Behind The Line

Show Notes: We are continuing on with our series on suicide prevention for First Responders and Front Line Workers in the workplace. In today’s episode we’re talking about how to name the elephant in the room and really identify the risks of suicide within front line workplaces. I know that it can feel hard and uncomfortable to confront this topic – we can find it difficult to look it in the eyes....

Show Notes: Welcome to season 2 of Behind the Line ! We are kicking off this season with a big topic: suicide prevention in the workplace for First Responders & Front Line Workers. As we head into this series, I anticipate it will bring up some discomfort, and possibly some grief for those who have been impacted by the loss of co-workers or others due to suicide. Today’s episode will cover som...

Show Notes: Thank you to Maria for joining me today and sharing her story and thoughts around ways to manage the balancing act of front line work and the unique challenges of single parenting. I so deeply appreciate her willingness to share her insights.  During this episode Maria shares about the challenges she has faced in finding a balance – an ever changing balance to be sure! She shared about...

Show Notes: Today we are continuing in our series on front line families and the topic today is around family life and cultivating a legacy with intention. During this episode I invite you to think back and reflect on your own experiences within your family of origin; your experiences throughout your lifespan; and the multi-generational impacts that continue to show up and inform who and how you a...

Show Notes: Today I am joined by clinical counsellor Heather Toews to discuss the challenges facing First Responders and Front Line Workers who are also juggling the art of parenting. We spend time talking about the difficult transition from work to home, from the perspective of Heather’s previous experience as a child protection social worker. We talk about the impact of what we see on the front...

Show Notes: Today we are shifting gears from our series on daring leadership to a new series on front line families. Tin this episode we are focusing on partnering and the challenges that couples face as a result of the unique stressors involved in first response and front line work. I break down 4 of the common concerns I hear from front line couples/families and work to get clear on the heart of...

Show Notes: …And that’s a wrap! Today’s episode wraps up our series following Brené Brown’s work from her book, Dare to Lead . This episode includes the bits and pieces we skipped over along the way for the sake of time, as well as some thoughts to tie together the concepts from the book with the interviews with T.C. Randall and Jennifer Pound, as well as with general applications in a front line...

Show Notes:  I am grateful to Jennifer Pound for joining me today. Some of the pieces that stood out to me in our conversation, as it relates to aspects of the system that need to change and tools that daring leaders can work to engage with more intentionally included: ·        Limited training around PTSD and mental health related OSI’s, which reduces our ability to self-assess and identify our r...

Show Notes: I am so thankful to T.C. Randall for joining me today, sharing his experience as an ER Nurse of 14 years now off on medical leave due to work-related PTSD. Our conversation today focuses on the impacts of broken systems to the very real people working to offer services and make a difference to our communities…people exactly like you. We also work to talk about our perspectives around w...

Show Notes: Today’s episode covers the final aspect of daring leadership, following the work of Brené Brown in her book, Dare to Lead : Learning to Rise. This episode is all about how to handle the hard moments, and how to make them more fruitful for individuals and teams. The learning to rise process focuses on three main pieces: the reckoning, the rumble and the revolution.  The reckoning: This...

Show Notes:  We are continuing in our series on daring leadership following the work of Brené Brown in her book, Dare to Lead . Today we are focusing on the third area of courageous and daring leadership: BRAVING trust. In this episode we break down the BRAVING acronym for trust and discuss the value and importance of trust in cultivating committed and caring workplace cultures. Brené and her team...

Show Notes:  As we continue our series on daring leadership, following the work of Brené Brown and her book Dare to Lead , today we are talking about living into our values . This is about being able to identify what is important to us and ways to engage in our lives that align with these values.  Too often we fail to reflect on our values and they become background to our daily choices. We go int...

Show Notes: Today we are tackling empathy which involves a set of five skills. Together these skills and the act of engaging empathically is a lynchpin piece in the willingness to rumble with vulnerability – which is one of the four components of daring leadership identified by Brené Brown’s research.  During this video we identify the value of empathy lies in our ability to connect in a real and...

Show Notes:  Today we are in week two of our series on daring leadership and cultivating a new generation of leaders who are equipped to lead with courage and transform the broken systems from the inside out. We are continuing to follow Brené Brown’s work, primarily from her book, Dare to Lead . Today we are focusing in on the first of four skills sets that she identifies as components of courage,...

Show Notes: Among the many challenges facing First Responders & Front Line Workers, systemic toxic workplace dynamics is a significant factor impacting wellness. Every front line worker I have ever known has identified this as a stressor they experience and has been a significant factor in the decline of worker wellness for far more people than it should be. Today we are talking about these re...

Show Notes: Courtney Jewell is an ICU nurse in Calgary, AB. In November 2020, during the "second wave" and the wave of anti-mask backlash from those with "COVID-fatigue" and the ongoing politicization of masking, Courtney posted her frustration on her social media. It went viral and was picked up by news sources across Canada (check out the Global coverage here ). Here is what she shared, and you...

Show Notes: In today’s episode, we are talking about how to process our experiences (COVID-related or otherwise) with others in our lives. We are talking about shaping interactions intentionally and pro-actively – whether these be with colleagues who “get it” or our communities of supporters outside of the work who don’t necessarily get it, but care about us and want to offer what they can. We tal...

Show Notes: In this week’s episode we are talking about the pieces that we need to have in place to set ourselves up for success as we work at processing experiences, including (but not limited to) something with the magnitude of a freaking pandemic. If you missed last weeks episode, you’ll want to go back and start there as much of this weeks episode is predicated on understanding what it means t...

Show Notes: COVID-19 has hit the world hard, in ways we were largely unprepared for. But no one was hit quite the way First Responders and Front Line Workers were. Being in the thick of it, with your own fears and risks, showing up because you’ve committed to helping – there’s been no time or space or support to step back and really take stock of all that’s happened. All that’s been asked of you....

Show Notes: This week we are finishing off our 5 week series on self-care, and today’s episode focuses on how we make lasting change and habits to go the distance. During this episode I talk about the Stages of Change Model by Prochaska and DiClamente which includes 6 stages. I have created an infographic that summarizes the stages and you can find it here . The Stages of Change Model is helpful i...

Show Notes: As we near the end of our 5 week series on self-care, this episode focuses on getting practical and ensuring you are equipped to build a plan that will stand the test of time. Here are the key areas we talk about during this episode: 1.      The core of what we are doing here is showing care, make sure you are orienting your plan back to this over and over again. 2.      It has to fit....

Show Notes: A self-care plan needs to reflect you – your interests, needs and lifestyle. It has to fit like a glove, or you’ll be fighting against it rather than allowing it to work for you. In this episode we are digging in to strategies to help us personalize a plan that will be as unique as you are, and the framework to support adapting that plan as you grow, change and evolve as a person over...

Show Notes: In this episode we are talking about the strategy involved in creating a useful, meaningful and sustainable self-care plan. For plans to be useful they have to actually be grounded in reality and practicality – without that they’ll just sit on the backburner, never being implemented. Our goal is to understand the ways to diversify our self-care plan to ensure we have a plan for every c...

Show Notes: Today’s episode kicks off a 5 week series on self-care. I know, everyone and their dog talk about self-care but what is it really all about – can it be more than bubble baths and spa days? Join me as we focus today’s episode on dispelling the myths about self-care and focus on the science around how this tool works as a foundational element of a strategic action plan for wellness to cr...

Show Notes: Thanks again to Ryan for sharing his experience as a member of the RCMP who is integrating mindfulness skills and willing to talk about what this looks like. I so value those who are willing to speak up and speak out to help change the culture in front line workplaces. I hope you enjoy listening in to this conversation and encourage you to take note of the ways that Ryan shares how he...