Business
Kim Colgrove is here to talk about her mission of helping first responders and veterans find a way to manage their emotions, stress, and trauma. These people are under a huge amount of stress and trauma. Kim knows this all too well after her husband took his own life after 30 years of being in law enforcement. After the loss of her husband, Kim went on a journey of discovery about stress and trauma. She wanted a way to help first responders manage their stress and improve their emotional health. Kim was introduced to meditation when she was 10 years old, and she has been meditating for 43 years. She decided to devote her career to teaching meditation and mindfulness to first responders. Kim runs Pause First: Mindfulness for First Responders which offers training sessions to introduce first responders to meditation and mindfulness. She is also the author of Mindfulness For Warriors: Empowering First Responders to Reduce Stress and Build Resilience. Kim’s passion is contagious as she shares what meditation and mindfulness is and how and why to get started. Highlights from This Episode: [00:49] In 1976 when Kim was 10 years old, her parents had her trained in transcendental meditation. This technique is still around. It's not what Kim teaches, but it's the foundation that everything was built on. [01:20] Kim has been meditating for 43 years. [01:43] In 2011, Kim quit her full-time job to teach meditation and mindfulness. [02:01] She taught small classes and then corporate clients. [02:41] In 2014, Kim's husband David retired from a 30-year law enforcement career. Less than three months later, he took his own life. [03:25] Kim went on a journey of discovery about stress and trauma. She learned about secondary trauma and post-traumatic stress and how all of that impacts first responders. [04:48] In 2017, she put together her first class of meditation and mindfulness for first responders. People signed up for this four hour block of training, and she's been teaching classes ever since. [05:59] Kim has written a book called Mindfulness For Warriors: Empowering First Responders to Reduce Stress and Build Resilience. It's part memoir where she shares the story of her husband. She also interviews nine first responders who share their healing path. [07:11] Meditation is the daily exercise. Kim recommends 15 minutes. Mindfulness is a state of being that is cultivated through meditation. [08:19] Mindfulness is about breathing and checking-in to this moment in time and the here and now. [08:45] Studies show that meditation can help alleviate stress, anxiety, and help lower blood pressure. It's also connected with better brain health. [10:44] Meditation can help to deactivate the amygdala and lower stress. [11:40] The habitual stress response can impact people's behavior. A hyperactive amygdala can cause people to kick into that fight or flight response. [13:18] Kim teaches meditation as a brain training exercise. She bridges the gap between the skeptics and the active participants. [14:48] The idea of sitting still in silence is terrifying for some people. [15:04] Kim has the participants in her class meditate, and the response has been very positive. [17:05] Silent meditation is when you're just sitting there and being. You're not engaged in anything. [18:19] Kim wants to help first responders to take an honest look at their stress and trauma and improve their emotional health. [20:22] Meditation is integrated into yoga. Yoga is movement. Mediation and yoga are two different things. [21:09] Meditation is similar to when you reboot your computer. [21:58] To get started with meditation, find a book, teacher, or podcast that appeals to you. Links and Resources Pause First: Mindfulness for First Responders Kim Colegrove on LinkedIn Kim Colegrove on Twitter Mindfulness For Warriors: Empowering First Responders to Reduce Stress and Build Resilience Eight Weeks to a Better Brain