Grablives

grablives
  • 4.9 (23)
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Grablives is a mental health podcast designed to bring a greater awareness to first responders struggling with injury, depression, suicidal ideation, and burn out. Jonathan Vargas is a firefighter/paramedic in Los Angeles determined to find solution for the epidemic of mental health crisis. Grablives ideologies are rooted in unlearning patterns, finding spirituality, and discovering higher consciousness in an effort to create a more sustainable career for first responders, cops, firefighters, and military personnel.

  1. MAR 2

    84 From Stress to Strong | Nathan Nussbaum on Rebuilding the Body, Nervous System, and Human Movement

    Returning guest Nathan Nussbaum, founder of MovMed and author of From Stress to Strong, is back on the GrabLives Podcast to go deeper into what it really takes to rebuild the body after injury, chronic stress, and nervous system overload. Raised in a family rooted in fitness, Nathan’s early life revolved around movement, strength, and performance. But injuries and life stress eventually took their toll, forcing him to confront the gap between traditional fitness and true healing. What followed was years of mentorship, self-experimentation, and hands-on application that reshaped his entire understanding of how the body adapts, compensates, and ultimately heals. In this conversation, Nathan breaks down how stress physically changes the body, how unresolved tension can keep people stuck in cycles of pain, and what it actually means to become strong again. He explains why strength isn’t just about muscles, but about restoring trust, coordination, and resilience within the nervous system. For first responders and anyone living under constant pressure, this episode offers a powerful perspective on recovery, adaptation, and long-term durability. Nathan shares lessons from his own journey and his work with others, showing how movement can become a tool not just for performance, but for reclaiming control over your health and your life. This is a conversation about transformation, ownership, and what becomes possible when you stop chasing symptoms and start rebuilding the system.

    1h 16m

  2. MAR 1

    88 Let’s Go… Into the Fire Within: Tim Fisher’s Story

    Tim Fisher, firefighter engineer with the Orange County Fire Authority and host of the Let’s Go Podcast, steps into a conversation that goes far beyond the fireground. This episode dives into the hidden layers of the job — the grief that doesn’t get processed, the weight that gets buried, and the slow drift into behaviors that don’t reflect the man in the mirror. Tim opens up about the moment everything caught up to him — when he looked at himself and didn’t recognize who he had become. We talk about the silent accumulation of trauma, the identity built around the badge, and what happens when that identity starts to crack. More importantly, we explore what it takes to take ownership, face yourself fully, and begin rebuilding from a place of truth. This conversation is for every firefighter, first responder, or man carrying weight in silence — the ones who show up for everyone else, but haven’t yet turned inward.If you’ve ever felt disconnected from yourself, stuck in patterns you can’t explain, or unsure how you got here… this one hits home.

    1h 55m

  3. MAR 1

    87 Earned, Not Given: Chris Lee on Pain, Purpose, and Legacy

    In this episode of the GrabLives Podcast, we sit down with Chris Lee, former Green Beret and U.S. Army Special Operations veteran, to explore the battle that doesn’t end when you come home. This conversation goes beyond deployments and into the unseen war—hypervigilance, identity, and the internal patterns that follow you long after the mission is over. Chris breaks down what it’s like to live in a constant state of alertness, and how that same wiring can either trap you… or become the gateway to transformation. We dive deep into the connection between the mind and the heart, and why true resilience isn’t just about toughness—it’s about awareness, curiosity, and the willingness to face what’s underneath. This is a conversation about evolving beyond old identities, letting go of outdated versions of yourself, and stepping into who you’re becoming. If you’ve ever felt stuck between who you were and who you know you’re meant to be, this one hits.

    1h 56m

  4. MAR 1

    86 Dani Fontaine: Cannabis, DNA Mutations, and Human Evolution

    In this returning episode of GrabLives, Jon sits down again with Dani Fontaine, a pioneering voice in the modern cannabis and hemp movement. Dani is an endocannabinoid researcher, neurotherapist, entrepreneur, and plant-medicine advocate whose work explores how cannabis interacts with the body’s internal signaling systems. Dani’s journey began on the front lines of Colorado’s cannabis legalization. She founded early edible companies and later co-founded the Colorado Hemp Project, helping launch one of the first licensed legal hemp farms in the United States. From there she built Nature’s Root, creating plant-based formulations such as pain-relieving salves and therapeutic hemp products used in spas and wellness clinics around the world. In this conversation, Dani dives deep into the Endocannabinoid System, the vast receptor network responsible for regulating pain, mood, sleep, inflammation, and overall balance in the human body. Researchers describe this system as a central communication network that helps maintain physiological homeostasis across nearly every organ system. But Dani’s work goes even further. She explores how genetic mutations and SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms)can influence detox pathways, metabolism, and how individuals respond to cannabis. Some genetic variants can impair natural detoxification systems, which is why personalized approaches to plant medicine and cannabinoid therapy are becoming increasingly important. Together, Jon and Dani explore: • The science and mystery of the endocannabinoid system • How cannabis interacts with the body’s receptor networks • Why some people respond differently to cannabinoids based on genetics • How DNA testing can reveal mutations affecting detox and metabolism • The future of personalized medicine through cannabis and plant compounds • How nature, environment, and biology intersect in human healing From pioneering the hemp industry to exploring the genetic blueprint of human health, Dani Fontaine continues to push the boundaries of how we understand cannabis, biology, and the body’s innate intelligence. This conversation goes far beyond cannabis culture — into the deeper biology of how plants, genes, and consciousness interact inside the human system.

    1h 33m

  5. MAR 1

    85 Mind-Body Mastery: Endurance and Martial Arts with Shaun Taylor

    What are we actually observing when we say we are conscious? In this episode of GrabLives, Jon sits down with Shaun Taylor, a 62-year-old former Canadian Tier 1 Special Operations operator, high-performance race coach, 24-hour solo mountain bike world champion, martial artist, author, and co-host of the The Collective Podcast. This conversation moves far beyond tactics, performance, or endurance. Instead, Jon and Shaun explore the deeper question beneath human performance: What is consciousness, and who is the one observing it? Drawing from decades in elite special operations, extreme endurance sports, martial arts, and philosophical inquiry, Shaun shares how high-stakes environments force a person to confront awareness itself. When the noise of the world fades and survival sharpens the mind, a different layer of perception emerges. Together they unpack: • The relationship between awareness and identity • Why observing thoughts changes how the mind operates • The difference between the thinking mind and the witnessing mind • How extreme environments reveal deeper layers of consciousness • Whether consciousness is produced by the brain or something the brain tunes into From battlefield mindset to 24-hour endurance racing to philosophical inquiry, Shaun brings a rare perspective on what it means to truly observe reality and understand the mind behind the experience. This episode explores the frontier where performance, awareness, and consciousness intersect.

    2h 40m

  6. FEB 23

    83 Ren Xue Wisdom Volume 2

    In this returning conversation, Jon welcomes back Ginny Rutherford, founder of Kambo International and dedicated Ren Xue pattern coach, to explore the deeper layers of pattern transformation and what it truly means to live beyond the unconscious programs that shape our lives. Since her last appearance, Ginny’s work and personal journey have continued to evolve, bringing even greater clarity to how patterns silently influence our thoughts, emotional reactions, behaviors, and ultimately our identity. She explains how these patterns are not just mental habits, but deeply conditioned survival responses that continue running in the background until we develop the awareness to see them clearly. Ginny shares how the Ren Xue system provides a practical path for recognizing these patterns, dissolving their control, and restoring alignment with what Ren Xue calls the True Self. Through awareness, responsibility, and consistent inner work, she explains how it becomes possible to stop living on autopilot and begin responding to life with clarity instead of conditioning. For those living in high-stress environments, including first responders, this conversation offers powerful insight into how stress reinforces unconscious patterning, and how real transformation begins by changing the relationship with our internal reactions rather than trying to control external circumstances. Ren Xue, founded by Yuan Tze, is a system of wisdom and self-development designed to help individuals reconnect with their original nature and live in greater harmony with themselves and the world. Ginny brings this wisdom into practical, grounded application, showing how transformation is not about becoming someone new, but about removing what was never truly you. This is a deeper continuation of a powerful dialogue about awareness, responsibility, and the process of stepping out of conditioned living to reclaim clarity, freedom, and authentic strength.

    1h 43m

  7. FEB 9

    82 When the Body Holds Trauma | Eileen McKusick on Frequency and Recovery

    Episode 82 of the GrabLives Podcast features Eileen Day McKusick, researcher, author, and pioneer in the modern use of tuning forks for therapeutic sound work. Known for her books Tuning the Human Biofield and Electric Body, Electric Health, Eileen has helped reshape how people think about the body, energy, and healing by exploring the human biofield and the role vibration plays in our physical and emotional health. In this conversation, Eileen breaks down her work in a way that’s approachable even if you’ve never heard of vibrational medicine. She explains how stress, trauma, and unresolved experiences can show up as patterns of tension or “dissonance” in the body’s energetic field, and how carefully applied sound frequencies may help the nervous system reorganize and settle. Rather than framing healing as something mystical or abstract, she connects vibration to everyday physiology, showing how sound can influence the body’s electrical and sensory systems. For first responders and anyone living with high stress or PTSD, this episode offers a new lens for understanding how trauma lives in the body and how non-invasive tools like sound therapy may support regulation, recovery, and resilience. It’s an eye-opening discussion about the intersection of science, sensation, and healing, and how tuning into the body’s signals can open doors to deeper self-awareness and restoration. Whether you’re curious about energy medicine, looking for new recovery tools, or simply want to understand your nervous system better, this episode translates complex ideas into practical insights you can relate to real life.

    1h 32m

  8. FEB 2

    81 The Energy You Carry with Lisa Mercier

    In this episode of the GrabLives Podcast, I sit down with Lisa Mercier, a medium who works closely with firefighters and police officers to help them understand something most people are never taught to look at: their energetic health. We talk about energetic hygiene, emotional residue, and why so many first responders feel exhausted, disconnected, or heavy even when their physical body seems “fine.” Lisa breaks down how energy is constantly being exchanged on calls, scenes, and in everyday interactions and how ignoring this invisible layer quietly erodes mental, emotional, and physical well-being over time. This conversation explores why people resist acknowledging energy as real, how unprocessed experiences stay stored in the body and nervous system, and what it means to actually clear yourself after witnessing trauma, death, and human suffering. Not a spiritual bypass. Not a self-help cliché. A grounded look at the part of health most of us were never trained to see.

    2h 4m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
23 Ratings

About

Grablives is a mental health podcast designed to bring a greater awareness to first responders struggling with injury, depression, suicidal ideation, and burn out. Jonathan Vargas is a firefighter/paramedic in Los Angeles determined to find solution for the epidemic of mental health crisis. Grablives ideologies are rooted in unlearning patterns, finding spirituality, and discovering higher consciousness in an effort to create a more sustainable career for first responders, cops, firefighters, and military personnel.

Information

  • Creator
    grablives
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    92
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2023
  • Show Website
    Grablives