Blue Wives Tribe

In this episode talk with Dr. Vicky, one of our peer support group leaders and fellow LEOW. We talk about:

-Her ah ha moment as a police wife (how she knew, oh, this is what it’s like to be a police wife)

-Coping as a new LEOW

-Dr. Vicky’s background as psychologist

-How to ask your therapist or potential therapist about their training and background

-How common depression is

-Typical symptoms of depression

- How Postpartum Depression (PPD) is different from Clinical Depression

-Coping tips for PPD

Today’s episode is an interview with the ladies from Blue Wife Life podcast!! We talked about:

• Reasons why Becky and Mary started Blue Wife Life Podcast and how one of them handled a family member who talked badly about law enforcement!

• Federal Law Enforcement Academy – some things to expect as a LEOW such as your spouse possibly moving away for the academy months.

• How to support your officer during their time away (on assignment or in the academy)

• Self-Care Routines (Be intentional. Doesn’t have to be long. Can be as short as 2 minutes!) Examples are: Quiet Time (intentional), Devotional, Prayer, Meditation, Exercise (walk/run/yoga/bike), Eating Breakfast!

On this episode, I interview Alison P. Uribe.

Allison is a chaplain, conference speaker, and author. In 2008, she and her husband - a San Antonio, Texas, police officer - founded Wives on Duty Ministries with a mission to support, encourage, and inspire the spouses of first responders through God's word.

Allison has authored two books, Because I'm Suitable:  The Journey of a Wife on Duty which now has a Revised Edition and Cuffs and Coffee :  A Devotional for wives of America's Law Enforcement  Officers.

She shares a bit about her personal story of how she almost left my husband 3 times until she decided to cling to her faith and her marriage was saved. She is real, honest, and raw about the seasons of struggle and how she overcame it.

In this episode, I talk with Rebecca, owner of Proud Police Police, about some common LEOW struggles and strategies on how to tackle them. Proud Police Wife a website dedicated to providing resources and support for law enforcement families. Rebecca is also the author of the Peacemaker's wife: A journal for encouragement and reflection for police wives and girlfriends which is available on Amazon or click the link in the show notes. Check out some other cool products from Proud Police Wife below!

On this episode, I talked with Claudia Stanley, fellow LEOW, and licensed clinical social worker in Texas. Her LEO is a veteran, has served on patrol, heat, and narcotics teams. In our interview, we delved a bit deeper into the topic of anxiety as it relates to LEOW and GF’s. This is a nice follow up to episode 4- overview of anxiety. Claudia reviewed common anxiety symptoms her go to coping techniques:

-Grounding technique-present and disrupt panic

-STOP technique for rumination

-Yoga-movement

-Belly breathing-regulating

-PMR-tension

-Body Scan-sensations

-Affirmations-thoughts

-Boundaries-tv, social media, environment/people

-Faith/Spirituality- prayer, verses, reading, connecting to nature.

We also talk about the kinds of anxiety a police wife/gf can expect during the course of a LEO career, tips how to manage the worry about your LEO and his job (hint: we can’t control it, but we can roll with it!), and overview education around medication and therapies for anxiety.

On today's show, I interview Natalie from Family Makes Cents. Family Makes Cents is frugal living and intentional motherhood blog focused around sharing how to live with less so you can make room for the things you want. Natalie's top loves consist of Jesus, family, and traveling. At 3 months pregnant, Natalie graduated summa cum laude with her bachelor’s degree but none of her studies or travels prepared her for the hardest job yet: being a stay at home mom and the wife of a police officer. She is a black woman married to a police officer and identifies with both the law enforcement and the black communities. In the interview she talks about ways to start to address bias and overcoming prejudice. She shares pieces of her own journey of being caught between fearing assumptions based on the color of her skin and based on what her husband does for a living. She shares that it is important in this time, right now, because the world is beginning to identify long standing prejudice that runs deep in our country. She cautions to not make the mistake of overcorrecting and much more including some mental health tips on how to challenge your thoughts or bias!

Today I give a brief overview of anxiety. I share the common symptoms, coping techniques that help, questions to ask a potential new therapist, and a little bit about my own journey in therapy. Not everyone who experiences symptoms of anxiety has an anxiety disorder. It is important that we talk about this openly so we can normalize our mental health and destigmatize going to treatment/therapy if needed or desired.

A timely discussion with Chief John Thomas, the Chief of Department of Public Safety at the University of Southern California (USC) regarding his experience in law enforcement, the Black Lives Matter movement, and thoughts on how we move forward as a society.

On today's show, I interview Linda Spietz, veteran law enforcement officer and marriage mentor. We discuss her new book, "Officer Involved Spouse" - 7 week study designed complete with journal-type questions and guidance to help bring up the difficult topics that occur in a law enforcement ​marriage. I overview my favorite parts and Linda shares some key insights into how and why to have those difficult conversations with your officer.

Join us for the Blue Wives Tribe podcast! A podcast for the global community of law enforcement wives and girlfriends, also known as Blue Wives.