HIGHLIGHTS: The 4 Things Every Family Should Do Before Disaster Hits

HIGHLIGHTS: The 4 Things Every Family Should Do Before Disaster Hits

Author: iHeartPodcasts September 22, 2026 Duration: 33:37

It's not a matter of if a disaster hits your community. It's when. And when it does, the first person on the scene isn't first responders or government officials. It's your neighbor.

Jeff Byard has spent 24 years in disaster response - from the Marine Corps to Alabama Emergency Management to FEMA. Then he left to go work with Team Rubicon - a volunteer lead disaster relief organization. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Bill to talk about what he learned from a career of showing up for people on their worst day - and what every one of us can do right now to be ready when our neighbors need us most.

You'll walk away knowing how to prepare your family before disaster strikes, why your next-door neighbor is the most important first responder in any emergency, and how ordinary people are doing some of the most important disaster relief work in the country through Team Rubicon.

ARMY ACTIONS

Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us!

Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org

Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks

Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/

Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.org

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#join

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


You won't find the solutions to our biggest challenges in the green rooms of cable news, but in the everyday decisions of regular people who see a need and step up. That's the heart of An Army of Normal Folks. Hosted by Bill Courtney, the coach featured in the Oscar-winning documentary "Undefeated," this iHeartPodcasts production is a documentary-style series dedicated to finding and honoring those individuals. Each episode introduces you to someone who looked at their community, their street, or a single person struggling and simply said, "I can help." These aren't stories of celebrities or politicians with vast resources; they're authentic accounts from the army of ordinary citizens doing extraordinary things. By listening to this podcast, you'll hear the real, unscripted conversations between Courtney and his guests, exploring their motivations, the obstacles they faced, and the tangible impact of their actions. It’s a weekly reminder that change is often built person by person, and it’s released every Tuesday to spotlight the powerful force of normal folks getting things done.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Army of Normal Folks
Podcast Episodes
The Hero’s Journey (and Why Ours Starts With Normal Folks) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:34
The Hero's Journey isn't just the formula behind Star Wars, Rocky, Pixar classics, and countless Hollywood blockbusters. It's the oldest pattern found in real-life heroic action—and true across cultures, centuries, and c…
The Secret Coffee Club That Can Heal Your Community (Pt 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:54
What if one of the biggest solutions to loneliness, toxic division, and disconnection isn't another app or social media platform—but a simple cup of coffee? Ron Sparks and his friend Adam Foster started inviting small gr…
The Secret Coffee Club That Can Heal Your Community (Pt 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:45
What if one of the biggest solutions to loneliness, toxic division, and disconnection isn't another app or social media platform—but a simple cup of coffee? Ron Sparks and his friend Adam Foster started inviting small gr…
He Worked for Free—Then Changed My Life (From The Vault) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:48
We're bringing back Shop Talk #3. Because it's been years and it's beautiful! What would make someone work an entire weekend without pay? When Coach Bill Courtney's lumber company was on the brink of collapse after 9/11,…
What Your Brain Does With Trauma—And How to Finally Heal It (Pt 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:22
Dan Jarvis came home from Afghanistan carrying wounds that didn't show up on any medical chart. In this episode, he breaks down what trauma actually does to the brain - why it hijacks your responses, why willpower alone…
What Your Brain Does With Trauma—And How to Finally Heal It (Pt 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:34
Dan Jarvis came home from Afghanistan carrying wounds that didn't show up on any medical chart. In this episode, he breaks down what trauma actually does to the brain - why it hijacks your responses, why willpower alone…
The Paradox of Quitting—So That Your Work Can Live [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:38
In this Shop Talk, we reflect on a simple question that can haunt all of this: What do we need to quit so our best work can truly live? Featuring Erik Løkkesmoe's powerful essay "I Quit," Coach Bill explores the things t…
The One Thing You Need Before Grit, Resilience, or Confidence (Pt 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:51
Contrary to popular belief, hope isn't a feeling. It's a formula that Dr. Ashley Cross is about to teach you about. And according to research, it's the single best predictor of wellbeing. More than grit, resilience, conf…