Dr Mike Donato (Foot Health, Barefoot Training and Footwear for Perfomance) - Episode 125
Behind The Shield
James Geering
4.9 • 695 Ratings
🗓️ 4 April 2026
⏱️ 80 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Dr Michael Donato is a podiatrist, athlete and member of O2X. We discuss the evolution of footwear, the affect of improper shoes on the body, barefoot training, tactical footwear and much more.
Mike, co-owner of Rappahannock Foot & Ankle Specialists joined the practice in 2002. He obtained his A.B. in Economics from Princeton University in 1986. He graduated as a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine from California College of Podiatric Medicine in 1999. He went on to complete a 3 year Podiatric Surgery and Primary Podiatric Medicine Residency Program at Yale-New Haven Hospital - VA Healthcare System in WestHaven, CT.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons; Diplomate of the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery and is Board Certified in Foot, and Rearfoot Reconstructive/Ankle Surgery; Fellow, American Professional Wound Care Association; and a member of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine, the American Podiatric Medical Association, and the Virginia Podiatric Medical,Association.
As an O2X human performance specialist he provides education regarding footwear selection and gait analysis to first responders, military personnel, elite organizations, and other tactical athletes . He is a regular medical volunteer at the Marine Corps Marathon and the other associated Marine Corps Marathon Race Events. He is a USA Hockey level 4 hockey coach and after years of being a head coach he currently serves as an assistant coach for the Piedmont Predator Youth Hockey Club. He is an avid crossfitter and hockey player who participates in masters crossfit competitions and adult hockey tournaments.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome guys to the Behind the Show podcast. As always, my name's James Gearing, and this is episode 125, and we are talking feet. |
| 0:08.9 | This is an area that I've discussed in some episodes, but I was really looking for an expert in this field, especially someone who understood the tactical community. |
| 0:18.1 | And I was introduced to Dr. Michael Donato, who not only is a |
| 0:22.0 | podiatrist, but also works with the O2X group. So many of my questions were answered. I'm sure |
| 0:28.3 | these are going to pertain to questions that you guys have had as well regarding the evolution |
| 0:33.4 | of the shoe in the first place, the positive and negative effects of various aspects of footwear, |
| 0:40.4 | the level of protection that a first responder should have versus does have. |
| 0:45.9 | I'm referring to the diving boots that my department have told me I have to wear, |
| 0:50.3 | and a whole host of other areas. So, as I always say, please go to iTunes, rate the show. |
| 0:56.2 | Please share the hell out the show. |
| 0:58.1 | But also get a pen and paper out because you're going to learn a lot about feet and footwear in this episode. |
| 1:04.7 | So without further ado, I introduce Dr. Michael Donato. |
| 1:09.2 | Enjoy. |
| 1:33.6 | Thank you. introduce Dr. Michael Donato. Enjoy. So welcome to the Behind the Shield podcast, Mike. |
| 1:39.6 | I want to start by saying thank you so much for coming on and sharing what I think is going to be some incredible information. |
| 1:42.3 | It's a pleasure. Thanks, James. |
| 1:44.3 | All right. So where are we finding you today? |
| 1:50.6 | In Fredericksburg, Virginia, in my office. All right. And were you born there? |
| 2:01.1 | I born in Boston. Okay. And then just, I like to try and do a little background of everyone that comes on the show. So what was your what was your family unit like? |
| 2:06.7 | What do your parents do and how many siblings did you have? Okay so my father was a teacher, |
| 2:13.2 | coach, high school principal, then an administration in the Boston school system. My mother was an LPN nurse. I have an older sister and three younger brothers. All of us were big into sports. |
| 2:22.5 | All right. And which sports did you guys play? Well, me and my one younger brother, Chris, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from James Geering, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of James Geering and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.