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Podcast weblog: A career in law enforcement is one of the most rewarding, challenging, and selfless professions out there. The Guns and Yoga podcast explores the intersection between the impact a first responder career can have on those on the job, their families, and the importance of adopting and maintaining a holistic lifestyle. Wendy Hummell is a seasoned law enforcement officer in the Midwest with close to 25 years experience. She is a LEO spouse, mother, and wellness enthusiast. She knows first-hand the difficulties this line of work can bring. For the past decade, Wendy has been exploring various ways to improve her emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical well – being. She continues to learn and has a passion for sharing these tools to improve the quality of life not only for herself and her family, but for all first responders. Wendy is a certified yoga and meditation instructor. She teaches yoga, mindfulness, and resiliency to first responders at her current agency where she works as the Health and Wellness Coordinator. She also teaches throughout the state of Kansas and other national platforms. Wendy retired from the Wichita Police Department in 2019 at the rank of Detective where she spent a majority of her career working persons crimes. The intention of this podcast is to add value, provide support, and share resources by providing a platform for honest conversations with first responders, family members, retirees, and wellness experts. Whether you are a law enforcement officer, work in corrections, dispatch, Fire, EMS, The Prosecutors Office, the Coroners Officer, are a member of the military, family member or anyone who supports front line workers, please subscribe today and hear hear the stories of these brave men and women, the challenges and difficulties they have faced; the wonderful programs, people, and resources available to support first responders.
Episodes
Tuesday Jun 08, 2021
Tuesday Jun 08, 2021
This week, we continue our first responder podcast series. During the month of June, we will be releasing podcast episodes in which I talk with fellow first responder podcasters.
In today’s episode, I speak with Dr. Rachelle Zemlok. She is a licensed child and family psychologist in California. She specializes in supporting and educating first responder families in private practice. She is married to a firefighter and has three siblings in law enforcement so she knows first hand the impact a career as a first responder can have on families. In her practice she helps provide first responder families with information that will help keep them healthy and resilient despite those impacts.
Dr. Zemlok is also a mother of two young children, the author of “The Firefighter Family Academy: A Guide to Educate and Prepare Spouses for the Career Ahead”. She has an active on line presence and a blog on her website geared towards supporting and educating first responder spouses.
LINKS:
LINK TO HER BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/Firefighter-Family-Academy-Educate-Prepare/dp/1543943144
WEBSITE LINK: https://www.firstresponderfamilypsychology.com/about-me
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/firstresponderfamilypsychology/?hl=en
Tuesday Jun 01, 2021
Tuesday Jun 01, 2021
Today’s guest is James Geering. If you don’t yet know James, you are in for a treat. He is a Rockstar and trailblazer in the arena of first responder well-being. He is a retired firefighter/paramedic, author, and successful podcaster.
Tuesday May 25, 2021
Tuesday May 25, 2021
Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Brady Pilster. Brady is the Vice President for Strategic Partnerships for CORDICO. For those of you not familiar with Cordico, Cordico is the leader in officer wellness technology. CordicoShield Wellness Apps are confidential, available 24/7, easy to use, proactive wellness solutions customized for law enforcement agencies of every type and size. CordicoShield provides law enforcement with powerful handheld wellness resources, anonymous self-assessments, access to peer support, geo-mapping of vetted therapists, one-touch calling, on-demand tools targeting critical incidents, depression, suicide risk, and much more.
LINKS:
CORDICO (Website)
Tuesday May 18, 2021
Tuesday May 18, 2021
Tactical Tip Tuesday is a weekly microcast where we will share a tip, tool, or dose of inspiration for the week ahead.
This week: Find Your Tribe
Links for 30X30 Initiative:
Tuesday May 11, 2021
Tuesday May 11, 2021
Pam Opoka is the Public Safety Training Coordinator and Peer Support Program Planner at Mid-America Regional Council (MARC). She has over 25 years of experience in Public Safety and has a master’s degree in Public Administration and is an ENP or Emergency Number Professional. Pam is active in University Research projects for peer support efficacy. She is currently the co-chair of National Emergency Number Association’s Wellness Committee Peer Support Work Group and is a member of NENA’s Education Advisory Board. Pam is also on the State of MO Service Board Training Committee and the State of KS Coordinating Council Training Committee. She is an advocate for mental health and wellness for public safety professionals.
Pam spent years working as a dispatcher and knows first hand the mental and physical risks posed by the cumulative stress associated with working under the headset. Pam is passionate about supporting her fellow dispatchers and other first responders through wellness programming, peer support, and more.
LINKS:
https://www.nena.org/page/PeerSupport (INF Doc is published here)
https://www.nena.org/page/WellnessContinuum
https://www.marc.org/Emergency-Services-9-1-1/Regional-911-System/Training/911-Peer-Support-Program
Tuesday May 04, 2021
Tuesday May 04, 2021
Tactical Tip Tuesday is a weekly microcast where we will share a tip, tool, or dose of inspiration for the week ahead.
This week: How yoga and meditation helped sharpen my aim
Article Link: https://www.police1.com/police-training/articles/how-yoga-and-meditation-helped-sharpen-my-aim-U1igYyNBTQ1RSINh/
Wednesday Apr 28, 2021
Wednesday Apr 28, 2021
“HORSES ARE THE BRIDGE, VETERANS ARE THEIR OWN BEST THERAPY.” – PATRICK BENSON
Co-Founder/Director of War Horses For Veterans
Patrick Benson is an Army Veteran who served in the Infantry from 1998 to 2004. His numerous military operations enable his understanding of the physical and emotional strain on our combat veterans. As a professional horseman, he manages a training and breeding program for performance horses.
Links:
VFW - War Horses for Veterans: 'Your Anxiety Goes Away'
Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
Tactical Tip Tuesday is a weekly microcast where we will share a tip, tool, or dose of inspiration for the week ahead.
This week: What Lies Beneath
Tuesday Apr 13, 2021
Tuesday Apr 13, 2021
Bulletproof Spirit: This week, I speak with retired Captain Dan Willis who served with the La Mesa Police Department near San Diego for 30 years. During his career, he worked violent crimes cases such as sexual assault - child molestation – and homicide. He also served as the SWAT Commander, and Wellness Unit Coordinator. He's a graduate of the FBI National Academy and is author of the emotional survival and wellness guidebook "Bulletproof Spirit: The First Responders Essential Resource for Protecting and Healing Mind and Heart." (which is required reading at the FBI National Academy). He's a national instructor on Trauma, PTSD, and the Process of Healing having taught in 33 states and Canada. He lives in San Diego.
Link to book: https://www.amazon.com/Bulletproof-Spirit-Responders-Essential-Protecting/dp/1608682617
Website: https://firstresponderwellness.com/
His email address: Dwillis1121@yahoo.com
Tuesday Apr 06, 2021
Tuesday Apr 06, 2021
Tactical Tip Tuesday is a weekly microcast where we will share a tip, tool, or dose of inspiration for the week ahead.
This week: Establishing a Morning Routine
Monday Mar 29, 2021
Monday Mar 29, 2021
This week I speak with Rob Sanderson, a retired Police Sergeant from the Lenexa Kansas Police Department. He started his career in 2003 with the Harrison County SO in Gulfport, MS.
Earlier last year, Rob founded the non profit organization, SWEL, which stands for Surf Waves Enjoy Life. Rob founded the organization with a group of like-minded veterans and first responders in order to fill a void in those communities. That void is options for positive outlets to aid in the processing of cumulative and acute traumas our nation’s heroes overcome in their career.
Rob knows first hand the positive impact surfing can have and has been taking regular surf trips with friends throughout his law enforcement career. Rob founded this evidenced based program to promote self-efficacy and healing for our first responders.
Website: https://www.theswel.org/copy-of-what-is-swel
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheSWELmission
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/theswelmission/
PALS/ Police Athletic League of Kansas City -https://www.facebook.com/PALKCK/
Monday Mar 22, 2021
Monday Mar 22, 2021
Tactical Tip Tuesday is a weekly microcast where we will share a tip, tool, or dose of inspiration for the week ahead.
This week: The Man in the Arena
Monday Mar 22, 2021
Monday Mar 22, 2021
Bill Mauro is an 8 year law enforcement veteran who has worked in corrections, patrol, and investigations. Bill started studying Stoicism in 2018 while working night shift. He noticed a parallel between this philosophy and policing and how applying the stoic virtues of wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance, improved his character and his attitude towards stress. Bill was so impacted by the benefits of the Stoic Philosophy that he wrote a book that was recently released, The Stoic Cop.
Bills own struggles, which he candidly shares in the book, inspired him to help other officers so that they may apply Stoicism not only to their daily work as police officers, but to their lives. His belief is that adopting this philosophy into your life is a great asset to one’s mental health.
Stoicism is a framework for living a meaningful life and living to your full potential
Bill has a Bachelors degree in Justice Studies and is currently working on an advanced degree in Justice.
Bill’s ability to take tangible examples of calls he’s been on and community interactions he has had and demonstrate the benefits of how the application of Stoicism is beneficial and how it helps improve self awareness and decision making.
The Stoic Cop: Link to >> Amazon
Instagram: thestoiccop
Bill’s email address: stoiccop@gmail.com
Website: https://www.thestoiccop.com/
Meditations Marcus Aurelius: Amazon
On the Shortness of Life; Seneca: Amazon
The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday: https://dailystoic.com/
Tuesday Mar 16, 2021
Tuesday Mar 16, 2021
Tactical Tip Tuesday is a weekly microcast where we will share a tip, tool, or dose of inspiration for the week ahead.
This week: The Carrot, The Egg, and The Coffee Bean
Monday Mar 15, 2021
Monday Mar 15, 2021
On September 28, 2009, Sarah Purcell’s life changed forever. She received news that every police wife dreads. After only serving 18 months with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, her husband, Brian Etheridge, was shot and killed in an ambush style attack while responding to a false report of a larceny.
This episode could be difficult for some to listen to. Sarah shares the events of that day, the aftermath of Brian’s death for her and their young daughter, and her journey through grief and addiction. Sarah truly is an inspiration and the epitome of resilience.
Sarah is passionate about sharing her story and supporting other first responder spouses. She shares the events of that day with each recruit class in her community and their families prior to them graduating from the Academy with the intention of encouraging communication with your spouse and to keep Brian’s memory alive.
Links:
ODMP (Officer Down Memorial Page) https://www.odmp.org/officer/20074-deputy-sheriff-brian-scott-etheridge
Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS): https://www.concernsofpolicesurvivors.org/
Sarah’s Instagram: Sincerely_sober_sarah
Alcoholics Anonymous: https://www.aa.org/
Alanon: https://al-anon.org/