S5 Ep4 Rehumanizing Human Performance with Gloria Park

On this episode, initially released in March 2025 as a collaboration with The Emergency Mind Podcast, Chief Medical Officer Dan Dworkis speaks with Dr. Jeremy Cannon. They delve deeply into military medical readiness and the intriguing concept of the "peacetime effect”. Whether you're in the military or a civilian, you'll gain insights into optimizing medical readiness and saving lives on and off the battlefield.Dr. Cannon is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, where he champions the Penn Medicine-US Navy Trauma Training Partnership. A graduate of the US Air Force Academy and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Cannon also holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. He's a former President of the Excelsior Surgical Society and edited the 2024 Edition of Edward D. Churchill's Surgeon to Soldiers. Currently, he's a Veteran Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, focusing on military health policy.Listen and explore the steep learning curves experienced in past conflicts and why it's so crucial to maintain and improve readiness in military medical systems. This conversation covers the necessity of military-civilian partnerships, the evolution of trauma care, and the critical need for effective policy.

This Teamcast episode is brought to you by Harry Moffitt, MCTI Director for Australia and New Zealand. During the last NFL season, Harry had the opportunity to speak with Will Greenberg, the Buffalo Bills' Head of Performance and Strength and Conditioning (S&C). Will is a wonderful human being and a great friend of the MCTI community. He describes his journey through baseball, his passion for S&C, and the positions he held prior to the Bills, from West Point to Utah State.Will has a human-centered approach to human performance. This refreshing perspective is emerging across the field and counters the approach that can overweight outcomes and treat humans as resources to be deployed for wins, profit, and utilization. Listen to Harry & Will discuss programming now and how it might be decentralized, more multidisciplinary, and less wedded to the scientists in the future. They also cover how science and scientists, though critical to the operator, should always aid a good program, never control it, and the importance of ‘struggle’ in the gym, and the concept of flow, although not as something we must conjure up, but rather as something we are always in and must fight to return to consistently. They explore the role (and reemergence) of philosophical conditioning in humans and its implications for performance as Will shares a fantastic story of "The Philosophy Booth".In a tough industry – to insiders, NFL stands for Not For Long – Will provides a uniquely relaxed perspective, with many implications for MCTs.

In this episode of The Teamcast, Dr. Angus Fletcher joins Preston Cline to discuss the crucial role of "productive discomfort" and honesty in personal and professional growth. They explore how embracing emotional challenges, rather than shielding individuals from them, is vital for true learning and resilience. Angus describes his concept of "story thinking," emphasizing the brain's natural inclination to process experiences through narrative and emotion. The conversation touches on the shortcomings of modern education in fostering emotional robustness and concludes with practical advice for leaders on cultivating independent thinking by recognizing and congratulating actions that differ from their own.Dr. Angus Fletcher is a professor and practitioner of Story Science at Project Narrative at The Ohio State University. He holds degrees in neuroscience and literature. His research, which employs a mix of laboratory experiments, literary history, and rhetorical theory, explores how literature, art, and stories can cultivate emotional resilience, creativity, and common sense. He is the author of Wonderworks (2021), Storythinking (2023), and Primal Intelligence (2025), among other books. His work explores why children are more creative than computer AI and aims to understand how narrative can be leveraged to enhance innovation, resilience, and joy. His academic publications can be found in journals like Narrative, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, and Harvard Business Review.Check out Angus's work here: https://www.angusfletcher.co/

In this week's episode, MCTI's Chief Medical Officer, Dan Dworkis, interviews Gloria Park. Gloria is a specialist in sports performance and positive psychology. She shares her unique path from competitive figure skating to optimizing human performance, highlighting the critical roles of emotions, stress management, and social dynamics. She also explores the specific challenges and approaches for improving performance in demanding environments, such as the military. Listen in for practical advice on merging well-being with achievement for a more fulfilling life, both at work and beyond.

In this episode, we sit down with Eric Karp, former Naval Special Warfare operator and a pivotal contributor to the evolution of MCTI Research. Eric played a central role in the development and refinement of the DR5 model, a framework for thriving under pressure and uncertainty. Now with Axiom Space, Eric shares his insights on cultivating human potential and preparing individuals to navigate complexity and change.

In this exciting episode, we sit down with Chief John Esposito, the Chief of Department for the Fire Department of New York (FDNY). With a remarkable career that began in 1991, Chief Esposito shares his unique insights into leading a storied organization that has been serving New Yorkers for over 160 years. Join us as we explore the challenges and triumphs of managing an organization with 17,000 employees and a budget exceeding $2 billion, all while navigating the lasting impact of 9/11 two decades later. Chief Esposito delves into the evolution of the FDNY, discussing how the role and character of the FDNY probie have changed—and yet, in many ways, remain steadfast. Tune in for a compelling conversation that highlights the resilience, dedication, and pride of those who serve in an iconic fire department.

Have you heard of the White Mouse? Given the codename by the Gestpao in WW2, for her ability to evade capture and wreak havoc behind enemy lines, Nancy Wake was a larger-than-life character, and highly decorated Special Operations Operator. At one time, she topped the Nazi’s most wanted list. She was one of dozens of women who served in the Special Operations Executive during WW2, with distinction.  Why were we so open about women in Special Operations nearly 100 years ago, but now we are so closed minded, at least it would seem? To answer this question, Harry Moffitt is joined by Frank Steder, the Principle Scientist at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment and one of the researchers who was originally involved in Norwegian Jergertroppen, or Hunter Troop: an all-female special operations unit.  Frank himself served with the Norwegian Armed Forces and since that time has been enlisted back to work in its science and technology branch and as a visiting scientist to the Norwegian Naval Postgraduate School. Today we talk about women in the special forces, conscription, and big institutional change.

Join Harry Moffitt as he talks with Dr’s Deane-Peter Baker, Roger Herbert, and David Whetham about their new book The Ethics of Special Ops: Raids, Recoveries, Reconnaissance, and Rebels. At the end of the Afghan campaign a number of Special Operations units were subject to investigations of alleged war crimes. In response, these three distinguished scholars have written a compelling book, looking at how we might learn the lessons of this time. In this broad ranging discussion, Harry, Deane, Roger, and David cover many related topics, including the ethics of war fighting and why it matters, how to prepare soldiers for the moral challenges of the battlefield, and some of the techniques they use in training and development, including The King’s College London Centre for Military Ethics Playing Cards, found at http://www.militaryethics.uk/en/playing-cards . The Ethics of Special Ops: Raids, Recoveries, Reconnaissance, and Rebels (Cambridge University Press 2023).  Dr Deane-Peter Baker is an Associate Professor of Ethics in the School of Humanities and Social Science at UNSW Canberra, and Director of the Military Ethics Research Lab and Innovation Network (MERLIN). He is also a Senior Visiting Research Fellow in the Kings College London Centre for Military Ethics. Dr. Herbert is the Robert T. Herres Distinguished Military Professor of Ethics at the U.S. Naval Academy. Previously, he served for 26 years as a Naval Special Warfare officer, including commanding SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2, Naval Special Warfare Unit 3, and the Naval Special Warfare Center. Dr David Whetham is Professor of Ethics and the Military Profession at the Defence Studies Department of King’s College London, based at the Joint Services Command and Staff College at the UK Defence Academy where he coordinates or delivers the military ethics component of courses for between two and three thousand British and international officers a year.

Join Harry Moffitt and Simon as they talk about his journey into tactical medicine and TEMS, his military experience, and leadership, teamwork, and navigating uncertainty inside trauma and emergency medicine. They also venture into the mind and trauma voyeurism.Simon is the Deputy Director of the Trauma Services at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, where he practices clinically as an anaesthesiologist and a trauma consultant. His many areas of interest include trauma and health systems, trauma-team-work, austere medical support, prehospital care, and effective leadership in trauma care. He recently completed a study into tactical care in high-threat and complex environments, via a Churchill Fellowship looking at Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) and global tactical policing. You can read it here https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellow/simon-hendel-vic-2022/Simon Hendel - Churchill TrustTo assess Police Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) in comparable overseas jurisdictions - Health and Medicine — Training of health and medical workerswww.churchilltrust.com.auHe is also a LT COL in the Army Reserve and has worked in and around Special Forces teams overseas and here in Australia, most notably deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Chris Warner, Mountaineer, Second American to Summit every 8,000 meter peakJoin Preston Cline as he and Chris Warner talk about his experiences in Mountaineering, in business, and in experiential education. Chris was one of Preston’s first instructors as a wilderness guide in 1989 and their lives have been intertwined ever since.https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/everest/this-climber-just-became-the-second-american-to-summit-every-8000-meter-peak/