When the shift ends… the weight doesn’t always clock out.

In this episode of Between the Sessions, we talk about what happens after the uniform comes off — when the adrenaline drops, the house gets quiet, and the body finally starts to speak.

We’ll cover:

• Why your nervous system doesn’t just “turn off”

• The physical cost of carrying stress silently

• A simple reset you can do in under 2 minutes

• Why recovery is readiness — not weakness

This isn’t therapy.

This is a pause.

If you’re military, law enforcement, fire, EMS — or you love someone who is — this one’s for you.

Support community-funded recovery:

https://www.givesendgo.com/MilFirst

Book a session at Woodhouse Gainesville.

Take care of the body that carries the mission.

What actually happens in the body when someone lays on a massage table?

In this episode of Between the Sessions, we break down the science of touch — what research says about how therapeutic touch affects the nervous system, stress hormones, pain perception, sleep, and emotional regulation.

This isn’t fluff. This is physiology.

You’ll learn:

• How touch moves the body from fight-or-flight into rest-and-recover

• Why massage lowers cortisol and blood pressure

• What happens in the brain during safe, intentional contact

• Why first responders, veterans, and high-stress professionals often don’t realize how much their body is carrying

• How simple, consistent bodywork can change readiness, mood, and resilience

If you’ve ever wondered why massage feels different than anything else… this is the episode that explains it.

Because recovery isn’t weakness.

It’s readiness.

🎙 Between the Sessions — where we pause long enough to understand what the body has been trying to say.

Support community-funded recovery for military and first responders:

https://www.givesendgo.com/MilFirst

Book a session at Woodhouse Gainesville and experience it for yourself.

#BetweenTheSessions #MilFirst #MassageTherapy #NervousSystem #Recovery

Today’s episode comes straight out of a long, physical day.

The kind of day where your body is exhausted… but your mind is still on duty.

We talk about why that happens, why so many first responders, veterans, athletes, and caregivers struggle to truly relax, and how recovery is a skill we have to practice, not something that happens automatically.

I share a simple tool you can use tonight to help your nervous system downshift, and a personal reflection as tomorrow marks three years since my dad passed — a big reason I care so deeply about the people who serve and carry more than they ever say out loud.

If you’ve ever said, “I’m tired but I can’t relax,” this one is for you.

Recovery is readiness.

Support recovery for those who serve:

https://www.givesendgo.com/MilFirst

I spent six straight hours working on 17 student athletes at a George Mason track meet — runners, throwers, different events, different bodies.

But by the end of the day, I realized I wasn’t treating 17 different problems.

I was seeing the same two patterns over and over again.

Runners with low back, hamstring, knee, and calf tension.

Throwers with shoulder pain that actually started in the chest and shoulder blade.

And it hit me…

The body doesn’t care what you do.

It only knows the patterns you live in.

These are elite, conditioned athletes — and their bodies were telling the exact same story I see every week on my table with parents, desk workers, first responders, and veterans.

Recovery is built into an athlete’s schedule.

But the people who carry the heaviest physical and mental loads? It’s not.

That’s why this matters.

That’s why MilFirst exists.

In this episode, we talk about the patterns your body is living in — and a simple reset you can do right now.

If you’re local, you can find me at Woodhouse Day Spa in Gainesville, VA.

If you want to help us bring recovery to the people who serve, you can support MilFirst here:

https://www.givesendgo.com/MilFirst

In this episode of Between the Sessions, Jason talks about a pattern he sees every single week on the massage table.

A person who lifted too much snow.

A mom who slipped down the stairs.

An engineer sore from long hours at a desk.

Different lives.

Different stories.

Same strain in the body.

We explore how shoulders, hips, and low backs end up telling the same story no matter the job, the accident, or the lifestyle — and what your body might be trying to say before pain forces you to listen.

If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t know what I did, I just hurt,” this episode is for you.

You’ll also learn:

• The 3 most common tension patterns seen on the table

• Why recovery is not weakness — it’s readiness

• A simple reset you can do at home today

This show supports MilFirst, a nonprofit providing recovery services for military members and first responders.

Support the mission:

https://www.givesendgo.com/MilFirst

We talk a lot about freedom. We celebrate it. We assume it.

But we rarely stop to ask — what did it cost, and who is still paying for it?

In this episode of Between the Sessions, Jason shares a reflection on the unseen toll carried by military members, first responders, and veterans long after the headlines fade and the uniforms come off.

This is not a political conversation.

This is a human one.

We talk about:

• The physical cost stored in the body

• The emotional weight carried in silence

• Why recovery is not weakness — it’s readiness

• And how small acts of support can make a real difference

If you’ve ever thanked someone for their service, this episode will help you understand what that service still looks like years later.

🎧 Follow the show for weekly episodes

❤️ Support recovery for those who serve: https://www.givesendgo.com/MilFirst

📍 Hosted by Jason Hayes, LMT | Founder of MilFirst

Because freedom didn’t come free. And for many, it still hasn’t.

No guest this week — just you and me.

In this episode of Between the Sessions, I answer real questions people have asked in the treatment room and in chat about stress, recovery, and why your body feels like it’s carrying more than you realize.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, tired in a way sleep doesn’t fix, or like you’re “holding it together” for everyone else -this episode is for you.

MilFirst supports recovery for military members and first responders through massage therapy.

Support the mission: https://www.givesendgo.com/MilFirst

Book a session at Woodhouse Gainesville and experience it for yourself.

In a longdistance race in Spain, an elite runner from Kenya was leading- until near the finish.

Right behind him was a runner from Spain with the strength and opportunity to take the win.

Instead of passing, he slowed down.

He placed his hands on the other runner’s back and pushed him forward.

When asked why, his answer was simple:

“He deserved it. He had run the better race.”

This episode unpacks why that moment matters -not just in sport, but in life, leadership, and recovery.

Burnout doesn’t always look like quitting.

Sometimes it looks like finishing the race alone.

In Between the Sessions, we explore what that quiet push teaches us about service, nervous system overload, and why recovery isn’t weakness -it’s readiness. From first responders and military service to massage therapy and everyday leadership, this conversation is about recognizing when someone needs support… and being willing to slow down long enough to give it.

And if you’re the one running on empty, this is your permission to accept the push.

Between the Sessions is a MilFirst podcast focused on recovery, service, and the unseen weight people carry.

Learn more about MilFirst’s recovery mission for those who serve at milfirst.com

or support therapy access at givesendgo.com/MilFirst