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We are replaying this episode for some of our new listeners.
In this episode we speak with first responder spouses, who are suicide loss survivors. They share with us what its like to love a first responder, how the job impacted their loved one & how that impacted their family. These woman showcase strength as they discuss loosing their husbands to suicide & the importance of support for first responders and their family members when mental health becomes a factor.
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Mike MacCurtain joins us to discuss his career in the fire service. He shares about how that career began, the comradery and sense of belonging he felt early on, and how the calls he would go on didn't seem to bother him. Like we have heard from so many others, those calls were adding up, even if Mike wasn't aware of it at the time, and eventually his armor broke. Once that happened more calls began to affect him, and Mike began experiencing serious trauma symptoms. With his mental, psychological, and emotional health suffering and in decline, Mike reached out for help. Like most first responders who commit to recovering from trauma with the guidance of culturally competent clinicians, his symptoms began to subside, and Mike began to heal. He shares his story to be of service to other first responders who are struggling, so they know they are not alone, that help is available, and that healing is possible.
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Kenny Mitchell joins us & shares his story of purpose, service, struggle, and healing. Kenny was inspired to service after the terror attacks of 9/11, he talks openly about the strength of that calling, and how it ultimately led him to the fire service. Kenny talks about his career as a Firefighter & the many roles he had, which included critical incident stress management. He shares openly about difficult calls, surviving suicide loss, and how he was mentally, psychologically, and emotionally effected by the trauma's he experienced or witnessed throughout his career. Today Kenny is a public speaker, he's an advocate, and actively helps first responders who are suffering from the invisible wounds and traumatic effects of the job. Check out Operation Yellow Tape online to learn more about Kenny's journey and his current & continued service.
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Anthony Landry serves on the board of directors for the Massachusetts Peer Support Network & his efforts were instrumental in helping to create the first Peer Support and Crisis Intervention Team comprised of 911 emergency dispatchers in Ma. Tony shares with us about his family history in first response, why he wanted to become one himself, and why he chose 911 dispatch as his way to serve. He also discusses how the calls took a toll on his (and his co-workers) mental health over time, he talks about his experience during the marathon bombing, other critical incidents, and surviving suicide loss, and the importance of recognizing and including all first responders in the the aftermath of critical incidents.
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Christopher Scallon is a retired LEO who had a 24 year career with the Norfolk Va Police Department. He holds degrees in psychology, criminal justice, and is certified in critical incident stress management. He currently serves as a Veterans representative, he is the founder of Survival Mindset training and consulting, and co-founder of Trauma Behind the Badge. Chris is also the founder and director of the Norfolk Police Dept's CISM & Peer Support Unit, and the co-coordinator of the departments Crisis Intervention Team. Having been involved in multiple shooting incidents & active shooting mass casualty responses, Chris is intimately familiar with trauma - and the consequences of exposure.
Christopher shares with us openly about the many LE roles he had during his career, how trauma impacted him personally, what helped him begin to heal, and the good work he's doing today to assist other first responders with their own struggles.
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On this episode were joined by Charlette Fenstermaker & Lauren Folloni of the LOSS Team Plymouth County.
The LOSS Team Plymouth County was founded in 2021 - and after 2 years of preparation, launched in January of 2023. They are a volunteer group that works with police departments across Plymouth County to bring Hope and support to suicide loss survivors in the immediate wake of devastating loss. Charlette & Lauren are team coordinators for the LOSS Team, they are also suicide loss survivors. Both woman share openly about why they are passionate about this work, and we discuss the value that LOSS teams bring to a community, to the first responders who serve on those calls and in those communities, & the hope they can provide families who have experienced a loss by suicide.
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On this episode we're joined by Alicia Kelly & Chuck Looney, who own and operate Stretch N Motion, an assisted stretch and massage studio where they aim to maximize mobility, decrease pain, and help their clients feel better. Alicia & Chuck brought 2 of those clients with them, Brian Mingolelli (Quincy FD) & Chris Huling (Wildland FF), who share their own experiences about how this program has helped to improve their physical and mental well-being. Alicia & Chuck also share why they are each passionate about this work, discuss some of the ways that trauma is stored in the body, and explain how the methods they use can help their clients release stress, tension, & trauma.
They do offer a first responder discount - check out Stretch N Motion in Braintree @ https://stretchnmotion.squarespace.com/
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Jess Flores joins us on the podcast. Jess shares with us about her career as a police officer, she talks about working for different departments, the departmental cultures regarding first responder mental health, being a woman in law enforcement, the communities she served, and some of the critical incidents she was involved in. Jess's career ended prematurely after she suffered an injury, followed by an unsuccessful surgery. Jess goes on to share about how challenging it was for her to no longer be able to do the job that she loved, how challenging it was to go through that transition, where she did ultimately find her purpose, and how she has reconnected to the culture and continues to serve
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On this weeks episode we are joined by a group of First Responders from Carver Ma who have joined together, combining efforts and agencies to ensure that their First Responder Family is taken care of.
Chief Michael Ryan (EMS), Adam Lauzon (Carver FD), and Joshua Mcdermott (Carver PD), have partnered together to develop a multi agency First Responder Wellness Program within their community, improving access to resources and making it easier for first responders to reach out when they need help.
All three share from their own experiences why developing this program has become a priority for them, how it will benefit first responders, their families, their emergency response force as a whole, and the community they serve.
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Cathy & Javier Bustos are retired police officers with 4 decades of experience, they are also husband and wife, and they are That Peer Support Couple. They join us on the podcast and share about their careers in law enforcement, some of the critical incidents they have been involved in, & how those incidents affected them individually and as a couple. A time came where they realized that they needed help, so they reached out, and began to heal. Today, their mission is to assist officers and their families manage the stress of critical incidents, they do that good work in a number of ways, through a number of roles. In addition to their involvement with peer support, Cathy works as a clinician, they speak at conferences, teach others, and advocate for first responder mental health and wellness. They are - That Peer Support Couple.
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On this weeks episode we have Selina Rossman. Selina has been working EMS for nearly 2 decades. She discusses what led her into the field, some of the more difficult calls she has been on, & how those calls affected her. Selina shares that at one point her life became so difficult she considered ending it - She also shares with us what kept her here, what helped her begin to heal, her passion for writing and how she finds the process therapeutic.
Check out Selina's first Novel - First on Scene Howling Sirens @ Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
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On this episode we host the Volunteers of America's Mass Bay Vet's Center (MBVC). We're joined by Angela Eberle & Kyle Palstrome of the MBVC staff - they explain how the program functions, what supports and resources are available for their veteran residents, and some details about an exciting new program opening up in Plymouth. We're also joined by Melvyn Blanchard, a Vietnam veteran and resident of the program. Melvyn shares with us the struggles he began facing after returning home from Vietnam, including decades of addiction / substance abuse, domestic issues, rotations through psychiatric facilities, and homelessness before arriving at the MBVC, where he was able to turn his life around. Today Melvyn is sober, he is healing mentally, psychologically, and spiritually, he is stable financially, and will be moving into a home of his own in the near future.
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Adam joins us on the podcast and shares how he was drawn to police work from an early age, he discusses his time serving in the Army's MP Corps, getting his dream job as a cop in the town where he lived, his career in law enforcement and the many positions he's held over the years.
Adam also shares with us how he quickly became desensitized to dead bodies, how the job began to change him slowly, until one day while on duty Adams life was changed forever. After an officer involved shooting Adams personality began to change. He discusses those changes openly, how he coped, and how he suffered. He also expresses compassion for everyone involved that day, and shares with us that getting honest with himself and making his well-being a priority was how he began to heal.
Today Adam still works in law enforcement while advocating for for first responder mental health and helping others through Stop the Threat Stop the Stigma.
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Donn Bradley joins us from California , we discuss the work he does as a mental health clinician for first responders. He shares with us about his prior career in law enforcement and the mental health challenges he experienced as a result of duty trauma. Donn also shares with us his own reluctance to get help when he was struggling, how those types of cultural norms are created, and the work he does to help other first responders break free of the stigma and begin healing.
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Bernice joins us and shares her story of becoming a police officer and how she came to pride herself on her ability to engage with and support the community. Bernice was passionate, and her first few years on the department were promising - but then something changed, and depression began to set in. Listen to this episode to hear how Bernice navigated her mental health challenges, how her department responded, how she began to heal, and how she transferred her struggle to strength.
Check out Bernice's unique line of casual /chic apparel for woman who support law enforcement @ https://www.bfcapparel.com/
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State Representative Steven Xiarhos joins us on the podcast and shares about his 40 years working in law enforcement. He also talks about his childhood, and discusses grief & loss - including the loss of his son Nicholas who was serving in Afghanistan & the LODD of Officer Sean Gannon.
Rep X also shares about the importance of departmental leadership fostering a culture that supports first responders and encourages wellness.
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Donn Bradley joins us from California , we discuss the work he does as a mental health clinician for first responders. He shares with us about his prior career in law enforcement and the mental health challenges he experienced as a result of duty trauma. Donn also shares with us his own reluctance to get help when he was struggling, how those types of cultural norms are created, and the work he does to help other first responders break free of the stigma and begin healing.
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Reverend Royce Raymond joins us & shares about his time as an Army Chaplin & as a prison Chaplin. We discuss life in the military, and in the prison system, along with duty, grief, friendship, mentorship, peer support, and chaplaincy.
Reverend Royce discusses dealing with loss and grief in his own life, he talks about his upbringing, his family, his inspiration to join the military, the trauma he has witnessed in the prison system, being called to service, & the work he is doing to improve the mental health climate in corrections.
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Chief Matt Shobert has over 30 years of experience in the fire service, which includes working as a Chief in both California & Arizona.
Chief Shobert shares with us about his upbringing, a family history of substance abuse, how he wanted better for himself, and how living a life of service to others as a firefighter changed his life for the better.
Matt & Tami also discuss the bad calls he had during his career, how he coped with those calls, how they managed those times as a couple, how his career ended when he suffered a near fatal injury on duty, the Post traumatic stress that surfaced while he was recovering from his physical injuries, the unwavering support he received from his wife Tami, and how they got through it all together.
If you would like to know more about Matt & Tami's journey, check out their book "A Little Help Here"
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Autumn Clifford joins us on the podcast and shares about her lifelong journey with martial arts, her career in law enforcement, the pain and isolation she experienced after suffering a career ending back injury 6 years into that career, and how an intervention from her mom helped her rediscover herself and pick herself back up during her most difficult time.
Since then, Autumn has built a professional coaching practice, coaching hundreds of woman to find their authentic selves, tap into their own unique gifts and abilities, and work with those gifts resulting in major breakthroughs. She continues to reach out to others through her podcast "She's an Asset" as well as her in person seminars.
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