
Have you ever wondered how someone can find hope and resilience after surviving a life-altering tragedy? Join us as Todd Blyleven, a former professional athlete and Major League Baseball scout, shares his powerful story of bravery and healing after the tragic 2017 Las Vegas shooting. Todd opens up about the transformative impact of that night, recounting his courageous acts of heroism, running towards danger to aid those in need. He paints a moving picture of the chaos and the humanity that emerged amidst the crisis, offering a poignant reminder of the power of empathy and the strength found in community.
Todd’s journey of recovery is a testament to the healing power of support and therapy. Through tools like EMDR therapy and mind mapping, he navigates the emotional aftermath of trauma with resilience. Todd highlights the crucial role of a timely phone call from a Vietnam War veteran named Lee, whose guidance helped him cope during the darkest hours. His story underscores the importance of reaching out to those in need, reminding us that even a simple text message can be a lifeline. Faith and the support of friends have been pillars in Todd’s healing process, illustrating how connection fosters strength and hope.
Explore how past experiences have shaped Todd’s leadership style, which is grounded in empathy and servant leadership. From lessons learned in sports and life-threatening situations, Todd emphasizes that true leadership is about helping others succeed. He shares practical strategies for fostering a work environment where individuals feel valued and heard, bridging gaps between leadership and team members. By embracing small steps towards meaningful change, Todd inspires us to witness personal growth over time. Join our conversation for insights on how resilience and connection can drive transformation, even amidst life’s greatest challenges.
Todd Blyleven Bio
Todd Blyleven, a remarkable individual who has conquered insurmountable challenges and emerged as a symbol of hope and inspiration. Todd’s life took a momentous turn on the fateful night of October 1, 2017, during the Route 91 Country Music Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, NV, where he found himself amidst the worst mass shooting in modern history. In the face of unimaginable tragedy, Todd’s selfless acts and unwavering courage earned him the title of a “Hero.”
Throughout an arduous ordeal spanning over eight grueling hours, Todd fearlessly carried the injured on his shoulder and provided aid to as many as he possibly could. With his actions, he embodied the true spirit of bravery and compassion. However, the path to recovery was a challenging one for Todd, as the traumatic events of that night left him grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Guided by his unwavering faith and under the care of a skilled EMDR licensed therapist, Todd embarked on a transformative journey of healing. Combining EMDR therapy with traditional therapeutic conversations, he gradually processed his memories from that terrifying night, allowing him to rebuild his life and rediscover the strength to Walk Tall once more. Todd’s resilience and determination in the face of adversity are a source of inspiration to all who encounter his story.
Todd’s life has been shaped by a unique blend of experiences. Growing up in the world of Major League Baseball, following in the footsteps of his father, MLB Hall of Fame Pitcher Bert Blyleven, he gained firsthand insights into the intricacies of professional sports. After a successful career as a professional athlete, Todd transitioned into the role of a Major League Baseball Scout before venturing into the corporate sports industry, accumulating over 13 years of experience.
Currently residing in North Texas, Todd is a devoted husband and father to three beautiful children. Prepare to be deeply moved by Todd’s extraordinary journey from tragedy to triumph and his steadfast commitment to Walking Tall.
- Todd Blyleven’s Website
- Todd’s Podcast – I’m Going In
- Follow on LinkedIn
- Follow on Facebook
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow on TikTok
- Follow on YouTube
Links & Resources
Related Episodes
Contact Us
Have a topic idea for an episode? Have some feedback about this episode or THE BOLT show? We’d love to hear from you.
Email us at: thebolt@toddbertsch.com
Todd Bertsch: 0:00
Welcome back to the Bolt Podcast. I’m Todd B, your guide on this exciting journey of personal growth and leadership, where my guests and I will share personal stories from our transformational journeys of how small changes can lead to massive results. You’ll discover tips on overcoming obstacles, setting and achieving goals, building lasting habits, developing confidence, living a happy, healthy and positive life, and so much more. If you’re ready to cultivate a growth mindset and become the best version of yourself, then let’s ignite your growth today. Today’s guest is Todd Bleileven, a former professional athlete, Major League Baseball scout, and corporate sports leader. Todd’s life changed dramatically on October 1st, 2017, when he heroically aided victims during the Country Music Festival shooting in Las Vegas, where 58 people were tragically gunned down. His journey through trauma, and recovery from PTSD, guided by faith and EMDR therapy, has become a beacon of hope and resilience. Todd is also a dedicated husband, father and advocate for personal growth, inspiring others to walk tall despite adversity. Listeners, I am so excited about this episode. Please enjoy my conversation with Todd Bleileven. Hey, todd, welcome to the Bolt Podcast, my friend.
Todd Blyleven: 1:28
Thank you, Todd, and what a great name you have, but I really am honored to be your guest, so thank you for having me on.
Todd Bertsch: 1:36
Yeah, man. No, I am honored to have you on the show. That was weird. For me to say my name on the show, that was a first. So, listeners, if you haven’t realized already, Todd and I have a few things in common. First name we share the same initials, TB, and we have a passion for baseball, specifically in the 78-79 Pittsburgh Pirates. That’s right. We also share a passion and devotion to personal growth which we’re going to dig into today. All righty, TB, you ready to get this ballgame started? Let’s go, All right.
Todd Blyleven: 2:09
Dan.
Todd Bertsch: 2:10
Man, your story is truly inspiring. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to share your story with us. Like I was saying, every time I watch your YouTube video I get goosebumps. I’ve watched it probably 20 times now. There are not many people in this world today that would have done what you did on October 1st 2017. In fact, as you know, yesterday was a seven-year anniversary of that tragic event. Can you share your experience during that tragic event in Vegas, and how did it shape your life?
Todd Blyleven: 2:48
Yeah, I appreciate your kind words. First of all, you know I’m still very emotional over that. It’s been seven years. But it seems like, especially right now, when you have the anniversary coming up and you have anxiety, you have PTSD that’s somewhat in remission most of the time these days of my life leading up to October 1st yesterday, for about three weeks, you start to go through this emotional feeling, this journey of being taken back. I think maybe it’s in the news People are. I have a lot of support worldwide. People will send hey, you know, praying for you, thinking about you on this day coming up.
Todd Blyleven: 3:32
So automatically mentally you start getting taken back into that moment, which I’ll go into and leading up to that event, the 24-hour countdown the day, like yesterday, like you can’t concentrate, you can’t think really about anything other than what happened. It’s unfortunate. Try to get through things, you try to move forward, you try to put things in the past before you go to therapy and your body kind of tells you you have all these signs, your neck is hurting, your speech is stuttered, you’ve got these headaches and what I’ve learned through my journey is how to kind of stop those emotions where they are before they get too far back into me and behind me and learn how to separate, take deep breaths, know that it’s okay to feel the way I’m feeling because that’s our natural human instincts. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to call someone and ask for help and be able to just say, hey, I’m having a bad time right now, which I did to two different buddies that are what I call my pals. So it’s very emotional. So I apologize to your listeners if I stutter a little bit, hoping that they have compassion to understand what it really feels like when we all go through trauma and in through this journey that I’m trying to share. I’m trying to share the relatability of what it feels like to all of us when we’ve been knocked down.
Todd Blyleven: 5:09
I went to Las Vegas. I’ve told this story a ton of times and I think it’s always different each time because you remember certain pieces of it. You’re getting me on a day where I’m very emotional. This emotion will probably last another 48 to 72 hours and then I’ll start moving on to my new year per se. But I went to Las Vegas with my wife and we were meeting about 17, 18 others that we had normally gone to Vegas with. Vegas was our place, that was our getaway. We didn’t really go on vacation a ton. So when we got a chance to get away for a few nights, man, that was like every three months we would go and just party and have fun, just like you would. I mean, it’s vegas, right, and uh, we’ve been to this concert several times, uh, or a few times, so it was a safe, safe venue.
Todd Blyleven: 6:04
You know, from what we thought, I never had any problems in the past and you know, I think this year, or that year, 2017, was a little different because, you know, my wife and I were going through problems. We had just moved from Southern California to Texas. My kids were struggling, you know, just with the move they wanted to move, but then, when you get here, they didn’t want. With the move, they wanted to move, but then, when you get here, they didn’t want to move anymore, they wanted to go back home. So we’re having there was a lot of emotional pulling already going into that, into that that weekend, and so when we got there, things you know, obviously country music. I’m a huge country music fan and love country music and love the headliners that were playing that weekend. And you know, when you get out there and you get a cold beer in your hand and, man, you just get some space to you and you listen to some music, like everything just goes away, right, and so that’s kind of how the weekend went.
Todd Blyleven: 6:59
It was really an amazing weekend. My wife and I were having a great time, you know. We rekindled on some things and the kids that were there with us I call them kids, but they’re like in their early 20s and we, you know, it’s just we were the aunt and uncle that they like to party with, and we were able to party with them, you know, and stay up until the five, six o’clock of the morning thing, and it was fun. But, uh, so that’s the atmosphere you know that you’re walking into. And in fact, you know, I saw a picture yesterday that popped up on my memories on my phone and it just kind of hit me because going to the venue, we were standing out in the taxi line. We were at the Venetian. It was a long line to get there. We really wanted to like, hey, this is the last day, let’s get there, we’ve been having fun.
Todd Blyleven: 7:45
So there was about 12 of us and I saw one of those limo buses, party buses, and so I went over and I had won a little bit of money that weekend too at slots, and I love slots. I went over and said, hey, how much. And so he gave me a quote and we all ended up hopping into this party bus and that’s what it was. Man, for 10 minutes, 15 minutes, whatever that trip was had one of those poles. So I was dancing around the pole, but this picture showed me completely innocent. There I am, I’m holding on to this pole, I’m smiling. You could see that there was just pure joy in my face at that moment.
Todd Blyleven: 8:26
I was free, didn’t think about anything, remotely to the point of where I’m going to be in a mass shooting. I’m going to be in a situation that’s dangerous. I was free. I had a couple drinks in me, not crazy, but I was just you. You know, everybody was going into this thing to just really have a blast.
Todd Blyleven: 8:46
And so there I am, we get inside the venue and my niece what I call her, my niece we were dancing, swing dancing again. I got all these people circling me. You know, my, my young, like girls, like michelle, and all these different people with their cameras. And you’d think it like you know, brie and I are doing this amazing dance and all this stuff. But we were spread out. They’re asking me to dip her and you can hear in the video one of the videos that’s gone viral where you can hear one of our family members say dip, dip, dip. And as soon as I pull her up you can hear the first shot. Oh, you know, the song ended.
Todd Blyleven: 9:26
Jason Aldean was on the stage. You know, at that moment you’re checking your surroundings. You see officers off to the right. We were very close to the stage on the first. They call it the kill zone one. We were there on that right side of the stage back a little bit. Normally we always go right up to the stage because the girls like to be on there but we decided as a group we were going to stay back on this one. That’s the only one for three years. The only headliner that we did not do this with, which I think saved members of, did not do this with, which I think saved members of my family’s lives, because if we would have been up in that area where we normally were at, somebody would have gotten hit. That’s where the first barrage went.
Todd Bertsch: 10:16
That’s crazy.
Todd Blyleven: 10:17
Yeah. So I think God had a hand in keeping us back and where we were at. But you know, todd, when you’re in that situation and you hear these pops, you immediately start to kind of get this heightened of alert. Didn’t really know what it was, jason’s still singing, so you’re okay, right. And then the first round of machine gun fire hit and you’re thinking okay, drive-by from southern california not that I saw drive-bys, but it’s close to la.
Todd Blyleven: 10:51
You hear a lot about it in the news. I remember going to usc to go party with my friends back when I was in high school and I remember hearing drive-bys, you know. So you kind of like associate all right, that’s a drive by, but we’re protected by this seven foot retainer wall. You know concrete and Jason’s still singing. So there’s all these things that go through your mind. What you don’t think about is okay, where am I going to go? How am I going to get to safety, all these things. Until all of a sudden, you know, the second round starts and we start hearing people get hit and you start hearing the screams and jason runs off the stage and the lights go out. And now you’re absolutely in a panic, a fear for your life and you tell everybody to get down. That’s your first instinct. I was down on one knee, everybody was on the ground and I looked up and I had my wife sitting there right in front of me, my brother-in-law and my other family members, all these young kids. I noticed a muzzle flash, so I knew right away we were getting shot at from across the street at Mandalay Bay. So you instantly just do what you’re supposed to do. You tell everybody to get up and run. You know, and I think the defining moment for me when I first realized that this is way bigger than me was we were running and my wife was in front of me and all I’m trying to do is run as big as I possibly can, almost acting like a magnet, trying to get the bullet to come to me and not hit my wife. I just wanted to get her out, I wanted to get her home to my kids. I was willing to sacrifice my life for that, and every step I took was just you know, there’s a step where you don’t know if it’s coming. You’re going to touch the ground because it’s behind you and you can’t see it. And so, thank God, we were able to get out.
Todd Blyleven: 12:53
And when we did get out, I was able to continue to get them to run north, away from the gunfire. I was free, but I helped a man, you know, put a woman down. That didn’t make it, and I think it was just her touch. It was her innocence. That innocence that I spoke about before, you know, with coming to the show and the dancing and everything else, like here, this poor girl was killed. I knew at that moment I needed to do something. Something overwhelmed me. It just I said yes and I kissed my wife, just like you’d see almost out of a movie where I kissed her. I told her I loved her. I’ll try to be okay.
Todd Blyleven: 13:38
I had a run and then I turned around and ran back in. When I did that, mass panic, everybody’s running out. So I’m running against the grain and I found a woman that was shot. I think that was the first woman. I picked her up right away, grabbed her and I brought her out right outside these gates called Giles Street, where it’s about, I’d say, probably 75 yards from the stage, on the east side of the venue, back by where the food truck row was at, and there was a squad car there for parking control and probably about three other people there at the time. And so I injured, so I set her down. Injured, so I set her down.
Todd Blyleven: 14:28
And then it was like inspiration after inspiration in terms of people, just you know, performing brave, brave acts where I’m running in and a little nurse lady comes and grabs me by my shoulder, says I’m a train, I’m an er trauma nurse. What can I do to help man, put your hands on on those people? I don’t have any experience in the medical field, so I figured at that moment that that’s what I. Okay, I had a game plan, that was my strategy. Now, this person allowed me now to figure out what I was supposed to do. I’m just going to run as fast as I can grab people and bring them out to this girl, to this lady right here, as I can grab people and bring them out to this girl, to this lady right here. She’s my trusted source. And time after time I’m doing that more of those types of people, more first, it’s a country concert more first responders were coming back, more people were following me.
Todd Blyleven: 15:20
And so to fast forward a little bit, you know, and maybe to summarize after everybody that had reached out to me through Facebook there was all kinds of different groups that you were invited to. There was a private group through the Route 91 Survivors group. There was a page for Find your Hero. There were a lot of stories going around people looking for people that helped them get out. It wasn’t just me. I was contacted by a little over 30 people, whether it was friends of family members that were there, family members, people that were inside, telling me these stories of how they saw me come in and grab their friend and throw her over my shoulder and run her out and put her in the back of a truck, and they were just trying to keep up.
Todd Blyleven: 16:12
And next thing, you know, I’m gone and I’m now running around and checking pulses and come up on two women that are dragging their friend out and uh, which happened to be rachel parker, um from manhattan beach police department, and you know she ended up not making that are dragging their friend out, which happened to be Rachel Parker from Manhattan Beach Police Department, and you know she ended up not making it. But I was able to get her out. I was able to get her to a place where people were fighting for her life and she died with people. Good things like good people hands on her, not on the turf. Good things like good people hands on her, not on the turf. You know, unfortunately I lost three women in my arms that night, two more at the hospital Rachel Beale. One of them ended up being able to carry a little over 30 people out, probably more. I just kind of lost count.
Todd Blyleven: 17:00
After that, we ended up going over to Tropicana once the shooting was over and we got everybody out that needed medical attention. That Giles Street that I was bringing people out to. It was like a scene out of Gone with the Wind, because what started with three people ended up being hundreds of people and what started with one blonde-haired nurse were thousands of people on top of people helping people out Corpsmen, law enforcement, first responders, off-duty EMTs, all I mean. Imagine anyone in need that needed help. Somebody was there for those people. We ended up running over to Tropicana because we heard there was more people needing help, and so there was more people needing help, and so there was me and four others that ran over.
Todd Blyleven: 17:49
At the end of the night I end up wrestling a man with a knife at the end of a hallway. I mean it was just absolutely crazy 250 people. We think there’s an active shooter inside. So now we go from helping mode to protect mode and we’re barreling through doors trying to find an active shooter inside the building. You’re putting your life on the line and someone screams there’s a man with a knife. And so you’re instantly running down this hallway looking at this man wielding a knife, thinking what the hell am I supposed to do? I need a ball. Man wielding a knife thinking what the hell am I supposed to do? I need a ball. I actually thought, god, I wish I had a ball in my hand because I’d crow, hop and throw it at him or something to distract him or hit him right but I was able to scare him enough with my voice to grab the knife and get him, uh, subdued and take the knife away.
Todd Blyleven: 18:43
And that that’s when SWAT came in for the first time, at least over at Tropicana, and started pushing people into a big ballroom. You know you’re profiling, you’re still on high security because there was only a couple officers and they were kind of going all over the place because, again, you’re still thinking there’s an active shooter. The whole Vegas trip, you thought, was under attack, 26,000 people getting pretty much a stampede of. You know you had 400 and some odd people shot. You had over, I believe, 800 that were victimized in terms of their injuries, getting trampled on. You know, whatever that may be, but people are running into different casinos being shot, so naturally everybody in those casinos are thinking that there’s a shooting right there.
Todd Blyleven: 19:35
So police were dispersed everywhere. Wow, bomb threats, all kinds of things. So you thought the whole world was under attack. And I’m getting information from you know, a buddy of mine that was terrorist task force in the FBI, a buddy of mine that was LAPD Metro, another buddy of mine that was on Obama’s detail national security. So he’s in the Secret Service. All three reports were mixed. They’re all getting information from LA Metro or Las Vegas Metro.
Todd Blyleven: 20:07
But the one thing that I saw was that our first responders, normal people, were all out to help each other, even sitting in that ballroom. You know we’re walking around, we’re profiling, and two officers came up to me and another gentleman. But you know I had blood all over the left side of me from that, from carrying people. I had it all over my hat, had it all over my face, my hands, and they came up and they said sir, uh, you can stand down and you know when they put that hand on your shoulder and you’re looking at them and they’re all weaponed out. You know, and they’ve got their battle fatigues basically on and you’re safe right there. I just dropped to my knees when I did that. The nightmares didn’t stop, but I felt safe and secure and one guy still had his hand on my shoulder and I was breaking down and next thing, you know, I’ve got all these people coming up to me and helping me get back up. They didn’t want me on my knees, they wanted me to stand back up for myself, just saying thank you.
Todd Blyleven: 21:11
And so there’s a lot more to the story, obviously, but I kind of tried to give you the summarized version of it to try to help your listeners understand more about what happened in that night. Listeners understand more about what happened in that night. I don’t even think about the person that pulled the trigger. I’ve never really wanted to learn about who he is or why he did it or anything else. He’s a black figure, you know. He’s this dark kind of shadowy figure to me that did something completely evil and changed the life of not only just the 26,000 concertgoers that were in attendance, but all the family members, all the friends, our world. It really was the. It’s the worst mass shooting in American history from a single shooter’s perspective. It shaped how law enforcement now secures areas. It shapes how people walk into different venues and security points and all the security people at different venues. Nobody ever wants that to be repeated as much as people are trying, because there’s been this horrible incident. It’s sparked a lot of different education to those that need it to keep us safe.
Todd Blyleven: 22:30
So at the end of that night you know I had one morning it was eight hours later I had 1% battery life left. I didn’t know where my wife was at. So I was able to track her down on GPS. She was literally right behind the tropicana, a place called desert rose casino or a resort. So I knew I had to get there. I didn’t know how I was going to get there. They let us out. It seemed like everybody went left. I had to go right to get to her. I’m walking down this scary road on the side of the tropicana. There’s like a little service road to get to where she was at and there’s buildings and I’m thinking, okay, this is it, I’m going to get hit now.
Todd Blyleven: 23:11
Every step I took I had that same feeling of when I was running, originally Scared to death. I’d be scared. I was, you know, like a lot of times you watch a movie. As a kid I used to always like scared, so I’d think that someone was going to grab me from underneath the bed when I got into the bed, so I’d jump into my bed. That’s the kind of feeling I had with each step.
Todd Blyleven: 23:36
But I got to her Again another movie scene. It was one of those things where I walked in through the front and she was walking in through the back by the pool. She had her brother-in-law, or her brother and his wife, and we met in the middle of that lobby and kissed and embraced and it redefined everything that I ever thought in my life was important. I just had my hands on death, these young girls that took their last breath. I got to hold them.
Todd Blyleven: 24:11
I tell the families and the victims of friends that in that given moment they did lose their life, that they lost their life with somebody purely trying to save them with love, and so I believe that when they did take that last breath, it was in peace, not in terror, and you hold on to that stuff, right? So yeah, an incredible journey of a Molotov mix of emotions, from being completely scared to finding the strength each and every time to run back in. I wasn’t in my baseball shape, so for me to do what I did, I truly feel I wasn’t alone and I had somebody lifting me up. I have a bad knee. I’ve got a bad hip. I ended up throwing my shoulder out, ripped everything apart, so I had major surgery on that after that event had hernias. Still have a bad hip. That’s progressively gotten worse. So I had these physical pieces to me too, on top of all the mental anguish.
Todd Bertsch: 25:23
Wow, man, I know it’s got to be tough. I appreciate you sharing all that with us. All those details I can’t even imagine. Where do you even start? How do you go forward from something like that? You’ve witnessed one of the worst things that happened to our country and you were a hero like many others, saved 30-plus people. That’s absolutely crazy things that happened to our country and you were a hero like many others, saved 30 plus people. That’s absolutely crazy. Again, not many people would do that. You have kids, you have a family.
Todd Bertsch: 25:52
I think that says a lot about who you are and your character and all those people, and I think you know there is some light here, right that never had kids. You’ll never know what that’s like. It’s so hard to explain, right, and I think it’s. I would imagine this is probably similar. You told this story probably a hundred times and unless you were there, you’ll have no idea what that’s like, even with all the details that you did share. But I know it’s going to have a huge impact. It already has.
Todd Bertsch: 26:46
How has this impacted you now, todd, and it’s been seven years? Does it get any easier or is every year the same? How do you keep moving forward? What tools do you use? I know you mentioned EMDR, which I wasn’t familiar with, so I don’t know if you want to spend a little time on that Cause. That might be helpful for others out there that aren’t familiar with that, that have gone through some trauma or some adversity. You had talked about some mind mapping as well. Sure, if I’m saying that, right, but how do you do it, man? How do you? How do you go forward after something as tragic as that?
Todd Blyleven: 27:26
Well, it’s not easy Now. That’s my focus in life now is to I get out and I speak I’ve got a podcast as well and try to share this message of hope and strength and resilience when I got back to Dallas. I tell this story because it’s so important. It has so much meaning and a life lesson here to anybody that has either been through trauma, been through a relatable experience, been knocked down, or witnessing somebody that’s been knocked down and know that they’re hurt, especially a family member and friend, co-worker, teammate, whatever that is. But when I got back to Dallas, I was absolutely destroyed mentally. I didn’t know where I was going, what I was doing. How was I supposed to go and give my kids a hug? How was I supposed to go to work? I got to go back to work. I just started this job.
Todd Blyleven: 28:27
I got to go to this house that we just moved into. We don’t really know anybody here, so I didn’t really have much support and news was already all over, you know me on. It had already been kind of leaked of what I did. And so I get in my truck and we’re at the airport and I get this call from my dad’s buddy. His name’s Lee. He’s a third, three year, four year kind of or tour combat vet, right, and he says hey, todd, this is Lee, I’m your dad’s friend from North Carolina. Yes, sir, I know who you are.
Todd Blyleven: 29:02
I want to share a relatable experience with you. What you did, first of all, I’ve never done in my life. I ran in, I had weapons, I was told what to do, you went out on your own accord. You didn’t have any weapons to protect yourself. I can’t relate to that part of what you did. We’re different there, but we both ran towards a fire.
Todd Blyleven: 29:23
So he started sharing some things for me to instantly start to build trust in him. And he wasn’t just someone saying hey, man, I would have done that too, or something like that. Because, like you just said, if you don’t have kids, you don’t really understand the patience you have to have sometimes with them in certain situations. Well, if you’ve never been through that type of situation where you’ve put yourself on the line and you’ve run towards adversity and time and time again, when your body’s just in pain but you keep finding the strength to help because people need your help and you’re putting your life out there, you don’t know what it’s like and you don’t know how you’re ever going to react if a bullet comes your way. It’s okay to run. It’s okay to take care of yourself. It’s okay to go hide. That’s what you should do, right? I did that first, and then I was able to strategically run in and out as fast as I could, as safely as I could, to try to help others in need. But so Lee was telling me these things and I started to build trust and this was like a five minute phone call and he said so. This is what’s going to happen over the next 72 hours. You’re going to have headaches. You’re going to have nightmares. You’re going to second guess your actions. Don’t second guess your actions. What you did was amazing. Be proud of yourself. Talk for yourself. Bow your chest up, as hard as that’s going to feel. You’re going to be emotional. That’s okay. It took me three tours to get to a point where I could let that emotion out with his wife. He told me this story and he told me about my speech was probably going to be stuttered, all signs of PTSD, and I’d already been experiencing that. So it gave me this kind of almost I call it like a survival guide for 72 hours where he let me know what I was going to be experiencing. It started hitting. I experienced those things.
Todd Blyleven: 31:14
And then it wasn’t just Lee, it was, you know, chad Vert and Brian Wood and Mark like all these different people, all first responders to regular people, chad Remedia, in Southern California. Like I worked with this guy. They were calling me every day hey, how you doing? Just text message How’s today? Are you okay? I’m praying for you. Just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you. I started getting those across the world and I can’t tell you how much that helped me in my time of need. And you know we always think like, oh, I don’t want to bother them in this time. No, send them a text In today’s world like, send them a quick text saying, hey, I’m just thinking about you, I just want to let you know you just came across with mine. I’m thinking about what you’re going through with your husband in the hospital. I’m thinking about you on, you know just your whole marital situation or your whatever that is right that you’re going through. I just want to let you know you’re not alone. If you need to talk, I’m here. So I had all these different support pieces coming.
Todd Blyleven: 32:12
Well, my journey started at that point and I tried to toughen out. I was raised in a tough household. My dad’s a major league baseball player, you know. And no blood, no foul. Get up but dust yourself off. You know I used to ride horses Like I. I’m a country guy, I love that stuff. And all of a sudden, you know, you realize that you can’t do that on your own. The headaches become too great. You’re tired of not being able to talk. I was at work. I tried to go back to work. A Jason Aldean song comes on because they’re playing music on a Friday.
Todd Blyleven: 32:44
It’s supposed to be like relaxed. I find myself running down two flights of stairs and out the door on a major street and running a quarter mile down the road and I stopped and here I am, I’m in my work, stuff, and I’m like, oh my gosh, I can’t do this. I tried forcing myself to listen to Jason Aldean on the ride home. I just start breaking down and crying. I couldn’t get past. I could not do this myself and I was losing that battle fast. So I knew I needed help.
Todd Blyleven: 33:17
I went to a couple of different therapists. A buddy of mine, chad Vert, recommended EMDR therapy and that’s what a lot of first responders and military groups were using at the time. And what EMDR therapy is is. There’s different versions of how you conduct this therapy, whether it’s a visual, an audio, a feeling, a physical. So I wanted the paddles. I had two river rock-like paddles. You hold them in each hand and they’re connected with wires to a control box that the therapist is controlling the vibration and it literally is like a heartbeat and it goes back and forth and what it does is it allows the left side and the right side of your brain to start thinking about this vibration and they start communicating.
Todd Blyleven: 34:03
Because what happens in a traumatic situation? It doesn’t have to be a mass shooting. It could be you were in a car accident and got hit from behind. Now every time you come to stop, you get this anxiety of okay, stop, stop, buddy, behind me. Whatever that is, any traumatic situation you’ve been in, your brain starts to process things in the back right side and it almost puts it into this safe, this lock and key, and it lets it out little by little so the rest of your brain can process, based on what you’ve done over your past existence, on how you can cope with something so traumatic. So if you were in a car accident, you’ve probably seen lots of car accidents, you’ve probably seen it on TV, so you can somewhat cope with that. So it’s going to let that drawbridge down. It’s going to allow that information to start flowing a little bit more naturally. But when you’re in a mass shooting, yeah, I’ve seen war movies. My dad and I were big like Western buffs and everything else, but I’ve never been shot at Right and so I had a lot of stored information back here in the backside of my brain that kept giving me nightmares, kept kicking me in the back of the skull.
Todd Blyleven: 35:19
My head would hurt. It would pound me in the back of the skull. My head would hurt, it would pound, it didn’t matter how much advil I was taking. I could understand why our soldiers and why people that have suffered with mass trauma go into drugs. Because there’s just there’s, it’s all these demons that are like hitting you all at one time, the anxiety and everything else.
Todd Blyleven: 35:40
But I didn’t want to do that. You know, like I had a doctor want to prescribe me like a couple of different drugs to help alleviate my pain and help me go to sleep, I was resilient enough and more persistent enough to try to beat this right. So my own internal will to survive and be better and just get back to what I call normal, that overshadowed anything. So I pushed all that away, which I’m really glad I did and I wanted to be able to I figured there was another way. And because of the people that I had on my team my rocks, my pals giving me advice on what their first responders that have a relatable they’ve touched death. First responders that have a relatable they’ve touched death right, they’ve gone into crazy situations. So it was very relatable. I followed their guide, their lead.
Todd Blyleven: 36:32
And so, emdr, when the paddles are going back and forth and you’re starting to tell your story, the therapist will turn up the vibration and what it does is it starts to lower that drawbridge a little bit more and he or she is basically in control of that drawbridge, either lowering or raising. And so the lighter the vibration, the more it climbs up, because everything’s kind of going back. Okay, we’re getting into protective mode again. The more it vibrates, the more that thing comes down and you’re just talking, right. Well, what’s beautiful part about EMDR if it’s done correctly, with talkative therapy, at least in my case is we would process about one minute to two minutes at a time. That was it. We would talk about the atmosphere, we would talk about what did you hear, what did you see, where were you, and the whole process.
Todd Blyleven: 37:26
The whole reasoning behind all of that is because when all of this is stored in the back of your mind, you can’t remember the whole movie, you can’t remember where your boots took you that night. All in entirety, in chronological order, I was seeing kind of the beginning and the middle, and I was seeing the middle and the end and pieces were miscombobulated. I was getting contacted by people saying, hey, thank you for saving my friend, or thank you for saving me all these things, even a year later. And I was like I don’t remember doing that, rachel Parker, I don’t remember coming around and apparently I was checking body types. I don’t remember doing that, the Rachel Parker, I don’t remember coming around and I, apparently I was checking body types. I didn’t remember that until they told me. They told me, you know, this is what we saw you do and you came in and you.
Todd Blyleven: 38:11
I remember there were bits and pieces of that moment. I was yelling at a man because I wanted him to get in the car with the girls, because I put them in a car, because people were using their cars as ambulances, because they were parked across the street. Crazy scene, right. But as I’m going through the therapy, you’re able to process that one minute, two minutes of time. She would shut it down. We would talk about it, I would cry, which was not me at all, but it unlocked these emotions in me to really appreciate where I was at in my life. The skies were bluer, the butterflies were more beautiful. I mean, I’m telling you, like it just reset my existence of who I am, why I’m here? What kind of a friend am I? What can I do to help others? I found a therapist that I could speak with. I got past my eight-second test where she could handle what I was saying, which is also really important. So you need to find a therapist that you can fully unload on All the barriers. All your armor is off.
Todd Blyleven: 39:21
When I stepped into Diane’s office in Plano, texas, I knew okay, I’m putting my armor right here, I’m sitting on that couch. Yeah, I’ve got my pillow for security, but I’m free. What do you want to know about me? I am completely open. I need to be this way in order to be helped, and she guided me through EMDR and her talkative therapy and through faith. Church has been really the only place I’ve ever felt, since that night, truly safe, to a point where I feel like I’m armed up every time I walk back in. You know, it’s like a meter. You know, when you go low on a battery, I feel like I’m just recharged every Sunday, and it’s like a meter. You know, when you go low on a battery, I feel like I’m just recharged every Sunday, and it’s a beautiful thing. It allows me to have peace in my mind. But the journey afterwards has been absolutely incredible.
Todd Blyleven: 40:14
And so now I get out and I talk about all the things that I’ve done to learn more about myself and how I’ve dealt with trauma. And it doesn’t. It was not just about the shooting. I mean, I’ve pulled people out of cars before as a scout. You see a vehicle rolling and you pull off the road super fast and you’re pulling families out. Or a man out of a burning truck. When I was 17 and at the Connie Mack world series in Farmington, a truck rolled and it was just a big old guy and truck was on fire and me and two of my buddies and I ran in and grabbed him and pulled him out. All these different things that you think about on, like, why did I do all that?
Todd Blyleven: 40:55
I put all in the back of my mind, right, and so allowing myself to now talk about those things and share my emotional experiences has really unlocked a beautiful side inside of me, and that’s what I try to do is share now how you can get to that place, how you can overcome your trauma. You’re never, ever, ever going to get rid of it. It’s not going to go anywhere. So now, how do you learn how to keep it out in front of you. And that’s what I talk about with the mind mapping is, keep your trauma out in front of you where you can see it. How does it react to you when you’re in a crowded place? How does it react to you when you have a lot of work coming on your desk and you’ve got anxiety? How does it react to you when you’re a young father or a young mother and you’ve got to pick up your kids and you’ve got bills and you’ve got work and all these things? How does your trauma make you feel? You know you go back there a lot of times in your mind because it was such a traumatic event. So how do you learn how to walk with that right and live with it and embrace it? And that’s through the EMDR, that’s through meditation, that’s through relaxing, just even separating.
Todd Blyleven: 42:15
For me, if I go into a crowded place now, I’m immediately checking security points, right. I’m immediately understanding. Within five seconds I could tell you okay, something goes down. I’m going here, so I’m finding my exit point, I’m finding out how to protect others. Or I’m finding, I’m thinking about how I can go to the threat and eliminate, right. But when that anxiety is kind of coming up to a point where I can feel that trauma now getting back on me. It’s getting a little too close.
Todd Blyleven: 42:46
It hit these meters that there’s alarm one, there’s alarm two. I can start to feel it. Then I separate, I go into a bathroom where it’s quiet. I’ll take, I’ll step outside the venue, I’ll just breathe a little bit. It doesn’t have to be long. Sometimes it’s a few seconds, sometimes it’s a couple minutes. I just relax.
Todd Blyleven: 43:08
At one point I was down in the stockyards down in Fort Worth. I took a little walk. It was about five minutes, but then I’m able to now re-approach where I was at in a better way. The anxiety meter’s down right and I can go and have a good time. So I’m still able to live my life, I’m still able to really enjoy myself and it’s empowerment. I own this now right, even as emotional as what I get around this time of year, I still own that. I know how to separate.
Todd Blyleven: 43:40
Yesterday was really tough for me and I did a lot of like walking around and separating and trying to just clear my mind a little bit and bring everything down and make sure that that trauma is not going to come back on me anymore because of what I’ve learned and the hard work I’ve done to try to really understand who I am. And that plays into sports, it plays into business, it plays into our everyday life, teachers, anyone that’s dealing with anything that might deliver some anxiety in your life. It brings you peace and I can feel peaceful. I feel like I’m joined at the hip with God and Jesus and I know I’ve got my guardian angel that wraps his wings around me every once in a while and says, hey, it’s going to be okay and you’re fine, just take a deep breath, slow down, and I do, and then you take that next step forward. Right, so they’re a little long winded there, but that’s kind of the aftermath, the journey of it. What you go through you know, and now that’s what I try to help others with.
Todd Bertsch: 44:47
Man. Thank you for sharing that, todd. I think it’s a true testament of resilience and hope. So I know that you started your own business and you were in the sports corporate sports world. Are you still doing that too, or are you really going to devote to keynote speaking and spreading your message?
Todd Blyleven: 45:11
Yeah, no, I grew up in sports and I love the sports industry. I own a sports technology company that I built. A baseball scouting application allows coaches to basically use your phones and tablets to evaluate players instead of pens and paper. It’s built off an MLB-type mentality. I love doing that. I work with USA Softball. I love that. I’m their chief marketing officer and so I still get to have that corporate vibe and go out and create partnerships and try to help USA Softball grow. I mean, they’re going to be in the Olympics in 2028. So I’m honored to be a part of that team. It’s a great group of people, a great organization. So you know I love that part of my life. I don’t anticipate that ever going away, but getting out and speaking and my podcast and doing other things to help people become more resilient in their life, that’s definitely a goal and I’d like to get out and speak as much as I possibly can.
Todd Bertsch: 46:09
Yeah, no, that’s great. How has this shaped your leadership skills, Because I assume in that type of role you probably have some direct reports. I’m sure this had an impact on how you lead.
Todd Blyleven: 46:24
Yeah, I think I’ve always had more of a leadership type mentality. You know, sports taught that to me, gave me the confidence I was pretty good. So you know, I played pro ball and I always took the initiative to try to help others. So I think I’ve always had that leadership role. But now, to try to help others, so I think I’ve always had that leadership role, but now, knowing that in a defined moment of severe, complete tragedy, I stepped up, I went forward, I threw my life out there and I would do it again over and over. I know how I will react now in a face of danger. I’ve done it multiple times, but in the grand stage I did it. So when it comes to leadership, I’ve already accomplished what I need to accomplish. It’s not about me. Leadership is never about you. It’s about serving the others, to help guide them, to get them to a place where they can understand how they can be successful step by step. Too many times we all want to like jump in and go.
Todd Blyleven: 47:31
I did a great report. Now I want to get, I want to get promoted, or I pitched really good. Now when am I going to get called up? You know, whatever I’m moving up in the lineup because I went three for three today, whatever that is right. That’s not reality. Right it’s how do you reshape the consistency of what you’re doing, create positive patterns to be able to then guide others and help the whole team move forward? And when you do that, you’re recognized as the power player. You did a great job. Look at how you did a great job in your department or with your company, or a great report, but that wasn’t all done by you, right? So yeah, I’ve really focused more on separating my own existence and my own ambitions and what I want in terms of from the corporate side. It’s just about helping others, it’s about empathy. I talk about this.
Todd Blyleven: 48:29
I spoke to a business guy the other day and I was the CEO of a company and he was talking about how he’s just a little bit disconnected to the younger generation in his workplace and I said, man, I said, rob, why don’t you just make something up? You know, go up to one of your managers, step into their office and you know that maybe he’s a coach or he’s got kids and somebody that you’ve maybe had a hard time disconnect or connecting with, and why don’t you just say, hey, man, like Rob, you want to go grab a coffee and let’s just talk? Cause I got a question about my kids and your kids and your sports guy and my kids playing baseball right now and I just want to talk to you about a little something. All of a sudden, rob isn’t thinking about his job. He’s now connecting you on a very personal level. You’ve become human to him, right, you’re now touchable, you’re attainable. You’ve become human to him, right, you’re now touchable, you’re attainable. You were sitting up on this pedestal because you were so distant and far away and you’re the king of this whole castle, but now you just went right down into his level. You guys are going to share this coffee. You’re going to get a chance to know him. And what’s going to happen? Rob’s going to walk by your office next time and he’s going to say hi. Or he’s going to say hi, or he’s going to step in and go hey, how’d you do with that situation? Like, how’s your boy doing? He’s going to now want to engage with you and then you’re going to engage with him and you create this relationship. Yeah, you’re still the boss and he’s still the employee, but now it’s attainable.
Todd Blyleven: 50:00
Rob’s feeling good about going into work. He feels now that he can talk to you. Isn’t that what we want in anything that we do in life, whether you’re a teacher or a business leader, or a dad or a mom or an uncle or a grandpa or whatever that is. Don’t you want people to be able to come to you and allow you to share your experience on what you’ve worked hard to get to? It’s your business, it’s your life, it’s your family. Right, if we close that off and we’re in our own mind, because we want to be tough, we got to like, oh, I can’t share my emotion with you.
Todd Blyleven: 50:36
What does that do to your followers, to your employees, to your athletes? It doesn’t do anything. You’re disconnected. Yeah, you’re the coach. You know how to run a bump play. You know what I mean. Whatever, right, you know when to call a hit and run in a game. You’re awesome, you’re tough. You don’t need to be that way. You need to be able to drive. You need to be able to kick some people in the butt and say, hey, you’re doing this wrong, but if they respect you, then they’re going to appreciate that conversation even more. If they don’t respect you, they’re going to feel like they just got reprimanded, right, right, and I think that’s the biggest difference in me coming out of a mass shooting and learning way more about myself on my softer side, on what I think I have an opportunity to provide to somebody that might be struggling.
Todd Bertsch: 51:22
Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, you’re speaking my language there. Leading with empathy is high priority for me and I think that is the best’s really possible. And, at the end of the day, it’s all games right. Whether it’s sports or work, it’s all a game, but we’re all human. These are lives that you’re dealing with and people. Everybody’s got something going on, so don’t make any assumptions. Everybody’s got some issue and it could be as simple as the dog just crapped all over the place, you know, before it came to work and it’s really bothering you.
Todd Bertsch: 52:13
You know, there’s always something going on, especially, you know, when you have a family. So I think, just you know, leading with empathy is the best approach and not everybody can do it, and it does take practice and it takes time, just like anything else. Yeah, I think that’s that’s really important. And, todd, you know you’ve everything that you’ve said today is all about being a servant, servant leadership. You’ve been doing this your whole life. You know I love the title of your podcast. I’m going in. You’ve been going in your whole life.
Todd Bertsch: 52:48
It’s crazy you share those other stories that this isn’t the first time you’ve put yourself in harm’s way, which is interesting. You’ve been walking tall and going in your whole life. Thank you for sharing everything you’ve shared today. I know this is just a day removed from the seven-year anniversary. I know this had to be tough. You could have been on any show. You chose our show. I’m blessed that you came into my life selfishly and I’m blessed for our listeners that you’re able to share all that you shared. It’s an amazing story. I’m inspired. Like I said, I had a rough time sleeping last night. I was so just excited about this conversation and I’m driving into work today, sun shining for the first time in a few days here in Akron and I have my meditation practice, as I do every morning.
Todd Bertsch: 53:38
I start off with two minutes of gratitude and I’m just grateful to be here, today, and I think that’s what it comes back to, and I know you’ve said it in your video and on your websites. Unfortunately, todd, it takes for a lot of us. We’re so busy and life’s moving so fast. It takes an incident, a horrific, horrible, tragic incident like this and others to remind us, to reframe and say, oh man, that could have been me. I need to really be grateful for every day, for every breath, because, like you said, you just don’t know and you didn’t. You went into the line of fire literally time and time again and you didn’t know, but you did it and you stood tall. So I’m just blessed to have met you and to be in this moment with you. I’m excited for you.
Todd Bertsch: 54:38
The growth that you’ve endured, the transformation that you’ve been through, is also extremely inspiring. A lot of people need to understand that they can, there is hope and you can get help and you need to get help. We all need to get off our Island. It’s okay. It’s okay to not be macho man and just say, hey, I just want to talk. Talking is powerful, crying is powerful. So thank you for everything and you know, if there’s one takeaway, todd, that you want our listeners to go with today. What would that be?
Todd Blyleven: 55:12
You know I think about. Well, first of all, I think about all those poor people, like in North Carolina, that are all going through their trauma. And you know, you see all these inspiring stories of how people are walking tall for themselves, for their community. They’re standing up for each other. They’re community strong, right, they’re showing those signs right now because they’re in the heat of the battle, but once this all subsides, like the river is, the trauma is going to really start to affect them, the losses that they’ve encountered. So I’m praying that people can embrace this emotion and learn more about themselves and how they can continue through time.
Todd Blyleven: 56:07
Putting my daughter in bed and my kids both had were woke up because someone said, hey, your parents are in a shooting, so they had to watch the news and everything else. But my daughter, I was putting her to bed and she said Daddy, how come there’s so many bad people in this world and how am I supposed to go to school now? And I said, baby girl, there’s more good people in this world than there are bad, amen. So my challenge to everybody is to understand. You’re not alone. Know that your trauma is a big deal. It’s not something that’s small, regardless of whatever size it is, whatever ever happened, it’s affecting you, it’s big, so don’t regardless of whatever size it is, whatever ever happened, it’s affecting you, it’s big, so don’t be afraid to talk about it.
Todd Blyleven: 56:53
Find somebody that has a relatable experience to what you’ve gone through and talk about it. Share your emotion, because when you start talking about it, that’s going to spark conversation with someone else, for them to start talking a little bit more, and you’re going to find that you have more in common than not and it’s going to spark more love and more kindness and more faith and just more hope. Right, because we all want to be the best, we all want to do good in this world, we all want to live with peace. We don’t want hardship, and that’s going to happen. We don’t want hardship, and that’s going to happen, unfortunately. But find your support. Find the people that you can talk to, embrace that, be more vulnerable, be more approachable in your life and just be kind, because you know what Todd. At the end, as you know, love always wins. No matter when, love will win.
Todd Bertsch: 57:48
And I think that’s how we end on that note. There’s no better way to say it Todd, it’s been great. How can people get in touch with you or learn more about your story, or maybe invite you out to speak at one of their events?
Todd Blyleven: 58:06
I would love that. Yeah, when I get up on stage, unfortunately, but fortunately, I grab the hearts and then I start talking about more the aftermath of walking with empathy. So that’s what my speech is a lot about. So I might hit five minutes of the bad stuff to grab the attention, to show validity of why I’m standing on that stage, whether it’s faith-based or whatnot. The majority of my talks are more about the aftermath and how do you walk tall for yourself.
Todd Blyleven: 58:37
But I’ve got everything on my website as far as my speaker stuff. At , you can find my podcast. I have a trauma guide that I’ve created, so if you get on there, you can download that. It’s . You can find my podcast. I have a trauma guide that I’ve created, so if you get on there, you can download that. It’s how-to 12-page overcome trauma and how to help others guide. It’s an incredible piece. A lot of people get a lot out of it. So if you’d like to learn more about yourself and it’s very relatable to a lot of different experiences, go ahead and hop on there.
Todd Blyleven: 59:07
Yeah, my social media you can find me on socials. I’m on all the platforms. I’m starting to get on TikTok a little more. I love TikTok, yeah, so I’m starting to put a lot more up. But yeah, no, todd, I really appreciate you having me on your podcast. This is what I needed. It was very relaxing. It’s not easy telling that story, but I’ve told it so many times and again, because I’ve mapped my trauma out front, I know how to tell it in a way that I can. I can. I’m not going to go into that part because that’s going to bring me back, so I’m going to, I’m going to talk about this, I’ll keep going as long as that meter’s there and then and then I’m fine. But I really appreciate you being open and vulnerable as well and being a servant yourself, being a leader. Yeah, no, just thank you for having me on.
Todd Bertsch: 59:55
Absolutely Well. I look forward to our journey together. I know I know we’re going to collaborate and this has been just just great having this conversation in this time with you today. So I’m I’m blessed for that and I look forward to what we do going forward.
Todd Blyleven: 1:00:12
I am too. Thank you, my friend. Thank you for having me on.
Todd Bertsch: 1:00:15
Thank you so much for listening to this episode. You are on your way to growth, transformation and joy. If you find this episode helpful, please like and share with your friends and, by all means, please leave a review. Please like and share with your friends and, by all means, please leave a review. You can also view the show notes and subscribe to the Bolt newsletter at ToddBertsch. com. Remember real change takes time. Start small and watch the growth take shape.

EPISODE SUMMARY
Success isn’t defined by the toys or material things we purchase. It’s defined by living out our dreams. Doing what we were meant to do and maintaining a great work/life balance. Not being afraid to take risks. If we give ourselves permission to chill we can accomplish anything. Through meditation we can achieve things we never thought were possible. We can then give ourselves permission to glow and light a new path toward working on ourself which translates into great leadership at work and in our daily lives.