Louie Disney is a 40-year-old veteran firefighter and EMT based in Colorado, who believes that to be a truly effective first responder, you must be resilient and fully prepared for the demands of the job—both physically and mentally. With over 20 years of fire service experience across Kansas and Colorado—including wildland firefighting—Louie knows firsthand the heavy toll the profession takes. He is a survivor of severe depression and hardcore alcoholism, enduring years of blackouts before a devastating wake-up call forced a change.
In 2013, Louie T-boned a car at 60 mph on his Harley. Forced to learn how to walk again, he used that near-fatal crash as the hard cutoff to get sober. Now celebrating 13 years of sobriety, Louie is living proof that it is okay to not be okay. He channels his lived experience into his role as President of the board of Next Rung, a nationwide non-profit dedicated to providing 24/7 peer support and critical mental health resources to first responders and their families.
The physical toll of his accident brought its own intense battles. Struggling with a subsequent painkiller addiction during his recovery, Louie's weight peaked at 260 pounds. He fought relentlessly to reclaim his health to be an asset, not a liability, in his career. Making physical fitness his ultimate anchor, he has traveled the country for the past nine years to compete in the grueling Firefighter Challenge.
This year, he pushed his body to elite levels, dropping down to a shredded 179 pounds to earn his natural Pro bodybuilding card with the OCB organization. Today, he shares his hard-won knowledge of biohacking, habit-building, and specialized nutrition through his personal coaching business, The Fit Shop, helping others stay physically and mentally armed for the line of duty. When he is off duty, Louie finds his mental rehab living a grounded lifestyle on a mountain homestead with his wife, Kaylin, and their two Dalmatians. Together, they tend to their chickens, run a small home bakery, and spend their days off finding peace working side-by-side at a local mini cow ranch.
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