Retired L.E.O. and FBI agent Michael Van Meter is a well respected Law Enforcement Leader and an Addiction Recovery Expert. In this episode, he talks about the devastating effects of addiction on the public, himself, and his profession. Pulling from personal and professional experience, Michael shares thoughts on this complex, Read More

Award-winning paramedic and educator Nick Paproski talks with David about a vital and elusive commodity: SLEEP. EMS workers, like all first responders and shift workers, are at risk for sleep deprivation and fatigue. When you are sleep deprived, your immune system may become compromised, your mood can be affected, and Read More

Peer support is an essential element of any emergency response team. This episode features an interview with Doug O'Rourke, a Lieutenant with the Hamden Fire Department, who also serves as the Director of the Connecticut Firefighter Peer Support Network. In this video, Doug talks about the organization and its mission. Read More

Pete Elste is a Danbury Police Officer who has become a leader in peer support and crisis intervention. In this episode Pete shares his story of addiction, restructuring his path to recovery, and staying grounded. Pete is a resilient leader who has proven that you can achieve anything you put Read More

In this episode, Bonnie and David interview Sara Beckert, National Fire Academy Instructor and founder of First Response Health and Wellness. Firefighters and other responders are constantly at risk for long term injury, and they suffer a higher rate of workplace injury than most US workers. First Response Health and Read More

Ever had recurring stressful memories, nightmares, or emergency calls that re-activated a traumatic event? First Responder therapists Dr. Stacy Raymond and Bonnie Rumilly, LCSW will be talking about EMDR, a powerfully effective way to take the charge out of stressful memories and reprocess them.​​First responders are often placed in situations Read More

Sergeant Michael Sugrue has been on the front lines of the battle against duty induced trauma since he responded to a fatal officer involved shooting that instantly changed his whole world. The after effects of this traumatic incident began a journey where Michael experienced administrative betrayal and descended into a Read More

We’ll be speaking with Steven Wilcox Director of Education for FrontlineCT about their first responder peer support program and the stigma around first responder mental health. Mental health issues are still infrequently discussed in the first responder community. The paramedic profession has a high rate of suicide and mental health-related Read More

Norm Wielsch was a police officer for 26 years, during which time he saw a lot, made some bad decisions, suffered and overcame opioid addiction and spent time in prison. In this episode Norm talks about how he emerged stronger from his suffering and became a positive force to help Read More

In this episode, we discuss police wellness, resilience, and the soon-to-be-released book Living Blue by Barbara Rubel and Jason M. Palamara. Law enforcement officers face high rates of burnout, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue, which can significantly impact their well-being.Living Blue provides practical tools for officers, their families, and communities Read More

 On February 27, 1975, a five-alarm fire erupted in the basement of the New York Telephone Company building in lower Manhattan. The toxic blaze exposed 699 FDNY firefighters to hazardous chemicals, leading to long-term health issues, including cancer. Retired firefighter Dan Noonan, first due on 3 Truck, has spent decades Read More

What is Reiki and Shamanic Healing, and how can it benefit first responders? This episode features an interview with energy practitioners Akilah Barr and Deana Pacqua speaking about Reiki, Shamanic Healing and other Alternative Healing Modalities for First Responders. We discuss how energy work is becoming a more common practice Read More

This episode features an interview with first responder Dr Ken Hoffman, a functional medicine doctor in practice for 20 years. He is Medical Director of SOPHIA Natural Health Center in Brookfield CT which delivers the most comprehensive scientific, holistic evaluation and treatment that is designed to find, and treat, the Read More

On this episode, Stacy, Bonnie and David speak with Deputy Chief Bernie Meehan, a veteran of over 400 first responder critical incident debriefings. Our topic: Critical Incident Stress Management and Debriefings, and how a CISD/CISM debrief can kick start the healing process.The Critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) process is a Read More

We speak with Dan Willis, a retired police Captain who is an expert on the proven benefits of serving with your heart and acting with compassion in the face of job-related trauma and stress. Dan is a highly regarded expert on the subject of emotional survival and improving spiritual wellness Read More

In this episode, we speak with yoga instructors Wendy Boscia and Steve Zagami. Wendy comes from a family of responders, including her dad and brothers, and Steve is a retired U.S.M.C. Sgt., and FDNY Firefighter.Wendy and Steve will explain the benefits of Yoga for First Responders, who are exposed to Read More

On this episode, Bonnie and David speak with Michele Giorgianni, First Responder Liaison at Aware Recovery Care @awarerecoverycare, and  Jason Palamara, Director of Veteran & First Responder Engagement at Forge VFR @forgehealth Our topic:  Substance Abuse Disorder treatments for First Responders.AWARE offers home-based recovery care including in-home withdrawal management, and Read More

In this mini-documentary episode hosted by Dr. Stacy Raymond, we will take a closer look at spirituality. Everyone has their own concept of what it means and that's what makes this topic so interesting. Spirituality is a foundation which allows us to continue living through tough times, it is a Read More

On this episode, we’ll be speaking with Nick Nunnally, USCG (ret), City of Danbury Firefighter and Plank Owner of 2NDGO.org Nick will be talking about transitioning from one purpose to another and creating a community that lasts after your career is over.2NDGO, a veteran owned and operated company, is teaching Read More

On this episode, we’ll be speaking with John Lynch, Town of Wilton, CT Chief of Police & Emergency Management Director, and Nick Paproski, Director Of ALS Operations at Vintech Management Services, about what you can do to become an engaged, proactive leader.Chief Lynch and Nick explain the importance of being Read More