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 at East Aurora High School. In 2005 Joe was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder from a response call, he later retired on a duty disability pension after 33 years as a firefighter. Seeing the reaction in the workplace to his PTSD diagnosis and watching him learn to live with PTSD she came up with the concept of Responders Retreat as a place to open a conversation and know that you are not alone.

Lieutenant Sean M. Carroll (Ret.) spent 23 years with the Providence Police Department, retiring as a Lieutenant and Commanding Officer, after serving in the United StatesMarine Corps.

Today he is Founder and CEO of A.I.O. Leadership, LLC, where he trains supervisors on the leadership decisions that determine whether officers stay whole or burn out.

He is the author of A.I.O. Leadership for Law Enforcement, a Police1 columnist, an IADLEST National Certified Instructor, an adjunct professor at Roger Williams University, andhost of the Street Tested Leadership podcast.

Sean is also a post-traumatic stress survivor. He is candid about the mistakes he made while wearing the stripes, speaks openly about recognizing the signs of PTS in himself and his fellow officers, talks about what first responders can do for themselves when stress becomes overwhelming, and how to properly navigate those moments from a leadership position when a fellow officer shows signs of struggle.

Kemmi Sadler is a best-selling author, speaker, retired U.S. Diplomat, and former Supervisory Special Agent with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. Over a 26-year career as a sworn law enforcement officer and federal agent, she served in high-threat assignments around the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan. She began her law enforcement career as a police officer in St. Augustine, Florida.

Her memoir, From the Badge to the Vine: A Journey Through Duty, Trauma, and Healing, explores the personal cost of a career built around service—and her unexpected journey through grief, trauma, healing through plant medicine, and personal transformation. The book became an Amazon Bestseller and #1 New Release following its publication in April 2026.

Earlier this year, Kemmi walked 780 kilometers across Spain on the Camino de Santiago with her dog, Nona, raising awareness for first responder mental health and suicide prevention while carrying the names of 56 first responders lost to suicide. The pilgrimage, called Nona’s Way, has since grown into an ongoing effort to share the message that healing is possible through storytelling, connection, and honest conversation.

Through her writing and speaking, Kemmi challenges long-held ideas about strength, service, trauma, and what it means to ask for help. Her message is simple: it’s okay to need healing, and healing is possible.