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

Hey Gritty peeps, in this episode, I ask a VERY open prompt.. what should a (insert public service/first responder department) do about WELLNESS? Lucky for us, wellness, resilience, mental health support and fitness are bigger topics than ever before. More agencies and departments are building policies and practices to highlight their importance.  BUT what else should/could be done?  Words are jus...

In this special edition episode, I share my conversation with Anthony, from The Off Duty Podcast.   It was truly a pleasure to connect and chat about what brought me to law enforcement, and some of my reflections of bringing my job home (in the form of second degree burns on my arms!) Anthony has an awesome project going on with his podcast.  Check him out on Instagram, @theoffdutypodcast , give h...

Welcome to the final installment of the Gritty Interview Series.  In this episode, I go into the trickier types of questions common in police or other first responder interview oral boards: behavior-based questions and scenarios or hypotheticals. Listen in, give a rating, and let me know what you think.  Share with your first responder friend hopefuls, and as always follow @bluegritwellness for my...

In the second installment of the Gritty Interview Series, Eric takes you through all the various types and formats of interviews.  You can learn what to expect as Eric shares insight from being on both sides of the interview table.  Whether it is for your firefighter exams, police oral board, background interview, or Chief's Interviews, the episode will get you into the right frame of mind to...

Happy New Year!  In this episode, I provide an update and some reflections on my current roles and pulling "double-duty" with Recruiting and Training unit supervision.  Work/Life balance introspection and reminders. This is part one of a series diving into all things Interviewing!  The biggest translations will be for public safety / first responder world/ police and fire, but the transl...

Nutrition info is dizzying. There's too much out there.  A lot of industry leaders and "gurus" will tell you ONE way, the BEST way.  It's simply not true. I spent many years examining and even trying most of these diets, trends, FADS.  What I WILL say is that there is benefit to aspects of most of them, especially when toggling or combining these "strategies" (as I ca...

In this episode, I'm joined by Matt and Chris at Real Talk LEO. Matt and Chris are father-and-son, active and retired law enforcement professionals.   I found their Instagram and we connected over our vast similarities in career, positive perspectives, and a desire to lead in constructive, meaningful ways. The conversation started on police recruiting and hiring, but of course, the greater co...

Episode 3... and first show with a guest!  Joining me is Officer Brian Cortinas.  He is the perfect first guest as we discuss the matters of policing: where transparency for community members, future applicants, current cops and first responders all intersect.  Discussions of the realness of the job, stress management, purpose, and healthy practice are all intertwined.   Brian started in correctio...

In this episode, I focus on Post Traumatic Stress- without the “Disorder” part at the end.  Although we may not all have PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress affects ALL of us that have dealt with extreme hardship, trauma, or loss.  I talk about things to consider when evaluating your response and tips to manage it and moving forward. I have learned a lot about stress “triggers” in my own life and experien...

In this inaugural episode, I explain how and why I started Blue Grit two years ago: in the form of a blog and social media (IG).  I discuss how my experiences in law enforcement, life and loss served as the catalyst to build something constructive and positive for those who interact with it (police, first responders, and beyond!) Check out @bluegritwellness on Instagram and my posts on bluegritwel...