We sit down with Rick Cheatham, a seasoned Life and Career Transformation Coach and retired Fire Captain. Rick shares his profound journey of resilience, navigating personal challenges including overcoming addiction, coping with the murder of his son, and enduring a life-changing injury.
In this Clinician's Guide episode, we sit down with Patrick Fitzgibbons, retired police commander and Shatterproof Community Liaison Lead at FHE Health. We explore the essential topic of specialized addiction and mental health treatment programs designed for first responders.
This episode isn't just about hardships; it's about resilience. Join us as we uncover the strength of the human spirit, as seen through the journey of retired Hartford Police Department Captain Rob Rudewicz, sharing his career and personal battles with addiction, depression, and surviving stage 4 p…
Tune in to this new episode as we explore the mental health challenges faced by first responders, through the lens of Captain Chris Moore's personal and professional experiences with post-traumatic stress. He discusses Adverse Childhood Experiences Scores (ACES), alcohol use, faith in the fire serv…
In this special episode, Officer Pete Elste (Crisis Intervention Team Coordinator), Firefighter Pete Nichio, Bonnie Rumilly, LCSW-EMT, and Scott Alvord, LCSW (Crisis Intervention Clinician), come together for Real Talk: Stress vs Serenity. Under the theme of "This too shall pass," they explore stre…
Don't miss our latest podcast episode featuring Hannah Elmore, MSW from the IAFF Center of Excellence. Discover how their dedicated team provides culturally competent support for mental health and substance abuse. Learn how they're transforming PTSD treatment for fire service members, tackling comp…
The episode features motivational speaker and author, Chad Michael Bruckner, as he discusses leadership, culture, and wellness as the answer to fixing recruitment in the law enforcement profession.
We’re joined by Giovanni Rocco, retired LEO and FBI covert operative and author of the book “Giovanni’s Ring: My life Inside the Real Sopranos”. Giovanni talks about the toll the job takes, and the unwitting sacrifices our spouses and children make as a result of the first responder profession. Gi…
We’re joined by retired firefighter and Account Executive at O2X Human Performance, John Vargo, who shares his personal struggle with burnout, anxiety, anger, and dependence on alcohol during his honest and raw interview with Bonnie and David. John describes hitting bottom, and finding his way out …
We’re joined by 30 year law enforcement veteran and Law Enforcement Life Coach John Kelly, an expert on breaking the cycle of self destruction. John developed a wellness / leadership program called “Sometimes Heroes Need Help” that addresses the personal, professional, financial, physical and menta…
The most vital responsibility of company officers is the safety and well-being of the firefighters in their command. Our guest, Battalion Chief Cristian Hinojosa of Dallas Fire-Rescue was recently promoted from Captain, and talks about why he’s passionate about mental health for firefighters.
Patrick Fitzgibbons is a retired Police Commander who discusses the struggles he experienced, and provides advice, inspiration, and hope for overcoming mental health issues, through his role as National Outreach Liaison for the Shatterproof Program for First Responders.
Katharine Pope is a renowned Forensic Investigator and Crime Scene Specialist, whose resilient career and path through PTSD and Alcohol Use Disorder is remarkable. Pope shares how she was able to overcome betrayal trauma, burnout and alcohol use to ultimately continue her forensics career working …
Michael Van Meter is a well respected Law Enforcement Leader and an Addiction Recovery Expert. In this episode, he talks about the devastating effects of addiction on the public, himself, and his profession. Pulling from personal and professional experience, Michael shares thoughts on this complex,…
Pete Elste shares his story of addiction, restructuring his path to recovery, and staying grounded. A resilient leader who has proven that you can achieve anything you put your mind to, Pete is an inspiration for his peers and anyone struggling with addiction who is looking for a resilient role mod…
Norm Wielsch was a police officer for 26 years, during which time he saw a lot, made some bad decisions, suffered and overcame opioid addiction and spent time in prison. In this episode Norm talks about how he emerged stronger from his suffering and became a positive force to help in the lives of …
On this episode, Bonnie and David speak with Michele Giorgianni, First Responder Liaison at Aware Recovery Care and Jason Palamara, Director of Veteran & First Responder Engagement at Forge VFR. Our topic: Substance Abuse Disorder treatments for First Responders.
