DAMIAN IRVINE is a police veteran with 41 years of service. In this episode, George and Damian had an in-depth conversation about Damian's career in law enforcement, including his experiences with operational challenges, and career progression through various police roles. Damian shared insights about managing high-performing units, transitioning between specialised and general duties, and his approachable leadership style that emphasised human connection and mental health awareness. They discussed the evolution of police units like SERT, the importance of mentorship and career development, and concluded with updates about ongoing operational challenges for police.

—————

This podcast is proudly made possible by the BE THE VOICE Book - details can be found on amazon:

Australia - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0645718211/

USA - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0645718211/

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0645718211/ 

—————

AUDIO

The music on this podcast is used under license from Artlist - License Number 248442

—————

TAGS

#bethevoice #ptsd #posttrauma #criticalincident #mentalhealth #policeveteran 

CLEVE SALMON is a police veteran from Victoria, Australia. He is the founder of TJF | The Journey Forward, an organisation that began as a blog and way for Cleve to deal with the trauma of policing work through writing. It has now evolved into something much bigger, becoming a powerful community that is doing amazing work to help emergency service / front line workers deal with the effects of some of the most difficult jobs in our society.

In this episode, Cleve shared his journey in law enforcement, including his experiences with PTSD and mental health challenges, while emphasising the importance of seeking help early and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. The conversation covered the evolution of TJF into a successful support organisation, their approach to mental health support, and the social activities that their community participants are involved in.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about TJF | The Journey Forward, you can visit the website and social media pages:

Web - https://www.tjf.au/ 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tangojulietfoxtrot.tjf 

You can also support them through the purchase of shirts and other branded merchandise.

—————

This podcast is proudly made possible by the BE THE VOICE Book - details can be found on amazon:

Australia - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0645718211/

USA - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0645718211/

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0645718211/ 

—————

AUDIO

The music on this podcast is used under license from Artlist - License Number 248442

—————

TAGS

#bethevoice #ptsd #posttrauma #criticalincident #mentalhealth #tjf #thejourneyforward 

ADRIAN CASEY is a police veteran with a long and distinguished career here in Australia. His 35 years of experience includes uniform work, rural policing in one officer stations, undercover activities, criminal investigation and other forms of investigative work. He has stories to tell that are the stuff of movies. His experience is also a credible basis from which to give sound advice to other front line workers on how to approach this type of work from a mental health perspective.

—————

This podcast is sponsored by the BE THE VOICE Book - details can be found on amazon:

Australia - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0645718211/

USA - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0645718211/

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0645718211/ 

—————

AUDIO

The music on this podcast is used under license from Artlist - License Number 248442

—————

TAGS

#bethevoice #ptsd #posttrauma #criticalincident #mentalhealth

DAVE RAYMOND BM APM is recently retired police officer with a distinguished career of 36 years. He is a decorated officer recognised for his bravery and recipient of numerous awards including Australian Bravery medal, QPS Valour Award, Australian Police medal, Commendation for Brave Conduct, Meritorious Service Medal and a range of other commendations.

George and Dave engaged in a detailed discussion about their experiences in law enforcement, including the challenges faced by police officers, the evolution of policing practices, and the impact of social media on public perception. They shared personal stories from their careers, covering topics such as their initial training, operational experiences, and the importance of maintaining professional relationships and support systems. The conversation concluded with discussions about Dave's recent book titled VADER and potential future collaborations, including plans for publishing and podcasting.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Dave's book you can visit the publisher’s website here - https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/vader/ - you can also buy copies from all good book stores and Amazon books.

This podcast is brought to you by the BE THE VOICE Book - details can be found on amazon:

Australia - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0645718211/

USA - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0645718211/

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0645718211/ 

AUDIO

The music on this podcast is used under license from Artlist - License Number 248442

TAGS

#bethevoice #ptsd #posttrauma #criticalincident #mentalhealth #vader #davidraymond 

KEITH BANKS is best selling author of the books titled Gun to the Head and Drugs, Guns and Lies. Keith is also one of Queensland’s most decorated police officers with a twenty year career in the QPS. Today he is a highly regarded keynote speaker and mental health advocate. 

In this episode we spoke about his role with the Police Veterans of Victoria association and work as a peer support, and also chatted about a range of topics connected to the theme of mental health and post traumatic stress including developing mental fitness before you need it, the importance of physical effort and the emergence of AI. 

For more information about Keith’s work and access to his books, visit his website:

https://keithbanks.com.au/ 

THIS PODCAST

This podcast was intended to give insights into the lives of front line workers who have walked the miles and carried the weight of the past with them. Through their stories we hope to be able to positively influence others from all walks of life who are also dealing with post traumatic stress.

Please share this.

MADE POSSIBLE BY

This podcast is made possible by the BE THE VOICE Book which is used to fund this work.  Details can be found on amazon:

Australia - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0645718211/

USA - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0645718211/

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0645718211/ 

AUDIO

The music on this podcast is used under license from Artlist - License Number 248442

TAGS

#bethevoice #ptsd #posttrauma #posttraumaticsrress #criticalincident #mentalhealth

DALE WEIGHTMAN, aka Zulu, is a police veteran and long serving member of the Queensland Police Service. He worked in uniform for a short time, then embarked on a remarkable career in criminal intelligence, undercover, and special operations.

In this discussion with George, Zulu speaks about his career which began in the mid 1970s, his various postings, stories of operations he was involved in, and gives his experience and thoughts about how front line workers can deal with the weight of post traumatic stress.

Thanks for your service Zulu.

THIS PODCAST

This podcast was intended to give insights into the lives of front line workers who have walked the miles and carried the weight of the past with them. Through their stories we hope to be able to positively influence others from all walks of life who are also dealing with post traumatic stress.

Please share this.

MADE POSSIBLE BY ..

This podcast is made possible by the BE THE VOICE Book which is used to fund this work.  Details can be found on amazon:

Australia - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0645718211/

USA - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0645718211/

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0645718211/ 

AUDIO

The music on this podcast is used under license from Artlist - License Number 248442

TAGS

#bethevoice #ptsd #posttrauma #posttraumaticsrress #criticalincident #mentalhealth

DON MCKAY has been a police officer for many years and is a close friend with whom George worked back in his special operations days. In this episode Don talks about his experience surviving cancer, specifically Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

The discussion, which took place in 2021 evolved around a range of related topics such as going through chemotherapy, maintaining a positive attitude and healthy mindset, diet, fasting, resilience, and getting back into connection with people at a time when his appearance had changed drastically. 

There are many lessons for all of us in this podcast about life and how we approach it, even if we aren’t going through a similar experience.

BE THE VOICE Book Details can be found on amazon:

Australia - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0645718211/

USA - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0645718211/

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0645718211/ 

LICENSING

The music on this podcast is used under license from Artlist - License Number 248442

TAGS

#bethevoice #ptsd #posttrauma #criticalincident #mentalhealth #resilience #donmckay #survivingcancer  

KEITH BANKS - This is a follow up conversation with Keith, this time in reference to his second book titled ‘Gun To The Head’  George talked with Keith about his experience in tactical operations, touched on Operation Flashdance, and delved into his experience dealing with the aftermath and years of PTSD.

Thankfully Keith came through the ordeal and now his contribution to mental health and well-being is felt widely because of his writings.

He has taken all of his experiences and learnings and presented them in such a way that we can all take something positive away, even if our circumstances are different.

If you are experiencing signs and symptoms of PTSD, remember to speak up and get help.  And also listen to our conversations with Keith and other guests on this podcast.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Keith Banks, and where to get his books, visit his website - https://keithbanks.com.au

BE THE VOICE Book Details can be found on amazon:

Australia - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0645718211/

USA - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0645718211/

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0645718211/ 

AUDIO

The music on this podcast is used under license from Artlist - License Number 248442

TAGS

#bethevoice #ptsd #posttrauma #criticalincident #mentalhealth #georgeleesye #keithbanks  

CASSANDRA ALEXANDER RN (aka Cassie) is a nurse.  She spent ten years of her career working in a burns ward of a US hospital, loving her job and the tough but important role of caring for burns victims.

Then we were all struck by the COVID19 pandemic in 2020.  So Cassie took her skills working in what are referred to as isolation wards, to become a COVID ward nurse.  That’s when things changed.

So in 2021 she wrote about her experience in a book titled YEAR OF THE NURSE which is as she calls it, a 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic Memoir.

In this episode, George chatted with Cassie and talked about her experiences in the ward, dealing with the hospitalised victims of COVID19, mis-understandings out there about masks and vaccinations, nurses coping with stress and PTSD.

It is a super interesting story that will surely awaken you and give you a much greater appreciation of the tough role nurses have to perform.

REMEMBER, if you are experiencing signs and symptoms of PTSD, remember to speak up and get help.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Cassie and all of her books can be found on the Amazon website here - https://www.amazon.com/Cassie-Alexander/e/B007A2R4P0

BE THE VOICE Book Details can be found on amazon:

Australia - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0645718211/

USA - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0645718211/

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0645718211/ 

AUDIO

The music on this podcast is used under license from Artlist - License Number 248442

TAGS

#bethevoice #ptsd #posttrauma #criticalincident #mentalhealth #georgeleesye #cassandraalexander #yearofthenurse 

KEITH BANKS is the author of the best selling book titled ‘Drugs, Guns and Lies’. For this episode, Keith sat with George and discussed his life as an undercover cop during Queensland’s most notoriously corrupt period in history that ended with the Fitzgerald Inquiry.

Keith describes what it was like to live life as an undercover agent, building relationships with people he would have to ultimately betray, the transition back to what we might call a normal life, the impact of this on his life and mental well being, and finally dealing with PTSD.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Keith Banks, and where to get his books, visit his website - https://keithbanks.com.au

BE THE VOICE Book Details can be found on amazon:

Australia - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0645718211/

USA - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0645718211/

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0645718211/ 

AUDIO

The music on this podcast is used under license from Artlist - License Number 248442

TAGS

#bethevoice #ptsd #posttrauma #criticalincident #mentalhealth #keithbanks