H.O.P.E Beyond The Badge

Matthew and Elizabeth Fiorenza join us on the podcast . Matty and Liz are husband and wife, they are both strong advocates for first responder and family mental health and well-being.  Matty is a retired firefighter paramedic with 22 years of service. His journey into the realm of mental health advocacy began a decade into his career when he began facing personal battles with anxiety, stress, and...

Retired Police Chief Neil Gang joins us on the podcast. Chief Gang is a nationally recognized Law Enforcement Leader with over 36 years of service, he has a reputation for innovative leadership, transformational change, and a deep commitment to organizational wellness. Chief Gang discusses his career in law enforcement, he openly shares about losing a friend and fellow officer early on in his care...

Carrie Mathews joins us on the podcast. Carrie is a police officer from from the Chicago Police Department, and comes from a family of service in law enforcement. Mental health has always been a focus of Carries. However, when her father - a retired officer himself - died by suicide, Carrie became an outspoken advocate for mental health in first response, and has become known for bringing attentio...

Katie Carlson joins us on the podcast. Katie is the director of wellness initiatives and peer support team coordinator for the Marion County Sheriffs office in Indianapolis Indiana. She also serves as an instructor at multiple law enforcement academies where she teaches meditation, yoga, breath work, and crisis intervention strategies to public safety professionals, with a focus on nervous system...

Donna Georgiana joins us on the podcast. Donna lost her son Mitchell - a police officer, to suicide. After Mitchell's loss, and based on one of the last text messages he had sent, Donna felt a sense of duty to keep his name alive, and his memory served, so she founded the non profit "Gotcha Covered Blankets".  While she has always been involved with church and community, Donna now focuses on this...

Mike Morgan joins us on the podcast. Mike transitioned from working as an accountant to a 30 year career of service in law enforcement. In this episode Mike reflected on those years, he spoke about his love for the job, shares with us about some of the difficult calls he responded to, including the incident that was most impactful for him. He shares his experience of coming to recognize that he ha...

Chris Michael is a retired Police Captain with 25 years of experience in law enforcement in a large Metro area Atlanta department. When he retired, Chris was the departments peer support team commander. Chris discusses his career with us and some of the critical incidents he experienced, to include 2 officer involved shootings, his partner and backup being shot and wounded, being involved in an on...

Elizabeth Bartholomew joins us on the podcast.  Liz worked as a police records clerk in Batavia Illinois  where she met Joe Bartholomew, a paid on-call firefighter, they married in 1980.  Joe was hired as a full time Firefighter in 1986.  While their daughters were young Liz was able to be a stay at home mom.  Later she drove a school bus part-time in Naperville, Illinois, became Band Booster Pres...

Regan Faulk joined us on the podcast and shared the story of meeting her husband Kevin in collage, falling in love, starting a life together which included marriage, the birth of their twin boys, and Kevin joining the Philadelphia police department. She spoke about how much he loved the job in the beginning, she spoke about the changes she witnessed in his mood and personality over time, the impac...

Erin Maccabee joins us on the podcast. Erin is an ICF trained integration coach who specializes in supporting First Responders, their partners, and departments. Erin has nearly a decade of experience, with almost half that time focused on trauma exposed populations. Erin is the creator of the Pressure System - A whole human framework for navigating high stress environments, and The Connection Code...

Part 2 of a 2 part episode. Allan Garcia is a retired police officer from the Middletown Rhode Island Police Dept. He joins us on the podcast and shares his story of growing up in a seaside community, being raised in a first responder family, his time in the military, and how he became a police officer. Allans career included service as a DARE officer, Uniformed Patrol, Field Training Officer, Sch...

Part 1 of a 2 part episode. Allan Garcia is a retired police officer from the Middletown Rhode Island Police Dept. He joins us on the podcast and shares his story of growing up in a seaside community, being raised in a first responder family, his time in the military, and how he became a police officer. Allans career included service as a DARE officer, Uniformed Patrol, Field Training Officer, Sch...

Meg Hawkins and Erik Provow join us on the podcast.  Meg is a dedicated police officer with over 21 years of law enforcement experience, and the proud wife of Eric - a firefighter/paramedic and retired combat veteran who lives with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Eric’s military career spanned two decades, split between the Marine Corps and the Air Force. He served in elite units in...

Meg Hawkins and Erik Provow join us on the podcast.  Meg is a dedicated police officer with over 21 years of law enforcement experience, and the proud wife of Eric - a firefighter/paramedic and retired combat veteran who lives with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).   Eric’s military career spanned two decades, split between the Marine Corps and the Air Force. He served in elite units i...

In this episode - We bring together a panel of siblings who tell us about their brother or sister who worked in first response, the lives they lived before the job, & the process of losing their loved one to suicide. 

Rich Creamer - A native of Chelsea Ma, is a Navy Veteran, and retired Sergeant with 24 years of service with the Norfolk VA police dept. During his career Rich worked homicide, gangs, served on the FBI's violent crimes task force, and in the training division. He is a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of officer wellness and peer support, and served as a consultant for the IACP's officer...

Tommy is a 30 year fire service veteran, lieutenant, and mental health advocate who has dedicated his life to changing the culture of public service. After battling depression, PTSD, and anxiety from years of service on the front line, Tommy now uses his voice to break the stigma  around mental health for first responders.  He authored the Book "Unseen Battles - The Price of Duty in a Life of Trau...

Deputy Commissioner Matt Walsh of the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Joins us on this weeks podcast!  Matt is a Weymouth Native who takes us on a journey from growing up in Weymouth, traveling to Florida to pursue a career in Law Enforcement, his early career including an officer involved shooting and how that impacted him, his rise to leadership, and his experience developing, implementi...

Dr. Gilmartin joins us on the podcast, Dr Gilmartin is a behavioral scientist specializing in law enforcement and public safety related issues. He is the author of the book Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and Their Families . He previously spent twenty years working in law enforcement in Tucson Arizona. During his tenure he supervised the Hostage Negotiations Team and...

Meghann has been working in law enforcement for 24 years & currently serves as her organizations first wellness coordinator. Meghann's partner Kelly has been working with youth and families for over 20 years, and is the current executive director of Caminos programs in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.  In this episode Meghann and Kelly take us on a journey that involves trauma, strug...

Chief Frank Fredrickson is a retired Police Chief of the Yarmouth Police Department, the current director of governmental affairs for the Massachusetts Fraternal Order of Police, and the executive director of the New England Association of Chief's of Police. Chief Fredrickson talks about coming from a LEO family, how he entered a life of service, the first call that had an impact on him, what it w...

Tara Waters is a Police Officer, Wife, & Mother of two children.  Tara discusses duty trauma, the impact(s) of her son's diagnosis & battle with cancer, faith, family, & how difficult times helped her grow into a more compassionate Police Officer. 

Jimmy Ward joins us to talk about his career in law enforcement, and what he's doing now to help his fellow LEO's and first responders. Jimmy  is a former Senior Trooper with the Maryland State Police, where he served for over 15 years—more than 90% of that time focused on narcotics enforcement. His work placed him on the front lines of complex investigations, serving as a Task Force Officer with...

Greg Wilcox is a suicide loss survivor of a police officer . Greg shares the story of losing his husband Joe Nagle to suicide (EOW 8/4/2019). He also shares the story of falling in love, witnessing the decline of a loved one over time, and the red flags he is aware of now, that he was unaware of in real time.  Joe also discusses how he was able to pick the pieces back up following the loss of his...

Chris Moore Joins us on the podcast. Chris is a highly respected Fire Captain on the Chesapeake Va FD,  a National keynote speaker, and one of the most influential voices in the movement to transform how first responder agencies approach mental health, wellness, and suicide prevention.   Chris shares with us how years on the job began to effect his moods, behaviors, and relationships.  He speaks o...