Hosted by Kevin Young. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

Five years ago, during the COVID lockdown, Urszula received an email that informed her that she had cancer. No doctor called first to walk her through it, so she assumed it was a mistake, but her doctor's call the next morning confirmed the diagnosis. Up until that point, Urszula had been the person who managed everything and everyone, a role she first took on as a child.

She carried that same instinct into music school, journalism, and her own business (a communications agency built entirely on her own terms where she answered to no one). It took a cancer diagnosis and one blunt sentence from a Chinese medicine practitioner, to show her what all of that managing had actually cost her.

In this conversation Urszula also shares: - The unexpected gift buried inside a diagnosis nobody would have asked for - Why it took her so long to understand a Chinese medicine practitioner's assessment - What redefining 'being good' actually means became the hardest part of her recovery - What she built in Warsaw to share what she learned, and why she refuses to push it on anyone

This isn't a conversation about cancer, it's about a woman who spent decades making sure everyone around her was fine, and learning—the hard way—how to notice when she wasn't fine herself. Today that same instinct to manage everything has shifted into an invitation: "Come find your body at 7am or 8pm, in Polish or English, and no one will try to convince you to stay."

About Urszula Radzińska: Founder, MyMeditation.Space | Meditation Teacher & Mindfulness Coach

After discovering meditation as a university student, Urszula's life path led her to build and run a successful communications agency. For 20 years, she was effective, responsible, always 'on.' Then in 2016, while still running her agency, she began sharing meditation with others. In the 2020 pandemic lockdown, she built MyMeditation.Space, a project that has since become her life's work. The real tipping point came in 2021, when a cancer diagnosis forced her to stop controlling everything and start listening to her body, not as a tool to optimize, but as a source of wisdom in its own right.

That shift changed her life. In the years that followed, Urszula became an internationally certified OSHO Active Meditations facilitator, she completed EMCC-accredited* training in mindfulness-based coaching and recently finished the year-long training in Compassionate Inquiry—the approach at the heart of this podcast—which she is now integrating into her coaching and teaching. Ula also lives with ADHD, which shapes how she supports clients in finding steadiness without forcing themselves into constant action.

Since 2022, she has focused on growing MyMeditation.Space, teaching active meditation classes, training future OSHO facilitators, and offering individual sessions and workshops in Warsaw and online. In these few years, she also founded The Mindful Living Foundation, a non-profit she now chairs, and launched and hosts OBECNA, a Polish language podcast that explores mindfulness, meditation, and coming back to oneself.

Contact with oneself, Urszula believes, isn't a luxury, it's the foundation everything else is built on. Curious listeners can start with a free 20-minute consultation via her website.

*EMCC: The European Mentoring and Coaching Council

Promotional Messages:

Compassionate Inquiry® Circles If you're not a therapist or healer, but you've heard our guests describe the personal transformations they experienced during their Compassionate Inquiry® journeys, and wonder what that would be like for you... Circles is a 10-week small group experience offered to anyone who wants to experience the power of Gabor Maté's approach to trauma healing. Use this link to find out if this program is for you.

The Portal If you've been listening to our podcast, you may have heard guests connect their birth experiences with enduring subconscious behavioural and emotional patterns. To help break this cycle, Compassionate Inquiry® offers The Portal, a 28-week trauma-informed training for perinatal health professionals; such as midwives, obstetricians, nurses and doulas, who want to empower their patients to trust their innate ability to birth, bond and nurture their child. Use this link to learn more

Resources

Websites:

Ureszula's Professional Website

MyMeditation.Space Website

Mindful Living Foundation Website

Related Links:

OBECNA podcast

Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Training

OSHO Trainings

Social Media:

Instagram: @urszula.radzinska

Facebook: @urszula.radzinska

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/urszularadzinska

YouTube: @urszula.radzinska

Spotify: @urszula.radzinska

Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

FDNY Lieutenant Joseph Leavey's voice on the radio tapes from that morning was calm, steady and in command as he led his men into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. His daughter, Caitlin was just ten, and it took her some time to understand why he never came home, and what had happened to the outgoing larger-than-life father she adored. Twenty-five years later, on the anniversary of 9/11, Cait joins us to talk about her clinical work as a therapist to first responders, military veterans and their families.

She also shares: - The gift that emerged from the ashes of that disaster - How it felt when the initial wave of community support faded, and her lifelong mission to keep it alive - What Camp America did for kids who lost family on 9/11 - Where the Spirit of 9/12 shares its messages of hope

This isn't a conversation about what was lost on September 11th, but about what one person refused to let fade. Every year, Cait returns to her father's firehouse on 9/11 to be embraced by her father's memory and the second family she's known all her life. Then, every 9/12, she runs a local event that inspires the next generation to keep the compassionate spirit of that dark time alive.

About Caitlin Leavey, LMHC

A licensed mental health counselor, trauma-informed therapist, and advocate whose personal and professional work is rooted in grief, healing, and service, Caitlin is the daughter of FDNY Lieutenant Joseph Leavey, whom she lost on September 11, 2001. In the years since, she has carried her dad's legacy forward by helping individuals and communities transform grief into meaningful connection and action.

Cait specializes in supporting people affected by trauma, loss, anxiety, and depression, with a particular commitment to first responders, military, Gold Star families, and others whose experiences of grief and service are often carried quietly.

She is the co-founder of The Holding Frames, a nonprofit that uses art, storytelling, and compassionate connection to help people feel seen and supported during times of hardship. Cait also co-founded the 9/11 Memorial & Museum Visionary Network and founded The Spirit of 9/12, an annual youth-led day of service that honors the September 11 National Day of Service (9/11 Day). She is also a 9/11 Day Ambassador.

Through her work as a clinician, storyteller, and community leader, Cait invites others to recognize that healing does not mean leaving loss behind—it means finding ways to carry love, purpose, and connection forward.

Promotional Messages:

Compassionate Inquiry 3rd CI Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, CI Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap this link to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.

Compassionate Inquiry Suicide Attention The Compassionate Inquiry Suicide Attention Training is for therapists, health professionals and others working in therapeutic, healing, educational, medical, or coaching roles. If you're seeking sensitive training to help you recognize and support people in your communities who may be experiencing suicidal distress, tap this link to access a web page where you can learn more about this training, and decide if it's a good fit for you.

Websites:

Cait's Psychology Today Profile

The Holding Frames

The Spirit of 9/12

Points of Light

Related Links:

9/11 Memorial & Museum Article

The Spirit of 9/12 Event Info

America's Camp

Tunnel to Towers

Gold Star Families

Smart Home Recipients

A Paradise Built in Hell (Book)

Feathers of the Phoenix (Art Project)

Social Media

Cait's Instagram

The Holding Frames Instagram

Cait's Facebook

The Holding Frames Facebook

Cait's LinkedIn

Hosted by Kevin Young and J'aime Rothbard. Produced by J'aime Rothbard

Most people experience one or two truly traumatic events in their lifetimes. Most first responders live through a hundred. In this final episode of our First Responders Series, Brandon returns to integrate everything this series has explored and uncovered. In this reflective conversation he challenges and embraces the word we use most often to describe people like him, and almost never ask them about.

Brandon also shares: - Why calling first responders "heroes" might be doing them more harm than good - How the "hero" label reflects both first responders' 'superpowers' and desire to be 'regular people' - What a sports psychologist taught a team of competitive firefighters about winning - Why the first call Brandon made after his own crisis was to a therapist, and why for most first responders, that's usually the last call they make

This isn't just a wrap-up episode. It's the conversation this whole series has been building toward; what it actually means to be human first, and a hero second, if at all.

About Brandon Evans Executive Director, Fire to Light Foundation, Founder & CEO, Fire to Light

Brandon Evans is a retired firefighter and the Founder of Fire to Light, an organisation dedicated to advancing preventative Mental Fitness training inside the fire service. Drawing on lived experience and independent global research involving over 104 fire chiefs and leaders across 13 countries and 5 continents, Brandon developed the Fire to Light Mental Fitness Training System, a practical operationalised approach to training Mental Fitness the same way fire departments train every other critical skill.

Through the Fire to Light Foundation, a registered Canadian charity of which Brandon serves as Executive Director, the goal is to make Mental Fitness training accessible to every fire department, removing barriers so that Mental Fitness is systemised and embedded into fire service operations worldwide. not treated as a clinical afterthought, but trained, reinforced, and owned at every level of the organisation.

Brandon's mission is to help reduce rates of suicide and psychological injury in the fire service through an upstream approach of Mental Fitness Training, Fitness before Therapy.

Promotional Messages:

The Compassionate Inquiry® Experience If you've been listening to our podcast and are curious about the transformative power of Compassionate Inquiry®, join us on Feb 22 for a 6-hour online experiential introduction to the Compassionate Inquiry approach and community. This link takes you to a web page where you can get information and, if you choose, register for the CI Experience event.

Compassionate Inquiry® Circles If you're not a therapist or healer, but you've heard our guests describe the personal transformations they experienced during their Compassionate Inquiry® journeys, and wonder what that would be like for you... Circles is a 10-week small group experience offered to anyone who wants to experience the power of Gabor Maté's approach to trauma healing. Use this link to find out if this program is for you.

Resources:

Websites:

Fire to Light Foundation

Fire to Light Website

Support Fire to Light — Zeffy

Fire to Light Research Study

Related Links:

Crackyl Magazine

International Association of Fire Chiefs

FireFit Championships

Book:

Divine Beauty

Articles:

Firefighters and Mental Health: The Fear of Raising Your Hand

But There Is Nothing Wrong With Me

Trauma: Who, What, Where, When and Why

Podcasts:

Upgrade Your Self Love (2025)

Heroes are Also Human (2025)

Transforming Challenges into Opportunities (2025)

Videos:

The Case Against Cosby (2023)

Firefighting and Mental Fitness (2025)

Real Leadership Comes from Courage (2024)

Social Media:

Facebook: Fire to Light

Instagram: @firetolight_firefighters

LinkedIn: Fire to Light Foundation

Hosted by J'aime Rothbard & Rosemary Davies Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard

Rachael Staebell spent two decades being the first person on the scene on the worst day of people's lives, but no one ever trained her for the part of the job that came after the sirens stopped. In this episode, Rachael, retired fire service paramedic and president of Women in Fire, joins returning guest Brandon Evans to talk about what it actually means to carry the not-knowing, the grief, and the weight of the ones who didn't make it.

In this episode, Rachael and Brandon explain: - What it's like to be the one who tells a stranger their loved one is dead - A reframe of the First Responders' suicide epidemic as a need to "make it all stop" - What mountain biking, waterskiing and pulling weeds have to do with surviving the job - What they want from the public, instead of being thanked for their service

This conversation doesn't flinch in taking on hard subjects. Our guests are two people who've done this work, honestly sharing what the job takes, what it can cost, and what can help. If you've ever wondered what it's like to be a first responder, this episode will change how you see the people who show up when they're needed, save the lives that they can, and leave with burdens that need to be carefully unpacked.

About Rachael Staebell, Lieutenant, Colorado Springs Fire Department (Retired) President, Women In Fire

As the first paid, full‑time female firefighter in Fountain, Colorado, Rachael spent over two decades advancing through the ranks at Colorado Springs Fire Department before retiring as a Lieutenant, and dedicating her efforts to advancing the Women in Fire organization.​

What kept her engaged as a fire services paramedic was the team. Having grown up on a soccer field, the fire service felt like a new kind of team where her size, strength and drive finally made sense. That sense of belonging is what Rachael works to create for others, especially women who don't see themselves reflected in the "classic" firefighter image.​

As President of Women in Fire, Rachael's focus is simple: Support and empower firefighters so they can succeed and stay. She leads hands-on training at conferences to help shape mission driven programs in training, advocacy, and networking. She also works with partners like FEMA/USFA, Science to the Station and national fire organizations to advocate for the tools, equipment, mentorship, and visibility all firefighters need to grow. ​

Rachael cares deeply about the practical side of inclusion: gear that fits, stations with facilities for everyone, policies that support caregivers, and cultures that treat people with dignity and respect. Those "details" change who can show up, who can stay, and who can lead. Today only a small percentage of firefighters are women. Changing that is about building stronger, safer, more resilient organizations.​

About Brandon Evans Executive Director, Fire to Light Foundation, Founder & CEO, Fire to Light

Brandon Evans is a retired firefighter and the Founder of Fire to Light, an organisation dedicated to advancing preventative Mental Fitness training inside the fire service. Drawing on lived experience and independent global research involving over 104 fire chiefs and leaders across 13 countries and 5 continents, Brandon developed the Fire to Light Mental Fitness Training System, a practical operationalised approach to training Mental Fitness the same way fire departments train every other critical skill.

Through the Fire to Light Foundation, a registered Canadian charity of which Brandon serves as Executive Director, the goal is to make Mental Fitness training accessible to every fire department, removing barriers so that Mental Fitness is systemised and embedded into fire service operations worldwide. not treated as a clinical afterthought, but trained, reinforced, and owned at every level of the organisation.

Brandon's mission is to help reduce rates of suicide and psychological injury in the fire service through an upstream approach of Mental Fitness Training, Fitness before Therapy.About Brandon Evans

Promotional Messages

The Compassionate Inquiry® Experience If you've been listening to our podcast and are curious about the transformative power of Compassionate Inquiry, join us on Sep 26 for a 6-hour online experiential introduction to the Compassionate Inquiry approach and community. This link takes you to a web page where you can get information and, if you choose, register for the CI Experience event.

Compassionate Inquiry® Suicide Attention Training The Compassionate Inquiry Suicide Attention Training is for therapists, health professionals and others working in therapeutic, healing, educational, medical, or coaching roles. If you're seeking sensitive training to help you recognize and support people in your communities who may be experiencing suicidal distress, tap this link to access a web page where you can learn more about this training, and decide if it's a good fit for you.

Resources

Websites:

Women in Fire

Support Women in Fire

Colorado Springs Fire Department

Fire to Light

Support Fire to Light

Related Links:

Women in Fire Conference

Fire Camps

Reproductive Health

Big Interview

Podcasts:

Fire Engineering (Women in Fire Podcast)

The Chief Exchange

A Duty to Act

Social Media:

Facebook: Women in Fire

Fire to Light

YouTube: Women in Fire

Instagram: Women in Fire

Fire to Light

LinkedIn: Women in Fire

Fire to Light Foundation

Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

In this episode, a retired Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lieutenant (and co-founder of Warriors Rest) joins a retired firefighter (and founder of Fire to Light) to discuss the similarities and differences of the challenges each profession faces. They also explain how their organizations meet similar needs from different places; one intervening when there's a crisis, the other going to work upstream, before the crisis happens.

Brett and Brandon take turns sharing: - The moment a counselor's simple question finally broke through Brett's resistance to getting help - Why the phrase, "Take a minute to make a minute," stayed with Brandon - What his partner's death, hours after his own son's birth, taught Brett about cumulative trauma - The question Warriors Rest trains people to ask when someone may be suicidal - The weight ever-increasing public scrutiny adds to policing that firefighters and EMS don't experience - Why a net under the Golden Gate Bridge is proof that small interventions save lives

Brett remembers the pounding of his heart during his very first highway pursuit, and how over time, even the most adrenaline-charged calls stopped registering as stressful. This conversation is about what it takes for first responders to stay present to stay well. Because if you have to call for help on the worst day of your life, you want those first responders to be mentally, emotionally and physically fit. About Brett Key, OHP Lieutenant (Retired)

A retired Lieutenant with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), Brett is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Warriors Rest Foundation, an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the mental health and wellness of first responders—law enforcement, fire and EMS.

After 26 years with OHP, Brett brings a depth of experience that few can match. During his career he served as a K-9 handler and supervisor in the Criminal Interdiction Division, developed curriculum for OHP's Leadership Development and Law Enforcement Driver Training programs, and served as Commandant and Assistant Commandant for three OHP Academies. He also served on OHP's Tactical Team as an operator, sniper, Team Leader, and rising to the position of Assistant Commander before retiring in 2021.

For over a decade, Brett served as a peer counselor in OHP's Officer Assistance Program, work that planted the seed for everything Warriors Rest Foundation has become. He is trained in Critical Incident Stress Management through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, has helped build and train peer support teams across Oklahoma, and has served as a peer counselor at Post Critical Incident Seminars and with C.O.P.S. at National Police Week in Washington D.C.

Brett is an experienced presenter and instructor in leadership, peer support, and first responder wellness—speaking to command staff, agencies and conferences across the US.

He founded Warriors Rest because he believes mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health should be the number one priority for every first responder, their family, and their department.

About Brandon Evans Executive Director, Fire to Light Foundation, Founder & CEO, Fire to Light

Brandon Evans is a retired firefighter and the Founder of Fire to Light, an organisation dedicated to advancing preventative Mental Fitness training inside the fire service. Drawing on lived experience and independent global research involving over 104 fire chiefs and leaders across 13 countries and 5 continents, Brandon developed the Fire to Light Mental Fitness Training System, a practical operationalised approach to training Mental Fitness the same way fire departments train every other critical skill.

Through the Fire to Light Foundation, a registered Canadian charity of which Brandon serves as Executive Director, the goal is to make Mental Fitness training accessible to every fire department, removing barriers so that Mental Fitness is systemised and embedded into fire service operations worldwide. not treated as a clinical afterthought, but trained, reinforced, and owned at every level of the organisation.

Brandon's mission is to help reduce rates of suicide and psychological injury in the fire service through an upstream approach of Mental Fitness Training, Fitness before Therapy.

Promotional Messages

Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Training If you've been listening to our podcast and are curious about the Compassionate Inquiry approach developed by Doctor Gabor Maté and Sat Dharam Kaur, consider joining the Professional Training Program. It's open to all healing professionals, including naturopaths, physicians, body workers, coaches, and therapists. In addition to learning how to use compassion to support your clients in their most vulnerable moments with greater empathy and authenticity, you'll also deepen your own internal process. If you're interested, look for the link in the show notes.

Compassionate Inquiry® Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, CI Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap the link in the show notes to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.

Resources:

Websites:

Warrior's Rest

Support Warrior's Rest

Fire to Light

Support Fire to Light

Related Links:

"Clinicians for Warriors" Conference 2025

ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training

Peer Support Teams

Law Enforcement Suicides & Riska Study

Police Trauma Syndrome Research

2020 Dallas Police Study

Golden Gate Bridge Net

Social Media:

Facebook: Warrior's Rest

Fire to Light

Instagram: Warrior's Rest

@firetolight_firefighters

X Warrior's Rest

TikTok Warrior's Rest

LinkedIn: Warrior's Rest

Fire to Light Foundation

Hosted by J'aime Rothbard & Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

Twenty-three years into a firefighting career he loved, despite his enviable strategic foresight, what Kory never saw coming was a heart issue that led to a walk-in clinic and a hospital bed. The Captain of his fire company, he was also running a side business, raising a family and saying yes to every request.

In this episode, two firefighters unpack what almost broke them, and what it actually takes to build careers and lives that don't quietly erode them from the inside.

In this episode, they explain:

- Why firefighters are "overbuilt, not integrated" - What heart failure taught Kory about denial - Why "farming out health and wellness" works well for fire service crews - What binds the global firefighting fraternity - What "retiring whole" can look like

Kory and Brandon share hard-won truths about what it costs firefighters to keep showing up, and what it takes to keep doing it well. If you've ever wondered what happens when someone finally stops outrunning their own body, this conversation offers many insights to ponder.

About Kory Pearn, Fire Captain / Founder, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of CRACKYL Magazine / Author and Speaker

A 23-year veteran of the fire service, currently serving as a Captain and Company Officer, Kory's frontline and leadership service gives him a rare perspective on what drives firefighters to succeed—and what erodes them over time. As the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of CRACKYL Magazine, he has built a groundbreaking platform that connects science, culture, and lived experience in a way the fire service has never seen before. A respected speaker, author and educator, Kory shares hard-earned lessons and practical strategies with firefighters, leaders, and organizations across North America and beyond.

About Brandon Evans Executive Director, Fire to Light Foundation, Founder & CEO, Fire to Light

Brandon Evans is a retired firefighter and the Founder of Fire to Light, an organisation dedicated to advancing preventative Mental Fitness training inside the fire service. Drawing on lived experience and independent global research, Brandon developed the Fire to Light Mental Fitness Training System, a practical operationalised approach to training Mental Fitness the same way fire departments train every other critical skill.

The goal of the Fire to Light Foundation, a registered Canadian charity, is to make Mental Fitness training, not a clinical afterthought, but accessible within every fire department. By removing barriers Mental Fitness can be embedded into fire service operations worldwide; systemised, trained, reinforced, and owned at every level of the organisation.

Brandon's personal mission is to help reduce rates of suicide and psychological injury in the fire service through an upstream approach of Mental Fitness Training, Fitness before Therapy.

Promotional Messages:

Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Training If you've been listening to our podcast and are curious about the Compassionate Inquiry approach developed by Doctor Gabor Maté and Sat Dharam Kaur, consider joining the Professional Training Program. It's open to all healing professionals, including naturopaths, physicians, body workers, coaches, and therapists. In addition to learning how to use compassion to support your clients in their most vulnerable moments with greater empathy and authenticity, you'll also deepen your own internal process. If you're interested, please tap this link to learn more.

Compassionate Inquiry® Circles If you're not a therapist or healer, but you've heard our guests describe the personal transformations they experienced during their Compassionate Inquiry® journeys, and wonder what that would be like for you... Circles is a 10-week small group experience offered to anyone who wants to experience the power of Gabor Maté's approach to trauma healing. Use this link to find out if this program is for you.

Resources:

Websites:

Crackyl Website

Fire to Light Foundation

Fire to Light Website

Support Fire to Light — Zeffy

Fire to Light Research Study

Crackyl Articles:

The Entry Point: Why the Same Approach Won't Ever Reach Every Firefighter

Finding My Way Back: A firefighter reclaims her health, purpose, and identity after facing the impact of trauma and alcohol

Your brain is built to suppress emotion in a crisis, but staying healthy means knowing when, and where, to unpack what you've been carrying

OCD or PTSD? One Firefighter's Journey for Answers

Killing Rage, Directed Inward

The Suffering We Choose

Podcasts:

Kory Pearn: The Man with a Method (2025)

It Became a Necessity': Kory Pearn on CRACKYL's Personal Impact (2024)

Igniting Wellness: The Story of Kory Pearn and CRACKYL Magazine (2024)

Firefighter Wellness, Resilience and CRACKYL Magazine (2024)

Upgrade Your Self Love (2025)

Heroes are Also Human (2025)

Videos:

CRACKYL's Crusader for Firefighter Wellness (2024)

Firefighter Health (2024)

Social Media:

Facebook: Kory Pearn

Crackyl Magazine

Fire to Light

Instagram: @pearn.kory

@crackylmag

@firetolight_firefighters

X: @CrackylM

LinkedIn: CRACKYL Magazine

Kory Pearn

Fire to Light Foundation

Hosted by Kevin Young and J'aime Rothbard. Produced by J'aime Rothbard

More than 15 years spent running into burning buildings taught him that the hardest fires to face are the ones that follow you home. In the first of our five-part First Responders Series, Kevin and J'aime sit down with Brandon, a retired Canadian Firefighter, to explore what it really costs to be the one who shows up for others on the worst days of their lives.

Brandon explains: - Why 'mental fitness' is a more useful frame than 'mental health' for firefighters - What his international research (104 fire chiefs across five continents) revealed about the gap between how firefighters train for fire and how they train for their own mental health - How the firehouse storytelling tradition could become the fire service's most powerful teaching tool - The five pillars of Fire to Light, and what 'operationalizing wellness' actually looks like

Brandon shares a raw and unflinching perspective on what it costs to be the one who runs toward the fire, and why "We're not broken, we just need to train differently" might be the most important reframe first responders need to hear. Join us to hear what can change when a firefighter stops surviving their career and starts training for it.

About Brandon Evans Executive Director, Fire to Light Foundation, Founder & CEO, Fire to Light

Brandon Evans is a retired firefighter and the Founder of Fire to Light, an organisation dedicated to advancing preventative Mental Fitness training inside the fire service. Drawing on lived experience and independent global research involving over 104 fire chiefs and leaders across 13 countries and 5 continents, Brandon developed the Fire to Light Mental Fitness Training System, a practical operationalised approach to training Mental Fitness the same way fire departments train every other critical skill.

Through the Fire to Light Foundation, a registered Canadian charity of which Brandon serves as Executive Director, the goal is to make Mental Fitness training accessible to every fire department, removing barriers so that Mental Fitness is systemised and embedded into fire service operations worldwide. not treated as a clinical afterthought, but trained, reinforced, and owned at every level of the organisation.

Brandon's mission is to help reduce rates of suicide and psychological injury in the fire service through an upstream approach of Mental Fitness Training, Fitness before Therapy.

Promotional Messages:

Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Training If you've been listening to our podcast and are curious about the Compassionate Inquiry approach developed by Doctor Gabor Maté and Sat Dharam Kaur, consider joining the Professional Training Program. It's open to all healing professionals, including naturopaths, physicians, body workers, coaches, and therapists. In addition to learning how to use compassion to support your clients in their most vulnerable moments with greater empathy and authenticity, you'll also deepen your own internal process. If you're interested, please tap this link to learn more.

Suicide Attention Training The Compassionate Inquiry Suicide Attention Training is for therapists, health professionals and others working in therapeutic, healing, educational, medical, or coaching roles. If you're seeking sensitive training to help you recognize and support people in your communities who may be experiencing suicidal distress, please tap this link. It will take you to a web page where you can learn more about this training, and decide if it's a good fit for you.

Resources:

Websites:

Fire to Light Foundation

Fire to Light Website

Support Fire to Light — Zeffy

Fire to Light Research Study

Crackyl Magazine Website

Articles: Defining Resilience for Firefighters

Firefighters and Mental Health: The Fear of Raising Your Hand

The Current State of Mental Health in the Fire Service

But There Is Nothing Wrong With Me

Trauma: Who, What, Where, When and Why

Podcasts:

Upgrade Your Self Love (2025)

Heroes are Also Human (2025)

Transforming Challenges into Opportunities (2025)

Brandon Evans - Fire to Light (2024)

Discovering The Energy Of Love (2022)

Videos:

Firefighting and Mental Fitness (2025)

Understanding Mental Health in the Fire Service (2024)

Real Leadership Comes from Courage (2024)

Don't Judge a Book (2024)

Fire To Light with Brandon Evans (2024)

How to Improve Your Mental Fitness (2023)

Social Media:

Facebook: Fire to Light

Instagram: @firetolight_firefighters

LinkedIn: Fire to Light Foundation

Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard Diagnosed with an autoimmune disease at three, Lizzie grew up not feeling safe within her own body. A volatile home meant she didn't feel safe outside it either. This candid conversation traces a decades long journey from a childhood marked by chronic illness and family instability, through disordered eating and compulsive exercise to a liver transplant at 31, the long work of making a stranger's organ her own, and what it takes to keep finding, again and again, a small enough foothold to trust she can balance.

Lizzie shares: - How a psyche and body under siege shaped a pattern of control through eating and exercise - What it took to wait for, survive, and recover from transplant surgery - What her transplanted 80-year-old liver is teaching her about time, aging and her own body - What drew her, a 20-year veteran of structural bodywork, to Compassionate Inquiry®

Join us to hear how three decades in the treatment room, five decades of living with chronic illness, and one organ transplant brought Lizzie to a practice built on trust, patience and staying gently curious about what her body is still holding.

About Lizzie Reumont Yoga Teacher, Rolfer and Rolf Movement Practitioner, Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner, Private Mentor and Somatic Therapist

Lizzie's interest in what it means to be in the body originated from an early age, as a young child living with an active auto-immune illness in an environment where her body never truly felt safe.

After spending her teenage years doing everything possible to disconnect from her body, in her early twenties Lizzie attended her first yoga class. This became an entry point for what continues to unfold as a lifelong practice of uncovering new layers of understanding about what it means to be herself, and what it means to be human.

Lizzie has been teaching yoga and working as a Rolfer, Rolf Movement practitioner and craniosacral therapist for over 20 years. During this time, she has also moved through an arc of personal circumstances that include a liver transplant, a cancer diagnosis and a colectomy. Whilst her body has changed form, her inner landscape has found clarity and depth. Her scope of work has also shifted, adding Compassionate Inquiry and Somatic Experiencing to the tools she uses as a multidisciplinary Somatic Therapist.

Alongside her curiosity about what shapes the experience of being human, Lizzie is also an avid nature enthusiast, bird watcher, piano player and mother, which are all sources of inspiration and joy.

Promotional Messages:

Compassionate Inquiry® Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, CI Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap this link to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.

Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Training If you've been listening to our podcast and are curious about the Compassionate Inquiry approach developed by Doctor Gabor Maté and Sat Dharam Kaur, consider joining the Professional Training Program. It's open to all healing professionals, including naturopaths, physicians, body workers, coaches, and therapists. In addition to learning how to use compassion to support your clients in their most vulnerable moments with greater empathy and authenticity, you'll also deepen your own internal process. If you're interested, tap this link for more information.

Resources:

Websites:

Professional Website

Books: (Auto-Immune Illness, Chronic Pain, Female Studies)

Between Two Kingdoms

Unwell Woman

The Invisible Kingdom

Bodies of Truth

Body Horror

The Body Keeps The Score

When The Body Says No

(Authenticity)

The Secret to Superhuman Strength

Dying To Be Me

A Matter of Death and Life

The Roles We Play

What It Means To Be Human

Far From The Tree

Daring Greatly

(Trauma)

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

Recovering from Emotionally Immature Parents

The Drama of Being a Child

Meeting the Shadow

The Myth of Normal

Waking the Tiger

In An Unspoken Voice

An Autobiography of Trauma

Anchored

Social Media:

https://www.instagram.com/lizzie.reumont/

Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

What do birth and grief have in common? For Anouk, they are different sides of the same coin; threshold moments where our bodies already know what to do, if our minds allow us to trust the process. Anouk's life has so many facets, layers, and redirects that it would have been easy for her to overlook the consistent theme, which is simply: "Everything was meant to happen."

In this warm and wide-ranging conversation, Anouk explores: - What shifts grief from a natural and healthy human experience into pathology - What seeing birth and death as different sides of the same coin, taught her about life - How becoming a parent can activate unprocessed transgenerational wounds - What it means to grow up as a "third culture kid" - How her multicultural inheritance, Korean, Swiss and Taiwanese, shapes her perspectives

Throughout this interview Anouk shares many of her beautiful facets: Two decades running a children's forest school. A lifetime of crossing cultural and emotional thresholds. Her work in 'The Portal.' A concept she calls Essence Recovery. And at the end, the gift she offers to anyone hesitating at a life threshold is simple and steadying: "You're not alone in this." About Anouk Wehli: ⁠Traumatologist

Anouk brings a unique synthesis of clinical expertise and lived experience to the fields of growth and development. As a psychotherapist, trained midwife, grief specialist, massage therapist, outdoor educator and mother, her work is rooted in the belief that our personal histories and professional lives are fundamentally interconnected.

She joined Compassionate Inquiry in 2020 and today works as a Portal Facilitator, Circle Leader and behind the scenes in administration. The trauma lens Compassionate Inquiry offers has deepened her work as a grief counsellor, birth worker, communications trainer and bodyworker.

Having survived cultural and generational trauma, she knows first-hand the powerful effects of compassionately being with pain so suffering eases and life becomes more bearable… even enjoyable.

Growing up in Taiwan and Hong Kong with a Korean mother and Swiss father endowed Anouk with an invaluable set of multicultural competencies. Her melting pot upbringing and education in international schools instilled open-mindedness which she embodies when working with clients from all around the world. Working virtually has opened up a cosmopolitan online practice which she invites you to step into, if you're drawn to start your recovery journey with a Compassionate Inquiry session.

Promotional Messages

The Portal Training If you've been listening to our podcast, you may have heard guests connect their birth experiences with enduring subconscious behavioural and emotional patterns. To help break this cycle, Compassionate Inquiry® offers The Portal, a 28-week trauma-informed training for perinatal health professionals; such as midwives, obstetricians, nurses and doulas, who want to empower their patients to trust their innate ability to birth, bond & nurture their child. Tap this link to learn more

Spotlight Episodes Your journey with Compassionate Inquiry® matters. Your work in the world matters. If you have a story to share about bringing Compassionate Inquiry into the world, we'd like to amplify your voice. Spotlight episodes are full length Gifts of Trauma podcast interviews offered exclusively to CI community members. You'll not only share your story with 55,000 healing professionals across all platforms, you'll receive a pre-interview strategy session plus three promotional video clips. We're offering only 10 Spotlight episodes per year and production realities require a financial contribution. Follow the links to access full details and express your interest. Spotlight Episodes | Sponsorships

Resources:

Websites:

Professional Website

Compassionate Inquiry Profile

Related Links:

Grief Recovery Method

The Grief Recovery Handbook

Cruse Bereavement (UK)

National Bereavement Alliance (UK)

What's your Grief?

Grief School

The Beyond Addiction Program

The Portal Training

Compassionate Inquiry Professional Training

Compassionate Inquiry Circles

Science and Nonduality (SAND)

The NVCI Circle

Cat McCarthy's Interview

Social Media

Instagram @anoukwehli

Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

Some healing journeys begin with a single crisis. This deeply moving conversation tracks a healing journey that spans more than 5 decades; from infant medical trauma, to being sent to a children's home, to losing her first husband to cancer, the sudden suicide of her second husband, myelitis-induced paralysis and incontinence, the esophageal cancer that followed years of dexamethasone treatment, and a near-death experience during chemotherapy.

Anouk's life is one where extraordinary trauma coexists with luminous aliveness, intelligence and impeccable care. She shares: - How being 'fixated' as an infant wired her nervous system for survival, dissociation and a lifelong resistance to touch - What finally forced her body to say no, and the crack of light that initiated her return - How psychedelics, approached within a carefully held therapeutic container, opened childhood layers that nothing else had reached - What it means to build a healing model from the inside out, and why the safety of the container is everything

For anyone considering legal psychedelic work, Anouk's retreat model, with its rigorous preparation, trauma-trained support team, and structured integration program, represents something rare and genuinely trustworthy in a landscape where harm is all too possible. Join us to hear how one woman's most shattering experiences seeded her most profound gifts.

About Anouk Bindels A psychologist, systems therapist, coach and trainer, with a private practice based in the Netherlands, Anouk's work focuses on understanding the deep roots of trauma and the protective patterns people develop in order to survive difficult experiences. Having spent 40 years helping people heal from trauma, her Heart & Brain healing approach springs from firsthand experience, deep training, and a desire to offer something better..

Over the years, Anouk has continued to deepen her knowledge and professional skills through various international refresher courses and studying the works of: Jan Foudrenne, Peter Levine, Bessel van der Kolk, Joe Dispenza, Kelly Turner, Bruce Lipton, James Fadiman, Stephen Porges, Dan Siegel, Gabor Maté, Janina Fisher and Frank Anderson. Anouk has also completed the Compassionate Inquiry® professional training and participated in the Kiyumi trauma-informed, psychedelic-assisted therapy, preparation, and integration programs developed in collaboration with Gabor Maté.

By combining her versatile, international orientation with her professional insights and personal life experiences, Anouk developed the Heart & Brain healing process, which skilfully bridges the gaps between modern neuroscience and traditional Eastern philosophy, and between cognitive psychology and spirituality.

Anouk's learnings gained through her personal experiences with loss, trauma and illness are woven throughout her book, Wisdom of Trauma. It is currently available in Dutch and German. However, English and Spanish translations are underway.

In addition to her book, Anouk offers various forms of therapy, coaching, small groups and Heart and Brain Healing Camps (4.5 or 7 day psychedelic retreats with full preparation and integration elements). On her website, she offers an online trauma course (9 modules) and numerous meditations.

Promotional Messages:

Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Training If you've been listening to our podcast and are curious about the Compassionate Inquiry approach developed by Doctor Gabor Maté and Sat Dharam Kaur, consider joining the Professional Training Program. It's open to all healing professionals, including naturopaths, physicians, body workers, coaches, and therapists. In addition to learning how to use compassion to support your clients in their most vulnerable moments with greater empathy and authenticity, you'll also deepen your own internal process. If you're interested, please tap this link.

Spotlight Episodes Your journey with Compassionate Inquiry® matters. Your work in the world matters. If you have a story to share about bringing Compassionate Inquiry into the world, we'd like to amplify your voice. Spotlight episodes are full length Gifts of Trauma podcast interviews offered exclusively to CI community members. You'll not only share your story with 55,000 healing professionals across all platforms, you'll receive a pre-interview strategy session plus three promotional video clips. We're offering only 10 Spotlight episodes per year and production realities require a financial contribution. Follow the links to access full details and express your interest. Spotlight Episodes | Sponsorships

Resources:

Website:

Professional Website

Related Links:

Therapy Offerings

Coaching Offerings

Meditations

Free Meditation Journal

Events

Trauma-Sensitive Training (with New Mind Institute)

Heart & Brain Healcamp (Retreats)

Wisdom of Trauma (Podcast - 2025)

Wisdom of Trauma (Book - 2021)

When the Body Says No (Book)

The Myth of Normal (Book)

Radical Remission (Book)

Radical Hope (Book)

Gabor Mate, MD (YouTube)

Howard Schubiner, MD (YouTube)

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

LinkedIn