The toughest part isn’t the call; it’s what echoes after. We sat down with a physician assistant who runs a ketamine clinic and a therapist who treats first responders to unpack how evidence‑based tools can make trauma feel survivable again. If you’ve only heard about ketamine from street stories or ER sedation, this conversation will reset the frame: controlled, low‑dose treatment can increase neuroplasticity, reduce the emotional punch of memories, and lower cravings that keep people stuck. Add structured therapy, and the path forward gets clearer.

We walk through how ketamine works, why it’s tightly regulated, and what a typical protocol looks like. Then we dig into the power of pairing medicine with psychotherapy, where insights from sessions carry into counseling and make reprocessing less triggering. EMDR gets a plain‑spoken breakdown, so it’s no longer mysterious or intimidating. The goal is simple: help the brain revisit hard moments without panic and install healthier beliefs that last.

Personal stories bring urgency to the science. A pediatric code that changed a father’s life, the high‑school collapse that pushed an EMT to become a PA, and the post‑COVID ER chaos that led to building a calmer clinic for first responders. We talk openly about stigma, addiction fears, and why many see alcohol use drop as they heal. You’ll hear how peer support lowers the barrier to trying something new, and why an objective, self‑compassionate view; can be the hinge for recovery.

If you serve and carry images you avoid, there’s hope with safe, supervised ketamine therapy, EMDR, and steady talk therapy. Reach out with your questions, share this with a partner or teammate, and help us keep these tools in the hands of the people who need them most. Follow the show, leave a review, and tell us what you want us to explore next.

If you or someone you know is in crisis and at risk of self-harm, please call or text 988, the suicide and crisis lifeline.

To contact us directly send an email to Dan@10-42project.org or call 515-350-6274
Visit our website! 10-42project.org
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Youtube: @1042project
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A single choice can echo for years. Jen joins us to revisit the 2016 wrong‑way crash that killed two of her husband Joe’s officers, the survivor guilt that took root, and the quiet self‑doubt that followed him back to work and into their home. We move through the 2020 assault where Joe was ambushed and bitten, the sleepless nights and nightmares that wouldn’t let go, and the cultural whiplash of a year when COVID isolation and civil unrest turned pride in the badge into constant hypervigilance. Along the way, we talk candidly about how “routine” decisions can create moral injury, why standard debriefs often miss the family, and what spouses can watch for when a loved one keeps circling the same names and scenes months later.

The day Joe died looked painfully normal: coffee on the deck, a lunchtime walk, a casual comment about burial framed as safety talk, and a quick trip for sodas. Jen found him in the car, steps from their front door. She takes us through the immediate chaos, the officers who stood up to help, and the moments that still hurt; like promised honors that never came. We also dig into policy and progress: how Public Safety Officer Benefits now recognize certain suicides as line‑of‑duty deaths, why that matters for dignity and support, and how departments can do better by educating families, tracking delayed stress responses, and normalizing confidential care.

This conversation is raw and practical. We highlight resources like First Help (https://1sthelp.org/). If you wear a badge or love someone who does, this story offers language, tools, and hope. If you’re struggling, call 988, and if you need a softer first step, reach out to us. Subscribe, share this with a friend in the field, and leave a review to help more first responder families find the support they deserve.

If you or someone you know is in crisis and at risk of self-harm, please call or text 988, the suicide and crisis lifeline.

To contact us directly send an email to Dan@10-42project.org or call 515-350-6274
Visit our website! 10-42project.org
Check us out on social media!
Youtube: @1042project
Facebook: www.facebook.com/1042project
Instagram: 1042_project

Start with a prayer and you change the room. That’s how we welcomed Jennifer Morgan, widow of Sgt. Joe Morgan, to help us tell a story that holds both love and the hard parts most people won’t name out loud. We talk about a fast dance neither of them could dance, a phone number scribbled on paper, and the way a calling to serve can fill a life with purpose while quietly piling up weight you don’t notice until it’s too heavy to lift alone.

Jen walks us through Joe’s path from Cedar Rapids to small-town chief in Oxford Junction to Des Moines, where he found his home on the east side. He loved the work: the people, the midnight calls, the teachable moments for younger officers. We revisit his officer-involved shooting, the late-night knock at the door, and the uneasy fact that the suspect had no gun. Policy said justified; Joe said he wouldn’t hesitate again. That resolve carried him—and it also made it easy for those who loved him to believe everything was fine. We talk honestly about spousal blind spots, the stories cops keep to protect their families, and the way support fades when the headlines do.

As a supervisor, Joe took pride in mentoring and staying where the action was, but leadership adds a second backpack of stress. Night shifts, disrupted sleep, and constant vigilance wear down even the best. We also share lighter moments - Joe’s COPS appearances, including the infamous stuck-on-the-tracks scene - because a full life holds laughter right next to pain.

We close by honoring Joe plainly and setting up part two. If you’ve ever felt the weight of the badge - or loved someone who wears it - this conversation is a hand on your shoulder and an open chair at the kitchen table. Listen, share it with someone who needs it, and help us change the culture one honest talk at a time. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what brave conversation you’re starting today.

Check out the resource attached below that helped Jen navigate her husband's suicide.

https://1sthelp.org/

If you or someone you know is in crisis and at risk of self-harm, please call or text 988, the suicide and crisis lifeline.

To contact us directly send an email to Dan@10-42project.org or call 515-350-6274
Visit our website! 10-42project.org
Check us out on social media!
Youtube: @1042project
Facebook: www.facebook.com/1042project
Instagram: 1042_project