After Action

12/25/2025

For first responders working today, and everyday— we see you.

Merry Christmas from After Action.

12/24/2025

The holidays can be a tough stretch for first responders.

In this clip, Chris talks about something simple but important — leadership showing up. Not for optics, not for credit, but because presence matters when your people are sacrificing time with their families.

If this season feels heavier than usual, you don’t have to carry it alone. After Action is here to support first responders and the agencies that serve them.

Link in bio for contact information for Chris, Doug, and Raul.

Support is available.
🔗 Link in bio
📞 866-940-7802
🌐 https://afteraction.care

12/18/2025

12/17/2025

Today's First Responder Workshop | 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET

The holidays aren’t always merry for first responders.

Long shifts, cumulative trauma, family strain, and emotional exhaustion can make this season especially heavy — even when everyone expects joy.

Today's topic:
Being Merry When It’s Hard: Navigating the Holidays as a First Responder

This is a real conversation about:
• Why the holidays can feel harder than expected
• The pressure to “be okay” when you’re not
• How trauma and burnout show up this time of year
• Realistic ways to get through the season without forcing happiness

No toxic positivity. No judgment. Just honest conversation and support.

🕒 Today | 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET
🔗 Join live: https://afteraction.care/workshop

12/12/2025

Gallows humor isn’t about being insensitive — it’s about survival.

For many first responders, dark humor becomes a pressure valve.
A way to release stress.
A way to bond with teammates.
A way to keep going after seeing things most people never will.

In today’s First Responder Workshop, we talked openly about why gallows humor exists, how it helps in the moment, and where it can quietly turn into emotional avoidance if there’s no other outlet.

Understanding coping tools — even the uncomfortable ones — is part of real mental health support.

🎥 Clip from our latest workshop
🔗 Watch the full session & access resources: https://afteraction.care

12/10/2025

“Not all heroes wear capes. Some just show up, every day, ready to carry someone else’s worst moment.”

A simple reminder of the strength, professionalism, and heart behind the work first responders do every single day.
After Action is committed to supporting those who carry so much.
Learn more on our website https://afteraction.care

12/08/2025

This Week's First Responder Workshop
Tuesday 12/9/
3 PM PT | 6 PM ET

This week, we’re diving into a topic every responder knows well:
Gallows humor.

Why we use it.
How it helps.
Where the line is.
And why humor becomes a lifeline in a world most people will never understand.

Doug Monda, Chris Scallon, and Raul Rivas will walk through how humor can be a healthy coping tool — and how to notice when it’s covering up something deeper.

Join us live or catch the replay anytime on our YouTube channel.
This space is private, supportive, and built for responders only.

Watch Live - https://afteraction.care/workshop or live on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/events/gallowshumor-copingthroughhumor7403893262404743168/theater/
The Replay will be available on our YouTube channel after - also use the link in bio.

12/03/2025

Gratitude won’t make every challenge disappear — but as Raul shared in last week’s First Responder Workshop, it can make the hard moments easier to navigate.

First responders carry so much that others never see. Practicing gratitude throughout the year helps anchor you when the job feels heavy.

Watch the clip, share it with someone who needs it, and join us weekly:
👉 https://afteraction.care/workshop

12/02/2025

Tomorrow: First Responder Workshop – LIVE at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET

The holidays can bring pressure, conflict, and emotional spillover — especially for first responders whose work rarely “stays at work.”

This week, we’re talking about Family Fallout & Holiday Pressure and how to navigate home life when the job follows you home.

Join our First Responder Liaisons Chris Scallon, Doug Monda, and Raul Rivas as they discuss:

Communicating with family during stressful weeks

Managing emotional overload after tough calls

Holiday expectations vs. real-life exhaustion

Grounding strategies that actually work

📅 Wednesday
🕚 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET
📍 Streaming live on LinkedIn + YouTube and our Website - links in bio
🔗https://afteraction.care/workshop

You don’t have to carry the season alone.
Join the conversation.

12/01/2025

When the job gets heavy, gratitude isn’t about pretending everything is fine — it’s about finding one small moment that reminds you you’re still here.

In this clip from last week’s First Responder Workshop, Doug opens up about navigating suicidal thoughts and how simple grounding rituals help him reconnect:
🌿 Sitting on the deck with his feet in the grass
🌊 Walking to the beach and letting the water wash over his feet

These moments don’t erase the pain, but they anchor him when life feels overwhelming.
If you’re struggling, you’re not alone. Support is available.

👉 Watch full episodes and find more resources at https://AfterAction.care or on our YouTube channel -

11/27/2025

Wishing our entire first responder community a warm and peaceful Happy Thanksgiving 🦃✨

Chris, Doug, and Raul — After Action’s First Responder Liaisons — recorded a short message to send love, gratitude, and encouragement to every first responder and family member today.

We hope you find a moment to breathe, rest, and feel supported.
From our team to yours… Happy Thanksgiving.

11/26/2025

Today's First Responder Workshop is a special Thanksgiving-week episode centered on something simple but powerful: gratitude.

Not the cliché version—real gratitude. The kind that helps you stay grounded when the job feels heavy, when stress builds up, and when life pulls you in a hundred directions.

In this conversation, Chris, Raul, and Doug share what gratitude looks like in real life and how it can help you stay centered, reconnect with family, and shift out of the darker places pressure can take you.
Doug also shares a powerful personal message about how grounding techniques and gratitude helped him through moments when he didn’t want to keep going.

Join us today at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET.

And if you can’t watch live, you can always catch the replay on our YouTube channel.

Wishing you a calm and meaningful Thanksgiving week.
May you find moments of peace, clarity, and gratitude—no matter what this season brings.