This episode is one many families are living… but don’t always have words for.

PTSI doesn’t just affect the responder. It enters the marriage. The home. The kids. The badge doesn’t clock out when they walk through the front door and neither does the weight of what they carry.

In this deeply important conversation, we’re talking about mental health without shame. Trauma is an injury — not a weakness. We’re joined by Mike Walkley, who served over 30 years in the fire service and now leads Next Level Wellness Support, helping first responders seek healing before coping turns into crisis.

We dive into:

What PTSI really looks like at home (and why it’s often missed)

Walking on eggshells and living in “alert mode”

When spouses become the emotional regulators of the house

How alcohol and substances quietly become survival tools

The ripple effect on marriages and children

How to encourage help without pushing your spouse away

Protecting your own mental health as a partner

This episode isn’t about blame. It’s about understanding. It’s about recognizing the signs earlier. It’s about reminding families that help exists before everything falls apart.

“The kids may not understand what’s happening but they feel everything.”

If you or your spouse are struggling, please know you are not alone. There are programs, people, and support systems ready to walk with you.

✨ Share this episode with someone who needs it.

✨ Reach out if this conversation resonates with your story.

✨ Follow and support Next Level Wellness Support to learn more about first responder recovery resources.

Because help earlier saves.

And while the badge may not clock out… neither does love. 💛

— Shell & Sam

Behind Every Badge, Real Wives Share Unseen Struggles and Strength.

@next_level_wellness_support

@shieldingthefrontlinekernco

Parenting doesn’t pause when they’re on duty—and neither do we. In this episode of Shell Shocked & Sam Spilled, we talk about the invisible labor of first responder families: solo parenting, carrying the mental and emotional load, answering hard questions from our kids, and loving this life while feeling exhausted by it. This isn’t a complaint—it’s honesty. If you’ve ever held it all together while they were on shift, this episode is for you. You are not alone.

First Responders Children's Foundation link:

https://1strcf.org/

Disclaimer:

Shell Shocked & Sam Spilled is a podcast created for conversation, connection, and community. The content shared is based on the personal experiences and perspectives of the hosts and guests and is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only.

This podcast does not provide medical, mental health, or professional advice and should not be considered a substitute for therapy, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not create a professional or therapeutic relationship between the hosts and listeners.

The views expressed do not represent all first responders, spouses, departments, or agencies. Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or the podcast.

Some episodes may include discussions of sensitive topics, including PTSI, trauma, substance use, marriage stress, and emotional challenges. Listener discretion is advised.

Behind every badge is a family — and behind that family is a wife carrying more than most people will ever see.
In this episode of Shell Shocked & Sam Spilled: The Wives Behind the Badge, we open up about the quiet truths first responder wives often keep buried.
The thoughts we feel guilty for having.
The resentment, loneliness, anger, and fear we try to hide.
The weight of loving someone whose job never truly clocks out.
This episode dives into the shell shocked side of this life — the emotional whiplash, the constant state of alert, the way your nervous system never fully rests — even when they walk through the door.
And sam spills the truths we’re rarely allowed to say out loud.
We talk about feeling invisible to the world, loving someone who belongs to the job first, and why honesty about your struggles doesn’t mean disloyalty — it means survival.
This isn’t about complaining.
It’s about connection.
Because you can be proud of your first responder…
and still struggle with the life that comes with them.
If you’ve ever loved a first responder and thought, “Why does this feel so heavy?” — this episode is for you. You’re not weak.
🔥 You’re not ungrateful.
🖤 You’re shell shocked — and you’re not alone

Disclaimer:
Shell Shocked & Sam Spilled is a podcast created for conversation, connection, and community. The content shared is based on the personal experiences and perspectives of the hosts and guests and is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only.
This podcast does not provide medical, mental health, or professional advice and should not be considered a substitute for therapy, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not create a professional or therapeutic relationship between the hosts and listeners.
The views expressed do not represent all first responders, spouses, departments, or agencies. Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or the podcast.
Some episodes may include discussions of sensitive topics, including PTSI, trauma, substance use, marriage stress, and emotional challenges. Listener discretion is advised.

When the boots come through the door, the job often comes with them.
This podcast is a raw and honest look at life as a first responder’s wife—navigating emotional distance, trauma, love, and resilience. We share the truths that are hard to say out loud, creating space for understanding, connection, and healing.

And before you go, don’t forget — we’ll be doing our Sam Spilled / Shell Sips segment, where we keep it real, raw, and probably a little unfiltered. If you want to be part of a future episode, share your story with us to enter into our shell shocked sips coffee giveaway.

You can DM us on Instagram or TikTok or email us at [email protected].

Welcome to the very first episode of The Shell and Sam Show. This episode is raw, unfiltered, and honest, so we ask for a little grace as we navigate our first time behind the mic.

We are the wives behind the badge, sharing the realities of life alongside first responders—the highs, the challenges, and everything in between. This podcast was created with one simple hope: that at least one first responder spouse listening feels seen, heard, and reminded that they are not alone.

If you’ve ever felt unheard, misunderstood, or isolated in this journey, this space is for you. Thank you for being here at the beginning with us.

Head over to our Instagram or TikTok to enter our giveaway.

To email us your story : [email protected]