Firefighter roles often include impulsive behaviors like addiction or dissociation, which are designed to protect us from overwhelming feelings.

The protectors within us can take on various roles, including managers who seek control and firefighters who react impulsively to protect vulnerable parts.

Trauma can lock sensitive parts of us away, leading to feelings of worthlessness and fear, which can trigger extreme protective roles that interfere with our lives.

The portrayal of firefights in movies often misses the chaos and confusion that actually occurs, which is crucial for understanding the reality of combat situations.

Children often unconsciously take on roles in their families, such as the hero or scapegoat, which can lead to difficulties shedding these roles later in life.

When we experience trauma, we often exile our most sensitive parts, making us feel more delicate and vulnerable to triggers that can lead to emotional outbursts.

In a firefight, the gut-wrenching fear comes from the responsibility of your teammates getting wounded or killed, not from the fear of your own death, which I accepted as part of my job.

To be a hero in your own story, you must confront pain and choose to transform it into something meaningful, rather than avoiding it. Most high performers are driven by feelings of insufficiency and resentment rather than passion or purpose, using these emotions as fuel to achieve their goals.

Repressing natural aggressive impulses can lead to issues later in life, such as addiction or anger problems. It's crucial to confront and understand these feelings instead of ignoring them.