I carved my name on a bullet...

...because a thousand paper cuts had me bleeding out: no sleep at a busy house, a crumbling relationship, financial troubles, a body and mind breaking down, and losing a brother. In this raw conversation with Sammy Freyta (LPC, ATR, First Responder Counselor & firefighter spouse), we break down how that slow grind happens and how to start climbing back... one honest step at a time.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why it’s not “one bad call.” How years of small hits—sleep loss, a dying home life, finances, grief—pile up until you can’t think straight.
• Moral injury in plain talk. Sammy’s “torn bicep” analogy for your brain: ignore small strains and it tears.
• Self-care vs. soul care. Daily basics (sleep, food, movement, sunlight, connection) vs. deeper resets that actually refill you.
• Sleep that fights back. Blackout the room, keep it cold, phone off at night—why stimulation wrecks your recovery.
• Alcohol isn’t a fix. It numbs now, wrecks sleep and anxiety later. Why it made things worse.
• Control vs. relief. The bullet as a symbol of control—and the truth that most of us want relief, not death.

 If you’re a firefighter who feels eroded—tired, foggy, angry, and carrying more than you say—this one’s for you.

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