OTR - Achieving Mental Health for Real

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence and trauma that may be triggering for listeners with PTSD or related experiences. Listener discretion is strongly advised.Andrew spent 18 years as a police constable with the Waterloo Regional Police Service, after starting his career as a news reporter. He served three years as a Detective in the General Investigations Unit, leading major cases involving shootings, stabbings, armed robberies, and gang‑related violence. On front‑line patrol, he stepped into the role of acting Sergeant and coached new recruits entering the job he once loved.In May 2021, the weight of everything he had seen — and everything he had carried alone — finally broke through. Andrew was diagnosed with Post‑Traumatic Stress Disorder and has been off duty since. During that time, he wrote a book about his descent into PTSD and the long climb back, becoming an advocate for emergency‑service mental health and the people who are still silently drowning inside the uniform.This conversation isn’t polished. It isn’t rehearsed. It’s Andrew telling the truth as he lived it — the moments that shaped him, the ones that scarred him, and the ones he’s still trying to understand.This episode is part 1 of 2. This part covers Andrew speaking to what contributed to his unset of complex PTSD and finally his collapse. Part 2 will be published the last part of June and will chronicle his road to recovery.We need to improve the process. PTSD effects a large part of the population between the inflicted and there love ones. It also has a effect on the recruitment of the hero's - the first responders.Andrew Lorne McLeanWebsite: beaten-black-and-blue.com/beaten-black-blueBook: https://www.amazon.ca/Beaten-Black-Blue-Journey-Light-ebook/dp/B0F5BMPPN3Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrew.mclean.90410Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beaten_black_and_blue_bookOTR Sites:Podcast Website: https://bobadleman.wixsite.com/otrmentalhealthBlog: https://realplus.bearblog.dev/otr-lies-from-the-tablecloth/Public Square Community Ko-Fi.com/otrachieving Mail: [email protected]: https://www.facebook.com/otrachievingmentalhealhfrInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/over_the_rainbow_achievingX: https://twitter.com/overtherain1bowYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChEYTddPDUaiZbFliit1r5QLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-adleman/This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podder - https://www.podderapp.com/privacy-policyPodtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Special announcementsComing in May a new voice in the OTR UniverseOTR Universe Blog is here, start at:https://realplus.bearblog.dev/otr-lies-from-the-tablecloth/Today’s guest is someone whose story reaches into the deepest places of grief and still finds a way to breathe life back into the room. Her name is Marcia Earhart — founder of The Sterling Rose Sanctuary, grief and trauma responder, HeartSync minister, mediator, author, speaker, and a woman whose faith has carried her through losses most of us can’t imagine.Marcia has lived through the deaths of two sons — one to sudden tragedy, and one to murder — and somehow, through all of it, she learned how to keep breathing, keep moving, and keep living. Not by erasing the pain, but by walking with it. Her book, Gripping Grace in the Garden of Grief, is a raw and honest look at what happens when life breaks you open… and what it takes to stand back up.She works with people carrying trauma, loss, depression, anxiety, addiction, and the kind of sorrow that sits in the bones. Not as a distant expert, but as someone who has been there — someone who knows what it means to fight for your mind, your family, and your faith.Today, we’re talking about grief, resilience, the brain, the heart, and what it really means to heal. This is not a conversation about ‘getting over it.’ This is a conversation about learning to breathe again, move again, and live again — even when the world has gone dark.This is Grieve Work. And this is Marcia Earhart.Marcia EarhartWebsite: https://www.thesterlingrosesanctuary.us/meet-marciaBook: https://www.thesterlingrosesanctuary.us/gripping-grace-in-the-garden-of-griefFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSRS21/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesterlingrosesanctuary/?hl=enYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCinV--gh_jy1OdeiS4XmoYA?view_as=subscriberOTR Sites:Podcast Website: https://bobadleman.wixsite.com/otrmentalhealthPublic Square Community Ko-Fi.com/otrachieving Mail: [email protected]: https://www.facebook.com/otrachievingmentalhealhfrInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/over_the_rainbow_achievingX: https://twitter.com/overtherain1bowYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChEYTddPDUaiZbFliit1r5QLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-adleman/This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podder - https://www.podderapp.com/privacy-policyPodtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Special announcement OTR Universe Blog is here, start at:https://realplus.bearblog.dev/otr-lies-from-the-tablecloth/**Today’s guest is Dr. Tony Iezzi — a clinical psychologist with more than 35 years on the front lines of trauma, chronic pain, and the behavior loops that keep people repeating the past. He’s the co‑author of *Reenactments: Break the Behavior Patterns That Keep You Stuck in Trauma, Stress, and Everyday Life*, a book that blends science, clinical clarity, and real‑world insight into why we do what we do — even when we don’t want to.**In this conversation, Dr. Iezzi breaks down the unconscious reenactment patterns that show up in everyday life: the habits we repeat, the reactions that feel too big for the moment, and the emotional echoes that follow us from childhood into boardrooms, relationships, and Tuesday afternoons.If you’ve ever wondered why you keep ending up in the same situations — or why certain moments hit harder than they should — this episode gives you the framework to finally understand it.**Dr. Tony Iezzi doesn’t just explain trauma. He explains the architecture underneath it — and how to break the loop.**Dr. Tony Iezzi Sites:Website: https://tonyiezzi.com/Book: https://www.amazon.com/Reenactments-Behavior-Patterns-Trauma-Everyday-ebookFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Breaking-Reenactments/61577256044969/OTR Sites:Podcast Website: https://bobadleman.wixsite.com/otrmentalhealthPublic Square Community Ko-Fi.com/otrachieving Mail: [email protected]: https://www.facebook.com/otrachievingmentalhealhfrInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/over_the_rainbow_achievingX: https://twitter.com/overtherain1bowYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChEYTddPDUaiZbFliit1r5QLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-adleman/This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podder - https://www.podderapp.com/privacy-policyPodtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Warning: Please be advised that this episode has adult content about young child abuse and an account of attempted suicide. This may contain triggers for some. Matthew F. Stevens, CCTRP, is our guest in this episode. He is the host of EQ Unlocked Podcast on Emotional Intelligence and Nervous System Informed Growth.Matthew and I went through several recovery subjects which included Matts terrible abuse and his other losses, fears, grief and abandonment issues. And I once again got on my high horse. Throughout the show the two of us really connected.Don't miss his techniques to lessen anxiety and other processes of the nervous system in the last part of the show. Matthew goes over the his emotional regulation systems. He builds emotional regulation systems that reduce stress, prevent escalation, and support clear, integrity-based decision-making—through practical systems including Operational Regulation Systems (ORS™), Neuro Advanced Learning Systems (NALS™), and EQ Unlocked. Check out his website in the links below.Matthew is a survivor of many different traumas and challenges, He worked with kids mentoring youth for 20 years as a business owner , who had a loving family and great hopes for the future. He eventually lost everything piece by piece. This episode covers the difficult family history, the kind that leaves marks.It’s a steady, grounded talk with real weight under it. Clean audio, Its a little longer than usual but it moves quickly.Matthew Stevens Sites:Website: https://matthewfstevens.com/Podcast: EQ Unlocked: https://eq.matthewfstevens.comFind your regulation baseline: https://matthewfstevens.com/emotional-regulation-baseline/OTR Sites:Podcast Website: https://bobadleman.wixsite.com/otrmentalhealthPublic Square Community Ko-Fi.com/otrachieving Mail: [email protected]: https://www.facebook.com/otrachievingmentalhealhfrInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/over_the_rainbow_achievingX: https://twitter.com/overtherain1bowYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChEYTddPDUaiZbFliit1r5QLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-adleman/This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podder - https://www.podderapp.com/privacy-policyPodtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Lindsay Stadel is a wife, mother, grandmother, and accomplished entrepreneur who leads four successful companies: Stadel Farms, Inc., S & S Harvesting, LLC, Flinthills Transport, LLC, and TLS Logistics, LLC. Her commitment to mental health advocacy is rooted in personal experience with suicide loss and her own journey through mental health challenges. As an award‑winning author, she uses her writing and her voice to confront stigma and support those struggling with suicidal thoughts. Lindsay is now expanding her work into public speaking to help organizations address mental health with honesty, compassion, and hope.Lindsey’s story isn’t polished or dramatic; it’s the story of someone who kept going when stopping felt easier. This isn’t a lecture, and it isn’t a slogan. It’s a conversation about what survival actually looks like when you’re in the middle of the fire and can’t see anything past the pain. It’s about the part of you that hasn’t had the chance to exist yet — the part that comes after the collapse, after the shame, after the silence. The phoenix doesn’t rise because it’s strong. It rises because it isn’t done.Audio note: This episode was recorded in November, during a stretch when I was still recovering from throat surgery and dealing with some Windows‑side recording issues. You may hear a few rough spots because of that. The next episode, with Matthew Stevens, is the first one using the improved chain and the upgraded studio sound.Lindsay Stadel's Sites:Website: Lindsay Stadel's WebsiteFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindsay.a.coltharp?mibextid=ZbWKwLYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LindsayStadelInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaycoltharp79?igsh=czBham40cXo0Y3V2LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-stadel-a70ab2299/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lindsaystadel?_t=ZT-8t7gKrgl3yI&_r=1OTR Sites:Podcast Website: https://bobadleman.wixsite.com/otrmentalhealthPublic Square Community Ko-Fi.com/otrachieving Mail: [email protected]: https://www.facebook.com/otrachievingmentalhealhfrInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/over_the_rainbow_achievingX: https://twitter.com/overtherain1bowYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChEYTddPDUaiZbFliit1r5QLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-adleman/This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podder - https://www.podderapp.com/privacy-policyPodtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp