From Uniforms to Unicorns

Well, friends, it has been a hot minute! We are back. After a little hiatus, the loss of some of the episodes, and re-aligning with our goals and vision for the podcast we are ready to move forward. This is just a brief chat to add context and insight into where we were, where we are, and where we are going with this!

We always feel so fortunate to be able to have these conversations - and this one was no exception. Dr. Brigitta, is a board-certified Naturopathic Doctor and former Primary Care Paramedic of 10 years, as well as a quantum energy healer and medical intuitive who focuses on helping individuals braving concussion recovery, chronic pain, mental and cognitive decline reclaim and optimize their resilie...

Brandi Benson is an American award-winning cancer advocate, author of acclaimed book 'The Enemy Inside Me', entrepreneur and Iraqi war veteran. Her desire to join the Army in 2008, stemmed from an act of kindness that was initiated from the military towards her family during a very difficult time. She wanted to give back to the people and the organizations that supported them when they were at low...

We did not get the chance to close out last season - and we found ourselves with no guest this week, so you just get us. As we try to navigate getting fully immersed back into pre-pandemic life - and juggling all the things we are finding it a little difficult to keep it all together. We love the podcast and what it brings to this community - so it is definitely still high up there on both of our...

Autumn Clifford's mission has always been to make an impact in other people lives. To her it was the natural choice to go into policing. Autumn shares that she never had a solid role model in her life, and that is what she wanted to be for others. A PSTD and anxiety diagnosis along with a significant bad back injury took Autumn out of full-time policing. Her back injury had her couch ridden for 6...

Janice Landry has been a storyteller for as long as she can remember. The daughter of a fire fighter, a journalist/reporter, and the author of 9 books that touch on an array of topics - from resiliency, gratitude, hope, love, and awareness for ourself and others. As a child, Janice can fondly remember her father making up bedtime stories. She also recalls witnessing her mother reading all the time...

Meet Mo. Mo Shaukat invaded our radar when we saw a bunch of our former guests posting about him and his initiative to bring Boots on the Ground to Alberta. Without knowing much about him - his personality drew us to ensure that we got him on the show. A corrections officer with CSC by day - and the President of Boots on the Ground Peer Support for First Responders Alberta in his spare time - Mo s...

Sometimes you have to take matters in your hands. Terri Jones is a mother of two boys, the wife of a police officer, and an occupational therapist that suffered with chronic pain, debilitating migraines, and long process of trying to figure out what was going on mentally and physically. On a whim Terri made a decision to sign up to be a yoga teacher - something that she contemplated for a long tim...

"Extra-ordinary people doing extra-ordinary things". This is how Cynthia describes first responders and the people that love them. Cynthia served as a RCMP for 25 years - and is married to an RCMP member. Throughout those years she raised a blended family, moved all over the country, and did her best to fit in. As a female, in a predominately male career Cynthia share how she spent years "acting l...

We are constantly in AWE of the people that we get to chat with on the podcast. Wendy Lund was no exception to this. She is the CEO/Founder of Wellth Management Inc. A nurse by trade for 23 years with a passion for helping First Responders. How do we promote wellness for our first responders and front-line workers? Wendy is a "wellth" of knowledge when it comes to mental health and wellness for th...

We hear it a lot in the Veteran and First Responder world - my dog saved my life. PTSI service dogs are extremely hard to come by, and they are very expensive. Our guest this week, Cindy Weir experienced this firsthand when she searched for years to get assistance to train her dog GRACIE to be a service dog for herself after being diagnosed with PTSI. Cindy is a military veteran who was faced with...

We know that part of the reason that first responders don't reach out is because of the stigma attached to struggling with your mental health. We also know that there are significant barriers that stop first responders from seeking necessary treatment to due to limited access, long wait times, and finances. Dr. Jody Burnett is hugely committed to serving first responders through PSPNET - and dedic...

You know that we love first responders, but we also have a special place in our hearts for those that love them too. Melissa is the spouse of a former corrections officer who had to leave his career due to PTSI. She is also a Clinical Social Worker that works with PSPNET to help Public Safety Personnel manage their mental health with access to FREE online therapy programs and clinicians to assist...

Courageous Cindy. With 25 years in the service - women's units, men's units, IERT team, CISM, maximums, mediums, minimum, and Security Intelligence positions this episode has it all. This conversation could not have been more fun and interesting. Cindy talks about being assaulted the first day on the job - and shares her experience with responding to a staff hostage taking where 4 inmates had an o...

This episode is full of ups and downs. Gillian shares her incredible story, her path through some pretty difficult situations, and her resiliency to keep going. Gill openly talks about her own battle with mental health during her career - and opens up about the loss of her brother to suicide in 2015. You will never be who you were before you experience trauma - your brain is different, your experi...

From the military to corrections - James Lee went from one extreme career to the next. Hired as a CX2 at Edmonton Institution for Women in 2005, James loved his career, the people, and working with the inmates. Unfortunately, this fondness did not last long. After working 2 years at the penitentiary things began to slide - James knew that he was battling something but was unsure how to get help. H...

Like most people that choose corrections as a career, Sammy was on a mission to help people. Little did she know that she would have to sacrifice herself in the process. A single mom who was trying do it all: hold down a career, manage her family, and suppress the negative emotions that were taking over - she turned to alcohol to mitigate the stress, and the pain. In October 2021, Sammy was diagno...

You can't help but gravitate to people that are like you. Colette and Gary are a first responder couple that were forced to navigate some uncharted territory when Gary was involved in a shooting while at work. They talk about the incident, the negative affects it had on both of them, and the steps that took to dig themselves out of the hole that was dug because of this extremely impactful experien...

Just a candid conversation with Sharon and Lauren talking about what has been going on for them and their lives. As the world begins to open back up, kids activities ramped up, passion projects and jobs have taken over time - they just wanted to share their current lives and touch based before closing out season #4!

There was so much excitement building for this one - and she did not disappoint. We were just 3 friends talking, sharing, and working through some of the things that we are all very passionate about. We could have gone on for hours, but we jammed a bunch of goodness into this one! Over the past 15 years, Dr. Jody Carrington has assessed, treated, educated and empowered some of our most vulnerable...

We know that movement and physical fitness play a huge part in boosting our mental health. Sachin is no exception to this rule. Sachin Latti is a a law enforcement officer who struggles with anxiety and depression. After his divorce he began to realize that he was not okay - mentally and physically. Running became the outlet that allowed him to manage, cope, and reflect. Sachin has completed a bun...

What an absolute pleasure to spend some time with the gem! Carol retired from her career in Corrections in 2020 after serving 25 years. She shares her experience as a female in a predominantly male environment. The wisdom that Carol brings to this conversation is one that needs to heard by all those that choose a career of service. This is one of those episodes that you don't want to skip.

Kalimba may not have been the winner, but just listening to her story - you will hear that she is Tough as Nails. In this episode, we got the opportunity to chat with the Fire Captin of the Minneapolis Fire Department Kalimba Edwards. Serving her community for 21 years as a firefighter, the mom of two boys, and 11 years sober - Kalimba has quite the story. Overcoming obstacles is just what Kalimba...

Resourcefulness is a quality that is learned, sought after, and highly desired. Resourcefulness is when you choose to figure it out, keep trying, and believe that you will find a way. Sean Conohan is definitely one of the people that possess this. After leaving his 17-year career as a paramedic, Sean was presented with numerous roadblocks as he struggled with that departure but knew he had to keep...

Life is all about the curveballs. The unexpected, the unbelievable, and the things that change our perspective on why we are here. Mark Meincke has definitely had his fair share of twists and turns - but he uses his experiences, trajectories, and trials to create conversations with others to shed light on this crazy thing called life. In Mark's podcast - Operation Tango Romeo - The trauma recovery...