Inside & Outside the Yellow Tape: The lifesaving conversation on with Kenny Mitchell

Kenny Mitchell Podcast
[00:00:00] 
Introduction to the Podcast and Guest
It's time to ignite your soul and unlock your full potential. Join us on Beneath the Helmet, the podcast exploring firefighters health and wellness. Hosted by retired Fire Chief Arjuna George, our podcast is the perfect place to start your journey towards becoming the best version of yourself. So come on, let's join the conversation and find out what sets your soul on fire.All right, welcome back everyone. Got another great episode today. A very special guest and new friend of mine. He's an advocate for mental health as well as an active firefighter, Lieutenant Kenny Mitchell.
Unveiling Operation Yellow Tape
So in this great conversation, we get a chance to talk about his program called Operation Yellow Tape, uh, which includes several things. He's got a podcast out there now about Operation Yellow Tape. Be sure to check that out. Uh, but he's also got this excellent program [00:01:00] that is called Operation Yellow Tape and it's going into his third year of hosting its event.
Uh, there'll be more details in the show notes for you,
 Operation Yellow Tape to me was a, a very clear description and a very good visual for me to use, that he discusses about the internal circle of the Yellow Tape, such as the Fire Scene Tape. But then a lot of us also forget about the outside of the Yellow Tape, which is where we see financial stress, relationship stress, all these things kind of pile up.
And he wants to bring awareness to the inside as well as the outside of the Operation Yellow Tape. So I hope you enjoy this episode. It's a great chat. Very energizing. Uh, Kenny's a great guy and a huge advocate for, the fire service and mental health. So I hope you enjoy this episode. And until next time, stay well.
Arjuna George: All right. Welcome back to the show. Everyone got a very special guest on the show today. One that we've been going back and forth, uh, trying to book a book, a session that works out [00:02:00] both for us. So, uh, I have the pleasure to invite a conversation with Kenny Mitchell, the Bay Lieutenant in the fire service in the U S and also owner of Operation Yellow Tape.
Arjuna George: So welcome to the show, Kenny. Thank you, Chief. Honored to be here. I'm glad we finally nailed this down, and, uh, yeah, it's taken us a couple of months, but here we are. Fantastic. Fantastic. So, tell our audience a little bit about who Kenny Mitchell is and your background and Kind of how you transformed into who you are today.
Arjuna George: Okay. Yeah. Let me see. Um, I'll just start. Uh, I feel I had a pretty, very normal childhood. Just, you know, like everybody else, pretty much for the most part, playing sports, uh, baseball, football. I did not come from a first responder while a firefighter background. My uncle was a police officer, my dad's brother.
Arjuna George: I have very, strong memories of him coming into the house and that leather belt and, um, how proud my dad was of him and the sounds that [00:03:00] belt made as he went through the kitchen and sat in the chairs and, and talked to my father. And back then, my dad could do ride alongs with him. So, it kind of sparked my interest, um, early on, uh, something in that, in that area.
Arjuna George: However, I decided to go off to, uh, I went off to college, played baseball, and I was going to be an accountant. Well, my baseball schedule didn't line up with, um, uh, my accountant schedule. So my coach picked a degree for me. And he picked Graphic Design and Imaging Technology. So I graduated with a degree in Graphic Design and Imaging Technology.
Arjuna George: Landed myself in Nags Head, North Carolina, working for a newspaper. Got promoted and went to Norfolk, Virginia, working for the same newspaper. As a graphic designer, I was happy. I was in a very well paid job. 
The Impact of 9/11 on Kenny's Career
Arjuna George: It was about to, um, In the early 2000s, it was about to be the dot com, you know, everything was about to go big, there were no real cell phones at the time, [00:04:00] love my job, however, um, as you know, one beautiful Tuesday morning, uh, everything changed, September 11th happened, I was working at the newspaper, major television up, we actually saw the second plane, uh, strike, and it did something to me, like it did to you, like it did to thousands of people in this world, it changed the direction of what I wanted to do with my career.
Arjuna George: I thought about the police, I thought about military, I thought about the fire service, what do I want to do? I couldn't stop watching the recovery efforts, and when I tell you Chief, literally I was applying in fire departments, within that week I was. I got blessed and got picked up by the Virginia Beach Fire Department.
Kenny's Journey into Fire Service
Arjuna George: That's where I started my career and then was there a couple of years and then I got a little bit further up here where I am now since 2007, but to make a real long story short, I'm here in the fire service working on my 21st year, really, [00:05:00] because of that day I wanted to do more. I knew there was something that was brewing inside of me.
Arjuna George: What was it? I didn't know, but the fire service was calling me. It just, I could not stop thinking about the brothers and sisters that we lost that day, and the thousands of citizens, and the people who were injured, and it just, it launched me into the fire service. Now, in the early 2000s, I didn't quite know what I was getting into.
Arjuna George: I wouldn't change anything. 
The Importance of Mental Health in Fire Service
Arjuna George: However, I do wish mental health and emotional health, there was a little more going on back then in the early days, like I'm sure you do, you wish that as well. But that's how I got into the fire service, literally. It just, That day. Changed everything in my path. It's incredible to hear a story about how nine 11 September 11th changed your life when you weren't even in the fire service yet.
Arjuna George: 'cause I, I've talked to a lot of people where they were in the fire service and it changed their life that day. But for someone that's [00:06:00] interesting to hear somebody who wasn't actually in the fire service, but it drew them into that service model. So that's, that's. Fantastic story. Yeah, I had a very, I had a very good job.
Arjuna George: I took a very, uh, a very large pay cut to go into the fire service. I had a pager, you know, at four weeks, four weeks paid vacation, but again, I wouldn't trade anything in the world. This has been an amazing job. I've met amazing people. I've done things that I would never think to do. I've been on teams of professionals that I've never imagined I would meet.
Arjuna George: But yeah, it was that simple day. And I will tell you, my uncle, cool. Being a police officer, he retired for 25 years as a sergeant in the local police department here. That, that was in the back of my mind always, just that, how, how proud my family was of his duty. And, and again, I can close my eyes and I can hear him walking through our kitchen, that leather belt and, and, and those, the tools, and it just.
Arjuna George: It always interests me. I was always so proud of [00:07:00] him. And so was my dad of what he did back in the early days, you know, wasn't wasn't much staffing. He was by himself a lot all the time. So that played in my mind too, as I kicked around military, fire, police, and I wanted to make an immediate difference.
Arjuna George: Like right now, how do I do something now? Yes, I could have joined the military and went to boot camp and went off. I know that, but I was like, what can I do in my community? Um, after about six months of training to, to take effect now, so not to go in circles, but that's, uh, that was the, the direction I went.
Arjuna George: Yeah, beautiful. So you're, you're kind of, you're still in the fire service as a lieutenant, but you're also very passionate about mental health and sharing that message about breaking, smashing that stigma. So tell us a little bit about your experience through the fire service and what brought you to that realization that mental health, emotional health is something that we need to take better care of.
Arjuna George: Yeah, that's a, that's a great [00:08:00] question and I could make it extremely long. I'm going to try not to. In 2013, I had a pretty major event that happened in my personal life that we're not going to go on to in this episode where my daughter's mother unexpectedly passed away. Myself, and I was the first one to her along with a police officer and I performed CPR on her.
Arjuna George: To make a long story short, I think that's where my, in 2013, some of my struggles started. Hiding in silence. I didn't get counseling. I didn't do the things that I should have done for myself. So I think in 2013, I started to feel, I was 10 years into the fire service and then 2014 came and 17. Well in 2020, I met a very good close friend of mine, a firefighter, in April of 2020.
Arjuna George: As you know, in April of 2020, COVID was going on, so there was nowhere really to meet, so we decided to meet off of the [00:09:00] Interstate 95, further north, just to talk and hang out, and we were going to try to get lunch, so we brought our lunch, because we couldn't get it anywhere. So I met with him, and we talked, and we laughed, and we smiled, and we talked about the future, and I had been promoted to lieutenant, and I was sharing him some of the lessons learned, good and bad, because as an LT, it's tough.
Arjuna George: Um, things. Things get hard sometimes, especially, uh, the personnel side of things. We're sharing everything. We're talking. He's telling me about his life. But there were so many things on my mind that day that I wanted to tell him. I kept telling myself, man, I just want to tell Tom how heavy I feel for no, for really no reason.
Arjuna George: And this reason, but, but I didn't, uh, however, We did the normal four and a half hour, five hours. Got in my car, he got in his car. I went south, he went north. A couple days passed. Some, some, some fun. Texting back and forth and [00:10:00] different things. On the 16th day, I had a missed call from him. It wasn't unusual.
Arjuna George: I've had missed calls from him before. It was kind of late. I told myself I'll call him in the morning when, when I get on duty, uh, go into the station that day. And as you know, in the fire service, your day, it, it is not like you planned it. Everything changes. The day got away from me. I kept thinking, let's give Tom a call.
Arjuna George: Uh, noon came, dinner came about seven 30 ish pm uh, on a, in April. 28. My phone rang and the other end, a friend said, Are you sitting down? And I'm like, No. And they went out with it and said, you know, Tom has, has taken his life. And I literally, as you can imagine, I'm sure you've been through something like that in the fire service.
Arjuna George: I could not even think straight. I continued my shift. I continue doing what I do. Because of COVID, some things were happening and we couldn't even have a normal funeral. So we had two or three get [00:11:00] togethers. And where I'm coming, getting with this and the birth of Operation Yellow Tape that literally was born on a tear stained napkin.
The Birth of Operation Yellow Tape
Arjuna George: I was at one of his services and people kept walking around and they kept saying, you know, this job sucks. A guy sat beside me and said, you know, this job, this job is terrible, Kenny, and it just sucks. And I looked at him and I'm like, well, I don't agree with you, but I can tell you it's hard. And Operation Inside the Yellow Tape and that in this tape.
Arjuna George: Man, it's tough. It's dark in there at times. It's bloody. It's cold. You have to be sharp and smart and on point. However, outside the yellow tape is where so many of our problems come from. I don't even know what I was even saying to this guy, but this came out of my mind, out of my brain. I'm like, outside is where the divorces and the child custody battles and the illnesses and watching your parents get older and you struggling with promotion.
Arjuna George: And I just went [00:12:00] on. Like I was lecturing him, I said the outside of the yellow tape is what's causing some of this stuff right here that we're dealing with today. Well he gets up, gives me this scowl, look at him, walks off. I took a few more notes that I have on this napkin that I carry with me when I speak and um, another person sit beside me.
Arjuna George: And they're like, you know, this keeps happening because there's nobody to talk to. Nobody to talk to. I stopped again, and of course I'm the kettle, because I'm not talking either, right? Um, had I been talking, maybe him and I's situation would have been, uh, different. But I'm saying, what do you mean there's nobody to talk to?
Arjuna George: Look around this place. There's nothing but First Responders. Nothing but family members. There's patches everywhere. Flags everywhere. Emblems everywhere. There's plenty of people to talk to. There are too many of us to, to say we can't talk to each other. There's everybody. Of course, they get up. And I sit back in my chair and I'm thinking, you know, I'm a hypocrite because I'm not talking to anybody either.
Arjuna George: I have all these things going on in my mind. I'm hyper vigilant. I'm depressed. I'm sad. I have survivor's [00:13:00] guilt a little bit with my daughter's mother. I'm struggling and I'm telling nobody nothing. Who am I to sit here to lecture? So, go throughout the day. Some weeks pass, and I decide that enough is enough, and I'm tired of the prayer hands, and the, and the hearts, and the heartbreaks, and I decided this probably will hurt my career a little bit, but I'm gonna go on Instagram, and I'm gonna start talking about some of my feelings on Saturdays.
Arjuna George: Just a quick video here and there. Um, I'm just gonna log in. I've never done it before. I hadn't had Instagram until 2020, and I just started to talk. And I think it went on for about 15 20 minutes, I don't know, and I just started talking about me as a First Responder, and how I felt, and how heavy life can get, inside the yellow tape and outside.
Arjuna George: And you know, Chief, it led to hundreds and hundreds of DMs from men and women. all over the country, from spouses, from brothers, [00:14:00] from neighbors. I was like, what, what is happening here? I'm getting chills thinking about the beginning of this. And to make another long story short, that was the birth of Operation Yellow Tape.
Arjuna George: I wanted to create a, a business. I wanted to found an organization. That's mission was to provide some quality resources, some education, some community, inspirational speaking, workshops, just everything to honor my brother right here, and the thousands of others who we leave, who we lose, and they leave us.
Arjuna George: When maybe they could just understand that there are too many of us to ever feel alone. There's always somebody to talk to. So, in so many words, that was the birth of Operation Yellow Tape. That's the mission I'm on. And, um, yeah. You're quite the storyteller. That, uh, paints a vivid picture of the whole experience and the birth of Yellow Tape.
Arjuna George: Um, well done on describing that, [00:15:00] because it really, it paints a clear picture to me. The passion and the mission behind what you're doing. So, kudos to you. So you mentioned, uh, Instagram, your post, getting lots of feedback, feeling that it might be a negative impact on your career. Did that actually happen or was that just a perception?
Arjuna George: I don't feel it happened. I was a lieutenant when I started, um, speaking about my own mental health. However, I did have some other, some other officers come out of, from my own organization to others and said, Hey man, be very cautious of how much you're talking about your mental health. You know, I'm not saying it's going to hurt you.
Arjuna George: I'm not saying it's going to help you, but this is 2020, you know, so they were like, you know, you just don't ever know. I'm like, well, I don't care. I think it's time for one. I need to feel better. I want to feel better again. And I feel more leaders need to step up. More leaders need to say they've had trouble.
Arjuna George: More [00:16:00] leaders need to say that they have experienced what what's going on right now. I said, I'm going through with it. So to answer your question, Chief, no, I don't feel like it did. Um, I did get some kickback from some folks who a little bit more old school who said, I would never come online and tell somebody I was hypervigilant.
Arjuna George: Are you crazy? And I said, yeah, maybe I am, you know, but I'm not going to stop because people were, people were responding, people were feeling better. So I don't feel like it did. I mean, I think I lost some friends possibly. Um, I think some people thought I was doing it, uh, for Instagram or whatever it was, maybe, but for the most part, it was all positive.
Arjuna George: So I don't think that I did. I'd love to hear what Operation Yellow Tape did for you personally, since the birth of that in 2020, how have you grown as a person thanks to Operation Yellow Tape? Well, I can tell you, I don't know who coined this, but I truly believe that when you tell your story, it can be someone's [00:17:00] survival guide.
Arjuna George: What you say to somebody, how you say it, how you've overcome these problems, um, coming out of the darkness and into the light. That's what Operation Allotip has done for me. It's helped me to share my story about, um, my daughter's mother. I do that on, on stage. It's helped me to share my story about how for seven years I spent depressed, hypervigilant, and I put on a face that you, you would never have known.
Arjuna George: Now, I think there, I think there were signs here and there of irritability and I had some outbursts here and there that people probably saw, but I'm a pretty alpha guy anyway, and I, I, I do kickboxing and things, so People probably saw some signs, but for the most part, Chief, I, I, I hit it like the best of them.
Arjuna George: I mean, the, the best of them. But for me personally, just being able to open up, to tell my story, and to see women and men walk up to me and say, because of what you said, and because of what you're doing, and because of folks that you're surrounding yourself with, like you, Chief, and, and you folks [00:18:00] talking, I'm still here, and I'm going to stay here.
Arjuna George: I'm not going to let this job end me. My family needs me. I need me. That is what Operation Yellow Tape has done for me. It's empowered me. When I come off the stage, some people feel weaker. Some people tell me they feel, they feel exhausted. I feel stronger. When I come off the stage and I tell a crowd, or I tell a presentation or workshop, I feel stronger knowing that just one person might hear me.
Arjuna George: One person, he may not, she may not say, that's me. But they may walk through those doors and get in that car and say, today is the day I'm getting myself some help. I'm going to step forward. I'm going to come out of the darkness. So that's what it does for me. It helps me continue to push the message that there are too many of us to ever feel alone.
Arjuna George: You are the too many. And we don't have to live like that. Yeah, I love that. You, you held up a tear stained napkin. You touched on the kind of the background of what that is, but maybe just go into a [00:19:00] little deeper of how. What's on that napkin? And, and was that the day of the funeral? Is that where that napkin's from?
Arjuna George: It it is. Mm-Hmm. , uh, and I carry this with me when, when I, uh, when I speak and when I present and I carry it in my pocket, I've had to put it into a sandwich bag now because it's getting, it's getting wore out. But I've always journaled my whole entire career. Uh, I, I've lost people in line of duty, uh, before Tom.
Arjuna George: I've had people, um, take their life, uh, before him. Not this close to me. This guy was a best friend of mine, but I've always been a writer and I've journaled a lot. And I wanted to go to his, his, his service. And I wanted to capture the good stuff. I wanted to capture the moments. I wanted to capture. I wanted to remember some names.
Arjuna George: So when I, I, I didn't take my notebook 'cause that. I didn't know how that would look. So we had a little napkin with our water and tea and stuff, and I started jotting things down, and everything has been abbreviated, but I wrote down dates, and I wrote down a time frame. You can see right here that I wrote down [00:20:00] the time frame that I got a text from him in a call on the 16th day, and I was trying in my mind to draw a timeline out of what happened.
Arjuna George: I've got some names of folks who sit beside me who I talk to. I got big letters, you know, why does this keep happening? I've got, you know, operating inside the yellow tape. It's tough. I've also got it on here. Uh, there are so many of us, why the beep? I don't use that one anymore, are people saying there are no one to talk to.
Arjuna George: So, I, I shrank it to there, there, there are too many of us to ever feel alone because you don't want to walk around with a big F bomb on the back of your shirt. But for the most part, the tear stained napkin, and it has, it's, it has ink that's ran. It was, I was trying to capture. Some moments, but yet I didn't realize what I was really capturing.
Arjuna George: I just got hit with this flash of yellow tape and how inside the yellow tape is where we work. I get that. And it's hard. And like I say, [00:21:00] but outside, when you think about outside that yellow tape, you know, I put here inside the yellow tape is hard on us, our friends and our families. And it is. Outside the yellow tape, we bring inside the yellow tape home to our, to our families, but it's the, to me, I, I, I just feel it and I, and I, and I speak on it and I teach on it.
Arjuna George: All that outside stuff, it all comes to the inside with you. You don't go through these divorces, and child custody battles like I talked about, and illnesses, and car wrecks, and demotions, and promotions, and burnout, and all the stuff that we go through on the outside of the yellow tape. And not to imagine the stuff that we have happen on the inside of the yellow tape.
Arjuna George: What we see, what we do, what we hear, what we smell. We operate and live in the war zone that we work in. You know, I ride through, I ride through an intersection every day, every day, where I held the hand of someone who was dying. You know, I, I shop at a grocery store where I've done CPR on the floor. So, A lot of us, [00:22:00] if you don't work in the community that you serve, you sure drive through it to get to get home.
Arjuna George: So we are operating in these areas at all times. And not just for, um, I'm not downplaying anything with the military at all. I have military friends. I love the military. And they've done some incredible stuff with 4, 6, 10 deployments. But when you do this every third day for 25 years, Yeah, you're deployed too.
Arjuna George: You're deployed too, and your war zone is your backyard, sometimes a street over, and it's hard, and it's tough, and military, fire, police, we all do it, it's tough, it's hard on us, so the napkin was, was to, uh, capture, hopefully to capture how I was feeling that day and some, some special moments. Well, you've definitely honored your brother, uh, moving forward, so.
Arjuna George: Thank you. Yes. Yeah, your comment about the military there. I just read that recently about, you know, essentially the military doesn't play in their backyard. They, when they go deploy, they're deployed [00:23:00] overseas most of the time, sometimes in their own country. Um, but for us, we work and play in our own communities.
Arjuna George: Big, big difference there. Yeah, for sure. I think it's a huge difference. And we choose it. So it's our duty. It's our, it's our role. But even my military friends who have gone off and done incredible things in military, even they tell me, wow, the idea of doing that for 20 years. In your own backyard and in your mutual aid backyards and seeing these intersections and roadways and houses and riding by a house and every house you look at, you've probably been inside and saw that pain and suffering.
Arjuna George: Man, how do you do that? And, um, yeah, it's tough and it's why we lose so many of us.
Arjuna George: So I love the fact like I just recently learned about the outside yellow tape when I did some, you know, looking through your website and, and watching you on social media, which you're very active on social media. Uh, I understood the inner side of the yellow [00:24:00] tape, but I never actually thought about it.
Arjuna George: And, you know, obviously I did, but not in the realm of yellow tape. Um, so I think that's a great way to. Almost segment the two challenges that firefighters face, right? The inside and the outside. Yes, sir. And that's, that's what I'm trying to capture with people. Is that out as firefighters, as fire chiefs, you know, we're concentrated a lot on the inside.
Arjuna George: That's where all of our training exists. That's where the TRT is, whatever works because that's where we have to be good. You know, we get that call. Now, on one call, you know, inside the yellow tape is where we go, but we don't put a lot of focus. I think we are. I think we're seeing some change. We don't put a whole lot of focus on the outside stuff.
Arjuna George: How much How much development are we giving these young women and men on their finances? Are we talking to them about mental health enough? About emotional health enough? About relationship counseling? Are we giving them enough? You know, we, we put so much time into sometimes incidents that we never run.
Arjuna George: I mean, we're [00:25:00] prepared, but we train so much and so repetitive. We've got to get better on releasing these recruits and their spouses. And to what these folks are really going to be running into, you may have financial problems, you may be coming to this job with financial problems and trauma already. I just feel the outside of the yellow tape can crush you if, uh, if it comes down.
Arjuna George: Yeah, true story. So I know within your presentations, uh, and Operation Yellow Tape, you have an acronym that you developed. So the HELP acronym. So I'd love to hear your story about how that came to be, and also how you use that with your, maybe with your clients or when you're speaking. 
The HELP Acronym and Its Significance
Arjuna George: Uh, tell our audience a little bit about the HELP acronym.
Arjuna George: Sure. During the creation and founding of Operation Yellow Tape, I took this, I took this mindset of, we know there's mental health struggles, we know that already, I'm talking [00:26:00] about it, you're talking about it, folks are talking about it, I wanted to have, what did I do with my own, and I kept getting those questions and emails, you know, Kenny, I hear you, there's hypervigilance, Kenny, I hear you, there's sadness, Kenny, I hear you, there's post traumatic stress injury, I hear all that, but what are you doing, to combat it.
Arjuna George: So I sat down one night, um, kind of like probably you last night till one in the morning and me and I, I just jotted down some things and I was transparent with myself and it wasn't a fun, uh, night of journaling because I wanted to write down what went well during this journey and what didn't, what did, what I did that I, I'm glad I did, what I did that I, that I didn't do and I wish I would have done.
Arjuna George: So I wrote down all this stuff and for the most part, Amongst all the pages, help came to my mind, because What it stands for is HEALTH, EDUCATE, LAUNCH, and PEOPLE. [00:27:00] And to briefly go over it, how I present it to, to um, graduating classes, and my workshops, during my coaching. I think we should use HEALTH at the very tier going into this job.
Arjuna George: Going into any profession. I, I spoke last weekend to all accountants. And I, I gave them the HELP, the HELP acronym. They were a group of accountants. So. Everybody, I'm going to briefly cover it really quick, but everybody thinks that the H is all about sticking an apple in your mouth, and yes, it is about eating healthy.
Arjuna George: It is about working out, but it's also about healthy relationships. It's about healthy input. What podcast are you listening to? Um, what, what, what, uh, What music are you hearing? What books are you reading? What kind of input, health wise, are you putting into your brain? Are you getting up in the morning and the first thing you do, go to Fox or CNN and get mad all day long?
Arjuna George: What, what health are you, are you putting into your [00:28:00] body? It also, I, I think you should work out every day. You should try to walk every day. Get outside. The brain is craving blues and greens. Give it to it. So I do think if you, Use this 80%, 20 percent rule. 80 percent of the time you're trying to be as healthy as you can be.
Arjuna George: 20 percent of the time you might be eating that french fry and dipping it in a milkshake. I don't know. I don't do that. A friend told me he does. Um, That's disgusting. Yeah. But, but keeping health and, and, and, and taking, getting physicals. Knowing your A1C, this general health. Now the E is educate. Not just you, but educating your family on what this job could possibly do to you as a First Responder.
Arjuna George: And I related it to my accountants the other day. You know, the accountants come home stressed. They come home angry. They come home extremely pissed off during tax season. You know, your wife or your husband, your boyfriend, girlfriend, cousin, they should probably know why you're mad. But maybe they don't.
Arjuna George: So educate your [00:29:00] family. And what a First Responder does. What is your schedule really like? Sometimes they watch television and think we play pool all day. They don't realize we have continuing education. We have CPR classes to take. We have training to go to. We have mandatory end services. We have tele staff to do.
Arjuna George: Reports to do after every single call. It doesn't stop. All day long, there's something to do in the fire service or police besides running calls. So educate them on what you do every day. Educate them on hyper vigilance. on depression, post traumatic stress symptoms, on all those things, along with educating yourself.
Arjuna George: I think we have to find a way to educate our recruits and our newer members as well, when it comes to that, but it's very important. As you already can tell, I'm very, very passionate on educating the spouses, and the boyfriends, and girlfriends, and husbands, and the families of us. Because they just see us as this angry person coming home, they don't know who they're getting in the door sometimes.
Arjuna George: But maybe if we could sit down and tell them, I'm not going to tell you about the call, the [00:30:00] details of it. I'm just going to tell you it involved a child and it was bad, and I just need a little chance to take a breath and to move on. So the L is launch. The second, this is the hardest step. We all know it.
Arjuna George: We, that's why we're talking today. Launch yourself into a direction of getting help the very moment I felt like I was depressed. The very moment that Kenny was isolating and not going bowling anymore, not throwing darts anymore, not hanging out with my friends anymore. When I made a lunch date with you, Chief, when I walked away, back when I was struggling, me and you met, hey, hey, let's go grab lunch.
Arjuna George: I'd say, sure, let's do it Tuesday. The second I walked away, I was trying my hardest to think of an idea. How can I back out of this with him? What excuse can I give the Chief that I can't meet him at Applebee's on Tuesday? Now, the second you notice those things, launch yourself into a direction of getting help.
Arjuna George: Is it therapy? Is it counseling? Is it joining a gym? Is it getting a dietician? Is it going to get a physical? Is it checking your A1c? Your testosterone? [00:31:00] I don't know what it looks like, but launch yourself into getting help, and it is the hardest step. to do because nobody wants to admit they're struggling.
Arjuna George: So that's the launch briefly covered and it's the most important one to me. And then the P is people. You know, we all hear the people you keep around you, the top five people who you are. I don't care about any of that. If you have 150 good people around you, that's good. The people you keep around you, are they loyal?
Arjuna George: Are they honest? Are they supportive? Are they open? Are they transparent? Do they care about you? Are they available? Are they reliable? And are you that with them? Are you the kind of friend to them? that you would want to have coming your direction. So the people you keep around you, man, I mean, if you're around complainers, it's contagious.
Arjuna George: If you're around folks who are, who are having risky behavior, who are cheating on their spouses, who are doing bad stuff, the stuff gets contagious, especially when you mix it in with post traumatic stress injuries. and symptoms. Risky behavior [00:32:00] is part of the problem that we we have when we go through this stuff.
Arjuna George: So the people I really dive into deeply in my presentations. I really dive into deeply in my coaching and into the workshops. The people you keep around you and sometimes you have to dismantle your inner circle and some folks that you've had in your life your whole life. If they can't get on board with this new you, they may have to go.
Arjuna George: And that's okay. You know, if you sit down with them and you tell them, Hey, look, I want to do this. I want to be better. Can we, if they can't, then they just can't. So the people part of help is very important, but the launch, getting yourself help, the second you feel something happening. is monumental in your success.
Arjuna George: If not, it will not get any better. So since launch is such a difficult obstacle to overcome initially for the very first time, any tips, tidbits, nuggets to share on how to make that first step? I do. And again, I feel the very, the best way to get someone to launch is to get them talking and them to hear you start [00:33:00] talking.
Arjuna George: For them to listen to a podcast like you have, to listen to other podcasts out there. If they can hear somebody and they can see themselves in that. And that's what I, that's what I tell the folks that I speak to. I'm going to help you launch because you're about to see yourself in me. And it's going to make you feel a little bit uncomfortable.
Arjuna George: You're going to feel uncomfortable in your chair. Your spouse may look over at you. You're going to feel uncomfortable because it's you. And it's okay. It's okay, because you can step up and you can get help. So my goal is to, with my story, to make it become your survival guide. To launch you into a direction of getting help.
Arjuna George: Because I want you, I hope you don't, but you're here for a reason. I want you to see yourself in me. I want you to, I want to say that I was driving down the road, and I was punching my steering wheel so hard that I about broke it. Out of the blue, I went into a massive crying outfit, a crying fit, out of the blue, I found myself crying in the shower.
Arjuna George: Is that you? Because if that's you, and you see that in, in yourself, and you, and you see me in [00:34:00] you, it's time to launch yourself into getting help. So to answer your question, Chief, I try my best to let the story be the survival guide. Let, let them realize that is me, it may not be as extreme as his, we can't compare traumas, it may not be as extreme as his, it may not be this, it may not be that, but something is going on with me.
Arjuna George: So I'm gonna step up. I deserve to feel better. I deserve to feel okay. I deserve a 25 year career, 20 year career. I deserve to have a healthy relationship. I deserve it. I bet on myself. It's always you versus you and I want to feel better. So that's how I try to get them to launch themselves. Beautiful, beautiful.
Arjuna George: Yeah, stories are powerful and stories, uh, can relate to people and it's, it's, it's much richer than, uh, a presentation when you tell stories that you've actually lived and, and gone through and come out on the other end thriving. That's the stories people want to hear because that's, that shows them, that shows them hope, right?
Arjuna George: Shows them there's hope. [00:35:00] Beautiful. 
The Impact of Operation Yellow Tape Events
Arjuna George: So tell us a little bit about, you've had two, uh, well attended and successful events, Operation Yellow Tape events. Um, tell us a little bit about who's the audience that comes to that, um, and kind of what you discuss, how long it is, and when the third one's coming. Oh, nice.
Arjuna George: And thank you for knowing that. I have. I've had two events. Operation Yellow Tape event number three is scheduled to happen here in Chesterfield, Virginia, September 14th of 2024. And I am proud to say that my audience is as diverse as you can imagine. It's people from all walks of life and all occupations.
Arjuna George: And that is the beautiful thing about it. And again, it is packed with spouses of us. Cousins of ours, friends and neighbors. We have It's one of the missions of Operation Yellow Tape. I mentioned, you know, my mission [00:36:00] is to provide quality resources, education, inspirational speaking, events, and community.
Arjuna George: It's one of my missions, the areas that I want to develop community. We have people there putting on workshops. This past one, we had several workshops. I had Marcus Torgerson there, who was doing some situation awareness type stuff. I had Life Change Institute talking about mental health. Meridian Psychotherapy talking about mental health.
Arjuna George: So we have little short workshops that we offer. Uh, we also have every couple of minutes, we're doing raffles, we are, have some speakers lined up, it's catered, it's food, and it's just bringing everybody together. And as I walk around, I see people talking, people are telling stories, people are relating to each other, people are seeing they're not alone.
Arjuna George: So basically, that is what the event is about. It's just about come here. It's a safe place. Yes, a First Responder, um, owned and operated. Um, some of the folks you see around here are First Responders, but like I said last year was my second one. I [00:37:00] had every, I had lawyers showing up. We had construction workers, painters, teachers, and then the spouses of us.
Arjuna George: So it's just bringing awareness to mental health in the First Responder community. The media comes out and interviews me and asks me questions like you're asking me, you know, what are you doing here? What is this about? What are you trying to accomplish with this? And, uh, it's just beautiful. Um, we, we end it with, uh, With a nice raffle and people get some giveaways.
Arjuna George: We also raise a little bit of money and we help people get into gyms. We help people get into therapy if they are needing that first step and they're having trouble getting those first steps with maybe they need to join a gym, you know, for three months. Maybe their fire department doesn't offer physicals.
Arjuna George: Maybe they can't afford to even get a physical and they're ashamed of that. I'm fortunate. My fire department gives a physical every birth month, a very extensive physical, so I appreciate that. I was shocked the firefighters had never had a physical before. It's just incredible to me. So that's what the event does.
Arjuna George: You know, the next one is September 14th, 2024. I had [00:38:00] folks from Seattle. I had folks from New York City, folks from New Jersey, oh my goodness, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina. Chicago. So just an amazing event, anywhere from six to 12 hours. We get it on. Um, that's, yeah, that's the event. Yes. I don't hear anyone from Canada though.
Arjuna George: No, but maybe you can hear. So how does, how does Operation Yellow Tape and your events mesh into what you do now as coaching as well? 
The Role of Coaching in Supporting First Responders
Arjuna George: And so I'd love to hear how that meshes into it and what sparks coaching as a, as an option to support people. Yeah, I got coached first before I got trained in, in becoming a coach, because I'll be honest.
Arjuna George: Um, I didn't think that coaching was a couple of years ago. If you'd asked me that question, I did not believe that coaching would be [00:39:00] worth my time. But man, it is. And coaching with Operation Yellow Tape. It is teaching and helping, you know, that First Responder and that First Responder's family to understand some of the setbacks that they may face.
Arjuna George: And to be honest, and to really come to me and tell me, what are the top five? things holding you back. Okay, that's five of them. Now tell me the top three that you really like to see gone right now. That's three. All right, now tell me the one that you want to see completely out of your life. If you could have one of those five gone, what is it?
Arjuna George: And that's what we tackle for as many weeks as we decide to tackle it for, but I believe coaching, you, you hear it thrown around as, you know, being someone's, uh, being their, their top cheerleader, you hear that a lot, um, but I think it's powerful to have someone in your corner that you can count on and someone who has [00:40:00] been there and kind of done that, um, and that has a resume that it has done the job or done, you.
Arjuna George: Unfortunately, been through the issue you've been through that you can relate to. They may not be the exact same issue. They may not have 20 years. They may have five years. 
The Power of Empathy in Coaching
Arjuna George: They may not have lost a friend to suicide. They may have lost a friend to a bad accident. They may not have had hypervigilance. They may have had just depression.
Arjuna George: I don't know. But to have a coach that can relate to you and to be that person that's in your corner, to be that person that can look at you and be honest, Chief, you're not doing well today. And what I've told you to do, you're not doing. So to be that blunt coach with them, you know, not rude, not arrogant, but to call them, you told me we're going to work on these goals.
Arjuna George: You're not doing it. Okay, what's holding us back? So to have someone in your life that can be that way with you, to call you to the carpet and tell you, Hey, you came to me because you wanted to get better. And that's why I hired a coach. 
The Impact of Mental Health Coaching
Arjuna George: And first off, I saw this mental health coaching going on. I figured, hmm, let me give it a [00:41:00] try.
Arjuna George: Absolutely helped me. It was incredible to sit across from somebody and talk to them on Zooms and phone calls that felt how I felt and could relate and could talk my language. And, uh, that's how Operation Yellow Tapes coaching got started. Yeah. For me personally, coaching saved my life. You know, there's lots of other things that kind of assisted that and was a part of that.
Arjuna George: But coaching really allowed me to see light at the end of the tunnel. There was a future. There was hope. There was a next step, the next chapter. Um. And I don't think I would have got that from other modalities, um, you know, nothing wrong with therapy, but therapy is about the past and what I needed to do, what was my future?
Misconceptions about Coaching
Arjuna George: So I think coaching and, and there's a lot of misconceptions out there about what coaching is, right? Is it, you know, is it, um. You have to have a problem coming into coaching. No, not necessarily. You can actually talk about your goals. So the things you want to grow on, not necessarily a challenge per se.
Arjuna George: [00:42:00] Right. So yeah, I truly think coaching game changer for myself, life changer. Um, and I'm so happy to hear you're, you're into that as well. So. Yeah, I've heard you mention that before and I can tell you it saved my mental health and maybe life as well. It gives you a whole new perspective on things. I really enjoy it too.
The Importance of Hope and Goal Setting
Arjuna George: And I love that you said that you've mentioned it a couple of times, the hope. I think hope is a powerful word. If someone who loses hope, and they lose mission, and they lose passion, we gotta watch out for that person. If you can build hope, and there's always hope. But having that one person that you can go to, and you may not have a problem.
Arjuna George: I've got clients that don't have problems. They want to set goals. They want somebody to help them get to that, get to the goal. 
Personal Transformation and Goal Achievement
Arjuna George: I ended up losing 27 pounds since 2020, since Tom passed, because I knew, when I looked at my life on the outside of [00:43:00] yellow tape, I thought about myself mentally, emotionally, socially, physically, what was going Right.
Arjuna George: What was going wrong? Well, physically things weren't going good. If you're 27 pounds, if you're five, nine and a half and you're 27 pounds overweight, so losing that weight really helped me. 
Coaching Approach: Tackling One Problem at a Time
Arjuna George: So a lot of my clients come to me and they say, I just have goals, you know, and I have some setbacks and I like to tell them cause everyone has a bunch and the ones that do come to me, they start with these five big giant problems.
Arjuna George: You know, I got five things going on and I make them cut it to three and they kind of get mad about that. Well, four and five is just as important. Well, I know, hold on, hang with me. Okay, tell me the three. Okay, now tell me one. One? What about two, three, four, and five? Nope. What is the one thing in your life?
Arjuna George: And if you could get rid of right now, or get better at right now, what would you eliminate? And that's what we tackle. I say, and then, we'll go down to two, and three, and four. But let's start right here. 
Living in the Present and Making Decisions for a Better Future
Arjuna George: Let me meet you right where you are, right here. Let's [00:44:00] not think right here. I tell them a lot, you know, yesterday.
Arjuna George: Yesterday is gone, tomorrow sometimes seems to be far away, and today is the day to make a decision to make yourself feel better, and I like what you said about the future, you took coaching because you wanted tomorrow to be better, and sometimes people think tomorrow is too far away, it freaks them out.
Arjuna George: Yesterday is gone, it is completely gone, you've learned from it hopefully, you've gained something from it, but yesterday is gone, tomorrow is still a little bit far away, right now is the time to pick to pick yourself up and to say, I'm tired of feeling this way. I'm tired of living this way. I'm going to pick the coach.
Arjuna George: I'm going to, I'm going to coach with chief. I'm going to get something done. And today's the day. Beautiful.
Self-Care Practices for Mental and Physical Health
Arjuna George: So what is in Kenny's self care rescue toolbox? What do you do every day to make yourself a bit better? What do you do every day to make yourself a little healthier? I mean, nuggets you want to share? [00:45:00] Sure. Yes. And I think that's very, very important. Um, every single day I go for a walk every single day. If anyone follows me on Instagram, they see me and a 12 pound beast of a chihuahua getting it done.
Arjuna George: So at least every single day, I go for a walk. And I also PT, I try to work out every day too. But if I, some reason I can't go for that, get a good workout in, I will go for a walk outside. Clear, I've seen, I've seen you do it on your Instagram, you know, to clear that mind. I try to eat as healthy as I can.
Arjuna George: Um, I don't eat much past probably 6. 30, 6 o'clock in the afternoon. I really don't. I don't drink any soda, really. I do a lot of walking, a lot of PT ing. I get the best sleep as I can get. 
The Importance of Diverse Connections and Hobbies
Arjuna George: And I tell you, one of the best things for my self care is I have people in my inner circle who don't do this job and that's fine.
Arjuna George: I have plenty of friends who do, but in my inner circle, I have men and women who do, who are [00:46:00] not first responders, and I help them, uh, instruct in some of their EMS, um, workshops. I help them, um, on the range, during some of the basic pistol courses. I have hobbies that have nothing to do, really, with the fire service, and I have people in my life as I self care, who have nothing to do with the fire service.
Arjuna George: Men and women who like to do yoga. I like to do yoga. I also like to do kickboxing. I'm a striker. I like to heavy bag. But I honestly, for the most part, for self care for me, it's watching my diet the best that I can. Now, do I slip up? Of course. I'm human. I'm going to enjoy a candy bar and some stuff here and there.
Arjuna George: But I watch my diet. I try my best to look at my sleep hygiene. Um, I try to show gratitude the best that I can. Gratitude is powerful in my life. Um, and I try to, uh, at least walk, and I'm not saying at least, I walk every, it could be raining, I walk every single day. If my little dog's with me, he's with me.
Arjuna George: If not, he doesn't like the rain because he's a chihuahua. And then again, Those folks in my [00:47:00] life who are not first responders. I'm not, I found before when I was struggling, if you didn't wear the turnout gear, you can't relate to me. If you've never fought the fire, you can't talk to me. If you've never seen somebody trapped in a vehicle, how can you relate to me?
Arjuna George: I was never more wrong in my life. Some of my best friends are construction workers. Some of my best friends are painters and accountants. Some of my best friends tell me, I can't imagine doing your job. And I tell them, I can't imagine doing your job. So again, having those friends who don't do this work and striking that, if it's a such thing, striking that balance of, of, uh, Having those people who aren't in the line of work you're in constantly.
Arjuna George: Because how many people work 24 hours, then they jump on an ambulance for 24 hours, then they go instruct for 24 hours, when no wonder you're burning out. You're burning a candle at both ends and it's all fire service and it's nothing else. So a long winded answer, but that's how I try to self care. Yeah.
Arjuna George: Beautiful. Cause I, I that's, that was my weakness, right? I, I was [00:48:00] involved in the fire service so much that I lost friends that I had outside the fire service and looking back on it through my recovery. All I had was fire service and family. That was it. When I read your book, other people. Yeah. When I read your book, that's what I got from that.
Arjuna George: You had fire service. I read your book before I even met you. Remember I reached out to you and asked you how do I find your book? And when I read it, I'm like, this chief had the fire service and no one else. That's it. 100%. 100%. 100%. Wow. Powerful, man. So that's kind of the message now is to expand those hobbies, those outside activities.
Arjuna George: Uh, I'm trying to grow my friend list outside of the fire service and outside of coaching now as well. Cause that's another realm that I'm, you know, most of my new friends are all coaches as well. So now I'm trying to expand that and horizon because connection connections really made a huge difference in my life.
Arjuna George: Um, I always felt like I was a pretty connected person, but true connections is what I'm looking for now versus just, you know, [00:49:00] colleagues. Well, I can tell you, and I'm not just saying it because you're on here, you're doing an amazing job. I don't know the traction you get where I'm living, but I know people know who you are.
Arjuna George: And when I told some folks I was coming on here, they were like, Really? I mean, you're doing an amazing job. You're transparent, you're raw, you're real, you're doing different stuff. I mean, I couldn't be more honored to be on here for one, but two, thank you for all the work you put into this. Um, there are some people that like to say that.
Arjuna George: There's only one or two people in this mental health lane, but there's not. There's a lot of us and we're working hard. And it's not just one person creating a movement and one person creating a culture. It's a bunch of us working hard. And for those folks that think it's just one person doing it, they're wrong.
Arjuna George: They're letting their ego get in the way. They're letting a lot of things get in the way. It's a lot of us doing a lot of work, and you're one of them, and it's a lot of us helping a lot of people. We are the too many of us to ever feel alone. Yep, 100%. Well, thank you for that, and [00:50:00] likewise to you. Your podcast and your story that you're sharing in Operation Yellow Tape is making an impact as well, right?
Arjuna George: So I'd love to hear about your podcast, um, as a fellow podcaster. What, uh, I think you're on episode three or four. Is that what I saw last? I'm, I'm about to drop episode five. Five. Nice. Yes. Excellent. I started, I started in August. So episode, episode five will be dropping this week. Perfect. Oh yeah, it's um, it's been, it's been a, it's been great.
Arjuna George: I was sitting on the beach in Topsail, North Carolina last year and I told myself it's time to get loud and proud about our, our mental health. And I don't mean proud in a sense that I'm so proud I'm depressed. I mean, proud, I'm going to own it and I'm going to step up and get some help. And I said, how else can I reach people?
Arjuna George: I love podcasts. I don't miss one of yours. I have a set six that I listen to religiously and I think they're impactful. I [00:51:00] said, well, I'm going to start one. Like I put it all, that little self doubt got in my mind. Well, I don't, I can't figure out the, I let it get to me. So finally I started the podcast.
Arjuna George: It's very therapeutic. I've been reading from my journal a little bit, because like I told you, um, from October 5th until 2002 until present, I've documented every incident I've ever been on. Now, there's probably some that I've, I've left, but I have books, not of HIPAA violations, but, but books of, of calls that I've been on, incidents, the births of, of babies who are now 20 years old.
Arjuna George: Um, I just, I have documented my career in a way that I can't even believe. And it happened by accident. A guy told me. When I became a volunteer to document your career, I said, what does that mean? He said, take notes of everything that you do. And I did. And I have, I, it's just incredible when I go and look at it.
Arjuna George: Like I can go right now and flip to December 2nd, 2002. And I can tell you what I did that day. And if you were on my shift, [00:52:00] me and you were joking back and forth, making jokes and little good stuff. And then I have a whole journal of when I was in my biggest struggle, that was the one I hid from people.
Arjuna George: So they're on my podcast. I've been doing a little bit of that, reading from my journal, uh, relating some of my struggles with people from that exact date, uh, not telling details, of course, but, you know, reading from there, um, sharing the Operation Yellow Tape story, and then getting into just, um, I don't have any guests yet, I want to, I'd love to have you come on, I don't have any guests yet, but just kind of right now, talking about some of the things that First Responders are feeling, the overwhelming of the holidays, you know, the self doubt, uh, Those, those lying voices in your mind telling you you're not good enough, you're not smart enough, you're not strong enough.
Arjuna George: Just all the stuff that comes with the holidays and stress with, with hypervigilance and sadness of the holidays, missing people. So my podcast, it's um, it's moving right along. It's uh, it's ticking along. It's, it's fun. Um, as you know, it, it can, it can be [00:53:00] consuming and take a lot of your time, but it, it's uh.
Arjuna George: It's the people that you're reaching that you're never going to hear from. That's like with you, I listen to every episode and sometimes I'll comment and sometimes I won't. And I love what you do. You do something that I've now started to do. So I'll tell you, when I reached out to you early on, I said, I love that podcast.
Arjuna George: And you said you did, what was the best part of it? And I love that you asked that question, because it makes you really sit back and go, wow, okay. What was the best part of that podcast? I loved it. And I think about that one part and it really makes you dive into it deeper. And it makes you think about your own life deeper.
Arjuna George: So that's a great question. I'm not sure if you ask everybody that, but it's, uh, it's, it's, it's used by me now. I tell people, they'll say, Hey man, loved episode two. Oh, you did? What was the best part of what you'd get out of it? So awesome. Awesome. And that's, that's great. It's causing interaction and making people really, um, think about it.
Arjuna George: So that's the Operation LJ podcast and, uh, I'm looking forward to keep going with it. Sweet, sweet. So what's one question that I have not [00:54:00] asked you that you wish I asked you? One question, um, I would say, you know, You know, what would I, what, what could I tell my younger self? Yeah. So what would you, if you could, you could tell your younger Kenny, little kid Kenny, what could you tell him?
Arjuna George: I would tell a little kid Kenny that life is going to be hard. It is going to be tough. You're going to experience knockdowns. You're going to experience wins. You're going to experience some tough stuff, but you're going to have to show yourself some grace. You are doing the best that you can, you're playing the heart, the cards that you're dealt, and always remember to show yourself grace and Don't be as hard on yourself as you have been, or you're going to be as an adult.
Arjuna George: I was extremely hard on myself. I, I had the victim mindset for a little bit after my, what happened in 2013. I became a victim. It was that situation's fault. Um, it's your fault that I'm sad. Um, [00:55:00] I'm gaining, so it was everybody's fault. So, yeah, I would let myself know that, you know, man, life's coming for you.
Arjuna George: And she's going to throw some punches, but you got to fight back. You're going to get knocked down. And you may lose more than you win. You may not get that job you want. You may not get that raise that you needed. That relationship may not work out. But it is not worth your life. It is not worth your mental, emotional, and physical health.
Arjuna George: And you are enough. And that's what I tell them. That's a powerful message. It makes me think about Jocko's little, uh, good speech. Jocko Willock's, uh, good speech where if you don't get that job, good, true, good, because now you're going to be better for the next job. You didn't, uh, nail that speech. Well, good.
Arjuna George: Now you can go back to the drawing board and rewrite that speech. You, uh, didn't get that promotion. Good. You're going to study harder next time. Right? So those are all good life lessons. Yeah. Yeah. I think as [00:56:00] first responders. We're trained to be And we have to be, you know, we're trained to be spot on. We can't be wrong.
Arjuna George: Of course we are at times, but for the most part, we have to be right. You know, if you're clearing up from a gas leak and you're, you know, you have to be right at some of the decisions you're making. Now, does everybody have different objectives and different procedures and different tactics and strategies?
Arjuna George: Yeah, we do. But as a First Responder, you have to be right and failure really isn't an option. You're going to have to get that stretcher through the snow. There is no option. Well, the patient's upstairs. We got to go upstairs to get them. The fire's on the fifth floor. We got to go to the fifth floor.
Arjuna George: There's no option of failure or losing. We may bombard it with people, and it filters over into our personal life. And when we fail in our personal life, We don't seem to be able to take it. You know, you, you, you can lay in from the wrong hydrant, possibly, and rebound from that. Um, you can maybe miss that IV in the back of the ambulance, and you can rebound from that.
Arjuna George: But the second you step off the, into [00:57:00] the, outside the yellow tape, and you have a, a debacle, a relationship problem, a financial problem, a physical problem, you lose it. You don't, you don't remain calm in the chaos anymore. Outside the yellow tape causes so much problems for us. And I believe it's because we're trained to never fail, never be wrong, always see through the mission, but the second the ocellular tape crumbles, that relationship fails, that job doesn't do well, man, we seem to lose it at times.
Arjuna George: And, uh, Unfortunately, working with Operation Yellow Tape, I've had families reach out to me and they have read me, uh, the letters of their loved ones left behind. And a lot of times I see, hear that in there that it was outside the yellow tape. I was about to file bankruptcy. I can't go through this. I can't lose this girlfriend.
Arjuna George: I can't lose this wife. Well, yeah, you can. Yeah, you can. And we're going to help you get there. But I, I just feel like it is the outside of the yellow tape stuff. [00:58:00] Because we are trained not to fail. We can't. There's no. You got to call more resources. So take that into your personal life. Call more resources.
Arjuna George: If you're struggling financially right now because you have a credit card bill, call some resources. Call more help. Take what we have been learned and, and trained for 21 years of your life that there is no failure. We have to get this person to the hospital. Take that into your personal life. Take it on the outside of the yellow tape.
Arjuna George: Call Resources, Call TRT, Call Mutual Aid, Call for Help, Call a Second Alarm, Third Alarm, Fourth Alarm in your personal life. Just get help coming, man. I gotta tell you, I've said it before, but that Operation Yellow Tape just paints such a good picture of how our lives operate. that internal and the external.
Arjuna George: It just, it's, it's a perfect kind of visual that I, I see when I think about Operation Yellow Tape. So kudos on, on just nailing that for sure. I appreciate that and I, I wish I hadn't had to be where I was to nail it and I'm, I'm blessed and however it flowed out of my mouth. Um, [00:59:00] I'm blessed, but I too. I remember thinking back before Operation Yellow Tape was a thing in my mind, I kept thinking to myself how outside of this job is hurting me.
Arjuna George: I just never had a word for it. I never had terminology for it. Outside this job is hurting me, and I don't know why. So, you know, I appreciate that. It means a lot to me. It means a lot, uh, I believe when you say a person's name out loud enough, they're never gone. And, um, I will always You mentioned Tom's name forever, so thank you for saying that.
Arjuna George: You bet. Well, like I said, you're definitely doing Tom an honor. Um, so how can people learn more about Operation Yellow Tape? How can people reach out to Kenny? How can they listen to your podcast? And before that, I want to ask, why haven't you written a book yet? 
The Journey of Writing a Book
Arjuna George: You have all these journals everywhere.
Arjuna George: Sounds like a book is the next thing. You know, I'm working on one. God, excellent. I am. Thank you. Yeah, I, I am working on one. It's funny you asked that. I am, I am working on [01:00:00] one. It's, it's a lot. It's, um, and maybe we can talk offline and you can give me some tips, but I'm pretty deep into it and, uh, it's, it's in the works.
Arjuna George: I was hoping it would be ready for my 20th year in the fire service, which was August 1st of 2023, but it's not, so not sure when. I kept falling into that problem where I would write and then I would go back and read and then I would think, oh, Well, this situation is better for this situation. And, uh, well, this happened and I forgot about it, but I was told by Jason Redman, just write, just write.
Arjuna George: And you're never going to satisfy yourself. You just have to just write. So Dan, yes, I am writing one. I've got, it is tough and It's also, again, therapeutic. And if you look at this stack of journals I have, it's just incredible how, as a young fireman, that one conversation that man told me said, I asked [01:01:00] him, I said, What do you think I should do?
Arjuna George: I'm trying to become a firefighter. He said, well, one, He's at Company 8. I talked about him in my first podcast. He said, uh, one, never forget why you're doing this job and do it for the right reasons. Take care of yourself physically. And I would say journal your career. I'm like, what do you mean journal my career?
Arjuna George: And he said, write down what you do, man. Write down some of the incidents. Write down some of the calls. He goes and write down some of the hard stuff. And I did from that day four, from October 5th of 20, 2002 until now, I have wrote. Now some of it's not like paragraphs, but it may be December 10th, um, MVA, uh, person trapped, uh, crew, we did this, we did this, went to the store, interaction with the customer was funny.
Arjuna George: They said, why are y'all in the store all the time? Why do we always see you in here? You know, so different things throughout the, and it reads like a daggone book, some of it, but, um. Again, thank you. I'm going to do it. So I may reach out to you in the, in the [01:02:00] future to get some, some tip bits on how to see this thing over the, over the, uh, finish line.
Arjuna George: Yeah. My, my number one tip right now, uh, would be try to lose the perfection. Cause that was my thing. And I, and I just said, screw it. I am publishing this. It's not perfect. It is. There's actually spelling mistakes in it after the fact. Um, it's not perfect as I could definitely do more, but I could sit on this for another year, two, three years.
Arjuna George: So I published it. And then I just did a revision where I cleaned it up a little bit. Right. So, um, you nailed it. Perfect. Thank you. You nail burnout, like someone who's had burnout. Yes. Well, it was a fun, fun adventure for sure. So how can people learn more about you and, uh, your podcast and connect with you?
Arjuna George: Yeah, I would say please don't let this be the last time we talk or, or you see me or communicate. I have a website. You can go to KennyMitchellJr. com. Um, I'd love for you to go there and sign [01:03:00] up for my newsletter and also sign up for the podcast. So once you sign up for that, you'll get notifications of the podcast drops.
Arjuna George: And also I'm doing some daily, I mean some weekly, and daily sometimes, some weekly and daily, um, tips on for mental health. So if you sign up, you'll get those emails. It's not any kind of. Car salesman stuff is just, you know, weekly mental health, mental wellness, um, kind of motivational type stuff. So, KennyMitchellJr.
Arjuna George: com. Of course, I'm on Instagram, um, KennyMitchellFire. You can, you can follow me there. My podcast, Operation Yellow Tape Podcast. You can't miss it. I'm staring into it with a big forehead. You'll see my picture. But, um, yeah, I'd appre I'd appreciate it, um, if anyone is looking for an inspirational speaker.
Arjuna George: someone to come out and talk to your organization on resiliency and mental health awareness and to cover the the HELP acronym in a two and a half hour platform. Look me [01:04:00] up, give me your call. I'd love to come out to your organization. Don't just speak to first responders. I know I'm repeating myself, but I was so honored last week I spoke to a group of accountants and Some of the things they were saying are some of the things that we go through, you know, the stress and the anxiety and the job pressures.
Arjuna George: It was wonderful. However, I do prefer I love speaking to graduating classes. I love speaking at in services. So that's how you could reach out to me as well. But don't let this be the last time you talk to me or the chief, you know, reach out to us and And if you're interested in my coaching as well, um, everything can be found on kmitryjr.
Arjuna George: com. And I'm just, uh, thank you. Awesome. Yeah. It's funny you say that I got a presentation this week on burnout to the Rotary Club. Um, so yeah, no fire whatsoever. It's, it's just leaving that message about self care, burnout awareness, uh, and a little bit of mental health in there. Right. So, cause all those professionals that are in Rotary Club are all probably either, well, either retired and stressed still, [01:05:00] or or high level kind of, you know, business leaders or entrepreneurs.
Arjuna George: So for sure. And I think also as first responders, you know, this is a very ego driven job. And we think we, you know, if you notice when you're sitting at dinner with your family, it's always about your day, you know, well, you had this fire, you had this trick. So we forget there's other very stressful professions out there.
Arjuna George: And when an accountant loses, when an accountant loses his, his mother or an accountant, she loses her friend in a car wreck. Or, you know, they, they have anxiety and stress just like we do. The problem is, what they don't have is that inside the yellow tape part of it, where they're starting the IVs, where they're holding the hands of people, where they're seeing trauma constantly and constantly and constantly, and not just.
Arjuna George: Not just the horrible car wrecks and the horrible fires. When you see poverty throughout your your community, you see people who can't afford their power, it's either electricity or it's either [01:06:00] groceries. It's either rent. Or it's either, uh, like, whatever. So when you see that all day and week long, it's stressful.
Arjuna George: That's inside the, inside yellow tape stuff. And it adds up over time, seeing the hurt. So, we have all of that. We have that inside, and then you throw in the outside for us, and it's just a perfect storm. But again, I love speaking to folks who aren't in the First Responder world, because one, it gives me a chance to share with them why we're like we are, and who we are, and what we go through.
Arjuna George: How to best relate to us and understand why sometimes we, we get like we get, but I really want to help back her name. I really want to cut this thing off at the legs for these new men and women who are coming into this job. I want you to get 25 years. I don't want you to hang that helmet on the nail in your garage and be depressed and sad.
Arjuna George: I want you to be mentally and financially and emotionally fit. You can get 25 years in this job. 
The Importance of Seeking Help and Building Resilience
Arjuna George: You can. And I just want to end it with, uh, give someone a chance to help you. [01:07:00] If you're struggling, give someone a chance to help. They don't have to wear the turnout gear. They don't have to still be in the turnout gear, or carry the weapon as a police officer, or be in the military, or be a sheriff, or emergency communications.
Arjuna George: They can be someone completely out of it. But give someone a chance, because you will see the light if you walk towards it. You will. Healthy Hire, Healthy Retire. It's kind of my Yeah, I love that. Yeah. Well, Lieutenant Mitchell, it's been a real honor to sit down and I loved that we had the chance to connect and have a great conversation, uh, about your story and, and kind of where you came from leading up to Operation Yellow Tape and such a powerful, powerful message and visual that I've really gotten from this conversation.
Arjuna George: So appreciate that. Well, I appreciate it so much. I'm honored to be sitting here. Uh, we've, we've had this in the works for a while, but again, sir, thank you so much for the opportunity, uh, to share a little bit of, of, of this and we're doing great things. [01:08:00] A lot of people are doing good stuff. It's just not a few people.
Arjuna George: We're all grinding in this and we are definitely making, we're putting a dent. Yes, I think I think I think in 2023 we're turning the corner 2024 is coming. We're all working hard and things are getting better, but people are still struggling in silence because of the stigma, and that's why we're going to keep on going.
Arjuna George: But I can't thank you enough for having me it's our time is one thing we can't get back and I appreciate your time. Likewise. Likewise. All right, everyone. I hope 
Closing Remarks and Future Plans
Arjuna George: you enjoyed this great conversation with Lieutenant Kenny Mitchell. And until next time, stay well.
Thank you for tuning in to Beneath the Helmet. We hope that this podcast has provided you with valuable insights into the world of firefighters health and wellness. Remember, caring for your physical, mental, and spiritual well being is crucial to achieving optimal performance. Join us next time on Beneath the Helmet for more inspiring conversations.
[01:09:00] Until then