Ordinary to Extraordinary - The Podcast

*Caution: sensitive material* In this episode we discuss the events of the tragic shootings that took place on October 1st, 2017 at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, as recalled by a member of the festival audience. Some people may find the content upsetting or triggering and we advise your consideration before listening.

Our guest today has over 25 years of local and federal law enforcement experience. As a member of the US Secret Service he served on the Presidential Protective Division, and the Counter Assault Team within the Special Operations Division. Later he joined the ATF, serving as a Special Response Team assaulter and sniper before rising to Team Commander of the Los Angeles-based SRT.
Post Agency, Geoff has worked in corporate security and executive protection, including as a Global Security Advisor for ExxonMobil, applying the same threat assessment discipline to boardrooms and facilities that he once applied to protective details and tactical entities. He is now the Director of Corporate and Executive Security for Lionheart International Services Group.

On October 1st, 2017, Geoff was off duty with his wife in the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival in Las Vegas, when the shooting from the Mandalay Bay began. His experience, situational awareness and courage that day, helped not only him and his wife, but also a man who had been critically injured and two other women get to safety. We go beyond the headline story with Geoff to understand what it takes to be able to think clearly under the most extreme duress, and to be able to remain calm to direct and help others. We discuss his training and explore his thoughts on preparation, leadership, personal awareness in public spaces, and the recovery from this traumatic event.

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Today’s guest is Dr. Dan Buckland — an emergency physician and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine & Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and one of the leading thinkers at the intersection of human performance, medical risk, and space exploration. He has served as the Deputy Human System Risk Manager at NASA, helping shape how we keep astronauts healthy and safe on long‑duration missions. Dr Buckland is also a researcher in autonomy, robotics, and human‑factors engineering, bringing systems thinking from aerospace into the emergency department. Few people understand high‑stakes decision‑making — on Earth and Beyond! — the way he does.

In this episode we uncover the way Dr Buckland thinks and approaches complex problems, how he considers risk, how AI and autonomous systems and tools are shaping our futures, and what it was like to work in NASA.

https://emed.wisc.edu/people/daniel-buckland/
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Paul Vicary served for over 35 years in the British Army, including 22 years within UK Special Forces earning a meritorious medal for his service. He has operated in high-pressure environments worldwide, faced adversity head-on, and is one of the few individuals in the World who has walked to both the North and South Poles unsupported. His experiences prepared him for a second multifaceted career as a mental fitness coach, motivational speaker, and Director of a mental health training consultancy company, XCalibrelimited. He is an author, and his book “Plan D”, shares his experience of his North Pole expedition and the lessons that come from it.

Paul's motto: "Do the best I can in everything I do."

Paul's book: "Plan D"
Amazon USA: https://a.co/d/00Waniwy
Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/0f3RES1D

https://paulvicary.com/

https://x-calibremh.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/xcalibrelimited/

https://www.instagram.com/xcalibretreks/
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Sue Williams is one of the world’s most experienced hostage and kidnap negotiators. A former senior detective at New Scotland Yard, she led both the Kidnap Unit and the Hostage Crisis Negotiation Unit, advising UK Prime Ministers and international governments during some of the most complex and sensitive abduction cases of the last three decades.

Her work spans war‑zone kidnaps, maritime piracy, cyber‑extortion, and covert negotiations for high‑profile families.

Today, she teaches negotiation and crisis leadership at Oxford Saïd Business School, and crisis management at Harvard University, and continues to advise global organizations on high‑stakes decision‑making under pressure.

We talk to Sue about her journey into becoming a hostage negotiator, and some of the communication tools she uses to effect successful negotiations: things we can all use in our daily lives.

Active Listening Tool: "MOREPIES"
Minimal encouragers
Open ended questions
Reflecting
Emotion labels
Paraphrasing
"I" messages
Effective pauses
Summary

Pip Decks: "Negotiation Tactics" https://pipdecks.com/products/negotiation-tactics?srsltid=AfmBOooQh5DLM45QlzlsR19IhiSeSuCmc97oXBae0Ub7r5ncXUP727dP

(photograph of Suzanne Williams used with permission by Suzanne Williams)
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Nick Lopez is a professional baseball player for the Texas Tailgaters, competing in the rapidly exploding phenomenon known as Banana Ball—often called the “greatest show in sports”—where he’s established himself as one of the league’s premier hitters. Like Banana Ball, his journey there is anything but typical.

Growing up, he had no collegiate offers out of high school. What he did have was relentless drive and an unshakable belief in his ability. That mindset pushed him to chase opportunity wherever he could find it. Even after a serious injury, he accelerated through the college ranks, ultimately finishing at the University of Kentucky, where he helped lead the program to its first-ever College World Series appearance—and earning himself SEC First Team and All-American honors along the way.

Undrafted in traditional baseball, many would have seen that as the end of the road. Nick saw it as a pivot point. He launched his own business, stayed ready, and ultimately earned his shot in Banana Ball—now performing in front of sold-out crowds of up to 80,000 fans a night.

This is a story of resilience, reinvention, and about creating opportunities, not waiting for them.

The Texas Tailgaters: https://bananaball.com/the-texas-tailgaters/

Nick Lopez: Insta: @dimitri.lopez_

Nick's business: Leisure House
https://leisurehouse.mykajabi.com/
Insta: @theleisureverse

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