Dispatched & Dysfunctional

A single photo made him famous overnight. But fame doesn’t treat trauma. It just puts it on display. Chris Fields was a captain with the Oklahoma City Fire Department when the Murrah Building was bombed. He spent that day doing what we all do — working the problem, moving forward, not stopping to feel anything until the shift is over… except this shift never really ended. Because the next day the...

Burnout is common. Healing is messy. And sometimes the strongest people are the ones silently falling apart. In this episode, transformational coach and spiritual mentor Gabriela Popescu breaks down the real cost of people-pleasing, survival mode, and living life as the “strong one” for too long. We dive into her Four Bodies Framework — physical, emotional, mental, spiritual — and talk about why s...

Today’s guest isn’t EMS — but he knows exactly what it feels like when life grabs you by the collar and says: “Sit down. You’re not okay.” Phil Barth is a keynote speaker, stress-management strategist, and best-selling author of “Fry Your Chickens.” After surviving a heart attack, Phil rebuilt his life around intentional stress reduction, humor, and joy — turning rubber chickens into teaching tool...

Today’s guest is Jennifer Kaufman — principal of a school for students with autism, founder of First Response Autism, and author of Grandparenting on the Spectrum: A Journey from Both Sides of the Desk. Jennifer trains police, medics, and firefighters to recognize and respond to autism with patience instead of panic — and she’s living it every day as the grandmother of a seven-year-old on the spec...

You’re listening to Dispatched & Dysfunctional — where chaos has a pulse, and burnout finally gets called by its real name. Today’s guest, Dr. Caroline Sangal, knows what it’s like to hit every benchmark of success — degrees, titles, awards — and still feel like something’s missing. After building a career in science and executive recruiting, Caroline hit a breaking point that forced her to as...

Caring for the Caregivers — Lynette Weldon on Burnout, Boundaries, and Finding Your Way Back to Joy After 36 years of caring for everyone else — from raising a daughter with Down Syndrome to surviving her husband’s addiction and depression — Lynette Weldon learned the hardest truth of all: you can’t pour from an empty cup. In this episode, Lynette shares how compassion fatigue nearly broke her, wh...

⚠️ PODCAST DISCLAIMER The following content is graphic, emotional, and includes dark humor that may not be suitable for all listeners. Discretion is advised. These stories are based on real-life EMS and first responder experiences. Calls are real. Providers are real. Names and patient details have been changed to protect privacy. They may be disturbing to some — and are definitely inappropriate fo...

⚠️ Podcast Disclaimer The following content is graphic, emotional, and includes dark humor that may not be suitable for all listeners. Discretion is advised. These stories are based on real-life EMS, medical, and first responder experiences. They may be disturbing to some — and are definitely inappropriate for your HR department. Any medical or mental health discussion is personal experience — not...

A cop who writes it how it really feels. RL Carpentier spent nearly two decades in law enforcement before channeling the ghosts, grit, and quiet truths into the Overlook crime-fiction trilogy. We talk wellness that actually works, telling the truth safely through fiction, and why the stories we carry need a way out. Podbean — Description / Show Notes ⚠️ PODCAST DISCLAIMER The following content is...

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING The following episode includes emotional discussion on burnout, exhaustion, and mental health that may not be suitable for all listeners. Discretion advised. Dr. Kristen Donnelly is a sociologist, four-time TED Speaker, and co-author of The Culture of Burnout. She’s made it her life’s work to expose one hard truth: burnout isn’t weakness — it’s culture. In this conversation: The...

Title: We Can Recover — Robert Greer on Brotherhood, Addiction, and the Fight to Come Home Tagline: Because sometimes the hardest rescue is your own. After seventeen years in law enforcement — from Corrections and Crimes Against Children to the FBI Task Force — Robert Greer hit rock bottom. Trauma, addiction, and silence nearly took everything. Now, as an Admissions Advocate at Warriors Heart, he’...

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING The following episode includes emotional and trauma-related discussion that may not be suitable for all listeners. Discretion advised. Kara Kalin is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Certified EMDR Therapist, and Founder of Shift Change, an online platform providing on-demand, EMDR-based mental-health support for workplaces and frontline professionals. In this conversation: The...

From battlefield to bedside — Navy Corpsman, Paramedic, and Pediatric Emergency PA-C Johnnie L. Gilpen Jr. has seen what survival really costs. He’s answered the call of “Corpsman up!”, treated Marines in the chaos that follows, held dying children in a trauma bay, and fought his own way back from burnout. Now, through The Art of Medicine: A Warrior’s Profession, he’s helping responders, clinician...

Today’s guest knows a thing or two about carrying weight — not just in uniform, but after it comes off. She’s a nurse with more than thirty years in healthcare, most of that in hospice and end-of-life care. She’s an author, a coach, and the creator of The Becoming Method® — a practical framework that helps caregivers stop burning themselves alive for the job. Jenny Lytle has spent decades sitting...

⚠️ PODCAST DISCLAIMER The following content is graphic, emotional, and includes dark humor that may not be suitable for all listeners. Discretion is advised. Explicit content included. Calls are real, providers are real. Names and details changed to protect privacy. Any medical discussion is personal experience — not protocol. Use your damn brain. Follow your guidelines. When in doubt, call med co...

After more than 40 years in law enforcement — from the courtroom to the streets — Pat Welsh has seen what happens when leadership fails… and when it saves lives. In this episode of Dispatched & Dysfunctional, we talk about what it really means to lead with courage, serve with humility, and stay human when the job hardens everyone else. From being abandoned in a Dublin orphanage to commanding t...

After 31 years of service in Western Australia, firefighter Anthony Ajduk had seen it all — until one horrific crash changed everything. In this powerful conversation, Anthony opens up about the night that ended his career, the years that followed, and the war he’s still fighting inside his own mind. This episode dives deep into the reality of PTSD, the importance of involving family in recovery,...

When Leadership Forgets Where They Come From   When leadership forgets what it feels like to be in the trenches, everyone under them feels it first. This episode dives into the burnout that starts at the top — where checklists replace empathy and policy replaces presence. Because real leadership isn’t about titles. It’s about remembering the weight of the gear, the smell of diesel, and the people...

  Guest Episode –  Three Uniforms, One Stroke: Part 3 (Final)     Dispatched & Dysfunctional – Because sometimes the worst calls make the best stories.   This is the final part of our raw, outdoor recording at Susan Crowder’s home — with Susan, her daughter Maizee, her granddaughter Jo, my wife Jordan, and my daughter Sophie. Real conversations, real noise, real life.   🚑 In Part 3, Susan tal...

Description: In this guest episode, I sit down with Brent Colbert — a veteran police officer and doctoral student in leadership who’s passionate about training, mentorship, and fixing the leadership failures he’s seen firsthand.   Brent brings ten years of real-world experience in policing, along with a mission to change the culture from the inside. We talk resilience, bad bosses, and what it take...

  Guest Episode –  Three Uniforms, One Stroke: Part 2     Dispatched & Dysfunctional – Because sometimes the worst calls make the best stories.   This is not a polished studio episode. It’s a raw, outdoor recording at Susan Crowder’s home — with Susan, her daughter Maizee, her granddaughter Jo, my wife Jordan, and my daughter Sophie. Background sounds, interruptions, and unfiltered honesty inc...

  Guest Episode –  Three Uniforms, One Stroke: Part 1     Dispatched & Dysfunctional – Because sometimes the worst calls make the best stories.   This isn’t your normal episode. This is raw, unfiltered, and recorded outdoors at Susan Crowder’s home — with Susan, her daughter Maizee, her granddaughter Jo, my wife Jordan, and my daughter Sophie. You’ll hear laughter, interruptions, and real life...

Compassion Costs You Nothing Dispatched & Dysfunctional – Because sometimes the worst calls make the best stories. Welcome to Dispatched & Dysfunctional — where the darkest moments become stories of resilience. These aren’t polished hero tales. They’re the raw, unfiltered truths of EMS: the calls that scar, the ones that save, and the ones we carry forever. 🚑 Toe pain at 3 a.m.? Another c...

We Didn’t All Make It Out Dispatched & Dysfunctional – Because sometimes the worst calls make the best stories. Welcome to Dispatched & Dysfunctional — where the darkest moments become stories of resilience. These aren’t polished hero tales. They’re the raw, unfiltered truths of EMS: the calls that scar, the ones that save, and the ones we carry forever. 🚑 The call came in like any other...

The One Call I Didn’t Want to Hear Dispatched & Dysfunctional – Because sometimes the worst calls make the best stories. Welcome to Dispatched & Dysfunctional — where the darkest moments become stories of resilience. These aren’t polished hero tales. They’re the raw, unfiltered truths of EMS: the calls that scar, the ones that save, and the ones we carry forever. 🚑 Some tones blur togethe...