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_outlineThis 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 behaviors that quietly separate good medics from great ones. Discipline shows up in preparation, work ethic, and consistency—checking trucks, knowing equipment, using checklists, and doing the unglamorous work that prevents failure long before a call goes sideways. The crew explores how discipline, not talent or motivation, is what ultimately defines culture and reliability in high-risk systems.
Accountability
Publishing leadership philosophy publicly comes with a cost—and an obligation. Mark discusses how the podcast has put his values under a microscope, inviting others to hold him to the standard he’s advocating. The group unpacks integrity as the foundation of leadership accountability, and why transparency matters more than positional authority in EMS organizations.
Mindset
Imposter syndrome, burnout, gratitude, reinvention, and growth all surface as the crew reflects on their careers and the mental toll of the job. From tacit knowledge to conscious leadership, this segment explores how mindset shifts are necessary to survive—and thrive—over a long EMS career. The hosts discuss why gratitude matters, why being willing to be wrong accelerates learning, and why most medics have to reinvent themselves every few years to stay healthy in the profession.
Next
This episode isn’t just a look back—it’s a pivot point. The hosts preview what’s coming next for DAMN Good Medics, including deeper dives into integrity, high-reliability organizations, aviation lessons from pilots, and more guest-driven conversations. The goal remains the same: translating leadership theory into actionable intelligence that improves EMS culture from the inside out. (Show notes created in part on ChatGPT)
Recommended & Referenced
- Chad
- Extreme Ownership – Jocko Willink & Leif Babin
- The Dichotomy of Leadership – Jocko Willink & Leif Babin
- Chiyo
- The Checklist Manifesto – Atul Gawande
- The ABG Survival Guide – Bryan Selvage
- The Flight Paramedic’s Guide to Mechanical Ventilation – Austin Kiser
- Mark
- Burnt Out: A Paramedic’s Memoir – Chad Davis
- Leading When It Counts – Dustin Wingate
- High Reliability for a Highly Unreliable World: Preparing for Code Blue through Daily Operations in Healthcare – Daved van Stralen, MD, FAAP; Spencer L. Byrum; and Bahadir Inozu, PhD