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We trace Mike’s path from South San Diego to SDPD, through three shootings in 18 months, an escalating private spiral, and the intervention that led to real recovery. Hard truths about adrenaline, alcohol, nightmares, and EMDR meet practical advice on communication, ego, and respect.

• paying it forward after a counselor’s nudge to Hawaii
• hospital security shaping command presence and de‑escalation
• nine years of disqualifications before getting hired
• first OIS: knife suspect, time distortion, aftermath process
• second OIS: trailer park active shooter with an AK
• third OIS: pursuit, split‑second decision under duress
• media, community pressure, and the homicide procedure
• alcohol as a faulty fix for headaches, insomnia, and numbness
• hypervigilance, nightmares, and the cost of no REM sleep
• intervention, inpatient treatment, EMDR, and group therapy
• cumulative trauma across careers and home life
• advice for rookies on reps, critique, and humility
• guidance for OGs on mentoring across generations
• why respect, reputation, and ego control keep you safer

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We trace Tasha’s path from academy to maximum custody and unpack the widening gap between policy and reality inside Idaho prisons. Gangs, mental health crises, staffing failures, and a hospital ambush reveal how leadership and language shifts can’t replace basic security.

• why she chose corrections as a path to law enforcement
• academy training limits and POST-certified expectations
• pro-social language shift and blurred boundaries
• staffing shortages, broken schedules, and safety risks
• prison layout, death row protocols, and the bubble
• gangs in Idaho and assaults on staff as initiation
• C Block dynamics, self-harm, and suicide attempts
• death row fence incident and delayed clearances
• hospital ambush, manhunt timeline, and injuries
• retaliation after reporting PREA and medical issues
• turnover, weak leadership, and messy log controls
• contraband, overtime strain, and culture problems
• resignation in lieu, POST investigation, and fallout
• practical advice for new officers on policy and documentation

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A hidden birth, a one-way flight to LAX, and a badge that taught him how fast life can vanish. Alex—host of Purpose Over Pleasure and former LAPD and Santa Monica officer—opens up about being adopted in Uzbekistan, nearly dying as an infant, discovering the truth at 13, and why that shock wired him to choose purpose over comfort. We walk through the realities of big-city policing: academy highs and lows, how debriefs build better tactics, what dispatch and air support get right, and the quiet ways standards slipped after 2020—even as the job got harder.

Alex breaks down the moments that shape a cop’s judgment: pulling a gun when you see the bulge but keeping your voice calm; spotting a quality witness on a chaotic murder scene; flipping to a TAC channel while your partner calls positions; and knowing when the spirit of the law beats writing another citation. His rule is simple: heal first, then train relentlessly. Mindset before muzzle. Fitness, diet, dry fire, grappling, and sleep are not extras—they’re survival tools. He’s blunt about leadership too: managers count forms, leaders carry people. The best bosses protect their teams in public and fix problems in private.

We zoom out to faith, fatherhood, and entrepreneurship. Why did he leave LAPD? Pay, politics, and the choice to bet on himself. How did a former felon become his business partner? Shared survival mindset and accountability. From patrol cars to boardrooms, the code doesn’t change: control your ego, speak clearly, set standards, and do the work daily. Be a good cop, not a perfect one. If you care about law enforcement, mindset, masculinity, or building a life on your own terms, this conversation hits hard and stays useful long after the credits roll.

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