Even a Student is Known by Their Bearing
DAMN Good Medics
Even a Student Is Known by Their Bearing Leadership is observed before it’s granted. In this episode of DAMN Good Medics, Mark, Lee, Chad, and Jeff break down bearing—how leaders are seen before they ever speak. Bearing isn’t image or ego. It’s professional presence: appearance, posture, composure, discipline, and consistency under observation. Drawing from EMS, military leadership, and public safety, the conversation explores why students and junior providers are judged early, why habits matter more than intent, and how professionalism becomes second nature under stress. This episode...
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Integrity: The Ultimate Pressor
DAMN Good Medics
Pressors don’t fix one problem—they improve system performance across multiple dimensions. Integrity works the same way. In this episode of DAMN Good Medics, Mark, Lee, and Chiyo examine integrity as the ultimate leadership pressor—one that improves decision-making, trust, communication, and culture simultaneously. Not a value statement. A systemic physiologic intervention combating the ethical hypoperfusion present in the wastelands of the EMS industry. This is the critical transition point of the DAMN Good Medics character based leadership framework—where character stops being...
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Discipline, Accountability, Mindset, & Next
DAMN Good Medics
This end-of-year wrap-up episode of DAMN Good Medics features a raw, "off-the-clock" conversation between Mark, Chad, and Chiyo. Leaning into their "understaffed" reality, they deliver an episode that feels less like a lecture and more like a debrief in the back of a rig on what the past year of conversations has revealed about leadership, EMS culture, and personal growth. What emerges (unintentionally) is a clear framework—Discipline, Accountability, Mindset, & Next—that captures both the lessons learned and the direction forward. Discipline The conversation opens with the...
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The Five Points of Courage featuring Lessons for the Thin Red Line and Bad Prophets
DAMN Good Medics
In this short and intensely personal episode, Mark and Chad tackle the essential USMC leadership trait of Courage. They bridge the gap between physical courage on the Thin Red Line and the moral courage needed to lead through complexity. Using the Harvard Business Review framework of Five Characteristics of a Courageous Leader, the hosts break down the necessary traits for longevity and integrity in any high-stakes career. 🔑 Key Takeaways & The Five Points of Courage 1. Authenticity: The "Do What is Right No Matter the Cost" philosophy. Why defining your personal mission, vision, and...
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Decisiveness: Efficiently Making the Hard Decisions, Including Lunch
DAMN Good Medics
In this episode of the Damn Good Medics podcast, your host Mark, alongside Chad and Chiyo, delves into the essential USMC Leadership Trait of Decisiveness. They bridge the highly relatable everyday challenge of where to go for lunch (the ultimate test of decision fatigue!) into the complex psychology of decision-making in high-pressure environments. The conversation highlights the transition from rapid-fire clinical judgment to slow, methodical organizational strategy. Key takeaways include: Frameworks for Speed: Understanding the "Can I, Should I, Must I" decision model and the difference...
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Judgment - Transforming Character into Strategy
DAMN Good Medics
This week, we move past Justice to explore the crucial second filter in your leadership development tree: Judgment. This isn't just a clinical skill—it's the core of exemplary leadership, enabling sound choices in the absence of clear data. Mark, is joined by EMS Deputy Director Chad, (author of Burnt Out), reluctant leader Jeff, and special guest, retired NYPD/EMS veteran Mike Chanat, who ties in his "Key Three" of Communication, Mindset, and Empathy. What We Dissect in this Episode: Affective vs. Cognitive: We debate where good judgment lives. Does it come from the book knowledge...
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Hot Mic: Exposed! Code 3 Movie Leaves Our Feelings Trauma Naked
DAMN Good Medics
A Hot Mic captured our candid conversation about Rainn Wilson's and Patrick Pianezza's new movie Code 3. Why did this film, written by a paramedic, hit us so much harder than the usual Hollywood dramas? Because it left our feelings trauma naked. In this unscripted session, we confess that we've all been Rainn's character, Randy. We dissect the difference between the bloody calls and the daily, systemic issues (like chasing, bad management, and traffic) that cause long-term burnout and PTSD. We address the controversial topic of poor leadership and challenge the old "suck it up buttercup"...
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Justice Starts with You
DAMN Good Medics
The 12th episode of "DAMN Good Medics" features Mark, Jeff, & Lee as they explore Justice, the second of the 14 Marine Corps Leadership Traits. Mark introduces justice as the first "filter in the root system" that builds off the foundation of Knowledge. Justice: The Individual and the Organization The hosts define justice as the practice of being fair and consistent, giving consideration to all sides, and basing rewards and punishment on merit. The consensus is that justice starts with the individual; you must internalize and practice it personally to gain the trust and respect...
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The Fertile Soil of Knowledge: Growing the Character & Forming the Strategy of EMS Leaders
DAMN Good Medics
Summary In this episode, Mark, Chiyo, and for a brief time Will discuss the critical role of knowledge in leadership, particularly within the EMS field. They explore various types of knowledge, including declarative, procedural, and conditional knowledge, and introduce the Rumsfeld Matrix to categorize knowledge. The conversation emphasizes the importance of processing knowledge into actionable intelligence and the evolution of knowledge into wisdom and integrity. The episode concludes with a reflection on the foundational role of knowledge in effective leadership and decision-making. Keywords...
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Followership & Leadership, Which Came First
DAMN Good Medics
In the 10th episode of the Damn Good Medics podcast, host Mark, along with new co-host Chiyo (Lee also joins later) and guest Dustin Yates Wingate, explore the critical relationship between followership and leadership in the EMS, Public Safety, & HRO communities. They discuss the importance of integrity, empathy, and active participation in followership as foundational elements for effective leadership. The conversation highlights the need for mentorship, the impact of communication, and the significance of loyalty to the mission over individual leaders. Through personal anecdotes...
info_outlineIn this episode, Lee opens up about a time when he was on the verge of walking away from his EMS career. He struggled with intense self-doubt and wrestled with the question so many of us face: Am I really cut out for this?
That turning point came when he found mentors who didn’t just encourage him—but challenged him. They offered constructive criticism, not just praise. That guidance helped him reframe his journey and understand where he truly was in his professional development.
We dive into two key models that help explain how we grow in our careers: the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisitionand the Conscious Competence Ladder.
The Dreyfus Model outlines five levels:
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Novice
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Advanced Beginner
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Competent
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Proficient
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Expert
Meanwhile, the Conscious Competence Ladder runs parallel, tracking our awareness of our skills:
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Unconscious Incompetence – You don’t know what you don’t know.
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Conscious Incompetence – You know what you can’t do yet.
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Conscious Competence – You know how to do it, but it takes effort.
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Unconscious Competence – It’s second nature. You do it without thinking.
These models raise two key questions for our field:
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Where do you think most EMS providers—or leaders—fall within these stages?
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At what level do you think providers or leaders are most dangerous—and to whom?
We also touch on concepts from political theory, including Chesterton’s Fence and the Overton Window, to explore how institutional knowledge and boundaries protect against reckless change.
Lee reflects on the “cookbook paramedic” phase—often where advanced beginners live. These providers may stick to the rules and protocols but miss the bigger picture. It’s only through proficiency, where pattern recognition kicks in, that you begin to truly understand what to do—not just follow steps.
At the expert level, practitioners rely on tacit knowledge—intuitive, fast, and often hard to explain. They’ve seen the patterns before. They innovate because they understand the system.
Where are you on that ladder?
Where is your team?
Be sure to listen to the next episode, where we finish this conversation and talk about what it really takes to grow as a provider—and what to do when you feel stuck.
Lee’s YouTube:
www.youtube.com/@accessmedic
Dylan’s Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dylan-brabham/499664225
Ironed Out Media: