1 hr 53 min
Episode 16: Chris Littrell - Air Force and Law Enforcement Veteran, 25 Years of Service, Gravity Podcast Host I Will Hold Space For Your Darkness - A First Responder Mental Health Podcast
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- Mental Health
Welcome to I Will Hold Space For Your Darkness; a First Responder Mental Health Podcast hosted by Erin Jane.
A former Australian Police Officer and Detective, wife of an American Firefighter, previous crisis counsellor for a suicide prevention organization and current CISM trained, certified Life & Wellness Coach for First Responders, Emergency Services Members, Spouses and Loved Ones.
In this episode, Erin speaks with Chris Littrell, an Air Force Veteran with 6 years of service in the Security Forces and a retired Law Enforcement officer from Washington State, with 19 years on the job. Chris had experience as a Detective, Patrol Sergeant, SWAT team member, Community Services and Peer Support Coordinator. Chris retired from service just 7 months ago, after battling some mental health struggles that made his choice to leave the right one for him and his family.
Chris also talks about the wonderful things he does outside of his policing career, including being a contributor and columnist for Police 1, creating Gravity Consulting and Training and being the co-host of Gravity Podcast with his wife, Jaimie.
Chris and Erin discuss what encouraged him to join the United States Air Force, including the fact his brother also served in the same military branch. Chris remembers in vivid detail being on active duty in South Korea when the September 11th terrorist attack occurred and how the nature of his entire service changed from that moment.
He tells Erin about choosing to leave the Air Force and what sparked his desire to enter a role in Law Enforcement. Joining the same police department as his father after an initial stint elsewhere, he details how they both always maintained a mutual level of respect throughout their years of service together.
Chris explains the many aspects of policing he undertook throughout his 19 year career and is very open and honest about needing some mental health assistance at certain times along the way. He details to Erin that those mental health struggles really came to the forefront this past summer of 2023, when he started experiencing some flashbacks, Post Traumatic Stress and suicidal ideation. Chris explains that with the right support, he was able to face up to the reality, albeit reluctantly, that he needed more help and went to a facility that treats our First Responder community.
Chris and Erin talk about what his life is like since retiring from his policing career, what he feels like his mission is now and how much joy he gets from teaching.
They also discuss their mutual love of podcasting and how much of a privilege it is for people to open up and speak about their darkness with them, especially those in the First Responder community.
Chris is deep, authentic and introspective. He was incredibly generous with his time, words and honesty and it's difficult to convey appropriately how much I valued our conversation. It was such an honour to speak with him and we both hope you enjoy listening to this episode!
You can find Chris in the following ways:
His columns on Police 1: https://www.police1.com/Christopher-Littrell/
Gravity Consulting and Training: https://gravityct.com/
Gravity Podcast: Available on all streaming platforms, but this is Apple's - https://podcasts.apple.com/ro/podcast/gravity-podcast/id1589620471
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gravitychris
Instagram: @thatgravitypodcast and @chris.littrell.5
Please feel free to reach out if you'd like a topic discussed, would like to be a guest or are interested in receiving coaching services from Erin Jane.
Email: info@erinjanecoaching.com
Website: https://www.erinjanecoaching.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erinjanecoaching
Call or Text: +1 617 396 4695
You can watch the episode
Welcome to I Will Hold Space For Your Darkness; a First Responder Mental Health Podcast hosted by Erin Jane.
A former Australian Police Officer and Detective, wife of an American Firefighter, previous crisis counsellor for a suicide prevention organization and current CISM trained, certified Life & Wellness Coach for First Responders, Emergency Services Members, Spouses and Loved Ones.
In this episode, Erin speaks with Chris Littrell, an Air Force Veteran with 6 years of service in the Security Forces and a retired Law Enforcement officer from Washington State, with 19 years on the job. Chris had experience as a Detective, Patrol Sergeant, SWAT team member, Community Services and Peer Support Coordinator. Chris retired from service just 7 months ago, after battling some mental health struggles that made his choice to leave the right one for him and his family.
Chris also talks about the wonderful things he does outside of his policing career, including being a contributor and columnist for Police 1, creating Gravity Consulting and Training and being the co-host of Gravity Podcast with his wife, Jaimie.
Chris and Erin discuss what encouraged him to join the United States Air Force, including the fact his brother also served in the same military branch. Chris remembers in vivid detail being on active duty in South Korea when the September 11th terrorist attack occurred and how the nature of his entire service changed from that moment.
He tells Erin about choosing to leave the Air Force and what sparked his desire to enter a role in Law Enforcement. Joining the same police department as his father after an initial stint elsewhere, he details how they both always maintained a mutual level of respect throughout their years of service together.
Chris explains the many aspects of policing he undertook throughout his 19 year career and is very open and honest about needing some mental health assistance at certain times along the way. He details to Erin that those mental health struggles really came to the forefront this past summer of 2023, when he started experiencing some flashbacks, Post Traumatic Stress and suicidal ideation. Chris explains that with the right support, he was able to face up to the reality, albeit reluctantly, that he needed more help and went to a facility that treats our First Responder community.
Chris and Erin talk about what his life is like since retiring from his policing career, what he feels like his mission is now and how much joy he gets from teaching.
They also discuss their mutual love of podcasting and how much of a privilege it is for people to open up and speak about their darkness with them, especially those in the First Responder community.
Chris is deep, authentic and introspective. He was incredibly generous with his time, words and honesty and it's difficult to convey appropriately how much I valued our conversation. It was such an honour to speak with him and we both hope you enjoy listening to this episode!
You can find Chris in the following ways:
His columns on Police 1: https://www.police1.com/Christopher-Littrell/
Gravity Consulting and Training: https://gravityct.com/
Gravity Podcast: Available on all streaming platforms, but this is Apple's - https://podcasts.apple.com/ro/podcast/gravity-podcast/id1589620471
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gravitychris
Instagram: @thatgravitypodcast and @chris.littrell.5
Please feel free to reach out if you'd like a topic discussed, would like to be a guest or are interested in receiving coaching services from Erin Jane.
Email: info@erinjanecoaching.com
Website: https://www.erinjanecoaching.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erinjanecoaching
Call or Text: +1 617 396 4695
You can watch the episode
1 hr 53 min