After The Tones Drop
Embark on a journey that goes beyond sirens and flashing lights After The Tones Drop Podcast provides a safe haven to explore, demystify, and destigmatize mental health and wellness for first responders.
Join Cinnamon and her guests as they pull back the curtain, sharing powerful stories and expert insights that resonate with the heartbeat of those who run towards danger when others step back. It's more than just a podcast; it's a lifeline for the ones who dedicate their lives to saving others.
In each episode, stories get unraveled and struggles behind the badges are shared, showcasing the human side of heroism. Discover the strength in vulnerability and the power in sharing. It's more than a conversation; it's a revolution—a revolution in mental health care for our first responders.
So, tune in for candid conversations, practical strategies, and a sprinkle of humor—because healing begins with understanding, and understanding starts here.
Let's break down the barriers, one episode at a time. Because after the tones drop, the real conversation begins, and we're here to make sure it's heard loud and clear.
Episodes
138 episodes
When the Crisis Is Inside of You With Brad Shepherd
Episode 136: From Crisis to Connection with Brad ShepardWhat happens when the crisis isn’t on the call sheet, but inside you?In this episode of After the Tones Drop, I sit down with retired Oklahoma Highway Patrol Captain...
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1:20:52
Backpacks, Badges, and Burnout: Finding Freedom on the Trail
Episode 135: After the Tones Drop with Michael Slocum of Frontline FreedomIn this inspiring episode, Cinnamon welcomes Michael Slocum—active Lieutenant with the Painesville Police Department and a leader at Frontline Freedom: Adve...
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Season 3
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Episode 135
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53:18
Kenny Schroeder When Someone You Care About Doesn’t Survive: A Conversation About Loss, Humanity, and the Work We Do
In this deeply personal episode, host Cinnamon is joined by her friend and colleague, Lieutenant Kenny Schroeder, to explore the profound impact of losing someone to suicide within the first responder community. Together, they share their inter...
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Season 3
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Episode 134
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59:05
Radical Openness: Healing Over-Control with RO-DBT
What if the very traits that helped you survive your childhood, your career, and your trauma are now the same traits keeping you lonely, exhausted, or shut down?In Episode 133, I sit down with Jimmy Portner and Dr. Nate Tomcik — founders...
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Season 3
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Episode 133
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1:16:51
The Other Side of Suicide: Generational Suicidal Ideation and the Price Everyone Pays
This week I sit down with Chicago Police Officer Carrie Matthews for one of the most honest and needed conversations we have ever had on this show. Carrie talks about living on both sides of suicide. She is a cop, and she is the daughter of an ...
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Season 3
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Episode 132
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1:21:40
Responder Resilience : Tools for Trauma and Post-Traumatic Growth with David Dachinger
In this powerful episode, Cinnamon sits down with David Dachinger, a retired fire lieutenant, Grammy-nominated music producer, cancer survivor, and mental wellness advocate to explore the intersection of trauma, healing, and transformati...
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Season 3
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Episode 131
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53:40
Out of the Warzone and Into the Water — Gage Hall on Stoke Therapy, Joy, and Healing in Motion
Episode 130: Out of the Warzone and Into the Water — Gage Hall on Stoke Therapy, Joy, and Healing in MotionWhat happens when the battlefield follows you home? In this powerful conversation, Cinnamon sits down with Gage...
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Season 3
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Episode 130
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58:34
Rick Markley on CRACKYL Magazine, Wellness, and Why Every Firefighter Should Register for the NIOSH Cancer Registry
Episode 129: Rick Markley on CRACKYL Magazine, Wellness, and Why Every Firefighter Should Register for the NIOSH Cancer RegistryRick Markley doesn't just talk about firefighter wellness—he's building the infrastructure to support ...
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Season 3
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Episode 129
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38:41
Kory Pearn-The Man with a Method: Kory Pearn on Pulling Back to Create Balance.
Episode 128: From Burnout to Breakthrough — How Kory Pearn Built CRACKYL Magazine and a New Model for Firefighter WellnessWhen passion becomes overdrive, the crash can be devastating. In this episode, Cinnamon sits down with firefighter,...
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Season 3
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Episode 128
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1:14:29
From Counterterrorism to Co-Responder: The Unlikely Next Chapter of an NYPD Legend
In this powerful episode of After the Tones Drop, Cinnamon sits down with retired NYPD detective Tom Smith. Tom is a man who’s lived through the kind of calls most of us only read about. From growing up as the son of an NYPD cop to spe...
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Season 3
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Episode 127
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1:04:30
Leading the Brave Way: Mental Health, Courage, and Culture with Matt Davis
Let’s not pretend. Leading is hard! Especially when you’re carrying your own scars. In this episode, I sit down with Matt Davis, a law enforcement leader and former crisis negotiator who’s walked through the fire and lived to talk about it....
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Season 3
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Episode 126
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1:09:01
The Stitcher: Weaving Together the Threads of Healing
Healing isn’t some mysterious thing that happens “out there”; it’s built into who you are. In this solo episode, I talk about what I call The Stitcher: the part I play and how our body is always working to repair, reset, and bring us b...
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Season 3
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Episode 125
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23:01
Dr. Eugene Lipov Is Transforming Trauma Care with Stella Ganglion Block (SGB)
What if PTSD wasn’t a life sentence? In part two of my conversation with Dr. Eugene Lipov, we go deeper into what he calls PTSI—Post-Traumatic Stress Injury and the breakthrough treatment that’s changing lives around the world: the Stellate Gan...
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Season 3
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Episode 124
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33:18
Unveiling the Power of Stellate Ganglion Block with Dr. Eugene Lipov (Part 1 of 2)
What if the thing we’ve been calling a “disorder” is actually an injury that can heal?In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Eugene Lipov, the board-certified anesthesiologist who pioneered the Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB)—better known by...
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Season 3
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Episode 123
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1:04:21
Building a Movement: How Shawn Thomas Turned a Local Event Into a Nationwide Lifeline
Episode 122What happens when one deputy’s search for resources turns into a nationwide lifeline for first responders?In this episode, Cinnamon sits down with Shawn Thomas, retired King County Sheriff’s deputy and founder of...
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Season 3
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Episode 122
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1:01:36
The Dudes Abide: First Responder Brotherhood, Resilience, and the Fight for Mental Health
Episode 121: The Dudes Abide: First Responder Brotherhood, Resilience, and the Fight for Mental HealthWhat happens when two firefighters decide that health, wellness, and a little bit of humor can change the fire service for good?...
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Season 3
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Episode 121
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1:36:16
From Command to Connection: Scott L. Booth on Building Trust Through Vulnerability in the Fire Service"
Episode 120 With Scott L. BoothWhat if the very thing you were taught to hide as a leader is the key to unlocking stronger teams and deeper trust?In this episode, Cinnamon sits down with Scott L. Booth, Deputy Chi...
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Season 3
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Episode 120
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58:25
The Soleful Warrior’s Playbook for First Responder Departments: Adam Boyd’s Tough Love Fix for Wellness
Episode 119: Adam Boyd – Rethinking Situational AwarenessWe’re trained to protect others—sometimes so well that we forget to protect ourselves. In this conversation with Adam Boyd of Soleful Training, we talk about wha...
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Season 3
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Episode 119
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1:14:27
Build a Bear Faith: Sewing Strength After the Shattering
Faith doesn’t always survive the job. For a lot of first responders, it’s not that you don’t want to believe anymore—it’s that after what you’ve seen, you can’t reconcile the idea of a loving higher power with the ...
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7:43
The Call Doesn’t End: Vickie Speed on Turning Personal Loss into Public Advocacy
Episode 117 — Vickie Speed: When Cancer Comes for One of Our OwnLet’s stop pretending cancer is a retirement problem. It’s not. It’s a right-now problem—and it’s gutting the law enforcement community while too m...
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1:20:18
“Tones Dropped. So Did He.” The fall—and rise—of Matty Fiorenza
Episode 116 – “Tones Dropped. So Did He.” The fall—and rise—of Matty FiorenzaWe Don’t Need Awareness. We Need a Damn Roadmap. with Matty FiorenzaLet’s stop pretending awareness is the goal. First respond...
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1:04:23
You’re Responsible for the Healing You Avoid: A Conversation with Author & Law Enforcement Coach John Kelly
What happens when a first responder doesn’t just hit rock bottom—but takes responsibility for the impact of the fall?In this powerful and deeply honest episode, Cinnamon sits down with John Kelly, a retired deputy, author, and coa...
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Season 3
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Episode 115
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44:52
Ballad of Ricky Bobby: If You Aren't First, You're Last
If You’re Not First, You’re Last (And No, This Isn’t About NASCAR)We’ve all heard the line “If you’re not first, you’re last.” It was meant to be a joke in a ridiculous movie, but what if there’s real truth buried inside the abs...
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Season 3
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Episode 114
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6:33
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Cindy "Ci" Rodriguez: Unpacking the Armor: Childhood Trauma, Leadership, and Life After Law Enforcement
Episode 113 – Cindy “Ci” Rodriguez: Unpacking the Armor: Childhood Trauma, Leadership, and Life After Law EnforcementHow a Retired Lieutenant Turned Trauma Into Peer Advocacy and Personal PowerWhat happens when a car...
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Season 3
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Episode 113
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1:37:26
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Fueling First Responders: What to Eat, What to Skip, and What No One Talks About (Until Now)
Let’s get honest. In a profession where courage is worn like a badge and burnout is considered a side effect of the job, nutrition usually ends up on the back burner—or worse, dictated by Instagram gurus and protein powder ads.In this ep...
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54:05
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