In this episode of Kitchen Table Talk, Michael Long and co-host Nick Robben reflect on the progress made in breaking the stigma around first responder mental health — and what it really means to keep moving the needle forward.

As founder of Break the Stigma Inc., Michael shares how 2025 became a landmark year, impacting over a thousand first responders through conferences, education, resources, and honest conversations. But this episode isn’t about celebrating wins — it’s about preparing for what’s next.

Together, they dive into:

• The evolving perception of mental health stigma in first responder culture
• Why “breaking” the stigma is a continual process, not a finish line
• The unique mental health challenges of winter, darkness, and night shift work
• Simple, practical ways to set yourself up for a healthier, more intentional 2026
• The power of small wins — sunlight, routine, connection, and awareness

With real talk about seasonal struggles, shift work disorientation, and the mental toll of the job, this episode reminds firefighters, EMTs, police officers, dispatchers, and healthcare professionals that progress doesn’t require perfection — it requires persistence.

If you’re looking to start the year stronger, more grounded, and more proactive about your mental health, pull up a chair. This conversation is for you.

In this episode of Kitchen Table Talk, Mike Long and co-host Nick Robben sit down for an honest, deeply relatable conversation about anxiety, near-miss incidents, and how quickly life can change after a single moment. Joined by guests Heather and James Parmley, the discussion explores what happens in the days and weeks after a close call—when isolation, worst-case thinking, and overstimulated anxiety cycles quietly take hold.

Together, they unpack how these patterns show up in first responders and high-stress professionals, how we often continue to “function” while internally struggling, and why so many people don’t recognize what’s happening until they’re already deep in it. The conversation highlights the invisible toll of waiting, uncertainty, and self-doubt—and why asking for help isn’t weakness, but awareness.

This episode is a reminder that mental health challenges don’t always begin with a major trauma—they often start with a moment, a pause, or a near miss. Pull up a chair and join us for a real conversation about anxiety, resilience, and breaking the stigma before the struggle becomes the norm.

In this powerful episode of Kitchen Table Talk, Michael Long and Nick Robben sit down with Josh Hildebrand, founder of Breath and Exposure STL, to talk about what happens when traditional coping strategies aren’t enough.

Josh shares his raw journey through combat-related PTSD, suicidal ideation, and the unhealthy patterns many first responders and veterans fall into when they don’t have the tools to process trauma. After years of feeling disconnected from his body and relying on the gym and alcohol to cope, Josh found something different — breathwork and contrast therapy.

This conversation dives into how reconnecting with the body can help regulate the nervous system, process trauma, and create space for healing in high-performing, “push-through-it” professions. Josh explains how these practices helped save his life — and why he built Breath and Exposure STL to bring these tools to first responders, veterans, and other high-stress professionals.

This episode is honest, heavy at times, and deeply hopeful. If you’ve ever felt stuck, numb, or overwhelmed — or wondered what real healing can look like beyond just “powering through” — this one’s for you.

Pull up a chair. Let’s talk about choosing to stay.

Go check them out Breath & Exposure STL

www.breathandexposurestl.com