Episode 29: Chrissy (Part 2) - First Responder Spouse, Police Wife Coach

Welcome to I Will Hold Space For Your Darkness; a First Responder Mental Health Podcast hosted by Erin Jane. A former Australian Police Officer and Detective, wife of an American Firefighter, previous crisis counsellor for a suicide prevention organization and current CISM trained, certified Life and Wellness Coach for First Responders, Emergency Services Members, Spouses and Loved Ones. In this episode, Erin speaks with Chrissy Stewart McKeen, a fellow First Responder Spouse, with her husband being a Law Enforcement Officer, based in the lovely country of Canada. She is a dedicated Police Wife Coach, helping fellow spouses navigate some of the challenges that can accompany being the wife of a police officer and has a background in psychology and the wellness industry. She is about the launch a program called "Police Wife Academy", which aims at teaching essential skills, stress management and building resilience in an often forgotten part of the First Responder community. Erin and Chrissy have a wonderful conversation, in what is Chrissy's first ever podcast appearance! In Part 2, she talks how her relationship was impacted and affected when her husband Cam became a police officer, that while her world was opening up, his was closing and he was losing trust in people and learning to look at the world differently to civilians. Erin and Chrissy discuss what it's like as First Responder spouse and how they've both gone about figuring out how best to support their husbands in their respective First Responder roles, being firefighter and law enforcement. That navigating these kinds of relationships is an ongoing process and learning experience for all involved. They also share about how unmet needs can show up as resentment, anger, grief and a desire for acknowledgement and validation. Chrissy tells us about what her new coaching program, Police Wife Academy was inspired by and how important it is to have a community of support around you, especially as a law enforcement family today. Obviously Erin and Chrissy found they have a lot in common and ended up speaking for over two hours about what the life of a First Responder spouse can entail and how important it is, to not only support your partner in the way that they need, but to make yourself a priority as well. This is Part 2 of their conversation, if you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, go back and take a listen as this episode follows on from where that one left off! It was an absolute pleasure to speak with Chrissy and we both hope you enjoy listening to this episode! You can follow Chrissy on Instagram: @police.wifelife and her website is ⁠https://www.policewifelife.ca/⁠ to learn more about Chrissy and the kind of coaching she offers. Please feel free to reach out if you'd like a topic discussed, would like to be a guest or are interested in receiving coaching services from Erin Jane. Email: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.erinjanecoaching.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/erinjanecoaching⁠⁠⁠⁠ Call or Text: +1 617 396 4695 You can watch the episodes as video on YouTube here: ⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@Erin-Jane-Coaching?si=XI8q0z3mhmzO_a7_⁠⁠⁠ Feel free to watch, listen, share and subscribe!