John Doolittle II (Hurricane Response, First Responder Health and How eTMS is Saving Lives) - Episode 1124

Behind The Shield

James Geering

Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Fitness

4.9 • 667 Ratings

🗓️ 17 August 2025

⏱️ 105 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

John Doolittle is a retired Navy SEAL Captain and the Director of the Florida Chamber Health Council. In this second conversation, we discuss hurricane response, Florida's Special Mission Unit, first responder mental health, the healing power of eTMS, Kaatsu and so much more.

"I grew up in Walnut Creek, California. While in school, I was a swimmer, surfer and skier. I was blessed with a family who valued getting out of our collective comfort zones. We were constantly on the move; a highlight was living in Tehran as the Iranian revolution began in late 1978… a story for another time.

In 1992, I graduatd from the U.S. Air Force Academy and was commissioned as an Ensign in the world’s finest Navy, not the Air Force… again, another story for another time. I earned a Master’s of Science in Defense Analysis, Special Operations Low-Intensity Conflict (SOLIC) from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2005.

After an inter-service transfer and cross-commissioning from the Air Force to the Navy in 1992, I transferred into the Navy and worked as a hard-hat salvage diver for three years, and eventually completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training as the Class Leader of Class 213.

From 1996 to 2017, I was assigned to various SEAL Teams and conducted multiple deployments throughout the European, African, Pacific, and Middle East theaters of operations. Most of my Navy career was focused on our military’s reaction to 9/11; a busy time for myself and my family.

My last duty station was at U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), where I led the Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF) program, directly supporting the physical and psychological needs of the 73,000 personnel making up the USSOCOM enterprise.

While getting my Master’s degree, I completed a solo swim across the English Channel in memory of a fallen teammate & friend, Neil Roberts, the first SEAL to fall in combat after 9/11. I did this in order to raise awareness and money for the Navy SEAL Foundation.

After retiring from the Navy in 2017, I’ve continued to serve by helping wounded Veterans. As I travel around the country, I’ve been speaking to teams, schools, and corporations about the importance of resilience, leadership, and trust."

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Thorn, and I have some incredible news for any of you that are in the military, first responder, or medical professions.
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0:55.6	Now to qualify for the 35% off, go to thorn.com, T-H-O-R-N-E.com. Click on sign-in and then create a new
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1:23.7	35% off through Thorn. Now, for those of you who don't qualify, there is still the 10%
1:29.9	off using the code BTS 10, behind the shield 10, for a one-time purchase. Now to learn more about
1:37.2	Thorne, go to episode 323 of the Behind the Shield podcast with Joel Tatoro and Wes Barnett. Welcome to the Behind the Shield podcast, Joel Totoro and Wes Barnett.
1:45.3	Welcome to the Behind the Shield podcast. As always, my name is James Gearing. And this week,
1:49.4	it is my absolute honor to welcome back onto the show, former Navy SEAL and the director of
1:55.1	the Florida Chamber Health Council, John Doolittle. Now, in this second conversation, we discuss a host of topics.
2:03.2	From responding to hurricanes with the Florida State Guard Special Missions Group,
2:09.3	the mental health crisis, firefighter work week,
	...

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