The First Responder Leadership Podcast equips leaders in law enforcement, fire, EMS, and 911 communications to lead better, live healthier, and build stronger teams.
Hosted by Conrad Weaver, certified John Maxwell speaker and coach, each episode features candid conversations with experienced public safety leaders and leadership experts who share hard-earned lessons from leading through crisis, change, adversity, and the everyday pressures of the job.
You’ll hear practical strategies for leading yourself well, developing people, strengthening relationships, navigating difficult leadership challenges, and building healthy organizational cultures where people can thrive.
Because better leadership doesn’t just change organizations—it changes the lives of the people we lead.
In this episode of the First Responder Leadership Podcast, host Conrad Weaver sits down with former LAPD officer and leadership coach Marc Hildebrand for a powerful conversation about self-leadership, overcoming self-sabotage, and developing the personal discipline necessary to lead others effectively.
13 Oct 2026
Rank does not equal Leadership - Kory Flowers
Captain Kory Flowers on Earning Respect, Taking Responsibility, and Leading Without Ego. Just because you have the rank doesn’t mean you’ve earned the respect. A promotion gives you authority. But it doesn’t automatically make you a leader.
29 Sept 2026
Calling Mayday Before the Walls Come Down - Darryl Cleveland
In this episode of the First Responder Leadership Podcast, Conrad Weaver sits down with retired Fire Chief Darryl Cleveland, whose nearly 40-year career included service as a paramedic, firefighter, engine company captain, battalion chief, fire chief, and assignments aboard EMS and fire helicopters.
Darryl reflects on coming up in a fire-service culture where mental health was rarely discussed and ”suck it up” was often the prevailing attitude. He shares how cumulative trauma followed him into retirement, why leaders need their own trusted peer networks, and how vulnerability from the top can give others permission to ask for help.
15 Sept 2026
The Leadership Problem we can Actually Fix - Maggie DeBoard
Former Police Chief Maggie DeBoard spent 38 years in law enforcement, including 13 years as a chief of police. Looking back on that career, she believes one of the greatest threats to first responder wellness isn’t always what happens on the street.
Sometimes it’s what happens inside the organization.
1 Sept 2026
Break the Pattern: Self-Leadership, Servant Leadership & Fire Service Culture with Jason Yerkovich
Fire service leader and author Jason Yerkovich joins Conrad Weaver on the First Responder Leadership Podcast for a candid conversation about self-leadership, servant leadership, firefighter wellness, organizational culture, and breaking the generational patterns that influence how we lead at work and live at home.
Jason shares how a personal crisis forced him to examine his own leadership blueprint—and why becoming a healthier leader begins with three things: awareness, ownership, and action.
1 Sept 2026
The Leader in the Mirror: Why Self-Leadership Comes before Leading Others with Max Gomez
What if the hardest person you’ll ever lead is yourself?
In this episode of the First Responder Leadership Podcast, Conrad Weaver sits down with Canadian law enforcement professional Max Gomez for a candid conversation about leadership, emotional intelligence, identity and the personal responsibility that comes with leading others.
After nearly 20 years in policing, Max has experienced both good and poor leadership—and says he’s learned from both. But one of his biggest lessons has been recognizing that leadership development ultimately begins internally.
1 Sept 2026
LIVE a Legacy: Why Leadership is About WHO you Build, not About What you Build with Chris Cowan
What if the goal of leadership isn’t to leave a legacy—but to live one every day?
After 34 years in public safety, Chris Cowan has learned that some of the most important leadership lessons come through failure, loss, and the willingness to change.
In this episode of the First Responder Leadership Podcast, Chris joins Conrad Weaver for a candid conversation about moving from transactional leadership to relational leadership, building human capital, creating healthier organizational cultures, and choosing significance over success.
1 Sept 2026
Are We Ready? Preparing to Lead When the Unthinkable Happens with Kristen Ziman
001 - Are We Ready? Preparing to Lead When the Unthinkable Happens with Kristen Ziman
Former Aurora, Illinois Police Chief Kristen Ziman spent 30 years in law enforcement and led her department through the 2019 Henry Pratt Company mass shooting—an event that killed five people and left five officers wounded.
26 Aug 2026
First Responder Leadership Podcast Trailer
Introducing the First Responder Leadership Podcast!
This show is built for the men and women who lead in public safety — from emerging supervisors to seasoned command staff.
Hosted by filmmaker, leadership coach, and First Responder Wellness Solutions founder Conrad Weaver, the podcast features candid conversations with leaders from law enforcement, fire, EMS, 911 communications, and beyond who understand what it means to lead when the stakes are high.
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