The Grit Podcast: with Dr. Ben Peery

I speak with Josh Moore, combat Marine, former SWAT and law enforcement officer with Orange County Police Department, husband and father of two young girls and head of sales of a tech startup company called INVI Mindhealth™.  Josh and I formed a friendship over the past year when I joined INVI as their medical director.  I first heard Josh's story as he spoke last summer in front of a large SWAT audience, recounting a series of horrific firefights at a forward operating base in Afghanistan, where he suffered the loss of two of his friends Geno Mills and Hunter Hogan.  Josh joins us to share his full story, from leaving home after high school, graduation from the Marine Corps, and deployment to Afghanistan in 2012.  During the months of deployment, he details the ominous buildup of enemy forces around their outpost culminating in a sudden series of ambushes against an overwhelming force.  With terrifying granularity, he describes each crystalized second of the attack, enemy bullets snapping over his head, returning machine gun fire to protect his team mates, and how in the span of 3 minutes, his platoon was nearly overrun and Geno Mills was mortally wounded.  Then, already reeling from grief, the following day, while leading his platoon on patrol, Josh and his team are attacked again, and Hunter Hogan was killed by sniper fire. Josh was 19 years old.  The ghosts of that deployment in Afghanistan haunted him, and struggling with severe depression, Josh left the Marine Corps.  He tried to balance reentry into the civilian world, a young family, and a new career in law enforcement and SWAT.  But like so many veterans of combat, Josh fought a 20-year war with PTSD, depression and substance dependence.  His incredible narrative is a journey of loss, reckoning, and ultimately of healing.   Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth™ have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health and wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ You can check out Jonathan's episode as a guest on the Shawn Ryan Show podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shawn-ryan-show/id1492492083?i=1000646864307   2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the online resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. 3.  Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB    

This is an episode with two hunting friends, local law enforcement officer Cam Daniels and financial advisor Matt Cova.  We recap our elk hunting season, from the planning, strategy, tactics to the deep relationships we share with our hunting partners.  Cam and Matt discuss harvesting a bull elk this November that Cam killed in the deep Colorado backcountry and called Matt late in the day to help him, and what that whole process entailed.  We discuss the pact that we share during hunting season- willing to drop everything, grab a pack filled with survival gear, drive into a winter snowstorm, hike into a deep canyon to help each other process and bushwack out with 100 lb of elk meat on our backs.  We reflect on the imperative of friendship, trust and resilience and how the saturation of our lives with stressors must be counterbalanced by grounding elements.  There is something deeply impactful about how we feel transformed and cleansed by chasing elk with a bow or rifle, the austerity, concentration, and ancient connection with our ancestors and how we regret when the hunt finally ends and we must step back into our comfortable worlds.     Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB   Follow Doc Askins' podcast, purchase his book and join his Anti-Hero Journey: https://www.antiherosjourney.com/podcast/episode/2806cc05/dr-matthew-wall-phd-mri-rock-star   1  

Thrilled to be back sharing podcasts with you all! I reflect on stepping away from the podcast, the processes of reflection, seeking validation and letting go.  I am deeply grateful to my guests and listeners for their constant support, and cannot wait for this year's lineup of amazing people, bravely sharing their insights.  We walk this road together. Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety.  

Dr. Sudip Bose joins us, ED physician, Iraq war combat veteran, medical director, professor and entrepreneur to share his insights about the experience of going to war as a doctor.  Sudip reflects on how he managed the strain of his work under enemy fire by focusing on a powerful voice that he calls his "inner army." That voice stepped into the half-space between fear and action to help him complete his mission of saving lives.  We discuss mental health, and the paradox in the first responder and military communities of focusing on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as the expected outcome of the work, while ignoring the isolation that is the root of depression and suicide.  Dr. Bose is featured in a new Amazon Prime TV series about working as an ED doctor in a busy West Texas trauma center called "Desert Doc."  The show highlights his journey from the deserts of Iraq to the desert background of Odessa, Texas and blends video from his combat deployments with the incredible footage of actual emergencies in one of the busiest trauma centers in the US.  Sudip talks about the imperative of seeking balance, de-emphasizing outcomes, finding happiness in habituation and focusing on the broader mission of helping others to balance stress.   Please enjoy the trailer for the new Amazon TV series "Desert Doc" featuring Dr. Sudip Bose and watch full episodes to support his front line work! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTcJPmhwpCc Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety.   Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB   You can find Jimmy Hatch's incredible book Touching the Dragon here and on Amazon: https://spikesk9fund.org/products/touching-the-dragon-and-other-techniques-for-surviving-lifes-wars https://www.amazon.com/Touching-Dragon-Other-Techniques-Surviving-ebook/dp/B0755ZYGRK    

George Gjersfold is a veteran firefighter and engineer, lifeguard and movie set safety officer who reflects on years of service in the chaos of urban Los Angeles.  George reflects on an incredible array of lifeguard and fire service work and the accumulated scars, from the tragic loss of his mother to suicide while working a shift, to the horrific traumatic death of an infant.  SHADE is a firefighter mneumonic for how George learned to approach an emergency which stands for: Stabilization, Hazard, Access/Assist, Disentanglement and Extrication, and became a mantra for surviving his work as a first responder.  But, a threat assesment mindset also creates endless hypervigilance which can impact our life outside of the work.  George shares how by staying connected, imbedding small spiritual rituals and focusing on gratitude, he learned how to extricate himself from that hypervigilance and years of imbedded trauma.      Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. Follow Doc Askins' podcast, purchase his book and join his Anti-Hero Journey in the exploration of mental resiliency: https://www.antiherosjourney.com/podcast/episode/2806cc05/dr-matthew-wall-phd-mri-rock-star Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB    

With flames from a massive forest fire closing in, young volunteer firefighter Zach Holmes and his partner lay down in the ashes of their backburn, certain that they were going to die.  What does it feel like to face your own death as a first responder?  Zach takes us through the incredible experience of how he survived this fire.  During a 14-year career as a paramedic and firefighter with Cheney Fire Department, Zach faced two more near-death experiences.  But his survival had just begun. First responders, front line workers and military veterans are asked to place themselves in imminent danger all the time, often sacrificing their own safety to save the lives of those they are asked to serve.  Such a sacrifice comes at an immense cost, as these men and women suffer severe depression, PTSD and substance use disorder.  With bravery and deep insight, Zach guides us through his own healing journey from severe PTSD.  As a single father of four, he realized he was reacting with irrational anger with his children and in a deep crisis.  He tried unsuccessfully to seek therapy and finally in desperation, called his Battalion Chief for help.  Together, they were able to locate a support group of other fire fighters and police officers who met regularly with a trauma-base therapist.  In that safe environment, Zach began to heal.  Zach and I discuss how first responders often suppress their mental health decline, and the imperative of reaching out for help before it is too late.   Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. 3. Survive First is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, whose mission is to assist active duty and retired first responders and families who need mental health support from the impact of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, and substance abuse.  https://survivefirst.us/get-help/      

I am headed back to work as an Emergency Physician after a 2-year hiatus and discuss some of the interventions that have made that possible.  I recount what it felt like on my first shift, and how dropping in on a difficult airway case reminded me that some things never change. I discuss numerous adaptations I made to my mindset, diet, daily practices and spiritual homeostasis to be able to return to work.  I review how psychedilics, trauma-based therapy, and supplements have been helpful as healing tools along with the absolute imperatives of imbedding gentleness, gratitude and connection in my life.   Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ Please listen to Joinathan's incredible story on the Shawn Ryan Show- he reveals deep insights about his mental health struggles and mission to bring objective measurement of mental health to the veteran and first responder communities.  The episode is imbedded here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shawn-ryan-show/id1492492083?i=1000646864307 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety.  

I speak with Dr Kurt Pappenfus, rural emergency medicine physician, about his amazing 35-year medical career and adventures as an alpine expedition physician, medical team leader on a movie set, and master falconeer.  Kurt has worked in austere environments all over the world, from the peaks of the Himalayas and Alps, to the windswept mountains and plains of the American West, and shares his insights about the unique challenges of rural medicine.  In 2019, Kurt and his wife settled in Cheyenne Wells, on Colorado's Eastern plains where he worked as one of the only physicians caring for farming community patients across hundreds of square miles.  In 2020, Kurt was stricken with COVID pneumonia, and battled back from a prolonged ICU hospitalization with COVID pneumonia in 2020 and subsequent long-COVID syndrome.  The impact of his absence from the Cheyenne Wells community was deeply felt and highlights how much rural America depends on sparse medical resources and a dedicated medical corps.  Kurt has returned to his rural practice, and we talk about the imperatives of embracing gratitude, connectivity and spending time in the natural world for preserving longevity in medicine.  Dr Pappenfus' story and recovery from COVID was covered by NPR:  https://www.npr.org/2020/12/01/940697524/the-ripple-effect-of-1-rural-colorado-doctor-catching-the-coronavirus Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety.    

In March of 2023 Dr. Cunningham stood in front of a packed house as the Presidential Speaker at the Academy of Academic Surgeon's annual meeting and gave a speech entitled "Removing the Mask" where she revealed her incredible battle with addiction and severe depression. Carrie is a mother, Harvard endocrine surgeon and NIH-funded researcher and risked her professional, and personal reputation to frame the conversation about mental health and addiction to a traditionally stoic group of medical providers with her own journey.  In her speech, she shared how profoundly the tragic suicide of a dear friend and colleague impacted her own mental health and highlighted the startling reality of suicide in the medical world.  Her incredible story brought the discussion of mental health in the medical world out of the shadows and to the forefront of medical education and institutions across the country.  We discuss that medicine encourages grit over vulnerability which can compound self-doubt, fear and isolation into severe depression. Carrie discusses how embracing sobriety, meditation and wellness practices and by priotizing her mental health as a precious assett she rejuvenated her career as an attending endocrine surgeon and academic researcher.  She shares how the beautiful sanskrit word "mitra" reminds her to seek light, harmony and abundance, sometimes forgotten in the strain of our medical world.    Please watch and share Dr. Cunningham's 2023 AAS Presidential Address Removing the Mask":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaNBH4UPHv4   Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  We are available on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Pandora and iHeart Radio.   Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please follow me and reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. 3. Survive First is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, whose mission is to assist active duty and retired first responders and families who need mental health support from the impact of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, and substance abuse.  https://survivefirst.us/get-help/    

After travelling to South Africa to visit my mother and brother Jess Peery, Jess and I sit down to talk about Mom's worsening memory, the impacts for her of imbedded trauma after the death of her parents as a young girl, and what she now finds most important in her life.  Jess shares insights after years as a psychedelic practitioner on mental health, psychedelics and the paradox of looking for hacks and quick solutions in a toxic, imbalanced world. We discuss the imperative of seeking beauty, redefining what is sacred and remembering, always to take it easy with ourselves.  Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB    

I speak with Leora Joseph, mother of three, wife and career prosecutor who oversees the Colorado Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health.  Leora has been the Chief of Staff in the Colorado Attorney General's office, managing attorney and law enforcement teams, special victim's, and human trafficking units and she has worked with over 1,000 victims of sexual abuse, and sex trafficking.  Her experiences helped her identify gaps within the legal and criminal justice systems where limited access to mental healthcare and stigma often trap those needing care within a loop of prosecution and incarceration.  Leora is subsequently running for office as Denver's District Attorney with a vision of balancing treatment for chronic mental illness with victim's advocacy, restorative justice and public awareness to help improve a complex legal system. We discuss the challenges facing healthcare and law enforcement amidst the current mental health crisis and the imperative of maintaining compassion, perspective and gratitude to continue the work of service. Please Leora's journey and support her Denver District Attorney by sending donations to her candidacy at https://www.leorafordistrictattorney.com/ Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety.      

I speak with Rob Glassmire, father, Marine Corp veteran, and Garfield County Coroner about the challenges of death investigations in the field.  Rob describes how the coroner's office must respond at all hours day and night to often austere, grim and emotionally charged environments.  Rob and his team work behind the scenes, after first responders and medical teams have finished their work. We discuss how viewing the patients with humanity and always through the lens of their grieving families helps alleviate the trauma of witnessing sometimes gruesome, tragic deaths.  Rob shares his advice for young men and women entering the first responder fields including remembering to slow down, spend time with coworkers outside of the job and take good care of themselves.   Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety.   Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB   You can find Jiimmy's incredible book Touching the Dragon here and on Amazon: https://spikesk9fund.org/products/touching-the-dragon-and-other-techniques-for-surviving-lifes-wars https://www.amazon.com/Touching-Dragon-Other-Techniques-Surviving-ebook/dp/B0755ZYGRK  

I speak with Dr. Megan Quinn, forensic pathologist, mother and friend about her years performing autopsy and medical evaluations.  She describes the challenges of examining men, women and children after they have died, usually in an unnatural and suspicious manner.  As a forensic pathologist, Megan has examined hundreds of patients who died of terrible injuries, horrific violent crimes and self-inflicted deaths.  And, Megan works under constant scrutiny from law enforcement, the legal system, the media and the family of the deceased, as the manner of death can have huge ramifications for criminal prosecution, hope of finding justice and closure for grieving families.   As physicians, we struggle with offloading the trauma and sadness that we face, but Megan finds solace by speaking with families about their loved ones' death.  By expressing answers and empathy she can sometimes be the victim's last voice and for those grieving families and herself, a source of healing.

I speak with John Neiley, 9th Judicial District Chief Judge, about his many years behind the bench. John and I have been involved in tragic cases through the years- shootings, assaults, neglect and  accidents.  But, unlike in medicine, the legal system must embrace those horrors repetitively over weeks and months as trials slowly evolve. John describes how those imbedded traumas can effect the court; defense, prosecutution, jurors and court staff, who often have to relive the tragedy of those cases with the victims and families, in terrible, granular detail.  John's explains that while his duty as a judge is to remain impartial and objective, he has had to learn to innure himself against the natural human reactions of grief and outrage and doubt.  We discuss the imperative of finding empathy in the cases he presides over and by helping others heal, from victim's families finding justice, to restorative healing of the perpetrators themselves, he finds solace and healing himself. Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB      

I speak with dear friend and integrative medicine physician Dr. Christina Miller about how medical subspecialities like lifestyle, functional, integrative and longevity medicine are impacting physical and mental health.  Sometimes, the barrage of medical advice on social media and the internet can be overwhelming. We discuss how an overemphasis on supplements, biohacking and performance improvement has given rise to "guru medicine," which is not always evidence-based or therapeutic.  Treating and preventing chronic illness may be more impacted by stress and poor diet rather than adding new medications or supplements.  Dr. Miller reflects that after 10 years treating patients with chronic disease and her own autoimmune condition, three principles still stand out: eat simply, connect deeply with others and move our bodies in some fashion, every day.  Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. 3. From James Hatch and his episode Touching the Dragon You can find Jiimmy's incredible book Touching the Dragon here and on Amazon: https://spikesk9fund.org/products/touching-the-dragon-and-other-techniques-for-surviving-lifes-wars https://www.amazon.com/Touching-Dragon-Other-Techniques-Surviving-ebook/dp/B0755ZYGRK  Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB        

I speak with James "Jimmy" Hatch, Navy SEAL, father, husband and author about his combat deployments, life threatening injury, and struggles with severe depression. He recounts a harrowing journey as the cummulative weight of combat deployments, the death of SEAL team members and K9 combat partners, his injury, multiple surgeries, and loss of identity overwhelmed him and he became suicidal.  During his hospitalization, Jimmy slowly learned to love and forgive himself and begin a new healing arc.  Recognizing his debt to the K9 dogs that saved his life on multiple combat missions, Jimmy started a national foundation for the care and preservation of service dogs called the Spike K9 Fund.  He also wrote a book called Touching the Dragon about his journey and enrolled as an undergraduate student at Yale in the Eli Whitney Students program.  We discuss how the concept of deconstruction in literature can mirror life- when we can redefine meaning, we discover a new language and a pathway for change. You can find Jiimmy's incredible book Touching the Dragon here and on Amazon: https://spikesk9fund.org/products/touching-the-dragon-and-other-techniques-for-surviving-lifes-wars https://www.amazon.com/Touching-Dragon-Other-Techniques-Surviving-ebook/dp/B0755ZYGRK   Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB   Amazon link to the book Genius, by Harold Bloom  https://www.amazon.com/Genius-Mosaic-Hundred-Exemplary-Creative/dp/0446691291    

I speak with Victor Bencomo, Navy corpsman, father, husband and activist.  Victor discusses his military experience deployed as a "green zone" medic in Iraq and imbedded with SEAL Team 17.  After returning home Victor began working with the organization Team America helping Afghani service members fleeing from the Taliban immigrate to the United States.  Like many veterans, the imbedded trauma and heartbreak of losing friends and colleagues caused Victor to develop PTSD, alcohol dependence andf severe depression.  He fortunately found successful treatment through the mental health aid organization "Warrior's Heart" which helped him rehabilitate and heal.  Suicide rates-predominantly with a firearm- for military, law enforcement, medical and EMS personnel are at an all-time high, and we are at the precipice of a global health crisis.  This imperative has shaped Victor's passion for curbing veteran suicide and taking his activism to the state legislature to champion mental health awareness and sensible gun control.  We discuss the value of service and helping others for healing mental trauma, and how we have both found healing in that regard. Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: From today's podcast: Please follow Victor on Instagram and on his website to help support his mission for raising mental health awareness and legislating for sensible gun control: https://www.victorbencomo.com/ https://www.instagram.com/victorbencomo_/ Rehabilitation resources for those suffering from addiction and severe PTSD and depression: https://www.warriorsheart.com/ From Previous Podcasts: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety.      

I speak with Ben "Doc" Askins, Army veteran, father, PhD, pastor, Psychiatric Physician Assistant, psychedelic-assisted therapist and author of the book, The Anti-Hero's Journey  We discuss the imbedded challenges of isolation, ego and fear in our lives.  Doc explores the therapeutic effect of letting go of one's tightly held beliefs, identity and embracing a non-duality view of the world around us- rejecting "us and them" and embracing a synthesis of compassion, empathy and kindness.  When we view ourselves as separate from those around us, it creates barriers and also traps us into a hero narrative.  But, Doc suggests that our story is not just a singular arc, we stumble, misstep, succeed, fail, twist and turn and our journey is anything but linear or heroic.  Our highest self may be the anti-hero, and by accepting our own weaknesses, treating ourselves and each other with kindness Follow Doc Askins' podcast, purchase his book and join his Anti-Hero Journey: https://www.antiherosjourney.com/podcast/episode/2806cc05/dr-matthew-wall-phd-mri-rock-star, we invite growth and healing. Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery  Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety.   https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  

I speak with Jim Pidcock, 38-year veteran of the firefighting and EMS service about his years of front line work.  Jim reflects on the impacts of strong mentorship, and old school leadership on his development as a young firefighter in New Jersey and how those lessons still influence his life.  We wonder if we are born to endure the work as front line workers, or if a strong culture is enough to mitigate the imbedded challenges. Jim shares that the faces of the men and women who he has seen die over his career still visit his dreams.  But, the powerful therapeutic effect of shared experiences with his colleagues may have helped him shed the negative impact of those traumas and imparted longevity to his career.   Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.  Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation's public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency's existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety.        

I speak with Andrew McConnell, entrepreneur, elite athlete, father and author of the book; Get Out of My Head: Creating Modern Clarity with Stoic Wisdom. He introduces the concepts of stoicism- forming thoughtful reactions to constant life stressors and self doubt; and the imperative of learning to control the things we can and not worrying about those things we cannot.  Andrew's entrepreneurial experience as founder of Rented.com taught him that the process of starting a business could be more valuable than the result, as relentlessly working towards his goal built agency and successful habits.  We discuss how the constant pressure of allostatic load, isolation and self doubt in our modern world sabotages our time and effectiveness. Andrew outlines his practice of "zero-based calendaring" which integrates time management, priority orientation and allocation of energy to help restore balance and design over the outcome of our lives. Follow Andrew on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandrewmcconnell/ Find Andrew's book here: https://www.mandrewmcconnell.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Get-Out-My-Head-Creating/dp/1637740751 Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram.  

   I speak with Jonathan Wilson, husband and father of 5 and Navy SEAL who after completing 16 years of military service, earned his MBA from the Oxford University, Said Business School and began working as a trader with Goldman Sachs.  But, Jonathan struggled with this new integration into civilian life and fought major battles with imposter syndrome, PTSD, substance abuse and severe depression.  After a frustrating journey and failed conventional care with antidepressants, antianxiety medications and a congested VA medical system, he was ultimately, successfully treated with a combination of integrated therapy and the psychedelic, Ibogaine.  Jonathan then used his business and military background to co-found the Seal Future Foundation and INVI Mindhealth to help treat veterans suffering from depression and addiction.  We discuss the compelling evidence-based potential of psychedelic assisted therapy and his new INVI project which synthesizes connectivity and individual biometrics to track mental health and help guide therapy for men and women suffering from treatment-resistant deprerssion.  Jonathan's story is one of resilience and the imperative of always striving to do purposeful work. Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast!  Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636,  and please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Information about INVI Mindhealth, their mission, app and the 2023 Monster Mash fundrasing event can be found at: https://www.invimh.com/ Follow INVI Mindhealth on Instagram: @invimindhealth                

We live under a constant state of stress and unrelenting allostatic loads- social media and work stressors, cell phone isolation, poor sleep, nutrition and physical decline.  We too often depend on the hormones dopamine and epinephrine- the hormones of flight or flight, and drive- to see us through. But, by always stamping on the sympathetic gas pedals, we never allow ourselves to recover or find balance.  Oxytocin is the molecule of connection, trust, love, sateity and safety and the counterbalance for stress. Tara Alibrandi and Resa Hayes rejoin the podcast to discuss how seeking positive relationships, meaningful social contact, laughter and play incrementally releases oxytocin, improves our autonomic homeostasis, and helps us recover and heal. Cover art: Double Arch, Arches National Park, watercolor 8 x 8"- Steve Ausherman

Good friend and pulmonologist Dr. Suresh Khilnani and I review the current, best scientific evidence supporting slow breathing for managing stress and improving health.  We discuss what happens when we breathe slowly, the physiology of nasal breathing, and how various breathing techniques can balance our autonomic nervous system, improve cardiac function, and positively impact mental health.   

Greg Knott rejoins our podcast after his 10,000 mile solo motorcycle trip to the Arctic Ocean.  We discuss his incredible journey- riding hundreds of hours through snow and rain, treacherous roads, camping by himself amidst the beauty and austerity of the vast wildernesses of Canada and Alaska.  He purposely traveled without any distractions- no cell phone, music, podcasts or social media which allowed him the clarity and mental space to begin unpacking the imbedded trauma of 30 years of law enforcement work.  We discuss how the processes of setting his intention to heal, sitting long, quiet hours alone with his thoughts and forgiving himself and others, finally allowed him to let go.  But, in this healing journey, no one can survive alone, and as Greg encountered seemingly insurmountable obstacles in his path, guardian angels showed up unexpectedly at those crucial junctures and guided him safely home.

On this episode, I am joined by ICU nurse, colleague and friend Deb Hume.  She recounts her formative years as a flight nurse, and sailor and how responding to emergencies in the outback of Australia and open ocean sailing races taught her self reliance as a young woman.  Deb was speaking recently with colleagues in the ICU about COVID and discovered to her surprise, raw emotion just under the surface. We discuss how our experiences treating COVID patients amidst the environment of fear, limited resources and understanding of the disease often felt like sailing without navigation.  Without a strong hospital culture, self care rituals, and checking in with each other, the challenges would have overwhelmed us. The impact of that experience still lingers, and is a psychological toll felt by all of us on the front lines.

I speak with Detective Dan Andrews, father and husband, about his 27 years of work as a Denver patrol officer, cold case investigator, Night Shift Unit team member and homicide detective. We discuss how his service as a high school volunteer with Arapahoe County Search and Rescue helped prepare him for the highest standards of emergency response and taught him the imperative of advocating for the victim day or night, and always to their case's end.  We share insights about the challenges of self care and spiritual health while balancing our own fatigue and stressors amidst the unrelenting ask of front line work.

I speak with Navy veteran, local attorney and high school girl's basketball coach Rhonda Moser about her insights after 11 years of coaching including the impacts of social media, isolation and stress on the mental health of her players.  We discuss how love of coaching and for her athletes, and staying connected to her team and community has been an imperative for preserving her own mental health.

I speak with Cari Rohe, former firefighter, women's health nurse, athlete, mother and wife of firefighter and SWAT medic, Lieutenant Travis Rohe about the challenges of being the spouse of a front line worker.  Cari shares how she and her husband have overcome the inherent difficulties of balancing shift work, a young family, her own career, and the devastating loss of their daughter.  Cari started a local support group for spouses of front line workers and she discusses the positive impact of sharing space and talking with others who are culturally competent. She also reveals how adapting from Plan A and Plan B sometimes falls apart, and how by implementing a "Plan Me," and prioritizing time for herself, she began healing her own mental trauma. 

I sit down with a dear friend and Basalt Police Chief Greg Knott to discuss his upcoming solo 10,000 mile motorcycle trip to the Arctic circle to help him process imbedded trauma after 30 years of law enforcement work. Greg shares his insights about mental health, peer support, and seeking a way to redefine how he views the world and himself.  We talk about the challenge of prioritizing our own mental and physical health needs with the unrelenting demands of front liner work and the imperative of self care.  Greg will be unplugging his phone and himself from the world and with his motorcycle Sashka, seeking solace and healing on the road.  

On this 50th episode, Tara Alibrandi and I meet again to discuss how simplicity, gentleness and gratitude have replaced themes of frenetic energy, suffering, and difficulty in our lives.  We have learned to treat our bodies and minds respectfully, to sit quietly and by embracing these change, have allowed ourselves space to heal.  

To help us honor Memorial Day, I speak with Alec Pifer, decorated Marine veteran, entrepreneur, father and husband about his years of service as a Marine Corps officer responsible for the health and safety of over 100 soldiers.  He recounts the moral dilemna of the death of an enemy fighter during a mission and the sadness that haunts him to this day.  We discuss how hypervigilance, high stress and imbedded trauma can follow soldiers into civilian life long after their deployment is complete, increasing their risk of severe depression and suicide.  We discuss how peer support, healthy life balance and redefining identity can help mitigate some of those those risks for veterans and bring them home safely to their families.

I speak with Doug Lyons, friend, local archery shop owner, hunter, backcountry athlete about his years hunting and hiking in the high country and his passion for archery.  We discuss transitions we both made as older athletes from the frenetic world of Crossfit to embrace a more gentle and balanced pursuit of fitness and health.  It reflect a sea change for both of us, choosing quiet over noise, and seeking a patient, gentle, reflective flow state for balancing our mental health.  Themes of change and reinvention continue to permeate this podcast, and Doug's episode reinforces those elements, and why it matters for anyone working on their mental health.

I speak with my brother Jess Peery about the value of breathing, sitting in silence and learning to know ourselves.  We reflect about Christiaan's Scuba Shack and why seeking beauty, ease and gentleness in this life matters. 

I speak with Nelda St Clair, national incident command stress management program director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and 40-year wildlands firefighter veteran about her work with mental health in the firefighter community.  We discuss the imbedded challenges of long deployments, sleep deprivation, mental and physical fatigue, injury risk and disconnection that increase the risk of substance abuse, depression and suicide in wildland firefighters. Nelda explains how new evidence-based research and program development have impacted mental health resiliency and how her current BIA work with Native American firefighting crews has taught her the imperatives of blessing, ritual and connectivity in finding beauty in the ashes. 

I speak with Tara Alibrandi, right-of-way inspector about her years working as a horse trainer, wildland firefighter, Crossfit instructor and competetitive athlete.  We discuss the dangerous illusions of identity and image, her battles with mental health, and how ultimately, learning to hunt elk with a bow, in the deep solace and beauty of the mountains, Tara began meeting her true self and found healing.

I speak with friends Roger and Thad Eshelman, about our ritual of hunting elk in the fall with a bow, and our deep connection with the natural world and each other.  We discuss how the austerity, physical challenges and deep reverance for these animals draws military veterans, front line workers and so many others into the woods, seeking to balance chaos with calm and silence.

I speak with Dr. Justin Ross, clinical psychologist, director of Workplace Well-Being for the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, husband, father and endurance athlete about his work with medical staff, professional athletes and anyone in high-demanding, stessful environments.  We discuss that mental health treatment in front line workers is complex, deeply nuanced, but always begins with recognition; because we cannot change what we aren't aware of.

I speak with Dr. Nicole McDermott, anesthesiologist, hospital leader, wife and mother of three about the challenges of suddenly having to step away from her career due to an autoimmune condition.  We discuss the vulnerability of losing an identity and learning to embrace the possibility of hope, change and a new normal.

I speak with Lauren Martin, hospital chaplain, palliative care and spirital team provider, husband and friend about our years working through innumerable hospital crises, from the sudden death of a trauma patient, to comforting the grieving families of patients succumbing to a terminal illness. We discuss the paradox of balancing raw trauma with the sacred beauty of standing with dying patients at the very threshold of life and death.

I speak with my 74 year-old mother, Tisha Peery and her friend and carer, Batsi Chatabarara about living in rural South Africa, and their observations on connectivity, family, mental health and breaking through isolation with laughter, big hearts and an open hand.

I speak with Jose Roman, ER technician and home health carer about the challenges of many years working nights in the emergency department, surviving severe burns as an infant, and learning to balance fatigue and stress by hiking in the outdoors, prioritizing personal relationships and consistent mental therapy.

We rejoin Navy Seal, law enforcement officer, father and husband Andy Haffele in Part 2 of his unbelievable journey after surviving a gunshot wound to the chest during a training exercise, testicular cancer and the sudden death of his Seal teammates in Afganistan, he then begins an even more harrowing battle with depression, and the fight to save his family and his own life.

In this 2-part series, Andy Haffele, Navy Seal, law enforcement officer, husband and father of three, joins us to discuss the near-fatal gunshot wound to the chest he sustained during a live-fire training exercise in 2004.  He details his incredible fight to survive the massive injuries, the simultaneous diagnosis and treatment of testicular cancer, and an unexpected, even harder, protracted battle with severe depression and suicidality.  Through it all, the enduring love from his family, friends and his own religious faith compelled Andy to keep pressing, and pull himself back from the abyss.  

I speak with Mike Wagner, deputy chief of operations and paramedic with a rural EMS agency about his years working on the streets, balancing the challenges of the job while also mentoring volunteer providers and guiding them through tough cases.  We discuss how gratitude is imperative for front line longevity, both acknowledgement of each other, and from our patients-when saying thank you means it.

Do you ever wonder who are the people answering emergency 911 calls?  The measured, reassuring voice in the night?  Paige Burkley joins us to talk about her work as a 911 dispatcher, the challenges of being the calm voice in the chaos, and the mental trauma imbedded in talking people through crisis including first responders rushing towards danger.  She discusses the imperative of offloading those extreme stressors and some daily practices that have helped her heal and stay balanced.

After years working as an emergency department physician I still carry deeply imbedded mental trauma, and I discuss the imperative for all front line responders of learning to let go.

I speak with veteran Officer Raul Rivas, who responded to the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando on June 12, 2016 with his SWAT team, where they engaged and killed the shooter in a horrific firefight, but not before he tragically murdered 49 LGTBQ young men and women inside the club.  It is a story of mental trauma and resilience and how Officer Rivas, through culturally competent therapy, found help, pulled himself back from the abyss of severe depression and began a relentless quest to help other frontline men and women in crisis. 

I invite Resa Hayes, oustanding mental health practitioner and licensed therapist back to the podcast and we discuss therapeutic exercises that Resa has found therapeutic for herself and her patients and she summarizes those daily routines into succinct, reproducibile mental health practices.

I speak with Travis Still, law enforcement officer, father and husband about the challenges of working as a patrol officer and fighting burnout with rising psychiatric and substance dependence emergencies, unreasonable societal expectations, and limited resources.  We discuss the imperative of pulling back, staying balanced and seeking lane changes that enhance adaptation, self-reflection and longevity in our careers. 

I speak with Lieutenant Aaron Munch, veteran cop, ultra-athlete, father and husband about his years as a patrol officer, SWAT commander and how the sudden, tragic loss of his father forced him to confront years of accumulated trauma.  We discuss that through therapy and peer counseling we can embrace vulnerability, learn to open the spigot and begin the healing process.

I speak with Dr. Jeff Faragher dear friend and colleague about difficult events in our careers and lives that have impacted us, and how the relationships with our patients, close friends and family, remind us of the imperative of connectivity and its healing.