The fight back

Frank Voce, a Police officer in New York and founder of Reps For Responders joins me to share his story of mental health through the badge and his journey of resilience. In 2018/2019 Frank struggled with his mental health and fortunately found the strength to seek help. This is Frank’s truth of hitting his rock bottom, something we as a culture are afraid of, and quite literally fighting his way back to being whole. After this, Frank has felt called to help first responders become the best version of themselves they can.  Through his experiences and strength, he founded a non profit to improve the physical and emotional wellbeing of first responders. Reps For Responders provides support for substance abuse, mental health battles, fitness and nutrition and recovery coaching.  You can visit the website to learn more about Frank and Reps for Responders. Any purchase of merch goes right back into the non-profit to keep their mission alive. https://www.repsforresponders.org/https://www.repsforresponders.org/shop You can find Reps for Responders on IG! Follow them at Reps_for-RespondersEvery Sunday at 7pm EST, Frank and his team host Responder Talk via zoom. First responders from around the work connect to talk about any physical or mental health topics. To learn more or join the meeting, email [email protected] you haven’t done so already, be sure to follow along on my other socials. https://www.instagram.com/react_frp/?igsh=ZXIxZGdxYTRmcTM4&utm_source=qr#https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584786656026If you are interested in sharing your story please email me at [email protected] I am most active in LinkedIn at Brianna McCarty. You can converse with me there, see what else I’m up to and find other updates. I host a once a month virtual peer group strictly for first responders active or not. This is a safe space to connect with people who understand the things we don’t often talk about. This isn’t therapy and there is no obligation to talk. You can simply be with like minded people and find healing in realizing you’re not alone. You can email or message me on any of my socials for the link. Hope to see you there!If you would like to support the work that I am doing to improve mental health awareness and reduce stigma in the first responder community, please visit the REACT for Responders website. Reactforresponders.org There are many ways to help, including:Making a donation to support our 501(c)3Volunteering your time and expertise as a training, peer support officer, or subject matter expertSharing resources or connecting us with organizations that may benefit from our workSharing your story - either as a guest on the podcast or anonymously for me to share your story on your behalf. Every story shared helps raise awareness, start important conversations, and move us one step closer to changing the culture surrounding mental health in the first responder profession. Together, we can build a stronger, healthier, first responder community.