Season 3, Episode 15: Surviving the Job with Mary Cazes

What does it really take to survive the emotional weight of emergency medicine?In this powerful episode of 8158: Stories of Sacrifice, Rico sits down with Mary Cazes, better known online as Mary the Moody Medic, a paramedic serving in the New Orleans area who has built a platform advocating for first responder mental health and honest conversations about life on the job.Mary shares her journey from college and bartending into EMS, how she found her calling in pre-hospital emergency medicine, and what it’s really like responding to high-acuity calls in a city where trauma and critical patients are part of daily life.But this conversation goes far deeper than the job itself.Mary opens up about the mental toll of becoming the decision-maker as a paramedic, the reality of imposter syndrome in emergency medicine, and the difficult calls that leave lasting scars. She also shares the heartbreaking story of her first pediatric cardiac arrest as a paramedic—an experience that forever changed how she views the profession and the responsibility that comes with it.In this episode, we talk about:🚑 The intense realities of working EMS in a high-volume city🧠 The hidden mental health battles first responders face💔 Processing trauma, grief, and the calls that never leave you📱 Using social media to advocate for first responder mental health👨‍👩‍👧 Personal loss, family, and the people who shape our purposeMary’s honesty, vulnerability, and passion for supporting others remind us that behind every uniform is a human being carrying the weight of what they’ve seen—and doing their best to keep moving forward.Because sometimes the strongest thing a first responder can do… is talk about it.💙 Support the mission:Donate to the William H. “Bill” Butler Jr. Foundation:🔗 https://www.8158podcast.com/donatepodcast-1🌐 Website:🔗 https://www.8158podcast.com🎙 Want to be a guest?Schedule an interview here:🔗 https://www.8158podcast.com/appointments-4📢 Join our community & get exclusive content:🔗 http://Patreon.com/8158podcast