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What happens when you spent decades being the person who had to be ready for what could go wrong—and suddenly, nobody needs you to carry that responsibility anymore?
The radio gets quieter.
The routine changes.
The emergencies belong to someone else.
But your brain may not immediately understand that the mission has changed.
In this episode of Your Thoughts, Your Reality, Michael Cole sits down with Judy Crockett, who spent 33 years with Utah State University Public Safety and served as the university’s emergency manager. Her career included emergency preparedness, campus alert systems, critical-incident planning, and helping people prepare for the moments nobody ever wants to happen.
Today, Judy is a Certified Brain Health Trainer and Neuroencoding Specialist, founder of the Thrive Tribe, and is building a new mission focused on helping first responders protect their brain health and prepare for life beyond the role.
Together, Mike and Judy explore Identity — The 1st Silent War and a transition many veterans, first responders, and public-safety professionals understand:
Who are you when people no longer need you in the same way they once did?
For years, Judy would walk into work thinking about the worst-case scenario.
Could today be the day of an active shooter?
Were the alert systems working?
Was everyone prepared?
Even the sound of opening her morning Diet Coke became connected to the beginning of that state of readiness.
Then she retired.
The responsibility stopped almost overnight—but the conditioning did not.
Judy describes retirement as a genuine grieving process. She loved public safety, the camaraderie, the mission, and knowing that what she did mattered. When it disappeared, she had to learn something that became central to her transition:
Being needed and being valued are not the same thing.
Leaving the role did not diminish her value.
But emotionally understanding that took time.
This conversation connects directly to several of The 10 Silent Wars:
- Identity — The 1st Silent War: “Who am I when the role that defined so much of my life is gone?”
- Mission — The 2nd Silent War: “What gives me something meaningful to move toward now?”
- Connection — The 3rd Silent War: “Who are my people when the professional relationships and camaraderie change?”
- Control — The 4th Silent War: “Can I recognize a potential threat without feeling responsible for controlling it?”
- Direction — The 8th Silent War: “How do I intentionally prepare for the next chapter before the old one ends?”
One of Judy’s biggest messages is simple:
Do not wait until retirement to start thinking about what comes next.
Have something that pulls you forward.
It does not have to be another career. It could be volunteering, learning something new, physical activity, a hobby, time with family, or discovering a new way to use the strengths you spent decades building.
Judy also talks about the hidden cost of constant preparedness.
She shares a moment at the Pro Bowl when, instead of enjoying some of the best football players in the world, she found herself focused on a fight developing in the crowd.
Her public-safety brain was still working.
The skill was not necessarily the problem.
The challenge was learning when it was appropriate to use it—and when it was safe to come back to the present.
Mike and Judy discuss practical ways to interrupt those automatic patterns, including recognizing automatic negative thoughts, asking whether a thought is actually true, changing physical state, movement, breathing, smiling, getting outside, and intentionally redirecting attention.
Judy’s approach is not about erasing the awareness that made someone effective in public safety.
It is about learning that awareness does not always have to become alarm.
And when the professional touchpoints disappear, connection becomes even more important.
That is part of why Judy created the Thrive Tribe—a place centered around connection, growth, self-care, and having people who support one another through life’s transitions.
Because rebuilding identity is not always about finding another title.
Sometimes it is about finding your people again.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why retirement from public safety can feel like grieving a loss
- How being needed can quietly become tied to identity
- Why your value does not disappear when your professional role ends
- How decades of preparedness can follow you into retirement
- The difference between useful awareness and constantly anticipating danger
- Why preparing for transition should begin before your final day on the job
- How learning, movement, sleep, nutrition, and connection can support your next chapter
- How Judy challenges automatic negative thoughts
- Why maintaining relationships matters when professional touchpoints disappear
- How the strengths built in one mission can become part of an entirely new one
If something in this conversation resonated with you, take a minute before moving on.
Ask yourself:
If the alerts stopped tomorrow, what part of me would still know who I am?
And if you are approaching retirement or another major transition, ask one more:
What am I building now that will give me something meaningful to move toward then?
Start by connecting with the Your Thoughts, Your Reality community and explore more conversations around The 10 Silent Wars:
👉 https://yourthoughtsyourreality.com/
Watch the full conversations and subscribe to the Your Thoughts, Your Reality YouTube channel:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/@YourThoughtsYourReality
Learn more about Judy Crockett, her brain-health work, the Thrive Tribe, and the programs she is building for first responders:
👉 https://brainthrivezone.com/
👉 judy@thebraincommander.com
And when you’re ready to go deeper and create meaningful change in your mindset, identity, and direction:
👉 https://empowerperformancestrategies.com/
Because your thoughts shape your reality…
And when the alerts stop, your value, experience, and ability to make a difference do not stop with them.
#Identity #TheFirstSilentWar #JudyCrockett #FirstResponders #PublicSafety #Retirement #MilitaryTransition #BrainHealth #ThriveTribe #EmergencyManagement #The10SilentWars #YourThoughtsYourReality
Explore more episodes, resources, and updates from Mike Cole at:
https://YourThoughtsYourReality.com
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss future conversations on leadership, mindset, and navigating life after service.
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