Mike and Ashley have been together for 9 years and married for 6. They join us to talk about what it is like to be married to a first responder and the effects that can have on the home life. 

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Wendy is a retired law enforcement officer who is the host of the podcast Guns & Yoga.  

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Kimberly Whitman, LCSW is a trauma therapist with over 10 years of experience in  the mental health field. Ms. Whitman received her Master of Social Work from New  Mexico State University and is completing her Ph.D. in Social Work at Walden  University. She is an Army combat veteran, having been deployed to operations  Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. Her active-duty service at  Fort Bliss provided practical experience in cultural diversity, the examination of risk  factors of several psychiatric disorders, trauma-informed care, substance use, suicide  risk, and criminal justice-related to mental health. Ms. Whitman served as the Valor  Recovery Program Director and Clinical Supervisor for STAR Program, behavioral  health programs treating military and first responders in Kansas City, Missouri.  In October 2021, she opened a private practice called MY-E which represents  empowerment over past experiences. MY-E grew from telehealth only to in person  individual sessions on April 4, 2022. Ms. Whitman treats a multitude of mental health  problems and accepts private pay as well as several insurance coverages. Her office is  located at 5746 N Broadway, Kansas City, MO 64118. Ms. Whitman continues to  provide mental health services to our community including studying firefighters’ experiences in seeking mental health services in hopes of contributing to research on  how to better meet the needs of our firefighters suffering from mental health problems.  https://www.my-e.space/ HTTPS://kimberly-whitman.clientsecure.me https://mobile.twitter.com/myeome https://instagram.com/myeome?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://www.facebook.com/MYEome/  [email protected] #NeverAloneAlwaysForward

As the owner and clinical director of Midwest Neurofeedback (MWNF), Laura and her husband began building MWNF in 2004 to serve the KC metro community with neurofeedback and biofeedback services. At that time, there was only one other provider of those services in the area. After that practitioner moved away, MWNF remained the solo provider of neurofeedback services in this area for quite some time.   Laura's educational background is a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Texas Tech; Licensed Master's Level Psychologist from the state of Kansas and Board Certified in neurofeedback from the certifying body. Laura's professional experience encompasses a wide range of settings and populations - from rural school districts, medical centers, and women's health clinics to locked and open psychiatric units and addiction units, a physical rehab hospital, as well as, emergency mental health assessments with Dade County EMT's.  Midwest Neurofeedback has been serving adults, children and families of the KC community since 2004 with many different issues/diagnoses being addressed -  anxiety, depression, PTSD, trauma, headaches, ADHD, concussion/TBI, misophonia, tinnitus, chemo brain, sleep issues, etc. Laura has been offering free neurofeedback services to military veterans for nearly 10 years as part of the homecoming4vets program. Some of her current interests include a program for 1st responders (similar to the homecoming4vets program) and neuromeditation, utilizing neurofeedback to facilitate meditation directly. This interest was enlivened by 2 working trips to Plum Village (the monastic home of Thich Nhat Hanh) outside Bordeaux France. During those visits, Laura and her colleagues completed brain maps and trained the brothers and sisters with neurofeedback. It was a life changing opportunity and experience. While Laura's interests continue to be varied, her plan is to carry on the vision that she and her husband established of utilizing neurofeedback to help heal our community, one nervous system at a time.   Laura Bratt, MA, LMLP, BCN Owner Midwest Neurofeedback (913) 383-8100 | [email protected] | www.midwestneurofeedback.com | 6700 Antioch Rd Suite 125 Overland Park, KS  66204  [email protected]

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John McKie is a Battalion Chief in the Fire Service with 19 years of experience.  Co-owner of Coco's style lounge going into their 10th year.  Coaching is his passion which he has have coached football, basketball, soccer and life.  "Two things I try to remind myself daily is everyday is a opportunity to learn and enjoy the process.   Being a father and husband are my most important jobs."  

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Jay Thorne is the founder and CEO of Veterans Outdoor Foundation. He is an Army veteran. He started VOF in 2021 as a way to continue to serve.  https://www.facebook.com/veteransoutdoorsfoundation/

 TikTok @veteransoutdoorsfdnigy6

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Anna Odirisio has been a paramedic for 5 years. She joins us today to talk about the impact that getting Covid has had on her physically and mentally.   [email protected]

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Janna Rumney is a police officer. She has been on the job for a little over 4 years now, prior to this she was a full time student and full time 9-1-1 dispatcher for a smaller department. She went to college to be a music teacher, but switched majors 2 years into the degree program to Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations. She will graduate with her bachelors degree in May from Northwest Missouri State University. She is engaged to be married in October 2022, and her fiance is also a police officer. In her free time, she likes to do CrossFit, play with her dogs, and read. 

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Rachel Scattergood is on the Board of Directors of SWEL, Inc. and serves as Treasurer. She was a participant in the very first SWEL mission after her close friend, Overland Park Officer Michael Mosher, was shot and killed in the line of duty on May 3rd, 2020. A few months later, she joined SWEL as a board member to help other first responders experiencing job-related struggles. Rachel has been a police officer for ten years. She has spent time as a Patrol Officer, a School Resource Officer, has worked in the Family Crimes Unit and is currently a Patrol Sergeant on the overnight shift. Rachel holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration from Western Illinois University and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Safety Administration. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of SWEL, Rachel is passionate about animal welfare and owns a farm in rural Cass County with horses, cows, chickens, pigs, dogs, cats and a turtle named Flash. https://www.theswel.org/ @theswelmission (instagram and facebook) @do.the.scarn (farm tiktok)  

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In this episode James and Jeremy sit down with Kansas City, Mo Mayor Quinton Lucas to discuss mental health and leadership during the pandemic. 

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