EP 039 Kevin Rodgers: NYPD, The Gold Shield

EP 039 Kevin Rodgers: NYPD, The Gold Shield

Kevin Rodgers joined the NYPD in July of 2001. Just months later, he was sent straight to Ground Zero after the second plane hit the World Trade Center. For the next three months, his life was rescue, recovery, and survival. No days off. Long hours. Surrounded by destruction and loss—while personally losing people he knew. But that was just the beginning. Kevin went on to work some of the most violent housing projects in Brooklyn, where every day meant dealing with chaos, crime, and constant pressure. From anti-crime units chasing armed suspects to narcotics investigations and earning the gold shield as an NYPD detective—this is real policing, unfiltered. But behind the badge, the job was taking its toll. Years later, after everything he had seen and carried, Kevin made the decision to speak up and get help—and the department took his guns and shield. In this episode, we break down: * What it was like working Ground Zero after 9/11 * The reality of violent street policing in NYC * The culture inside anti-crime and narcotics units * The mental toll of the job over time

EP 038 Sheriff Mike Lewis: Inside The War on Drugs

From the highways of Maryland to the frontlines of the global drug war—this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.In this episode, I sit down with former Maryland State Trooper and now Sheriff Mike Lewis of Wicomico County, Maryland. With decades of experience in law enforcement, Sheriff Lewis has been deeply involved in drug interdiction efforts, taking down traffickers and disrupting the flow of narcotics moving through our country.We dive into the world of cartel operations, drug smuggling tactics, and what really happens during high-level interdiction stops. Sheriff Lewis also shares his firsthand experience attending the El Chapo trial, along with his travels to places like Mexico and Colombia, where he worked alongside others in the fight against international drug trafficking.This episode pulls back the curtain on the war on drugs—from local roads to global battlefields—and the men on the frontlines fighting it every day.Please visit our website to get more information: ChangeCatalystPodcast.comSocial Links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/changecatalyst_podcast✅About The Change Catalyst Podcast:This podcast ain’t for the weak or the fake. Hosted by TJ Webb, The Change Catalyst is where you’ll hear wild-ass stories of real adversity, from real people who’ve been through hell and came out the other side swinging. We’re talking everyday legends ,not celebrities, not influencers , real f***ing people who’ve battled life, taken hits most couldn’t survive, and still chose to change everything.No fluff. No fake positivity. Just unfiltered conversations about pain, rock bottoms, hard choices, and the kind of grit it takes to turn your life around when most people would just tap out.If you're tired of surface-level “motivation” and want to hear what it actually takes to evolve, level up, and change, this is your spot.You want inspiration? Earn it.This is The Change Catalyst. Let’s get to work.For Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:📩 Email: Intel@TheTjWebb.com

EP 037 Rich Kelley:13 Years Airborne: War, Chaos, and Survival

Today’s guest spent 13 years in the United States Army with the 82nd Airborne Division, deploying multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan, and responding to major disasters like Haiti and Hurricane Katrina.He’s lived through combat, chaos, and one of the most deadly threats on the battlefield an IED blast that he survived.This isn’t a highlight reel.This is what war really looks like—and what it takes to come back from it.Please visit our website to get more information: ChangeCatalystPodcast.comSocial Links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/changecatalyst_podcast✅About The Change Catalyst Podcast:This podcast ain’t for the weak or the fake. Hosted by TJ Webb, The Change Catalyst is where you’ll hear wild-ass stories of real adversity, from real people who’ve been through hell and came out the other side swinging. We’re talking everyday legends ,not celebrities, not influencers , real f***ing people who’ve battled life, taken hits most couldn’t survive, and still chose to change everything.No fluff. No fake positivity. Just unfiltered conversations about pain, rock bottoms, hard choices, and the kind of grit it takes to turn your life around when most people would just tap out.If you're tired of surface-level “motivation” and want to hear what it actually takes to evolve, level up, and change, this is your spot.You want inspiration? Earn it.This is The Change Catalyst. Let’s get to work.For Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:📩 Email: Intel@TheTjWebb.comEpisode SponsorsTheatre Protectives @TheatreProtectives  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCz6wLcQyFP1NRWooNyrqbzw] Lifemed Institute @lifemedinstitute  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCBr-razbKg6JilwNgt3jhWA]

EP 036 Keith Shibley: Alcohol, Opiates, and The Badge "A Cops Story"

Keith Shibley has spent over two decades in law enforcement—working patrol, investigations, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, and responding to major critical incidents including the Washington Navy Yard shooting and a 2025 mid-air collision over the Potomac River. But this episode isn’t just about the job. It’s about what the job does to you. After the Navy Yard shooting, Keith was injured—and like many in law enforcement, he carried the weight of that experience long after the scene was cleared. What followed was a battle with alcohol and opiate use, a struggle that too many officers face but few are willing to talk about. In this conversation, we go beyond the badge and into the reality of trauma, coping, and the road back. Sponsored by: @theatreprotectives TheatreProtectives.com

EP 035 Matt Jones: "Shots Fired"

In this episode, TJ Webb sits down with Matt “Jonesy” Jones, a retired Deputy Sheriff who faced the kind of moment every cop knows is possible—but hopes never comes. Matt shares the story of the day a routine patrol turned into a shooting, forcing him to make a split-second decision to protect his own life. He talks about what that moment was really like, what goes through your mind when there’s no time to think, and how everything changes after the trigger is pulled. But the shooting was only part of the story. Matt also opens up about the personal losses he’s carried throughout his life and career—the loss of his mother, his K9 partner, and a fellow deputy and close friend killed in another shooting. This conversation goes beyond the incident, diving into grief, brotherhood, and the weight that doesn’t go away when the call is over. This episode is about reality—what the job demands, what it takes, and what it leaves behind.