Mike Peterson - LEO / Mindfulness Expert / FR Wellness

Mike Peterson returns to the podcast - He is a Veteran, a federal LEO, and a mindfulness expert who also works in the First Responder Mental Health Field. Mike shares his story with raw, unflinching, honesty – he speaks about his own pathway into service, his military deployments, the hardship and loss he and his fellow soldiers endured – how he reacted to those difficult stressors in real time, and the impact those events had on him in the long term. Mike also shares about his career in law enforcement, how eventually he began leaning into the bottle and relying on booze to avoid the mounting pressures, developed discomfort, irritability, and behavior changes often associated with years of service.  Mike explains that he came to recognize a struggle within himself, shares what led him to begin addressing those issues, and how he now helps others to do their own work.He also talks about mindfulness, and suggests that we all could benefit from learning how to better engage with our thinking brain, from breathing with intention, from applying logic to stressors that want to activate us in ways that cause emotional reactions, rather than critical thought, problem solving, resolution of internal discomfort, and forward movement.To learn more about Mike check out New England Mindfulness and Performance.