Going in Blind with Zach Tidwell

89 John “TIG” Teigen: Surviving 13 Hours Of Hell In Benghazi & Why It Wasn't Hillary Clinton's Fault

John “TIG” Teigen is a United States Marine Corps veteran and former CIA Ground Response Staff(GRS) paramilitary contractor who defended a CIA annex and American consulate in Benghazi, Libya during the 13-hour battle that began on September 11, 2012. John shared his story from Marine Corps infantryman, to private contractor, and eventual path into the elite GRS unit that took him on more than 60 deployments around the world conducting covert personal security detail(PSD) and security operations for CIA Case Officers carrying out America’s intelligence gathering efforts around the globe. Other topics include the repeated requests for additional security preceding the attacks, how the State Department, Obama Administration, and CIA reacted to the attacks, how John became a GRS operator without any prior combat experience, Blackwater, Triple Canopy, and how prime security contractors funnel shooters to the CIA’s covert paramilitary branch. John is running for Mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado in the Spring of 2027, and you can find him on his website: https://tigtiegen.com/ [https://tigtiegen.com/] Zach’s book is on the way it’s officially in the hands of an editor, and on the final path to publishing! If your new to the show and haven’t heard his incredible story, go back and listen to the show’s trailer, or visit Zach’s website at zachtidwell.com [http://zachtidwell.com]. To get the big news when it’s going to print, join his email list on the website. Follow And Support The Show Follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. And if that happens to be on YouTube, like this video too before sharing the episode with family and friends. Website: https://zachtidwell.com [https://zachtidwell.com] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556533676388 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556533676388] Instagram: @ZachCTidwell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-tidwell-9076852ab/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-tidwell-9076852ab/] X: @ZachCTidwell Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-in-blind-with-zach-tidwell/id1787306128 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-in-blind-with-zach-tidwell/id1787306128] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/51IxT43v95otwaXDkyr6FW [https://open.spotify.com/show/51IxT43v95otwaXDkyr6FW] YouTube: @ZachCTidwell #GIB #GoingInBlind Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm [http://Transistor.fm].

88 Dr. “Skip” Rizzo: The New Forefront of PTSD Treatment

Dr. Albert “Skip” Rizzo, Ph.D., has been named one of the Top 25 Greatest Innovators in the field of virtual reality(VR), and has been innovating in using the technology to diagnose, analyze, and treat complex mental health conditions for decades. He is also the Director of Medical Virtual Reality at the Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California. In addition to designing and developing these breakthrough technologies, some of his platforms are being used nationwide throughout the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, and even to help clinicians train in handling particularly dynamic and difficult patients. In addition to covering all of this, Skip covered how it all came to be, and where he and his peers are driving this incredible future. Other topics include exposure therapy, previous guest Dr. Barbara Rothbaum, 9/11, military sexual trauma, sexual trauma, how innovation occurs, how to coordinate teams from different disciplines in combined efforts, PTSD, how virtual reality is used to train active duty military, how additional immersion accentuates these VR experiences, augmented reality, how virtual reality developers can create entire, immersive worlds, and more. You can find Dr. Rizzo here: https://ict.usc.edu/about-us/leadership/research-leadership/albert-skip-rizzo/ [https://ict.usc.edu/about-us/leadership/research-leadership/albert-skip-rizzo/] Zach’s book is on the way it’s officially in the hands of an editor, and on the final path to publishing! If your new to the show and haven’t heard his incredible story, go back and listen to the show’s trailer, or visit Zach’s website at zachtidwell.com [http://zachtidwell.com]. To get the big news when it’s going to print, join his email list on the website. Follow And Support The Show Follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. And if that happens to be on YouTube, like this video too before sharing the episode with family and friends. Website: https://zachtidwell.com [https://zachtidwell.com] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556533676388 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556533676388] Instagram: @ZachCTidwell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-tidwell-9076852ab/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-tidwell-9076852ab/] X: @ZachCTidwell Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-in-blind-with-zach-tidwell/id1787306128 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-in-blind-with-zach-tidwell/id1787306128] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/51IxT43v95otwaXDkyr6FW [https://open.spotify.com/show/51IxT43v95otwaXDkyr6FW] YouTube: @ZachCTidwell #GIB #GoingInBlind Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm [http://Transistor.fm].

87 Danny Combs: How The Autism Community Is Moving From 90% Unemployment To Fortune 500 Jobs With Skilled Trades

Danny Combs is many things; a Grammy-winning musician, entrepreneur, educator, disability advocate and policymaker, to name a few—but today we focused on his work in teaching the autistic community trades, the namesake for his nonprofit, TACT. After his own son was diagnosed with Autism 15 years ago, without being given resources to assist him, Danny decided to pave a path forward for his son and others like him. In just 10 years, TACT has shifted the entire narrative around employing people with Autsim, partnering with companies all over the world, including Toyota and AutoNation, to flip the script on the statistic that 90% of autistic people are unemployed. It's an untapped workforce no one is talking about, so Danny came on the show to do just that, and break down the stigma around the subject. Other episodes mentioned include episode 73 with Kilroy’s Workshop, 83 with Steve Bigari, and 17 with Josh Thurmond. Other topics covered include public perceptions and narratives around disability, how to shift cultures and mindsets, how having a disabled person in you family expands your world view, Northrup Grumman, engineering, being a trailblazer, role models, and more. You can find Danny in the following places: TACT website: https://www.buildwithtact.org/ [https://www.buildwithtact.org/] Follow And Support The Show Follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. And if that happens to be on YouTube, like this video too before sharing the episode with family and friends. Website: https://zachtidwell.com [https://zachtidwell.com] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556533676388 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556533676388] Instagram: @ZachCTidwell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-tidwell-9076852ab/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-tidwell-9076852ab/] X: @ZachCTidwell Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-in-blind-with-zach-tidwell/id1787306128 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-in-blind-with-zach-tidwell/id1787306128] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/51IxT43v95otwaXDkyr6FW [https://open.spotify.com/show/51IxT43v95otwaXDkyr6FW] YouTube: @ZachCTidwell #GIB #GoingInBlind Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm [http://Transistor.fm].

86 Richard Anderson: From The Big Bang To First Life, Evolution, & Colonizing Space

Richard Anderson is a microbiologist with an expertise in molecular biology and biochemistry, who has now written several books: “Evolution of Life: Big Bang To Space Colonies”, a nonfiction book that spans from the beginning of our universe, through the formation of life, all the way through human evolution and to our seemingly inevitable future amongst distant stars. He and Zach tackled those subjects before diving into AI, freedom of speech, censorship, and how LLMs may give way to sentient nonhuman intelligence—topics all covered in Richard’s sci-fi trilogy, the Outbound series. You can find Richard’s work on his website: richardandersonauthor.com [http://richardandersonauthor.com] Zach’s book is on the way it’s officially in the hands of an editor, and on the final path to publishing! If your new to the show and haven’t heard his incredible story, go back and listen to the show’s trailer, or visit Zach’s website at zachtidwell.com [http://zachtidwell.com]. To get the big news when it’s going to print, join his email list on the website. Follow And Support The Show Follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. And if that happens to be on YouTube, like this video too before sharing the episode with family and friends. Website: https://zachtidwell.com [https://zachtidwell.com] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556533676388 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556533676388] Instagram: @ZachCTidwell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-tidwell-9076852ab/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-tidwell-9076852ab/] X: @ZachCTidwell Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-in-blind-with-zach-tidwell/id1787306128 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-in-blind-with-zach-tidwell/id1787306128] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/51IxT43v95otwaXDkyr6FW [https://open.spotify.com/show/51IxT43v95otwaXDkyr6FW] YouTube: @ZachCTidwell #GIB #GoingInBlind Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm [http://Transistor.fm].

85 George Goulburn: Life As A Male Escort Isn’t What You’d Expect

George Goulburn left his corporate life in the Australian government to strike out on a new career as a male escort. He and Zach discussed the shift, George’s past and present relationships, monogamy, open relationships, ethical nonmonogamy(ENM), and what work as a male escort is like. Along the way, George offered surprising insights into how men and women differ in this space, what women want from a male escort, and why it’s been so fulfilling for him and his clients—not to mention the ethical concerns in the space, cultural differences around the sex trade in Australia versus the United States, and what an optimal situation would be for workers in locales making moves to decriminalize or legalize prostitution. You can find George on his website: georgegoulburn.com [http://georgegoulburn.com] Zach’s book is on the way it’s officially in the hands of an editor, and on the final path to publishing! If your new to the show and haven’t heard his incredible story, go back and listen to the show’s trailer, or visit Zach’s website at zachtidwell.com [http://zachtidwell.com]. To get the big news when it’s going to print, join his email list on the website. Follow And Support The Show Follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. And if that happens to be on YouTube, like this video too before sharing the episode with family and friends. Website: https://zachtidwell.com [https://zachtidwell.com] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556533676388 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556533676388] Instagram: @ZachCTidwell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-tidwell-9076852ab/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-tidwell-9076852ab/] X: @ZachCTidwell Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-in-blind-with-zach-tidwell/id1787306128 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-in-blind-with-zach-tidwell/id1787306128] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/51IxT43v95otwaXDkyr6FW [https://open.spotify.com/show/51IxT43v95otwaXDkyr6FW] YouTube: @ZachCTidwell #GIB #GoingInBlind Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm [http://Transistor.fm].