H.O.P.E Beyond The Badge

Carrie Mathews joins us on the podcast.

Carrie is a police officer from from the Chicago Police Department, and comes from a family of service in law enforcement. Mental health has always been a focus of Carries. However, when her father - a retired officer himself - died by suicide, Carrie became an outspoken advocate for mental health in first response, and has become known for bringing attention to "the other side of suicide...

Katie Carlson joins us on the podcast.

Katie is the director of wellness initiatives and peer support team coordinator for the Marion County Sheriffs office in Indianapolis Indiana. She also serves as an instructor at multiple law enforcement academies where she teaches meditation, yoga, breath work, and crisis intervention strategies to public safety professionals, with a focus on nervous system regulation and trauma recovery.

Kati...

Donna Georgiana joins us on the podcast.

Donna lost her son Mitchell - a police officer, to suicide. After Mitchell's loss, and based on one of the last text messages he had sent, Donna felt a sense of duty to keep his name alive, and his memory served, so she founded the non profit "Gotcha Covered Blankets".

While she has always been involved with church and community, Donna now focuses on this foundation to keep her sons name aliv...

Retired Fire Chief David Rhodes joins us on the podcast.

David is a 39 year veteran of the fire service retired from the Atlanta Gorgia fire dept. He currently works for Clarion events as the Vice President of Education for Clarion Fire Rescue Brands, he is the Editor in Chief for Fire Engineering Magazine, and the educational director for the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC). He is a Chief Elder for the Gorgia Smoke D...

Mike Morgan joins us on the podcast.

Mike transitioned from working as an accountant to a 30 year career of service in law enforcement. In this episode Mike reflected on those years, he spoke about his love for the job, shares with us about some of the difficult calls he responded to, including the incident that was most impactful for him. He shares his experience of coming to recognize that he had been affected by trauma, the steps...

Chris Michael is a retired Police Captain with 25 years of experience in law enforcement in a large Metro area Atlanta department. When he retired Chris was the departments peer support team commander. Chris discusses his career with us and some of the critical incidents he experienced, to include 2 officer involved shootings, his partner and backup being shot and wounded, being involved in an on duty fatal car accident, and anothe...

Elizabeth Bartholomew joins us on the podcast.

Liz worked as a police records clerk in Batavia Illinois  where she met Joe Bartholomew, a paid on-call firefighter, they married in 1980.  Joe was hired as a full time Firefighter in 1986.  While their daughters were young Liz was able to be a stay at home mom.  Later she drove a school bus part-time in Naperville, Illinois, became Band Booster President and was on the coaching staff ...

Regan Faulk joined us on the podcast and shared the story of meeting her husband Kevin in collage, falling in love, starting a life together which included marriage, the birth of their twin boys, and Kevin joining the Philadelphia police department. She spoke about how much he loved the job in the beginning, she spoke about the changes she witnessed in his mood and personality over time, the impact those changes had on their family...

Erin Maccabee joins us on the podcast.

Erin is an ICF trained integration coach who specializes in supporting First Responders, their partners, and departments. Erin has nearly a decade of experience, with almost half that time focused on trauma exposed populations. Erin is the creator of the Pressure System - A whole human framework for navigating high stress environments, and The Connection Code - A self guided program that helps ...

Part 2 of a 2 part episode.

Allan Garcia is a retired police officer from the Middletown Rhode Island Police Dept. He joins us on the podcast and shares his story of growing up in a seaside community, being raised in a first responder family, his time in the military, and how he became a police officer.

Allans career included service as a DARE officer, Uniformed Patrol, Field Training Officer, School Resource Officer, SWAT Team Membe...

Part 1 of a 2 part episode.

Allan Garcia is a retired police officer from the Middletown Rhode Island Police Dept. He joins us on the podcast and shares his story of growing up in a seaside community, being raised in a first responder family, his time in the military, and how he became a police officer.

Allans career included service as a DARE officer, Uniformed Patrol, Field Training Officer, School Resource Officer, SWAT Team Membe...

Meg Hawkins and Erik Provow join us on the podcast.

Meg is a dedicated police officer with over 21 years of

law enforcement experience, and the proud wife of Eric - a firefighter/paramedic and retired combat veteran who lives with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Eric’s military career spanned two decades, split between the

Marine Corps and the Air Force. He served in elite units including Marine Recon, Force Recon, and ...

Meg Hawkins and Erik Provow join us on the podcast.

Meg is a dedicated police officer with over 21 years of

law enforcement experience, and the proud wife of Eric - a firefighter/paramedic and retired combat veteran who lives with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Eric’s military career spanned two decades, split between the

Marine Corps and the Air Force. He served in elite units including Marine Recon, Force Recon, and ...

Rich Creamer - A native of Chelsea Ma, is a Navy Veteran, and retired Sergeant with 24 years of service with the Norfolk VA police dept. During his career Rich worked homicide, gangs, served on the FBI's violent crimes task force, and in the training division. He is a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of officer wellness and peer support, and served as a consultant for the IACP's officer wellness and safety initiative. Ri...

Tommy is a 30 year fire service veteran, lieutenant, and mental health advocate who has dedicated his life to changing the culture of public service. After battling depression, PTSD, and anxiety from years of service on the front line, Tommy now uses his voice to break the stigma around mental health for first responders. He authored the Book "Unseen Battles - The Price of Duty in a Life of Trauma and Sacrifice". He is the founder...

Deputy Commissioner Matt Walsh of the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Joins us on this weeks podcast! Matt is a Weymouth Native who takes us on a journey from growing up in Weymouth, traveling to Florida to pursue a career in Law Enforcement, his early career including an officer involved shooting and how that impacted him, his rise to leadership, and his experience developing, implementing, and participating in officer wel...

Dr. Gilmartin joins us on the podcast, Dr Gilmartin is a behavioral scientist specializing in law enforcement and public safety related issues. He is the author of the book Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and Their Families. He previously spent twenty years working in law enforcement in Tucson, Arizona. During his tenure he supervised the Hostage Negotiations Team and the Behavioral Sciences Unit. He is...

Meghann has been working in law enforcement for 24 years & currently serves as her organizations first wellness coordinator. Meghann's partner Kelly has been working with youth and families for over 20 years, and is the current executive director of Caminos programs in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

In this episode Meghann and Kelly take us on a journey that involves trauma, struggle, insight, growth, and servi...