Blue Grit Radio: the Police Performance Podcast: Mindset, Wellness, Leadership

Whether or not policing is for you, you've imagined a policy academy environment.  It may have been suggested to you, from the comedies by the same title, SWAT, or Silence of the Lambs.  In truth, it's a blend of all those things.. at least it was for me. My main TAC Officer (WA State Academy Instructor) was Ken Henson.  He didn't work for my department, but if you think that would...

Mark Bouchard is a Canadian cop who has been at the game for about the same amount of time as I have. His career and journey have taken him to some dark places, and where he and others found the light, he aims to bring that light-finding skill to our first responder community.   Mark first reached out to me in the early part of the year. He saw what I was doing on the socials and it resonated. He,...

Elena has been in nursing for 14 years, which has introduced her to expansive traumas and stressors that affect first responders daily.  Through her observations, education, and personal experience, she has become passionately well-versed in skills and dynamics to promote healthy lifestyle balance. Elena is a stress and mindset coach, dedicated to empowering individuals to overcome life's cha...

I have had the distinct pleasure to meet these two gentlemen aka Dudes in the podcast space.  I've been on their podcast a few times, The Collective, which has crazily been airing EVERY DAY of 2023.  Each time, the knowledge bombs are explosive (I'm talking about things they and others say that leave me in a beautiful mental fog of pondering (where I have to snapped back to reality when...

Autumn is a former full time police officer who was injured in the line of duty. She suffered a career ending back injury with only 6 and a half years on the job. After facing this life changing event, she found herself at rock bottom facing an identity crisis.  It is from here that Autumn had to reinvent herself and began life coaching professionally. She has went onto creating a world wide podca...

I learned about Seb and his sheer intellectual and physical badassery through the gentlemen at The Collective.  I was humbled to be invited on the platform and while I was perfectly content with the experience, I was put on the spot after the episode.  The Collective Dudes, as I call them asked me if I would come back on (easy yes) and then asked who I would like to come on the show with.  Seb was...

My entry into speaking on a podcast was via The Police Applicant Podcast.  The Robin to my Batman (Brian, who you all well know by now) reached out and we were able to be hosted by Ken on his show.  I've been on the show a couple times, and I love what he has built in the vein of helping many dedicated, passionate individuals learn more about the law enforcement profession, as well as providi...

I got connected with Ty and was immediately impressed with his extreme presence. At 6'6", 300 plus pounds he's a rolly-polly BJJ martial artist on the mats, can squat higher than I can count, and do the splits... this dude is something else. Oh, and all that isn't his day job.  He spends his time designing and building custom homes down in Waco.  To add more to be impressed by,...

They say "like attracts like," which would explain why I was intrigued by Jerrod and what he was working on, post military and law enforcement service.  He focuses his energy on PURPOSE, and hosts a podcast by the same name and theme.  Jerrod graciously had me on his show some time ago, and it was my distinct pleasure to feel his positivity, learn from his critical thinking, and be inspi...

A good Sergeant is instrumental to an officer developing his or her career. Joe Gagner was one of my most positively influential sergeants.  He ran the late swing crew- one of the most sought shifts that I was finally able to make it onto after a few years. I came to find my confidence under his supervision, becoming an FTO and later, K9.  He ran the regional Civil Disturbance Unit I was a part of...

First Responder World, as I called it, is riddled with crazy and amazing stories of triumph, life lessons on steroids (or any PEDs really, even SARMs if you wanna go there..), and intense things that only "we" and our families will ever truly understand.   You could break that down into specifics with every different role. So what happens when you have a strong individual who dives in an...

Before I met Chris, I had heard much about him.  That happens with a certain kind of cop in the region (in the good way).  He was a SWAT cop, he carried with him much experience and much respect.  He and his wife ran a Crossfit gym.  Facebook suggested we were friends, and I saw a photo of a dude who looked like a dude who ran a Crossfit gym.  Oh, and I heard he was an attorney.  WTF.  You knew th...

I didn’t always want to be a cop, but I always knew I wanted to be a dad. My opinion has always been that we needed more male role models and father figures. I don’t want to imagine where I’d be if I grew up without any.   From my perspective as a police officer, my feeling having only increased about the necessity for strong fatherhood- and how many societal ills are magnified by lack therein.  ...

For applicants (Police, Fire, etc), this is one you don't want to miss. Zac is getting ready to test for police, and good on him, he reached out to me for 1-on-1 coaching for oral board interviews. He agreed to do a recorded coaching call to listen back and allow other people to learn from his session- so props to him for his willingness to share and be vulnerable! We run through a practice o...

Well folks, we got a double whammy (first time recorded at the time) with returning guest Clay Surratt and his battle buddy on the mats, Adam. As I discuss, as soon as I had my first interview with Clay, he was immediately telling me how I needed to have Adam on.  So after weeks, months, rescheduling, and all that, the three of us FINALLY connected for this episode. For those in the know, Clay is...

I connected with Jason some time back, and more recently, I saw a post he made about 9/11.  He hired on with NYPD two months prior to the catastrophic event, and would be responding to Ground Zero as an academy recruit. It boggled my mind considering what that would have been like.  It considered how being in high school, 9/11 shattered many of my paradigms and inevitably planted a seed of desire...

There's a new sheriff in town!  Well, as of early this year there certainly was.  My lessons in political science underlined how difficult it is to beat an incumbent, despite the other factors.  Well, my guest, Derek Sanders did just that in the election for Thurston County Sheriff here in WA State.  No small feat, but from the outside he did so with intense passion, vision, and by leading fr...

Often times, we are most likely to listen to those who have been there/done that (as we should).  When it comes to lessons learned in police work, mental health, and critical incident stress, Travis Gribble is an ideal example.  He is a man who has been in the thick of it, and we as first responder (in career OR LIFE) should listen and heed his experiences, insights and lessons learned. Travis and...

Cops say they do a thankless job, which isn't true when you stop and recognize our Corrections brothers and sisters!  Joining me in this episode are returning guest, my recruiter Officer Brian Cortinas and one of our valued Corrections Officers- newly minted Sergeant Brandon Li. Brian  recounts how Corrections made him a better police candidate than anything else he imagines.  Brandon shares...

Ask retired traffic cops what their best job was: it was working Motors. Ask retired SWAT cops: it was being on "the Team." Ask K9 officers.. it was working with the dog! School cops: working with kids. So what do you ask the guy who worked SWAT, Traffic, Narcs, K9, promoted all the way up to Captain.. and at the height of his career... requested a voluntary double demotion back to Patro...

Thad Kirkhoff started his law enforcement career after graduating from Western Washington University and enlisting into the United States Army.  He served two tours in Iraq and moved back to WA where his wife and his families were.   He began his career with the Renton Police Department in 2007 and served as an officer for 14 years.  He held roles as a firearms instructor, Field Training Officer,...

Audrey Andrade is a wellness blogger, nutrition coach, US Navy veteran (and officer!).  What stuck out to me in Audrey was not only her story of coming up and pursuit of excellence, but her extremely practical and balanced approach to all things wellness.  Her content is a host of unimposing, functional and digestible info nuggets that you can employ in exercise, nutrition, but BEYOND that- in lif...

Bill Blowers needs no introduction in much of the police world nationally and certainly regionally.  He is a lot of things- Captain America with a potty-mouth as I say in this interview. He was my first training officer- and set a tone and drive in me on so much of this profession that was a foreign language and culture.  With an unwavering attitude of work ethic, discipline, and focus on mission-...

Destiny Morris is a licensed marriage and family therapist working remotely in CA.  She specializes in trauma working with first responders & their spouses. She is trained in EMDR and taking new clients virtually.   In our conversation, we talk about her life’s focus and her insight with first responders in her family.  We do a deep dive into topics including: Considerations for first responde...

Hint: talk to people like they're people! And like you're a person!  Novel concept!  We talk about humanizing the badge, which means we need to act like “normal” people first. Easier said than done, and I wish I had know this early in my career.  It's definitely that much harder if you let your emotions and ego get in the way of things.   I tried the robotic approach - no go. I trie...