149 - Leadership Is Wellness: Four Conversations Every First Responder Should Hear
Leadership and wellness are not separate conversations.
In this special edition of the First Responder Wellness Podcast, Conrad Weaver shares highlights from the first four episodes of the brand-new First Responder Leadership Podcast—featuring conversations with Chris Cowan, Jason Yerkovich, Kristen Ziman, and Max Gomez.
These leaders come from different backgrounds and experiences, but their stories point to the same truth: healthy leaders help create healthy teams.
Chris Cowan shares how the line-of-duty death of one of his officers changed the way he thinks about leadership, significance, and what it means to live a legacy.
Jason Yerkovich challenges one of the most common responses in the first responder world—“I’m fine”—and talks about the importance of self-awareness, ownership, and doing the work required to become healthier.
Former Police Chief Kristen Ziman reflects on leading through a mass shooting and realizing that while she had worked hard to provide mental-health resources for her officers, she wasn’t taking her own advice. Her lesson is one every leader needs to hear: you have to put the mask on yourself before you can take care of everyone else.
And Max Gomez shares the moment he realized the job was changing him and forced him to confront a powerful question:
Who am I becoming?
This episode is a preview of the kinds of conversations you’ll hear regularly on the First Responder Leadership Podcast—conversations about leadership, culture, emotional intelligence, wellness, resilience, personal responsibility, and becoming the leader your people deserve.
Listen to the First Responder Leadership Podcast
The new show is now live.
Listen on Apple Podcasts
YouTube
Listen to the full conversations with Chris Cowan, Jason Yerkovich, Kristen Ziman, and Max Gomez—and subscribe so you don’t miss the leadership conversations still to come.
Because leadership doesn’t begin with everyone else.
It begins with you.
+++++
Need Help? We have a list of resources at www.firstresponderwellness.co/resources
Order the PTSD911 Film and Educational Toolkit here: https://ptsd911movie.com/toolkit/
Book a PTSD911 screening event: contact GaryMiller@ptsd911movie.com
Web site: https://ptsd911movie.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ptsd911movie/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ptsd911movie/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClQ8jxjxYqHgFQixBK4Bl0Q
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/first-responder-wellness-podcast/id1535675703
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wW72dLZOKkO1QYUPzL2ih
The First Responder Wellness Podcast is a production of First Responder Wellness Solutions, LLC
Copyright ©2026 First Responder Wellness Solutions, LLC - All rights Reserved.
