Transition Drill Podcast Episode 224: Kristi Miedecke, a former San Diego Police Officer, left her career to raise her children but soon faced identity loss, isolation, depression, and anxiety. Therapy opened a new path that led her to a new career as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist serving first responders and veterans. Through jiu jitsu and equine therapy, she rebuilt purpose and now helps others navigate trauma, transition, and life after service.

The holiday season can trigger identity stress for military members, veterans, and first responders. Each group must approach it differently: protect energy in the Close Range phase, schedule Buddy Team check-ins to prevent isolation in the Medium Range, and build identity beyond the uniform in the Long Range. With intention, this season becomes training for a stronger and clearer transition.

In this Mindset Debrief episode, Your first reaction is not your final answer, but it often becomes your reputation. This blog explores how composure, emotional discipline, and self-awareness shape leadership in the space between stimulus and response. It challenges the instinct to blame the moment and shows how reactions are trained, not accidental. Control your first reaction, and you shape your identity, choices, relationships, and future. Growth begins in that first breat