Inner Circle Mental Health is a dedicated mental health service for first responders and their families, offering support tailored to their unique experiences and challenges. With a deep understanding of the first responder culture, it provides accessible mental health solutions in a manner that resonates with an audience often reluctant to seek help. The service's approach is characterized by empathy, respect, and a deep knowledge of the professional and cultural nuances of first responder work. It aims to create a trusted space for these professionals, acknowledging and addressing the mental health needs specific to the demanding and often stressful nature of their roles.

Podcast Roundtable Contributor

Podcast: Three Calls In

Produced by: Inner Circle Mental Health

Overview

Three Calls In is a seasonal podcast featuring candid, unscripted conversations between three currently working, field-level first responders:

• 
  Law Enforcement
• Firefighter
• Medic / Medical Professional

Each season follows the same three voices across 11 weekly recording sessions as they engage in honest, peer-level conversation about:

• Mental health on and off the job
• The realities that shape why people stay, burn out, or leave the profession
• Identity, relationships, and long-term exposure to high-acuity work
• The cultural norms—spoken and unspoken—that influence workforce wellbeing

These conversations are not scripted, not clinical, and not policy-driven. They reflect the kinds of discussions that happen in station kitchens, patrol cars, rigs, and parking lots—now recorded to reduce stigma and increase understanding.

The goal is not to fix systems or offer solutions, but to name the realities that impact individual wellbeing and workforce longevity.

Role Type

• Independent Contractor
• Seasonal commitment
• Non-employee, non-representational role

Compensation

• $300 total per season
• Covers 11 paid recording sessions
• Paid via invoice (end-of-season or split mid/end—TBD)

Time Commitment

• 11 total paid hours per season
• 1 introductory session (~60 minutes)
• 10 recorded podcast episodes (~60 minutes each)
• Recording schedule: weekly
• Expected season length: ~11 weeks

Important to Know

• You will not be asked to disclose your department or agency
• You will not represent any organization or speak on behalf of a department
• First names only (or approved identifiers) will be used
• This is a closed, respectful roundtable—not an interview or debate

Who We’re Looking For

Required

• Currently working in:
• Law enforcement or
• Fire service or
• Field-based medic / medical role
• Field-level (not administrative, academic, or supervisory-only)
• Able to commit to weekly recording sessions
• Comfortable speaking candidly in a small group
• Able to maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries

Preferred

• Enough experience to have perspective
• Comfortable with disagreement and differing viewpoints
• Uses humor without demeaning others
• Not seeking visibility, branding, or influence

Not a Fit If You

• Want to promote a department, policy, or agenda
• Prefer scripted or interview-style content
• Are currently involved in disciplinary proceedings
• Are seeking therapy or crisis processing through participation

What This Role Is

• A consistent roundtable voice for one season
• A peer perspective rooted in lived experience
• A contribution to broader conversations around mental health and workforce sustainability

What This Role Is Not

• Therapy
• A spokesperson role
• Department-sponsored participation
• A platform for advocacy or debate

Confidentiality & Ethics

• No discussion of active cases or identifying details
• No naming of departments, agencies, or individuals
• Independent contractor agreement required prior to recording

Season Topic Framework

(Topics guide conversation; there are no scripts or questions.)

• The Table
• What We Carry Home
• Sleep & Hypervigilance
• Dark Humor
• Anger
• Relationships & Family
• Identity & the Uniform
• The Calls That Change You
• Asking for Help
• What We’d Tell the New Ones