Whole House Counseling & Consultation

11/09/2025

You don’t have to heal by sitting still. 🌊

In this week’s blog, we dive into Stoke Therapy: the adventure-based approach firefighter and combat veteran Gage Hall created after realizing traditional therapy wasn’t enough.

Through water, wilderness, and community, he’s helping first responders and veterans reconnect with joy, purpose, and each other.

This one’s about finding healing where you least expect it, outside, moving, and surrounded by people who get it.

👉 Read the blog: https://www.afterthetonesdrop.co/blog/finding-stoke-how-adventure-becomes-therapy-for-first-responders/

11/05/2025

You don’t need to be “broken” to work on yourself. Stoke Therapy isn’t about fixing—it’s about growing, connecting, and finding joy again. Hear how Gage Hall is changing the way first responders and veterans think about mental health.
🎧 Episode 130: Out of the Warzone and Into the Water.
https://www.afterthetonesdrop.co/gage-hull/

11/05/2025

New Episode with Gage Hull of Stoke Therapy is Live.
Just 15 minutes in nature can relax your nervous system. A weekend with Stoke Therapy could change your life. Veteran and firefighter Gage Hall joins After the Tones Drop to share how he turned pain into purpose and built a movement helping others do the same.
🎧 Episode 130 is live. Find your joy again.

11/04/2025

Sometimes the best way to get out of your own head… is to show up for someone else.

Volunteering isn’t just service — it’s medicine. It reconnects you to purpose, perspective, and the parts of this job that still feel good.

Rick Markley said it best on Episode 129: “Volunteering your time is really a great mental health reset and a grounding exercise.”

If you’ve been feeling stuck, maybe it’s time to serve — not because you have to, but because it heals.

🎧 Listen now: https://www.afterthetonesdrop.co/rick-markley/

11/02/2025

You don’t need to clear your mind or sit cross-legged on a mountain. Meditation isn’t about perfection (it’s about practice).

Fifteen minutes a day can change the way you handle stress, sleep, and even the job itself. If you’re not sure where to start, follow along on a guided app and let it do the heavy lifting. I use Insight Timer, it helps me stay focused.

Consistency beats complexity every time.

WHY MEDITATION MATTERS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS
[1] IT'S NOT ABOUT SHUTTING OFF Meditation isn't about emptying your mind—it's about noticing your thoughts and giving yourself grace. Even Type-A personalities can make it work.

[2] 10 MINUTES CHANGES EVERYTHING You don't need an hour on a mountaintop. Even 10 minutes of intentional breathing can slow things down, reduce stress, and build real resilience.

[3] IT'S A SKILL, NOT MAGIC Like any other skill in the fire service, meditation takes practice. There's no "perfect" way to do it—just keep showing up for yourself.

[4] TOOLS MAKE IT EASIER Apps like Insight Timer give you guided options. Start small, use the resources available, and find what works for YOUR brain.

https://www.afterthetonesdrop.co/rick-markley/

11/01/2025

In Episode 129, Rick Markley breaks down why the National Firefighter Registry isn't just for people with a diagnosis—it's for everyone who's ever worn the badge.

15 minutes of your time = decades of research that could save lives. Here's a stat that should wake you up: researchers need data from HEALTHY firefighters just as much as those diagnosed with cancer.

Kevin O'Leary would call this the best ROI you'll ever get. I call it non-negotiable. Listen now and then register at nfr.cdc.gov

10/31/2025

Rick Markley Executive Editor of CRACKYL Media is asking all firefighters (retired and volunteer too) to register for the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer, and literally help shape the future of firefighter health research.

Rick Markley explains exactly why this matters in this blog inspired by After the Tones Drop Episode 129 (and why waiting isn't an option) Listen. Register. Share.
Read this short blog and access the link to listen in on the full episode HERE:
https://www.afterthetonesdrop.co/blog/the-national-firefighter-registry-your-voice-matters-even-without-a-diagnosis

10/30/2025

Did you know there's a magazine dedicated ENTIRELY to whole-person wellness for first responders? CRACKYL Magazine isn't about gear reviews or war stories. It's about sleep. Nutrition. Mental health. Resilience. The stuff that actually keeps you alive and functioning.

In Episode 129, CRACKYL's Executive Editor Rick Markley talks about why we need to stop treating wellness like an afterthought—and start treating it like the job requirement it is. Physical fitness isn't enough. You need the whole package. New episode drops now.

Listen Here!

10/24/2025

Flashback Friday!
Ep. 111 — Matt Griffin
Some people train for chaos. Others live in it. Matt Griffin shares how a phone call saved his life and tactical breathwork became his lifeline when the job, the trauma, and the silence nearly took him out.
🎧 Listen now:

Send us a text In this episode of After the Tones Drop, Cinnamon sits down with Matt Griffin—U.S. Navy veteran, former undercover cop, and member of the Attorney Ge…

10/24/2025

If you never say no, you’ll never be home.

Firefighter and KRACKYL magazine founder Kory Pearn joined me on After the tones drop, and we discussed the boundaries that keep you grounded.

It’s easy to tell yourself it’s just one more shift, one more night out, one more pickup game with the crew. But what happens when the people at home have only seen your empty chair for three nights in a row?

In Episode 128 of After the Tones Drop, firefighter and CRACKYL founder Kory Pearn gets honest about the boundaries he failed to set, and the lessons he learned the hard way.

Boundaries aren’t about being selfish. They’re about protecting what’s sacred.
🎧 Full episode: https://www.afterthetonesdrop.co/kory-pearn

10/23/2025

The job’s always been dangerous, but now, the danger isn’t just on the street. It’s online.

Every call, every arrest, every second is under a microscope. And while accountability matters, the constant pressure of instant judgment adds a new layer of stress most people will never understand.

This clip from my conversation on After the Tones Drop hits on what today’s cops are really facing — and why leadership and support matter more than ever.

🎧 Full episode: https://www.afterthetonesdrop.co/tom-smith/

10/23/2025

f you’re a first responder, this episode is for you.
If you love one — it’s for you too.

We’re talking about the realities of burnout, balance, and building a culture that lets people come home whole.

🎧 Episode 128 with Kory Pearn is out now.
👉 https://www.afterthetonesdrop.co/kory-pearn/