Olivia Mead is the Founder and CEO of the non-profit organization YogaShield® Yoga For First Responders® (YFFR). Olivia is a life-long yoga practitioner along with having studied Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Human Performance, and Trauma-Sensitive Yoga for Veterans. She has taught yoga since 2003 and has focused primarily on public safety since 2013 starting at Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles Police Department, where she developed the unique protocol that Yoga For First Responders now uses to offer yoga to the public safety population in a job-specific and culturally-informed manner. Olivia has taught and spoken around the county at several trade conferences and public safety agencies and is a member of the Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association and the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.

Episode 43 - Olivia Mead - Yoga for First Responders

Find out what Firefighters are made of!

This podcast pulls back the curtain and shows you what goes into the making of a Firefighter. 

We talk about the how and why of each guest's journey to the job, what challenges they have faced overall and how they made it through them, the struggles they see for our service and their ideas on how each of us can help progress in the job, as well as what keeps them inspired and motivated. You will be getting to know your family better. 

'Multiple Calls' is a phrase that catches a Firefighter's attention because it signifies that there is a strong possibility that what we are responding to is legitimate and will require us to be at our best. It is also what experience is made of. We're going to be at our best to capture your attention with legitimate stories and enrich our experience of this unique and amazing job.

I'm a 25-year second-generation Firefighter working for a Department in Southern Ontario, Canada, with around 400 suppression personnel, 13 stations and 26 apparatus. I spent the first half of my career at a Technical Rescue station, six years working as a primary care medic, 3 years instructing as a Fire Training Officer, and had the honour and pleasure of co-leading our Peer Support Team for over a decade.

When I first joined, we were a lot smaller and the Senior Firefighter on the truck with me for my first shift had been on longer than I had been alive. Outside of what he and many others taught me about the job, he recommended that I start a journal of all the calls and happenings around the hall so that one day I'd have the makings of a book. He was right, but unfortunately, of all the things I heeded and applied, that wasn't one of them. The point being, there are stories to tell and we all carry them; about us as individuals, as crews, as platoons, and as a Department. The wisdom and instruction about how to do the job are crucial, but the experiences and stories also help to shape our character and our Fire Family as a whole. Stories are important. Through story-telling, we find comfort in what connects us and expand our minds through our differences. 

I've come late to the party when it comes to podcasts. A move in the summer of 2017 that involves an hour plus commute, opened up the opportunity to fill that time with some quality content. I've been inspired by a number of podcasts and listed the fire-related ones on the Multiple Calls Website in the Resources section along with books, Facebook pages, websites, literature, and videos. You can also find a running list of those in the Fire Service at large that deserve our respect and acknowledgment for their efforts to keep us grounded and progressing, in the Credits section. Please message me if you want me to add someone. 

We get to know each other very well in this line of work. From all that we experience together, we create strong bonds, and we use deeply meaningful words like Family and Brotherhood to describe them. As shift schedules, generations, where we choose to live, our societal norms, and the size of our departments change, our view of the importance and tradition of the Fire Service Family and Brotherhood can be challenged, strained and at risk of being lost. This would be incredibly sad, tragic, and detrimental. We need to continue to invest in each other and learn and participate in each other's stories. 

Much Love,

Scott

Society & Culture

Find out what Firefighters are made of! This podcast pulls back the curtain and shows you what goes into the making of a Firefighter. We talk about the how and why of each guest's journey to the job, what challenges they have faced overall and how they made it through them, the struggles they see for our service and their ideas on how each of us can help progress in the job, as well as what keeps them inspired and motivated. You will be getting to know your family better. 'Multiple Calls' is a phrase that catches a Firefighter's attention because it signifies that there is a strong possibility that what we are responding to is legitimate and will require us to be at our best. It is also what experience is made of. We're going to be at our best to capture your attention with legitimate stories and enrich our experience of this unique and amazing job. I'm a 25-year second-generation Firefighter working for a Department in Southern Ontario, Canada, with around 400 suppression personnel, 13 stations and 26 apparatus. I spent the first half of my career at a Technical Rescue station, six years working as a primary care medic, 3 years instructing as a Fire Training Officer, and had the honour and pleasure of co-leading our Peer Support Team for over a decade. When I first joined, we were a lot smaller and the Senior Firefighter on the truck with me for my first shift had been on longer than I had been alive. Outside of what he and many others taught me about the job, he recommended that I start a journal of all the calls and happenings around the hall so that one day I'd have the makings of a book. He was right, but unfortunately, of all the things I heeded and applied, that wasn't one of them. The point being, there are stories to tell and we all carry them; about us as individuals, as crews, as platoons, and as a Department. The wisdom and instruction about how to do the job are crucial, but the experiences and stories also help to shape our character and our Fire Family as a whole. Stories are important. Through story-telling, we find comfort in what connects us and expand our minds through our differences. I've come late to the party when it comes to podcasts. A move in the summer of 2017 that involves an hour plus commute, opened up the opportunity to fill that time with some quality content. I've been inspired by a number of podcasts and listed the fire-related ones on the Multiple Calls Website in the Resources section along with books, Facebook pages, websites, literature, and videos. You can also find a running list of those in the Fire Service at large that deserve our respect and acknowledgment for their efforts to keep us grounded and progressing, in the Credits section. Please message me if you want me to add someone. We get to know each other very well in this line of work. From all that we experience together, we create strong bonds, and we use deeply meaningful words like Family and Brotherhood to describe them. As shift schedules, generations, where we choose to live, our societal norms, and the size of our departments change, our view of the importance and tradition of the Fire Service Family and Brotherhood can be challenged, strained and at risk of being lost. This would be incredibly sad, tragic, and detrimental. We need to continue to invest in each other and learn and participate in each other's stories. Much Love, Scott

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Episode 43 - Olivia Mead - Yoga for First Responders

Episode 43 - Olivia Mead - Yoga for First Responders

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