Join me as I sit down with Avery Breau. Avery embarks on her journey into becoming a RCMP Officer this year. Making the transition from civilian life to policing is a large undertaking. Many times we may feel like this challenge is insurmountable; however, often times many not only achieve this but flourish in the profession.

We discuss different perspectives of what it means to become a cop and some of the challenges in the profession.

Join me in a three part series where we focus on the journey from civilian life to that of a Police Officer.

Join me as I connect with Emily Day. Emily is a modern day healer and a holistic wellness counsellor who works with first responders who are recovering from traumatic experiences.

Emily herself has an incredible story of seeing first hand the devastating impact first responder work can have on men as her father was a police officer and her father. Emily shares how her own journey into her past trauma and pain ultimately led to more pain and suffering; however, in time also set her free. Emily challenged herself to work beyond the trauma of the past and begin to promote healing and positive change.

Emily's focus is establishing the mind, body, spirit (and emotional) connection that exists within each person. She does this through different practices including yoga, breath work and meditation. Emily sees first hand the positive impact this is having on first responders as many begin their healing journey thanks to her.

Join me as I connect with Larry Peyton. Larry has served with the RCMP for over two decades. Due to repeated traumatic events it eventually led to Larry being diagnosed with PTSD and ultimately over time it worsening and complicating his health. Larry realized the impacts of PTSD and began learning about often misunderstood injury many First Responders carry.

Larry knew that in order to heal he would have to stop hiding his pain and suffering and start being more vulnerable by expressing what his experiences looked like. This ultimately led to him creating his own podcast "PAPA TANGO SIERRA DELTA" which again aims to remove mental health stigma from the world of First Responders and promote vulnerability and courage.

Larry's professional approach to podcasting and amazing story telling ability blend for an experience many who serve can relate to. We often times experience the same emotional response from traumatic events and often times struggle to find the right words to express what we are experiencing due to overwhelming emotional reactions to trauma and triggers. Larry again shares not only his knowledge but his journey in hopes of helping others heal!

Join me for another amazing episode aimed at promoting wellness within First Responders Mental Health working lines!

Join me as I connect with Debra Kine. Debra holds a Masters degree in Theology and a Masters degree in Psychology. Debra has spent many years serving others as they often themselves navigate some of life's most difficult moments. Debra initially worked with many as a chaplain in paediatric ICU at McMaster Children's hospital and at St. Michaels emergency ward in Toronto.

Debra later joined the Edgewood Health Network Rehabilitation Centre in Nanaimo, B.C. She joined the team as a clinical counselor and began helping first responders from all working lines to heal from the trauma of their past experiences as front line workers.

Along with Debra Kine, Edgewood officially launched its Concurrent Trauma and Addiction Program (CTAP) in June of 2018. Candidates for this program include first-responders who experience mental/physical health issues and are dependent on alcohol or drugs. In March of 2019, Edgewood launched its Trauma and Psychological Injury Program (TPIP), a program for first-responders who experience mental/physical health issues but don’t struggle with a substance use disorder.

Noting that not all injuries are visible, Debra says first responders coming into CTAP or TPIP suffer from a psychological injury that’s triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. This injury creates high levels of stress, which flood the body with stress chemicals and create ensuing physical and emotional issues. With such a psychological injury, the ability to control one’s behaviour diminishes, and people experience feelings of anger, rage, and depression, resulting in fractured relationships and isolation.

Edgewood has treated thousands of men and women who are first responders that suffer and need support in order to begin their healing journey. Join me as we continue to hear from those that are dedicated to helping us heal!

Join me as I sit down with Dr. Nick Withers. Dr. Withers professional accomplishments span decades of emergency medicine and even time with the Canadian Armed Forces including time with Special Operations. Dr. Withers has been caring for military and RCMP personnel for years and understands those that serve their country in these positions.

Dr. Withers joined the CannaConnect team a few years ago after challenging his own views on medical cannabis and its potential therapeutic value for treating PTSD. He continues to see and treat many active and retired veterans while promoting healing through access and support around providing clients with medical cannabis. The success stories of the many patients that have been treated by Dr. Withers and CannaConnect are incredible. The positive impact to patients and their lives is profound.

Our conversation spans significant ground, we talk patient process, the benefit or risk of medical cannabis, the history of cannabis and the stigma that still exits and other insightful topics!

Since doing this podcast Dr. Withers has attended a continuing professional development event and that confirmed medical cannabis does not worsen sleep apnea unlike other sedatives. This makes THC perhaps a safer alternative to there conventional sleep aids.

Join me as I connect with Reverend Chris Pilon. Chris is an Anglican Priest and also a Chaplain for the Canadian Armed Forces. Chris also serves the RCMP and its membership from a roll of support and care.

Chris shares his incredible life story of what service to those that serve us looks like. He has dedicated his life to caring for others and investing his time into ensuring those that carry the burden of service life are properly supported.

In our conversation we discuss the importance of spirituality and compassion. We also dive into the distinct difference between religion and spirituality and Chris' perspective on how these are different yet both important. 

I am truly honoured to connect and learn from Chris as we give back to the First Responder community!

Join me as I connect with now retired Inspector Stephen Gloade. Stephen is one of a few Indigenous RCMP members that made it to the commissioned ranks within the RCMP.

Stephen recounts what the journey looked like in regards to recognizing that his own personal Mental Health was degrading due to years of service as a Police Officer. Stephen acknowledges that his journey became so dark at one point that suicide a part of the thought process. There is no shame in this as Stephen sought help and began to understand what he was suffering from. Stephen began to learn about the very real impacts of PTSD and the cost to service life; however, recounts some of the very personal stories from his experience from a positioned in senior management with the RCMP.

Stephen also acknowledges that his life is continually improving and shares what his life now looks like as his healing journey continues.

Join us as Stephen takes the time to share what he learned about his journey and how he continues to want to serve others to ensure others stay well in the journey of life.

Join me as I connect with Constable Kyle Stubbs of the RCMP! Kyle shares his personal story as he began noticing the behavioural and emotional changes from the impacts of Police work and traumatic experiences.

Kyle recounts how his journey into how he was shutting down and numbing out eventually began leaded himself to relationship issues. Kyle's spouse eventually raised the red flag and brought the issue front and centre to Kyle causing Kyle to reflect and do some hard internal work. Kyle chose to challenge himself from this moment on to acknowledge and begin to accept and heal from previous coping mechanisms.

As Kyle grew beyond the initial stages of this self discovery he then began to see a need in helping others. He pursued certification and courses in order to properly lead individuals through their own healing journey and now offers his services to First Responders that understand the value in this type of support and services.

Join us for a truly inspiring story of how Kyle grew beyond his suffering and turned it into an opportunity for growth not only for himself but for others!

Join me for our last episode, of this series, with Dr. Jasmine Dean. Taking the off, or going on sick leave, from First Responder roles can be incredibly difficult for us to accept. We may know we need this for some time, but hang on in an effort to avoid the inevitable. The toll of First Responder work is intense and it is incredibly common for First Responders to need to "take a knee" to focus on themselves all while promoting healing.

This step in our careers is often shrouded in secrecy though. Many of us don't know what to expect or how we will be perceived. What will happen to our career and our job? How long will we need to go off for? What does a return to work look like and how we will be supported. How will our peers perceive us. All of these very legitimate thoughts happen and often times complicated what matters most, which is that we need to do what is best for ourselves.

Join me as we wrap up an incredible series that highlights an inside perceptive of what to expect when you sit down with a psychologist.

An incredibly thank you to Dr. Jasmine Dean for the countless hours put into this series.

Join me as I sit down with Shane Urowitz and Lee Grossman from CannaConnect. Shane and Lee are two of the founders of CannaConnect. Their mission is to empower Military and RCMP Veterans on their journey to wellness through medical cannabis. CannaConnect is committed to providing opportunities to engage with a supportive community through connection and conversation at their wellness lounges from coast-to-coast. CannaConnect leads with compassion and care to enable our community to learn, heal and thrive, while working to end the stigma around mental health.

This conversation focuses on how CannaConnect was born and where this idea blossomed from. Serving our veterans is incredibly important and new ways of promoting wellness needs to be explored. Along the way Shane and Lee explain what they've learned while caring for the Veteran community and how we can best serve them. Creating an environment that feels safe, caring and judgement-free allows our Veterans to show up and realize that others care and that they are not alone. We also hear how CannaConnect offers many additional services that contribute towards the overall wellness of their Veteran clients.

CannaConnect is leading the way in caring for and supporting Veterans across Canada.

Join me for an incredible conversation and if you have the opportunity stop into a lounge to experience it for yourself!