Gary Hayes comes to us all the way from the United Kingdom! He is the Co-Founder of PTSD999, a charity organization that raises money to provide therapy and services for first responders. They also provide training to help educate and spread the word that PTSD is real and can affect anyone. He is a former police officer and constable in London, United Kingdom and he was a member of the 3rd Battalion Royal Green Jackets. He was a semi-pro football player. After spending most of his life being a “roughy toughy bloke”, the years of trauma began to add up and brought him within inches of taking hi ..read more

This episode is with the amazing Nicki Impastato! Nicki and I sit down and talk about her life working as a dispatcher while raising two kids with her Battalion Chief husband. And then we talk about doing all this while struggling with PTSD. Nicki also worked in a system that didn’t know what to do with her when she started struggling. She says, “There was something seriously wrong with me, and they knew about it, and nobody took care of me.” We so often depend on those around us to point out that we are struggling because sometimes we cannot see what is going on around us when we are just try ..read more

Pirate to stuntman to paramedic/firefighter to podcaster and back to stuntman. He’s traveled and worked around the world. He saw the fire culture's damaging effects on its members and that with becoming a single parent, he decided to choose his son over finishing his career. I find this very brave as so many of us say we would choose our family/kids over anything in the world, being a firefighter fulfills a deep need we have that the fear of leaving the job is too overwhelming. I remember wondering who in the hell leaves this job by choice? It’s almost like I didn’t even know that was possible ..read more

Josh and Olivia sit back down with the Firefighter Deconstructed and talk about having to put their marriage and their lives back together for the second time and why they are so much stronger because of it. This episode embodies how marriage really is about two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other. The insights they share are inspiring and applicable to everyone's lives and relationships. Below are links to each of their previous episodes on this show and tell the back story of this episode. I HIGHLY recommend listening to these episodes also. But you don't need to understand ..read more

Rob Weisberg is a volunteer firefighter in the state of NY. He happened to work across the street from the World Trade Center. When the Towers were hit, he made his way to a nearby fire station and offered his help. He ended up managing a fire station packed full of the injured and lost. Rob developed PTSD and after realizing how much his, “…family took it on the chin,” he decided to do something about it. He took on a mission of hiking the Appalachian Trail by himself. Rob shares with us his incredible “behind the scenes” story at 9/11 and his own personal aftermath. He also tells his incredi ..read more

Kyle, a firefighter with 11 years of service, is no longer on this planet because he was tormented by PTSD and had learned that it’s not ok to ask for help. Our guest, Kerrie Murphy, bravely shares her story of losing her younger brother Kyle. The ramifications of suicide are devastating to those left behind. In this episode you will learn the world is NOT better off with you gone. We must learn it is Okay to ask for help!!!! This story is heartbreaking but so much hope and life come from Kerrie’s story ..read more

This is Part 2: Living Skills. In Part 1 we hear about all the trauma that Teri has beent through while keeping a big smile on her face. In this part 2 episode, Teri shares the rug getting pulled out from under her and then how she put her life back together. She talks with us about how falling into the darkest hole imaginable made it possible for her to transform a life of surviving into a life of living. She shares so many insights and endless inspiration. You will learn so much from this conversation. www.behavioralfitnesstoday.com Christy Warren website ..read more

This is truly a special 2 part episode with former EMT and then emergency room nurse then emergency room director Teri DeLaMontanya. Teri grew up in turmoil and trauma and learned to “make the most of it” in order to survive. Never allowing herself to feel pain or anger, Teri went through life just constantly moving forward and keeping that happy smile on her face - that is until the rug was pulled out in front of her. In this part 1 “Survival Skills,” Teri shares her childhood and adulthood story and how she developed the skills to survive. Behavioral Fitness Christy Warren ..read more

James Beal is a paramedic for the Nashville Fire Department. Not only is he being incredibly brave by telling us his story, but he’s talking about it on a podcast — when one of his greatest vulnerabilities has been talking. He grew up with a stutter and childhood trauma. James tells his story with raw authenticity and has something everyone can learn from. You don't want to miss this one ..read more

Lawerence Williams is a 21 year veteran with the Nashville Fire Department. He is as tough as they come. Lawerence struggled with alcohol and PTSD symptoms until he finally went to the IAFF PTSD recovery/rehab center. While there he thought the whole thing was "stupid" and planned on coming home. His wife told him either stay there and get better or don't bother coming home." He stuck it out and 30+ days later he left the Standard of Excellence center a man well on his way to recovery. Like so many of us, the shame and stigma kept him from accepting what was happening to him until he was about ..read more