Donnie Woodyard has spent his career believing EMS can be better — and working to prove it. If you've ever held multiple state licenses just to do your job, watched a talented medic leave because relicensing wasn't worth the hassle, or struggled to staff a mutual aid response with people…
Most psychologists who work with law enforcement do it from a safe distance. They consult. They advise. They hand over a report and drive home. Dr. Cherylynn Lee doesn't do that. She works inside the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office. Full-time. Every day. She's not observing the culture — she's inside…
In 2014, a small crew from Phoenix Air flew into a West African Ebola outbreak to extract two infected Americans. One of those on board was a doctor — now confined in a containment unit, carefully removing contaminated PPE, knowing that any error had consequences far beyond the aircraft. In…
There's a motto hanging in Phoenix Air's medical unit that I haven't been able to stop thinking about: "No one's coming. It's up to us." In our latest episode, author Kevin Hazzard — who spent 10 years as a paramedic in Atlanta's most dangerous neighborhoods — talks about what those…
Kevin Hazzard spent a decade running calls in the worst sections of Atlanta — and what he learned there is at the core of everything he's written since. Three books. One relentless refusal to let the people who run toward the worst of it go unwitnessed. He brought to light…
You chose this Work on purpose. Now let's make sure it doesn't choose you. The new book "Helping the Helpers" is here — and it's unlike anything written for clinicians working in high-stakes, cross-cultural spaces. This isn't a clinical manual collecting dust on a shelf. It's a layer-by-layer guide built…
Law enforcement leadership is evolving, yet many organizations still operate under outdated assumptions about strength, resilience, and performance. In this episode, David Dachinger and guest co-host Dr. Tracy Hejmanowski sit down with retired Chief Deputy Rosanne Richeal, Trauma-informed Executive Coach, and founder of The Richeal Group, to understand the conditions…
You can't talk your way out of something your brain never had words for. 🧠 Dr. Joanna Rosen breaks down Deep Brain Reorienting — a modality that goes deeper than memory, deeper than language, all the way down to where trauma took root. For first responders who can't leave it…
Dr. Joanna Rosen says it plainly in this clip. First responders deserve to hear it. Talking about trauma and healing from it are not the same thing. 🧠 Trauma doesn't live where retelling the story can reach it. And no amount of talking gets to where it actually is. There…
Your nervous system doesn't know the call is over. That's the reality for first responders — and the problem most conventional therapy wasn't built to solve. Dr. Joanna Rosen, psychologist and founder of Between Two Ears Trauma Consultancy, goes deeper than the story, deeper than the memory — all the…
Let's clear something up. This kind of therapy isn't hand-holding. It's not "tell me about your feelings." It's not your relationship with your mother. The approach that actually works with cops? None of that. Dr. Stacy Raymond has spent decades inside the silence of law enforcement trauma — and she…
Ten minutes. One cop. One traumatic memory. And a therapy session that might change everything you think you know about healing. Dr. Stacy Raymond didn't just write about EMDR — she filmed it. A real session, with a real officer, working through a real incident from his days on the…
Cops don't break on the job. They break slowly, quietly, in the space between calls — carrying everything they've ever seen, heard, and survived until the bucket finally overflows. Dr. Stacy Raymond knows what's in that bucket. She's sat across from officers who've held it together for decades — on…
They've seen it from every angle — the firehouse, the precinct, the therapy room, the command staff. And they all said the same thing: this book is needed. "Helping the Helpers" was born from over 200 conversations with first responders and clinicians who are closing this gap every day —…
This is what healing actually looks like. Lieutenant Jim Van Wattum of the Ridgefield, CT Police Department didn't just survive the weight of police work. He transformed it. That shift? That's post-traumatic GROWTH. In this conversation, Lt. Van Wattum opens up about: → His healing journey and what finally led…
Police Lieutenant Jim Van Wattum has been through it. And instead of staying silent, he's speaking up so someone else doesn't have to suffer alone. “It'd be so good to know that someone listened to this podcast and they were like, ‘Man, maybe I should go reach out to somebody.’”…
This is what post-traumatic GROWTH actually looks like in real life. 👇 Police Lieutenant Jim Van Wattum didn't just heal — he leveled up. After working with EMDR therapy, Lt. Van Wattum walked into his promotion process with something most people never find — peace with the outcome before it…
Jimmy Van Wattum knows what it’s like to carry the weight of the job long after the shift ends. In this episode, we get inside Jimmy’s story—the pain he couldn’t shake, the breaking point that sent him searching for help, and how he turned raw trauma into a hard-fought promotion.…
🚑📘 An Excerpt From "Helping The Helpers": More than modalities—EMS clients need a clinician who truly gets it. They need someone who will answer the call when they finally reach out. Someone who won’t flinch, won’t freeze, and won’t patronize. As one therapist shared: 🤝 "If they trust you, they’ll…
🚨 How I Stayed Sober and Never Gave Up🚨 What happens after the sirens fade? In our latest Responder Resilience podcast, retired FDNY EMT Carmine Fiore shares his powerful journey—addiction, painkillers, and the battle to hold it all together at home. Carmine gets real about the struggles first responders face…
There’s no playbook for what happens after the sirens fade. In this episode, retired FDNY EMT Carmine Fiore lays it all bare—addiction, painkillers, the battle to hold it together at home, and the brutal truth of what first responders carry long after the shift ends. No sugarcoating, no clichés—just raw…
Raw. Real. Relevant. "Helping the Helpers" dives deep into the hearts and minds of those who give everything for others—often at the cost of themselves. Watch the trailer, feel the urgency, and join the movement to support those on the front lines. Don’t just scroll—take action. Be the resource they…
Lynette Shaw doesn’t just talk about courage—she lives it. From the front lines to the therapy chair, she’s tearing down the walls around first responder trauma. Watch as Lynette drops the truth bomb nobody else will say. Catch the full episode here: YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/nE16QGJjJF8?feature=share LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7434931929709391872?viewAsMember=true Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JyjAp1zty/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s6-e9-healing-the-human-behind-the-shield-with/id1747804839?i=1000753137899…
Lynette Shaw has run toward chaos her entire career—but real bravery is what she shows when the uniform comes off. In this unfiltered clip, she lays bare what first responders truly need to heal. Watch as Lynette tells the truth nobody wants to say out loud. Catch the full episode…
