EPISODE · Dec 9, 2025 · 44 MIN
Stories from Everywhere Episode 31 with Captain James Owen
from Let’s Talk About Love Stories from Everywhere · host Let’s Talk About Love SPC
In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Let’s Talk About Love: Stories from Everywhere, host Jill L. Ferguson sits down with retired Long Beach, California Fire Captain James Owen—a first responder, father, waterman, and author of the forthcoming memoir The Last Patient. James takes listeners on an extraordinary journey through his life: from a chaotic childhood in London and Northern California, to unexpected rites of passage in slaughterhouses and sailing voyages through Mexico, to the moment a group of Long Beach firefighters on Catalina Island ignited his calling to serve. He opens up about the unseen emotional and psychological burdens first responders carry—trauma, compartmentalization, burnout, and the “favorite chair” where many retreat when they can’t yet find their way back to themselves. With candor and humility, James shares how his years as a paramedic and fire captain shaped him, challenged him, and nearly broke him… and how sobriety, therapy, nature, breathwork, neurofeedback, psilocybin-assisted healing, and an arsenal of unconventional modalities helped rebuild his life. Listeners will hear: What inspired The Last Patient—and why James wrote it for first responders and the people who love them. How childhood wounds become the “hooks” trauma grabs onto later in life. The brutal and beautiful realities of paramedic school and life on the ambulance. How being a father transformed his understanding of love, resilience, and responsibility. His mantra “Situation screwed. Still survivable” and how it guides him—and others—through crisis. His vision for Camp Pivot, a healing-centered, community-based refuge for warriors recovering from post-traumatic stress. The love story that surprised him in the middle of his recovery journey. Honest, raw, emotional, and inspiring, this conversation offers a rare look into the heart of a firefighter—and the profound love, humility, and humanity behind the badge. The Last Patient will be available everywhere books are sold in early 2026, and listeners can join James’s mailing list at captainjamesowen.com for updates, bonus content, and virtual book-signing details. Tune in for a story about trauma, courage, redemption, and the transformative power of love.
What this episode covers
In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Let’s Talk About Love: Stories from Everywhere, host Jill L. Ferguson sits down with retired Long Beach, California Fire Captain James Owen—a first responder, father, waterman, and author of the forthcoming memoir The Last Patient. James takes listeners on an extraordinary journey through his life: from a chaotic childhood in London and Northern California, to unexpected rites of passage in slaughterhouses and sailing voyages through Mexico, to the moment a group of Long Beach firefighters on Catalina Island ignited his calling to serve. He opens up about the unseen emotional and psychological burdens first responders carry—trauma, compartmentalization, burnout, and the “favorite chair” where many retreat when they can’t yet find their way back to themselves. With candor and humility, James shares how his years as a paramedic and fire captain shaped him, challenged him, and nearly broke him… and how sobriety, therapy, nature, breathwork, neurofeedback, psilocybin-assisted healing, and an arsenal of unconventional modalities helped rebuild his life. Listeners will hear: What inspired The Last Patient—and why James wrote it for first responders and the people who love them. How childhood wounds become the “hooks” trauma grabs onto later in life. The brutal and beautiful realities of paramedic school and life on the ambulance. How being a father transformed his understanding of love, resilience, and responsibility. His mantra “Situation screwed. Still survivable” and how it guides him—and others—through crisis. His vision for Camp Pivot, a healing-centered, community-based refuge for warriors recovering from post-traumatic stress. The love story that surprised him in the middle of his recovery journey. Honest, raw, emotional, and inspiring, this conversation offers a rare look into the heart of a firefighter—and the profound love, humility, and humanity behind the badge. The Last Patient will be available everywhere books are sold in early 2026, and listeners can join James’s mailing list at captainjamesowen.com for updates, bonus content, and virtual book-signing details. Tune in for a story about trauma, courage, redemption, and the transformative power of love.
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Stories from Everywhere Episode 31 with Captain James Owen
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