Jim Burneka II (Mental Health, Writing and Firefighting) - Episode 925

Behind The Shield

James Geering

Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Fitness

4.9 • 667 Ratings

🗓️ 9 May 2024

⏱️ 133 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Jim Burneka is a firefighter, podcaster and the author of 'Overcoming Tuesday.

In this second conversation, we discuss his powerful mental health story, the Save a Warrior program, his time in the IAFF's Center of Excellence, catharsis through writing, his conference 'Brothers helping Brothers' and so much more.

As a first responder, firefighter paramedic Jim Burneka encounters traumatic events the average person will likely never experience, but to him, it’s just another day—it’s Tuesday. In spite of being the wellness coordinator for the local fire department, Jim falls victim to Tuesday, the trauma he encounters daily, and finds himself spiraling down a dark and hopeless path including post-tramatic stress, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.

Finally, Jim must make the choice between succumbing to Tuesday or asking for the help he so desperately needs.Hawkins and Burneka recount a story of healing and resilience to empower others to seek help, and to encourage them to replace despair with hope. This book shares a variety of valuable resources that are available to help those struggling with mental or physical struggles.The fight for wellness among first responders shouldn’t be a silent battle fought alone, but together; we can overcome Tuesday.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I'm extremely excited to announce a brand new sponsor for the Behind the Shield podcast,
0:04.2	that is Transcend.
0:06.4	Now, for many of you listening, you are probably working the same brutal shifts that I did for 14 years,
0:12.1	suffering from sleep deprivation, body composition challenges, mental health challenges,
0:17.6	libido, hair loss, etc.
0:20.4	Now, when it comes to the world of hormone replacement and
0:22.5	peptide therapy, what I have seen is a shift from doctors telling us that we were within
0:26.6	normal limits, which was definitely incorrect all the way to the other way now where men's clinics
0:31.8	are popping up left, right and center. So I myself wanted to find a reputable company that would do an analysis of my physiology
0:39.7	and then offer supplementations without ramming, for example, hormone replacement therapy down
0:45.3	my throat. Now, I came across Transcend because they have an altruistic arm and they were a big reason
0:50.7	why the 7X project I was a part of was able to proceed because of their
0:55.1	generous donations. They also have the transcend foundations where they're actually putting
1:00.0	military and first responders through some of their therapies at no cost to the individual.
1:05.2	So my own personal journey so far, filled in the online form, went to Quest, got blood drawn, and a few days later
1:12.5	I'm talking to one of their wellness professionals as they guide me through my results
1:16.2	and the supplementation that they suggest.
1:19.0	In my case specifically, because I transitioned out the fire service five years ago and
1:23.5	me very diligent with my health, my testosterone was actually in a good place.
1:28.6	So I went down the peptide root and some other supplements to try and maximize my physiology,
1:33.5	knowing full well the damage that 14 years of shift work has done.
1:37.6	Now, I also want to underline because I think this is very important that each of the therapies
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from James Geering, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of James Geering and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.