From Uniforms to Unicorns

There is nothing greater than learning from people that serve with their whole hearts. Rachael Dent Flynn is a volunteer firefighter and the owner/operator of FLAR Equine Experience in Nova Scotia. As someone who loves to help people - Rachael recognized quite quickly how her life was positively impacted by being around horses. She explains how horses have the ability to pick up on your emotions -...

When you have stories like the ones that Neil MacLean does, you write them down. Neil worked in a variety of correctional institutions during his 25 years as an officer. He shares a few stories in this podcast, but if you want all the dirt you will have to pick up one of his books. Serving Life 25: One guard's story is a collection of stories. Beyond the Gates of Hell is a collection of interviews...

Sharon was picked to be in a documentary...cool RIGHT??? So, during the filming, they asked us to record a podcast. Here it is. Sharon and Lauren share their stories of re-invention. It's a candid conversation between two friends that really have been through some significant things in their life. What is cool, is that you have the ability to re-invent who you are with just one decision. Deciding...

Well, here we are Season 4. We are back in the studio talking to people who have re-invented themselves. In this episode, we have Gloria Joynt-Lang. We both had the pleasure of working with Gloria at EIFW. We talked about her 26-year career in Corrections, all the positions that she held, and her experiences during these years. Gloria always enjoyed writing and when she retired from her job, she r...

Well, another season has come to an end for us. We had the best time talking to all these incredible humans. There is not a day that goes by that we are not grateful for your time, your story, and your willingness to share. In this episode, we talk about each guest and we let you know what we are living for. We have lots of fun ideas for the next season. We hope you will continue to join us on thi...

Daniela Tsentouros found herself on the receiving end of the call that no corrections officer family ever wants to get. With limited information, all she knew was that her husband had been taken, hostage. Daniela talks about what that day was like - September 14, 2018 - and how their family has managed since that horrific day. They have each individually, and as a family been on a journey to learn...

Grant Ellsworth joins us on the podcast this week. This conversation could have gone on for hours as you can hear how passionate Grant is about mental, physical, and emotional health to sustain a career in corrections. Grant is the founder of Honey Badger Alliance which aims to help create a warrior mindset in the modern era. After serving time in the military, working on the oil rigs, and being a...

One thing most corrections officers don't lack is courage. This episode came to be when Nikki Cloutier sent a brave DM on Instagram. We could not have been more excited to talk with her about her career, her business, and her burning desire to empower and inspire others. It never ceases to amaze us when we hear people talk about coming up from the depths and developing something that feeds their p...

Chatting with Karl is always a pleasure. Karl MacPhee is a man of many roles. He entered the military at the age of 19 - and was medically discharged at the age of 21 after being diagnosed with epilepsy. This diagnosis took a huge toll on Karl and his mental health - he began drinking and doing drugs which increased the frequency and intensity of his seizures. The nightmares, the excessive lifesty...

When creativity, passion, and purpose come together - you get something like Brand 47 Coffee Co. Alex Graham is our guest on this episode. A former first responder, married to her wife Holly who is a first responder, the parents to two young boys that they adopted Jax and Niko both with down syndrome, and the creative minds that wanted to set up their boys with something that would offer them mean...

Chad Kennedy has had his fair share of trauma over the last 13 years as an Alberta Sheriff. He is on a mission to educate others that "it is not weak to speak". After numerous signs that he was struggling with his mental health and some obstacles with the system, Chad took it upon himself to try something different after conventional therapy and medication were not doing what he hoped. Chad began...

Everyone has a story. In this episode, we get to chat with Trudy about hers. There is power behind each of our stories, and we get to choose where the power is emphasized and whether it keeps us in the past or helps us move forward. Trudy talks about the assault on her while at work, her desire to leave corrections long before she did, her struggle with her decision to stay, and her life after a t...

Well, it took a little coaxing but we were able to. get this dynamic duo to come and chat about what it is like to be psychologists at a women's federal institution. Dr. Shelly Bernard and Naomi Paton love the work they do with women in corrections, they are never bored with their job, and they find it incredibly fulfilling. There have been some difficult challenges surrounding the pandemic that h...

Seriously, this was such an incredible conversation. Steve is an RCMP member with numerous positions under his belt and those experiences have brought on some adverse effects. One of the biggest takeaways from his own personal PTS journey is that we have to be educated to be aware of and combat the stigma that is so strongly attached to emotional trauma. Steve is all about music. He plays in a ban...

There is nothing greater than connecting with old friends. Dan McCaughan sits down to talk to us about his career in corrections, his mission to reconstruct his identity from grumpy CX to Triathlon competitor and Iron Man racer, and some of the things he has learned from stepping out of his comfort zone and setting goals for himself to keep leveling up. Dan has traveled worldwide, met the coolest...

In this episode we with chat with Jon Archambault. This guy is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to advocating for first responders and the military with PTSD. In the military for 11years, and then right into policing after that. Jon talks about the difficult transition and the effects that all his experiences had on his mental health. After picking up numerous books on trauma to learn mor...

We had the most incredible conversation with Brett in this episode. If you are not lucky enough to know this man - that sucks for you. Brett has faced tons of adversity from being assaulted by an inmate only a few months after starting his corrections career, his wife being diagnosed with severe dementia and the build-up of medical bills, to struggling with his mental health. Brett has a positive...

Welcome to Season 3 of From Uniforms to Unicorns. It was a natural decision to start this season off with the Divas and the Unicorns. We were lucky enough to be on the Combat Diva podcast and we were just waiting to have them on ours. The wait was well worth it. These two incredible women share their stories, their traumas, and their triumph as women serving in the US military. Tonnisha and Tiffan...

We are excited about Season 3. We are talking about Mental Health. We decided to have a little fun. We invited our children to come on and tell us what they do to support their mental health. It's a short little intro to the season!

Sharon and Lauren take a few minutes (okay 45mins) to talk about how incredible this season was, thank our guests, and be grateful for all the people that listened, shared their stories, and messaged us. This little passion project is morphing into something that we are so excited about - and we hope that you will continue to follow us on this journey! We can't thank you enough.

We had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Janet. Sharon and Janet worked together briefly at Bowden Institution. Janet speaks about her experience at Kingston Penitentiary, what brought her to Alberta, and her career at Bowden. She has taken a few breaks from Corrections over her 19-year career and attributes those personal breaks to the longevity of getting through some of the tough t...

We got the chance to interview Susan Hayre for this episode. We had no idea how much we would laugh. Susan has been in Corrections for 21 years - she has worked at both male and female facilities, has a hilarious story about how she came to learn about a career in corrections, and was a contestant on the Amazing Race Canada. It's a gooder!

In this episode we had the pleasure of interviewing Amanda Holm - who was a mentor to both of us at EIFW. Amanda started as an EMT and transitioned into Corrections seamlessly with the skills that she brought. She has taken on numerous roles, tasks, and positions in Corrections. She does this crazy job with poise, confidence, and the biggest smile on her face. Thank for being you Amanda!

Colleen Layton made a drastic career change from Massage Therapist to Corrections Officer. She shone at the job from the moment she arrived. Colleen is also the wife of a Corrections Officer, so she had an idea of what she was getting herself into, but admitted you never really know. Colleen was physically injured on the job, and she talks about what that recovery process was like - and realizing...

There is no one quite like our Betty-budski! She is a Ninja and an incredible builder of forts - you will have to listen to understand! Betty became interested in Corrections after working as a security guard at a local hospital. She started her career in 2000 at Edmonton Max and transferred too Edmonton Institution in 2004. Betty discusses the difference between the facilities, her experiences, a...