Blue Grit Radio: the Police Performance Podcast: Mindset, Wellness, Leadership

Ever since I got into Police Hiring and Recruiting a common question I got was about how to improve on push up reps and max.

Most states require a certain number of push ups, ie 20 unbroken, but what can you do rather than simply grinding through your max daily? (The answer is A LOT)!

I’ve spoken before about how much a fan I am of weight training to improve overall strength, but for push ups specifically, check out this quick episode to increase frequency and improve your muscle memory (in a way that aids rehab and recovery as well!)

As always, share, subscribe and rate the podcast so we can help and reach more people.  Better cops, better community. 

Stay well and stay gritty!

Questions, topic ideas and feedback? Send a line!

To stay connected with the latest and exclusive content:

Subscribe to the FREE newsletter at on bluegritwellness.com  !

Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Blue Grit Radio on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and more!  Sharing the show and episodes to your friends, peers, circles and social platforms is one of the greatest compliments I can receive- which truly helps the show grow.

Please help support a healthier first responder community by giving us a 5 star rating (Spotify and Apple) and a review (on Apple) to help others find the show.

Need help with entry-level, promotional testing, career & mindset coaching? Stop spinning your wheels and prep the right mindset and awareness of all the critical hiring steps with my comprehensive hiring guide:
bluegritwellness.com/shop 

Email at [email protected]

-------------------------------------

Want to safeguard your health and the health of your team?

United Diagnostic Services brings hospital-grade diagnostic technology directly to first responder agencies, making early detection of heart disease and cancer simpler than ever.

For more information, visit udshealth.com

-------------------------------------

*the opinions expressed in all episodes of this podcast and related materials do not reflect on any departments agencies. 

music credit: Drive by ASham...

I knew this episode was going to be fantastic as soon as Austin agreed to come on the show.

Gabriel "Austin" AKA Daffy the Duck Daffron is a BBJ event promoter, BJJ and wrestling coach, and more recently a professional MMA fighter.  I met Austin through finding events and venues to do police recruiting and community engagement, which led me to meet him and much of his BJJ team in South Seattle.

Austin talks us through his start in wrestling, rise in BJJ and how he came to be a role player or "suit actor" for the WA State police academy to help cops train their defensive and arrest tactics.  

We dive into his mindset as an athlete, coaching through selfishness and a fascination with struggle and suffering as it inspires what is possible for us to endure for development and achievement. 

Whether you are a wrestling, BJJ, MMA aficionado, one who cares about developing others or yourself, or a police officer to be, this is a valuable listen.

You can find and follow Austin's adventures at @duck_jitsu on Instagram and Daffy the Duck Daffron on Facebook.  

As always, share, give a rating to help spread the message of my guests, and stay gritty!

Questions, topic ideas and feedback? Send a line!

To stay connected with the latest and exclusive content:

Subscribe to the FREE newsletter at on bluegritwellness.com  !

Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Blue Grit Radio on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and more!  Sharing the show and episodes to your friends, peers, circles and social platforms is one of the greatest compliments I can receive- which truly helps the show grow.

Please help support a healthier first responder community by giving us a 5 star rating (Spotify and Apple) and a review (on Apple) to help others find the show.

Need help with entry-level, promotional testing, career & mindset coaching? Stop spinning your wheels and prep the right mindset and awareness of all the critical hiring steps with my comprehensive hiring guide:
bluegritwellness.com/shop 

Email at [email protected]

-------------------------------------

Want to safeguard your health and the health of your team?

United Diagnostic Services brings hospital-grade diagnostic technology directly to first responder agencies, making early detection of heart disease and cancer simpler than ever.

For more information, visit udshealth.com

-------------------------------------

*the opinions expressed in all episodes of this podcast and related materials do not reflect on any departments agencies. 

music credit: Drive by ASham...

This special edition short solo-cast is in recognition of Mother’s Day!  I reflect on a smattering of thoughts as I get my morning steps in.  (In case you’re wondering why it sounds different).

Of course this episode is intended to thank my mom, mom of my child (heart eyes), and all the moms out there.  I also reflect on male role models for men, parenting in general, and the gaps that occur in single-parent families. If nothing else, this message serves as a reminder that we can all step up and get involved with our youth in our circles and communities.  (It takes a tribe)!

Stay gritty- and thank your momma!

Questions, topic ideas and feedback? Send a line!

To stay connected with the latest and exclusive content:

Subscribe to the FREE newsletter at on bluegritwellness.com  !

Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Blue Grit Radio on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and more!  Sharing the show and episodes to your friends, peers, circles and social platforms is one of the greatest compliments I can receive- which truly helps the show grow.

Please help support a healthier first responder community by giving us a 5 star rating (Spotify and Apple) and a review (on Apple) to help others find the show.

Need help with entry-level, promotional testing, career & mindset coaching? Stop spinning your wheels and prep the right mindset and awareness of all the critical hiring steps with my comprehensive hiring guide:
bluegritwellness.com/shop 

Email at [email protected]

-------------------------------------

Want to safeguard your health and the health of your team?

United Diagnostic Services brings hospital-grade diagnostic technology directly to first responder agencies, making early detection of heart disease and cancer simpler than ever.

For more information, visit udshealth.com

-------------------------------------

*the opinions expressed in all episodes of this podcast and related materials do not reflect on any departments agencies. 

music credit: Drive by ASham...

Bobby Jaramillo, former police officer turned tactical human performance coach joins me in this episode.

We talk about Bobby’s start in policing, his development as an officer and trainer and how unhealthy practices led him a troubles career and ultimately his departure.

Now, Bobby’s passion is to utilize his physical training, nutrition, and mental approaches and acumen to support officers to keep them away from the mistakes he made. 

We cover the gamut of information to include simple advice for fitness and nutrition and even get into philosophy like Seneca, Nietzsche and MORE!

You can find more from Bobby and contact him at :

IG @thebobyyjaramillo
www.bobbyjaramillo.com 

As always, like, share, rate and give me feedback!

Questions, topic ideas and feedback? Send a line!

To stay connected with the latest and exclusive content:

Subscribe to the FREE newsletter at on bluegritwellness.com  !

Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Blue Grit Radio on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and more!  Sharing the show and episodes to your friends, peers, circles and social platforms is one of the greatest compliments I can receive- which truly helps the show grow.

Please help support a healthier first responder community by giving us a 5 star rating (Spotify and Apple) and a review (on Apple) to help others find the show.

Need help with entry-level, promotional testing, career & mindset coaching? Stop spinning your wheels and prep the right mindset and awareness of all the critical hiring steps with my comprehensive hiring guide:
bluegritwellness.com/shop 

Email at [email protected]

-------------------------------------

Want to safeguard your health and the health of your team?

United Diagnostic Services brings hospital-grade diagnostic technology directly to first responder agencies, making early detection of heart disease and cancer simpler than ever.

For more information, visit udshealth.com

-------------------------------------

*the opinions expressed in all episodes of this podcast and related materials do not reflect on any departments agencies. 

music credit: Drive by ASham...

First Responder Life is not like others.. so there are key things we need to remember and do to protect and promote our mental health.  

I am joined by my friend, Johanna Wender, from Bravura Counseling.  Our paths connected when she was brought on to help my department’s mental health and peer support efforts.  She speaks from top-tier experience, not just as a counselor but as a spouse of a police officer.  

We dive into:

How treatable trauma-related stress can be

Key things for first responders to discuss with their families and significant others

Why (and how) to find a therapist BEFORE you really need one

And much more!!

As always, subscribe, share, give a 5 star rating if you liked it, and send your feedback to me via @bluegritwellness on IG or [email protected] . 

Check out more from Johanna at @firstrespondercounselor and bravuracounseling.com ! 

Questions, topic ideas and feedback? Send a line!

To stay connected with the latest and exclusive content:

Subscribe to the FREE newsletter at on bluegritwellness.com  !

Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Blue Grit Radio on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and more!  Sharing the show and episodes to your friends, peers, circles and social platforms is one of the greatest compliments I can receive- which truly helps the show grow.

Please help support a healthier first responder community by giving us a 5 star rating (Spotify and Apple) and a review (on Apple) to help others find the show.

Need help with entry-level, promotional testing, career & mindset coaching? Stop spinning your wheels and prep the right mindset and awareness of all the critical hiring steps with my comprehensive hiring guide:
bluegritwellness.com/shop 

Email at [email protected]

-------------------------------------

Want to safeguard your health and the health of your team?

United Diagnostic Services brings hospital-grade diagnostic technology directly to first responder agencies, making early detection of heart disease and cancer simpler than ever.

For more information, visit udshealth.com

-------------------------------------

*the opinions expressed in all episodes of this podcast and related materials do not reflect on any departments agencies. 

music credit: Drive by ASham...

This is a common question that I get over and over.  “I’m too young to be a cop, should I join the military first?”  “I want to be a cop, should I be an M.P.?” (Military Police)

The simple answer is - it depends, but the slightly longer, still simple answers lie within this mini feature episode, as I tackle it on the go.

This is a must listen for anyone with plans to start a military service to lead into a law enforcement career- or those in the service who are thinking about police work.  Share it with your friends and peeps in those scenarios!

As always, send your questions to @bluegritwellness on IG or [email protected] .  Subscribe, share and gimme a 5 star review if this podcast helps you!!

For those enlisted current or prior- thank you for your service. 

Stay safe, stay well, and stay gritty.

Questions, topic ideas and feedback? Send a line!

To stay connected with the latest and exclusive content:

Subscribe to the FREE newsletter at on bluegritwellness.com  !

Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Blue Grit Radio on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and more!  Sharing the show and episodes to your friends, peers, circles and social platforms is one of the greatest compliments I can receive- which truly helps the show grow.

Please help support a healthier first responder community by giving us a 5 star rating (Spotify and Apple) and a review (on Apple) to help others find the show.

Need help with entry-level, promotional testing, career & mindset coaching? Stop spinning your wheels and prep the right mindset and awareness of all the critical hiring steps with my comprehensive hiring guide:
bluegritwellness.com/shop 

Email at [email protected]

-------------------------------------

Want to safeguard your health and the health of your team?

United Diagnostic Services brings hospital-grade diagnostic technology directly to first responder agencies, making early detection of heart disease and cancer simpler than ever.

For more information, visit udshealth.com

-------------------------------------

*the opinions expressed in all episodes of this podcast and related materials do not reflect on any departments agencies. 

music credit: Drive by ASham...

Sometimes real health and wellness means getting comfortable with the uncomfortable- facing that music and talking about taboo topics. So let’s talk…

MONEY.

Too often we are slaves to money.  We grind for our paychecks, slaves to bills and rent/mortgage schedules, and the toys/trips/credit statements we rack up.  We pick up more overtime and then the new cycle is established.

It’s commonly accepted that financial issues are enough to shatter many marriages, and fracture even the best friendships and family bonds when business (and money dynamics) are mixed in.

Add in the first responder world.. yeah. Lots of long hours, missed holidays and traumatic exposure encourages us to live in the moment and spend on gifts and rewards for ourselves and our families.. who DOESN’T want that??

Today, Rebecca Jameson joins us as a first responder spouse and financial coach.  She and her deputy sheriff husband learned first hand what it was like to live in the moment, splurge due to long hours and rack up nearly 100 grand in debt. But here’s the kicker- they had that hard talk, took that hard look and turned it all around.

Now they are having their money work for them in businesses and real estate. We talk about how overtime can be a tool to leverage, how you can start small and modify your strategy to specific goals, and I compare Dave Ramsey to the keto diet.

Listen in for Rebecca’s experiential insight.  You can find Rebecca at @bluelinemoneycoach on IG, Priority One Financial Coaching on FB and contact at [email protected].

Questions, topic ideas and feedback? Send a line!

To stay connected with the latest and exclusive content:

Subscribe to the FREE newsletter at on bluegritwellness.com  !

Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Blue Grit Radio on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and more!  Sharing the show and episodes to your friends, peers, circles and social platforms is one of the greatest compliments I can receive- which truly helps the show grow.

Please help support a healthier first responder community by giving us a 5 star rating (Spotify and Apple) and a review (on Apple) to help others find the show.

Need help with entry-level, promotional testing, career & mindset coaching? Stop spinning your wheels and prep the right mindset and awareness of all the critical hiring steps with my comprehensive hiring guide:
bluegritwellness.com/shop 

Email at [email protected]

-------------------------------------

Want to safeguard your health and the health of your team?

United Diagnostic Services brings hospital-grade diagnostic technology directly to first responder agencies, making early detection of heart disease and cancer simpler than ever.

For more information, visit udshealth.com

-------------------------------------

*the opinions expressed in all episodes of this podcast and related materials do not reflect on any departments agencies. 

music credit: Drive by ASham...

I wrote an article with the same title in the fall of 2021.  We in law enforcement were reeling.  Police were leaving in record numbers. Staffing was crumbling- or beyond wrecked across the country in departments large and small.

Upon reading it now, I force myself to be hopeful.  Applicants and recruits are showing  up in my department and region.  Yet, we still have a long ways to go.  Most agencies still have seemingly insurmountable vacancies to fill, and hiring is just one piece of the pie... these recruits need to get through Academy, get trained, hit the street and become proficient in their craft as a solo officer.

More officers are leaving. I continue to see headlines from across the country with new incentives, lowered standards, and other strategies to recover numbers.  We are not out of the woods.  It's hard to say how far in we even are- and hope deep this thicket gets.

Regardless, the words I wrote as an outlet and in hopes to create connection, relation, understanding and support in this community are still relevant.  In this episode, I read nearly verbatim, from my blog post on bluegritwellness.com, this article which was published and featured by Police 1.

We should not and will not judge those who leave.  But for those who stay, listen in or read along.  I hope these words will find you well- or get you closer to that mark.  You aren't alone.  Let's do this.

You can find it here: https://www.bluegritwellness.com/post/leavingpolicework

and here, "A Letter to my Fellow Cops: To Be or Not to Be a Police Officer":
https://www.police1.com/patrol-issues/articles/a-letter-to-my-fellow-cops-to-be-or-not-to-be-a-police-officer-3uhyQVegUbvXa8Rp/

Stay well, stay safe, and stay GRITTY.

Questions, topic ideas and feedback? Send a line!

To stay connected with the latest and exclusive content:

Subscribe to the FREE newsletter at on bluegritwellness.com  !

Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Blue Grit Radio on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and more!  Sharing the show and episodes to your friends, peers, circles and social platforms is one of the greatest compliments I can receive- which truly helps the show grow.

Please help support a healthier first responder community by giving us a 5 star rating (Spotify and Apple) and a review (on Apple) to help others find the show.

Need help with entry-level, promotional testing, career & mindset coaching? Stop spinning your wheels and prep the right mindset and awareness of all the critical hiring steps with my comprehensive hiring guide:
bluegritwellness.com/shop 

Email at [email protected]

-------------------------------------

Want to safeguard your health and the health of your team?

United Diagnostic Services brings hospital-grade diagnostic technology directly to first responder agencies, making early detection of heart disease and cancer simpler than ever.

For more information, visit udshealth.com

-------------------------------------

*the opinions expressed in all episodes of this podcast and related materials do not reflect on any departments agencies. 

music credit: Drive by ASham...

There's a lot to unpack in this "Battle Buddy" episode, and we barely scratch the surface!  Truly I could go on for hours with this guy... one of the best and loyal friends I will ever have: Trevor Wolcott.  

Trevor and I met through our time in policing at the same department 11 years ago.  We started as chummy bros, bonding over fun calls, crazy stories, and getting drinks with the fellas on our time off.  Over the years, he became one of my closest confidants in and out of the career.  

We talk about law enforcement- the highs and lows that inevitably accompany the career.  We share some of our connected experiences and memories, to include our most bitter loss of our brother, Diego.  On the other end of the spectrum we reflect on a pinnacle of our career- a hostage rescue situation involving a child we responded to together.  

It was a blow to my psyche, my department, and the community when Trevor left policing.  We discuss the acceptance and positive perspective on leaving police before it stops serving you as well as the continued respect for a life of service- in and out of the uniform.

Nothing is guaranteed in this life, except the gratitude and attitude you bring to it.

Stay well, stay safe and STAY GRITTY.

Questions, topic ideas and feedback? Send a line!

To stay connected with the latest and exclusive content:

Subscribe to the FREE newsletter at on bluegritwellness.com  !

Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Blue Grit Radio on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and more!  Sharing the show and episodes to your friends, peers, circles and social platforms is one of the greatest compliments I can receive- which truly helps the show grow.

Please help support a healthier first responder community by giving us a 5 star rating (Spotify and Apple) and a review (on Apple) to help others find the show.

Need help with entry-level, promotional testing, career & mindset coaching? Stop spinning your wheels and prep the right mindset and awareness of all the critical hiring steps with my comprehensive hiring guide:
bluegritwellness.com/shop 

Email at [email protected]

-------------------------------------

Want to safeguard your health and the health of your team?

United Diagnostic Services brings hospital-grade diagnostic technology directly to first responder agencies, making early detection of heart disease and cancer simpler than ever.

For more information, visit udshealth.com

-------------------------------------

*the opinions expressed in all episodes of this podcast and related materials do not reflect on any departments agencies. 

music credit: Drive by ASham...

In this episode, I answer some of YOUR questions.  How do you prepare mentally for the Academy?  With a squeamishness of blood, how would one approach that?  I got the conditional offer of employment for my cop job, now what? How do the big bosses decide- is it a done deal or do they round table my selection?

I offer my insight and advice in these realms- which easily translate into bigger themes that will help you prep or optimize your career. 

Shoutout to 10-7 Fishing, @10_7fishing on IG.  My man Tim is an active deputy and his company donates part of the proceeds to aid suicide prevention and officer mental wellness.  For a 10% discount, use the code GRIT10 , no kick back, just helping a good dude with a good mission.  

If you’re a good dude or dudette with a good mission, shoot me a line to be featured. 

Lastly, stay well, stay safe and stay gritty!

Questions, topic ideas and feedback? Send a line!

To stay connected with the latest and exclusive content:

Subscribe to the FREE newsletter at on bluegritwellness.com  !

Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Blue Grit Radio on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and more!  Sharing the show and episodes to your friends, peers, circles and social platforms is one of the greatest compliments I can receive- which truly helps the show grow.

Please help support a healthier first responder community by giving us a 5 star rating (Spotify and Apple) and a review (on Apple) to help others find the show.

Need help with entry-level, promotional testing, career & mindset coaching? Stop spinning your wheels and prep the right mindset and awareness of all the critical hiring steps with my comprehensive hiring guide:
bluegritwellness.com/shop 

Email at [email protected]

-------------------------------------

Want to safeguard your health and the health of your team?

United Diagnostic Services brings hospital-grade diagnostic technology directly to first responder agencies, making early detection of heart disease and cancer simpler than ever.

For more information, visit udshealth.com

-------------------------------------

*the opinions expressed in all episodes of this podcast and related materials do not reflect on any departments agencies. 

music credit: Drive by ASham...