will put these people's names out there. So I saw Dr Karen, you know, and you know, told her what happened. And she's like, well, who you going to see? Told them who I was going to see. And she said, Absolutely not. She got on the phone with the core Institute, and said, Hey, I got a top level athlete here that, you know, has a ruptured Achilles, and, you know, so she did her magic, her Dr Karen stuff, and got me right in there and took good care of me.
Unknown:Oh, man, that's rough.
Dr. Terry Weyman:Holy crap. Yeah, but you know, if in your fireman, I mean, that's your that's where you make your money. I mean, American Ninja Warrior is fun, just like when I do Spartan, it's fun, but I make a living as a dog. You know, it isn't a cruel and controlled lifestyle. I mean, 24 hour shifts, unpredictable events, not only emotionally and physically. How did you how did you go back to build a leap fitness around convenience? Because training for American Ninja Warrior, for those who don't know, I mean, it's like everything. It's you have to be a rock climbers, hand strength, you have to have the agility of feet. I mean, these big body builders go in and they only make it past the second obstacle and and so, you know, how do you train, you know, before you even got hurt, how did you find the time to train in a in a fire thing with his mentally and physically taxing? Then you're a father. How did you find the time to get all this stuff done?
Unknown:Ah, well, after being at work 24 hours when we're not on calls, you know, we have daily chores we have to do, whether it's cleaning, we always doing some type of training. Then in between runs, I'd actually set up an obstacle course in the fire station Well, you know, just balancing us on some stuff. But I actually hung chains from the ceiling and had rings, cones, numb, chucks, anything I could find to hang and just kind of like, do laps back and forth. And I'd set up a circuit run outside the station, do push ups, pull ups, come back inside, swing on stuff, jump, you know, from obstacle to obstacle. And any chance I got, the guys thought at work that I was crazy when I was doing this, they're just kind of shake, you know, shook their heads at me, and it's like, this guy's crazy.
Dr. Terry Weyman:Yeah, so I've treated a couple other guys that have been and gals have been on the show. Is it true that even if you make on TV, you're not really paid 100%
Unknown:100% so the first couple of years that I was on the show, getting out to wherever your destination was, so when I had to go out to Denver, Colorado, that was my. Time to fly out there. Had to find a place to stay, food, all that, all that I paid for. Then when I got back on the following year again, it was in Kansas City. Had to pay to fly out there. Had to, you know, pay to stay in the hotel or whatever, if you made it through the first night. They called it a survival fee. So they gave me a check for, you know, $700 which really didn't cover a whole lot that year. I did make it to Vegas at that time. So that was season seven. The only time that they paid for anything is when you made it to Vegas. So they paid for you to fly out to Vegas, stay in the hotel, gave you a stipend per day, but the second you stopped qualifying, they sent you packing. So they flew you home and kicked you out of the hotel.
Dr. Terry Weyman:So, I mean, it's crazy when you think about because you look at some of the people that compete, and there's guys that do it full time, and, you know, own a gym and do it full time, and then you have the guys that, like you, the farmers that have built stuff in their barn, or the firemen to build stuff in their backyard or at the ring. And you're like, you know, here this show is making all this money on their on these contestants, yet when you make it on TV, you're not making money. So you're like, God, you know, these guys have to work twice as hard and have a job to pay their bills to be to be on the show. And you know, Spartan doesn't pay either, you know? So I, you know, I was always wondering, when you have a the fireman hat, you know, that's how you make a living, the athlete hat, that's how you're training, the dad hat, at what point do you as a human being, what role plays the heaviest on your days and hits you the hardest?
Unknown:I would probably say being a firefighter, just because of the stuff that we see on a day to day basis. You know, it's just some of the stuff you see. You you can't forget the images. You know, burn stuff into your brain, like we just went on a call the other day that, you know, I won't go into the details or whatever, but the images kind of get burnt into your brain. And there's calls from when I first started back in the mid 90s, I can still see vividly smells that you smell forever, you know, stuff like that. So I definitely say that one probably weighs the most, and then secondly, being a father, so
Dr. Terry Weyman:we've had a lot of first responders on the shows, Navy SEALs, military guys, firemen. And I'm always intrigued. There's a great show I was telling Spencer watch called watcher and war that talks about the mental stress of war and stuff like that. How do you I'm always been curious. You start, I'm starting to see, when I do see Spartans, and I see these, these American way you see a lot of firemen. Is this a thing that you're trying it's a good escape to get through some of the mental side of dealing with what you see on a daily basis.
Unknown:Yeah, 100% so if you have, if I had a bad day at work or whatever, you know, get off shift at eight o'clock in the morning, whether it's mountain biking or rock climbing or when I got into Ninja Warrior, you go to the ninja gym and you just, you're just focusing on that. You're just focusing on the obstacles that are in front of you, and then you can just kind of almost put up blinders, and that's all you're focusing on. And kind of like, forget your day. And just kind of like, I use that as therapy, in all honesty, and that's why I think I'm so active in all the stuff that I do, is it's, it's my therapy.
Dr. Terry Weyman:I mean, so many people that go through what you turn the meds, turn the Big Pharma as a way of coping, and you've turned the exercise, and that's kind of where we want to go with this, with this show that I know, Dr Spencer is really big on that as well. And before we even talk about your injury, is this what you know? Is this something as a fire emergency is the worst of the worst as a first responder. What's some some things you had to learn to deal with the mental side of the shit that you see, to be a good dad, to be home and not come out and take it out of your family,
Unknown:it's hard. There's been days where, you know, and I've had to apologize my wife and daughter, where I've just had a horrible, horrible day, and I try not to bring it, you know, home, and we try to talk to each other at work, because we're all seeing the same stuff. And when you know all firemen and cops and, you know, military, we're all trying to be badasses. Oh, you know, it doesn't bother me, but this stuff does it after you seen it long enough. And everyone tries, like, pretend it doesn't bother you, but this stuff builds up, and certain things bother you more than others. You know, whether it's pediatric stuff or, you know, somewhat like senior stuff or whatever. Everybody has, like a weakness or whatever. So try to deal with it at work. And then, like I said, try to go either do ninja or rock climb or mountain bike or whatever, go to my happy place, kind of get it all out of me. And then when I come home, hopefully it's it's all gone, and I can go back and put my dad hat on. And, you know, be a good guy. You know, it's interesting. How long have you been doing firefighting? Um, since the mid 90s. So I went to the Fire Academy in 1993 and actually got my first firefighting job, I believe, in 97 as paid on call, worked, got my first full. Time job. And I think in 1998 I worked for Metro airport fire department, and then I got hired in Redford township Fire Department, where I've been for the last 27 years.
Dr. Terry Weyman:Terry, I think I interrupted, no, that's all good. There was a quote on the show that I just mentioned that the seal says I can sleep like a baby in Cabal. I come home and I'm have nightmares. And, and he said, I'm not afraid of firefights, I'm not afraid of fights. I'm not afraid of dying, you know, I'm afraid but I come home, I'm afraid of the day and, and, and he and when they were talking about like psychedelics. He goes, I'm just afraid of Wake of waking up at my house, because I don't have something that so occupies my brain. And it was very powerful when he talked about that you added one more thing to that. You now added an injury where you rupture Achilles, and now you can't exercise, you can't go to work. How do you cope that
Unknown:that was really, really, really tough. I'm not gonna. I kind of went a downward spiral from there, just because I had no way to deal with anything anymore. Granted, I wasn't at work anymore because I was off for six months, so I didn't have that weighing on me going to work. But then I had, was I going to be able to go back to work again? Because, you know, that was a major surgery, because I actually ruptured it in two places. So was I going to get back to work? Number one? Number two, was I going to lead the lifestyle that I was leading prior to the injury, as far as the Ninja Warrior, the rock climbing the mountain? Because I'm not the type of person to sit around and sit still at all like I can't go on a typical vacation and sit around the pool like that is not me at all. I have to be doing something all the time. Like, there might be something wrong with me. I have to be doing something all the time. So, yeah, that was that was really rough. And I actually so when I had the surgery, they put me in a knee Scooter, and I was on the knee scooter, I was not in weight bearing for a couple weeks, like quite a while, so then I got to get a knee scooter. Well, as soon as I got the knee scooter, I modified it. I put mountain bike handlebars on it, I adjusted the brakes. I actually, we have this big park by our house, and I'd go out and do cardio on my knee scooter. And I actually had a Garmin GPS watch on, and I got it up to 17 miles an hour.
Dr. Terry Weyman:So at the time, we actually put, we, we actually put an E bike engine on one for a patient of mine, and he had, he made, he turned it into a an E bike Scooter, and we got up to 22 miles. That's pretty impressive.
Unknown:Well, this was just me, like, skewsing the one good leg to scoot, and then, like, downhill and all that other stuff. So I was doing so much cardio that I actually got jungle rot in the boot, like it started to really hurt. And so I went back to the doctor, and they're like, they're like, What do you been doing? And I told him, so I had to, like, cut it off, let it dry out, rub alcohol over it, and then I was like, grounded from cardio after that. Oh, yeah, so that's yes. So
Dr. Spencer Baron:then what did they? What did they? When did you start getting more active again? Because obviously, that's your adrenaline, and when you don't get that dose of natural adrenaline, that's when things start to really spiral, for sure.
Unknown:So as soon as they gave me a boot that I could actually walk in, you know, I was, it was very difficult to walk in the boot, but I kept anytime I went to the doctor, I kind of asked what I can and can't do. And I always found that area and kind of push past it and be like, Oh, but he always, you know, my wife started going to the doctor's appointments with me because she found out that I wasn't quite telling the truth. Because she's like, What are you doing? I'm like, well, he didn't say I couldn't go rock climbing. She's like, What did you ask? Like, well, no, he said I couldn't do this. But he didn't say I couldn't go rock climbing. So as soon as they gave me the walking boot, I started doing I'm like, I asked the doctor, like, Hey, can I do pull ups? He's like, Well, yeah, long as you don't fall out. Don't fall on the boot. I was like, All right, can I do this? He's like, long as you don't, you know, do this. But yeah, soon as I could start walking, I started anything upper body. So my upper body was, like, jacked, because that's all I could do. Was upper body doing pull ups and push ups and you name it. I was doing it. And I actually, so I had a walking boot for a long time. So I actually put spray rubber on the bottom of the boot, because those boots are like hard plastic. I put spray rubber on the bottom of the boot so I could go rock climbing. So I have pictures and videos of me with my boot on in the climbing gym. I didn't do lead climbing. I just did top rope at the time.
Dr. Terry Weyman:That's awesome. We need, we need a photo that for the for the video. That's freaking cool.
Dr. Spencer Baron:So the that, that period of time where you had the boot on, and then when was that moment when you got to take the boot off? And then what did you What was the first thing you Oh,
Unknown:that I will never forget that day i. Was, you know, they took the boot off. And, you know, really, anytime I was moving, they, like, you have to have the boot on, even at the house, like, use the bathroom to, like, hop on one foot, whatever. Don't, don't walk on that foot. So when they had me take the boot off at the doctor's office and then, like, take my first steps, it was, it was awesome and terrifying at the same time, because the lack of muscle and the lack of mobility was just, I had zero movement in that ankle or leg. It was, it was terrifying, but it felt good to get the boot off at the same time.
Dr. Terry Weyman:Oh, geez, how's that? All right? Fear. I I personally like fear. I think people use fear as an anchor, but I think if used as a sale. It's a great motivator where you have fear in your job. You had fear some of these, sometimes on the obstacle course of trying to beat times and not and now you had the fear of this. How do you manage your fear? And how do you rate your fear, to use it as a sale or an anchor?
Unknown:Well, I knew I wasn't going to let that define me, because I did. You know number one, number one priority at that point was to get back to my job, because that's how I provide for my family, is being a firefighter. So that was the number one priority. But with that, at the same time, I was training to get back to my lifestyle outside of work, whether it be doing the Ninja Warrior rock climbing mountain bike, because I want my lifestyle back. So I think you hit it on the head right there, using it as a sale to propel you to like, what's it going to take? So when I was doing my physical therapy, you know, they'd say, All right, do 10 sets of whatever. And I'd always do another two or three more, you know, without them asking or telling me, because I wanted to get better faster, you know, than probably they wanted me to, because I always pushed it at physical therapy too.
Dr. Spencer Baron:Dennis, let me ask you, we see, we see athletes get injured. Sometimes it's a season ending injury, sometimes it's a career ending injury. Did you ever have any moments of doubt, and what did you do to convince yourself otherwise or to keep
Unknown:pressing on? I just told myself it's not an option. You know, I'm like, I'm not gonna let this beat me. Yeah, it's an injury. They said it's gonna be a long road if I can get back at all. And I said, All right, well, I will, I will see you on that. Raise you that I will get back, and I will get back better than ever so and I just kept pushing and pushing and pushing till I was back to normal.
Dr. Terry Weyman:With, let me ask one question on that with and then I'm done for a sec. But what's one rehab principle you've been in rehab enough as a firefighter and as an athlete? What's one rehab principle that you follow that you feel most people ignore,
Unknown:actually, just doing it, you know? And my wife is horrible at this stuff as well. It's like she has all kinds of injuries. She sees Dr Karen as well, so she'll have to go to physical therapy. And it's, I think a lot of people just don't go. You have to be disciplined to go, number one, to go do the exercises for physical therapy. And you have to give it everything you got. If it hurts, if it's uncomfortable, you have to just push through the fate pain, find your happy place, you know, mentally, whatever, find your happy zen place inside. And then if they give you the exercises to do at home, you do it, and maybe you do a little bit more than you probably should, just because that's what it's going to get take to get you back to where you were. Okay.
Dr. Spencer Baron:This is, this is a reality check. Man, was there any moment that you doubted that you would make a comeback the way you are at this point?
Unknown:Probably I had a limp for quite a while when they took that boot off for a long time like I, I didn't walk right and then running, you know, that was, that was even before I was trying to start running. But just, just a normal walking, I'm like, I don't think I'm ever going to get back. And their doctors just got, like, it take time. You know, there's a major, major surgery. It's, it's, you're gonna, it's gonna take time. So I think that was at that point where I couldn't even walk normal was probably the scariest part for quite a while,
Dr. Spencer Baron:when they took that cast off for the boot, or the first time you were without any kind of support. Did you look down at your calf and see the difference between the two
Unknown:still different, you know? And that was in 2014 my calves are way too different. Sizes, significantly different. And no matter what I do, you know, I do, you know, I do, I run, I do calves. You know, exercise strictly for that leg, and that calf muscle will not get any bigger whatsoever. Interesting.
Dr. Spencer Baron:Terry, do you see the similarities and attitudes between some of the people that we've had that were paralyzed? Oh. Ath Blanchard, who we have on again, paralyzed twice, that's a whole other that's a whole nother interview. And it's like that, you know, you have those moments of doubt. Sometimes they're really deep, and sometimes they're almost suicidal, but somehow something triggers, you know, a difference or a change in an attitude. And I think that's what we want to get across to the audience, because not many people have dealt with a calf tear and, and what looks like a season ending or an experience ending, especially as a firefighter, you know? And, and that those moments where you go, you know what? Screw that man. I'm going for I'm going, I'm gonna break through you remember those moments Absolutely.
Unknown:So just to kind of put things into perspective too, as far as that injury goes, it wasn't your typical incision, like it goes all the way up to the back of my knee. I actually ruptured in two places. One of them was a 10 centimeter gap, and then the other one farther down, the doctor said it looked like a mop had exploded inside my leg. So not only did they have to put a cadaver tendon in, they took out the tendon in the back of my foot that controls my big toe, so my big toe doesn't bend anymore. So it wasn't like your typical tendon rupture. I ruptured in two places, and like they said, you couldn't ask for much more of a bigger injury than that. As far as when it comes to Achilles, you know,
Dr. Terry Weyman:I gotta ask people like you, people like some of the guests, people like me, and the people that that Dr Spencer I see every day, they're like, Well, how long is this gonna take? And you're like, six months. You're like, now I'll have it done. Have it done two weeks. Yeah. And they're like, I'm just gonna go. And that's kind of attitude they have. They're like, you know, whatever the time is, I'm gonna cut it by a half. You know, at what point do you did you get to when you realize fuck? I'm like, I can't cut this in half. This is gonna take and because we have all that energy at first to we're going to do it, we're going to do it right. We're going to get off the couch. And then when it doesn't happen, as quickly as we wanted to, five is good. 20 is better, and it doesn't happen. You hit that depression, that wall, how did you get
Unknown:through that good question? Ah, my my wife, like, was probably my biggest supporter, you know, dr, Karen, I keep bringing her up, but you know, she was always in my corner. You know, she's, like, you got this out of, you know, you're, I've never seen anything take you down. So this, you got this, just give it time. And, you know, like the doctor, the doctor nawasu, he was my doctor that, you know, did my Achilles. He was amazing guy for the core Institute. You know, can't give him enough praise and credit, because he's like, Hey, we're not going to do a typical surgery on you, because you're not a typical, you know, you're not your typical housewife or House Husband. Like you're an active guy, between your job, firefighting and rock climbing, mountain bike and Ninja war and Ninja war and everything you do, we're not going to do your typical surgery. We're going to do a sports medical surgery on you, and like we're going to do the whole nine yards. So, you know, between him and my wife and Dr Karen, and just trying to still find the joys in life, and, you know, hanging out with my daughter and my wife, and still being able to stuff that I could do, but looking at the light at the end of the tunnel saying, I know it's there, I just got to give it time.
Dr. Spencer Baron:You got your built in cheerleaders. And I think that's really, really important, and that's a good message to take for anybody listening or watching to take home with them, to find the people that support you in that process. Because, man, it can get very you can get very doubtful, and even in the most positive with the most positive mindsets. But you know what? You're a living example of a breakthrough. Maybe I shouldn't use the word break.
Dr. Terry Weyman:Go from the darkness to the light. Let's try that.
Dr. Spencer Baron:So let's talk more about fear, what everybody has experienced at least multiple times in their entire life. And I like the the acronym fear, false evidence appearing real. What tool did you use, especially during the ninja course, where you felt real fear during the ninja course, I haven't even talked about when you went back to firefighting again. What tool or mindset Do you is there a mantra do you say to yourself? Is there music? Is there like a something that you do that
Dr. Terry Weyman:and before you answer that? Dennis, what obstacle Did you break, rupture your Achilles on and what was the fear when you hit that obstacle again?
Dr. Spencer Baron:All right, yeah, answer the first answer.
Unknown:So before you know, when I ruptured my Achilles, I've never been on an ops ninja course whatsoever. That was the first time I was ever on besides doing obstacles in the backyard. And you know, because you don't get the truck, you know what? They don't tell you. The show is, we don't get to try any of the obstacles at all. So there's no practice. The first time you see the athlete touching it, that is, that is the first time they've ever touched it. There's no practice. There's no warm up. So there's obstacles that you've never seen before. You're like, how do you even get through that? So it's you versus, you know, the obstacle. So that's in itself, is a whole terrifying thing, you know. So you hopefully you've prepared, you've done an obstacle, maybe something similar. But yeah, so Denver, Colorado's first time I was ever on and what they don't show on TV is that's 100% filmed at night. So they don't start recording till the sun goes down, and they film all the way until the sun comes up. So the night that I ruptured my Achilles, I think I ran, it was maybe one o'clock in the morning, maybe. And we have to be on set at, you know, six o'clock at night, and you're just kind of sitting in this little area. And it was super cold when we were in Denver. Actually, there was a snowstorm two days prior to that, because they built a giant snowman on top to Warped Wall. So it wasn't the best of conditions. You know, it's cold, it's windy, it might be raining, so that's a whole different animal as well. So yeah, so each obstacle you just, I just focused on one obstacle at a time, just like you're walking one foot in front of the other. Get through that obstacle, then focus on the next. And so I ruptured it on the second obstacle, it was called the the cat grab it. So it was a series of walls. There was a platform. You had to jump over a gap to a wall, grab it, get up on top of that wall, jump to another one, and jump to a platform. So I didn't know I had, you know, I didn't think I had any prior injuries or whatever. So I jumped out to that wall. There's video of it. It's when I hit that wall. It was my right leg in my toes, almost touched my shin, because it, you know, I guess hyperextended, or whatever. And you could see the pain in my face. And I got up on top the wall, and I'm bashing the wall, and I started swearing with that. I apologize because I forgot I was on TV. It's like, oh shit. They're like, sorry. I didn't mean to say that. And then, you know, I'm just sitting there holding my leg. I thought I broke my leg. I didn't know what happened. It was just immediate pain. I was just like, so got up on top the wall, jumped to the next one, and now again, I'm just pounding the wall. I'm just like, Oh my God. What is going on with my leg? And then it was like, probably an eight foot drop down to the next platform. Jump down. Make sure I landed on my good leg, hit the ground. And like, the producers are over on the side, and they're asking, you know, like, are you good? Can you continue? I'm like, I guess I don't know. So the next obstacle was a spinning log. So it was a straight log that kind of spun like this as I started to run across it, you know, I'm dragging my right leg because it's not working. So anytime I tried to put any forward pressure on it would just collapse. So I, you know, got halfway across and just fell off. And at that time, that obstacle didn't have any water underneath it, thank God. So they kind of drug me off on the side. And they're like, oh, wouldn't you know, they kind of checked me out, had me go to medical, and they're like, Oh, it's just a sprained ankle, you'll be fine. And lo and behold, is double ruptured Achilles.
Dr. Spencer Baron:So that, that moment, though, that actually did you show I think you showed me that, that part of the video where you injured yourself, hitting that wall and you're that
Unknown:was something different video of that, right? That was something different. That was a different injury, yes or yes, that was a different injury. That was not where I ruptured. My appeal.
Dr. Spencer Baron:We got to use that Terry, because that that alone, that was it I saw. I saw a portion of that video that alone was wicked. But okay, so that moment where you, you knew something was wrong, but you what, what made you Was it an adrenaline thing? What did you say to yourself? What would What did you think keep to keep pushing forward.
Unknown:Yes, I'm an adrenaline junkie. No, I don't give up. Like I actually whatsoever, like, I think, my submission video. So when you apply, you have to make it a submission video. And in my submission video, we actually use that clip for the following year. Is that, hey, you know, I know this is a toughest obstacle course in the world, but I will do whatever it takes if I to finish this course, if I break a bone or whatever, I'm going to drag myself and keep going. And I did, yeah, no kidding, so I guess I was foreshadowing
Dr. Spencer Baron:that is wild. All right, so you know that he's a, we know that he's an adrenaline junkie, and that's that, that's obvious, that you know, even that heightened up the, you know, amped up the adrenaline and all that. So it's great, but let's go. Let's go a little different than just the injury. And you know, for the listener who says, Man, I'm too tired, too old, too busy, too you know, it's too I'm too late in life to do this. What's your honest response? For those non motivational you know that that fluff, but that what the. Raw truth, especially when you tell somebody, get your ass up off the couch.
Unknown:You're never too old. You know, I'm sure you guys probably heard the age is just a number. It's how you feel inside. And everybody that I meet, they're like, you're 50. There's no way. So when I was at Dr Karen's Yesterday, I went to go see the guy rub, you know, doing the laser on my back. He told him how old I was. He's like, There's no way. You're You're that old. I'm like, No, it's how old I am. You know, I it's all a mental state. So I picked up skydiving after I got done with Ninja and everybody I skydive with, they're all a bunch of much. A lot of them were younger than me, and they're there. They found out how old I was, and they're like, there's no way you're fit. Like, I swear to God, I'm 50 years old. They're like, you don't act 50. And my daughter and my wife referred to me as a puppy dog, because, like, unlimited energy, and I just kind of bounce around like a little puppy, because I never sit still. So as far as you know, and I'm like, one of the older guys at the fire station, I think there's maybe two guys maybe older than me, and I just kind of like, Come on, let's go. Let's keep moving. And, you know, just kind of encouraging them, like, hey, let's just don't stop moving. And I think that's the key to, you know, being young, is just don't stop moving. Don't sit on the couch, don't sit there and eat junk food the whole day. Just always stay moving. Whether it's just go play golf, go for a walk, anything, just stay moving. And it's, you know, a mental state as well.
Dr. Spencer Baron:Terry, I got a quick question for him. Hang on one second. So, you know, first, let me, let me set the ground rule here, you know, in reference to Winnie the Pooh, you obviously are Tigger.
Dr. Terry Weyman:All right, same thing. You know, I see that I'm Tigger. I just need a nap. You throw a nap in there. I'm good, yeah, the older I get that 20 man nap is freaking golden. You got you gotta have your nap so you can bounce again.
Dr. Spencer Baron:But let me ask you, though, let me how obviously, this is something that's, you know, that's been part of you, obviously, since you were a kid. I imagine. Is that that true? Yeah, that behavior, that character?
Unknown:Yeah, I I never really played sports in school. I grew up. My dad was a motocross racer, so he divorced at a younger age, and we had motorcycles in my living room growing up. So he's been I've been around motorcycles my entire life. So I grew up riding motorcycles and riding BMX bikes, but never got into your traditional sports through school. I did join the swim team freshman year, not sure why. And I sucked. That was horror. And I remember they put the good people at the very far end, right next to the dive well. And I just remember swimming laps for hours. I'm like, this sucks, but I saw the divers on the like, right next to me. Like, man, it looks like they're having fun. So after one practice, I asked the coach. I'm like, hey, you know, would it be possible to go try out for the, you know, the dive team? He's like, Yeah, absolutely, because I sucked. It was like, I was a loss in the team. And I went over and to the divers, and, you know, they welcomed me with open, yeah, sure, you can join us. And it was awesome. So I finished this year on the swim team, but on the dive side of that, and that was pretty much the only school sport that I ever did, got into snowboarding mid 80s, and kind of that's kind of where it all kind of stemmed from there.
Dr. Spencer Baron:So I know Terry. I know Dr, Terry loves you because you said motorcross
Dr. Terry Weyman:or motorcycles. But I'm also going, where the hell do you go snow skiing? In Michigan,
Unknown:they're from either trash hills or when they were building freeways. And then if you go up in the farther part of Michigan, we actually do have some slightly bigger hills there. But I've been out west. I've been to Whistler east coast. I've been all over the country snowboarding.
Dr. Terry Weyman:Okay, so I'm like rock climbing, and snowboarding in Michigan is almost like being a rock climber in South Florida. You know, it's like his biggest hill is a bridge. So I'm like, so I'm like, you know that's pretty impressive, that to pick up sports that are in your backyard.
Unknown:100% 100%
Dr. Spencer Baron:we do have garbage mountain too. Yeah, whatever, yeah. There's a big garbage dump that they turned into a anyway. Never mind. But let me, let me ask one more thing before Terry, is it? Is it so then, why did you become a firefighter? What was that? Was it more adrenaline you needed that
Unknown:things that happened in my life are just they just happen, like, I don't. There's no rhyme or reason. It's just just random chaos. So never any interest like growing up as a kid. You know, a lot of little kids like, oh, I want to be a fireman when I grow up. Never had that. I actually wanted to be a Lego engineer because I loved Legos. I'm like, that would be a really cool job. I thought that was a job at the time, but apparently that's not. Then I saw the movie Top Gun, and I was like, Ooh, that's what I want to do. I want to be a fighter pilot. But my eyes sucked. I had glasses, and they're like, Well, you can't be a fighter pilot. So I'm like, okay, that's out. So I was graduating high school. My dad's like, what are you gonna do? I'm like, I don't know. He's like, What about a fireman? I'm like, that sounds okay, so sign up for the Fire Academy. Took the Fire Academy, and from that point forward, like all right, this is what I want to do, and then have been doing it ever since.
Dr. Spencer Baron:So that alone is there's a lot of adrenaline, there's a lot of emotion involved in that. And then how long were you a firefighter before you decided, You know what, I'm going to step up the insanity and do the Ninja Warrior. When did?
Unknown:Wait a while. So I got have been a firefighter full time since 98 and I got into ninja again by accident in 2020 13, so my wife and I were on a snowboard trip up north, and we had a condo, and I got sick. I had the flu or something. So we did a lot of time in that condo. We're watching TV, so a ninja warrior marathon on was first, like, Season Four or something like that. So we're watching and, you know, we're like, you know, kind of just chilling watching it. And I've always been a fan of the show, but never thinking of doing it. And there was like, Hey, if you want to be a you know, applicant, here's the you know, here's how you do it. So my wife and I got online, filled out the 13 page question here, asking all these crazy questions, and then at the end, it showed that, you know, hey, there's a three minute video due the next day. We're like, well, that's not going to happen, so just kind of forgot about it. And whatever. A year later, they sent me an email. They're like, hey, we saw you. You know, applying for season five. We're looking for average people. We would like you to reapply for season six. I was like, Oh, shit. Okay, refilled out the application. Hired a girl at the rock climbing gym to make my video, because I had no idea what I was doing. And so I applied. And I was like, All right, whatever I applied. Then couple months later, I get a call like, Hey, this is such and such from Ninja Warrior, congratulations, you're on the show. I'm like, Oh, shit. Okay. Now they tell me it's, it was only like, six weeks out when they want me to come to I was supposed to originally go to St Louis, so it's like, shit. What do I do? So then I started Googling. I started first thing I built was the quintuple steps, because I didn't want to be that guy that fell on the obstacle the very first one. And then I think I built a Salmon Ladder. And then I actually built a warped wall in my backyard. I found a guy here in Michigan that's been on every season since the show started, and he was only like, a couple towns away. Got a hold of him, and we started training together at that time. There were no ninja gyms pretty much around the country. Everyone was doing stuff in their backyard. So I went to a CrossFit gym, and we, he showed me, like, some replica obstacles, or what to train on. And then he came over, helped me build some obstacles. And then they, they changed my where I was supposed to compete. They're like, um, well, we're gonna put you in a Denver, Colorado now, because that one's full, which actually worked out good, because it gave me good, because it gave me an extra, I think another six weeks past that, so, but yeah, so it's again I kind of just felt into ninja because I applied. I'm like, Oh, that'd be cool. So, yeah. So, so I got hired 98 and then 2013 is when I started doing ninja.
Dr. Spencer Baron:Holy smokes, was there, Terry, Hang on one second. I'm really intrigued. Is there was, was there one or a few moments? I mean, I would love for you to get raw on this, that as a firefighter, that you experienced that was so what seemed to be insurmountable, you know that you go, man, if you know, when it came time to do the Ninja Warrior application, all that, man, if I, if I got through this, this experience firefighting, I could, I could definitely do the Ninja Warrior thing. Was that ever and if so, what
Unknown:was, you know, I think, as you guys pointed out earlier, we're running into buildings that everybody's running out of where, you know, I've had ceilings collapse on my head at work that like pinned me to the ground. I was in a room that was was on fire on the top of a stairwell is completely black. We're spraying water, and I just had a bad feeling about going in there, because it's zero visibility. Somebody vented a window from the outside without authorization from the chief at the time, and the room completely flashed over. But we were on the stairwell, so we could kind of drop back. So if we're in that room, when that guy vented the window, we all would have died. So yeah, so I figure if I can survive a day at work, you know, physically and mentally. Because, like I said, we see some pretty messed up stuff that this is just, this is fun, because if you fail, you know, you fall in the water. That's, you know, or, you know, or me rupture Achilles. But generally, those people fall in the water, and, you know, get a good chuckle. They come out like, yeah, you know, there's happy to be on the show. So, yeah, I figured I. If I can survive a day at work, this is just just for fun.
Dr. Terry Weyman:So you mentioned just that, the flash and all that going back, what's one thing that you experienced at work or saw that brought you to the edge of quitting and what got you to rise up for the next day.
Unknown:So we're paramedics as well. So we, we see a lot of, you know, obviously, we're putting out fires, but we're cutting people out of cars. But then we're, you know, we're doctors in the field, because we're pushing drugs. We're starting IVs, we're defibbing people, we're doing chest tubes. We're cranking people. Um, I think, anything pediatric wise, anything to deal with kids, whether it's trauma, sickness, whatever, like that those, those are the ones that take, you know, you go home with and you see, you know, at night, like there's one, as we're talking about this, like memories are just, you know, going through back when I was doing my clinicals. You know, for your paramedic, you have to X amount of hours in the ER and ORs and all that stuff, like that car accident with a 17 year old girl that, when it rolled over, it pinned her head into the water in the ditch. So they were doing CPR when they brought her in, and then, you know, we tried to revive her, why she was on, you know, on the table in, er, and just, just that kind of, you know, that was before I even got into it, because that's when I was still learning, you know, doing my paramedic school and all that. So, just seeing that. And then, yeah, that was, that was a little bit of a dark one, so, and that was even before I got into it. So, you it. So go ahead, no.
Dr. Terry Weyman:I mean, the reason I asked I did a little stint EMT, and what got me out was a pediatric that got basically spread across the back window, and the mom didn't know that her, her baby, was dead, and, and it was a screaming, where's my kid, where's my kid. And you knew what was wrong, what happened, but she didn't know. And, and I couldn't deal with it. So I, you know, some of those things that you kind of wonder. I always wondered, well, how do you deal with it when I couldn't, you know, and what gets you through and, and I think that's the same thing that pulled you through your Achilles, you know, because you're able to either carpet carpet, I can't talk no wise, you know, but you're able to put it in a box. And, you know, I keep going back to that, that while you're in war, and the point was, sometimes those boxes gets you have so many boxes that you put things in, that eventually those explode, because you can only have so many boxes. How do you how do you handle your boxes?
Unknown:Like talk to the guys at work. You know, we're firemen, and I'm sure soldiers and cops were. We have a very sick, twisted sense of humor, as I'm sure you guys probably do as well. We had a call years ago, years and years ago. I won't tell you the whole story. Long story short, the guy get we get called. Doctor was on scene. He's dehydrated. He's go the hospital. Doctor, of course, left. Long story short, Guy was covered in maggots, still alive, covered in maggots in his trailer. The guy was septic. His son, that was supposed to be his caregiver, wasn't doing a very good job of taking care of him. So he all right, we're gonna get gross here for a second. So yeah, I'm in so we could smell the guy from outside this trailer. There were three of us. We could just smell it. You know, the sun's on scene. He's like, Yeah, dad's in there on the right side. Doctor says he notes, goes, these go the hospital. We're like, we could smell it from outside. We're like, Are you kidding me? What the fuck so we go in there, and the guy's like, he's under the sheets, and it's just the smell is just overwhelming. So the one guy, he's like, All right, we pull the sheets back and we he's just covered in maggots from like the waist down. So we're and so we're just like, well, we're not going to take all the maggots with us to the hospital. So my one of the guys goes on the other side of the bed, and then we he rolls them towards himself, so we can get the blue pad out from underneath them, and the blue pad goes with them, because he's laying a giant decubitus ulcer. So the blue pad goes with him with all the maggots. So we go to pull the the blue pad off. That's where all the maggots are, and half of his ass comes off with it. So that is his ass is just all white and red, and there's just magnets everywhere, and that's when the smell really came out. So myself and my other partner, we go running out of the trailer, dry heaving in between the two trailers. We're just like, we're like, what the we're both out there. We're like, What the So my other partner that couldn't get out because. He kind of had the guy roll towards him. He just stood on that side and threw up into his mouth. So we're like, fuck it. Let's just go back in there. Let's get him out of here. So we go get him in there. We scrape all the maggots off, get him on his sheet, take him out, you know, put him on the stretcher, take him to the hospital. He ended up dying, obviously, a few days later from septic shock, because he was, you know, obviously that bad. But when we, you know, dropped the patient off at the hospital, went back to the fire station, because, of course, the call came in. Oh, it never fails. Anytime that you're eating, you spend all this time making this nice, awesome meal, always get a call. Never fails. So we're in the middle lunch when that happens. So we came back and, of course, it we were having pasta, so it looked like the maggots that we just took off the guys, and we just, we just started eating, and we're just laughing about it the whole time. So, yeah, so that's, that's, that's how you deal with it, with the box, you know you talked about, how do you know you get so much stuff in your box? We just, we obviously make sick, demented jokes with each other, and then we come back, and as we're eating the pasta, we're making jokes about the maggot iron, you know. We call it a maggot man, you know. So we make jokes about maggot man as we're sitting eating our pasta, because that's, that's how you have to deal with it. You have to make light of it, make jokes about it, and just our sick, dark, twisted humor.
Dr. Terry Weyman:But people need to hear this, because I think they have this Hollywood version with firemen, like from all these TV shows, where it's the good looking guys, and it's always they know show what really goes on in the first responders life.
Unknown:First episode, they're like, I'm not watching that. And no and I right offense, not everybody looks like the hot guys and girls on that show. Anyway, I've seen most the guys at our department with their shirts off, and I don't need to see that. So rest of America doesn't want to see that either. So I don't think it'd be good for reasons.
Dr. Terry Weyman:Do you have any times when I was traveling overseas and people go, where are you from? I go Southern California. Does everybody look like Baywatch? I'm like, Yes. And I'm a prime example of that.
Unknown:I sell so many people like you, even on duty or, you know, they find him a fireman. They're like, is it really like Chicago? FD, you know, like, you know? I'm like, No, it's not like that. You know, because they show these people in these fires where it's completely you can see clear as day. I'm like, no, no, far you can't even see your hand like this. So no, it's not real. And we don't you know. They always know to life, and most people died during CPR, so that's not true either.
Dr. Terry Weyman:So I mean, you got lucky with finding Dr slova, Dr Karen, and as exceptional as she is as a, as a, as a sports doctor, her taste of men suck, but her, her, her choice of being a great, great
Dr. Spencer Baron:daughter, but
Dr. Terry Weyman:oh, she is, and she's still looking for the right one, but she hasn't, you know, but She's, she's a settler. Let's just call her a settler.
Unknown:But all kidding,
Dr. Terry Weyman:inside, for the average, I don't think a lot of people, I mean, you just explained one little snippet of what you guys see on a daily basis and what you go through a daily basis, not only as a tactical athlete, extreme athlete, but as an extreme person in their job. What do you think were most health care providers make the mistakes and and what? How do you what would you like to tell them when they're dealing with somebody like you? And how should you prioritize how to help someone return to duty that they that they don't understand.
Unknown:First off, you need to the doctor needs to understand, like, what your daily activities are like being a firefighter. That's, you know, that's, we're doing a lot of different stuff. There's a lot of lifting, there's a lot of pulling, there's a lot of pushing. And as I'm sure you guys know, our our population, is getting larger and larger. So you would not believe how many lift assists we go on every day where people are they fall down and they can't get up, and they're not making them any smaller. They're just getting bigger and bigger. So we're throwing out our backs, you know, we're blowing out our legs, you know, bicep tears from lifting big fat heavy people over and over and over again. So I think they need to understand, like, what your job actually entails, and then design the treatment for that. You know,
Dr. Spencer Baron:agreed, because so often, doctors, generally, they do a one size fits all. They don't have time to get into your history. They don't, you know, it's not personalized, and that's what's missing. And when you find somebody that does that, like a Dr Terry or Dr Karen, or even myself, you know, it just that's when you take a lot of pride, man, we've been doing this for so long. We just love to hear your story and tailor something. That works best, right?
Unknown:So, originally, so Dr Karen, when, like, she found out who was going to treat me originally for my Achilles, she's like, Absolutely not, because, you know, number one, they didn't have the best reputation, but they were going to treat me as a housewife. Be like, oh, we just need to get this person back so that they can pick the kids up at school or go grocery shopping or whatever. They didn't. They weren't going to treat me like the athlete that I needed to be treated as or a firefighter as I needed to be treated as nice.
Dr. Terry Weyman:So don't you. Don't you hate when a doctor or therapist, I'm sure, and Spencer and I deal with people telling us this all time, when they say, Oh, you just need rest. Yes.
Unknown:Oh, 100% Oh, just put some ice on you'll be fine. Yeah, I hear that. Yeah. No, no, that's not what I need. That's not it, yeah, yeah.
Dr. Terry Weyman:That's like a death sentence to an athlete. It's like to tell him, Oh, you just need to take six weeks off and just rest it. Oh.
Dr. Spencer Baron:Better than that is when your doctor tells you not to exercise. You look at him and he's
Unknown:potato or something. I always look at it like practice what you preach. So if that person's, like you said, big and fat, obviously they're not exercising and doing the stuff they should be doing.
Dr. Terry Weyman:So Hey, Dad, take us through that. Your return to to American digital warrior. After your Achilles rupture the first time, not only you were back in the show, take us through the next couple of competitions of building the confidence up, but also what it was like, facing the fear, facing the excitement and the return?
Unknown:Yeah, absolutely. So earlier you talked about shortening that window, so they gave me originally it was gonna, like, take six months just to be able to go back to work. And they're they Ninja Warrior wasn't even on the table for them. That was just for you to go back being a firefighter and living somewhat of a normal life. So at that time, I was actually building ninja obstacles around the state of Michigan for different gyms. So this CrossFit gym in Rochester contact me. They're like, Hey, we heard that you build obstacles. Like, yeah. They're like, Hey, will you build us a warped wall? Like, sure. So that was before I was even to work full time, so I built them a nice, you know, it's like, six foot wide, 14 foot warped wall, super, super nice wall. And that was five months after surgery. Didn't, wasn't even training at that point. And before we left, because my wife was there helping me build helping me build it, I actually ran up and did the work. Well, five months after I have it on video somewhere, I'd have to dig it up, but, uh, but yeah. So five months after the injury, I did the Warped Wall for the first time, not on the show, and that was part of my comeback, you know, video. And so they, of course, the show, ate it up because I got hurt on their show, and it was my comeback year. So they love that, and then being able to get back on it. But yeah, of course, I was super nervous. My calves were like completely two different sizes. The strength wasn't quite there. I had to learn how to I always took off on my right foot when I went to go jump or do something. I had to switch it, because now my left leg was the more powerful dominant leg. Anytime that you run up to work while you have a leg that you take off on, I had to relearn how to swap the legs. So I was taken off on my leg, left leg instead. So there's a lot of stuff I had to learn how to redo. So there was the confidence of that be like, Man, I don't I don't know. Then, of course, I was worried about rupturing it again, but the surgeon said, chances are you're not going to rupture this side, you'll rupture the other side. So I was like, Oh, great. What happens if I represent the other side? So, yeah, I was definitely nervous about that, but I trained my butt off. When I got the call, I was like, All right, I'm like, I'm gonna do this. And I my upper body, like I said, was jacked, because I was in that knee scooter for so long. I was doing pull ups and just so much upper body stuff that, you know, that's, that's all I was doing. Like, no lower body stuff. So my lower body wasn't the strongest, so I was confident on all the upper body. But, yeah, so again, it was just the nerves, you know, going into a fire. It's, it's fun. It's gonna sound really weird. It's, it's, it's fun. It's an adrenaline rush. Like, you get super excited about it. You're like, Oh yeah, it's good rock and firing like people are coming out, you're running. And it's, it's an adrenaline rush. This was a whole different type of adrenaline in it. Once you're on the course, the buzzer goes off and you're on the course, you're doing the obstacle, the nerves definitely go down dramatically. It's being on the Start platform and in the competitor warm up area, and you visualizing the course before you go, that's when the nerves hit. So much, so much. And it like, like, I was, like, having an anxiety attack. I was freaking out just because of the nerves, but I just kept telling myself, and actually, like, it was either one of the other competitors or one of the producers, like, dude. He's like, this is a reality course show around, you know, run an obstacle course. He's like, there's no pressure if you fall who cares? Like, the sun's still gonna come up tomorrow. Your life's not gonna change whether you do or do good, bad. He's like, just relax and have fun. So that was actually my mantra, you know, I just kept, you know, and I actually use that on my daughter right now, because she's a. Races mountain bikes for her school, and she gets so nervous before the mass starts. I'm like, Parker, what happens if you don't win nothing? What happens if you you know, if you win nothing, is the sun still gonna rise? Are we still gonna love you? Yeah, all right. Then she smiles and relaxes, and I tell myself the same thing. I'm like, What happens if I fall on the first off? Yeah, I'm gonna feel bad, but still gonna wake up in the morning. My family's still gonna love me. I'm still gonna have a job. Going to have a job, nothing's going to change. So that's my mantra. That's what I did, you know, most recently, when I was out in Vegas a couple weeks ago, is just, you know, just saying that to myself, it doesn't matter. It's not life changing. We're at work at the fire department. If something goes wrong, I could die, my partner could die. You know, this person we're going to save, you know, in the fire isn't going to make it, so, yeah, you just have to kind of put things into perspective.
Dr. Spencer Baron:That's, that's pretty intense, man. Terry, do you want to do? Want me to get into the rapid fire?
Dr. Terry Weyman:No, I got one more. Yeah, you just mentioned your dollar in the mountain biking and all that kind of stuff. If your kids could learn one thing from watching you fail, fall, get back up, Chase impossible things. What's that one lesson you want
Unknown:them to learn lose with humility and being humble. Because I've seen so many actually adults and kids when they fail, they get mad, they have temper tantrums. It's like, it's the worst thing in the world that happened to them. And they're hits, they're sore losers. And I try to show that to my daughter. It's like, I fail. I fail with a smile on my face, because, like, Hey, I tried as hard as I could. Yeah, I made I slipped, whatever. You know, I didn't win the race, just smile like hey, if you tried your best, that's all that matters. But lose with humility, lose with a smile on your face, because that's what people are going to remember.
Dr. Spencer Baron:So that's great. You know, if I could translate that to our listeners and viewers, a lot of times they the win or the competition is becomes their identity, and that's their, that's their. The only thing that they feel is that makes them valuable to others or the but failing is part of the process, and you being able to just, you know, to teach your kid, it's okay. But how many parents don't do that? A lot. How many parents look right? They look at the kid. They just get that. They don't even have to say anything. I've seen it, man, they get that, you know, failure look failure look in their face, you know. And because, unfortunately, the parents assume that identity of the kids. Oh, yeah. Oh, that's my kid. That's my kid winning over there, right? But it starts with you. And I think that is really, that's a great that's probably one of the best messages that we could put out there, is not let that be your identity.
Unknown:Oh yeah. Don't get me wrong. I want her when she wins the race. I'm like, Whoo, yeah, you know, that's my kid. You know, so don't I still want that to happen, but like I said, if she doesn't do as well as she wanted to, or she fails, be like, I, you know, give her a big hug. Be like, Hey, you know what? You tried. Who cares? You did your best. That's all we can ask for.
Dr. Spencer Baron:So well we actually, you know, to make sure we're real clear that that's great. And I've always said to look at the losing team to see who the winners are. The winners are those that are impervious to that failure, and they just they work at it every day. They don't let it become their identity. So yeah, that what you're teaching your kid is they can take that everywhere. They can take that to business, to going on a job interview and then being turned down, no big deal. Go on to the next, right? Rapid fire. Terry, Listen, man, you're, you're the adrenaline junkie, you'll do fine with all right? Rapid Fire is basically five questions, and we, what we do is, you know, we ask you something that you can answer simply, but obviously we always get caught up in a conversation, but if you can give it a brief rapid fire answer, that'd be great. Ready for question number one, Dennis, when you walk into a firehouse kitchen and see the dessert tray, are you? You just one bite guy, or, you know, I earned this and, you know, or I'm running stairs later,
Unknown:I would probably be a one bite guy, just because I try to eat healthy. Keyword is try. But, you know, I could walk by and there could be donuts on the counter and everyone's just like, devouring them. And I could just be like, Hey, I'm good. I don't need it, so I'd say one bite. Guy.
Dr. Spencer Baron:Very good, very good question number two, what's one fear that has nothing to do with with fire or obstacles but still makes you pause for a moment? Say, Oh, nope, not today. That's a good one. God, I don't got i.
Unknown:I guess, yeah, I guess that's my answer. Nothing.
Dr. Terry Weyman:Spencer is spires. Put him in a room with spires or paddling on a dark ocean at night.
Dr. Spencer Baron:No, no, dr, dr. Karen has the phobia of spiders, not me. Oh, I thought that was you. No, that's her. If you even mentioned the word spider, I get goosebumps for her, because she gets all whacked about but No, me, it's dark water for some reason. Man, I'm afraid.
Unknown:I think I'm the same way. If I can't see the bottom, I don't like it.
Dr. Spencer Baron:So, very good. All right. Question number question number three, if your kids can only remember one thing, you show them, not tell them, what do you hope?
Unknown:Do not give up, no matter what, no matter what, do not give up, no matter how hard it's going to be or you think it's going to be. Do not give up. Give it everything you got.
Dr. Spencer Baron:Beautiful question number four, Dennis, you got one minute before a ninja run? You can only pick one pump up song or one calm down breath routine. Which one do you choose in
Unknown:danger zones? From Top Gun, that song, anytime I hear that song, it's just, it's actually even probably better than either Tiger. Either Tiger is awesome. But something about Top Gun maybe take me back to my childhood watching, you know, Tom Cruise, and me wanting to be a fighter pilot. But anytime I hear Danger Zone, it's just gotta just crank it up. Yes, dangerous, yeah, man, Terry, you got one?
Dr. Terry Weyman:No, I know yours is that Spencer's is the theme to the Barbie movies.
Unknown:You know what? That is? So messed up, man. He cried. What is your resent Spencer,
Dr. Spencer Baron:no, I usually, I could tell you, you know, ever since I told the story about going to the Barbie movie with with Karen, and she looked over at the end of the movie and she goes, Are you? Are you crying? I
Unknown:such, you're my man. Yes, yes, Dennis, you're my man. This is fantastic. We should have stayed through. It was right before you reaction, Terry, we're not talking about this.
Dr. Spencer Baron:No, I there's some music out there. There's some rock music by a relatively new group that kind of, you know, copied a lot of, like Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. It's called, it's called the Black Label society. So listen to some serious, I don't know. Man, it does. It does something to my like, I just close my eyes, I like, I would never have to do a drug in my entire life. It just that is my drug.
Dr. Terry Weyman:I've ever heard them give me a song. I gotta look it up.
Dr. Spencer Baron:Black Label society. You know, there's several songs on there that do that for me, but they're, they're, you know what? I'll text it to you. I love that. I'm trying to remember the name of this song,
Dr. Terry Weyman:and mine, to answer your question, Spencer, mine. It changes. It seems like every year I get a different one. My current one right now is burn it to the ground by Nickelback. Oh, that's a good one Nickelback, yeah, but I can't, I can't hate him, because one of the founders is one of my closest friends, so I can't hate him.
Unknown:I think he was on show number three, or it was Yeah.
Dr. Spencer Baron:So yeah. Anyway, it set you free. Is the one black label
Unknown:society. All right, stop to check it out, free. All
Dr. Spencer Baron:right. Last question, dad asked if you're ready. Here we go. Fill in the blank on this one, the most misunderstood thing about being a tough guy is that tough guys
Unknown:cry too nice.
Dr. Spencer Baron:That's why I watched the Barbie movie. Okay, moving right along. Hey, Dennis, that was great, man. Listen, this was a fun show, man. I really appreciate your candor and and actually, and the way you compartmentalize things and and move forward. And I really hope that our listeners and viewers, you know, you know, heed your philosophy about moving forward despite any injury or or or even disease, anything like that. So thank you. Thank you for being on the show.
Unknown:Bradley. Appreciate it. Guys, you guys,
Dr. Spencer Baron:thank you for listening to today's episode of The Kraken backs podcast. We hope you enjoyed it. Make sure you follow us on Instagram at Kraken backs podcast. Catch new episodes every Monday. See you next time you.