The Lifeguard Project
Drasko Bogdanovic
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About This Podcast
Presented by the Ben Carlson Foundation:
The Lifeguard Project discusses a serious rescue profession which is often misrepresented. It aims to educate and inspire through showcasing innately captivating experiences of lifeguards which invoke a unique awareness of life. You dont have to be a lifegaurd to enjoy these conversations which are aimed at inspiring future generations, improving the perception of lifeguarding, and facilitating perspective for the better.
Any conversation is on the table which involves stories of rescues, education, inspiration, drowning prevention, lifeguarding and the broader water community.
Host Drasko Bogdanovic has been a beach Lifeguard since 2010 throughout California, Lifeguard Instructor, Paramedic, and teaches EMT and Paramedic courses.
The Lifeguard Project Podcast is connected to the broader documentary project where you can see photos and videos of these subjects as never seen before.
Find out more:
thelifeguardproject.org
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Recent Episodes
Dr. Justin Sempsrott: The Drowning Episode, Everything You Thought You Knew, and More (PART 2) | Ep.21 |
WANT TO SEE JUSTIN SEMPSROTT LIVE? Sign up for The Lifeguard Project’s first training event, The RESPONDER ROUND-UP:https://thelifeguardproject.org/the-responder-roundupThis week we are back with…
Dr. Justin Sempsrott: The Drowning Episode, Everything You Thought You Knew, and More (PART 1) | Ep.20 |
WANT TO SEE JUSTIN SEMPSROTT LIVE? Sign up for The Lifeguard Project’s first training event, The RESPONDER ROUND-UP:https://thelifeguardproject.org/the-responder-roundupThese episodes are a must…
Don Lester: Inside the World of Swift Water Rescue | Ep.19 |
Don Lester is a veteran swift water and technical rescue professional with extensive field experience across firefighting, emergency medical response, and advanced rescue instruction. Over the course…
| S.5 | Expression Session: Inspiring Epilogue from "Stories from Sea Level" by Ed Vodrazka
Lifeguard Legend Ed Vodrazka (Eddie V) recites the inspirational epilogue from his book - Stories from Sea Level.This book is a hand-picked assemblage of truly exceptional ocean-related events which…
Greg Bonann: Producer of Baywatch | Ep.18 |
Welcome to a very special episode on the Lifeguard Project podcast. Today, we get to sit down with Greg Bonann, the creator and producer of Baywatch. At its peak, Baywatch became the most-watched…
Steve Long: Life, Leadership, and a Career in Lifeguarding | Ep.17 |
Today I interview Steve Long. Steve was a California State Parks lifeguard, and maybe the only lifeguard who never passed lifeguard training yet was chosen by leadership to Excel and fast track into…
| R.1 | Rescue Testimonial | Caught in a Rip Current : Manhattan Beach, CA
This Rescue Testimonial from Emily Eisenberg explains how she got into trouble and finally rescued from a rip current in Manhattan Beach in Los Angeles County on September 20th, 2020.Emily has a…
| S.4 | Expression Session: "Red Isn't Armor" by: Drasko Bogdanovic
Red Isn't Armor is an article by Podcast host Drasko Bogdanovic published in Wilderness Medicine Magazine regarding the misunderstood nature of lifeguarding, mental health, and drowning. You can find…
John Carpenter: 100 years of Newport Beach Lifeguard History | Ep.16 |
Welcome to this episode of the Lifeguard Project Podcast, where I interview Newport Beach, lifeguard John Carpenter. John started as a YAP or Youth Employment Program in 1969 and has served with the…
Mike Martino: Pioneers of the Sonoma Coast | Ep.15 |
Welcome to this episode of The Lifeguard Project Podcast, where today I interview Mike Martino. Mike is a California State Parks lifeguard who started as a seasonal and throughout his career, worked…
David Rodriguez: Watchtower and Lifeguard Data | Ep.14 |
Welcome to this episode of the Lifeguard Project Podcast, where I interviewed David Rodriguez. David is one of the early founders of Watchtower, a digital command center for Lifeguards. Watchtower is…
| S.3 | Expression Session: More Than A Summer Job : Kalia Chalom
Kalia Chalom is a 2nd year San Diego City Lifeguard. She submitted this essay to The Lifeguard Project and I encouraged her to record her essay "More Than a Summer Job" because it is so powerful. It…
Spencer Pirdy: Lifeguarding, Life, and the BEN DID GO | Ep.13 |
Spencer Pirdy grew up in Newport Beach, CA and was a Newport Beach lifeguard. Spencer met Ben Carlson working with the Newport Beach Lifeguards and shares how he became one of his early influences…
Andrew Schmidt: A Deeper Understanding Of Drowning | Ep.12 |
Welcome to this episode of The Lifeguard Project Podcast, where today we interview Dr. Andrew Schmidt. Dr. Schmidt started as a junior lifeguard and progressed through the professional lifeguard…
Debbie Friedman: Early Women in Lifeguarding | Ep.11 |
Debbie was one of the first women to step into a lifeguard tower along the Camp Pendleton coast in 1978 and became the first female permanent Peace Officer Lifeguard with California State…
| S.2 | Expression Session: Approaching Public Safety Media - CA Water Safety Summit
This mini session provides a brief introduction to the California Water Safety Strategy and focuses on a panel discussion from the CA Water Safety Summit in 2025 about the importance of media in…
Zoe Chait: Big Waves, Small Waves, and Rescues | Ep.10 |
Zoe Chait is a California State Parks Lifeguard working in Half Moon Bay, CA. Zoe started as a junior lifeguard and has progressed to lifeguarding professionally along with traveling the world…
| S.1 | Expression Session: Tips for the Ben Carlson Lifeguard Scholarship Application
Welcome to the first "Expression Session" a Lifeguard Project mini podcast "session" designed for bite sized lifeguard topics and interesting information to fit into your day. We will be featuring…
Ed Vodrazka: Lifeguard Stories from the Soul | Ep.9 |
Ed Vodrazka (Eddie V) is a "lifeguard for life" with an extraordinary 47-year career. Born to immigrant parents in Canada, he became an ocean lifeguard in 1976 and went on to make history as the…
Alex Shaner: Rescue, Spinal Injury, and Resilience | Ep.8 |
Alex began his lifeguarding career after playing water polo at the University of the Pacific. Inspired by his brother, a California Parks lifeguard in Santa Cruz, Alex started working as a lifeguard…
Frequently Asked Questions
The Lifeguard Project has published 29 episodes since May 2024, covering topics in Documentary, Society & Culture.
The Lifeguard Project is currently declining with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 1h 11m.
Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for The Lifeguard Project, including email and social media links.
