When The Call Hits Home | Episode 9: Childhoods Shaped by Service

Jennifer [00:00:07]:
And welcome back to when the call hits home. I'm Jennifer Woosley, licensed professional clinical counselor and the kid of a first responder.

Ashlee [00:00:15]:
And I'm Ashlee Gethner, also a licensed clinical social worker and a child of a police officer.

Jennifer [00:00:20]:
And we are super hyped for today's episode because we have somebody really special here with us who I think gets to cover every single basis. And so I actually am not going to give her a huge jump in. I'm just gonna have her introduced, but we have doctor Samantha Reeser with us today.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:00:38]:
Hi. I am Samantha Reeser. I am a licensed psychologist, former first responder, cop kid, dispatcher kid, former spouse of a first responder, checking boxes.

Ashlee [00:00:50]:
And a current badass. Am I allowed to swear on this? A current badass. Right? Thank you.

Jennifer [00:00:55]:
She definitely shows up with badass qualities, and that is for sure.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:01:00]:
I am flattered.

Jennifer [00:01:01]:
Yeah. And, again, you you just check so many boxes, and we were so excited to have you on the podcast because of that. I guess, just tell us just slightly about the letters behind your last name too, though, before we, like, get get into it. Sure.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:01:17]:
So I have been a psychologist for about 6 years and working primarily with first responders in the Northern Kentucky area and across the state.

Jennifer [00:01:28]:
Awesome. I just like that little sprinkle of mental health, you know, on top of that.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:01:33]:
Absolutely.

Jennifer [00:01:34]:
So we'll just kinda jump in. And what was it like growing up with 2 first responders? Like you said, you're the kid of a cop and a dispatcher. So just tell us a little bit about that experience.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:01:45]:
I think my experience, I don't know anything different. So my normal is a little bit viewed, I guess, from, everybody else's perspective or other people's. But my parents were great. They still are. They towed the line, I think, well between being strict without being too militant. Now if you ask the younger version of me, it was probably a little bit different. But, no, I think it was obviously really interesting to me to be able to see both sides either from the beginning, from a 911 call to, you know, law enforcement response, and everything in between. They were just mom and dad, and it never really occurred to me until later that that was anything different.

Ashlee [00:02:29]:
Well and I think that that's a great point because we talk about that a lot. I didn't recognize it was different either until I actually went to, you know, our job and talked with Jennifer. And I was like, oh my goodness. She she kinda recognizes the same things I have felt, but I've never really acknowledged. When did you kind of realize for yourself that, you know, growing up might have been a little bit different than your peers or the people around you?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:02:52]:
I think there were moments, in grade school or, or a little bit after that felt different. My father retired from law enforcement when I was 10, so I was just getting into that awareness and the anxiety that could kind of come with that job. So I don't think I had a a lot of awareness, which I think is probably good, and the atmosphere is a lot different now than it was then. I just thought it was cool.

Jennifer [00:03:18]:
Being 10 when your dad retired, did your dad come to school in uniform previous?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:03:23]:
Oh, yeah.

Jennifer [00:03:24]:
And did your classmates ask to use his gun? Was that just my experience?

Ashlee [00:03:29]:
Oh, awesome. Your classmates were ready, Jennifer. Yeah. They were.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:03:34]:
They were. They always got I always got the question, like, you know, have you shot anybody or, you know, the crazy calls and things like that. But he I have a picture from, like, a girl scout meeting, and he's there in full uniform. So that definitely happened. And, again, it was just kinda like, yeah, it's my dad. Whatever. And I kept kinda going back to t ball or whatever I was doing. Right.

Jennifer [00:03:59]:
I love it.

Ashlee [00:04:00]:
I love it. That I feel like that's so fair. I used to did you do any ride alongs or anything like that? No. No?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:04:07]:
Oh, I never even thought about that.

Jennifer [00:04:09]:
I never did a ride along either. So Yeah.

Ashlee [00:04:12]:
Oh my gosh. Well, that used to happen to me. I would go on ride alongs with my dad and then people would be staring at me. I'd be like, dad, why are these people staring at me? And he's like, Ashlee, you're in a cop car. Like, that's why they're staring at you and I'd be like, hello? Because I would forget, like, this is just my dad.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:04:28]:
That's never even occurred to me that I'd never had that experience. My dad didn't have a take home car. My mom had a, you know, an agency issued vehicle later on, and then it had a radio in it, and that just became the norm. But, no, I never even thought about not doing a ride along. Weird.

Jennifer [00:04:45]:
Well, I'm just gonna ask a couple more questions since you you were younger when your dad retired, which kudos to your dad. Lucky guy. But did he go into a secondary career after that?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:04:57]:
Yeah. So he retired and then he did some accident reconstruction, paralegal work for local legal attorneys and things like that. And then he went into pretrial, and he did that for 16 years.

Ashlee [00:05:11]:
Oh my goodness. Holy.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:05:13]:
Yeah. Yeah.

Jennifer [00:05:14]:
Just thinking about, you know, the mental health aspect and and the longevity of people after first responder careers, that just made me wanna ask that that question.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:05:24]:
Yeah. I think everything has always been somewhat adjacent to it if if not directly related. My mother retired and just kinda stayed out of it and fell into family roles and things like that instead, which was well needed. So I'm sure.

Ashlee [00:05:41]:
Yeah. Well, jeez. That's I mean, it's just so interesting to hear it with both parents. And I know we've talked a lot before too about and I guess, right, for you, this would be the same. It might look slightly different. So it's a kind of a good question to bring it back up a little bit is that just that notion of kind of their their hours, their schedules, and their work and their commitment, how did that impact your family?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:06:03]:
I think you get used to, you know, meals and, you know, my dad would have napkin tucked into his class a's and, you know, he might have to leave or show up at Christmas or not show up at Christmas because he was working. And, you know, similarly with my mother on New Year's, for example, or when the times changed, she would have to go in and respond at, like, midnight to make sure that all the clocks and things were turned. Or if the weather was bad, she would respond for that and just help out and make sure that everything was going as it was. But, you know, she even make the comment now that I never made never made the bed. There was no sense in it because one of us was either getting in and getting out, shift work being yeah. So they showed up when they could, but I'm sure that that took a toll, always rotating and trying to just pick up and show up where you could.

Jennifer [00:06:53]:
That's interesting. Your mom's saying that never making the bed. Do you care would it be okay to share their meet cute, like, how your parents

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:07:02]:
Absolutely. I think it's adorable. Yeah. Yeah. So, my entire existence from the very beginning has, been dictated by first responders. So my father I think my father was a dispatcher before he went to the police academy, but he was an officer and was on a call, and my mother was a dispatcher working the radio. And he had, you know, said something back to her. And instead of, you know, just addressing it with a 10 code or whatever or using her dispatcher number, he responded with her name and said, you know, thanks, Doris, and kinda started from there, got her attention, and and that began it all.

Jennifer [00:07:44]:
The rest are very long.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:07:45]:
That's I love that so much. That's right. Sweet. Very cute.

Ashlee [00:07:49]:
That is so sweet.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:07:51]:
I'm trying

Ashlee [00:07:51]:
to pull from, like, there's so many things that I directions that we wanna take. So are we open to asking questions a little bit about what guided you? Was it your family that guided you to law enforcement, or what kind of led you to your own career being in law enforcement?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:08:07]:
Yeah. Absolutely. I think it was definitely my my mom and dad's jobs that got me there. I spent a lot of my childhood because just of the way that the agencies were set up. They were basically connected, the fire dispatch and policing. So if I was, you know, going to work with my parents, I was either sitting in the radio room listening to calls or, you know, the fire guys would run out and I'd go into the bay and watch them or, you know, watch the sirens for the the officers that were leaving. So it was always just something that intrigued me from about the time I was 13. I still I think that I started to decide that that's where I was leaning toward.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:08:47]:
Yeah. I was I wanted to be in the FBI. That was sort of the goal. And, initially, I wanted to be a Navy Seal that went to Harvard, and I realized now that that's not how that works. And You have to be

Jennifer [00:09:01]:
on the back,

Ashlee [00:09:02]:
though. I mean, yeah. Again. Right? We started this saying she was amazing. So

Jennifer [00:09:08]:
Right?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:09:09]:
The Navy didn't take women as seals at that point in time. That is a minor detail that I hadn't considered. Didn't matter. But I landed on the FBI, and before I was of the age that I could apply to do that, I decided to do local law enforcement instead, get some experience. And by the time I got into that, that that was where I stayed and where I wanted to be, and I don't regret regret that decision at all. So, yeah, that that's definitely how it got there.

Jennifer [00:09:33]:
Do you feel like your parents are pretty supportive of that? I mean, obviously, like, kinda following in their footsteps?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:09:40]:
Without a doubt. They for all their, to their credit, never once dissuaded me from it, and I'm sure that as a parent now, I can only imagine the worry that I would have. They never showed any of that. They were always have always been right there even know, if I as a kid, I tell first responders that I work with now that are worried about the impact of their job on their families and their children that I don't ever remember my parents not being there. I don't ever remember the times when they couldn't make it. They have always done a really good job of for my brother and I making sure that that they showed up at any game I had, any practice I had, any of the things that were important, and that's been true even to now. So

Jennifer [00:10:22]:
Yeah.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:10:23]:
Yeah. They've always been very, very supportive. I'm beyond blessed with with them and my brother. So

Jennifer [00:10:28]:
That's beautiful.

Ashlee [00:10:30]:
Yeah. Absolutely. I find it interesting that you say that because I think, you know, my dad certainly had to miss out on quite a few things. But, again, I don't ever think that I thought of it as, like, a negative thing. Like, I knew he was working. But one thing that I can say for my myself at least, and maybe someone else can relate, is that I just discovered recently, I was talking about it through a training that I did, and I was like, it really wasn't this negative thing about him not being there. Like, I knew the job would take him away from things like that. And, again, when you grow up with it, you don't think differently.

Ashlee [00:11:01]:
So it was like, yeah, dad's working. But what I did find is that when he finally was there, I felt so much more pressure to do good just because I wanted to make him proud. Like, he was finally watching, right, or he was there. Yeah. Or when he did coach my softball team and stuff like that, like, I just soaked in all of that because I was like, it's exciting to have him here, but then I would apply all that pressure to myself and be like, I have to do good because dad's finally here. And I wanna see, you know, why him to see me doing so good. And I thought that was kind of an interesting thing that I landed upon not too long ago of just being like, woah. I didn't realize that I put so much pressure on myself just to make him, I guess, proud even at a very young age.

Ashlee [00:11:40]:
So

Jennifer [00:11:41]:
interesting. Right? Like

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:11:43]:
Definitely. Oh, I was just saying, like, you just want them to be proud of you. Doesn't matter how big or small the feet is.

Ashlee [00:11:49]:
Yeah. Right. Well, and I

Jennifer [00:11:51]:
think, you know, as a parent, like, that ability to have so many effective functioning skills to manage schedules and things like that and thinking about that with shift works or different kinds of schedules, it's a lot for a person to try to manage. And I think as an adult, we can even reflect on that even more of like, wow. How did you make it to those games? Like, how did you come to that practice? I remember, you know, being older because I'm kinda spoiled in a way. Like, I don't remember, like, a Christmas without my dad or anything like that. And, you know, my dad always said, like, well, before I had you and your brother, like, I did work Christmas. And the whole idea is, like, once you're, you know, been there a while longer, like, the goal is that people that do have families like, it sounded like they work within the organization to try to make that happen more too, which, you know, you have a lot of respect for that too for people that maybe, you know, didn't have kids and were willing to kinda give away their holidays so that, you know, parents could be with their kiddos.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:12:56]:
Yeah.

Jennifer [00:12:56]:
Did you see much of work with your mom, or did she have a pretty regular schedule being a dispatcher?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:13:04]:
By the time that I was a little older, she had moved up into the director position. And so her schedule was a little bit more, reliable, and predictable. And up until that point, I don't remember a lot of the back and forth and the weird shift schedules that she had to work, luckily. So I'm sure they were there. My brother probably remembers those a little bit differently, but, yeah, hers were more regular, luckily at that point in time.

Jennifer [00:13:32]:
I'm sure sometimes being a lead though, that also means you can go be called in to cover. So we'll try that maybe. That's so true. Right.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:13:41]:
Yeah. And it was a we were in a smaller, town, smaller agencies, and things like that. Yeah. She was always pitching in when she needed to and doing what she could.

Jennifer [00:13:50]:
Mabel's welcome. It's really okay.

Ashlee [00:13:53]:
Oh, we love animals on this show, so

Jennifer [00:13:56]:
I'm sure.

Ashlee [00:13:57]:
The fact that your dog is creeping in is making my day right now.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:14:01]:
It's my canine right here.

Ashlee [00:14:03]:
Bring my focus back.

Jennifer [00:14:06]:
Real aggressive, well trained killer you have right next to you. Brocious. That's right. Canines.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:14:13]:
Oh my goodness.

Ashlee [00:14:14]:
Well, I feel like would it be okay to ask? And if I'm jumping around, we can move this around a little bit too. But would it be okay to ask a little bit this is kind of more personal because of the fact that you are a parent, and you also have been a law like, a law enforcement. Right? Like, you you did that too. So what what was that like for you being a police officer? And being a parent, did you see anything kinda correlate? Did you recognize anything from the job that you brought home? Things like that.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:14:40]:
So my son was 2 when I left policing. And I think before I had him, I didn't I had the luxury of a little bit of detachment between some of the harder calls that, that officers go to. Obviously, the awareness that they were awful, were unfortunate, but they just hit differently when you have your own, understandably. And so, yeah, that started to take a little bit of a toll, and I was in investigations at that point. And so that was a little bit of a different role, and then the the types of calls or the depth of of the information with kid involvement, especially. Yeah. I think it it changes your perspective on a lot of things and being confronted with your own mortality even if you don't have a a job that requires a ballistic vest. Kids are really good at letting you know when you are not present or, you know, the the things that that matter.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:15:37]:
So that shifted a lot of my perspective and kind of given gave me a reason to want to seek something different or to plan for the future a little bit more. So

Ashlee [00:15:47]:
Thank you for sharing that. I know I was, like, curveball, and I just threw that in there. So thank you so much for being open and sharing that. I think it's it's true, and it's interesting to learn it. In this side of things, I'm not, you know, a first responder, so it's very interesting to learn that and learn how you have both

Jennifer [00:16:03]:
well, you have all the roles.

Ashlee [00:16:04]:
We know that right now. We put that out there. So to learn from you all the different roles is pretty incredible. So thank you. Well, since we're,

Jennifer [00:16:11]:
you know, on that vein to kinda keep us moving in that, can you tell us a little bit about the transition from, you know, first responding to mental health?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:16:20]:
Like I said, my ex husband and I were both law enforcement at the time, and he was in school for psychology to go and pursue that. And it became came to the point where he needed to relocate to finish school, and I didn't wanna move to a different part of the state in a new area, be low man on the totem pole again and and beyond those midnight shifts, the some people really thrive in that, and I am not one of those. So I was looking at going back to school and decided to do psychology as well partly because I'm a little competitive and I'm not one to be out degreed, and so I had a bachelor's degree at the time and couldn't couldn't let there only be one doctor. So, it worked out. I I love what I do now. I would have never picked this. This wasn't on my bingo card, but it it's fun now to look back and see all the the little god winks and moments that kinda led me to be in the perfect place, I think. So

Jennifer [00:17:20]:
It's well to hear you say that because I think you're incredibly talented clinician. So I'm like, wait. This wasn't on your trajectory? Because my goodness, you're incredible. Do you think that it is it entering a whole new world? Like, is it so vastly different from the world of law enforcement?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:17:39]:
Not not entirely. I think if you speak with enough officers, you will hear them say, you know, like, this is my purpose. This is my identity. This is what I was meant to do, and they just wanna help people. I think I get to do all of those things. I get to show up for people in a way that's important and help them in a different way. It's the same goal, I think. It's just a different means to the end, and I don't have to wear £30 a gear to do it, which is nice.

Ashlee [00:18:06]:
You're saving your back some trouble.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:18:08]:
That's right. Man, those hips will kill you. Those hips are awful.

Ashlee [00:18:12]:
Those hips. Absolutely. I hear that so often. I swear.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:18:18]:
Yeah. It's real.

Ashlee [00:18:19]:
Like, it's no joke.

Jennifer [00:18:20]:
Well and I definitely think as, you know, kid of a first responder that helping others I mean, it was definitely just a part of the value system that Mhmm. I grew up in. And so, again, I could see that connection as well that you are helping.

Ashlee [00:18:35]:
With being on this topic now of I think we got you a little bit in your clinician brain, so I'm gonna I'm gonna use that to our advantage here. Is there anything that you do see as a clinician now, like, with first responders or first responder families that you do wanna share, that you do think is important? Or maybe it is just more your personal experience, which is a beautiful thing that you have both. Right?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:18:56]:
I think that the environment, the mentality of mental health, and the importance of it in law enforcement or in first responder world entirely is shifting, thankfully Thankfully. About time.

Ashlee [00:19:11]:
Yeah.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:19:12]:
Because, you know, policing is the most fun I've ever had doing a job. The relationships with those people are unlike any other. I don't think it would be the same if I was an accountant because the people that I worked with really became, you know, part of the family and, you know, even if we didn't necessarily see eye to eye or they weren't people that I wanted to grab drinks with, I knew that if I needed them, they'd wreck a cruiser to get to me, and you just don't find that a lot. Yeah. But I think if I could tell or the things that I tell the the first responders that I work with now is that they they understand the idea of needing backup on a call or, you know, asking for help so readily if it's anything that's not personal. And it's it's as though they they rip the the Velcro or they take the headset off and that no longer applies. And I would love to remind them that we are still back up And, you know, I'd

Jennifer [00:20:17]:
I love that.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:20:18]:
I don't have a cruiser anymore, but if you needed me, I would wreck whatever I have to get to you. And I'm not the only one that feels that way, you know. Right. So, especially, with suicide being such a a leading cause of loss for, particularly, law enforcement, but first responders as a whole, you know, you just have to call for backup and show up even when it's messy, even if it's hard, because there are people who will be there.

Ashlee [00:20:45]:
Oh, that hits. That was good.

Jennifer [00:20:48]:
I thank

Ashlee [00:20:48]:
you for that.

Jennifer [00:20:49]:
Well said for sure.

Ashlee [00:20:50]:
Yeah. It was like the perfect way of saying that that I think, hopefully, will translate to our first responders who listen very well. So thank you for that.

Jennifer [00:20:58]:
What's that? I mean, I guess, I'm just following in the clinical rabbit hole a little bit. Is there some things aside from, like, just come into the office? Because I definitely hear that. Like, that they won't even ask for a therapist number. But once you're in the seat, like, do you notice anything that you're like, wow, kinda broad stroke if more first responders knew or if I see something in my office, it's usually

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:21:28]:
I think, if they knew that it didn't have to feel so clinical. Mhmm. Mhmm. Because it's very normal for them to pull up next to another cruiser and shoot the shit or to go to to roll call and debrief. It doesn't have to be this formal thing. And a lot of of sessions that I have and some of the best ones are when it's just 2 people, you know, sharing what's going on and relating and being seen by somebody else. It doesn't have to be this clinical going through the list of what your symptoms are and ways to fix it and, you know, all these self care tools and modalities that help. It's just, hey.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:22:10]:
You're struggling. I get it. What can we do? What do we need to do? And it doesn't have to be a big deal.

Jennifer [00:22:16]:
I completely agree with that. Yeah. Now I have been interrogated by some of the first responders that have sat across me, but I was like, okay. I'll get through this interrogation, and then we'll get to that place. You know?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:22:26]:
Right.

Jennifer [00:22:26]:
Which is Yeah. You know, I I was not offended by that at all. I think it's about building trust, and that's what needed to happen. And I was happy to sit through that interrogation.

Ashlee [00:22:38]:
And We joke around about it now up by me, but when I got my contract to, like, work with the law enforcement up in this area, they sent 3 different people to interrogate me at the same time. At the same

Jennifer [00:22:50]:
time. You usually got one at a time. Wow.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:22:52]:
Yeah. It's a panel interview.

Ashlee [00:22:54]:
It was like a it was a panel interview. And they joke around with me all the time now because they're like, we walked in the office all, like, big and tough and you know? And and then they were like but then she was just real with us, and she had it. Like, we we understood that. But it I mean, yeah, that inter it's that interrogation piece was real. But then I was like, I grew up with 1 of y'all, so I'm actually not really scared, and so let's do it. Let's go.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:23:19]:
Yeah. And you guys have that same connection, that same buy in where that's not intimidating, where it's, you know, it is just another day. It's like, I've seen a 100 of you. You're fine. Right. But they also know that they can trust you because you get it, and it's not just, you know, whatever the letters before or after your name are. And they just wanna know that that you're on the same level or that you can understand it. And I think your histories and backgrounds and experiences growing up absolutely make you so important in this community for sure.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:23:55]:
Thank you.

Jennifer [00:23:55]:
Are you pretty open with people about your own experience as an officer? Like, are you pretty transparent about that as well?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:24:04]:
Yeah. Obviously, whatever is clinically relevant, but, absolutely. Yeah. I think it really again, it's just people. And even if it's relating to somebody on the street or on the radio or somebody who's calling 911, they just they just need you. And it you just have to be a real person. So if you hide behind the the desk or the book or the, you know, notepad that you're behind, then, there's gonna be that barrier.

Ashlee [00:24:35]:
Absolutely.

Jennifer [00:24:36]:
Just to transition a little bit too and just speaking of the parenting piece and kinda going backwards a little bit. But, you know, I I have to say, it sounds like your parents did a great job, like you said, of balance and showing up and, you know, those positive experiences. And then, you know, being a parent yourself and then being an officer, is there anything that you think is helpful for parents that are first responders? I appreciate what you even said earlier about, like, hey. Listen. This is my my childhood. Like, don't stress yourself out too much about missing the things. But is there something else that you think is good for people just to kinda recognize as parents that are first responders?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:25:19]:
To touch on the point that you said, yeah, my parents are fantastic. I they are very adaptive humans. They don't argue somehow. They are very laid back. I think it's important that, as a parent, I never want my kid to feel that perfect is real, and so being messy and knowing how to be tired even if it's just, you know, that midnight shift is is really taking a toll, then show up tired and don't put on this fake face because they're gonna grow up and then expect that that's the reality that, you know, mom or dad never showed any kind of of weakness or deficiency, and I have to now show up that way too, which just couldn't be further from the truth, and hopefully because I know I'm not perfect and I I would rather my kid know, hey. It's not gonna be great all the time, but I can still keep it moving and still add value and, you know, I I know how to apologize for the things that I've made mistakes on or, you know, how to course correct when I need to.

Jennifer [00:26:34]:
Well, I so appreciate that because I think that our kids know who we are.

Ashlee [00:26:40]:
They figure it out. Numbers. We figure it out. Right?

Jennifer [00:26:42]:
Saying it or not saying it. And so I think just like you said, to be honest of, like, I'm tired is okay. You know, you don't have to put on the mask or try to muscle through because your kids kinda sense it. And I think that also, you know, works to the reverse. Like you want your kid to come to you with stuff. If you're being honest with them, that opens that communication and bridges that for sure. So what else that's in my I think that's great.

Ashlee [00:27:09]:
Well, I also think being I I hear you saying that talking about your imperfections. Right? Like, I think it leaves less room for that child to assume as well. I know that may sound Mhmm. Very interesting, but, like, when I hear this a lot with children of first responders, and I went through it myself. Like, if there were times where my dad would have just said, hey. I am tired, and I'm past my limit, so I need some space. Right? Like and and things maybe wouldn't have escalated and or I wouldn't have interpreted some things wrong of being like, oh, that's just always crabby or cranky, and maybe it's my fault. Right? Like, had he had just said that, I probably would've been like, oh, alright.

Ashlee [00:27:47]:
You know? Yeah. I like that point more. I like that point a lot.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:27:52]:
I think my parents taught me resilience, either outright taught me that or modeled it for me. I think the double edged sword to that is there's a certain level of suffering and silence that took me some years to piece apart for myself. You know, grace under pressure is great, but some days you're not gonna have that. And just being able to acknowledge, like, that I'm I don't have it today is a nice a nice ability to have when you have to have it.

Jennifer [00:28:20]:
Absolutely. Such a liberating thing in a lot of ways too.

Ashlee [00:28:24]:
Right. Well, we went I love that. Like, my brain is still processing that. You just said that so nicely, and I was like, wow. That's impactful. So thank you

Jennifer [00:28:33]:
for that.

Ashlee [00:28:34]:
I don't know. Jennifer, do you have any other bigger questions?

Jennifer [00:28:36]:
No. Well, I don't have bigger I have I have a silly question.

Ashlee [00:28:40]:
So I'm like, oh, no.

Jennifer [00:28:41]:
Transitioning to,

Ashlee [00:28:42]:
but I didn't. So go ahead and ask yourself a question.

Jennifer [00:28:45]:
Being all deep and professional. I'm like, tell me a funny story. No. But I I do. Ashlee and I kinda have the, like, you know, only the kid of a cop got to, you know, or only a dispatcher's kid knows. So if there is any kind of unique experiences that maybe were even a little growing up.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:29:08]:
Oh, man. There are so many. One that we still joke about. I was in high school, so old enough, but, I think it was after, like, a football game or something, and I'd gone out with friends to grab food. So went out to Waffle House and ate, went home. My parents, like, hey. What'd you do? Where'd you go? And I was like, oh, you know, it was probably, you know, 10 or 11 o'clock probably at this point in time when I got home. I was like, oh, I went to Waffle House and ate and it might have been a little bit later because there was a certain level, or time frame where they would put a officer on duty just to keep the peace there.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:29:43]:
And so I told them that I had gone to Waffle House late, and they were like, you know, maybe maybe don't do that. And to to the point where now, even still, I'm like, sorry. My mom won't let me go to Waffle House after dark, so I can't. Because it was just one of those things and I had no no awareness. I'm just like, oh, cool. There's an officer here. No big deal. But, yeah, I think there's always those stereotypical moments of, like, you can't sit in certain seats at a restaurant or, like, the smell of gun solvent and oil is just burnt into my nostrils now.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:30:18]:
It's kind of soothing, actually. I'm just

Jennifer [00:30:25]:
Is that your aromatherapy when you add another batch that you picked? No. I don't want the lemon or peppermint, please. The the gum powder.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:30:34]:
Please, please. Yeah. So those are or just knowing that you can't get away with anything.

Ashlee [00:30:42]:
Yeah.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:30:42]:
I got pulled over and for speeding, and before I got home, the dispatch had called my house and they knew or being out and they're like, oh, you're so and so's kid. Yeah. I get them. Yeah. Or you can't date anybody because there's threats of, you know, running them for warrants and background checks before any of that

Ashlee [00:31:01]:
happens. Oh,

Jennifer [00:31:02]:
gosh. Yes.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:31:04]:
See? You get it.

Ashlee [00:31:06]:
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Did you ever do anything because of the way you said earlier that the depart like, how it was all structured with the fire department right there and everything too? Like, did you ever do anything within the department that was kinda funny?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:31:20]:
One time in the, in the dispatch area, they had the radio room and then off to that with the break room and then to the other side of that were offices and things. And so I had made my rounds, listened to the radio for a little bit, then I was in the break room watching TV and eat snacks. And on the desk, one of the dispatchers had left their keys, and I was I'm I'll say I'm curious and because it sounds better than nosy, and there was a pepper spray canister on it. It was like, oh, what's this? And sprayed it, and was like, oh, that's weird, and then left and went and hung out with the fire department. And they had to evacuate the coast. Yeah. So there that happened.

Ashlee [00:32:07]:
Okay. That's happening. Thing is. Your eyes. Amazing. I'm so glad I asked that. That surpasses my story times tenfold. Like, mine is not even cool anymore.

Ashlee [00:32:19]:
Like, I'm not even going to that is hilarious. Oh my god.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:32:23]:
Well, now I need to know what your story is.

Ashlee [00:32:25]:
Oh, no. Mine's not even that cool. It was just that so we would obviously we would be in the department and stuff. And, one time, my dad left us.

Jennifer [00:32:33]:
I don't even know where he went.

Ashlee [00:32:35]:
I I don't I don't even know, but we were in, like, the booking area.

Jennifer [00:32:39]:
And

Ashlee [00:32:39]:
so nobody was in there. And so but there's the camera to take, like, the photos. And so me and my sister and my cousin were, like, taking, like, photos repeatedly on that camera. And I remember my dad being like, dude, you guys take big photos? And we were like, yeah. Me yeah. Wait. Possibly. Like, we can't hide it.

Ashlee [00:33:01]:
Like, it's there because they're like, Craig, I think your kids are, like, on our camera. We're, like, mangled silly face, like, spaces and stuff and

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:33:09]:
Oh.

Ashlee [00:33:10]:
Like, oops. Like, what do you mean? Give for that

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:33:13]:
tape. Right. Right.

Jennifer [00:33:15]:
I wonder if it ever showed up to court and they're, like, going through, and they're like,

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:33:19]:
oh, not that one.

Ashlee [00:33:23]:
Like, oops.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:33:24]:
Oh. I

Jennifer [00:33:25]:
was like, why can't they

Ashlee [00:33:26]:
just do these things?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:33:27]:
I don't know.

Ashlee [00:33:29]:
I love it.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:33:29]:
I haven't thought about that forever.

Ashlee [00:33:32]:
The kids being curious and,

Jennifer [00:33:34]:
you know, you're gonna bring us to the station. We're gonna still be kids. That's how

Ashlee [00:33:38]:
it goes. It was the best to go to the station. I was always so excited to go. So

Jennifer [00:33:44]:
Do you guys have, like, a gym at

Ashlee [00:33:46]:
Yes.

Jennifer [00:33:47]:
The station?

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:33:47]:
Mhmm. That's

Jennifer [00:33:48]:
where we always I mean

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:33:50]:
Yeah. Yeah.

Jennifer [00:33:52]:
That's my childhood is

Ashlee [00:33:54]:
The gym.

Jennifer [00:33:54]:
Smell of that gym. Yes.

Ashlee [00:33:56]:
I can smell it. You said that, and my nose was like, oh, yeah. There it is.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:34:00]:
Did you guys ever use that? Absolutely true.

Ashlee [00:34:02]:
The my dad's department was very cool with us in, like, learning about gun safety and things like that. And so they would let us use the shooting range, and they would teach us Oh, no. Gun safety.

Jennifer [00:34:12]:
I mean, I think that's a positive thing. We didn't know. We went to the farm. My dad took us to the farm and showed us. Like, that's how we got to learn. I would have liked to been in a more formal education place.

Ashlee [00:34:27]:
Yeah. No. They were there with us.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:34:29]:
I don't remember ever doing there was a a private range that my dad would go to, but, yeah, I don't think I don't remember ever going to the firing range. That'd have been cool, though.

Ashlee [00:34:38]:
We used to turn off all the lights and turn on the police. The little police lights in there and stuff when nobody was shooting, and then we would run around. Yeah. I don't know. Who let us in this building? Like, I don't know who let us in this building, but

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:34:51]:
That's bad.

Jennifer [00:34:53]:
Yeah. And you're taking pictures.

Ashlee [00:34:55]:
Taking pictures. Clearly, I was partying at a very young age.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:34:59]:
I was

Ashlee [00:34:59]:
like, hey. This is like a girl's like a party. We showed really

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:35:05]:
get you yeah. The policy named after you now.

Jennifer [00:35:07]:
Yeah. There probably There definitely is.

Ashlee [00:35:09]:
There probably is. They're like, so kids

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:35:11]:
aren't even allowed here anymore?

Ashlee [00:35:12]:
No. I'm just kidding. Oh my gosh. Well, thank you so much for sharing that with us and sharing everything that you have. I mean, it's pretty incredible what you do, what you have done, what you continue to do. It's very inspirational, and I'm just so thankful that I know you and I get to learn from you. So thank you so much.

Jennifer [00:35:30]:
Oh, Ashlee, I can't follow those words up because I feel all that Yeah. Ditto times a 100, Sam. Like, it really is. I just appreciate you being a part of this. And, again, as Ashlee said, because you do have so many different experiences with it for sure. And and I just want the listeners to know that she will absolutely, Wrecker Cruiser, to be there for you. I've never Yes. Seen that completely in you, Sam, that you always follow-up with what you say.

Jennifer [00:35:56]:
So

Ashlee [00:35:56]:
And that's so fair too, actually, whether it be now or whether it be later. If you want us to link in any of your business stuff, please let

Jennifer [00:36:03]:
us know. We would love to give you

Ashlee [00:36:04]:
guys that shout out and whatever you would like.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:36:07]:
You so much. I mean, I have a pretty

Jennifer [00:36:09]:
fancy pen from her organization.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:36:13]:
The pens are important.

Ashlee [00:36:14]:
The pen,

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:36:15]:
do I have one?

Ashlee [00:36:16]:
I don't know if

Jennifer [00:36:17]:
you have one.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:36:17]:
It's in my purse. That. I will bring you 2, because pens are important. You can leave a lot of stuff in a patrol room and no one will ever touch it. If you left $500 on the table, it's fine. But you leave a good pen or a flashlight, that's gone. Ashlee.

Jennifer [00:36:33]:
She knows. She knows.

Dr. Samantha Reeser [00:36:34]:
A flashlight. Done. So thank you for having me. I you guys are fantastic. I thank the world of you, and I love that we share our pop kid stories and experiences because it's it's a fun, special, little, you know, community that we belong to, and even to do the first or the mental health aspect of it too. Yeah. I I just I love and respect you guys and couldn't be happier to be here. So Oh, thank you.

Ashlee [00:37:06]:
Thank you.

Jennifer [00:37:07]:
We, again, just wanna thank doctor Samantha Research for being on the podcast today. She's amazing. And, again, she covered so many wonderful things and aspects in terms of being the kid of an officer and dispatcher, her own experience behind the badge, and then now in mental health. So we just a big shout out and thank you to Sam.

Ashlee [00:37:28]:
Yes. Thank you to Sam and everybody who is listening. And don't forget that when the call hits home, Jennifer and I are always here for you. Thank you.

Jennifer [00:37:36]:
Thank you.