Undercover Mental Health

This is not a story of a kids journey to the NHL, it's about the will to live. Fighter - defying the NHL odds, by Aaron Polvatti. A story of grief, terror, personal tragedy, uncertainty, and happiness, this story will inspire you to dig deep within yourself to find your own strength to walk into your darkest moments and come out of them with a determination and mindset to achieve your wildest dreams. Think of this story as a guide to find the fighter inside of you. A guide that will push you to fight for what you want and what you love in life. To purchase Aaron’s book go to: Fighter: Defying The NHL Odds: Volpatti, Aaron: 9781738700608: Books - Amazon.ca

When firefighters arrive to a scene, there is the adrenaline rush, the heat, the smoke, kicking in the door and then truly fighting the fire.  Isabel Ruediger talks about how fulfilling the job can be, and after putting 30 years in, she left as one of the most respected leaders on the job. Leading the departments CISM team and helping her fellow firefighters when they were struggling, Izzy decided she wanted to continue making a difference and is now am established and very busy Clinical Counsellor. What a career, what a human, what a story! 

Dr. Mark Vu sees trauma everyday, if not in the emergency or in surgery, then on the streets as the Medic Lead for a Regional Police Public Safety Unit. A leader when it comes to educating Police Officers and Firefighters on (TECC) Tactical Emergency Critical Care. Juggling work life / balance is really hard for everyone, Mark's unique outlook on life is super contagious, we should all be taking a page out of this mans recipe for happiness. This podcast was recorded in mid July before the Shelbourne bank incident, our thoughts and prayers go out to all the police officers and their families who were involved in that event. #gvertstrong

Christmas is a very tough time for so many, please know you are not alone and people do care.

Listen to the Fire Chief of Esquimalt being interviewed on Victoria's Rumble Room about struggling over the holidays.

Crisis Line Canada Dial 1 833 456 4566 / Text 45645

Crisis Line USA Dial 988 / Text 741741

Crisis Line UK Dial 0800 689 5652 / Text 85258 

Merry Christmas, Stay Safe 

Dr. John Ogrodniczuk talks about anxiety over the holidays, breathing, sleep and visualizations can help you get through some of these stressful periods of your life, especially the holiday season. Heads Up Guys is an online resource created at the University of British Columbia and was created by Dr. John.  Men will often talk about feeling angry or irritable rather than sad or down. These myths can also feel like handcuffs for men, preventing them from reaching out to others for even a little support. This contributes to many men not seeking support until their depression is very severe, if at all. This can place men at an increased risk of taking their own lives HeadsUpGuys | Manage & Prevent Depression in Men