The Washdown

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com#NeverAloneAlwaysForward

R.I.P FF/MED Graham Hoffman

Will Atkinson was born in to a Virginia family with a tradition of military service on both sides, to parents who would divorce around the time he was four. In middle school/junior high, Will would move to Wisconsin with his mom and younger fraternal twin brother and sister. After graduating from high school in a town called Manitowoc, Will went on the enlist in the US Army, serving for four years and ten months as a combat medic, which included two deployments to Iraq. Upon his release from active duty, Will affiliated with the Wisconsin National Guard, serving for another three years while attending the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. Will earned a BS in Biology there, and has also earned a Masters of Public Health from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Will has been a volunteer firefighter since the fall of 2019, and has also volunteered for multiple Veteran Service Organizations and Emergency Medical Services. Will currently works as a Peer Support Specialist at the Madison VA Medical Center. http://maniacretreats.org/ National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Josh Snyder Bio:Farm kid from Iowa. Served 4 years in USMC as a Motor T Operator. Afghanistan (OEF) in 2011.Starting coaching and obtained my CrossFit certificate in 2013Moved to KC in 2014. Co-owned and operated The Hill KC for 8 years (Formally CrossFit Memorial Hill) Married highschool sweetheart in 2020 and have 2 beautiful little girls (Adeline 3, Ivy 17 months) Founded Bloc Life Inc (501c3 nonprofit organization) in 2018 to serve the veteran, first responder and disabled community. I currently serve as its executive director. Built FITNKC, home of Northtowne CrossFit, and doors opened March 2024. www.bloclife.org National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #Neveralonealwaysforward

Billy spent almost 20 years in the fire service before retiring this year due to PTSD. We talk about what led up to his retirement and the plans he has going forward. National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Joe comes back on the show to tell us how he has been and how a near fatal motorcycle wreck has changed his life. National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Justin is the Executive Director of The Battle Within and an Army Combat Veteran. National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Montee served 6 years in the United States Army in communications setting up temporary cell sites allowing people on the battle ground to communicate.currently work for AT&T as a Program Manager - some of his duties include ensuring that large events like the Superbowl, RNC/DNC conventions, Sports All Star games, etc... have enough wireless/wireline coverage and capacity to accommodate the surge of AT&T customers in one location.Since 2011 he has been a part of the 501c3 AT&T Veterans Employee Resource Group. He recently Jan 1st stepped down as National Chief Operating Officer (Vice President) the group has over 7000 members in 32 different chapters across the country. January 1st along with his business partner William Huehl founded a new not for profit 501c3 company Get To Zer0 (mission statement below) The main purpose of Get To Zer0 is to stop Veteran suicide. Some numbers indicate 22 or more Veterans a day take their own life. The top number doesn't matter we want to Get To Zer0 with that number. www.GetToZer0.com Mission Statement for Get To Zer0: At Get To Zer0, our mission is to eliminate Veteran suicide and create a world where every Veteran can find hope, healing, and support. We believe that no service member who has selflessly dedicated themselves to safeguarding our nation's freedom should ever feel abandoned, alone, or without options. With unwavering commitment, compassion, and innovative approaches, we are determined to address the underlying causes and provide meaningful solutions to end this tragic crisis. National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Travis Gribble is a retired law enforcement officer from the Mesa, AZ PD. He has been a guest speaker at several law enforcement conference's with presentations regarding PTSD in law enforcement and also posting video's to his instagram to raise awareness about PTSD in first responders.  @My_.Arena Instagram  thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #neveralonealwaysforward

John Howe is a retired police officer from Missouri. He is also a photographer and is starting Healing Trails Overland, where he will travel all of North America and document his travels. Along the way he is going to tell the stories of other first responders' mental health journeys, as well as veterans. www.howecreativephoto.com www.Healingtrailsoverland.com @HealingTrailsOverland  National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

My name is Ronnie Dennison. I'm a husband and a Dad/step Dad to 5 kids, and PaPa to 1.For the past 22 years I've been a volunteer firefighter with the Adrian Fire Dept. We are a small city/Rural dept. that averages 400+ calls a year over 270 square miles. I'm Fire 1&2 certified, Hazmat technician level, and hold many other small certifications from MUFRTI. I also help teach an elevator rescue class with O'Byrne Fireground Training. National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

www.atc911.org National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Brian is a retired firefighter and veteran. He shares his journey of recovery on the podcast. He is writing his autobiography and starting his own podcast. This is one you dont want to miss. National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

we start filming today!!

DJ is a veteran of the fire service and a small business owner. https://www.franklinfirearmsonline.com/ National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Jared from the Hey Chaplain Podcast returns to have a conversation with us.

Brian Sims is a person in long term recovery from Substance Misuse and Co-Occurring Disorders acquired while serving his country during the campaigns and operations in support of the Global War on Terrorism as a US Army Infantryman. He is also a suicide attempt (2015) and street-level homelessness survivor. Mr. Sims has held Director Level positions and Board Seats in multiple Veteran focused non-profits, establishing programs and training for over 30,000 volunteers. He is also a FEMA certified Emergency Management Professional and has deployed at the request of the US Government to work with State and Local governments to rescue citizens and save lives and property over a dozen times, including during the Global COVID Pandemic. In 2016, he established and implemented a similar Veteran Recovery program for Fellowship RCO in Broward, County, FL, becoming a main contact and consultant for multiple Broward County Law Enforcement agencies for Veteran Crisis Intervention and training. He is a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist (Veteran) for the Florida Certification Board, a Veteran Supported Recovery Professional Peer for the New York State Certification Board, and a NAADAC Certified Event Interventionist. IG: _projectrebirth_ Facebook: Project: REBIRTH  website: http://www.projectrebirth.usthewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #Neveralonealwaysforward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

DJ is a veteran of the fire service and a small business owner. https://www.franklinfirearmsonline.com/ National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Steve Pope from the First Responder Golf Foundation and Rob Sanderson from Swel stop by and talk about the process of starting a non-profit and some of the challenges they faced and continue to face to keep them going. National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Kevin Byrd is a 26 year veteran of the fire service. He shares with us the insight and wisdom from his career and his views on fire dept. culture. National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National suicide prevention 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #Neveralonealwaysforward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

This is the conclusion of the episode from last week with guest Rachel Willoughby Greene. thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

On this episode we are joined by my wife Rachel Willoughby Greene, and we talk about our relationship both before and after everything happened and how we navigated it. I hope you enjoy. thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com 988 national suicide prevention hotline #Neveralonealwaysforward

Kim Colegrove is the author of Mindfulness for Warriors and the founder of Pause FirstAcademy—an organization that provides online and in-person wellness and resilience trainingfor society's warriors, protectors, guardians, and healers.Kim is an experienced keynote speaker, and in 2022 she was awarded the Mid-America CIT(Critical Incident Team) Teacher of the Year award.Colegrove is the widow of a first responder who died by suicide. She previously taughtmindfulness in corporate settings such as Garmin International, United Way, Department ofVeterans Affairs, and The National Court Reporters Association. After her husband's death,Kim turned her attention to helping warriors learn how to cope with stress and trauma.She now leads a team of culturally competent instructors who offer resilience training with afocus on holistic wellbeing and work-life balance. kimcolegrove@pausefirst.com Website: pausefirst.com,  https://pausefirst.com/  Online Academy: academy.pausefirst.com Facebook: Pause First Academy https://www.facebook.com/pausefirstacademy  Instagram: @kimcolegrove_author,  https://www.instagram.com/kimcolegrove_author/?hl=en Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimcolegrove/ National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Saz Madison, Ph.D. received his degree in Clinical Psychology from Central Michigan University in 2006. He practiced psychotherapy at the Michigan State University Counseling Center, the Central Michigan University Counseling Center, and in private practice from 1999 to 2005. He then taught at Rockhurst University as a professor of psychology from 2005 to 2015. He was named faculty member of the year at Rockhurst and has 10 professional publications, several of them focusing on social problem-solving. Dr. Madison is experienced in forensic psychological evaluations and pre-employment assessments for police. National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Jared Altic has worked full time in the Church for 30 years. He's been married to his beautiful wife since 1996, has five kids, and enjoys shooting, sports, and listening to podcasts. Jared has a long history of ministering to members of the military, law enforcement and other first responders, serving the Kansas City Kansas Police Department as a police chaplain since 2018. As a chaplain, he focuses on the health and wellness of patrol officers and also responds to unattended deaths, such as homicides and suicides. https://twitter.com/heychaplain https://www.facebook.com/Hey-Chaplain-Podcast-103865705279275 https://www.instagram.com/heychaplainpodcast/ https://heychaplain.buzzsprout.com National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Rick Bucher had a normal enough childhood, but his life has been extraordinary since. An adventure sports athlete, racer, and instructor, Rick served as a firefighter/paramedic in Scottsdale, Arizona for 27 years. After narrowly surviving a rock climbing accident, motorcycle wreck and a suicide attempt, he went on to receive treatment for PTSD and is now working to increase awareness of mental health issues in the public safety arena. He also went on to find his biological family after decades of unanswered questions about who he was and where he came from. Eliminating the stigma of stepping forward for help and providing support for those who do is his new passion and he tours the country following opportunities to share his story, speaking to groups and spreading a message of hope, resilience and unity in the face of trauma. His story is a remarkable tale of redemption and a reminder of the power of the human spirit. www.rb603.net rickbucher603@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/rickbucher603/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rick.bucher.3 Link to purchase book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flame-and-fortune-rick-bucher/1143034715?ean=9798215894200 National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Jim Giffen is a Firefighter working in the state of Kansas based in Johnson County. He has been in the fire service for over 10 years, being very active with Peer Support to better serve his fellow Firefighters. Jim's primary focus in the fire service is mental wellness for those around him. He actively provides trainings, does routine check ups in the mornings with the crews, and he is very open about his own struggles. He served in the Army for five years active duty with 2-year long deployments to Iraq as an Infrantryman. He has been married for 17 years with 3 children and loving it. Through his struggles he has come to find no matter how much he fails, Jesus loves those seeking forgiveness, repenting and following him. Jim always keeps in mind God's grace is sufficient. National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

Jermaine Kemp Sr. I am a compassionate, honest, and loving person, and I believe in helping others whenever I can. This is what drew me to become a firefighter, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve my community in this way. For almost 26 years, I have been in the fire serviceand I currently hold the position of Shift Accountability Battalion Chief. I am proud to say that I am one of the 10 African-Americans who have been promoted to the level of chief during my tenure in the department. While this is certainly an accomplishment worth celebrating, it is also disappointing for me as it highlights the lack of diversity in our department, but I am hopeful for a more inclusive future. I am fortunate to have been married to my lovely wife, LaShonette Kemp for 25 years. Together, we have three amazing children - Aniah, Jermaine Jr., and Alexis. In my free time, I enjoy spending quality time with my family, traveling, and golfing. I am deeply inspired by the words and actions of civil rights leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. and I believe that their messages are still relevant today. My favorite book is "Untethered Soul" by Michael A. Singer, which encourages self-awareness and inner peace. I am grateful for all of the experiences that have shaped me into the person I am today and look forward to continuing to make a positive impact on the world around me. National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988 thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com #NeverAloneAlwaysForward