What You Will Hear in This Episode

• The launch of Voices of OKC and why spotlighting local difference makers matters.

• Jeff Morfield's upbringing as a military brat, moving constantly, and attending six different schools.

• Living overseas during the Cold War, growing up in Germany, and witnessing life behind the Iron Curtain.

• A terrifying encounter in East Berlin and how it shaped Jeff’s understanding of freedom.

• Returning to Oklahoma just before the OKC bombing, and how that moment propelled him toward law enforcement.

• Serving 22 years as a police officer and deploying with the Oklahoma Army National Guard to combat zones.

• The unseen toll of law enforcement and military service, exposure to hundreds of critical incidents.

• How trauma compounds over time and why first responders often lack healthy outlets.

• The coping mechanisms no one talks about, drinking, gambling, infidelity, and silent suffering.

• A defining officer-involved shooting in 2021 and realizing something had to change.

• The reintegration struggle after deployment and wearing the uniform for decades.

• Discovering a massive gap in transition support for retiring first responders.

• Research showing first responders die 5–7 years earlier than the general population.

• Why Jeff chose to create a nonprofit instead of a for-profit solution.

• The vision and symbolism behind the On Call Project name and logo.

• Launching the Thriving Responder course focused on personal development, not just tactics.

• The Beyond the Badge program helping first responders transition into civilian careers.

• Addressing identity loss, mental health, finances, physical health, and spiritual wellbeing.

• Building pathways, resumes, certifications, and real employment opportunities.

• What hope truly means for first responders standing at the edge of retirement.

• Separating role from identity and learning it’s okay to take the uniform off.

Key Quotes

“Freedom isn’t something you understand until you see a world without it.”

“Police officers see 600 to 800 critical incidents in a career. Most people see four or five in a lifetime.”

“You weren’t meant to carry all of that and walk away untouched.”

“When the uniform comes off, it’s not ‘see you later.’ It shouldn’t be.”

“We onboard people intentionally, then throw them to the wind when they’re done.”

“The tattered ‘O’ represents the life we lived. The ‘Project’ is the path forward.”“Hope is understanding there is a pathway forward.”

“Police officer was my role. Husband and father are my identity.”

“It’s okay to take it off. Nobody thinks less of you.”

“God can redeem the hardest experiences and use them to bring life to others.”