Hello, and welcome back to Triumph Beyond Trauma. Firstly, I really want to thank you guys for your support. It's amazing to see that the podcast has had more than 150 downloads in such a short time. This absolutely blows my mind. And it's so exciting to know that so many of you are listening and hopefully getting something out of each episode.

I only get notified when someone downloads the episodes though. So if you don't mind subscribing and downloading, it would mean so much to me. It also helps the algorithm to suggest the podcast to other people that might benefit from it too. So another thing you can do is simply share the link on your socials to your family and friends who might like to listen.

If you're a first responder or veteran and think that you're in a space to share your journey, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] and I would love to hear your story and maybe have you on as a guest. This week, there is so much happening here at Tactical Yoga Australia.

I'm gearing up for launch and also heading to the Frontline Mental Health Conference on the Gold Coast. I'll be listening to Lindsay Mamone on stage, of course, our guest from last week and many others. And I'm so excited to see what other people are doing in this space of mental health for first responders. It's such important work and I can't wait to get up there.

Launch is happening on March 12th, so if you're a first responder or veteran and you want to take control of your mental wellness, you want to try something maybe a little bit different that you haven't really thought of before, come and join us.

Today's episode is all about what the program is and what you can expect if you join. I'm so excited to be sharing this method of recovery with you, so let's get into it.

 Intro:Welcome to Triumph Beyond Trauma, the podcast that explores journeys of resilience and hope. I'm Rosie Skene a yoga and breathwork teacher and founder of Tactical Yoga Australia. As a former soldier's wife, mum to three beautiful kids and a medically retired New South Wales police officer with PTSD, I understand the challenges of navigating mental health in the first responder and veteran community.

Join us for incredible stories from individuals who've confronted the depths of mental illness and discovered their path to happiness and purpose, as well as solo episodes and expert discussions. Together, we'll uncover the tools to help you navigate your journey toward a brighter future. Whether you're looking for helpful insights, practical tips, or just a friendly reminder that you're not alone, Triumph Beyond Trauma has got your back.

You matter, and your journey to a happier, more meaningful life starts right here.  

Like I mentioned at the top of the show, today we're gonna talk about my program, the First Responder Mental Wellness Method. This program is crafted, um, lovingly by me for police, firefighters, paramedics, veterans, nurses, doctors, rescue, and anyone that is or has served on the front line.

The First Responder Mental Wellness Method is a comprehensive program. It's designed to support first responders and veterans in managing your stress, improving your sleep, like actually being able to fall asleep and stay asleep. And if you do wake up learning techniques to help you go back to sleep, instead of just laying there awake for hours on end, it helps you to cultivate overall mental wellbeing.

It includes practical tools. Including understanding the stress response, breath work techniques, yoga practices, mindfulness exercises, and strategies for creating a supportive home environment, which is, I believe, incredibly important. Uh, when you undertake any sort of program, you want the support of your home environment, you'll also be able to implement learned strategies into your daily life.

This program was conceived from the idea that everyone should have access to this kind of service regardless of your geographical location, your service type, whether you are on shift and you finish at 4:00 AM and you just want something to help you calm down and get to sleep, or if you're keen to do something at the start of the day to energize you before your shift or before you hang out with your kids or anything.

It can be any time of the day. There's practices for every single part of the day. I've spent almost five years in Walgett an incredibly isolated town in Central West, new South Wales. And these methods, um, of not treatment, but these practices, , just weren't available to me there. So I wanted to create a program that you can take part in no matter where you are in the privacy and safety of your own home.

As a first responder, I know how incredibly daunting it can be to go to an in-person class like for the first time. They also can be pretty triggering if they aren't trauma informed. So you might've been to a yoga class before that you absolutely hated. It might've been woo woo, or you didn't like the language they used.

This is different. Because I know as first responders, we like to feel in control. We like to have some agency. Feeling vulnerable is not something that we're okay with. We like to know how many people are gonna be there, who they are, where they live, who their family is. Have I locked up anyone in their family?

Do I know them from anywhere else? I speak for myself as a retired police officer. But you get the idea.

The simple fact is if if you don't know the situation, it can be daunting to the point that you simply might not give it a go at all. I want you to feel safe in your space so you can really benefit from these practices and enjoy everything that they have to offer as a former first responder and one with lived experience of mental illness.

Says I'm more than one. I personally feel a responsibility to help my brothers and sisters who would like to experience a practice like this in the police. I was also a weapons trainer and I en like really enjoyed that component of policing. I loved helping other police keep themselves safe and get themselves home at the end of a shift.

And the tactical components. To being a weapons trainer, so I really wanted to combine those aspects of keeping yourself safe and tactics, as well as adding wildly beneficial ancient practices. The first responder mental wellness method covers off on all of this as it provides tools and tactics to help you employ the practices that you're going to learn.

I'll show you how and when to use them for maximum benefit. I want you to feel safe knowing that I know what it's like. I understand exactly how you're feeling. I know the shitty system both in the organization while serving, as well as the disengagement and the discharge process. And everything beyond that.

I too struggled with my sleep. I struggled with paranoia and not being able to have my back to a door. I helicopter parented my kids feeling like I was on this constant rollercoaster of emotions and thoughts and feelings and wondering if I'll ever be better again. I didn't trust anyone because insurers, I get it.

I've been there. I'm actually still there. I'm still navigating the process too. These practices that I share within the program are ones that I've personally used to improve my mental wellness. This may not be the case for everybody of course, but I've also never been medicated for my mental illnesses.

I'm, I'm not opposed to medication. Please know this, but due to my own personal circumstances, this option was not available to me at the time, so I had to find something else. So I found yoga and then I found breath work and mindfulness and my whole world opened up the dark clouds and the fog lifted, and I knew others needed to know about these practices too.

It's the whole reason I became a yoga teacher to build this program and to get it out to first responders. I've spoken to so many people who have started with yoga and mindfulness, and they have said to me, I just didn't know that this stuff existed. Well, guess what? Hi, my name is Rosie and I'm here to let you know it not only exists, but it's freaking life changing.

So this program, it exists for you if you're a serving first responder. Or veteran or any of those occupations that I mentioned. It's for your loved ones. If they're in the service and it's for your friends that may be looking for something else. This program, it's not a replacement for your GP or your psych appointments.

They are imperative and I, let's normalize it. I still go to the GP every three months. My psychiatrist I go to every four months and I see my wonderful, beautiful psychologist every month like. Let's just normalize that we need these people and we need these services in our life. I believe they are imperative, which is supporting your mental wellness, and of course overcoming mental illness.

Not only once you've been diagnosed, but you can go and see these people at any time, especially if you're still serving. You should keep on top of these things. This program though, these practices, they're complimentary to your medical team and should definitely be used in conjunction with not instead of in conjunction with whatever else you're currently doing.

And of course, I advise you to seek any sort of medical clearance you need before taking part if that is what you need. You can absolutely use this program to maintain your mental wellness. If you, so if you're still serving and you wanna keep on top of things, it's great for that. This is what I really wanted because I knew when I found yoga, I thought to myself, holy heck, if I had found this years ago, imagine where I would've been.

But it's also perfect to help you improve symptoms of your mental illness. So let's get to what's involved. So the first responder mental wellness method, it's a 12 week program, but you have 12 months of access. It was six months, but I've lengthened it to 12 months now because I want you to be able to either take your time or move through the program a number of times.

I believe that every time that you do the program or you reread a subject or listen to the audios, you'll pick up something that you might not have before, or it'll resonate with you differently depending on where you're at, what's going on for you and how you're feeling. Over the 12 weeks, we're gonna cover subjects like the breath.

I'm going to give you information about the subjects and then I'll give you practices. So we covered the breath, yoga and mindfulness. With all of those things, you'll get practices on how to do these things, but also I. You'll get information on the reasons why we are, how we are, why we are so much more likely than the general population to suffer from mental illnesses.

With this type of understanding, it makes it so much easier to show ourselves compassion, to show ourselves kindness, and to show ourselves the love that we need. To keep pushing forward and to keep making positive progress and to take control of our own journey, not to be dictated to by insurers and what they want for you, because what they want might not be what you want.

And I can like sometimes almost guarantee that it's really not the organization that you're employed by. We don't wanna be dictated to by them. We wanna have our own agency to find things that actually work for, for us, for you this. Works. This stuff works. These practices work. There's weekly coaching calls as well with me where, uh, I'll ask for any questions that you might have and we'll answer them on those calls.

We'll also have a live practice each week. These calls are completely optional, of course, and you can show up and you don't have to show your face if you want in the Zoom. It can just be your name or not even your name. Um, but I really want you to take advantage and get the most out of this time that I share with you and the practices that we're gonna have, as well as feel supported in your journey by other people that are just like you.

They're all going to be recorded as well. So if you miss one, you can come back to it later in the library.

Something I felt really passionate about is, uh, implementation. So there are weeks dedicated to that. So after you learn a new practice, you can really take the time to digest what you've learned, enjoy the experiences, see how you feel, see what you notice, and try to make it a part of your life so it becomes consistent, because that's where the growth happens, right?

The magic is in the consistent, positive efforts. The program is designed to be progressive, so. You'll learn one practice such as breath work. We start with that one, and then we'll add in some movement with our breath. This is yoga, and then we sprinkle on some mindfulness on top of that. And then every time we just add a tiny little bit more because I don't want you to feel overwhelmed if you're struggling with your mental illness.

That's overwhelming enough. Uh, this program, I want you to look forward to learning these new practices, and I want you to enjoy the process of being a beginner if this is something that you haven't ever dabbled in before. All of the practices are suitable for beginners. And let me just say, actually before we go any further that I know yoga gets a pretty average rap.

I mean this in the context of it being stereotyped, that if you aren't a size six super flexy, super skinny woman in Lululemon apparel, that yoga is not for you. It's, this is complete utter bullshit and I won't have it. Um, yoga is absolutely accessible to everybody, in anybody, and if anyone makes you feel any different, just run.

Okay. Small bodies, large bodies, tall bodies, and short bodies. Whether you are male or female or non-binary, you could be in a chair or on the floor the whole time. That's totally okay. If you've never practiced before or if you have, yoga is available to you. This yoga is available to you. And the best thing about practicing at home is that no one's gonna know what you are wearing.

Like who cares? You can be in your trackie dacks no one's gonna giggle when you like fart or if you fall asleep and snore during your relaxation. Like how good you can. Just be safe at your own home, in your own space, and in your own time. And you know what? If you find a pose is just lasting a little bit too long, then you can jump out of it.

No one's watching you. On top of these beautiful ancient practices, we cover how to implement the one percenters, the seemingly little, teeny tiny things that you can do that will have the most incredible benefits for your whole family.

I'll guide you the whole time through bringing these practices into the home. And possibly even with your family members. So if you live with other people, it's likely that they'll be stoked for you, that you're putting yourself first, but like, why not? See if they wanna be involved as well and have a practice together after a few weeks.

These practices will work for anyone, um, whether you're a first responder or not. So if you've got kids, like you can absolutely include them, but the way that I've structured this program and. Uh, the subjects that I talk about within this program, I've designed specifically for first responders, but the practices, the breath work, the yoga, the mindfulness, you can practice these with anyone.

Something that you are probably wondering about. 'cause I would be is how much is this cost gonna cost? Like, is this program thousands of dollars because it's lasting for so long? Well, guess what? No, it's not. Um, the cost is $597 if you're paying full. And it'll be three monthly payments of $219 if that suits you better.

Um, it's about a third of the cost that I was originally advised to charge, um, for this program because there is so much value. But I really want this program to be accessible to all first responders. Like, I get it. You have a family, like I have a family, and I know what it's like to take that leap and to invest in yourself.

Not only mentally, like preparing yourself mentally for a program like this, but financially, like I know what it takes, but let me just say like, what's the cost of not, you know, where, imagine where you could be in like three months time. If you invest, you know, $597 into yourself, like these practices will stay with you for the rest of your life.

So I get it. I get it. You have a family and you have commitments, but at this price, at 5 97 over a 12 month period, it's about $11 a week. It's cheaper than any yoga class I've ever been to, that's for sure. And I guarantee you there's so much more value. I. So I'll break it down for you. But you can always head over to the website, tactical yoga australia.com first responder mental wellness method, uh, for more information.

And I'll have that link in the show notes because I know I said that really, really quickly. Um, but you'll get, like I said, a 12 week program with 12 months of access. So you can do it four times if you want. Um. It did take me a minute to calculate that. You'll get weekly coaching calls. You'll get weekly live practices.

You'll get a dedicated and very, very private Facebook group where you can ask questions and support others. Only the people that have been in the program are allowed in this Facebook group. So you can support others on their journeys, but also feel the support from others going through the journey.

And I know in programs that I've undertaken that that is like one of the most important things that community that you have with other people who know what you're going through and have been through what you're going through or they're still going through it together and you can make this progress together.

Um, it's just one of the most beautiful things. And the other thing is, is that mental illness, for first responders is really bloody isolating whether you isolate yourself, um, or you just don't hear from people because they don't know what to say. So I really wanna build this beautiful community of people and know that we are all in this together.

You will get full access to the whole program immediately, because I am one of those people who likes to see what the whole thing is. Like even before, like I go through the first lesson, I'll go through and I'll just have a look at all the things that's included, because I think it like. It can induce anxiety to not know what's coming up next.

So you can get in there and just take a look around, um, and get familiar. Before you even get started,

I've included a course workbook that you can use in conjunction with the program so that you can document what you've done.

Like with your practices, you can document what works for you and what doesn't work for you. And this way you can tailor your practices to what you personally enjoy and what benefits you the most. And that's what it's all about. You know, it's about creating these practices and these environments that support you on your mental wellness journey, like what works for me isn't always gonna work for you, but there's gonna be something in there that you might really love. Um, and you can use that over and over and over again.

There is a really special bonus for being on, um, the wait list, uh, and joining the program early. So if you get on the wait list and you join in that first 48 hours, .

Before anyone else, like before the doors open. So it'll be, uh, March 10th that you'll get access if you're on the wait list, uh, to jump in. Um, so there is like a really special bonus for being on that wait list. So I really recommend that you sign up for that one. If you have any sort of inkling that you might wanna join this program, get on that wait list early because, um.

Yeah, it's gonna be, it's gonna be really good. So I hope that you get in there. The link is gonna be in the show notes too for this one, but you can head over to tacticalyogaaustralia.com/waitlist to get on there. I just wanna be like, let me be completely honest here. This program will change your life.

Um. If you do these practices and show up for yourself consistently and be open to trying something, maybe that's a little bit different for you. You will see growth and there is absolute magic in these practices, and I'm gonna use myself as an example here like. When I was in the deep, deep depths of my PTSD, like really, really struggling, I felt like I was on this like rollercoaster and I use rollercoaster all the time because that's what it feels like.

I would wake up and maybe make lunches like all good, and then someone would drop the milk from the fridge and well, like if, you know, you know, like I would flip my lid immediately like so quick. And the days would progress. And then there was ups and downs and ups and downs, and I would yell or cry or isolate myself or simply be silent and it would be over the most minute of things.

After learning the techniques that I have that I have now included in this program, I am now able to. Be triggered like something with the milk, but I won't react immediately. Most times, sometimes I will, but most times I can look at the child, look at the milk, and simply say, okay, let's just clean it up.

No big deal. It's fine. My body has learned that it doesn't need to go into fight or flight mode at the most minor inconveniences because. I've taken the time and I've consistently showed up for myself to teach my body and my brain that it's okay if someone spills the milk or nearly floods the laundry because they didn't turn the tap off properly.

It's okay if you go to the shopping centre, head into about eight different shops, and then when you get back to the car, you realize that you've lost your key somewhere. So you go back to all the shops without panic and distress. This is a true story. It happened to me today, and can I tell you, I was just so bloody proud of myself for not losing it like a couple years ago that would've sent me into an absolute, tailspin.

You know, like that would've really done it for me. I want this for you too. Like I want you to be able to not have to react immediately. I want you to be able to sit quietly. I want you to be with yourself and to know that you are enough and not feel uncomfortable in doing that, I. I want you to not need to be constantly on the move and doing things because your body needs to be stimulated or to feel like you are not achieving anything.

When you aren't productive. What is productive? You know, like if you're moving forward, that's productive. I. The magic, my friends, is in the undoing. It's the growth. It happens when you rest. Just like when you're trained to build your muscles. The muscle is built in the repair phase, the times when you're letting it rest.

We need to allow ourselves the time to rest, to learn how to simply breathe and to move gently with our breath.

I promise you it is not woo woo, but if this sounds good to you, too come and join me inside the first responder mental wellness method on March 12 or even earlier if you're on the wait list. If you know someone that might benefit from it, it could be you. You might be in a partnership with another first responder, your husband, your wife.

Your kids might be serving you might have friends and family. Please share this with them. The doors will only be open for eight days. And not again until June this year. And the reason for this is that so I can give my energy, my love and my focus to the people that come in and show up for themselves.

Um, and this is how I'm best able to do it. So. Please come over. Just take a look at the program. Um, you might not even wanna join this time, but you know, you might wanna think about it for next time, but I implore you. Please, um, put yourself first. Try something that you might not have thought of before or maybe you have.

Um, and like I said, you know, it might be a little bit daunting to go into an in-person class. I know that I was really nervous the first time I did, so if something like this was available to me, I can tell you that I definitely would've taken it up. Um, yeah, I think that's all I have to say about the program.

Um, it's for you, it's for your loved ones, um, and the benefits are just so incredible. Uh, and I really can't wait to see you in there. And I just hope you all have the best week and I'll catch you next.

Outro:  I hope you've enjoyed today's episode, if you have make sure to hit subscribe so you never miss any new ones. We release fresh content every Tuesday. And while you're there take a moment to leave us a review, I would genuinely appreciate your thoughts. Don't forget to connect with me on Instagram and Facebook at Tactical Yoga Australia and share this episode with your friends, family and workmates to spread inspiration.

Your support means the world. My name is Rosie Skene join me again next week for another empowering and positive episode of Triumph Beyond Trauma. Until then, be kind to your mind and trust in the magic of your consistent and positive efforts. Triumph Beyond your trauma is closer than you think. Have the best week.