The Defuse Podcast: Where Experts Defuse Real Threats
When the threats are real and the stakes are high — what actually works?
Right now, as you're reading this, someone's watching your family, your business rivals are digging through your digital history, and a disgruntled employee knows exactly where your vulnerabilities are. While you're focused on your day job, they're building a plan.
This podcast exists because ignoring threats doesn't make them disappear.
I'm Philip Grindell — former Scotland Yard detective, behavioural threat specialist, and author of Personal Threat Management. After Jo Cox MP was murdered, I was tasked with creating Parliament's specialist threat assessment team. I've spent 35 years stopping people who wanted to hurt prominent individuals, from MPs to royalty to the ultra-wealthy.
What You'll Get From Listening
You'll recognise the warning signs everyone else misses. That "helpful" new employee asking odd questions. The photographer at three different family events. The online critic whose interest feels too personal.
You'll understand how dangerous people operate. The people planning to harm you treat you like a research project — cataloguing your habits, weaknesses, and blind spots whilst you're oblivious.
You'll know what to do when a crisis hits. Not theory — actual steps. How to control the narrative when your reputation's under attack. When to stay silent and when silence destroys you.
You'll discover what's already out there about you. Right now, strangers can map your life using tools you've never heard of.
What You'll Hear
Straight-talking conversations with ex-FBI agents who've tracked serial killers, digital investigators who can find anyone online, crisis managers who've saved billion-pound reputations, and psychologists who understand exactly how fixated individuals think.
Topics include stalking, fixated individuals, insider threats, protective intelligence, reputation management, OSINT, digital vulnerability, and crisis leadership.
These aren't interviews — they're operational briefings. Real cases, real tactics, real consequences.
Who This Is For
You must understand modern threats if you're responsible for protecting someone important (yourself, your family, or your boss). Physical violence is just one possibility. Reputation assassination, digital stalking, insider betrayal — these happen far more often and can be just as devastating.
If you're prominent enough to be a target, you already are one. The question isn't whether someone's paying attention to you — it's whether you're paying attention to them.
What Makes This Different
No corporate nonsense. I've watched too many good people get hurt because they received sanitised advice from people who'd never faced real threats. You'll get the truth, even when it's uncomfortable.
Experience that matters. I've identified planned terrorist attacks, managed stalking cases involving royalty, and helped ultra-wealthy families navigate threats they never considered. Every recommendation comes from cases where lives and reputations were on the line.
Stories that stick. Theory doesn't save lives — understanding does. Every episode includes real cases that show you what threats look like before they turn dangerous.
Because the people planning to hurt you aren't taking the day off.
Subscribe now and learn how to manage threats before they become crises.
The Defuse Podcast: Where Experts Defuse Real Threats
Conflict Resolution, Cultural challenges and Vexatious Complainants with Tottie Karpela CTM
In this episode of The Defuse Podcast, Totti Karpela, Executive board member for the Association of European Threat Assessment Professionals (AETAP) shares his expertise on how to assess persons of concern who may pose a threat to public and prominent figures. He discusses his expertise around conflict management, vexatious complainant, the cultural challenges a threat management professional must be aware of, and the impact on workplace conflicts from the Covid pandemic.
Mr Karpela, a graduate of the Finland’s Police University College, has a 20-year career in the National Police of Finland where he worked as a unit supervisor and subject matter expert. During his career, Inspector Karpela was part of a team that specialized in managing threats that were directed towards law enforcement and judicial officials. Mr. Karpela has undergone specialised training pertaining to the psychological assessment of offending behaviour and has experience in both the private and public sectors, particularly working with high-risk and high-harm offenders. He also spent nine years as a member of the hostage negotiator team in the National SWAT team. For the majority of his career Mr. Karpela also worked at the National Police University, teaching management of aggressive behaviour and conflict resolution skills.
In his current role in the private sector Mr. Karpela has worked with presidential candidates, celebrities, media companies, banks and insurance companies, aviation industry, educational facilities as well as multinational corporations specializing in threat assessment and case management. He frequently provides behavioural and security consultation to multinational organizations.
Mr. Karpela has worked as a subject matter expert since 1986, consulting and coaching government organizations and corporations on five continents in the prevention of violent crime, security issues, conflict resolution and risk mitigation. Mr. Karpela is the only person outside of the United States to hold a CTM-accreditation, a professional accreditation for security professionals related to the assessment and management of violent behaviour. Mr. Karpela is also accredited to provide consultation and training related to the European equivalent, CETAP. He holds numerous professional certifications related to violence risk assessment.
Mr. Karpela is a graduate of U.S. Secret Service Threat Management Program, Gavin De Becker threat management academy and he has done numerous other professional training programs with the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit. Before joining the National police of Finland, Mr. Karpela served in the Military Police SRT-team. He is still in the Finnish reserve corps with the rank of Warrant officer.
Other relevant NGO responsibilities: Subject matter expert for European Council and O.S.C.E. in crime prevention projects. Totti is also a member of the Merrick & Company’s Global Biosafety & Biosecurity Consulting Advisory Board since 2017. Executive board member for the Association of European Threat Assessment Professionals (AETAP). He also spent nine years as a senior research fellow at the Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals - Centre for Security Studies and a committee member for the Nordic Counter Terrorism Network. He is an internationally recognised threat assessment professional and is registered as such with the Associati
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