The Blue Light Leavers Podcast

Today I'm speaking with Abi and Louise from Protective Care Group. Protective Care Group (PCG) was founded from lived experience and a genuine passion to give robust, consistent and therapeutic care to young people across the UK who are extremely complex and display challenging behaviours. These behaviours are vast, but often include aggression, self-harm, suicide risk, absconding, CCE risk and criminal activities.This is why cops are such a good fit for an organisation like this.In this interview we talk about Protective Care Group, the work they do, the children they support, a day in the life of a carer.We look at the type of people they look for when they're hiring, our transferable skills, exciting stuff about the training and support they offer their staff, the challenges you might face, and how rewarding it can be to know you've had a real impact in a young persons life.We also talk about salary and benefits too. If you think you could help Protective Care Group transform young lives, use this link to find out more and make contact.Protective Care GroupIf you like what you've heard, then please leave a review and share it with friends and let people know that this podcast is out there.There's a lot of people looking at the moment, a lot of people struggling and so if there's a particular episode that resonates with you then just share it via WhatsApp or text and just let people know that it's there. If you go to the website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bluelightleavers.com/⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠there's loads of information there about some of the amazing partnerships that we've got, CV writing services and LinkedIn and interview prep, and tonnes of free stuff both within the Facebook group and on the website as well. We also advertise dozens of amazing jobs, every week in the private Facebook Group!If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This is 1:1 time via Zoom with a Blue Light Leavers Coach to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have.Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: the ⁠ScoreApp Scorecard Quiz ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard⁠ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can join the private Facebook Group via⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers

In this episode I am talking to Andy Robins. Andy who is director of Affinity Fostering Services. He's a really nice guy and ex-cop. We talk about his policing career history and the why he left policing to go into the fostering services and working with a family member. We talk all things fostering including what make a really good foster carer. Those key skills and behaviours and what makes it a really good fit for cops. There are already a number of cops working with Affinity and doing really well. We also discuss the challenges, checks and timescales. Whether misconduct can stop you from being a foster carer. The earning potential and the support that Affinity offer. That they are rated outstanding by OFSTED and are a great company to work for. This is a really interesting episode and I think you will get loads from it! If you think you could help Affinity transform young lives use this link to find out more and make contact. https://bit.ly/BLLAffinityFostering If you like what you've heard, then please leave a review and share it with friends and let people know that this podcast is out there. There's a lot of people looking at the moment, a lot of people struggling and so if there's a particular episode that resonates with you then just share it via WhatsApp or text and just let people know that it's there. If you go to the website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bluelightleavers.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠there's loads of information there about some of the amazing partnerships that we've got, CV writing services and LinkedIn and interview prep, and tonnes of free stuff both within the Facebook group and on the website as well. We also advertise dozens of amazing jobs, every week in the private Facebook Group! If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This is 1:1 time via Zoom with a Blue Light Leavers Coach to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have. Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: the ScoreApp Scorecard Quiz ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can join the private Facebook Group via⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers

In this episode I've got the absolute pleasure of talking to Cheryl   Thornley. Cheryl is the director of Puzzle Piece Law, they are an independent legal consultancy that advises and support individuals on all family law matters that includes separation, divorce, child contact and access to education, including special educational needs.   Cheryl is a former military veteran and an ex-cop. She did 20 years in policing before leaving to set up her own business. But actually, her journey to get to that point was really interesting and she did some additional qualifications.   In the episode she talks about how she went about doing those qualifications and actually the really diverse roles that she went to after leaving police and before actually creating puzzle peace law. Puzzle Piece Law is a franchise and it's a brilliant opportunity.   We talk about why you don't need to have those qualifications or what the qualifications that you might think you need to actually advise in this subject matter area. We talk about why it's a really good fit for cops and other emergency services professionals. As well as we talk about the power of networking and so many other topics. It's a brilliant interview, really inspirational, and I'm really grateful to Cheryl for her time. If you're interested in contacting Cheryl, you can do it through LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/puzzle-piece-law/ or you can do it through the Blue Light Leavers website http://bit.ly/BLLPuzzlePieceLaw    If you like what you've heard, then please leave a review and share it with friends and let people know that this podcast is out there.   There's a lot of people looking at the moment, a lot of people struggling and so if there's a particular episode that resonates with you then just share it via WhatsApp or text and just let people know that it's there. If you go to the website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bluelightleavers.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠there's loads of information there about some of the amazing partnerships that we've got, CV writing services and LinkedIn and interview prep, and tonnes of free stuff both within the Facebook group and on the website as well. We also advertise dozens of amazing jobs, every week in the private Facebook Group!   If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This is 1:1 time via Zoom with a Blue Light Leavers Coach to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have.   Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: the ScoreApp Scorecard Quiz ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can join the private Facebook Group via⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers

This bonus episode is taken from a Live Session that was held to introduce our partners Frontline Financial Solutions. I was deeply honoured to have Howard Reuben and Victoria Bennett join me on the session. Founded by Howard, Frontline are a division of HD Consultants. Offering advice on Mortgages, Insurance and Estate Planning (including a FREE basic will writing service) specifically tailored to the needs of the Blue Light, Military and Emergency Services Communities. Frontline are long time supporters of the Blue Light Card Foundation because they want to give back to the Blue Light Community! Howard and Victoria talk about the founding of Frontline. Their personal histories and how they can help members of the Blue Light Leavers Community! So, I am really grateful for having them join me! You can use the link below to find out more and get in touch with them! https://bit.ly/BLLFrontlineFinancialSolutions If you like what you've heard, then please leave a review and share it with friends and let people know that this podcast is out there. There's a lot of people looking at the moment, a lot of people struggling and so if there's a particular episode that resonates with you then just share it via WhatsApp or text and just let people know that it's there. If you go to the website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bluelightleavers.com/  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠there's loads of information there about some of the amazing partnerships that we've got, CV writing services and LinkedIn and interview prep, and tonnes of free stuff both within the Facebook group and on the website as well. We also advertise dozens of amazing jobs, every week in the private Facebook Group! If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This is 1:1 time via Zoom with a Blue Light Leavers Coach to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have. Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: the ScoreApp Scorecard Quiz ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard  You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can join the private Facebook Group via⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers

In this episode I'm talking to Eddie Whittingham. I'm not going to give too much away; however, this is an incredible story. So inspirational. Eddie is a serial entrepreneur and he's a former cop and he's just gone on to do some amazing things. He talks us through his policing career and why he left and what he left to do and how he felt about leaving. He went on to create his own business and he talks about what happened at that point and honestly, it is jaw dropping. Eddie talks about how he approaches life. His humility and he has that lovely self-deprecating sense of humour and it was just a real joy to record this episode. If you would like to connect with Eddie you can reach him through his LinkedIn. He'll be happy to hear from you! https://bit.ly/EddieWhittinghamLinkedIn  If you like what you've heard, then please leave a review and share it with friends and let people know that this podcast is out there. There's a lot of people looking at the moment, a lot of people struggling and so if there's a particular episode that resonates with you then just share it via WhatsApp or text and just let people know that it's there. If you go to the website: https://www.bluelightleavers.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠there's loads of information there about some of the amazing partnerships that we've got, CV writing services and LinkedIn and interview prep, and tonnes of free stuff both within the Facebook group and on the website as well. We also advertise dozens of amazing jobs, every day in the private Facebook Group! If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This is 1:1 time via Zoom with a Blue Light Leavers Coach to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have. Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: the ScoreApp Scorecard Quiz ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can join the private Facebook Group via⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers 

In this episode I'm talking to an incredible human being, Shirley Kennett. Shirley is an ex-cop and a former police cadet like me, and she's gone on to do some incredible and amazing things. She talks about policing career and what caused her ill-health retirement, and then what she's gone on to from that point. She's doing some amazing things, and I promise you will not regret listening to this episode. It's just incredible. She really opened up and told me everything, including some of her challenges. This is honestly one of the most emotional and motivating episodes I've ever recorded. A lot more came out after we'd stopped recording and there is other stuff that she's done as well that we forgot to talk about. So, we may well save that for another episode. And she's also agreed to do it as one of the live guests in the academy for us as well. If you'd like to connect with Shirley you can so through:

This bonus episode is a Blue Light Leavers Live Session that that we ran with Dominic McVeigh. Dom is a former cop and is now a lecturer with the University of West England. The university starts is new course in September 2024 'The BSc(Hons) Applied Criminal Justice Top-Up degree' It is specifically designed to offer you the chance to gain academic recognition alongside your invaluable on-the-job experience. It would allow you to complete a three-year degree in one year (when taken as a full-time course)! In this episode Dom explains what the course is, how it works and how to sign-up! If you are interested in signing up, you have until (Sunday) 30th June to do so for this year's course! Click on the link below to find out more about the course. https://bit.ly/UWEAppliedCriminalJusticeTopUp  Or you can email Dom on Dominic2.Mcveigh@uwe.ac.uk  If you like what you've heard, then please leave a review, and share it with friends and let people know that this podcast is out there. There's a lot of people looking at the moment, a lot of people struggling and so if there's a particular episode that resonates with you then just share it via WhatsApp or text and just let people know that it's there and please leave a review. If you go to the website ⁠⁠https://www.bluelightleavers.com/ ⁠⁠there's loads of information there about some of the amazing partnerships that we've got, CV writing services and LinkedIn and interview prep, and loads of other things as well, and tonnes of free stuff both within the Facebook group and on the website as well. We also advertise dozens of amazing jobs, every week in the private Facebook Group!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers/  If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through the website.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This is 1:1 time via Zoom with a Blue Light Leavers Coach, to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have. Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check out the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) through the website.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

This episode is an Academy Live Session that we ran with John Edmunds.   Many of you will know, John is my right-hand man in the group. He really helps so much and does his utmost to keep me organised and on track.   What you may not know is that John retired from the police as a result of ill health in 2022!   Over the years, his mental health deteriorated significantly, which resulted in him suffering from severe anxiety, depression, and PTSD. He tried lots of different remedies and medications, but he did reach the point where he had to accept that he was just too unwell to continue as a police officer and that he couldn't recover and get well whilst he remained in that environment.   So, he retired on ill health in 2022, but the process itself was anything but smooth and it is incredibly challenging and there is a real lack of guidance and support, so John very kindly created this guide to help and support you through the process.   The Ill-Health Retirement Guide is completely FREE, you don't have to sign up or anything, you literally download it from the Blue Light Leavers website Blue Light Leavers ‘Ill-Health & Misconduct' section.   In this academy session, we talk through ill health retirement and how long the process takes, what the process looks like, and some of the challenges that you might come across.   I'm really grateful to John for sharing his experience and his knowledge. We've had numerous people reach out to him for a bit of help and support through their process for some advice and guidance, and he really knows his stuff.   If you or someone you know is being considered for or are going through the process and would like to reach out to John, then you can do that on john@bluelightleavers.com   In addition to the Blue Light Leavers Ill-Health Retirement Guide there is also support available from:  IoDPA (Injury on Duty Pensioners Association) they are the go-to for all things Ill-Heath Retirement and Injury on Duty claims. Facebook - https://bit.ly/BLLIoDPAFacebookGroup Website - https://bit.ly/BLLIoDPAWebsite   Police Care UK Facebook - https://bit.ly/BLLPoliceCareUKFacebook Website - https://bit.ly/BLLPoliceCareUKWebsite If you like what you've heard, then please leave a review and share it with friends and let people know that this podcast is out there.   There's a lot of people looking at the moment, and a lot of people struggling and so if there's a particular episode that resonates with you then just share it via WhatsApp or text and just let people know that it's there.   If you go to the website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bluelightleavers.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠there's loads of information there about some of the amazing partnerships that we've got, CV writing services and LinkedIn and interview prep, and tonnes of free stuff both within the Facebook group and on the website as well.   We also advertise dozens of amazing jobs, every day in the private Facebook Group!   If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   This is 1:1 time via Zoom with a qualified Blue Light Leavers coach to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have.   Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   You can join the private Facebook Group via⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

In this episode, I'm talking with former police officer, Paul Rowland. Paul is a Deputy Manager in the care sector, predominantly caring for young people who are no longer within the family environment, whether through behaviour or because of specific learning requirements. Much of this is on a 1:1 basis and is incredibly rewarding and utilises so many of the skills we pick up in our policing careers. Paul worked on response, CID and firearms and left policing after 10 years with no specific young person related experience. He moved into the security industry and then during Covid and lockdown, he was introduced to the care sector and hasn't looked back. Unified Care Services provide a specialist service that aims to support young people with complex social and emotional needs, whose behaviours can be seen to challenge systems and services, and who are currently finding that other integration methods do not currently support or suit their individual needs. Handpicked staff with specialist backgrounds are trained to specifically meet the needs of the young people they support. They manage their challenging behaviours, supporting all the agencies who provide the necessary health, social and education care. They utilise knowledge from different industries to ensure they're able to deal with any situation with the best possible outcome for young people. You can register an interest HERE : office@unifiedcareservices.org.  If you like what you've heard, then please leave a review and share it with friends and let people know that this podcast is out there. There's a lot of people looking at the moment, a lot of people struggling and so if there's a particular episode that resonates with you then just share it via WhatsApp or text and just let people know that it's there. If you go to the website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bluelightleavers.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠there's loads of information there about some of the amazing partnerships that we've got, CV writing services and LinkedIn and interview prep, and tonnes of free stuff both within the Facebook group and on the website as well. We also advertise dozens of amazing jobs, every day in the private Facebook Group! If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This is 1:1 time via Zoom with me, to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have. The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers is a low cost, no tie-in monthly subscription that gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for a bit more support and want to find out more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can join the private Facebook Group via⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

In this episode, I'm talking with Simon Chicken who is the Event Director of the International Franchise Show being held at the Excel in London, on Fri 12th and Sat 13th April 2024, and Daniel McCarthy who is the Director of Business Development. Today we're talking about why franchising is a really good fit for cops, military and other emergency service professionals, whatever their length of service, and why this particular business model works so well. We talk about the success rate and stats, the pros and cons and the risks, and what you can expect at the IFS and how to make the best use of it, and most importantly, it's completely free! You can get your FREE tickets HERE: If you like what you've heard, then please leave a review and share it with friends and let people know that this podcast is out there. There's a lot of people looking at the moment, a lot of people struggling and so if there's a particular episode that resonates with you then just share it via WhatsApp or text and just let people know that it's there. If you go to the website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bluelightleavers.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠there's loads of information there about some of the amazing partnerships that we've got, CV writing services and LinkedIn and interview prep, and tonnes of free stuff both within the Facebook group and on the website as well. We also advertise dozens of amazing jobs, every day in the private Facebook Group! If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This is 1:1 time via Zoom with me, to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have. The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers is a low cost, no tie-in monthly subscription that gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for a bit more support and want to find out more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can join the private Facebook Group via⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Tina is the owner of Safe and Sound, who are a First Aid Training provider. They also deliver health and safety training, conflict management and numerous other training programmes to public and private sector organisations. Phil is a former cop who's now delivering first aid training on behalf of Safe and Sound and in this episode, we talk through his policing career and what he's done since leaving policing. We also talk about why we're a really good fit for this particular type of work. If you don't have the necessary qualifications right now, they will, at a discounted rate, provide train the trainer qualifications, so you can deliver training and work for/with them. We discuss the costs and the type of career paths that can follow, whether full time or part time, and it really is a great opportunity. If you're interested, Tina has very kindly offered an opportunity to watch a course being delivered, so you can get a real feel for whether it's the right fit for you. This is a really insightful interview and I'm very grateful to Tina for offering this career opportunity to members, and to Phil for telling us his post-policing story. You can register an interest through this link and Tina will be in touch : Safe and Sound First Aid If you like what you've heard, then please leave a review and share it with friends and let people know that this podcast is out there. There's a lot of people looking at the moment, a lot of people struggling and so if there's a particular episode that resonates with you then just share it via WhatsApp or text and just let people know that it's there. If you go to the website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bluelightleavers.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠there's loads of information there about some of the amazing partnerships that we've got, CV writing services and LinkedIn and interview prep, and tonnes of free stuff both within the Facebook group and on the website as well. We also advertise dozens of amazing jobs, every day in the private Facebook Group! If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This is 1:1 time via Zoom with me, to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have. The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers is a low cost, no tie-in monthly subscription that gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for a bit more support and want to find out more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can join the private Facebook Group via⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 82 of the Blue Light Leavers podcast. In this episode I'm talking to Simon and Angela Barry. In our first call, Simon really was genuinely pretty broken. He was lacking self-confidence, self-esteem, and he'd clearly been through a really tough time. They'd applied for a load of jobs with no success getting through to interviews, so we ended up working one to one. Why did I interview both? Well, I really wanted to share how PTSD and ill-health, retirement and all the associated symptoms and stress of the situation, can really impact everyone around you. Angela was so supportive, and she was very much part of this process, and she actually joined us for every call that we had. We talk about how we found the right roles, the application process, the interview prep, being ghosted, and the impact of dealing with the knockbacks and what success felt like with the choice of two jobs. I promise this is a stunning and very honest account of what they went through, and I really hope you enjoy it. I'm so grateful to Simon and Angela for their time and their honesty. If you like what you've heard ,then please leave a review and share it with friends and let people know that this podcast is out there. There's a lot of people looking at the moment, a lot of people struggling and so if there's a particular episode that resonates with you then just share it via WhatsApp or text and just let people know that it's there. If you go to the website ⁠⁠⁠https://www.bluelightleavers.com/ ⁠⁠⁠there's loads of information there about some of the amazing partnerships that we've got, CV writing services and LinkedIn and interview prep, and loads of other things as well, and tonnes of free stuff both within the Facebook group and on the website as well. We also advertise dozens of amazing jobs, every day in the private Facebook Group! If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This is 1:1 time via Zoom with me, to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have. The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers is a low cost, no tie-in monthly subscription that gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for a bit more support and want to find out more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can join the private Facebook Group via⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to episode 81 of the Blue Light Leavers podcast which is a little bit different. This episode features Hannah Bailey, Fraser Bishop, John Edmunds and Andy Labrum. This is an audio recording of our first New Year, Live session in ⁠The Blue Light Leavers Academy⁠, which is our low-cost monthly membership. In this session, we share the successes of our Academy members who moved into new roles, and some of the highlights of the year, and a good friend of the group, Fraser Bishop, shares his amazing success story and details of his incredible new role at Netflix! We also look forward and talk about what's coming in 2024 for Blue Light Leavers and Hannah Bailey of ⁠Blue Light Wellbeing⁠ shares some hints and tips about how to set goals and New Year resolutions the right way! If you like what you've heard ,then please leave a review and share it with friends and let people know that this podcast is out there. There's a lot of people looking at the moment, a lot of people struggling and so if there's a particular episode that resonates with you then just share it via WhatsApp or text and just let people know that it's there and please leave a review. If you go to the website ⁠⁠https://www.bluelightleavers.com/ ⁠⁠there's loads of information there about some of the amazing partnerships that we've got, CV writing services and LinkedIn and interview prep, and loads of other things as well, and tonnes of free stuff both within the Facebook group and on the website as well. We also advertise dozens of amazing jobs, every day in the private Facebook Group! If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This is 1:1 time via Zoom with me, to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have. The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers is a low cost, no tie-in monthly subscription that gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for a bit more support and want to find out more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can join the private Facebook Group via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Ep.80 From Policing to Investigative Consultancy and Training Provider with Sukie Madahar Sukie is a former Detective Sergeant, and he is the founder of Swift Investigations Limited and Swift Edification. They offer specialist education and consultancy services and they also provide training courses to businesses globally and they're accredited to deliver trainer sessions for Level 3 and Level 4 training and Quality Assessing qualifications. He's a really good guy, he serves from the heart and he's really willing to help. He also gives us an amazing offer towards the end of this podcast, so, listen out for that. The opportunities within the training sector, particularly adult learning are huge, so, if you are interested then you know where to go and mention Blue Light Leavers to get the discount. If you like what you've heard then please leave a review and share it with friends and let people know that this podcast is out there. There's a lot of people looking at the moment, a lot of people struggling and so if there's a particular episode that resonates with you then just share it via WhatsApp or text and just let people know that it's there and please leave a review. If you go to the website https://www.bluelightleavers.com/ there's loads of information there about some of the amazing partnerships that we've got, CV writing services and LinkedIn and interview prep, and loads of other things as well, and tonnes of free stuff both within the Facebook group and on the website as well. We also advertise dozens of amazing jobs, every day in the private Facebook Group. If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠⁠⁠ This is 1:1 time via Zoom with me, to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have. The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers is a low cost, no tie-in monthly subscription that gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for a bit more support and want to find out more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! This episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Motor Source Group.⁠⁠⁠⁠ They offer genuine, new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. To find out more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can join the private Facebook Group via ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Ep.79 Why So Many Police Officers Are Leaving - with Professor Sarah Charman and Dr Jemma Tyson. Professor Sarah Charman is a Professor of Criminology, and Dr Jemma Tyson, a senior lecturer in Criminology, both work at the University of Portsmouth. You may be aware that they conducted a study entitled ‘Voluntary resignations from the police service: the impact of organisational and occupational stressors on organisational commitment', that looks at the reasons and rationale behind the exponential increase in voluntary resignations of police officers. What it's shown is that there's been a 72% increase within twelve months and a 200% increase within ten years, and it's having a massive impact.We talk about the research that was conducted and how they went about doing it. We talk about their findings and the impact, and we look at what's being done from a national and organisational perspective and also by the Federation. We also talk about the importance of intervention and what can be done to reverse this, and we also talk about next steps for them.It's an incredibly insightful and interesting interview and I think you're really going to enjoy this.

From Policing to Senior Project Manager at Turner Townsend Consultancy. In this episode I talk to former firearms sergeant and 1:1 client of mine, Josh Penwill. In this interview, we talk about why he left policing, the steps we took to identify the type of roles and what was going to suit him best and his salary expectations, and we talk through the right courses that would help him. We also talk through the transferable skills that he's found have really helped him in his new role. We talk about the interview processes and the applications that we went through, what he learned from the knockbacks and how we dealt with those. We also talk about the importance of networking, the day in the life of a consultant and so much more. If you would like to connect with Josh, the best way is through LinkedIn https://bit.ly/45crgA6  He's such a great guy who will help you without shadow of a doubt. So, thanks again to Josh for his time. Brilliant interview.If you like what you heard, then please leave a review. You can do that on Spotify and on Apple. I think I said on the last one, we've had tens of thousands of downloads, but not that many reviews. So, if you do appreciate what it is that we're doing, if you could leave a review, it really helps because it just helps to get the message out there. If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠⁠ This is 1:1 time via Zoom with Andy, to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have. The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers is a low cost, no tie-in monthly subscription that gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for a bit more support and want to find out more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com)⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! This episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠Motor Source Group.⁠⁠⁠ They offer genuine, new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. To find out more, go to ⁠⁠⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠⁠⁠ You can join the private Facebook Group via ⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers⁠⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

From ill-health Retirement to Published Fiction Author with Tracy Earl. Tracy is a former police officer who served for 26 years before having to retire through ill-health, due to a diagnosis of PTSD. She has since gone on to become a published author of a book called Darkness Rising in a series called Children of the Light and signed by a US publishing house for a trilogy. In this episode we cover the whole process from that initial seed of an idea, all the way through to becoming a published author, with an amazing story for young adults that I think, without a doubt has got film written all over it as well. I really hope you enjoy hearing Tracy's incredible and amazingly inspirational story as much as I did, recording it. To find out more about Tracy's book you watch this brilliant promo video using this link: https://bit.ly/DarknesRisingVideo The book is available now through Amazon and Waterstone's! If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠⁠ This is 1:1 time via Zoom with Andy, to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have. The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers is a low cost, no tie-in monthly subscription that gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for a bit more support and want to find out more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com)⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! This episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠Motor Source Group.⁠⁠⁠ They offer genuine, new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. To find out more, go to ⁠⁠⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠⁠⁠ You can join the private Facebook Group via ⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers⁠⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Ep. 76 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast.Hope you've all had a fantastic summer, despite the weather!We've had a few weeks away and we're back with an amazing interview with Jim Bishop and Gavin Crowther who are the founders of Red Air Media.Red Air Media are a specialist drone company, and they use drones for filming, surveys, photography, inspection works and more.In this interview we talk about how drones have changed the way we work, the speed of expansion, and what an amazing opportunity it is as a career option, or as an option for cops who've retired and looking to own their own business.Red Air Media don't just fly drones!They're actually an award-winning media team that provides drone content for massive brands and broadcast TV across the globe and have undertaken numerous programmes for the BBC including DIY SOS, Countryfile and many others and they've got over 35 years industry experience and they are just really lovely blokes.This is a fantastic opportunity to partner with a genuine 'Best in Class' company and access their training, systems, expertise and knowledge.You can find out more and contact them through:Website - https://bit.ly/RedAirMediaEmail - enquiries@redairmedia.comTelephone - 0800 999 1399 and let them know you're from Blue Light Leavers or you heard it on the Blue Light Leavers podcast! If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: ⁠⁠Clarity Call⁠⁠ This is 1:1 time via Zoom with Andy, to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have. The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers is a low cost, no tie-in monthly subscription that gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for a bit more support and want to find out more, go to ⁠⁠⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠⁠⁠ Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: ⁠⁠⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com)⁠⁠⁠ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! This episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠Motor Source Group.⁠⁠ They offer genuine, new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. To find out more, go to ⁠⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠⁠ You can join the private Facebook Group via ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 75 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast Today, I've got the absolute privilege of talking to Anna Allerton.  As a former journalist and producer, she enjoyed a 17 year career at Sky Sports in varying senior roles with the most prominent in founding and producing the sportswomen program.  An industry leader in women's sport journalism throughout her career, she's been hugely influential and at the forefront of the changing landscape for women's sport on screen and in the newsroom.  She now specialises in perimenopause and menopause because she knows firsthand what impact it can have on your career.  Soon after returning to work after having a second child at the age of thirty nine, A variety of perimenopause symptoms started to deeply impact her day-to-day life. These became progressively worse and impossible to manage as time went on.  Now research suggests that up to 1,000,000 women have changed their roles or quit their jobs because of this, and she is one of them.  She's deeply passionate to do whatever she can to support women, their partners, and their employers during this time to raise awareness, educate and encourage collaborative conversations in the workplace.  In this episode, we talk about signs and symptoms and the impact on confidence and self esteem, and we discuss what you can do to help yourself, what you can do as a partner and how to have a conversation with your employer,. We signpost support networks, loads more.  Anna is doing amazing work, and you can connect with her through her website, allertoncoaching.com.  This episode is sponsored by ⁠Motor Source Group.⁠ They offer genuine, new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. To find out more, go to ⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠ You can join the private Facebook Group via ⁠www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers⁠ If you've no idea where to start, you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and just not sure what career you think would be best suited for you or what steps you need to take to make it happen, then you can book a career clarity coaching call through this link: Clarity Call This is 1:1 time via Zoom with Andy, to help you get complete clarity and identify the roles and courses that are best suited to you, create an action plan and overcome any blockers you may have. The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers is a low cost, no tie-in monthly subscription that gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for a bit more support and want to find out more, go to ⁠www.bluelightleavers.com⁠ Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: ⁠'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com)⁠ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 74 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast So today I'm talking with Lewis Willcox. Lewis is a consultant with a really highly sought after, well known recruitment company called Investigo and deals predominantly with change and transformation programmes in policing, public sector and government organisations. He's really highly respected and a really good guy. I've known him for a number of years now and I've had a relationship with Investigo for a few years because of the type of work that I've been doing. Now, in this interview, we discuss a recruiter's perspective and we talk about the type of organisations and types of roles he recruits for. We also talk about Change Management and Transformation programmes, and the opportunities and skill sets that he's looking for, and we talk about the challenges some of these organisations have in finding the right staff and how you, with your experience and your background, regardless of your level of service or rank, could be a really good fit. It's a brilliant interview and I'm really grateful to him for his time. This episode is sponsored by Motor Source Group. They offer genuine, new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. To find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com You can join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers is a low cost, no tie-in monthly subscription that gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for a bit more support and want to find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 73 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast Now, what we wanted to do was give you a bit of an insight into the type of live interviews we do within The Academy from Blue Light Leavers. The Academy is a no tie in, really low fee monthly membership, and we have loads of guest speakers, including lots of cops that have moved into new roles and we talk about why and how they've gone about doing it. We also have conversations with CV and LinkedIn experts and subject matter experts from different organisations, recruiters and all sorts and I really wanted to give you just an insight into the type of calls that we do, that are live Q and A type sessions within The Academy. So this is a bit different to our usual podcast episode. Laura McKeeman is a former police officer, who left policing after training through our collaboration with WithYouWithMe and is now working as a consultant in Leonardo, for WYWM. WithYouWithMe are an organisation that were previously only open to Military Leavers, but are now open to Blue Light Leavers and they offer you a complete career path into the tech industry, that includes placements and their training is completely free. This was an opportunity for The Academy Members to join the call and to listen to Laura's story, and then an opportunity to ask her some questions at the end, which you'll hear. I really hope you enjoy this, and like I said, I just wanted to give you a bit of a taster as to the type of calls and the type of things that we do within The Academy that are very different from the normal Blue Light Leavers group. Now, within this episode, we talk about what she was doing in her career in the police, and we talk about why she left and how she felt about leaving as well, and we talk about her experience of the training, and the type of training that she did with WithYouWithMe and her last day in the police service and we talk about the new environment and then she's asked a couple of questions from Academy members at the end. I really hope you enjoy this, and like I say, if you want to join us in The Academy, then you can just go to www.bluelightleavers.com, click on Work With Me, and you'll see The Academy drop down from there. We've had so many success stories through The Academy and I'm really proud of what we're doing, so hopefully we'll see you there. This episode is sponsored by Motor Source Group. They offer genuine, new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. To find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com You can join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for support and want to find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

I'm incredibly proud to be able to announce another collaboration with a partner offering employment opportunities to Blue Light Leavers.   Career Forces, is the brainchild of Military Veteran Andy Howe, who spent over 4 decades serving in the military and civil service. He and I met a few weeks back at an event organised by Forces Transition Group and we immediately hit it off. Career Forces are a socially responsible recruitment organisation, and a certified social enterprise, which means they donate at least 20% of their profits to charity, and they truly believe in helping and supporting those who have bravely supported our country and society, whether military or blue light. Andy Howe and Career Forces have fantastic relationships with amazing organisations and some exceptional employment opportunities, and he helps those organisations understand the benefits and character traits of military and blue light professionals. You can find out more by following this link : Career Forces and make sure you connect with Andy. He's so keen to help you find that next role, and this really is an incredible opportunity and I'm so pleased to be able to offer this to you. This episode is sponsored by Motor Source Group. They offer genuine, new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. To find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com You can join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for support and want to find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 71 of the Blue Light Leavers podcast. Luke Chadwick is a former professional footballer who made his mark as a talented midfielder during his time at Manchester United, going on to play for numerous clubs, including West Ham, Norwich City, MK Dons, Cambridge Utd and others. Known for his dedication and perseverance, he was hugely admired for his work ethic, versatility, and ability to create scoring opportunities. In this episode we talk about Luke's football career, from grassroots schoolboy to his debut for Manchester United and beyond, and the lessons he learned from his time under Sir Alex Ferguson. Luke also talks really openly about his career highs and lows and how difficult he found it coming to terms with the end of his career and loss of identity, and how he ultimately had to seek help and learn to be vulnerable and grieve. There are so many similarities between a lifelong career in sport and a career as a first responder. Post-retirement, Luke has become a respected figure in football analysis and commentary, sharing his valuable insights and experiences, and is a Director of The Football Fun Factory where their mission is to use the nation's passion for football as a vehicle for child development, and where the focus isn't simply on development or progression… they focus on having fun, and you can find out more, and potentially own your own Football Fun Factory franchise, by contacting Luke on luke@thefootballfunfactory.co.uk and mention the podcast! Luke's mindset throughout his career and post football, is so inspiring and I'm incredibly grateful for his time and honesty. This episode is sponsored by Motor Source Group. MSG offer genuine new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. I promise you; you will make savings. To find out more, go to https://www.bluelightleavers.com Don't forget, you can join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including live sessions with Andy and others who've been there and done it along with subject matter experts, talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and so much more, so if you're looking for a little more help and support and want to find out more, you can go to https://www.bluelightleavers.com/ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to episode 70 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast In this episode, I've the absolute pleasure of talking with Amanda Whittaker. Amanda is the founder of Super Simple Sleep and the Baby Sleep Support Facebook Community. In the episode, she talks us through her policing career history and some of the challenges she had being, balancing being a new mum and a police officer. She goes on to explain how she invested in herself and her knowledge, and how she's gone on to create a business, out of something that many new parents go through. She said 'It got to a point where I wasn't coping, I was so sleep deprived I couldn't function, it made my anxiety soar through the roof, I wasn't able to keep up with household chores as much as I wanted. But more than anything, I wasn't being the mother I thought I would be. Lack of patience, moody, snappy, didn't want to go anywhere, didn't have the energy to play with my son, I ended up resenting my husband for going to work as he got a break from it all. That's when I knew something had to change.' Amanda tells us how she built her business alongside her policing role, with the job's permission, and got to the point where she's been able to leave policing completely and focus on her, her family and her business. This is such an inspirational interview! Let me know what you think! This episode is sponsored by Motor Source Group. MSG offer genuine new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. I promise you; you will make savings. To find out more, go to https://www.bluelightleavers.com Don't forget, you can join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including live sessions with Andy and others who've been there and done it along with subject matter experts, talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and so much more, so if you're looking for a little more help and support and want to find out more, you can go to https://www.bluelightleavers.com/ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to episode 69 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast In this episode, I'm incredibly honoured to be speaking with Donna Ohdedar. She's the Managing Director of Review Consulting, she's a keynote public speaker, she's previously been the Head of Law for a large Metropolitan Authority, she's a safeguarding advisor and mentor, and she delivers a University Accredited programme called SILP School and you can find out more HERE. In this interview, she talks about how to become an independent consultant, delivering safeguarding and domestic homicide reviews. She explains why this is a fantastic career path for cops and we discuss all of the the sought after skills and behaviours. We also talk about the SILP programme itself and the support you'll get through the programme. This episode is sponsored by Motor Source Group. MSG offer genuine new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. I promise you; you will make savings. To find out more, go to https://www.bluelightleavers.com Don't forget, you can join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including live sessions with Andy and others who've been there and done it along with subject matter experts, talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and so much more, so if you're looking for a little more help and support and want to find out more, you can go to https://www.bluelightleavers.com/ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to episode 68 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast Today, I've got the absolute pleasure of talking with Gareth Keyte. Gareth is a former Police Officer and Royal Marine Commando, and in this episode he talks us through his policing career where he reached the rank of Detective Inspector. Whilst serving, Gareth had identified a particular process within his organisation that resulted in him having to report the issue to, and subsequently challenge a senior officer, who then made it his mission to do all he could to make Gareth's life as difficult as possible, in every possible way. It's an extraordinary and heart breaking story, and Gareth goes on to explain the impact on his mental health and the signs and symptoms that manifested themselves, as a result of the behaviour of the individual and the lack of support of the organisation. This resulted in him having to leave on ill-health retirement after 21 years service, and he talks us through his struggle with the loss of identity, his ongoing recovery and treatment, and how he's since gone on to re-train and create Oxygen Coaching Company in partnership with his wife, Dawn. He talks about the importance of being proactive in supporting your own mental health, and he talks about the importance of not relying on an overwhelmed organisation to provide the right support and how damaging the 'big boys don't cry' culture is. He also shows us that there really is life after policing and that it's a mindset shift, by learning to reject 'learned helplessness.' We also go on to talk about reactive versus proactive mental health support and what can and should be in place? This is an extraordinary interview and Gareth is so honest and open about his struggles and the challenges he's had, but it's so inspiring and he's gone on to do some amazing things, including being asked to deliver a keynote speech by senior police leaders, to the National Police Chiefs'​ Council and the Disabled Police Association about his experience and challenging and changing the toxic culture in policing. Tickets are on sale for 'Out Of The Blue' Police and Emergency Services Career Transition event on Sat 29th April 2023 at the Millennium Point, Birmingham and you can view and purchase your tickets HERE Join our one-day event for Police and Emergency Services leavers and be ready to make the change! This episode is sponsored by Motor Source Group. MSG offer genuine new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. I promise you; you will make savings. To find out more, go to https://www.bluelightleavers.com Don't forget, you can join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including live sessions with Andy and others who've been there and done it along with subject matter experts, talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and so much more, so if you're looking for a little more help and support and want to find out more, you can go to https://www.bluelightleavers.com/ You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bluelightleavers/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

In this episode I'm talking with Jo Morris. Jo is a Blue Light Leavers community member and also a member of The Academy and she's a real success story. In the last episode we spoke to Jo, Jules and James with regards to our amazing collaboration with FDM Group and Jo is a former police officer who has been through their selection process and successfully passed the training, and she's recently started a fantastic new role consulting in a Project Manager role within the Finance sector. We talk through her policing experience and reasons for leaving, and she's incredibly open and honest about what happened. We talk about how she felt and the impact the misconduct process had on her, and we talked through the first call that we had and what happened next. She talks us through the whole FDM application process that she went through and how she felt when she got that call to say she'd been successful in the application process and assessment day, and then we go through the training in detail and how intense it was and the challenges that she felt were part of that process. We talk about her placement and I really do think she's got an incredibly exciting future ahead of her. This is a brilliant interview and I'm incredibly grateful to her for being so honest and open. If you're thinking of leaving policing or other emergency service and unsure of your options, your transferable skills, the careers you can move to, the impact on your mental health, losing your identity, how to write a CV or use LinkedIn, then this event is for you. Tickets are on sale for 'Out Of The Blue' Police and Emergency Services Career Transition event on Sat 29th April 2023 at the Millennium Point, Birmingham and you can find out more by clicking HERE Join our one-day event for Police and Emergency Services leavers and be ready to make the change! This episode is sponsored by Motor Source Group. They offer genuine, new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. To find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com You can join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for support and want to find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bluelightleavers/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

I'm incredibly proud to be able announce another collaboration with a partner offering a complete career path from policing into roles which include roles within the tech industry, Project Management, project support, business and data analysts and much more, alongside consultancy careers including sectors such as finance, education, media and entertainment, life sciences, local and national government, and the beauty of this collaboration is that you actually get paid while you train! So, I'm very proud to announce that Blue Light Leavers have formed a collaboration with FDM Group, who are committed to supporting your transition. alongside fully funded training, industry-recognised qualifications, ongoing support and commercial experience, with placements into leading global companies. In this episode we talk about the application/selection process, the training that's involved and the courses provided, the salary and earning potential and loads more, including identifying your key skills that map across into numerous careers. This is an incredible opportunity and I'm so pleased to be able to offer this to Police and other Emergency Service Professionals. Tickets are on sale for 'Out Of The Blue' Police and Emergency Services Career Transition event on Sat 29th April 2023 at the Millennium Point, Birmingham and you can view and purchase your tickets HERE Join our one-day event for Police and Emergency Services leavers and be ready to make the change! This episode is sponsored by Motor Source Group. They offer genuine, new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. To find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.comYou can join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleaversThe Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for support and want to find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.comNot sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com)You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Phil is the National Conduct and Performance Lead for the Police Federation of England and Wales In this episode, Phil talks us through the whole Misconduct and Gross Misconduct end to end processes. We cover all sorts of topics and answer a load of questions from members of the Blue Light Leavers Facebook group, covering everything from, what is Misconduct and Gross Misconduct, we talk about Fed Reps and the different types of training they have. We talk through the suspension criteria, we discuss the #IOPC and why investigations can take so long and a huge range of other topics, including the recent survey results, current Pol Fed priorities, retention and the impact of the mental heath and PTSD, along with the impact of a 20% cut in salaries in real terms under this Government, and the fact that some forces are having to open food banks to support officers. Phil also raises the shocking statistic that on average, there are 110 officers assaulted EVERY single day! That's absolutely staggering! I'm incredibly grateful to Phil for his time and expert knowledge, as he's exceptionally busy and he was incredibly open, honest and helpful. Early Bird tickets are now on sale for 'Out Of The Blue' event on Sat 29th April 2023 at the Millennium Point, Birmingham and you can view and purchase your tickets HERE Join our one-day event for Police and Emergency Services leavers and be ready to make the change! This episode is sponsored by Motor Source Group. They offer genuine, new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. To find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com You can join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for support and want to find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bluelightleavers/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Please be aware, we cover the topic of suicide in this episode. Welcome to Episode 64 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast Today, I've the absolute pleasure of talking with Lorna Reeves. Lorna is the founder of MyOhMy Wedding and MyOhMy Events and in this episode, we talk about her 15 years career in the police service as a Crime Scene Investigator through to a senior staff role and about her reasons for leaving, some of the incidents she attended, and the challenges that created. We talk about how she found her niche in 2019/20 and how business was booming... and then Covid hit and all weddings were cancelled, effectively crippling the business overnight. We then talk about how she pivoted and the huge amount of work that she did to become a subject matter expert, and how she's gone on to create another incredible organisation, MyOhMy Events, using all the skills and experience from her previous career and business ownership, and both are now absolutely flying. It's an incredibly exciting and inspirational interview and Lorna is just so lovely to speak to. We talk about the impact of being a business owner and how it's positively impacted her mental health and well-being, and we also talk about how to create those ideas and find something that might be a good business idea for you. I'm also incredibly proud to announce that we've asked Lorna to help us plan and deliver the Out Of The Blue event on Sat 29th April at the Millennium Point, Birmingham. Tickets go on sale this week, so keep an eye out! This episode is sponsored by Motor Source Group. Motor Source Group offer genuine new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. To find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com/partners You can join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been where you are, along with subject matter experts talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and much more, so if you're looking for support and want to find out more, you can go to www.bluelightleavers.com/academy Not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bluelightleavers/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 63 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast Today's guest is Oliver Laurence, who is a managing partner at ionasia, and an award-winning expert in security, intelligence, investigations and crisis management. In this interview, Oli shares his journey from policing, into the Security, Intelligence and Crisis Management sector. He discusses the skills he gained in frontline roles, predominantly policing remote roles in the Australian outback, that helped him create his own business, the qualifications he took, his first roles outside policing, and how he transitioned into the security sector, and he also provides insights into the Security, Intelligence and Crisis Management Sector as a career path. We talk different roles that are a good fit for cops and how you can position yourself to make that transition into the private sector. Oli is also the host of the Protect and Serve podcast. In this interview, he talks candidly about his journey and shares his wealth of knowledge, successes and experience with us. This episode is sponsored by the brilliant Motor Source Group. Motor Source Group offer genuine new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. To find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com/partners Don't forget, you can join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including weekly live sessions with Andy and others who've been there and done it along with subject matter experts, talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and so much more, so if you're looking for a little more help and support and want to find out more, you can go to www.bluelightleavers.com/academy If you're not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bluelightleavers/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 62 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast Nic is a former police officer who left policing after 14 years to move into the banking industry and after a few years in banking investigations, came to the realisation that she needed something that had much greater earning potential, was much more aligned with her personality, where she could use her creativity, work to her strengths and find a role and organisation that matched her values. After a call to talk this through, Nic came to work with me as a 1-2-1 client. In this interview, we talk through her policing career and career in banking, and her catalysts for leaving, and then flipping into a career that's completely different from anything she's ever done before. Nic talks about how the skills and experience that she picked up within policing and banking, are helping her now in her role as Public Sector Sales Manager for Synalogik, (winners of the Queens' Award for Innovation 2022). We talk through the one-to-one process and the work we did together, and we talk through the type of roles, the organisations we were looking at. This is just such a brilliant interview, it really is. Nic was so coachable, it was just an absolute pleasure to work with her and it's amazing to see her so happy, and she also talks about things outside work that have such a massive influence on her and well-being, what she loves doing, and it's just such an inspirational interview. The key message here is that you don't have to follow the most obvious career path. Your skills and experience are absolutely valued in the private sector. This episode is sponsored by the brilliant Motor Source Group. Motor Source Group offer genuine new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. I promise you; you will make savings. To find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com/partners Don't forget, you can join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including live sessions with Andy and others who've been there and done it along with subject matter experts, talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and so much more, so if you're looking for a little more help and support and want to find out more, you can go to www.bluelightleavers.com/academy If you're not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bluelightleavers/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to the Special Bonus Episode of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast Some of you who are a bit more eagle-eyed will have seen that Western Australia put an advert out advertising for international recruits, so basically, international transferees, and I was really fortunate to get contacted by someone who had a mate who did exactly that. Today's episode is with Haydn Farrow. Haydn is a former UK police officer, and he is now a Senior Sergeant with Western Australia Police. In this episode, we talk about the roles he had in the UK and the process that he went through to make that transfer across to Western Australia, 9 years ago. He talks about the conversations they had with family, and we also talk about salary and how it compares to UK salary, quality of life and lifestyle. We also talk about pensions, the move itself and the logistics, as well and finding accommodation and where to live, and how to do that research. We talk about the job, culture and the culture fit in the first few months of being in a new role in a new country, and we talk about some of the amazing benefits of being an officer in Western Australia, and I've got to be honest, I was more than a little jealous. At the time of recording, they're still recruiting, so if you want to check it out, you can go to letsjoinforces.wa/gov.au and at the top, you've got a tab there that says Join the Team, then click through and there is International Transition - Transition Officer International, and there's a whole section that tells if you're eligible, and it talks you through the recruitment process, training at the Academy, and the job itself. If you're interested in finding out more, you can also email the recruitment team on international.recruiting@police.wa.gov.au. This episode is sponsored by the brilliant Motor Source Group, which, like Blue Light Leavers, is a very proud sponsor of the Emergency Services Football League. Motor Source Group offer genuine new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel. I promise you; you will make savings. To find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com/partners You can visit the website at www.bluelightleavers.com and join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including live sessions with Andy and others who've been there and done it, along with subject matter experts, talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and so much more at a ridiculously low price. You can find out more at www.bluelightleavers.com/academy If you're not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 61 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast Now, this one really is a bit special, and this is going to help a huge amount of people. Today, we're talking pensions and we're really fortunate to be speaking to Rob Heath. Rob is a former police officer who retired due to ill-health after 23 years' service, and he's now the lead financial advisor for 3nines Financial Planning, and they offer bespoke financial planning for Police and Emergency Services personnel, and Rob is a Police pensions expert. He delivers pension presentations across the UK and he's just an all-round, lovely bloke. Now the challenge we have here is that a lot of advice and guidance is based on your personal circumstances, and your personal goals and needs, so we've tried to answer all of the pension related questions that were asked within the Blue Light Leavers Group. We've also tried to deal with some common themes and do some myth-busting. In this episode we talk about that sweet spot of when you should or could go, we talk about the 87/06 and 2015 pension schemes and we also talk about the some of the really bad advice, such as retiring a day before your 55th birthday, and we talk about the risks associated with opting out of the 2015 scheme and we also talk about the pension trap. We also cover those with less than two years' service who decide that policing isn't for them, and the options they have in terms of getting access to their contributions. We talk about why having 25 years' service and being aged 50 is becoming much more relevant, and we also talk about becoming a financial advisor as a career path, and something that Rob talks about is the Aspiring Advisor Program. You can contact Rob through info@3nines.co.uk The value of an investment of St. James's Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds selected and may fall as well as rise. You may get back less than the amount invested. The levels and bases of taxation and reliefs from taxation can change at any time and are dependent on individual circumstances. 3Nines is a trading name of Eight Wealth Management Ltd, who are an Appointed Representative of and represent only St. James's Place Wealth Management plc, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. SJP Approved 18/11/22 Don't forget, you can also visit the website at www.bluelightleavers.com and join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including live sessions with Andy and others who've been there and done it along with subject matter experts, talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and so much more. DOORS ARE NOW OPEN after 3 months of no new application, so if you're looking for a lot more help and support at a ridiculously low price and want to find out more, you can go to www.bluelightleavers.com/academy If you're not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 60 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast Today I'm talking to Jamie Stenton, who is a former police officer and now, Marketing Director of Lilac James, who are a Digital Marketing specialist agency. In this interview, we talked through Jamie's policing career and the roles, skills and experience he picked up in the way, and we also talk about the tipping point when he realised that the additional pressure, timescales, responsibilities and relative salary increase, really wasn't worth it, and there had to be easier ways. During this time, he was developing a family business alongside his day job, and the support he got through, Shifts to Success and Alexander Seery. We talk about the day in the life of the type of work that he actually does now, and we talk through the changes and benefits of being a business owner and getting some control back in his life. He helps signpost some courses and people to follow on Facebook if this is an area that interests you, and we also talk about the importance of investing in your own success and future. This episode is sponsored by the brilliant Motor Source Group, which, like Blue Light Leavers, is a very proud sponsor of the Emergency Services Football League. I've met CEO Steve Thornton a number of times now, I've interviewed him for the podcast and also met the team and been up to their head office and they're just a really lovely bunch of people who are genuinely doing the right thing and doing their bit to say thanks. Motor Source Group offer genuine new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. They also work closely with the Police Federation and with NARPO and they deliver direct to your door. I promise you; you will make savings. To find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com/partners Don't forget, you can also visit the website at www.bluelightleavers.com and join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including live sessions with Andy and others who've been there and done it along with subject matter experts, talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and so much more. DOORS ARE NOW OPEN after 3 months of no new application, so if you're looking for a little more help and support and want to find out more, you can go to www.bluelightleavers.com/academy If you're not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bluelightleavers/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 59 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast Ian Grant is a former police officer who's now a Senior Lecturer at a very well-known and hugely respected University, having left school with no qualifications. He talks us through his police career, we talk about the conversations we had towards the end of his service and coming to terms with that transition, along with the interview processes that he went through for his first role, and how things have just exploded and expanded for him from that point. This is all with a backdrop of a really significant health condition, so this episode comes with a bit of a warning that it is quite graphic in places with regards to the type of medical condition he has. We also talk about some of the skills and behaviours required for the role, and he gives some amazing advice about what to do and how to plan a year or so before you leave, the importance of networking and how it's had a massive impact on his career success, post-policing. This episode is sponsored by the brilliant Motor Source Group, which, like Blue Light Leavers, is a very proud sponsor of the Emergency Services Football League. I've met CEO Steve Thornton a number of times now, I've interviewed him for the podcast and also met the team and been up to their head office and they're just a really lovely bunch of people who are genuinely doing the right thing and doing their bit to say thanks. Motor Source Group offer genuine new car discounts to serving and retired emergency services personnel, including Police, NHS, Fire and Rescue, and the Prison Service. They're completely independent, offering a full range of makes and models, and are rated excellent by their customers on Trustpilot. They also work closely with the Police Federation and with NARPO and they deliver direct to your door. I promise you; you will make savings. To find out more, go to www.bluelightleavers.com/partners Don't forget, you can also visit the website at www.bluelightleavers.com and join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including live sessions with Andy and others who've been there and done it along with subject matter experts, talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and so much more. Doors open again soon, so if you're looking for a little more help and support and want to find out more, you can go to www.bluelightleavers.com/academy If you're not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bluelightleavers/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 58 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast In this episode, I'm talking to Steve Thornton. Steve is a multiple business owner and he's the co-founder and CEO of 3 organisations including Motor Source Group and Forces Cars Direct. Now, you may have heard of them as they're trusted and preferred partners for NARPO and the Police Federation, and I'm very proud to say that they are the new sponsors of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast Today, I talk to Steve about his background, his troubled childhood and his military career and we also discuss the transition from the military to civvie life, and we also discussed how he went about creating his businesses. Steve is really candid, honest and open about some of the challenges he had, particularly around leadership, managing others after the military, and that transition from the military into civvie street. We also talk about what's really important to Steve in terms of the core values and behaviours that he looks for in his employees. We discuss problem-solving and that initial setup, and we talk about some of the massive challenges that he had along the way. In this interview, we talk through transition, through leadership, and business ownership. There are some fantastic things to learn here, and I'm very proud that they are the new sponsors of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast. Don't forget, you can also visit the website at www.bluelightleavers.com and join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including live sessions with Andy and others who've been there and done it along with subject matter experts, talking CVs, LinkedIn, interviews and so much more. Doors open again soon, so if you're looking for a little more help and support and want to find out more, you can email me at andy@bluelightleavers.com If you're not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bluelightleavers/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 57 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast. Raising Awareness of the Impact of Perinatal Mental Health with Jen Sharpling Jen is a Sergeant in the Metropolitan Police and she's the National Lead for Perinatal Mental Health which is a workstream under the National Family Support Group. She runs the national team and does all she can to ensure there's support for women and their partners for issues relating to perinatal mental health, she gives talks to raise awareness and also talks about her own personal journey. Now, in this episode, we talk about the signs and symptoms of perinatal mental health and postnatal depression, the impact on mum and the impact on partners. We also talk about the help and support that's available. Perinatal mental health and post-natal depression has a huge impact on relationships at home, friendships, and also how parents feel about returning to work, and what I really wanted to do was highlight the amazing work that Jen is doing to help raise awareness. Don't forget, you can also visit the website and at www.bluelightleavers.com and join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers, gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including live sessions with Andy and others who've been there and done it along with subject matter experts, talking CV's, LinkedIn, interviews and so much more. Doors open again soon, so if you're looking for a little more help and support and want to find out more, you can email me at andy@bluelightleavers.com If you're not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bluelightleavers/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 56 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast. Today I'm talking to Hannah Bailey. Hannah is a former police officer and is the founder of the Blue Light Wellbeing, she is a psychotherapist in Brain Working Recursive Therapy (BWRT), she's a Well-Being Life Coach, she holds qualifications in mindfulness-based stress reduction, counselling PTSD, and Reconnective Healing. In this interview, we talk about her time in the police and being diagnosed with cancer... twice.. and how going through the toughest of times and major life threatening adversity, helped her identify her passion and a new career path. We talk about why she chose to resign and the impact that decision had on her, and then the interview goes two ways. We talk about Psychotherapy and Coaching as a possible career path, and then we talk about the positive impact that this type of therapy can have on you, how it helps and what Hannah can do for you. She's a true Subject Matter Expert, and we are incredibly lucky to have her in the Blue Light Leavers group and The Academy. Don't forget, you can also visit the website and at www.bluelightleavers.com and join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers The Academy Membership from Blue Light Leavers, gives you all the help you need to find your new role or career, including live sessions with Andy and others who've been there and done it along with subject matter experts, talking CV's LinkedIn, interviews and so much more. Doors open again later in September, so if you're looking for a little more help and support and want to find out more, you can email me at andy@bluelightleavers.com If you're not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bluelightleavers/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 55 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast. Return to Policing or Follow Your Heart with former Police Officer Sophie Leone If you're going on maternity/paternity leave or considering your options when your period of leave is up, then this is for you. If your partner is close to the point of returning to work after maternity or paternity leave, this interview will give you a real insight into the way many forces treat returning parents and the challenges and inner turmoil, parents or carers returning after maternity/paternity leave go through. I loved this interview. Sophie has such a lovely gentle, calming aura about her and shares her story so openly, from Detective Sergeant to parent, maternity leave and career break, yoga instructor, author, speaker, and performer and it's another hugely inspiring interview. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Don't forget, you can also visit the website and blog at www.bluelightleavers.com and join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers If you're not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bluelightleavers/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 54 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast. Today I'm talking to Kul Mahay. Now, Kul is a genuine force of nature and inspirational leader. He completed 30 years in policing, reaching the rank of Temporary Chief Superintendent and since leaving in 2015, he's gone on to do some extraordinary things. He delivers leadership training to senior execs and organisations globally, helping them to build highly emotional and social intelligent cultures, really focusing on inclusivity, communications and performance. He's the founder of the Create and Speak Programme and founder of Ignite Your Inner Potential events. He's an author, he is the co-creator of a new policing drama TV series, and he's also a podcast host. To be fair, there's not a huge amount that he doesn't do. You're going to really enjoy this I promise. Don't forget, you can also visit the website and at www.bluelightleavers.com and join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers If you're not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bluelightleavers/message --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Welcome to Episode 53 of the Blue Light Leavers Podcast. Now I'm sure if you're like me, there are certain times during your working life, where you come to a crossroads and need to make a decision about what you're going to do next. This episode will be particularly relevant for those of you that are considering a career break or have actually taken a career break and are maybe thinking about coming back and what to do. The theme throughout this episode is about taking risks, and being brave, and what if it all works out... Today I'm talking with Justine Banks, who is a former Metropolitan Police Officer, who did exactly that. They had a real life changing decision to make, and they stepped out of their comfort zone. It's not all been easy for them, and they've been through some really tough times but it just goes to show, that if you do need to take some time out, that you can come back and you can flourish and continue to grow. Justine is now working for a fantastic global organisation called Pinkerton who are a Detective and Risk Management Agency. She explains more about her role and the organisation and the journey that took her there, via Singapore and Dubai! This is an episode that may mess with your head but it's all about, taking risks, being brave and what if it all works out. Don't forget, you can also visit the website and blog on www.bluelightleavers.com and join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers If you're not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

This episode is a bit different, and some of you may find it a little challenging, and I really want you to please listen to this with an open mind. I get contacted very regularly by cops who are going through the disciplinary process, or who've been through the process and sanctioned in some way, or in fact, dismissed as a result of a Gross Misconduct finding. I do take it on a case by case basis, but I do actually support a lot of cops who have been through that process, and I've helped them to find new careers, and I know for some of you, that's going to be a bit difficult to swallow. I want you to listen to this officer's story. I'm not going to give any details, and obviously it's anonymous and we don't talk about any organisations, but I think it'll be really interesting for you. If you're going through the process, or you've been through the process and have absolutely no idea what it is you're going to do next, I just want to give you a bit of hope and belief, that whatever happened at that time doesn't have to define you... that doesn't mean that's it for the rest of your life. Have a listen to this and please feel free to contact me and feed back any comments or thoughts through andy@bluelightleavers.com Don't forget, you can also visit the website and blog on www.bluelightleavers.com and join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers If you're not sure what roles you can do after the police, check this out: 'What jobs can I do after the Police?' Scorecard (scoreapp.com) You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Building on the last episode with CEO and joint founder Tom Moore of the Tech company, WithYouWithMe, in today's episode, I'm speaking with a former police officer, Samantha Gillison. Samantha is a graduate of the WithYouWithMe programme and has an incredible new role as a result, and her experience of the programme, from skills profiling, through to training, finding employment and onboarding, has been exceptional. Rather than feeling penalised for having a chronic illness and having to leave the job after 7 years, WYWM and her new employers have embraced her differences, and understand the challenges faced by those suffering from chronic illnesses. Samantha started working closely with an organisation called Astriid.org. Astriid are an amazing organisation that help bridge the gap between the Invisible Talent Pool (people with chronic illnesses who wish to pursue volunteering or employment), and the UK skills crisis, and they suggested undertaking training new skills with WithYouWithMe. Samantha has now completed her training and has been offered a really exciting new tech role with Northrop Grumman, who design, develop, build and support some of the world's most advanced products, from cutting-edge aircraft and next-generation spacecraft to unrivalled cyber security systems and all-seeing radars. Her story is truly inspirational and actually choked me up during the interview. I hope you enjoy! Don't forget, you can also visit the website and blog on www.bluelightleavers.com and join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

* FREE TECH CAREER TRAINING AND SKILLS PROFILING FOR BLL MEMBERS AND PODCAST LISTENERS * To celebrate the 50th episode of the Blue Light Leavers podcast which has just gone live, I'm incredibly proud and happy to announce that my guest on the episode, the co-founder of one of the fastest growing Start-Ups and Social Impact Companies in the world, Tom Moore, is offering free tech skills profiling and Accredited Technology training programmes to the Police, Law Enforcement and Emergency Service Professionals in the UK, North America and Australia, through a collaboration with Blue Light Leavers and WithYouWithMe. WithYouWithMe is a social impact company, founded by military veterans, and helps organisations identify and fill gaps in their tech capability by matching them with jobseekers who are trained and ready to grow into their potential and I'm incredibly proud to be working alongside them. 'Discover your skills and the right career pathway for you based on your potential, not your experience.' 'Become new career-ready in under 100 hours through their online training platform.' 'Stand out to WYWM partnered employers with a single application and endless career opportunities.' 'Realise your potential, master your craft and continue learning for the rest of your life.' The courses offered include: Project Management Cyber Security Software Development Automation Data Analytics and more Listen to the episode to find out more and go to www.bluelightleavers.com/withyouwithme Episode links in the comments below. FOR TRANSPARENCY, I'M NOT RECEIVING ANY FINANCIAL INCENTIVE OR BENEFIT WHATSOEVER Don't forget, you can also visit the website and blog on www.bluelightleavers.com and join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

It feels so good to be back! New role means I have more time to do the stuff I love, including being back recording amazing podcast interviews to help guide and inspire you to find new careers, outside of the emergency services and prison service. In this episode, I'm talking to a former police officer, Neil Whitbread. Neil is incredibly honest about the challenges he faced coming to terms with leaving the police and how lost he felt, but he's since gone on to do incredible things, including setting up a recruitment company and he's now am Investigations, Intelligence and Risk Advisory Specialist to the Football Industry across the UK and Europe. Many of you will relate to how Neil felt and this will really help you I promise! Don't forget, you can also visit the website and blog on www.bluelightleavers.com and join the private Facebook Group via www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

From Policing to Child Exploitation Project Manager with Nikki Holmes Now some of you may have noticed that the gap between episode 47 and 48 has been a bit longer than usual, and many of you will know I took on a new role at the end of March and it's a massive role and it's taken a lot of getting used to and getting my head round. We also have a business interest outside of that which has needed some time and attention and I wanted to make sure everyone inside the Blue Light Leavers group was in a good place and subsequently the podcast was just one of the things I had to drop for a little while. However, we're back with a bang and I've some amazing guests lined up over the next few weeks and months. My guest today is incredible. The story and the journey that she's been on is so inspiring. Nikki is a freelance consultant and owner of Safer Together, and is currently a Child Exploitation Project Manager with Coventry and Rugby CCG (NHS). In this interview, we talk about her current role and her time in the Police and we discuss her reasons why she wanted a career change and the key skills she identified that she was able to across to her new role. She also spent time with the Care Quality Commission and more recently, she's developed her own consultancy. We talk about the power of networking and using LinkedIn and she also gives some great advice with regards to a training course that she strongly recommends, if you want to follow in her footsteps. She gives so much insight and passes on so much knowledge, I know you'll get loads from this interview. Don't forget, you can also visit the website and blog on www.bluelightleavers.com and download my free UPDATED guide to LinkedIn for Police Officers! You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Sexism Stops Here! Challenging the System! For anyone that's been through or going through the grievance procedure, an employment tribunal or ill-health retirement, you'll know how arduous a journey it is and the impact it has. Today I'm talking with Rhona Malone.  Rhona is a former officer from Police Scotland and joined the job as a single mum of 3 kids. She had a great career and really enjoyed what she was doing, working with some fantastic people. A little later in her service, she qualified as a firearms officer and joined the firearms team. Now she tells the story far better than I ever could, which you'll pick up from the intro, however suffice to say, she had to retire on ill-health and is taking the force to an employment tribunal which takes place in August 2021. Rhona has been through an incredibly challenging time and this is a really hard hitting interview. I know from experience of supporting 2 officers through the employment tribunal process, that it takes a massive toll on your mental health, takes such a long time and also has a massive impact financially and Rhona has shown such resilience. Rhona's story is truly inspirational and with the support of Blue Light Leavers and key members of the group, and also the Police Firearms Officers Association, Rhona has since gone on to do amazing things, including owning her own business as a Property Personal Assistant. Rhona is now also supporting other female officers who've been subjected to sexual discrimination and victimisation and she gives details in the episode of how to connect. It was 30C when we recorded the episode, so please excuse the birds singing in the background as I recorded outside of the 50C studio!  You can also visit the website and blog on www.bluelightleavers.com and download my free NEW and UPDATED guide to LinkedIn for Police Officers for 2021! You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops! Don't forget you can also join our Private Facebook group at: www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers If you like what you've heard, please subscribe, hit 5* and leave a review and share with your friends and colleagues and come and join us in our Private Facebook Group. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

From Policing to TV Documentaries In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of catching up with an old colleague of mine, Ashley Turner. Alongside being a cop, Ash is actually a staggeringly talented professional close up magician. He was mid service, when, for a number of reasons, he decided to take a career break but after a year, got told that he had to come back or resign. Ash returned to the job but realised that it was no longer a good fit and applied for a role with Channel 4 Despatches, not for one moment, thinking he'd be successful. Ash talks us through the selection process, the moment he found out he'd been successful and the incredible programmes he's both produced and featured in since. He also explains why the TV industry could actually be a really good fit for some former cops, if you have certain personal attributes! It was so good catching up with him and you'll get an idea of the quality of this episode from the intro alone. You can also visit the website and blog on www.bluelightleavers.com and download my free NEW and UPDATED guide to LinkedIn for Police Officers for 2021! You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops! Don't forget you can also join our Private Facebook group at: www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers If you like what you've heard, please subscribe, hit 5* and leave a review and share with your friends and colleagues and come and join us in our Private Facebook --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

In this episode, I had the absolute honour of speaking with Nick Bailey. Nick is a former Wiltshire Police Detective Sergeant who was a victim of the Novichok nerve agent attack in Salisbury in March 2018. During this interview, Nick talks really openly and candidly about what occurred on that day, and the impact that it had on him and his family over the coming weeks and months. We talk about his return to work and the challenges he faced with the ill-health process. We also talk about the press and publicity and the impact that's had on him and his family as a result of what occurred and we actually look back and reflect on what happened and you'll be surprised at the positives that have come out of such an incredible incident. We also talk about what's next for Nick. I promise, this is such a great interview and a real privilege to hear what actually happened on the 4th March 2018. You can also visit the website and blog on www.bluelightleavers.com and download my free NEW and UPDATED guide to LinkedIn for Police Officers for 2021! You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops! Don't forget you can also join our Private Facebook group at: www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers If you like what you've heard, please subscribe, hit 5* and leave a review and share with your friends and colleagues and come and join us in our Private Facebook --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message

Today, I'm talking with Karen Connell. Karen is the founder and CEO of Hunter Protection, she's a globally renowned consultant and advisor, with unrivalled expertise in the Security Sector.  In this episode we talk about her upbringing and her corporate career and we talk about her experiences of having good and bad protection officers and being on the receiving end of good and poor practice and the difference between the two. We talk about how and why she set up Hunter Protection and that as a result of her unique selling proposition, she now has clients such as Shell, Coca Cola, Johnson and Johnson and many more. Alongside this, she also teaches communication and influencing skills to the British Army.  We talk about what she's doing to disrupt a very male dominated industry and the challenges she faces and Karen also talks about the importance of connections and leveraging those relationships and we talk about the opportunities for both sexes in the industry and how it's changing and evolving for the better.  We talk about the right courses and qualifications to take, the stand out skills (which will surprise you!), and how to make your profile and CV unmissable. We also get some insight into the whole selection process.  You can also visit the website and blog on www.bluelightleavers.com and download my free NEW and UPDATED guide to LinkedIn for Police Officers for 2021! You can listen to the podcast on shift, walking the dog, pottering about, and do it on your phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet, anywhere and whenever suits you, pause and play and they're all completely free! You can now even ask Alexa to 'Play Blue Light Leavers Podcast' and up it pops! Don't forget you can join our Private Facebook group at: www.facebook.com/groups/bluelightleavers If you like what you've heard, please subscribe, hit 5* and leave a review and share with your friends and colleagues and come and join us in our Private Facebook Group. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bluelightleavers/message