Nicole Ferry is a 26-year veteran of law enforcement who’s on a mission to help others build resilience by sharing her heart-breaking stories of PTSD, trauma and suicide.  Nicole is best known for her talk “What the Hell? The 3 Things I learned in the worst year of my life.”   Nicole has spent her life in law enforcement.  She holds a degree in Criminal Justice, she’s been an executive police leader for a railroad, she did an 8-year tour as a Military Police Officer and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA. I don’t have any direct experience with PTSD, any more than I know what it’s like to get a yellow brick from the FBI or investigate deaths on America’s railways.  But I felt Nicole’s stories in my bones.  I know how it feels to carry the weight of past traumas and the toll that takes on me and the people around me.  I also know the freedom that comes from letting that baggage go.   This conversation is a bit of a roller coaster.  It’s heavy material but we also laughed a lot, mostly as I tried to relate Nicole’s stories to my only frame of reference - Law & Order, A Few Good Men and bro-cop movies set in Boston.   Nicole’s brave stories carry a message of resilience and hope.  But most importantly, they’re a reminder of how much we can learn from those with dramatically different experiences from our own. Takeaways Authority figures can have a dramatic impact on how we see ourselves early in lifeYou don’t have to be a first responder to have powerful stressors in your jobEveryone accumulates stress over their lives that will eventually come out in terrible ways if you don’t manage itSimple daily practices like journaling, meditation and physical exercise make a huge difference in managing stress and staying mentally healthyTragedy can present you with an opportunity to find your purpose and help othersConnect with Nicole Website LinkedIn Survive First National Gala: Guest Speaker Listen to Nicole on these podcasts: Uncharted Journey: Nicole Ferry, Mental Health Champion Law Enforcement Life Coach / Sometimes Heroes Need Help Podcast: Nicole Ferry Thank you for listening today. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe to our podcast. Here is how you can connect with us at the Growth Mixtape podcast. Connect with Bob Mathers Website LinkedIn