John Salerno
John Salerno joins Rush on The Rush Outrospective, the flagship show about purpose, healing, and finding the way back to yourself. John entered the fire service as a teenager and went on to serve as an EMT, an NYPD Detective, and a Fire Chief. Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, he still carries that day through the names and faces of the friends and coworkers he lost.
He survived being stabbed during a narcotics operation, and he carried something from childhood that stayed buried for more than three decades. Years later, the emergency was his own. A suicidal crisis, a SWAT response, treatment, and the long work that followed changed how he understands healing and what it takes to stay well. He talks about family, comedy as an unexpected outlet, the 99% Radio Network, and what he believes today about living a life that still requires work.
In this conversation
- Carrying 9/11 through the people he lost
- From the firehouse to NYPD Detective to Fire Chief
- The night healing became his own emergency
John Salerno
Retired NYPD Detective · Fire Chief · Founder, 99% Radio Network
About the show
The Rush Outrospective is a Mastering the Art of Living podcast: raw, honest conversations about purpose, healing, and the road back to identity, the flagship series where outrospection began. Hosted by Eric "Rush" Christopher Rush, a Bronze Star combat veteran and the number one podcaster in North Texas.