Marine to SWAT K9 to Peer Support: Jeff McGreevey on Resilience, Wellness, and the Victory Mindset

In this episode of The Resilient Edge, host Dave Wyner speaks with retired law enforcement veteran and Marine Corps alumnus Jeff McGreevey, founder of Tombstone Courage, about resilience across a 29-year career spanning SWAT, patrol, explosive detection K9, gang enforcement, detective work, and neighborhood policing leadership. McGreevey explains why he chose the Marine Corps, reflects on generational differences in decompression after combat, and defines "tombstone courage" as both avoidable risk-taking and the everyday bravery of first responders. He discusses lessons from high-liability units, the strategic use of K9, and how community policing and decentralized leadership (influenced by Extreme Ownership) built stronger teams. He also details building trauma/peer support since 2004, the need for policy and funding, the impact of CIT and de-escalation, and why he created the Victory Mindset Leadership and Resilience Summit to help first responders achieve healthy careers, families, and retirements.

About Jeff McGreevy -

Sergeant Jeff McGreevy (Ret.) Jeff McGreevy began his career of service when he joined the United States Marine Corps at age 17 and entered the police academy at 21. He went on to serve more than 29 years in law enforcement, building a career that combined frontline operational experience, leadership, and a commitment to the mental health and wellness of first responders. During his career, Jeff served in patrol, community policing, field training, special enforcement, and investigations. He spent 10 years as a SWAT team member, served as a patrol and explosive-detection K-9 handler, worked with an FBI Gang Task Force, and investigated gang and robbery cases as a Detective. As a Sergeant, he supervised the Neighborhood Policing Team and coordinated his department's Crisis Intervention Team and Peer Support Programs. Jeff has been involved in trauma support and peer support since 2004 and has become a recognized expert for building effective, culturally competent wellness and peer support programs within public safety organizations. He regularly teaches first responders and public safety leaders about peer support team development, implementation, leadership, resilience, and officer wellness. Jeff is an instructor with The Counseling Team International and serves as a Public Safety Advocate for First Responder Wellness. In 2024, he created the Victory Mindset Leadership & Resilience Summit for First Responders, bringing together experts in mental health, leadership, physical readiness, and human performance to help first responders perform well on the job while building healthier and more resilient lives.

Links:

Website - www.tombstonecourage.com

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-mcgreevy/

Training to Fight While Injured: Tim Pierce on AU Fire and Accuracy Under Fire

In this episode of The Resilient Edge, host Dave Weiner sits down with former LAPD officer Tim Pearce, founder of AU Fire (Accuracy Under Fire), to explore a major training gap: most force-on-force scenarios don't replicate what happens when someone is actually shot and the body stops cooperating. Pearce shares the personal and professional origins of the system, including the shooting of his wife, LAPD officer Christina Repati, and how physical therapy e-stim technology inspired a wearable solution that creates involuntary muscle contractions when a trainee "takes a hit." They discuss how AU Fire builds true stress inoculation and decision-making under injury, the device's vest-and-sleeve design and remote controls, safety steps including FDA review and medical testing, early law-enforcement adoption across 80+ agencies, expansion to military needs beyond MILES, and applications for civilians, security, and active-shooter response training.

About Tim - Tim Pearce is a retired Los Angeles Police Department officer and the founder of A.U.FIRE (Accuracy Under Fire), the wearable consequence system that's changing how warfighters and law enforcement train. AUFIRE's patented, FDA-cleared muscle-stimulation technology delivers a safe, involuntary muscle contraction the instant a trainee is hit — bringing real consequences, and real stress inoculation, to force-on-force training for the first time. Adopted by 80+ law enforcement agencies in its first 24 months, A.U.FIRE is now under contract with U.S. Army PEO STRI / CPE ST3 to prototype and integrate with the Army's MILES training systems, alongside active U.S. Air Force SBIR work. See it in action at www.aufire.com/videos.

Links:

WEBSITE - https://www.aufire.com

IG - @aufiretraining

Carrying a firearm is a responsibility that goes well past range day.

In this episode, Dave Weiner sits down with his good friend Joel Persinger, founder and Chief Instructor at Practical Defense Systems in San Diego, to talk about what responsible gun ownership looks like in the real world.

Joel and his team have spent almost 20 years training more than 32,000 students in CCW, guard card, firearms, and defensive tactics. His background spans executive protection, physical security penetration testing, and church security operations. He also hosts GunGuyTV, a security and protection YouTube channel with more than 200,000 subscribers.

In this conversation:

The gap between what new CCW holders expect from training and what they need The emotional weight of carrying, apart from the mechanics of shooting

Why shooting is a perishable skill, and the daily habits that keep you ready

Thinking through the legal aftermath of a self-defense shooting before it ever happens Building church security that keeps doors open and people safe

Training volunteer church security teams versus paid professionals

Whether you just bought your first handgun or you've carried for years, this one will make you rethink how you train.

Connect with Joel -

Practical Defense Systems: https://pdsclasses.com

GunGuyTV: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealGunGuyTV

GGTV Crew on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gunguytv

GGTV Crew on Locals: https://gunguytv.locals.com

About The Resilient Edge The Resilient Edge is the Secure Measures podcast on resilience in safety, security, crisis intervention, and leadership. Host Dave Weiner brings you expert insights, real-world stories, and practical strategies to stay prepared in an unpredictable world.

Train with Secure Measures: https://secure-measures.com