The Guns & Yoga Podcast

Welcome to the Guns and Yoga Podcast.  My name is Wendy Hummell. Cathy Bustos is a retired police Lt. who currently works with first responders as a LPC- Associate at Angels on the Horizon Foundation LLC in Texas.  She provides counseling services to first responders and veterans.  Cathy and her husband, Javier, also a retired Law Enforcement Officer, are known as “That Peer Support Couple”.  They...

Kristofor Healey, is a speaker, author, and former DHS HSI Special agent who spent more than 15 years in federal law enforcement. He is also the host of The Stoic Responder podcast where he uses his experiences in law enforcement and endurance racing to teach Stoic lessons on leadership and overcoming adversity. He had no plans for a career in law enforcement but after 911, Kris put aside his plan...

Megan Lautz, RD – Realistic Nutrition for First Responders   As regular listener's know, we talk a lot about the importance of mental health on his podcast, but there are other aspects of our health that are just as important.  Research tells us there is a connection between the types of foods we eat, our mental and emotional health and its impact on things like anxiety and depression.  A lack of...

Welcome to the Guns and Yoga Podcast Today my guest is Dr. Renee Thornton.  Dr. Thornton is an organizational and crisis intervention psychologist, author, entrepreneur, military veteran, mom, and founder of Pathfinder Resilience . She is passionate about building high performing cultures within the first responder professions, whether it be with her Navigating Adversity program, a self-paced, one...

Welcome to the Guns and Yoga Podcast Today my guest is a former co-worker of mine, Police Officer Nate Schweitale. Nate has worked for the Wichita Police Department for the past 23 years and started the agency’s HOT team, which stands for Homeless Outreach Team.  Nate is also now a consultant to other agencies looking to implement a HOT team and an author of a new book “Rooster: What a Homeless Ma...

Welcome to the Guns and Yoga Podcast.  My name is Wendy Hummell.  My guest today is a true inspiration.  Her name is Katherine Boyle, and she created Beyond the Uniform and also hosts a podcast with the same name. Her mission is simple – to support police officers and their families. However, I believe her message and content is relevant to all first responder families. Her emphasis on the importa...

Tactical Tip Tuesday How will you upgrade in 2024?    Today is Tactical Tip Tuesday where  I share a tip, tool, or dose of inspiration for your week. LINKS: Live Your Best Life Using Your Strengths - Gallup Poll Bring Your Strengths to Life & Live More Fully - VA Law Enforcement Agency and Officer Resilience Training Program I hope you enjoy the show, and check us out on Instagram at: @guns_an...

Surviving Retirement with Police Psychologist Dr. Medina Baumgart   Today, I have a guest who is a subject matter expert on the topic, Dr. Medina Baumgart, an in-house psychologist at a LE Agency and author of “Surviving Retirement: Finding Purpose and Fulfillment Beyond the Badge” . In her role as an in-house psychologist, she conducts counseling, works with peer support, and builds relationships...

Welcome to the Guns and Yoga Podcast.  My name is Wendy Hummell.  Before we get into today’s episode, I’d like to share a few things with all of you: I will be presenting a couple of free webinars on Justice Clearinghouse. For those of you that don't know, Justice Clearinghouse is a peer-to-peer educational platform geared towards CJ professionals.  On December 8th, I will be presenting “Building...

What’s missing from the Public Safety Conversation – My Two Cents: Welcome to the guns and yoga podcast.  My name is Wendy Hummell.  Today’s microcast is inspired by my belief that organizational wellness should be at the forefront of the public safety. Lately I have been paying attention to what many of our local politicians in Wichita KS are saying on the topic of public safety, in particular th...

Welcome to the Guns and Yoga Podcast. Today I am sharing a conversation I had a while back with Jennifer Boileau.  It’s a bit longer than our usual podcast because in the second half Jen leads us through a practice, so keep in mind that at around the 1 hour and 10 minute mark we transition into the practice.  Jen is a trauma informed yoga and mindfulness instructor who teaches to the first respond...

Tactical Tip Tuesday The Intersection of Wellness, Peer Support, and Leadership   Today is Tactical Tip Tuesday where  I share a tip, tool, or dose of inspiration for your week.   This week I want to talk about the interconnectedness of wellness, peer support and leadership. Here are a few quotes from the show that will help sum up what this solo-cast is about: "Life can only be learned backwards,...

Today’s episode is a special one for a few reasons. I speak with a dear friend of mine, Kim Colegrove. Kim and I met back in 2017 and I am a better person today for knowing her. Kim is also the first podcast guest to come back on the show a second time, so if you missed the first episode with Kim back in 2021, I encourage you to check it out.  In our conversation, we catch up on what she’s been up...

Tactical Tip Tuesday: Share Your Unique Gift with the World! Today is Tactical Tip Tuesday where  I share a tip, tool, or dose of inspiration for your week.  This week I want to talk about sharing your unique gift with the world.    Later this week, my podcast with Kim Colegrove will be released.  She is the first guest to return to the show for a second time.  Not only is Kim a good friend, but s...

In this micro-cast we discuss the unwritten credo of "strength in suppression", which is often prevalent in first responder professions, and how it is not sustainable long term.  We also address the need for "depth work" throughout our careers, but especially as we transition to retirement which can look like; therapy, peer support, family support, spirituality, and self-care. This retiree masterc...

Today I speak with Courtney from Heroes Financial Coaching .  As a police and veteran wife, she is familiar with the stress of these professions and helps first responder and veteran families reduce stress due to finances.   Courtney and her husband had years of credit card debt, car payments, and student loans, but were able to overcome their debt and purchase their dream home.  Her goal is to he...

We’re back!   After taking some time off this year we are back with new episodes and great guests.  In this very brief episode, I share my gratitude and appreciation for the listeners and the reason for the break. 

Welcome to the Guns & Yoga Podcast. Today's guest: Shaye Molendyke - Shaye Molendyke is a retired Lt. Colonel with the US Airforce.  She is a trained mental health counselor, yoga teacher, and yoga therapist. Shaye has experience in teaching yoga on US military bases across the nation and has seen first hand how the tools of yoga support healing.  Shaye coordinates and teaches in the Warriors Prog...

  Welcome to the Guns and Yoga Podcast, my name is Wendy Hummell and today I talk to Vance Row.  Vance and I first met last year at the National FOP Wellness Conference in Nashville, TN.  He is a fellow Yogi, so as you can imagine, we became fast friends. Vance is a former police officer and he now works as a police and fire dispatcher. He found the tools of yoga to be very beneficial in his own h...

Welcome to the Guns and Yoga Podcast.  My name is Wendy Hummell.  Today I share a conversation I had with Kyle Stubbs.  Kyle is a police officer in British Columbia, Canada, has experience as a paramedic, a husband and father.  Kyle and I discuss the work he’s doing outside his full time job as a first responder coach.  Kyle shares how his own experience in a mens group coaching program inspired h...

As we continue this week with our Retiree Masterclass Series and explore the pillar of leadership, I wanted to share something I recently learned about that ties into what I wanted to discuss today.  As I shared last time, the first concept of the conscious leadership paradigm is Radical Responsibility; this entails taking charge of our physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational well -...

Today you will hear a conversation I had with Karen Solomon, a pioneer on the first responder wellness front.  Karen is the founder of BLUE HELP, a non profit organization that started tracking LE suicides in 2016.  The organization also aims to reduce mental health stigma through education, advocate for benefits for those suffering from post-traumatic stress, acknowledge the service and sacrifice...

The Second Mountain - A Masterclass Series Welcome to the Guns and Yoga Podcast, my name is Wendy Hummell. In today's Microcast I’m kicking off the first in a series on retirement, and even if you have a ways to go before retiring, I encourage you to listen because I think you’ll find this helpful.    The inspiration came from numerous interactions over the past year or so with those that struggle...

Welcome to the Guns and Yoga Podcast. Today I share a conversation I had with Matt Mintier, a veteran Deputy working in Oregon and the founder of the non profit organization - Blue Line Golf.  Matt and I discuss his path to law enforcement and how growing up as the child of a cop influenced him.  Matt opens up about events in his childhood, in his personal life, and on the job that lead him to see...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!   In this Microcast I finally share my not-so-happy retirement story, along with some of the things that I've learned in retrospect. And, how that experience, and its aftermath, has only reinforced my desire to help cops (and other first responders) have the tools and resources available to them to help navigate the ups and downs they will face throughout their career,...