A Medic’s Guide to Mastering Money with Mike Knipstien
Release Date: 11/18/2025
When Ignoring Your Health Finally Catches Up With You
EMTS Academy Podcast
When Ignoring Your Health Finally Catches Up With You Most people don’t wake up one day unhealthy. They arrive there slowly — one compromise at a time. In this episode of the EMTS Academy Podcast, Matt Nealand talks with Charles Fielder, who openly shares how years of putting everything and everyone else first led him to a breaking point at 375 pounds. Charles walks through the moment he realized his health was no longer something he could postpone, the difficult honesty required to face it, and the steps he took to finally turn things around — including the role a GLP-1...
info_outline
Fixing EMS with Former State EMS Director Steve Tafoya
EMTS Academy Podcast
In this episode, Matt Nealand sits down with Steve Tafoya, a critical-care paramedic, U.S. Coast Guard veteran, EMS educator, and former State EMS Program Manager for Nevada. With more than 25 years of experience across frontline care, regulation, leadership, and system design, Steve brings a unique perspective on how to improve EMS, build better leaders, and prepare the next generation for the realities of public safety. This episode covers: • High-risk decision-making • What EMS must fix to grow • Leadership development in public safety • Clinical access challenges • Building...
info_outline
Rewiring the First Responder Brain and Healing Trauma with Dr. Don Wood
EMTS Academy Podcast
In this powerful episode of the EMTS Academy Podcast, Matt Nealand sits down with Dr. Don Wood, founder of the Inspired Performance Institute and creator of the TIPP Method, to unpack how unresolved trauma, chronic stress, and environmental triggers quietly sabotage human performance—especially for EMS professionals. Dr. Wood explains why the brain isn't “broken” but simply interrupted, and how healing old patterns can unlock clarity, emotional regulation, and higher-level decision-making. Matt and Dr. Wood explore how this applies to EMTs, paramedics, and anyone working in high-stakes...
info_outline
Clear Thinking Under Pressure: A Fighter Pilot's Framework for EMS
EMTS Academy Podcast
When lives are on the line, you don’t just need skills — you need a framework for making clear decisions under pressure. In this special EMTS Academy session, Program Director and paramedic of nearly 30 years Matt Neland sits down with Justin “Hasard” Lee, F-16/F-35 fighter pilot and author of The Art of Clear Thinking, to translate combat-tested decision frameworks directly into EMS. Hazard shares a gripping story from Afghanistan, where a fuel emergency, a destroyed runway, and a team of strangers in the sky turned into a masterclass in calm, coordinated decision making. Together,...
info_outline
A Medic’s Guide to Mastering Money with Mike Knipstien
EMTS Academy Podcast
In this episode of the EMTS Academy Podcast, Matt Nealand sits down with Mike Knipstien for a powerful conversation about money, budgeting, and financial freedom for EMTs and Paramedics. Mike shares the real-world strategies he and his wife have used for more than 20 years to create stability—strategies that allowed her to stay home and raise their children without financial stress. From tackling debt to using the envelope system, from syncing calendars to using EveryDollar to plan their future, Mike breaks down the habits that help first responders get ahead, not fall behind. If...
info_outline
You Can Do Hard Things: Lessons in Resilience and Legacy
EMTS Academy Podcast
In this episode of the EMTS Academy Podcast, host Matt Nealand talks with entrepreneur and author Rich Christiansen about what it truly means to build resilience that lasts a lifetime. From climbing Kilimanjaro with his sons to helping families rediscover their values, Rich shares stories and frameworks that teach us how to stay grounded, connected, and “anti-fragile” in a world that often feels chaotic. You’ll learn: Why defining your values changes everything How to build family and team cultures that endure The “kidney test” that reveals what real wealth is How...
info_outline
From Paramedic to Physician: Dr. Jeff Jarvis on EMS, Research, and the Future of Medicine
EMTS Academy Podcast
In this inaugural episode of the EMTS Academy Podcast, Program Director Matt Nealand sits down with Dr. Jeff Jarvis—emergency physician, medical director, and host of the EMS Lighthouse Project Podcast. From his early days as a volunteer firefighter in East Texas to becoming one of the most respected voices in prehospital medicine, Dr. Jarvis shares lessons on leadership, lifelong learning, and how to think clearly under pressure. He discusses what makes a great clinician (hint: it’s not your IV skills), how research shapes better patient care, and why embracing tools like AI and ChatGPT...
info_outline
Coming Soon: The EMTS Academy podcast
EMTS Academy Podcast
Join host Matt Nealand, Paramedic and Program Director of EMTS Academy, as he sits down with leading voices in emergency medical services, public safety, and healthcare education. In each short, high-impact episode, you’ll hear insights from EMS innovators, field medics, educators, and thought leaders shaping the future of prehospital care. Whether you’re an EMT student, a veteran paramedic, or a leader looking to strengthen your team, this podcast delivers practical takeaways and inspiring stories from those answering the call every day.
info_outlineIn this episode of the EMTS Academy Podcast, Matt Nealand sits down with Mike Knipstien for a powerful conversation about money, budgeting, and financial freedom for EMTs and Paramedics. Mike shares the real-world strategies he and his wife have used for more than 20 years to create stability—strategies that allowed her to stay home and raise their children without financial stress.
From tackling debt to using the envelope system, from syncing calendars to using EveryDollar to plan their future, Mike breaks down the habits that help first responders get ahead, not fall behind. If you’ve ever struggled with irregular income, unexpected expenses, overtime dependence, or the feeling that “the money disappears,” this episode will show you where to start.
Whether you’re early in your EMS career or you’ve been on the truck for decades, this straight-talk money guide will help you build a life with margin, peace, and long-term security.
Topics include:
- Why most medics feel “behind” financially
- The #1 budgeting habit that changed Mike’s family
- How he and his wife successfully budgeted for 20 years
- Why budgeting creates freedom, not restriction
- The money mindset every EMT and Paramedic should develop
- Real strategies to reduce stress and build long-term stability
Listen now and start building the life you want—one dollar at a time.
Mike's Website: https://www.onpoint-financial.com/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mike-knipstein-7215a7ba
Watch: https://youtu.be/r7t5LndQOxY
EMTS Academy: https://emtsacademy.com/
Connect with Matt: linkedin.com/in/mattnealand