RIDE ALONG CHRONICLES

Today’s guest, Renee, shares her story and experiences as a public safety dispatcher and being the primary breadwinner in her marriage. She and her husband faced challenges when he became the stay-at-home Dad receiving negative judgements from family, friends and society in general. Her perspective on not following the traditional role is fresh, interesting and enlightening. So, come ride along with us!

On today's episode we meet Duke, a law enforcement officer, who shared her journey working in various agencies from Municipal, Federal and State levels, and finding the courage to change her career paths. She shared her experiences at each level and how she made these decisions. Being a female in a male dominated field, meeting and exceeding certain expectations is not easy, but Duke showed us how she not only met those expectations but excelled in them. She is a true example of grit, determination and courage. So, come ride along with us!

For our last episode of the year we decided to highlight a previous guest who shared some insightful tips on how to address all the holiday disappointments and issues that affect first responder families. Our interview with Robin addressed so many common communication issues and disagreements that we have all faced at some point in our relationships. Her “1 to 10 scale” was fantastic to identify, as a couple, what holidays are important as a family. No matter the shift schedules, family compositions or dynamic, learning how to navigate this important and emotional challenge of the holidays is integral to a healthy family unit. We encourage you to listen to Robin’s full episode and see how her helpful advice could help your family during the holiday season. So, ride along with us!

‘Tis the season for good times and laughter, but it can also bring sadness and overwhelming stress for many. This time of year the one thing that most of us have in common is that self-care becomes secondary or altogether non-existent. For first responders and their families this can be especially true. In this episode we focus on self-care to remind all of us why it is important and how to practice it during the holidays. Reflecting on previous interviews we highlight some healthy strategies shared by some of our previous guests and share a few of our favorite tips. So come ride along with us!

This is the time of year to stop and think about all the things that we could be grateful for. It has been a tough few years for many and lately we have been seeing on many different platforms people focusing on gratitude to offset their dark times. We decided to focus on gratitude and one of the things we found was an online article from GradSchool.cornell.edu, called The Gratitude Project. It’s a research study by Cornell University that really broke down the concept of gratitude and its effects on people and their overall wellbeing. The facilitator of this Gratitude Project, Robert A Emmons, a professor of psychology at Southern California, Davis, an author of many books and the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude. Emmon’s believed that people who express gratefulness on a regular basis have higher levels of positivity, overall better wellness, and determine. His research also showed that the practice of gratitude can have significant and lasting PHYSICAL effects on a person’s life such as lower blood pressure, better immune function and more quality sleep. For those in the first responder world, practicing gratitude could prove beneficial to one's mental and physical wellbeing. We are grateful to all of you who encourage and support us and we grateful to all first responders who put it all on the line. So, come ride along with us! https://gradschool.cornell.edu/alumni/alumni-newsletter/the-gratitude-project/#:~:text=The%20Gratitude%20project%20is%20based,essential%20qualities%20for%20graduate%20students.

In Part 2 of Carmen's episode, she continues to share her personal journey of strength, resilience, courage, and post-traumatic growth. Carmen dives deeper into her path of healing, the challenges of navigating a healthy first responder relationship, and how serving her community of military veterans and first responder families became her biggest triumph for her success and positivity. **Trigger Warning** This episode contains discussion of sexual assault. Be sure to go back and listen to Part 1 of Carmen's story as she shares how she became part of the first responder lifestyle, what she experienced in her initial first responder relationships and how she first realized the need to get help and find support. So, come Ride Along with us!