The First Responder Wellness Podcast

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We’re running Ragnar, 200 miles from Coronado to Huntington Beach, to raise awareness for first responder mental health and suicide prevention. In this episode, First Responder Wellness CEO Joel Edwards sits down with host Chris Logan to explain what Ragnar is, why First Responder Wellness is doing it, and how you can get involved, whether you want to run, volunteer, donate, or support from the sidelines. The run takes place April 10-11, 2026. 

How to get involved

✅ Run with the team (limited spots)
✅ Volunteer (van drivers, transition support, cheering at exchanges)
✅ Buddy-run a leg (join a runner for a few miles)
✅ Donate / dedicate a donation in honor of someone

In this episode of the First Responder Wellness Podcast, Chris Logan sits down with Julie Cramer, FRW’s Compliance & Organizational Development Manager. Julie opens up about her path in law enforcement, a serious traffic collision that caused spine and head injuries, and how that incident ultimately ended her career. After finalizing a medical retirement in 2012, she describes a difficult season marked by pain medication, alcohol, and suicidal ideation and what it took to make it through.

Julie also shares how working alcohol-related union cases helped connect people to First Responder Wellness, and why so many reported the experience as truly life-changing. 

For confidential support, or simply to learn more with no commitment, contact us:
https://frhealth.com/
888-443-4898

In this episode of the First Responder Wellness Podcast, Mike shares his story with honesty and accountability, from working as a vice narcotics detective, to addiction, to crossing lines he never imagined he would cross.

This is not a story about shock value or scandal. It’s a story about how addiction strips away choice, how quickly things can unravel, and why recovery requires truth, structure, and support.

Mike now works with us helping others who are facing the same battles he once fought alone.

For confidential support, or simply to learn more with no commitment, contact us:
https://www.firstresponder-wellness.com/
888-443-4898

In this episode of the First Responder Wellness Podcast, Chris Logan sits down with Ryan Tillman to discuss the emotional, cultural, and psychological weight carried by first responders.

Ryan shares his journey into law enforcement, the unseen trauma officers absorb from call to call, and how identity, culture, and public perception intersect with mental wellness in public safety.

This conversation goes beyond viral videos and headlines to focus on the human cost of the job, and why investing in first responder mental health is essential for long-term well-being.

For confidential support, or simply to learn more with no commitment, contact us:
https://www.firstresponder-wellness.com/
888-443-4898

In this episode of the First Responder Wellness Podcast, Chris Logan talks with Tom Crewse, Retired Battalion Chief, program alumnus, and now an employee at First Responder Wellness.

Tom shares what it looked like to grow up believing your value is tied to work, how that mindset shaped him in the fire service, and what it cost in life outside the job. He also opens up about the moment he finally had to be honest with himself, and the turning points that helped him rebuild from the inside out.

Today, Tom works with alumni and runs groups at FRW, using his story to help other first responders find a healthier path forward.

For confidential support, or simply to learn more with no commitment, contact us:
https://www.firstresponder-wellness.com/
888-443-4898

If you are a first responder, or you love someone who is, this story will hit home. In today's episode we talk about:

• The culture of "suck it up, keep moving, give me the keys and I'll do it right
• Why alcohol + PTSD is such a dangerous combination
• Why the opposite of addiction is really connection
• How gratitude, humility, and facing the pain became his way out
• What culturally competent, first-responder-only treatment felt like, and why that community mattered.

For confidential support, or simply to learn more with no commitment, contact us:
https://www.firstresponder-wellness.com/
888-443-4898

In this episode of the First Responder Wellness Podcast, host Chris Logan (Director of Clinical Operations at First Responder Wellness) sits down with Whitney and Adam from Open Water, an organization that uses paddleboards, outriggers, and time on the water to help first responders break out of isolation and reconnect with life.

They talk about how the water is a “non-judgmental” space that doesn’t care about your rank or your past, and how that environment becomes the perfect place to rediscover fun, community, and purpose again.

If you’re a police officer, firefighter, dispatcher, EMS, any first responder struggling with trauma, burnout, addiction, or feeling emotionally numb, this conversation is for you, or for the person on your shift who needs it but won’t say it out loud.

In this raw and honest interview, our guest opens up about his hidden battle with alcoholism, from secret drinking and denial to detoxing alone, hospitalization, and finally entering treatment at First Responder Wellness.

He shares the moment he told his wife “I can’t stop drinking,” and what recovery has given back to his life, his family, and his purpose in law enforcement.

This story is about honesty, redemption, and hope, and a reminder that no one has to do this alone.

For confidential support, or simply to learn more with no commitment, contact us:
https://www.firstresponder-wellness.com/
888-443-4898

Today our host Chris Logan talks with retired Westminster PD officer Cord about the real toll of the job, the suicide of his first FTO, and how the tragedy pushed Cord into mental health advocacy. They cover identity beyond the badge, why "heroes don't ask for help" is deadly, peer support, and a push for annual, confidential wellness visits for police, fire, dispatch, and EMS.

If you're a first responder, clinician, or leader, share this with your team. It's not a sign of weakness to ask for help. It's a sign of strength. 

For confidential support, or simply to learn more with no commitment, contact us:
https://www.firstresponder-wellness.com/
888-443-4898

Rozzy's story is raw and real. From losing his dad to suicide at 11, to becoming a cop at 20, to taking in his 15-year-old nephew, he carried the weight for years without ever processing it. 

Through hard work Rozzy found healing and a new purpose. Today, he is no longer defined by his past and he wants every first responder to know that asking for help isn't weakness, it's strength.

For confidential support, or simply to learn more with no commitment, contact us:
https://www.firstresponder-wellness.com/
888-443-4898