Law enforcement Episodes

April 12, 2023

Second Impact: Understanding Brain Injury | S3 E15

👁️‍🗨️ First responders face many dangers on the job, including the risk of traumatic brain injury from assaults, vehicle crashes, falls, and explosive forced entry. Tune in to our latest episode, where we'll be discussing Second Impact Injury with former professional boxer Ray Ciancaglini and veter…

Guests: Ray Ciancaglini , Chris Belair

March 29, 2023

Responder Retirement: Navigating Life 2.0 (Part 2) | S3 E13

In the second part of this mini-documentary, Responder Resilience continues the deep dive into the topic of first responder retirement. We are joined by a panel of twenty one retired or active first responders and resilience experts, representing law enforcement, the fire service, EMS, dispatch, an…

Guests: Ray Connors , Anne and Mike Gagliano , Matt Domyancic , Dan Welch , Steve Zagami , Ernie Stevens , Patrick Fitzgibbons , Edmund Russell , Adam A. Meyers , Scott Medlin , Jonni Redick , John Kelly , Denise Beard , Dr. Olivia Johnson , Kasey Brainerd , David H. Ferris Jr. , Mike Grasso , Gordon MacCalla , Peter Marengo , Angela Matthews , Jeff Ward

March 22, 2023

Responder Retirement: Navigating Life 2.0 (Part 1) | S3 E12

In this two part mini-documentary, Responder Resilience does a deep dive into the topic of first responder retirement. We are joined by a panel of twenty one retired or active first responders and resilience experts, representing law enforcement, the fire service, EMS, dispatch, animal control, and…

Guests: Ray Connors , Anne and Mike Gagliano , Matt Domyancic , Dan Welch , Steve Zagami , Ernie Stevens , Patrick Fitzgibbons , Edmund Russell , Adam A. Meyers , Scott Medlin , Jonni Redick , John Kelly , Denise Beard , Dr. Olivia Johnson , Kasey Brainerd , David H. Ferris Jr. , Mike Grasso , Gordon MacCalla , Peter Marengo , Angela Matthews , Jeff Ward

March 15, 2023

Family Matters: Managing the Psychological Costs of the Job | S3 E11

We’re joined by Giovanni Rocco, retired LEO and FBI covert operative and author of the book “Giovanni’s Ring: My life Inside the Real Sopranos”. Giovanni talks about the toll the job takes, and the unwitting sacrifices our spouses and children make as a result of the first responder profession. Gi…

Guest: Giovanni Rocco

March 8, 2023

Blue Epidemic: Preventing Police Suicide | S3 E10

In this episode, Stacy and David speak with Dr. Olivia Johnson, Founder of the Blue Wall Institute www.bw-institute.com about police officer suicide. We do a deep dive into the root causes of law enforcement officers taking their lives, and examine Dr. Johnson’s “Fatal 10” of suicide contributing f…

Guest: Dr. Olivia Johnson

March 1, 2023

Humanizing The Badge: Inspiring Positive Change | S3 E9

We’re joined by retired police sergeant Donna Brown, one of only five female officers hired in 1979 by the Tallahassee Police Department. Donna is passionate about humanizing the badge and first responder mental health. Donna retired in 2006 after a 26-year career, and became an author.

Guests: Donna Brown , Robert Webb

Feb. 22, 2023

Build Your Resiliency With Tactical Self-Care | S3 E8

In this episode, Bonnie and David speak with Rodger Ruge, published author and Certified Life Coach about building resilience within the first responder community. Rodger is a retired police officer, survivor of complex post-traumatic stress disorder and 30-year mindfulness and resilience practitio…

Guest: Rodger Ruge

Feb. 1, 2023

Surviving Self-Inflicted Wounds | S3 E5

We’re joined by 30 year law enforcement veteran and Law Enforcement Life Coach John Kelly, an expert on breaking the cycle of self destruction. John developed a wellness / leadership program called “Sometimes Heroes Need Help” that addresses the personal, professional, financial, physical and menta…

Guest: John Kelly

Jan. 18, 2023

Innovative Leadership for a Culture of Wellness | S3 E3

We’re joined by Neil Gang, Chief of the Pinole, California Police Department since 2014, who has served in law enforcement for over 34 years. Neil is the author of the Asher Model 7 Point Approach to a Culture of Wellness, and the host of the 6th Pillar Podcast. His innovative work as a law enforc…

Guest: Neil H. Gang

Jan. 4, 2023

Leadership Matters: Breaking Down Barriers | S3 E1

Our guest is Jonni Redick, a retired Assistant Chief with the California Highway Patrol, and a 29-year veteran of one of the largest police agencies in the country.

Guest: Jonni Redick

Dec. 7, 2022

Staying Fit for Duty: Conquer Your Job Stress and Trauma | S2 E49

Our guest is Scott Medlin, a Marine Corps and Law Enforcement Veteran, Author, Speaker, and host of The 10 Code Mindset podcast. Scott Medlin mentors police officers using powerful tools that enable them to make self-care and life fulfillment a priority, even when they're constantly being called to…

Guest: Scott Medlin

Nov. 23, 2022

The Silent Epidemic in Police Officer Mental Health | S2 E47

In April 2016, Police Officer Adam A. Meyers was involved in a critical incident when he used deadly force against someone who armed themselves with a hatchet inside a busy department store. In the aftermath of this incident, Meyers was plagued with trauma and guilt, descending into a spiral of …

Guest: Adam A. Meyers

Nov. 9, 2022

Shatterproof: A Journey of Courage, Inspiration and Hope | S2 E45

Patrick Fitzgibbons is a retired Police Commander who discusses the struggles he experienced, and provides advice, inspiration, and hope for overcoming mental health issues, through his role as National Outreach Liaison for the Shatterproof Program for First Responders.

Guest: Patrick Fitzgibbons

Oct. 26, 2022

Mental Health Cops: Connecting with Empathy | S2 E43

Join us for a conversation with Ernie Stevens from the Emmy Award Winning HBO Documentary, Ernie and Joe: Crisis Cops.

Guest: Ernie Stevens

Oct. 19, 2022

Motivational Check: From Hostage Negotiator to Cancer Warrior | S2 E42

What does the phrase “Motivational Check” mean? Former LEO Terry Tucker has reinvented himself frequently over his professional career. He was an officer and SWAT Hostage Negotiator with the Cincinnati Police Department.

Guest: Terry Tucker

Sept. 21, 2022

CopShock: Normal Reactions to Abnormal Stress | S2 E38

In this episode, we’ll be speaking with trauma expert and author of the book CopShock, Allen Kates, about Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and how to survive it by employing resiliency techniques.

Guest: Allen Kates

Sept. 7, 2022

Pete & Scott: Crisis Intervention Team | S2 E36

Crisis Intervention Team coordinator Peter Elste works closely with Crisis Intervention Clinician Scott Alvord on the Danbury Police Crisis Intervention Team. Together, they respond to calls involving mental and behavioral issues to help connect people to available services.

Guests: Peter Elste , Scott Alvord, LCSW

Aug. 31, 2022

Trooper Turned Therapist - Tackling Trauma with Timely Tools | S2 E35

Sonny Provetto is a former state trooper, EMDR clinician and a trauma consultant for police departments and emergency responders nationwide.

Guest: Sonny Provetto

Aug. 10, 2022

Addiction Crisis: Truth, Justice and The Road to Recovery | S2 E32

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,…

Guest: Michael Van Meter

July 21, 2022

S2 E29 Resiliency In Action, A Leader’s Journey with Guest Pete Elste

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 r...

Guest: Peter Elste

July 20, 2022

Resiliency in Action, A Leader’s Journey | S2 E29

Pete Elste shares his story of addiction, restructuring his path to recovery, and staying grounded. A resilient leader who has proven that you can achieve anything you put your mind to, Pete is an inspiration for his peers and anyone struggling with addiction who is looking for a resilient role mod…

Guest: Peter Elste

July 2, 2022

Relentless Courage: Winning the Battle Against Frontline Trauma | S2 E26

Every day, thousands of police officers put themselves at risk to keep others safe. Sgt. Michael Sugrue was one of them. He 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. Watch to …

Guest: Michael Sugrue

June 18, 2022

Post-Traumatic Transformation: Using Negative Experiences to Help Others | S2 E24

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 in the lives of …

Guest: Norm Wielsch

June 8, 2022

“Living Blue”-Writing The LEO’s Guide to Resilience and Mental Health | S2 E23

In this episode, we discuss Police Wellness and Resilience, and the soon to be released book "Living Blue" being written by Barbara Rubel and Jason M. Palamara.

Guests: Jason Palamara , Barbara Rubel, BS, MA, BCETS, DAAETS