25 - One Call. Twelve Hours. A Broken System.

25 - One Call. Twelve Hours. A Broken System.

⚠️ Before You Listen: This episode contains discussions of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, mental health crises, burnout, a broken healthcare system, and occasional strong language. While we avoid graphic details, listener discretion is advised. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ONE CALL LASTS TWELVE HOURS... AND CHANGES YOU? This week, Ruthie takes us inside one of the most emotionally exhausting shifts of her career after working a 36-hour shift. With 15 years in EMS... nearly three times longer than the 5 year average career span in the profession... she's experienced more than most people could imagine. But this call was different. What began as a routine psychiatric transport quickly spiraled into highway chases, impossible decisions, legal gray areas, hospital refusals, and a heartbreaking look at just how broken our mental healthcare system has become. Together, Staci and Ruthie unpack: * Why EMS and first responders are carrying impossible burdens * The emotional toll of repeated exposure to trauma * Compassion fatigue vs. true burnout * The cracks in our mental healthcare system * The hidden cost of "just doing your job" * Why debriefing after hard experiences matters * Finding small glimmers of hope after incredibly heavy days This isn't an episode about having all the answers. It's about telling the truth about what healthcare workers, first responders, police officers, patients, and families are navigating every single day and why meaningful change is desperately needed. Whether you're in healthcare, emergency services, or simply trying to better understand what happens behind the scenes, we hope this conversation helps you feel a little less alone. IN THIS EPISODE * A 36-hour shift * One 12-hour psychiatric transport that changed everything * Mental health crises and suicidal ideation * EMS realities most people never see * Police, hospitals, and legal challenges * Burnout, compassion fatigue, and emotional processing * Why our system needs change * Healthy ways to recover after trauma IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS STRUGGLING If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide or are concerned about someone else, please reach out for help. In the U.S. and Canada, call or text 988 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call your local emergency services. Life is messy. Sometimes the best thing we can do is tell the story, sort through the feelings together, and remember we're not meant to carry the hard stuff alone. Thanks for debriefing with us. ❤️

24 - JOY Snacks + Glimmers

What does joy actually look like after you've lived through burnout? In this episode, Ruthie and Staci dive into the difference between chasing happiness and cultivating genuine joy. From hustle culture and achievement addiction to contentment, gratitude, and nervous system regulation, they explore what happens when you stop waiting for life to feel better someday and start noticing the goodness that's already here. They discuss: ✨ Why joy often disappears during seasons of burnout ✨ The power of noticing "glimmers" and everyday moments of gratitude ✨ How success and achievement can become moving targets that never feel like enough ✨ Why joy at 40 looks completely different than joy at 20 ✨ Learning to trade hustle for contentment ✨ The surprising happiness that comes from simplifying life ✨ Why fewer choices can actually create more peace ✨ Finding joy through generosity and blessing others ✨ How rest becomes restorative instead of something to earn ✨ Practical ways to reconnect with joy when you're exhausted, overwhelmed, or running on empty Along the way, they share personal stories about parenting, burnout recovery, family life, living in a camper, nursing, coaching, and the small moments that have become some of their greatest sources of joy. If you've ever caught yourself saying: "I'll be happy when..." This episode is your reminder that joy may be much closer than you think. Sometimes it's found in a warm cup of tea. A sunset. A family road trip. A handwritten sticky note. Or simply taking thirty seconds to breathe and notice what's already good. We'd love to hear from you: What is bringing you joy in this season of life? Connect with us: The Rewiring Real Life Lounge | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1568065834463753] Fill out Staci's Intake questionnaire [https://l.bttr.to/T7HBa] + request a complimentary coaching sesh Staci's Stress Reset, brain dump printable FREE HERE [https://www.stacikilecoaching.com/stress-reset] Beyond the Sirens FB page [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582416343581] Donate to their mission HERE [https://www.venmo.com/u/beyondthesirens]

23 - I Really Thought This Would Be Easier By Now

In this week's episode of The Debrief, Ruthie and Staci dive into a surprisingly relatable question: "What did you think would be easier by now?" Turns out... quite a few things. From mountains of laundry and the nightly dinner dilemma to teaching teenagers to drive and navigating ever-changing family schedules, we're unpacking all the things adulthood promised would eventually become second nature—but somehow still require way more energy than expected. We also get honest about: ✔️ Why laundry remains undefeated ✔️ The mental load of feeding a family every single day ✔️ Teaching kids life skills (and surviving the anxiety that comes with it) ✔️ Adult friendships and why they're harder to build than we expected ✔️ Church experiences, community, and finding genuine support ✔️ Parenting older kids and realizing the responsibilities don't disappear... they just change ✔️ Sexism in professional settings and the unique challenges women face as they gain experience and confidence If you've ever looked around your house, your calendar, or your overflowing laundry basket and thought, "Surely I should have this figured out by now," this episode is for you. Spoiler alert: None of us have it all figured out. And maybe that's the point. Grab your coffee, fold some laundry, and join us for another honest conversation about life, motherhood, work, friendship, and everything in between. We'd love to hear from you: What's one thing you thought would be easier by now? Connect with us: Beyond the Sirens FB page [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582416343581] Donate HERE [https://www.venmo.com/u/beyondthesirens] Our Facebook Group: The Rewiring Real Life Lounge [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1568065834463753] Intake Questionnaire to Book your Complimentary Call with Staci HERE [https://l.bttr.to/T7HBa]

22 - Beep Beep Boop Boop & Other Life Confessions

This week on The Debrief with Staci & Ruthie, we're taking advantage of a rare pocket of time and diving into some honest life confessions. From surprise parenting moments and overthinking tendencies to camping adventures, barn transformations, football cleats, and dairy cow dreams, this episode feels like sitting around the kitchen table with friends. We chat about: • Recent wins nobody knows about (including Staci's colorful barn makeover) • What's currently kicking our butts • Foods we've been hyper-fixating on lately • Why control and uncertainty can be such a difficult combination • Parenting a five-year-old who secretly cooks her own scrambled eggs • Raising independent kids without losing your mind • Finding balance with health, food, and family life • The most ridiculous things that happened this week • Scooby-Doo football cleats • Kayak adventures and summer fun • The hot pink cow halter that may or may not be living in Staci's Amazon cart • Current phrases we're saying far too often ("Beep Beep Boop Boop" included) One of our favorite takeaways from this conversation: "Rather than fearing the worst, the antidote for fearing the worst is believing the best." As always, thank you for spending part of your day with us. We love hearing from listeners, so send us your questions, stories, confessions, and topic ideas for future episodes. And yes... we're officially taking guest requests. Connect with us: Instagram: @stacikilecoaching [https://www.instagram.com/stacikilecoaching/] Join our FB group: The Rewiring Real Life Lounge [https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1JQAWbVbKV/] If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend and leave a review, it helps more than you know.

21 - We Survived MapQuest and LimeWire

REGISTER FOR BOOK CLUB HEREEEEE! [https://l.bttr.to/o54DG] SHOW NOTES In this episode of The Debrief with Staci & Ruthie, we’re taking a hilarious, nostalgic trip back to the wild survival era of growing up millennial. Before GPS, Life360, smartphones, and constant news alerts, we were out here printing MapQuest directions, burning questionable CDs from LimeWire, memorizing phone numbers, calling landlines, driving with $5 in gas, and somehow making it home in one piece. Staci and Ruthie laugh through the chaos of early-2000s independence, from road trips with no navigation, T9 texting, home phone etiquette, tanning bed regrets, Mountain Dew night shifts, and the absolute boldness of being young with very little fear and even less adult supervision. But underneath all the funny memories is a bigger conversation about how much the world has changed, how technology has shifted connection, safety, parenting, anxiety, and the way we raise our own kids now. This one is funny, unfiltered, nostalgic, and full of “how did we survive that?” energy. IN THIS EPISODE We talk about: * MapQuest directions and driving before GPS * Burned CDs, LimeWire, and road trip playlists * Home phones, memorized phone numbers, and phone etiquette * Growing up before Life360 and constant tracking * The difference between our teenage years and our kids’ world now * T9 texting, CD binders, tanning beds, and Mountain Dew survival * Why voice memos feel more connected than texts * Parenting teens with more awareness than our parents had * Letting kids grow up while still keeping them safe * The beauty and chaos of being a millennial FAVORITE QUOTES “Nightmares are dreams too.” “We survived MapQuest and LimeWire.” “We were just out there with no GPS, no tracking, and the good Lord watching over us.” “Kids today would not survive being dropped into our teenage years.” “We were cut from a different cloth.”