The Things We Carry Podcast

In Episode 2 of The Things We Carry, I sit down with Crystal Brewer, an AEMT, 17-year EMS veteran, and passionate mental health advocate, for an open and honest conversation about mental health in EMS.First responders spend their careers walking into situations that most people will never experience. We are trained to take control, care for the patient, make difficult decisions, and keep moving when everything around us is falling apart. What we are not always taught is how to process the things we see or what to do when the calls begin following us home.The weight of EMS does not always come from one terrible call. Sometimes there is one moment that changes everything. Other times, the damage builds slowly through years of cumulative trauma, missed sleep, long shifts, loss, burnout, and constantly placing everyone else’s needs ahead of our own.Crystal shares her perspective from 17 years in EMS and explains why mental health advocacy has become so important to her. We talk about the stigma surrounding mental health in emergency services, the pressure to remain silent, and the belief that asking for help somehow makes someone weak or incapable of doing the job.We also discuss why phrases such as “you signed up for this” and “just get over it” can be so harmful. Signing up to help people does not make someone immune to trauma. Wearing a uniform does not remove the human being underneath it.I also open up further about my own mental health struggles, what I have carried throughout my career, and why creating this podcast matters so much to me. Too many people in EMS become skilled at helping everyone except themselves. Too many continue saying they are fine because they are afraid of being judged, treated differently, or viewed as weak.Breaking the silence means having the conversations we have avoided for too long. It means checking on our partners, listening without judgment, and reminding people that they do not have to wait until they reach their breaking point before asking for help.This episode contains serious discussions involving trauma, depression, suicide, and suicidal thoughts. Please take care of yourself while listening.If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. First responders and their families can also call the Responder Health 24/7 Peer Advocate Hotline at (253) 243-3701. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.You do not have to carry everything alone.THE THINGS WE CARRYReal Stories. Real People. Real Weight.Hosted by Drew GriceFeaturing Crystal Brewer, AEMT17-Year EMS Veteran and Mental Health Advocate

Why does The Things We Carry exist?For the first episode, I felt like I needed to answer that question myself.I hate talking about myself. I’m much more comfortable sitting across from someone else, listening to their story and asking the questions. But I don’t think it would be fair to build a podcast asking other people to be vulnerable about the things they carry if I wasn’t willing to go first.In this episode, I talk about who I was before EMS, becoming an EMT and eventually a paramedic, and how quickly things most people would consider abnormal became normal.I talk about the calls that followed me home, losing my grandfather and working his cardiac arrest myself, years of putting things away instead of dealing with them, and what happened when carrying everything became normal.I also talk openly about my mental health, suicidal thoughts, a suicide attempt, getting professional help, and one of the hardest things I eventually had to learn:Getting help and actually allowing someone to help you are not the same thing.This episode isn’t the entirety of my story. It’s enough of it to explain why I’m here and why I created The Things We Carry.This show isn’t therapy. It isn’t a trauma competition, and it isn’t about glorifying being damaged.It’s a place for honest conversations about what people carry long after everyone else thinks the moment is over.Real Stories. Real People. Real Weight.Content warning: This episode includes discussion of trauma, depression, suicidal thoughts, and a suicide attempt. No method or graphic details are discussed.If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. If there is immediate danger, call 911.

Real stories. Real people. Real weight. The Things We Carry is a podcast about the things people in service carry long after the call, shift, deployment, or moment is over. Hosted by Drew Grice. New episodes beginning September 2nd, 2026.