A single accident stole her shield but revealed her purpose. Former firefighter and peer support advocate Natalie Nugent sits down with us to unpack the hidden cost of serving on the front lines, and the surprising, practical steps that helped her rebuild after PTSD, depression, and identity loss. From a heartbreaking moment with her daughter to a life-saving knock at the door, Natalie traces the path from isolation to treatment to a thriving support network designed for first responders, trauma survivors, and caregivers.

We go deep on what PTSD actually looks like off duty, sleeplessness, hypervigilance, anger spikes, and the instinct to withdraw, and why saying “I’m not okay” can be the bravest, most productive move. Natalie shares the exact tools that steadied her nervous system: a simple WRAP plan to guide daily choices, yoga for mind–body balance, cold exposure to interrupt spirals, and five-minute meditations to build tolerance for stillness. We break down the “window of tolerance” so you can map your personal baseline, notice when you’re tipping into fight/flight or shutdown, and use small interventions to come back online faster.

Out of treatment, Natalie founded Rekindled Retreats, a peer community that flips “retreat” into “retrieve”—a space to retrieve the parts of you that feel lost. She details what happens inside their workshops, why follow-up support matters for eight full weeks, and how a quiet text thread becomes a lifeline on hard days. We also explore Internal Family Systems, rethinking success after trauma, and how compassion, for yourself and others, reduces the urge to fix and makes connection possible again.

If you’ve ever felt overactivated, exhausted, or alone in your struggle, this conversation offers a clear, human roadmap back to stability and community. Listen now, share it with someone who serves, and if it resonates, leave a rating and a quick review so more people can find their way to these tools.

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The Off-Balance podcast, including all audio, video, and written content, is produced and hosted by Dr. Brooks Demming. The views, opinions, and statements expressed by podcast guests are solely those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, or official positions of Dr. Brooks Demming, the Off-Balance brand, its affiliates, or partners.

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