EP 37: Nick Wingo — Fighting The Fires Of PTSD
At 18, Nick Wingo thought he’d struck gold in his new career as a firefighter. It was the period just after 9/11, and it felt like he was doing something purposeful with his life: “We were America’s heroes,” he says.
Then, the deaths started — and so did the impact they’d ultimately have on him. Within his first few months as a firefighter, he responded to a call that involved a dead infant. Afterward, he climbed back into the fire truck alongside the lieutenant, who turned to him and said: “You’d better get ready, because that’s what your career is going to look like.” He wasn’t wrong.
Ultimately, Nick would develop PTSD from his time as a firefighter and leave the field on disability after 18 years. It’s a diagnosis, he says, that’s exceptionally common for firefighters and other first responders to develop, and yet, for the public, it’s an association that usually stops short at military veterans.
“People recognize post-traumatic stress for veterans,” Nick says. “It’s, ‘Oh, they go to war. They see people get killed.’ Well, so do I. I’ve seen murders. I’ve seen brutal things that I cannot unsee. And people don’t understand that.”
That’s a narrative that Nick, with his new book “Building Grit: How to Fight the Fires of PTSD And Come Out Stronger On The Other Side,” aims to change. On this episode of Good Dudes Grow, he and Gary talk about their activism for first responders’ mental health, how CBD intersects with that, and the reality of what firefighters go through.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why Nick is passionate about ensuring “no firefighter has to pay for their own mental health services ever again”
- What Gary heard from firefighters and police officers with PTSD after giving them CBD
- Why it’s so imperative we change the way we talk about the 300-500 firefights who commit suicide every year
- And much more!
Favorite Quote:
“Just because we’re all experiencing lack of sleep and not sleeping well does not mean that it’s normal.”
— Nick Wingo
Connect with Nick:
How to get involved:
Gary Roberts is the founder and CEO of Pure Body Zen, a company based not only around creating and selling high-quality CBD products, but one that is on a mission to change the landscape on how mental health and addiction are treated. Gary has founded a non-profit called Promises Recovery Centers for those who need it as well as creating the first-ever educational training facility for Physicians, Therapists, and Mental Health advocates using innovative therapeutics like psilocybin, Mdma, and LSD.
You can learn more about Pure Body Zen on their site, on LinkedIn, and on Instagram.
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