EP05-You Can't Outserve your Own Wounds: With Expert Brian Gillespie

You can wear the badge, get the medal, serve for decades and still never speak the truth that’s been eating you alive.

In this episode, retired Marine Corps veteran and law enforcement officer Brian Gillespie joins Erin to talk about the moment everything changed. After 10 years of sobriety and a lifetime of showing up for everyone else, Brian finally said the one thing he swore he never would. That decision didn’t just save others it saved him.

This episode dives deep into what most people never say out loud: the hidden trauma, emotional shutdown, and internal war that too often go unresolved in the responder world. But it also offers something else...hope, through post-traumatic growth.

You’ll hear:

• Brian’s raw, unfiltered journey through sobriety, PTSD, and military sexual trauma (MST)
• Why long-term service and mental health stigma often go hand in hand
• How “helping others” became a mask and how true healing only began with radical self-honesty
• The myth of being “fine” and the power of finally surrendering
• Why journaling can be a game-changing tool for emotional regulation and resilience

MENTAL FIREPOWER:

Grab a journal. Write the one thing you’ve never said out loud.
You don’t have to show anyone. You don’t have to keep it. But putting it on paper is how you start moving it out of your nervous system.

You can’t out-help your own wounds. And you can’t out-serve your own story.

 KEY TOPICS + EMBEDDED SEARCH TERMS:

• First responder mental health
• Military sexual trauma (MST)
• PTSD in first responders and veterans
• Burnout prevention
• Post-traumatic growth
• Emotional resilience training
• Journaling for trauma recovery
• Addiction and sobriety in public service
• Stress management techniques
• Nervous system healing
• Peer support for veterans and responders
• Boulder Crest Foundation
• First responder spouse support

WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR:

• First responders and veterans struggling with invisible wounds
• Spouses of responders trying to understand what’s really going on
• Leaders who want to model authentic recovery and vulnerability
• Anyone carrying something they think they’ll “take to the grave”

CONNECT WITH BRIAN:

Email: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]
IG: @phoenixtheservicedog

LIKE WHAT YOU HEARD?

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Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/needmospace/chill-power

License code: QUUZB4TP7STKMLJN