The Grit Podcast: with Dr. Ben Peery

Dr. Sudip Bose joins us, ED physician, Iraq war combat veteran, medical director, professor and entrepreneur to share his insights about the experience of going to war as a doctor. Sudip reflects on how he managed the strain of his work under enemy fire by focusing on a powerful voice that he calls his "inner army." That voice stepped into the half-space between fear and action to help him complete his mission of saving lives. We discuss mental health, and the paradox in the first responder and military communities of focusing on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as the expected outcome of the work, while ignoring the isolation that is the root of depression and suicide. Dr. Bose is featured in a new Amazon Prime TV series about working as an ED doctor in a busy West Texas trauma center called "Desert Doc." The show highlights his journey from the deserts of Iraq to the desert background of Odessa, Texas and blends video from his combat deployments with the incredible footage of actual emergencies in one of the busiest trauma centers in the US. Sudip talks about the imperative of seeking balance, de-emphasizing outcomes, finding happiness in habituation and focusing on the broader mission of helping others to balance stress. Please enjoy the trailer for the new Amazon TV series "Desert Doc" featuring Dr. Sudip Bose and watch full episodes to support his front line work! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTcJPmhwpCc Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play. Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation’s public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency’s existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB You can find Jimmy Hatch's incredible book Touching the Dragon here and on Amazon: https://spikesk9fund.org/products/touching-the-dragon-and-other-techniques-for-surviving-lifes-wars https://www.amazon.com/Touching-Dragon-Other-Techniques-Surviving-ebook/dp/B0755ZYGRK

George Gjersfold is a veteran firefighter and engineer, lifeguard and movie set safety officer who reflects on years of service in the chaos of urban Los Angeles. George reflects on an incredible array of lifeguard and fire service work and the accumulated scars, from the tragic loss of his mother to suicide while working a shift, to the horrific traumatic death of an infant. SHADE is a firefighter mneumonic for how George learned to approach an emergency which stands for: Stabilization, Hazard, Access/Assist, Disentanglement and Extrication, and became a mantra for surviving his work as a first responder. But, a threat assesment mindset also creates endless hypervigilance which can impact our life outside of the work. George shares how by staying connected, imbedding small spiritual rituals and focusing on gratitude, he learned how to extricate himself from that hypervigilance and years of imbedded trauma. Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play. Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation’s public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency’s existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. Follow Doc Askins' podcast, purchase his book and join his Anti-Hero Journey in the exploration of mental resiliency: https://www.antiherosjourney.com/podcast/episode/2806cc05/dr-matthew-wall-phd-mri-rock-star Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB

With flames from a massive forest fire closing in, young volunteer firefighter Zach Holmes and his partner lay down in the ashes of their backburn, certain that they were going to die. What does it feel like to face your own death as a first responder? Zach takes us through the incredible experience of how he survived this fire. During a 14-year career as a paramedic and firefighter with Cheney Fire Department, Zach faced two more near-death experiences. But his survival had just begun. First responders, front line workers and military veterans are asked to place themselves in imminent danger all the time, often sacrificing their own safety to save the lives of those they are asked to serve. Such a sacrifice comes at an immense cost, as these men and women suffer severe depression, PTSD and substance use disorder. With bravery and deep insight, Zach guides us through his own healing journey from severe PTSD. As a single father of four, he realized he was reacting with irrational anger with his children and in a deep crisis. He tried unsuccessfully to seek therapy and finally in desperation, called his Battalion Chief for help. Together, they were able to locate a support group of other fire fighters and police officers who met regularly with a trauma-base therapist. In that safe environment, Zach began to heal. Zach and I discuss how first responders often suppress their mental health decline, and the imperative of reaching out for help before it is too late. Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play. Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation’s public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency’s existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. 3. Survive First is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, whose mission is to assist active duty and retired first responders and families who need mental health support from the impact of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, and substance abuse. https://survivefirst.us/get-help/

I am headed back to work as an Emergency Physician after a 2-year hiatus and discuss some of the interventions that have made that possible. I recount what it felt like on my first shift, and how dropping in on a difficult airway case reminded me that some things never change. I discuss numerous adaptations I made to my mindset, diet, daily practices and spiritual homeostasis to be able to return to work. I review how psychedilics, trauma-based therapy, and supplements have been helpful as healing tools along with the absolute imperatives of imbedding gentleness, gratitude and connection in my life. Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ Please listen to Joinathan's incredible story on the Shawn Ryan Show- he reveals deep insights about his mental health struggles and mission to bring objective measurement of mental health to the veteran and first responder communities. The episode is imbedded here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shawn-ryan-show/id1492492083?i=1000646864307 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play. Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation’s public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency’s existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety.

I speak with Dr Kurt Pappenfus, rural emergency medicine physician, about his amazing 35-year medical career and adventures as an alpine expedition physician, medical team leader on a movie set, and master falconeer. Kurt has worked in austere environments all over the world, from the peaks of the Himalayas and Alps, to the windswept mountains and plains of the American West, and shares his insights about the unique challenges of rural medicine. In 2019, Kurt and his wife settled in Cheyenne Wells, on Colorado's Eastern plains where he worked as one of the only physicians caring for farming community patients across hundreds of square miles. In 2020, Kurt was stricken with COVID pneumonia, and battled back from a prolonged ICU hospitalization with COVID pneumonia in 2020 and subsequent long-COVID syndrome. The impact of his absence from the Cheyenne Wells community was deeply felt and highlights how much rural America depends on sparse medical resources and a dedicated medical corps. Kurt has returned to his rural practice, and we talk about the imperatives of embracing gratitude, connectivity and spending time in the natural world for preserving longevity in medicine. Dr Pappenfus' story and recovery from COVID was covered by NPR: https://www.npr.org/2020/12/01/940697524/the-ripple-effect-of-1-rural-colorado-doctor-catching-the-coronavirus Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play. Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation’s public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency’s existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety.

In March of 2023 Dr. Cunningham stood in front of a packed house as the Presidential Speaker at the Academy of Academic Surgeon's annual meeting and gave a speech entitled "Removing the Mask" where she revealed her incredible battle with addiction and severe depression. Carrie is a mother, Harvard endocrine surgeon and NIH-funded researcher and risked her professional, and personal reputation to frame the conversation about mental health and addiction to a traditionally stoic group of medical providers with her own journey. In her speech, she shared how profoundly the tragic suicide of a dear friend and colleague impacted her own mental health and highlighted the startling reality of suicide in the medical world. Her incredible story brought the discussion of mental health in the medical world out of the shadows and to the forefront of medical education and institutions across the country. We discuss that medicine encourages grit over vulnerability which can compound self-doubt, fear and isolation into severe depression. Carrie discusses how embracing sobriety, meditation and wellness practices and by priotizing her mental health as a precious assett she rejuvenated her career as an attending endocrine surgeon and academic researcher. She shares how the beautiful sanskrit word "mitra" reminds her to seek light, harmony and abundance, sometimes forgotten in the strain of our medical world. Please watch and share Dr. Cunningham's 2023 AAS Presidential Address Removing the Mask": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaNBH4UPHv4 Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! We are available on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Pandora and iHeart Radio. Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please follow me and reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play. Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation’s public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency’s existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. 3. Survive First is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, whose mission is to assist active duty and retired first responders and families who need mental health support from the impact of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, and substance abuse. https://survivefirst.us/get-help/

After travelling to South Africa to visit my mother and brother Jess Peery, Jess and I sit down to talk about Mom's worsening memory, the impacts for her of imbedded trauma after the death of her parents as a young girl, and what she now finds most important in her life. Jess shares insights after years as a psychedelic practitioner on mental health, psychedelics and the paradox of looking for hacks and quick solutions in a toxic, imbalanced world. We discuss the imperative of seeking beauty, redefining what is sacred and remembering, always to take it easy with ourselves. Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play. Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation’s public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency’s existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB

I speak with Leora Joseph, mother of three, wife and career prosecutor who oversees the Colorado Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health. Leora has been the Chief of Staff in the Colorado Attorney General's office, managing attorney and law enforcement teams, special victim's, and human trafficking units and she has worked with over 1,000 victims of sexual abuse, and sex trafficking. Her experiences helped her identify gaps within the legal and criminal justice systems where limited access to mental healthcare and stigma often trap those needing care within a loop of prosecution and incarceration. Leora is subsequently running for office as Denver's District Attorney with a vision of balancing treatment for chronic mental illness with victim's advocacy, restorative justice and public awareness to help improve a complex legal system. We discuss the challenges facing healthcare and law enforcement amidst the current mental health crisis and the imperative of maintaining compassion, perspective and gratitude to continue the work of service. Please Leora's journey and support her Denver District Attorney by sending donations to her candidacy at https://www.leorafordistrictattorney.com/ Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play. Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation’s public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency’s existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety.

I speak with Rob Glassmire, father, Marine Corp veteran, and Garfield County Coroner about the challenges of death investigations in the field. Rob describes how the coroner's office must respond at all hours day and night to often austere, grim and emotionally charged environments. Rob and his team work behind the scenes, after first responders and medical teams have finished their work. We discuss how viewing the patients with humanity and always through the lens of their grieving families helps alleviate the trauma of witnessing sometimes gruesome, tragic deaths. Rob shares his advice for young men and women entering the first responder fields including remembering to slow down, spend time with coworkers outside of the job and take good care of themselves. Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play. Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation’s public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency’s existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB You can find Jiimmy's incredible book Touching the Dragon here and on Amazon: https://spikesk9fund.org/products/touching-the-dragon-and-other-techniques-for-surviving-lifes-wars https://www.amazon.com/Touching-Dragon-Other-Techniques-Surviving-ebook/dp/B0755ZYGRK

I speak with Dr. Megan Quinn, forensic pathologist, mother and friend about her years performing autopsy and medical evaluations. She describes the challenges of examining men, women and children after they have died, usually in an unnatural and suspicious manner. As a forensic pathologist, Megan has examined hundreds of patients who died of terrible injuries, horrific violent crimes and self-inflicted deaths. And, Megan works under constant scrutiny from law enforcement, the legal system, the media and the family of the deceased, as the manner of death can have huge ramifications for criminal prosecution, hope of finding justice and closure for grieving families. As physicians, we struggle with offloading the trauma and sadness that we face, but Megan finds solace by speaking with families about their loved ones' death. By expressing answers and empathy she can sometimes be the victim's last voice and for those grieving families and herself, a source of healing.

I speak with John Neiley, 9th Judicial District Chief Judge, about his many years behind the bench. John and I have been involved in tragic cases through the years- shootings, assaults, neglect and accidents. But, unlike in medicine, the legal system must embrace those horrors repetitively over weeks and months as trials slowly evolve. John describes how those imbedded traumas can effect the court; defense, prosecutution, jurors and court staff, who often have to relive the tragedy of those cases with the victims and families, in terrible, granular detail. John's explains that while his duty as a judge is to remain impartial and objective, he has had to learn to innure himself against the natural human reactions of grief and outrage and doubt. We discuss the imperative of finding empathy in the cases he presides over and by helping others heal, from victim's families finding justice, to restorative healing of the perpetrators themselves, he finds solace and healing himself. Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play. Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation’s public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency’s existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB

I speak with dear friend and integrative medicine physician Dr. Christina Miller about how medical subspecialities like lifestyle, functional, integrative and longevity medicine are impacting physical and mental health. Sometimes, the barrage of medical advice on social media and the internet can be overwhelming. We discuss how an overemphasis on supplements, biohacking and performance improvement has given rise to "guru medicine," which is not always evidence-based or therapeutic. Treating and preventing chronic illness may be more impacted by stress and poor diet rather than adding new medications or supplements. Dr. Miller reflects that after 10 years treating patients with chronic disease and her own autoimmune condition, three principles still stand out: eat simply, connect deeply with others and move our bodies in some fashion, every day. Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play. Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation’s public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency’s existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. 3. From James Hatch and his episode Touching the Dragon You can find Jiimmy's incredible book Touching the Dragon here and on Amazon: https://spikesk9fund.org/products/touching-the-dragon-and-other-techniques-for-surviving-lifes-wars https://www.amazon.com/Touching-Dragon-Other-Techniques-Surviving-ebook/dp/B0755ZYGRK Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB

I speak with James "Jimmy" Hatch, Navy SEAL, father, husband and author about his combat deployments, life threatening injury, and struggles with severe depression. He recounts a harrowing journey as the cummulative weight of combat deployments, the death of SEAL team members and K9 combat partners, his injury, multiple surgeries, and loss of identity overwhelmed him and he became suicidal. During his hospitalization, Jimmy slowly learned to love and forgive himself and begin a new healing arc. Recognizing his debt to the K9 dogs that saved his life on multiple combat missions, Jimmy started a national foundation for the care and preservation of service dogs called the Spike K9 Fund. He also wrote a book called Touching the Dragon about his journey and enrolled as an undergraduate student at Yale in the Eli Whitney Students program. We discuss how the concept of deconstruction in literature can mirror life- when we can redefine meaning, we discover a new language and a pathway for change. You can find Jiimmy's incredible book Touching the Dragon here and on Amazon: https://spikesk9fund.org/products/touching-the-dragon-and-other-techniques-for-surviving-lifes-wars https://www.amazon.com/Touching-Dragon-Other-Techniques-Surviving-ebook/dp/B0755ZYGRK Please support Spike's K9 Fund helping the training, care and preservation of working dogs: https://spikesk9fund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4uji-HOepJMLAJF8H96Ncth_rySZeZXBt7bc1TtS2czEo_vOwpba9acaAv81EALw_wcB Amazon link to the book Genius, by Harold Bloom https://www.amazon.com/Genius-Mosaic-Hundred-Exemplary-Creative/dp/0446691291

I speak with Victor Bencomo, Navy corpsman, father, husband and activist. Victor discusses his military experience deployed as a "green zone" medic in Iraq and imbedded with SEAL Team 17. After returning home Victor began working with the organization Team America helping Afghani service members fleeing from the Taliban immigrate to the United States. Like many veterans, the imbedded trauma and heartbreak of losing friends and colleagues caused Victor to develop PTSD, alcohol dependence andf severe depression. He fortunately found successful treatment through the mental health aid organization "Warrior's Heart" which helped him rehabilitate and heal. Suicide rates-predominantly with a firearm- for military, law enforcement, medical and EMS personnel are at an all-time high, and we are at the precipice of a global health crisis. This imperative has shaped Victor's passion for curbing veteran suicide and taking his activism to the state legislature to champion mental health awareness and sensible gun control. We discuss the value of service and helping others for healing mental trauma, and how we have both found healing in that regard. Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: From today's podcast: Please follow Victor on Instagram and on his website to help support his mission for raising mental health awareness and legislating for sensible gun control: https://www.victorbencomo.com/ https://www.instagram.com/victorbencomo_/ Rehabilitation resources for those suffering from addiction and severe PTSD and depression: https://www.warriorsheart.com/ From Previous Podcasts: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play. Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation’s public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency’s existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety.

I speak with Ben "Doc" Askins, Army veteran, father, PhD, pastor, Psychiatric Physician Assistant, psychedelic-assisted therapist and author of the book, The Anti-Hero's Journey We discuss the imbedded challenges of isolation, ego and fear in our lives. Doc explores the therapeutic effect of letting go of one's tightly held beliefs, identity and embracing a non-duality view of the world around us- rejecting "us and them" and embracing a synthesis of compassion, empathy and kindness. When we view ourselves as separate from those around us, it creates barriers and also traps us into a hero narrative. But, Doc suggests that our story is not just a singular arc, we stumble, misstep, succeed, fail, twist and turn and our journey is anything but linear or heroic. Our highest self may be the anti-hero, and by accepting our own weaknesses, treating ourselves and each other with kindness Follow Doc Askins' podcast, purchase his book and join his Anti-Hero Journey: https://www.antiherosjourney.com/podcast/episode/2806cc05/dr-matthew-wall-phd-mri-rock-star, we invite growth and healing. Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation’s public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency’s existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety. https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play.

I speak with Jim Pidcock, 38-year veteran of the firefighting and EMS service about his years of front line work. Jim reflects on the impacts of strong mentorship, and old school leadership on his development as a young firefighter in New Jersey and how those lessons still influence his life. We wonder if we are born to endure the work as front line workers, or if a strong culture is enough to mitigate the imbedded challenges. Jim shares that the faces of the men and women who he has seen die over his career still visit his dreams. But, the powerful therapeutic effect of shared experiences with his colleagues may have helped him shed the negative impact of those traumas and imparted longevity to his career. Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Please reach out with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram. Check out these resources from previous podcast guests for assistance with tracking your mental health, and reaching out for therapeutic assistance: 1. Jonathan Wilson and INVI MindHealth have developed an App using smart watch technology to track your daily mental health wellness: https://www.invimh.com/ 2. From Raul Rivas and his Trauma Behind the Badge podcast episode he shared the inline resource therapy resource: https://www.lighthousehw.org/ Available on the App Store or on Google Play. Lighthouse Health & Wellness is an in-hand, on-demand, 100% confidential health and wellness platform available at no cost to our nation’s public safety agencies. Lighthouse was designed to provide your employees and their families anonymous access to your agency’s existing health and wellness programs, along with a growing library of the latest educational health and wellness information and tools that have been tailored to the unique needs of those working in public safety.

I speak with Andrew McConnell, entrepreneur, elite athlete, father and author of the book; Get Out of My Head: Creating Modern Clarity with Stoic Wisdom. He introduces the concepts of stoicism- forming thoughtful reactions to constant life stressors and self doubt; and the imperative of learning to control the things we can and not worrying about those things we cannot. Andrew's entrepreneurial experience as founder of Rented.com taught him that the process of starting a business could be more valuable than the result, as relentlessly working towards his goal built agency and successful habits. We discuss how the constant pressure of allostatic load, isolation and self doubt in our modern world sabotages our time and effectiveness. Andrew outlines his practice of "zero-based calendaring" which integrates time management, priority orientation and allocation of energy to help restore balance and design over the outcome of our lives. Follow Andrew on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandrewmcconnell/ Find Andrew's book here: https://www.mandrewmcconnell.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Get-Out-My-Head-Creating/dp/1637740751 Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636 on Instagram.

I speak with Jonathan Wilson, husband and father of 5 and Navy SEAL who after completing 16 years of military service, earned his MBA from the Oxford University, Said Business School and began working as a trader with Goldman Sachs. But, Jonathan struggled with this new integration into civilian life and fought major battles with imposter syndrome, PTSD, substance abuse and severe depression. After a frustrating journey and failed conventional care with antidepressants, antianxiety medications and a congested VA medical system, he was ultimately, successfully treated with a combination of integrated therapy and the psychedelic, Ibogaine. Jonathan then used his business and military background to co-found the Seal Future Foundation and INVI Mindhealth to help treat veterans suffering from depression and addiction. We discuss the compelling evidence-based potential of psychedelic assisted therapy and his new INVI project which synthesizes connectivity and individual biometrics to track mental health and help guide therapy for men and women suffering from treatment-resistant deprerssion. Jonathan's story is one of resilience and the imperative of always striving to do purposeful work. Thanks for listening to and supporting our podcast! Please reach out to with any feedback to: @drben0636, and please follow the podcast in Instagram: @thegritwithdrbenpeery Information about INVI Mindhealth, their mission, app and the 2023 Monster Mash fundrasing event can be found at: https://www.invimh.com/ Follow INVI Mindhealth on Instagram: @invimindhealth

We live under a constant state of stress and unrelenting allostatic loads- social media and work stressors, cell phone isolation, poor sleep, nutrition and physical decline. We too often depend on the hormones dopamine and epinephrine- the hormones of flight or flight, and drive- to see us through. But, by always stamping on the sympathetic gas pedals, we never allow ourselves to recover or find balance. Oxytocin is the molecule of connection, trust, love, sateity and safety and the counterbalance for stress. Tara Alibrandi and Resa Hayes rejoin the podcast to discuss how seeking positive relationships, meaningful social contact, laughter and play incrementally releases oxytocin, improves our autonomic homeostasis, and helps us recover and heal. Cover art: Double Arch, Arches National Park, watercolor 8 x 8"- Steve Ausherman

Good friend and pulmonologist Dr. Suresh Khilnani and I review the current, best scientific evidence supporting slow breathing for managing stress and improving health. We discuss what happens when we breathe slowly, the physiology of nasal breathing, and how various breathing techniques can balance our autonomic nervous system, improve cardiac function, and positively impact mental health.