David joins us on the podcast and shares his story of what led him into the fire service, the love he found for the job once he was there, the challenges he faced through transition into retirement, and the importance of finding purpose post service.

David talks about the importance of early introduction to mental health and wellness concepts for first responders, the importance of consistently revisiting these topics throughout a first responders career, why mental health interventions must be accusable, explains the significance of having a plan for retirement, the magnitude that purpose has in many first responders lives, and why new purpose is a significant component of a healthy and fulfilling retirement.

Erin Lynch is a Suicide Loss Survivor. She lost her father Eddie Lynch, a 35 year Boston Firefighter to Suicide in 2014. Erin shares what it was like being raised by a firefighter, she discusses the dynamics of her family, speaks openly about the day that her father passed, the days, weeks, months, and years that followed.

She talks about the initial shock and turmoil, she describes the weight of her grief and how she was impacted by it, and explains how she was able to heal, move forward from that loss, and how she now uses the experience to help others.

Tracy Ryan joined First Responder Therapy Dogs in August 2021 with her dog Sparkie in an effort to spread therapy dog love to First Responders on the East Coast. She resides in East Bridgewater, MA, where she is a High School Guidance Counselor, mom to 2 boys, and wife of a firefighter. Blaze most recently joined the ranks as her 2nd FRTD certified dog in 2025. Being able to share her dogs with first responders, has been an absolute perfect fit for her and her family!

In this episode Tracy shares what its like to be married to a firefighter as someone with a background in mental health, she talks about how their family manages difficult calls that are carried from an emergency scene into their home, how her journey into this work began, where her passion comes from, the effectiveness of this approach and the growth of First Responder Therapy Dogs in recent years.

Travis Gribble joins us and shares about his career in law enforcement. He talks about what inspired him towards policing, the many roles he held during his career, including SWAT Team Leader. Travis explains some of the calls that stick with him, the ones that impacted him most, his experience with suffering and suicidal ideations, how he reached out for help, what that process was like, and the transformation of healing and growth he experienced at the Boulder Crest Foundation.

After healing from his own wounds, Travis became certified as a guide with the Boulder Crest Foundation and committed himself to serving those who serve, to helping his brothers and sisters who are stuck in their own struggle.

Dave, Stacey, and Erin join us on behalf of 22 Mohawks - an organization that empowers Veterans and First Responders to rediscover purpose, build resilience, and thrive. In this episode each of them share with us their why - the life experiences, exposures, and circumstances that connects them directly to these cultures and led to creating the passion that they each carry with them into the work that they're are doing.

They share with us the strategies, approaches, and programs they use to encourage First Responder and Veteran empowerment and reduce suicide, and explain how a heartfelt social media post led to the creation of an organization that is changing lives.

John and Jackie share their story. A story that involves military service, first response, family, trauma, and interpersonal struggle. This is a story that is uniquely theirs, with themes common among families who serve.

Scott & Lorena Bergan join us to share a story about Compassion, Love, the Desire to Help others - Family and Loss. They describe their daughter Kaitlin and how she lived, The passion she had for life, her motivated and enthusiastic approach to entering the fire service, her love of the job, along with the grief they experienced when she died by suicide.

Dave Betz - a law enforcement officer with decades of experience , and his wife Janice share the tragedy of losing their son - David Kevin Betz III - to Suicide. David was in the process of becoming a law enforcement officer himself.

They talk about the job, how it impacts those who wear the uniform, how it also impacts the families of those who serve, the struggle they all face, the pain and grief involved with losing a family member to suicide, the work they have done to raise awareness and reduce death by suicide, and the many ways that they help others.