First Responder Wellness Podcast with Conrad Weaver

First Responder Wellness Podcast with Conrad Weaver

First Responder Wellness PodcastTM with Conrad Weaver The First Responder Wellness Podcast with host Conrad Weaver dives deep into the mental health, resilience, and leadership challenges faced by first responders. Through engaging conversations with police, fire, EMS, dispatch, and wellness experts, this show delivers actionable leadership and wellness solutions, plus real-world strategies to help first responder leaders build healthier, more resilient teams. Each episode highlights stories of courage, lessons in leadership, and tools for personal and organizational wellness. Whether you’re a chief, frontline responder, or wellness advocate, this podcast equips you with the insights and inspiration to lead well, live healthier, and strengthen the culture of your agency. Popular guests include: Dr. Arash Javanbakht, Chief Neil Gang (Ret.), Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, Dr. Stephanie Conn, Dr. Eugene Lipov, Dr. Marvin Wayne, Chief David Rhodes, Dr. Heather Twedell, James Geering, Dr. Brooke Bartlett, and Dr. Rita Brock.

Episodes

March 4, 2026 55 mins

Need help? Check out these resources: www.firstresponderwellness.co/resources

or Dial 988 for immediate help. 

 

Marriage, Badges, and Breakthroughs 

 

In this conversation, Conrad sits down with Dylan and Kella Bates—two first responders who’ve worked in very different worlds, from the nonstop pace of the DC area to the isolation and intensity of rural Alaska. They talk candidly about what the public doesn’t see: the whiplash of g...

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Need help? Check out these resources: www.firstresponderwellness.co/resources

or Dial 988 for immediate help. 

 

Click here to take the Leadership Assessment: http://firstresponderwellness.co/assessment

 

Episode 122 - Unlearn Survival, and Relearn Peace - with Kevin Barnhill

This episode is a raw conversation about what happens when the job doesn’t just change your schedule—it changes you. Conrad Weaver sits down with Kevin Barnhi...

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Need help? Check out these resources: www.firstresponderwellness.co/resources

or Dial 988 for immediate help.

 

Click here to take the Leadership Assessment: http://firstresponderwellness.co/assessment

 

Episode 121: You're Only as Sick as Your Secrets - Matt Bloesch

Retirement is supposed to feel like relief. For Matt Bloesch, it does—but not because he simply “made it to the finish line.” After 26 years in the San Francisco Bay A...

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Need help? Check out these resources: www.firstresponderwellness.co/resources

or Dial 988 for immediate help.

 

Click here to take the Leadership Assessment: http://firstresponderwellness.co/assessment

 

120 - You Don't Have to be Falling Apart to Need Healing - Kemmi Sadler

In this episode of the First Responder Wellness Podcast, Conrad sits down with Kemmi Saddler, a former local law enforcement officer who went from dispatch to ...

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Need help? Check out these resources: www.firstresponderwellness.co/resources

or Dial 988 for immediate help.

 

The Moment We Arrive On Scene, We Become a Part of Their Story - Lt. Sarah Shendy

Some people wear the uniform and slowly disappear inside it—hardened, exhausted, running on fumes. Sarah Shendy is the opposite. Nearly 18 years into law enforcement, she still talks about the job with the kind of awe most people lose after ...

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Need help? Check out these resources: www.firstresponderwellness.co/resources

or Dial 988 for immediate help.

 

EPISODE 118:

Bulletproof: Staying Human on the Job with Dan Willis

What happens to a good heart after years of walking into the worst moments of other people’s lives?

In this episode, Conrad Weaver sits down with retired Captain Dan Willis, a 30-year veteran of the La Mesa Police Department (San Diego area), to talk about...

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Need help? Check out these resources: www.firstresponderwellness.co/resources

or Dial 988 for immediate help.

 

I Built My Recovery Like an Investigation - with Craig Semple

Craig Semple served 25 years as a detective in the New South Wales, Australia Police Force—homicides, drug squads, outlaw motorcycle gangs, the kind of work that runs on adrenaline and silence. But behind the scenes, PTSD and burnout were stacking up: sleepless...

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Need help? Check out these resources: www.firstresponderwellness.co/resources

or Dial 988 for immediate help.

 

You Can't Heal What Stays Locked in the Dark - Dr. Cherylynn Lee

In this powerful episode of the First Responder Wellness Podcast, host Conrad Weaver sits down with police psychologist Dr. Cherylynn Lee to explore what really happens when trauma goes unspoken inside law enforcement, fire, EMS, and dispatch.

Dr. Lee works ...

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Need help? Check out these resources: www.firstresponderwellness.co/resources

or Dial 988 for immediate help.

 

What happens when the very skills that keep an officer alive on the street start quietly dismantling the rest of their life?

In this episode, Conrad Weaver sits down with Dr. Kevin Gilmartin—one of the pioneering voices in police psychology—to unpack the hidden physiology of the job: hypervigilance, distrust, adrenaline, ...

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This special year-end episode of the First Responder Wellness Podcast counts down the Top 10 Most Downloaded Episodes of the Year—the conversations that resonated most with first responders, leaders, and their families.

These episodes tackle the issues that matter most right now: trauma and the brain, leadership culture, physical health, sleep and suicide prevention, spiritual wholeness, organizational accountability, and the human...

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December 24, 2025 5 mins
Podcast Episode Summary & Show Notes

Episode Title: A Christmas Message for First Responders Podcast: First Responder Wellness Podcast Air Date: December 24, 2025 Duration: ~7 minutes Host: Conrad Weaver

🎧 Episode Summary:

In this special Christmas Eve episode of the First Responder Wellness Podcast, we pause to honor and thank the brave men and women who continue to serve their communities during the holiday season. Whether ...

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Need help? Find a resource here: https://firstresponderwellness.co/resources/

Register for the First Responder Leadership Mastermind here: https://firstresponderwellness.co/masterclass/

 

From Addiction to Purpose - Rich Cheatham's Journey Through Shame and Redemption.

In this powerful episode, retired fire captain Rick Cheatham opens up about a hidden crisis in the fire service—addiction, shame, and the mental health struggles no ...

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Register for the Wellness Leadership Masterclass here:

https://firstresponderwellness.co/masterclass/

 

FIRST RESPONDER WELLNESS PODCAST EPISODE #111

When the Helper Breaks: The Untold Trauma Inside Corrections

In this profoundly moving conversation, former corrections sergeant and mental health advocate Syndi Treece shares the emotional truth of working inside America’s prisons—where trauma is constant, connection is complicated,...

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How the Ontario Provincial Police Supports Their People: How Ontario Built One of the Most Comprehensive First Responder Wellness Systems in North America
 Guest: Rob Jamieson, Retired OPP Sergeant & Former President, Ontario Provincial Police Association
Host: Conrad Weaver

Episode Overview This powerful and far-reaching conversation with retired Ontario Provincial Police Sergeant and former OPP Association President Rob Jami...

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DON'T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR THE FIRST RESPONDER LEADERSHIP MASTERMIND PREVIEW: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/gIe-71MeQ_62NOI2PMP8Eg#/registration

 

Gratitude is the Secret Sauce - Conrad Weaver

In this heartfelt Thanksgiving edition of the First Responder Wellness Podcast, host Conrad Weaver pauses to express deep gratitude to the first responder community and the listeners who support the mission of wellness, healing,...

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November 21, 2025 4 mins

Here's what Conrad has been thinking about recently, today on the Friday Five...  

High Road Leaders choose Character over Comfort. 

Order High Road Leadership here. 

 

Register for the First Responder Leadership Mastermind Preview here. 

 

Connect with Conrad: 💻 firstresponderwellnesspodcast.com 🎥 Follow on YouTube & TikTok for challenge updates 💬 Share your thoughts in the comments

 

 

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FIRST RESPONDER WELLNESS PODCAS...

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How to Relieve Stress in One Minute: A Practical Tool for First Responders with Marie Matteson

Guest: Marie Matteson, MS – Former Volunteer EMT, Medical Massage Therapist, Stress & Emotion Regulation Specialist, Author of One Minute Stress Release

Episode Description

Stress is baked into the job for first responders—but what if you had a simple...

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Click here to register for the FREE First Responder Leadership Mastermind Preview.

 

EPISODE 107 Small Deposits, Big Returns: A Realistic Wellness Plan for Agencies - Andy Wilson

 

Director Andy Wilson, Ohio’s Director of Public Safety, joins Conrad Weaver to talk frankly about the human cost of public safety work and what leaders must do to protect the people who protect us. Andy explains how chronic and acute stress shorten caree...

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In this Friday Five episode, host Conrad Weaver reflects on what it means to live an “above average” life. He shares why he takes on monthly challenges—like daily pushups and Bible reading—not just to test his limits, but to cultivate habits that help him grow personally and professionally. Conrad reminds us that achieving our goals requires more than wishing for them—it takes daily, intentional action. This short but powerful mes...

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Title:  Do Plant-Based Medicines Work? with Todd Youngblood Guest: Todd Youngblood, Co-Founder of Pneumogladius Host: Conrad Weaver, First Responder Wellness Podcast

In this episode, Conrad Weaver sits down with Todd Youngblood, co-founder of Pneuma Gladius, a company dedicated to expanding access to plant-based medicines for mental health treatment. Todd shares the fascinating history and science behind natural psychedelic substan...

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