Who Are We?

Robin loves writing research papers.

Seriously. One of the most formative periods of her childhood was the 3 weeks in 5th grade during which she created a dual-sided (like those 2-in-1 books that were so popular in the 90’s), hand written study on the lost cities of Atlantis and Pompeii. She earned an A on that paper (probably because she did twice the work required), but more importantly she felt the magic that comes from sharing knowledge with others.  And that’s a feeling she’s been chasing ever since.

In Spring of 2020, the world seemed to be falling apart at the seams. A global pandemic, spotlight on police violence, and topics of racial justice had her social media timeline raging with polarized political ranting. So, did the thing she knows best - she started sharing the magic of information to try to bring people together on the common ground of fact.  And, it kind of worked… When Jon suggested they team up to bring that same perspective to a broader audience than just their social media connections, she jumped at the chance. After all, she truly believes that good communication can change the world.

When she’s at work, Robin leverages her M.A. in Communications and Public Relations to help businesses and individuals find their voice and use it to communicate with their own audiences. When she’s not at work, she loves picking up heavy things and putting them back down (as part of the amazing amateur Strongman community), playing Dungeons and Dragons, baking pretty things, hoarding art supplies, and pouring an absurd amount of time into research and branding for Fireside Breakdowns.  Thankfully, her husband and children are very gracious (and enjoy baked goods). 

Jon was born in southwest Missouri and basically had no plans on ever leaving.

And then life happened. 

After earning his undergraduate degree in theater (with a minor in political science for gravitas and practical application), he felt his lifelong pursuit of fairness developing into a passion for justice and equity. So, he earned a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice and put that passion to work as a part of the United States Secret Service, where he served briefly under both the Obama and Trump administrations before shifting his career focus to a broader national security perspective. 

Despite minoring in political science, Jon was lucky (or privileged) enough to be able to largely ignore political and current events happenings until the 2016 presidential campaign. During that election cycle, the changes in the way we began to talk about politics - and each other because of politics - caused him to take notice and to begin to examine his own perspectives.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, the magnitude of the damage that had been done to our political, social, and media discourse became alarmingly evident.  He decided to join forces with Robin to create Fireside Breakdowns and bring nuance and critical thinking back to the way we have conversations about important issues.  It’s hard and slow work, but he firmly believes that the work is worth it. Big changes start with small movements.

When he’s not burning the midnight oil to finish this week’s episode (much to the annoyance of his very loving and patient wife who he adores and thanks daily for her support), Jon enjoys just… too many hobbies. Dungeons and Dragons (just gonna thank the good good McElroy boys here), working out, video games, racing motorcycles (on a track), reading, programming, traveling (who doesn’t?), writing, and making music (poorly), just to name a few.

Savannah wears many hats.

She was asked to join the pod to provide a different perspective from the views of Jon and Robin, who seem to agree on 95% of things. Raised barefoot on a farm in Georgia, Savannah made her way into the United States Marine Corps and became someone who built the Internet from nothing in the middle of the world’s deserts. After five years of active duty service to the detriment of her mental health, she left the Marine Corps and continued her career as a network engineer in Japan before ending up in San Diego, California. She is the network lead for Unmanned Carrier Aviation, helping to develop the first unmanned vehicle to take off and land on an aircraft carrier. She earned her Master of Science degree in Information Technology from Virginia Tech in 2017.

Savannah is a huge advocate for mental and physical health. She is the author of Corporal Cannon: A Female Marine in Afghanistan, which highlights some of the mental struggles she endured while an enlisted Marine. When she has time, Savannah writes on her blog Bamboo and Bananas. She enjoys lifting weights, running marathons, raising her kid, and asking questions that make people uncomfortable.