Firefighters, Fear, and the Courage to Ask for Help with Tommy J. Dwyer

Intimate Conversations with Men about Life, Love, and Sex · Sep 17, 2026 · 38m · transcript

Episode Summary:

Award-winning actor, filmmaker, and comedian Tommy J. Dwyer grew up in a firefighter family. His father served 32 years. His uncles, the same. And for most of his life, Tommy didn't fully understand the weight they carried home every night.

Then he made Burning Down the House, a feature-length documentary about firefighter mental health, and everything changed.

In this episode, Tommy talks with Elena Sophia Ruiz about what it cost him to pursue a creative life for 20 years, why men say "I'm fine" when they mean "I need help," and how silence on film can tell you more than any…