Episode Details

First Responder World, as I called it, is riddled with crazy and amazing stories of triumph, life lessons on steroids (or any PEDs really, even SARMs if you wanna go there..), and intense things that only "we" and our families will ever truly understand.  

You could break that down into specifics with every different role. So what happens when you have a strong individual who dives in and excels in not one, but THREE of them?  Meet Jeni, one of my prior teammates in Police.  She got her start with that goal in dispatching, something I have EXTREME respect for and tip my cap.  

We talk about her experience in that realm, the bridge and insight on getting hired into the police field and the highs and lows therein.  Which, spoiler alert, had an impact on leading her to serve in a different yet clearly meaningful way in the Fire service.  

I had a pleasure getting to reconnect with my old friend and I'm excited to feature her wealth of knowledge for those coming into emergency response work, testing, and developing their careers and the challenges within.  

And just because I remembered just now.. I remember when we were hanging out in a group off-duty and Jeni called out my discolored burn arm as a bad farmer's tan.  THAT went over hilariously, since she hadn't learned of my story.  Hysterical laugh face emoji.  That's all.

From Jeni:

My name is Jeni Lindstrom and I’ve been in the public service field for the better part of 17 years. I started out as a 911 dispatcher for Port of Seattle Police and Fire Departments and enjoyed that career for just over 8 years. Eventually I decided to chase my childhood dream of becoming a Police officer and was hired by Kent PD in 2014. 

During my time as a police officer I was lucky enough to be part of the departments range staff crew, crime scene team, peer support team and became a field training officer as well. After losing my partner Diego Moreno in the line of duty in 2018, I struggled with my mental health and decided I needed to make another change.

Leaving law enforcement and the people I loved working with was an incredibly tough decision. I applied to work as a firefighter and got hired with Tumwater Fire Department in 2019. I’ve been with TFD now for just over 4 years now and love it. I get to work as a CPR instructor in the middle and high schools and recently took over as the peer support coordinator for department.

Questions, topic ideas and feedback? Send a line!

To stay connected with the latest and exclusive content:

Subscribe to the FREE newsletter at on bluegritwellness.com  !

Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Blue Grit Radio on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and more!  Sharing the show and episodes to your friends, peers, circles and social platforms is one of the greatest compliments I can receive- which truly helps the show grow.

Please help support a healthier first responder community by giving us a 5 star rating (Spotify and Apple) and a review (on Apple) to help others find the show.

Need help with entry-level, promotional testing, career & mindset coaching? Stop spinning your wheels and prep the right mindset and awareness of all the critical hiring steps with my comprehensive hiring guide:
bluegritwellness.com/shop 

Email at bluegritwellness@gmail.com

-------------------------------------

Want to safeguard your health and the health of your team?

United Diagnostic Services brings hospital-grade diagnostic technology directly to first responder agencies, making early detection of heart disease and cancer simpler than ever.

For more information, visit udshealth.com

-------------------------------------

*the opinions expressed in all episodes of this podcast an