This new episode is a bit different! Law enforcement is not for everyone and Jessica Flores, a transition coach and former police woman, opens up and tells her story. She shares stories from her 9 1/2 years in law enforcement, from her initial journey at the age of 21, the challenges she experienced at her department, to include being shot at and suffering a hand-injury, all which became factors in her decision to leave the force. She and I also talk about domestic violence (DV) and how being in an abusive relationship affected her perceptions when responding to DV calls. Years later, Jess has reinvented herself and now helps current and retired law enforcement officers, who are on the fence and pondering "should I stay or should I go?" She is also the host Next Shift Podcast, Life After Law Enforcement, the platform she uses to help those who are struggling with transitioning into the civilian world. *Episode contains a few words that might be offensive to some, discretion is advised.

This is a short narration of my blog entry on the October 7th massacre. In December of 2023, I was invited to the Israeli embassy for a private screening of video footage depicting part of the attack. I saw approximately 140 innocent people get killed by Hamas terrorists, and many taken hostages. This episode contains details that are graphic and distressing, listener discretion is advised. #hamasisraelwar #october7massacre #10/07

Heidi Chance, retired Detective from the Phoenix Police Department, has 27 years of law enforcement experience, 13 of those years working deep undercover in the dark sex trafficking world. Heidi shares her journey, from being inspired by her father, a retired police officer, who also served in the Phoenix P.D. for 26 years, to joining law enforcement at age 18 and becoming the first female cadet! In this cadet program, Heidi was assigned badge #2! She then takes us through her career and talks to us about her role as an undercover and putting away monsters for life. Heidi shares with us cases that will expose you to monsters, to victims, and to people like Heidi and her team, who work to protect our tweens and teenagers. This is an episode you don't want to miss!

*Disclaimer: This episode contains language that might be offensive to some. Discretion is advised.

Sarah Shendy, Ohio’s first Egyptian-Muslim female police sergeant, takes us on a journey from Cairo to Ohio, talking to us about her life in Egypt, immigrating to the US, and her amazing 16-year law enforcement career. Sarah tells us about the challenges she faced at a young age, which exposed her to the DARE program, a program that changed her life. Sarah herself later on gave back and ran her own DARE, which was on steroids! Sarah has been doing amazing policing work building a bridge between the Arab community and law enforcement. She was recently named an Arab-America Foundation 40/40 honoree! Listen to Sarah, who is an amazing human, woman, and police officer!

As we all know, our heroes in blue go on quietly doing their job, working to protect the innocent and put the bad guys away. They face stress and challenges that many of us don't. Lindsay McCall Long, had served as a police officer for 14 years, when she was shot in the line of duty while responding to a domestic violence call.

In this episode, Lindsay shares her fascinating life story, and opens up with many personal anecdotes: from her childhood to losing her father at age 17, to experiencing post-partum depression, to tragically and senselessly losing a colleague at her police department. She also recounts the day she was shot, ,how it not only impacted her but her family as well, and how she made the tough decision to medically retire after almost 17 years of service.

Today, Lindsay is a keynote speaker at many events where she shares her story and talks about challenges, resilience, and survival. Tune in on your favorite podcast platform to listen to Lindsay's inspiring story and gain a new perspective on the challenges faced by law enforcement officers.

#podcast #lawenforcement #policewomen #careers #bi #womenempowerment #crime #resilience #trauma #inspirationalstory

Kristen Ziman kicks off Season 3, a special Season dedicated to our women in Blue! Kristen broke the glass ceiling by becoming the first woman Chief of Police of the Aurora Police Department in Illinois. She had an extraordinary 30-year career and in this riveting episode she shares her personal and professional stories. A journey into the law enforcement world that is full of emotions, learning, challenges and successes! From the people who inspired her, to chasing a bad guy, to realizing words are powerful, to letting criticism become fuel, she has a real conversation about what it was like to be a woman in the police world! Listen now to learn all about Kristen!

Jennifer Cormack closes season 2 with her extraordinary story! From working as a photographer, to joining the army to then becoming a badass FBI Special Agent, Jen shares her journey with us. Jen talks to us about why she joined the army, her role as a hazmat member in the 2009 crash of Continental Express flight 3407, which led to her receiving an Impact Award, how she earned a QSI (quality step increase) later in Las Vegas, and her roles as LNO (liaison officer) for CENTCOM and SOCCENT. Jen and I also discuss her post-retirement life and her role in ICITAP EMPoWER, Skull Games and her own private eye! For a retired agent, Jen surely stays busy!

This episode concludes my EMPoWER micro series! Grace Mason from the Department of State and Sugi Gomathinayagam from the Department of Justice close out this mighty episode. Sugi shares her personal story and talks to us about her journey in the Peace Corps in Ukraine, the amazing work she did in the Balkans, and her current role as Acting Deputy Assistant Director for the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistant Program (ICITAP) Europe and Eurasia Region. Grace talks to us about the importance of the USG's Women in Peace and Security (WPS) program and Lynn Holland surprises me with a shout-out near the end! #empowerment #lawenforcement #women