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 One Thing You Need Before Grit, Resilience, or Confidence (Pt 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:06
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…
The Plane Was in the Bay. Then He Said Something Remarkable. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:21
In today's Shop Talk, Bill and Alex discuss the Asoh Defense — the forgotten leadership principle that says admitting your mistake honestly and immediately is more powerful than any excuse you could make. This one's for…
Eric Church Compared Life to a Guitar. And It Went Viral. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:26
Most commencement speeches are forgotten within days. But when country music star Eric Church compared life to a guitar with six strings that must stay in tune—faith, family, relationships, ambition, community, and ident…
She Heard One Podcast and Drove Nine Hours to Volunteer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:43
For Shop Talk, the extraordinary story one Army member inspiring another one, which inspires us and hopefully you! Amy Crenshaw's nonprofit ComeUnity Cafe where you can donate money or work for your food inspired Lisa Fo…
The 7 Things Every Person Needs to Flourish (Pt 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:13
What does it actually take for a person—and a whole community—to flourish? That's the nut that Joe Woodward from Stand Together is trying to crack in Wichita, as part of their goal to make it a model city for the country…