About The Host
I grew up in San Antonio, Texas. I left high school with a full-ride academic scholarship to UTSA with the hopes of becoming a geologist. At the time, I was working in a commercial garage door installation company (night shift), so that I could go to school during the day… and I dropped out because I could not do both entirely. I ended up as a telemarketer asking people to donate to state troopers and firefighters. Maybe that's where the spark of me speaking to people began even though at that time I still had a fear of public speaking.
I woke up one day and thought, what the hell am I doing? This is not anywhere near the life I wanted. So I, along with a friend, enlisted in the Army. Nothing says finding purpose like volunteering to get screamed at (Aww, America!) Need mind you, I'd do it all over again, lol. I loom back and think that one decision is what set my path to where I am today.
As mentioned in the pilot episode, I was trained as a Biomed 68A in the military. I was one of the last classes to graduate from Shepard air force base before the schoolhouse was established in San Antonio. It would’ve been nice if I waited to enlist, considering I grew up in San Antonio, but “hey, I got to live it up in Wichita Falls, TX ‘’ so no need to dread such an amazing experience, right? By the way, if you haven’t been to Wichita falls, you’re not missing a damn thing. With not much to do you can imagine the shenanigan's Biomeds can find themselves in to keep from going insane.
I eventually learned how to repair multiple devices and was even given the task of training the Afghan army medics on how to do simple repairs themselves. Keep in mind this was demonstrably difficult considering I was teaching a translator to convey my instruction as well. We returned home in 2012 and we took on the job of servicing all fort hood field units’ medical equipment, which was daunting considering it had never been done before. If you don't know "The Great Place" its problem for the best. This continued until the Ebola breakout in Africa occurred, and we were shipped off again to end up in Liberia, Africa. As an NCO, I ran a mission while there to an Ebola testing lab, and I had never been so nervous. We were working on equipment to identify positive infections... which happened to be a lot of the time. Getting to fly in a helicopter across the jungle, getting side eye from a pet monkey, sharing a glass of scotch with good company, and sleeping on bug-infested beds made it all worth it. We would return home not six months later, where I was appointed to manage the Biomed shop. I left the service in 2017 and have dedicated my life to making a difference for every medical facility I care for.
The podcast started on Dec 2, 2021. Like many others, I became tired of the minimal to no awareness of Biomed. The Biomed is an unsung hero, the backbone, a swiss army knife, and a solution architect in all medical facilities. We ensure patient safety through all medical devices’ repair, calibration, and asset management. The podcast will continue to be a beacon of support for my profession. I also encourage you to check out a book I published to teach children about the Biomed profession as well "Ollie The Biomed"
"Biomeds Ensure Patient Safety Everyday"
Interests & Hobbies
When I'm not on the job, taking care of my son, spending time with the wife, recording a new episode, I have many things I enjoy doing to unwind. I am an audiophile and enjoy listening to my vinyl collection. I also love video games. My collection is is comprised of 23 consoles ranging from the Vectrex to current generation Xbox /PS5. I'm really enjoying building the Lego DeLorean from Back To The Future right now. I love going to the gym to decompress and work on myself in the process. I have a 2022 Indian Scout Bobber that Ill take out on the road for some TLC. I love me a good glass of mezcal, scotch, or cabernet. I also collect particular types of antiques that catch my eye. I usually joke that I take on about one new hobby each year and add it everything else I enjoy, lol.