Hometown Hero Outdoors
Welcome to the Hometown Hero Outdoors Podcast, where we’re more than just a show—we’re a mission. As a non-profit dedicated to enhancing mental health through life-changing outdoor adventures for military service members, veterans, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel, we bring you stories of resilience, healing, and community.
🌲 Why Listen?
- Over 5,000 heroes have experienced the healing power of the outdoors with us—through activities like hunting, fishing, camping, snowmobiling, and more.
- 85% of participants report reduced stress, increased camaraderie, and a renewed sense of purpose after our adventures.
- We share inspiring stories of mental health advocacy and people overcoming the toughest challenges, highlighting the profound impact of reconnecting with nature.
Whether you’re here for thrilling outdoor adventures, meaningful conversations about mental health, or to hear from real people who’ve used the outdoors to heal and grow, this podcast has something for everyone.
🎧 Subscribe now and join us on this journey of healing, resilience, and the transformative power of the great outdoors!
Hometown Hero Outdoors
Senator Judy Seeberger’s Inspiring Journey of Service and Advocacy
Senator Judy Seeberger's journey from evaluating complex legal matters as a lawyer to shaping policy in the Senate is nothing short of inspiring We welcomed her on the Hometown Hero Outdoors Podcast to share how her diverse career path—from lawyer to public school teacher, paramedic, and eventually a Minnesota senator—has shaped her unwavering dedication to public service. Her commitment to veterans and first responders remains a focal point, especially through her collaboration with Hometown Hero Outdoors. Even when legislative hurdles arise, Senator Seeberger stands resolute in her mission to garner bipartisan support for initiatives benefiting our nation's heroes.
Balancing multiple roles in public service requires a unique blend of passion and resilience, and Senator Seeberger embodies both. Managing her duties as a senator and paramedic, she offers a firsthand account of the intricacies and satisfactions of her multifaceted career. Her story is one of continuous evolution, from her initial role as an insurance defense attorney to becoming an educator motivated by her son's needs. The scenic backdrop of Washington and Dakota counties in Minnesota adds a touch of home to her narrative, highlighting the community she proudly serves and the collaborative projects she's spearheaded for military service members and first responders.
Mental health advocacy is a vital conversation we tackle with Senator Seeberger, focusing on the pressing need for resources and stigma reduction. Sharing personal and professional insights, she underscores the importance of mental health support systems, from innovative therapies to community events. Her initiatives are deeply personal, drawing from her own experiences and connections, such as her husband's 31-year service in the Navy. Senator Seeberger's dedication transcends political divides, as she champions for both military families and law enforcement, demonstrating a powerful commitment to her constituents and a desire to uplift those who serve.
Produced by Phil Ewert Productions
Theme Music: Hero's Journey
Joel Loopez Tunepocket.com
Licensed by: Phil Ewert Productions
hometownherooutdoors.org
In the land of 10,000 lakes, a remarkable movement was born. Welcome to Hometown Hero Outdoors. We are dedicated to honoring our military service members, veterans and first responders by providing them with unforgettable outdoor recreational opportunities. We believe those who have served and sacrificed so much for our country and communities deserve a chance to reclaim their spirit and find healing in the great outdoors. This is Hometown Hero Outdoors. Welcome to the Hometown Hero Outdoors Podcast.
Speaker 2:Here is your host, chris Tatro. Hello everyone, welcome back to the Hometown Hero Outdoors podcast. Today I'm excited to have a senator on from the state of Minnesota here. Her name is Senator Judy Seberger. Last year I was able to meet the senator regarding Hometown Hero Outdoors and the things that we do for our nation's heroes, that we do for our nation's heroes and we had some unique conversations. And last year Senator actually sponsored and authored one of our bills that went over to the last session. Unfortunately that was unsuccessful this last year but that's okay because we'll try again.
Speaker 2:But it's a quick bio about Senator Judy Seberger here. She has spent her life dedicated to service and helping others. She has served as a public school teacher, paramedic, member of her local fire department, she's an attorney and she is the wife of now-retired Navy captain and mother to two amazing boys. She understands the dedication and sacrifice that come with public service and is unafraid to stand up for what is right, even as uncomfortable or comes at a personal cost. As a proven leader, senator Seabrooker brings her extensive firsthand knowledge of public education, emergency medical services, military family life and the law of the Minnesota Senate and law to the Minnesota Senate. She uses unique perspective to work diligently for the people in her district, driven by her unwavering commitment to help others. So thank you for being here, senator. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 3:It's my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:You know you have a very unique and diverse background. You know I really I appreciate being able to approach someone who has some experiences, especially with your emergency medical services, the fire department experiences, being married to a veteran and being able to leverage those experiences throughout your career to apply them in your world. I think it's a very unique life that you live and you have quite the vast experience and I'm sure that's serving you well in your current role at the Senate.
Speaker 3:No, you're absolutely right. You kind of hit it with my bio. I joke that I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up, so I keep embarking on new adventures. And that really has informed how I accomplish my work and how I kind of approach problems in the Minnesota Senate.
Speaker 2:No, that's fantastic, you know, and one thing with Hometown Hero Outdoors too, is we don't get very political, you know, we try to stay in the middle, you know, and not comment on too many things here and there.
Speaker 2:You know, on this last year, you know, I think what was kind of cool about the organization too is, you know, I think predominantly it's pretty common and known knowledge that a lot of people in these professions are pretty conservative individuals. But I think it's very cool that you know that we were able to talk both sides of the parties, because it's all about the one mission of helping our heroes. You know people who have served in the military, the veterans and the first responders, and you know I greatly appreciate your support throughout this last session and being able to help author these bills and whatnot your support throughout this last session and being able to help author these bills and whatnot. No, we had that one day with being the testimony at the Senate and that was a whole new experience. But so let's talk about a little bit about your background when it comes to your personal life. So let's start with your career. What did you start with early on in your life?
Speaker 3:Well, I began my career as a lawyer, so that's how I started and that's actually where I am right now today in my law office taking care of some business, trying to get caught up from session. And then I transitioned into when I was in my 40s. I went back to school and got my license and master's as a public school teacher, so I'm a grade five through 12 English teacher as well and worked in the public schools for gosh for the past 12 years. I also joined the fire department and became an EMT and really liked that. So I went back to school, became a paramedic and I've been working in that field now for a little over 10 years and truly enjoy all of it. And then, of course, got into politics and now I'm in the Senate.
Speaker 2:How do you balance all of that? That is a lot.
Speaker 3:It is a lot as a matter of fact. How do you balance all of that? That is a lot. It is a lot as a matter of fact. And now with my new responsibilities in the Senate, I'm kind of cutting back on some of the other for right now, but I still. I still get out on a truck, I'm still on the fire department, I still work for another, a couple other agencies doing paramedic stuff on a casual basis and that kind of helps balance my brain well.
Speaker 2:I mean, everyone needs an outlet. You know, and I you know you do have a lot of public service out there and I know that it could probably. I know it fills my cup. I'm sure it helps you as well.
Speaker 3:It's yeah, I get the most out of life and I feel the most rewarded when I'm helping others.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, it's fantastic. So you also serve the Afton area. Let our listeners know which area that you are represented in also serve the Afton area. Let our listeners know which area that you are representing.
Speaker 3:My district is 41, and that runs from the city of Grant in the north down through Lake Elmo, West Lakeland Township, Baytown, Township, Afton, the Lakeland Cities, Denmark Township, Cottage Grove, Hastings and.
Speaker 2:Nininger Township, just a small area. Just you know, it's only 41 miles top to bottom, yeah it's quite the wide experience and for a lot of our listeners that's Washington County, minnesota area. Is that the only county, or does it just extend into Dakota a little bit, or it extends into Dakota. So I have both.
Speaker 3:Washington and Dakota counties.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that's quite the vast area and you know I live in the Stillwater area and that's why, senator seaburger, I'm just right on the other side, I believe, of your district because I think senator housley's my senator but close in afton area if you have not been to afton, minnesota area is absolutely gorgeous. Love that area I love it.
Speaker 3:It's beautiful. I say I'm in the most beautiful district in the state I would concur.
Speaker 2:you know, I know there's some really close seconds up north, but it's a very beautiful area on the St Croix River, uh through Afton area. The St Croix is protected and uh has a lot of different um regulations that help protect the area and make it scenic and continue to uh thrive as a resource that we use as an organization quite frequently actually. So it's pretty cool. But getting back to your career here now, as far as you said you started as an attorney. What type of law do you practice?
Speaker 3:I practice what's called insurance defense, so I defend people and businesses who are sued in civil court. An example is you have liability insurance on your car. If you get in a car accident and somebody sues you, part of the cost of their or part of your liability coverage is the cost of a lawyer to defend you.
Speaker 4:So that's what I do.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I pop up, you get sued. I pop up and defend you throughout the lawsuit.
Speaker 2:That's interesting. I did not know that part. That's pretty cool though. Yeah, and you've been practicing that for how long?
Speaker 3:28 years.
Speaker 2:Wow, a lot of changes in those 28, I bet.
Speaker 3:A lot yeah. The most significant yeah, the most significant is the transition from everything being on paper to everything being electronic. There was quite a learning curve there, but it's better.
Speaker 2:No, that's crazy. That's you know that law enforcement to everything going from paper tickets all to electronic and whatnot. That was quite the transition and uphill climb trying to figure out what that looked like. Then you transitioned, you said, into being a school teacher, like what got you prompted into teaching English.
Speaker 3:I was an English major in college. The language arts has always come naturally to me and, you know, as an attorney I use language both in the spoken and written form. You know, as a part of what I do. I already had a bachelor's degree in English, so it kind of made sense. It was an area that I was comfortable and the push to get me into teaching was my youngest son.
Speaker 3:My youngest son has autism and some mental health challenges and really struggled in school and I wasn't sure if he was going to be able to make it in the public school system and if I was going to have to homeschool him. I at least wanted to know what I was doing, get some training in pedagogy and understand what it is to be a teacher, and that drove me into getting my teaching degree. And then, of course, once I got in the classroom, I absolutely loved it. It's my favorite job that I've ever had. It's hard, it's a lot of work, you don't get paid very much, but it's the best thing I've ever done and someday I hope to get back into a classroom. Best, most fun, most favorite job I've ever had.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's good Working with kids, you know it's. I have a few, To say the least, we have seven. We're a blended family, so we're busy. But I love kids and I love being able to watch them grow and how observant they become. And being able to pass on that knowledge that we have to the kids is very rewarding, and I'm sure you get a lot of that in the classroom and from your children.
Speaker 3:Yeah, both, yeah, both sides the kids and the other kids, right, it's. You know, as a teacher, my favorite is when I'm able to make that connection with a student and kind of see the light bulb go on, and those are really rewarding moments talking about some of the complications or issues that our military service members, veterans and first responders serve have some of these hurdles that we're doing.
Speaker 2:Some of the initiatives that Senator Seabrook is working on maybe things that stand out to her, or what she wants to do here in the future in the state of Minnesota, I think those are important topics to touch on. You know, that's been kind of a rough run here in the state for the last year when it comes to our our first responders, um, having complications not only with mental health and their career field in the state but also with some of our partners being taken too early from us, and I think there's those important topics to talk about. Just want to let everyone know that that is coming here and that's we're just kind of building on our way there. But uh, senator, then you got into being a paramedic and working with your local fire department. Like what prompted that and how did that look like and how was the training? Was it eye opening, like all of the things.
Speaker 3:Honest to God, I don't know what compelled me to join the fire department. I don't know a sense of adventure, do something kind of cool, give back to the community. But I it's. I have no regrets. It's been, um, a phenomenal ride. Uh, they really are my family and they're my second family. When I was first hired, the chief said you know this, we become your family. And it's true. Um, it has been so rewarding to serve my community in that way.
Speaker 3:Um, becoming an EMT. It took, oh gosh what four or five, six months, something like that, to become an EMT and I started as I was working in that field and learning that job. Um, I really, really found it to be rewarding and I was hungry for more knowledge and I wanted to get trained at a higher level and that's what drove me to paramedic school. I went to paramedic school. That was another year and a half to get certified as a paramedic and I love it, I absolutely love it. I'm going to keep doing it until my body I can't do it anymore. It's a really physical job. It's a lot of work. You know lifting things, lifting people in and out, crawling in situations. You know it's hard on your body. So I'm going to keep doing it until physically I can't do it anymore.
Speaker 2:No, it's fantastic. It's that mental checklist too. You know they have to go through with every patient, you know, and everything, nothing's the same ever and the physical demand I'm sure you know as you go into the call you kind of get in your mind with this calm and repetition. But when you get there, you know you have to have that calm, collect manner but also hit that checklist and ensure that you're hitting all the checking, all the boxes, essentially with your patients. And I think it's super cool that you have such a wide variety of knowledge here. You know, and honestly, with the first responder side of things, you know, you literally got into the ring with everyone else and said I'm going to learn this, you know, and I think that's very important, especially when you're already an attorney, a teacher, a mother, a wife, like that's another feather in the hat, but being able to see the behind the scenes, that's significant.
Speaker 3:It is. You know and I you kind of hit it on the head no call is ever. No two calls are the same, even if you're responding to a patient you've already had or a situation you've already been in. No two calls are ever the same.
Speaker 3:And I want to take this opportunity to give a shout out to our law enforcement.
Speaker 3:I know that lately they've been kind of on the receiving end of, you know, not so good commentary and I want to say you know, a lot of times I show up, I count on them to keep me safe on scenes and I'm not on every call that they're on, but we share a lot of calls together and I see the risks that they take. You know, as a paramedic and EMS we kind of hang back until the scene is safe. That's their job and they do a phenomenal job of keeping the scene safe when I'm there. I know that they don't necessarily want to take on the medical end and that's fine. I'm happy to jump in and do the medical stuff. But I've been on plenty of scenes where kind of your spidey sense goes off and you know that things can change in the blink of an eye and I'm super grateful to law enforcement for making sure that they keep me safe, and I bring that with me to my work in the Senate and I will always have their back as a lawmaker.
Speaker 2:Uh yeah, no, it's very much a very integrated web amongst all first responders and everyone has a very key component in their response and I'm glad that you touched on that. Um, you know there's times with paramedics, emts, whatever whoever's riding an ambulance. You know there are times where there are volatile situations, even with the being hit, you know, in an ambulance. You know needing restraints and medication to help calm those nerves. So I know that you guys are not immune to that either. It happens and unfortunately it happens more often than it should.
Speaker 3:It can be pretty common, sadly. You know, since COVID we've really seen an uptick in mental health calls. You know that period of time was hard on everybody and I get it. And I think you know the best thing that I can bring to the table is some understanding, hopefully some de-escalation, hopefully a listening ear. You know, and that's kind of the mindset I like to take when there's somebody in crisis, that that we are called to assist with and hopefully help and but you know, sadly it doesn't always work and and some people are are, you know, violent and unpredictable, and again, that's where law enforcement comes in.
Speaker 3:Super grateful for their help. But you know, sometimes the tables can turn in the back of the ambulance when it's just me with the patient. And you know there are times where my personal safety is at risk and I got to draw on those tools in my paramedic toolbox and my toolbox as a person walking this earth for 54 years and a mom and and everything to um, you know, keep me safe, keep my patient safe, de-escalate the situation as as as much as I can. Um, but yeah, I mean there's times we got to use the, the soft restraints or, or, um, you know, medicate the patient as well, just for everybody's safety.
Speaker 2:No, that's it's a very fluid. Every call is very fluid. You know some are easier than others, but I mean, there are also sometimes things that you take home with you to. You know, your wheels keep spinning after you take a call and you might want to take off that uniform and go home and relax, and sometimes those things go home with you as well. You know it's uh, everyone's human, you know, and I think that we forget that element a lot when it comes to people in these line of these professions. Really, you know that, uh, we're not robots. You know we all have our own mental health and our own mental struggles and, uh, a lot of those things come home with you and I'm sure you've experienced a little bit of that on your own at times where you've been on a call, and they come home with you.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Yeah, no, there are some that stick with me supervisors, your friends, your spouse and get the counseling that you need to work through it, because we are human and it does stick in your brain and sometimes it's not the call that you think will bother you. That bothers you, and to be able to feel supported enough to talk about it is important. And I try to lend that listening ear to my colleagues as well and you know, sometimes it comes out in, you know, dark humor or something that maybe someone in the industry only understands.
Speaker 2:But we don't have dark humor at all.
Speaker 3:But we've gotten better in the industry about raising your hand when we're not feeling okay and reaching out for help, but it's still as the helpers. It's hard to be the one asking for help. That's still kind of a tough one for a lot of us to get over.
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Speaker 2:It is changing, it is getting better, you know, but there are still complications and issues. I mean I can think of about five or six suicides that have occurred in the last year, unfortunately. You know paramedic here in Washington County not too long ago, you know the trooper, there was another police chief, there was a Metro Transit police officer I mean those are just off the top of my head in the last couple of months and it's unfortunate. You know, these professions take a toll, you know, and I do feel that the tides are turning. I do feel like there's additional support out there.
Speaker 2:You know, like our organization, there's a ton of organizations out there that kind of cater to mental health, but we all kind of go about how do we assist that mental health in a different avenue, but we all kind of go about how do we assist that mental health in a different avenue. And then your support that you gave at the Senate this last year and we received support in the House as well. I think that it really speaks to where your heart is and where you have your goals invested. And that kind of brings me to want to talk a lot about your initiatives. You know what are the things that got you into politics politics number one and why you decided to go down that road, and then number two what were the main things that really focused on for you when it came to legislative initiatives that you're hoping to get through and move through?
Speaker 3:well, you know politics like anything else. I saw an opportunity and kind of went for it and here we are. You know, prior to serving in the Senate, I served on a school board and I served on city council. So I've had a little bit of experience in the public sector, working on issues kind of at the ground level that are important to folks, and I mean I love it, I love it. And I mean I love it, I love it. I love dealing with everyday issues that make a difference to people and and kind of getting in there and figuring out a problem and doing what I can to to make it a little bit better.
Speaker 3:When I got into the Senate I did have a few things that were really important to me. One of those is mental health. That is sort of the huge thing that kind of guides everything that I do. I want to improve the options that we have for folks that need mental health supports. I want to reduce the stigma. I want to fix some of the problems that I see it's a massive, massive undertaking but I think if we can chip away at it here and there, make the improvements where we can, you know, if I can, if we can help one person worth it.
Speaker 3:Like I mentioned in the beginning, my youngest son has some mental health issues and we've been through some challenges as a family and it has informed my work. You know the problems we've run into. How can we make it better? You know the lack of beds. What can we do to increase beds? What can we do to increase access to beds? The stigma that's why I talk about it. I talk about it with his permission, um to normalize talking about mental health issues. You know, when someone's not doing well, let's be able to talk about it, not make fun of them or not, you know, sweep it under the rug, um. So all that stuff has has kind of been this, this huge mental health, um substance use disorder, kind of huge issue that I'm trying to tackle on a lot of different fronts.
Speaker 2:Mental health is a huge one and I appreciate you being forward with it all. You know I'm in therapy. I've been going to therapy for quite a while, you know, when it comes to what I've experienced throughout my military service and my law enforcement, like you said before, those small calls that you don't think are going to bother you, the things that come back eventually, but, uh, you know, being able to leverage that personal experience, you know, especially with someone so close to you, I think that that makes you a little bit more passionate about all of that. You know, and once you realize this is us, you know this is me or my family, I think that elevates a lot of that and I think a lot of people don't realize how close it is to them when it comes to mental health.
Speaker 3:No, you're right, and yeah, and I like to bring my son he's 19. And I like to bring him to kind of show the face right Like this is my kid. He's a great guy and he's really fun to be around and super funny, and you know. But this is the face of mental health struggles and challenges, and we have good days and we have bad days, and so does everybody, right, you don't have to have a diagnosed mental health condition to have your good days and your bad days, but you pile something else on top of that and sometimes it gets a lot more challenging. So I'm happy to be able to talk about it, I'm happy to be able to advocate for greater mental health supports and to, you know, be on this podcast and keep talking about it, because that's the only way that we can reduce the stigma and help people get the help that they need without feeling embarrassed or, you know, without feeling shame or, you know, not feeling supported in the process.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know. That brings me to think about too, that you are familiar with the nonprofit of Bajor on the backside. I think you had visited with them at Canterbury, is that right?
Speaker 3:I did.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so for our listeners, bajor A Baj on the backside is ran by Sally Mixon and a couple other partners and they are a nonprofit out of Canterbury, minnesota, that does equine therapy with retired thoroughbred racehorses and it's an absolutely incredible way of receiving therapy in a different way. And recently we started partnering with Sally and her team more with Hometown Hero Outdoors, because we can only carry the ball so far when it comes to mental health. You know we can do the outdoor adventures. We can apply our assist training, which is applied suicide intervention skills training. We can find mental health providers that are there to assist, but then we have sally down there doing her thing with the retired racehorses and uh where. That's a means or a way for us to be able to refer people to someone who can assist in a deeper, meaningful way, because she is a licensed therapist that engages with different types of therapy and she can carry the ball a little further than we can.
Speaker 2:And Senator Seberger has visited Canterbury and knows Sally and them and I think you know that just shows that there is some. You know there's some weight to what you're saying here that she does support the mental health side of things as and as well as carrying our bill. You know, and uh, sally is fantastic, and so is her team. Um, we're actually going to host a mental health, um, suicide prevention walk down at canterbury with them this upcoming september oh cool yeah, normally we do it in Stillwater.
Speaker 2:Uh, we've done it for here for three years. But, um, we talked to Sally and we figured, you know, change of scenery, I love Stillwater, don't get me wrong. But uh, go to Canterbury, experience something different. So we're going to do the, the mental health walk, and, uh, they'll be able to walk the actual track at Canterbury, which is pretty sandy, so that will make your calves scream, but you know we can endure a little pain to. You know, walk for mental health and suicide prevention. And afterwards the, uh, we'll have some food available either by Canterbury or some food trucks. People can grab a beverage if they like, but then they can stay for the races afterwards. I want to say it's September 7th, if I remember right.
Speaker 3:That sounds great, I'm going to make a note of that. That would be if my schedule works out. I would love to be a part of that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that'd be fantastic. So but what other types of initiatives as a Senator have you had when it comes to first responders or military veterans? Because we did. I briefly brought up that your husband is a retired captain from the Navy, so you said after 30 plus years he retired. That's a long time and I'm sure that you have a lot of topics and passion with the military and the veteran side as well.
Speaker 3:It is a long time. Yeah, he retired after 31 years. The military has served us well, um, but as the parents staying home with the kids, um, there were some hard times. There were some definite hard times, um. So there I kind of bring that experience into um, certainly, I support military service members, I. You know it's not something that I personally would have been able to do. I think I sometimes I get a little headstrong and maybe I wouldn't have been a good fit for the military.
Speaker 3:But I certainly value those that that chose that path, and you know particularly my husband. I've seen the good work that he's done, the benefit that it's brought us as a family, but also the challenges that come with military service. My interest, of course, lies with the families that support the military service members. As I mentioned, you know, my youngest son has some challenges and that as a mom, well, when my husband was gone was was tricky sometimes and I really wished he was home a lot of times. But I certainly understood why he wasn't and supported everything that he did when he was in the Navy. So that informs what I, what I do.
Speaker 3:Um, when I, before I got into, uh, the Senate, I was active in the Yellow Ribbon Network of Washington County.
Speaker 3:I did that a lot, which supported, um, you know, military service members and their families, and that that helped me give back a little bit too.
Speaker 3:But coming to the Senate with you know, the knowledge of what our service members have chosen to do for us and some of the residual effects of whatever they encountered while they were serving or after service has really guided me in the work that I do. Now I'm not on the Veterans Committee, but I am interested in the legislation that comes up that has to do with veterans. We have the Veterans Home in Hastings, which is part of my district, part of my district. So it's been important to me to ensure that we're doing right by our veterans when it comes to military service members, but broadening that scope again with regard to our first responders, our law enforcement, who I really do think we need to conscientiously lift up and support. They've gotten such a poor, such poor treatment, particularly in the media and by my own party. I mean I'm a DFL senator, right? I mean we talked about the partisanship and my party has not done law enforcement any favors, I don't I support law enforcement.
Speaker 3:law enforcement any favors, I don't. I support law enforcement. I am out there working for law enforcement and I want to use any platform that I can to uplift them and really honor their service to those of us in the state and across country. So that's you know. It's it's having these kind of views that that informs what I want to work on and kind of the direction I try to push for things when it comes to bills that I see coming across my desk at the legislature.
Speaker 2:I love your ability to come out and say the things that may not be status quo with either party. You know, I think that's great. You know, with your support of law enforcement and saying that you're DFL, I think that's fantastic. You know, and recently you're awarded an award from the MPPOA, which is the Minnesota Peace and Police Officers Association. Do you want to talk about that award a little bit?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was really honored to receive the Senate Legislator of the Year Award from the MPPOA. That's a huge honor for me and really was humbling to receive that award. You know, I've always said I represent the people in my district, not the party, and there were a few times this past session where I did push back against the party a little bit and it has to do with really me following what I believe is right and what the right thing to do is, and it's not always what falls along partisan lines. It's what I think is the right thing to do for the constituents in my district, the folks of the state of Minnesota. And that resulted in me pushing back a few times in Judiciary Committee against members of my own party on things that I thought were not in line with my personal beliefs and those that represented the interests of folks in my district. So I'm not afraid to push back when I need to push back. I represent people, not a party, and that guides what I do in my work.
Speaker 2:A lot of that applies with what you talked about in EMS recently. Was listening and compassion right? You have to do that as a politician too, with your own district.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I mean I represent my district is kind of equal Democrats, republicans, independents, and I represent them all.
Speaker 3:So I can't come in and say so I can't come in and say, yeah, I can't come in and say I'm only going to do the DFL stuff. I mean that that only, you know, represents a little subset of my constituents. I have to take into consideration everybody's interests and, you know, make some hard decisions and and try to walk that line of of how can I best represent the folks in my district and serve their interests. That's what I try to do, oh that's great, you know.
Speaker 2:I'm glad you brought up the spouse side of things for the military too. You know that's not easy. I mean it's very, very difficult being a spouse of someone in the military and deploying. Were you a Minnesota resident during any deployments or while your husband was gone?
Speaker 3:I was, yeah, in 2011,. That was a tough year. My husband was mobilized for a year, he was sent off to the Middle East, he was sent to Doha and he gosh. He left in March, three days after we moved into a new home.
Speaker 3:So, I had two little kids they were five and seven a dog, you know. A new house to unpack and a career I was still working full time as an attorney. It was horrible, I gotta say it was really rough Setting up a new house. You know, trying to be the best parent I could be, it was really rough, um, setting up a new house, um, you know, trying to be the best parent I could be, missing my husband, um, it was, it was hard, it was. It was a really hard year, uh, but you know, we, uh, we tried to make the best of it. I always do.
Speaker 3:I just, you know, if something kind of hard happens, I try to spin it and make the best out of it that I can and um, so the kids and I went to visit them. I, I took two kids on a flight to the middle east, um, and we spent a couple weeks over there, um, wow, learning about qatar and the middle east, and it was over christmas time. So a little known fact I don't know if you're aware of this, but Santa, when he goes over the desert, swaps out the reindeer for camels. I didn't know that was a thing, yep.
Speaker 2:We found that out. I spent almost a year and a half in Iraq and I never knew that I was there for Christmas. But that's hilarious, but no, that's crazy to bring the two kids way over there.
Speaker 3:But Hilarious. But no, that's, that's crazy to bring the two kids way over there. But I mean not in a bad way, I mean that area is fairly stabilized but it's a, it's a very unique experience going over there. It was a good lesson, you know. It was a good lesson for the kids. That not, you know, not. Not everybody celebrates Christmas, some people do, some people don't. Not everybody loves America Some people do, some people don't.
Speaker 3:You know, these are good conversations to have when you're going to the middle East. Um, and it was a, it was a really great trip and, um, you know something that we'll never forget.
Speaker 2:What are some of the resources that you used or leaned on? I know you talked about the yellow ribbon. I'm sure you know Chuck it at Hugo. He's a fantastic volunteer over at the Yellow Ribbon. What are some of the resources that you leveraged as a spouse while your husband was on deployment?
Speaker 3:Oh, you know, I did rely on the Yellow Ribbon folks for support. I had a good friend network that really helped. I had some good support in. There was a police chief that was really helpful to me. So I kind of had a network of support kind of pre-built that I was able to really use. The, the beyond the yellow ribbon folks are really helpful, um, and and just kind of folks that I knew in and around the community were were were really helpful as well. Um, you know the, the, the military piece, uh, my husband was in the reserve so he was an individual augmentee and I and so I didn't have like a unit that I could rely on or other spouses from the unit that went over. It was we were kind of on our own, so it was sort of up to me to rely on the support that I'd already kind of built for myself to get us through kind of a really difficult year.
Speaker 2:Very different from your active military component, for those that are listening and they come to reserve or guards. You know we're spread out across the state citizen soldiers and have full-time careers elsewhere generally, or if you're, you know, active reserve or guard. But you know, when it comes to spouses, their network is spread far and thin. You know, my old units were Pine City, grand Rapids and Hibbing, minnesota, and I live in the metro, you know, and those are nowhere near a lot of my peers and I went on my deployments single, which is probably the smartest thing I ever did, just because I saw the drama happen between my peers. But just the networking and the FRG, the family readiness groups, you know they're there but they're not as prevalent just because people are spread out and you're not living in a military base and have the housing that's there. So it's it's pretty difficult and you know I got to.
Speaker 2:There's a thing with the hometown here outdoors too, that we'd like to share with people too is, you know if you have served, uh, in any of these professions.
Speaker 2:You know, in the military specifically, you know that.
Speaker 2:You know we do offer events at times for the military service member and their spouses or significant others, whatever that might be, or their children too, you know, and that helps build that relationship back from time that's lost.
Speaker 2:I feel that we lose a lot of time with our significant others from being married to our careers, unfortunately, and we try to give that back to them at times.
Speaker 2:And being able to engage on some of these trips or whatever we have hosted it does help build mental health back where they might put them in a better place. And I know some of our ventures have put people in a better mental health state where they are capable of maybe navigating some personal life issues a little better, you know, have some clarity and then go to people like Sally at Abijah, you know, and help navigate that further and walk down that road. So there's a lot of benefit to what we do here at the organization, to not only for you know, our, your spouse or your significant other, but also for the family as well, where it's a giant component or group that can help out with long-term stuff. And that's again important why, when we had discussed getting this bill together and putting it up there, I think that that's one of the components that I think kind of helps lift things up about why hopefully we can get the support this next session.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and that's what I love about your organization. You know, like I mentioned before, sometimes it's hard to step forward and ask for help, um, but it's. It's easier to say I'm going to go fishing, or I'm going to go hunting or I'm going to, um, you know, engage in an activity and then, incidental to that activity, right Is kind of where the, the connections are made and and um that the help can be offered and, I think, more easily received, um, so that's that's what I I really like about your organization and things like Abijah's, um, I don't know what it is about horses, but they just they they're incredible.
Speaker 3:They are, you can just connect with them, um in a way that like big dogs, right, you know, kind of this thing. But but there's something else too. It's some kind of peace and I don't, I don't know, I can't put my finger on it, but um really really helpful when it comes to um assisting with with mental health and wellness and and that kind of thing. So big supporter of these programs, especially your program, and I'm sorry it didn't go anywhere. That's more of a function of kind of how things kind of crashed and burned at the end. But we're not done. I'll carry the bill again next session and I'll advocate for it and hopefully, fingers crossed, we'll have a little more success next time.
Speaker 2:Well, I appreciate it all. I mean it was eye-opening. You know the whole process in general, from you know, meeting with senators and representatives and then drafting the bills, going to the state reviser's office, having them put on paper, learning what yellow jackets are and is it red jackets, green, green jackets for you know, going as a bill to you to be an author, and then watching the process play out, watching it online. I mean it was just so much, I mean. And then I started talking about going to a committee conference and that just made my head explode and I was like I don't even know what you're talking about.
Speaker 3:So it's a lot. It's a foreign world, you know, and to be honest with you, before I got elected I wasn't all that familiar with it myself either. Um, I learned fast. It is kind of a strange process, um, and you know I I commend you for jumping right in and and and learning it, um and again. I'm happy to help happy to keep working on it and keeping the sponsor and the author to move it through.
Speaker 2:I was lucky. I had a couple lobbyists that kind of lent me some advice over time. Bill Struzinski, you know, he's up in the Scandia area a long time, been working at the governor's office for a while and now he's a lobbyist for quite a while. The MPPOA lent me some other lobbyists, just different advice, you know, and it's intimidating. You know getting down there I mean, I'm not someone who puts on a suit often, so you know getting down there and trying to rub elbows and let people know who you are and why they should give your organization money. You know that's a big hill to climb but it was very eye-opening I feel more comfortable with it and then having conversations and relationships with the senator here and then other representatives. Representative Hill is actually my neighbor. He carried our house. He's just a couple houses down, so it was very eye-opening and interesting and rewarding. A lot of learning. This is your financial cop Money Minute.
Speaker 4:Nothing starts with a plan. Unless you have a budget, you can't pay off debt, just like you can't really technically save for retirement and a vacation and other things without understanding what your budget is. And so I had to get a grasp of what my outflow versus my inflow was, and I kind of came to a realization that you know, we have this gift in law enforcement called overtime right, and far too many of us use overtime as a mechanism to elevate our standard of living. Well, I changed and said you know what we're going to use overtime to build our financial strength and I'm going to use it to accelerate things. This is your financial cop Money Minute.
Speaker 2:But yeah, so you know, with your political journey and what, just real quick, what are some initiatives that you're thinking about engaging this next session? That's literally just around the corner, almost legislation.
Speaker 3:this past session I was a part of I was co-chair of the EMS task force that went around the state and learned about some of the issues that our various EMS agencies are facing in greater Minnesota and suburban areas and urban districts, and it's stuff that we all kind of knew about. But we really took a deep dive in and started tackling some of those issues. We're going to be coming up with a report here in a few weeks with some recommendations on ways to improve how we deliver pre-hospital care here in the state of Minnesota. So we started that process just this past session with some fundings, some emergency aid and some other initiatives. When it comes to, we're kind of reimagining how we do EMS and we're just starting on that process. So what I'd like to see is I want to build out kind of a more vibrant system in the state, particularly in greater Minnesota, where you have geographical challenges and staffing challenges, which leads to response times that are too long and transport times that are too long, we keep closing hospitals.
Speaker 3:You know you got to drive farther. So how do we? How do we make it better? I'd like to incorporate more telehealth. Right, if we have a paramedic on scene and we can get a doc to kind of coordinate, maybe we can provide more care to the patient in their home so they don't have to go to the ER, which, as we know, are full. Our hospitals are all full. So if we can take some of the burden off of that and kind of transition how we provide pre-hospital care, I would like to see if we can build that out a little bit. So I have a lot of ideas in my head of how we can improve EMS delivery here in the state and I'm kind of excited to start rolling that out.
Speaker 3:That's a huge initiative for me that builds into the mental health piece. You know a lot of folks in crisis mental health crisis or even before they get to a mental health crisis are coming to our emergency departments and that's, you know, adding to the strain on our hospitals. So how can we better deliver care to folks that need mental health services without having to transport them by ambulance to an emergency department where they may or may not get care, where they may get boarded waiting for a bed. How can we improve that system upstream to help people sooner and help them in their own homes, in their own communities? So those are, those are. You know, I talked about the mental health piece that plays into it when it comes to emergency medical care, ems services, that's that's a big one that I'm working on, that's in process right now, that I'm really excited to see roll out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I remember when I was up on the LACS area that was one of the things that was a big struggle. Up there was the MS. I remember they were understaffed, spread way too far. I think Mora and Onemia were the closest hospitals that we had at the time and the next one was Aiken, you know, and that was not close and a lot of times responding to calls it was first responders. You know, with your minimal training, you know, and sometimes you had to wait 40 minutes for care, if not more.
Speaker 3:And that's not acceptable. That's not acceptable. We established a couple innovation zones this past session in St Louis County and Otter Tail County where we're going to have a sprint medic model to augment the volunteer paid on call EMS service that already exists. So we have a full-time, on-duty paramedic who will be in a squad ready to respond to any call and that person can get to the call before the BLS ambulance volunteers, you know. Arrive at the station and get underway, the medic can start providing immediate care ALS care to the patient, which you know the numbers tell us the outcome is better the sooner you can get ALS care to the patient. So we're going to roll that out. It's going to be a pilot program for two years. Hopefully we're going to learn from that to hopefully be something we can establish statewide to help with our volunteer ambulance services that are really struggling when it comes to personnel and sort of the challenges that come with running a volunteer service challenges that come with running a volunteer service.
Speaker 2:No, that's fantastic. I think that's it's needed. It's underdeveloped areas, people spread out, not enough training, response times. I mean that all factors in and if you're not trying, then you're not helping, right? I mean, yeah, you got to engage and try something new and if that's not working, try something different.
Speaker 2:Well, senator, I really appreciate you coming on the podcast today. I know we hit a lot of different topics. Actually, I think you were the very first paramedic that we've had on the podcast and then you were many hats. You know we expanded to EMS and HHO two years ago and it's still a profession that we're trickling into but it's growing and, um, more EMS and fire are joining us. And you know, as we saw, unfortunately, in Burnsville Minnesota this last year, you know we had two police officers and a firefighter paramedic killed and uh, you know they're struggling and uh, we're there to help give them some support. I just did a fishing launch with some of the Burnsville officers recently and whoever could join, and hoping to get more out in the near future with them. But you know, I think that us trickling into those career fields is growing and that's needed.
Speaker 2:And you know, I do have one thing that we can talk about more later up is. You know, we've been getting some feedback from some of our agencies regarding gifts. You know so some city attorneys are translating the gift laws for fire, ems, law enforcement, where us bringing them fishing is considered a gift and they can't accept that as a 501c3 nonprofit, where we're not receiving anything in return and there's no catch. You know so, um, maybe that's something that we can have some further discussion on. You know, and I understand the concern, but at the same time, I'm a law enforcement officer myself, you know, and if I bring a law enforcement officer fishing to me, that's no different than us going to my cabin and bringing a buddy out. You know, where do you draw that line? Um, and we're just looking to help, you know, and um, let's talk about that.
Speaker 3:Let's, let's talk about that. Hopefully we can uh brainstorm some ways to make that a little bit easier to do and yeah, take that out of the equation.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, um, we'll deep dive that. But yes, thank you, senator. Thanks for coming on. Thank you for all your support. You know September 7th I'll touch base with you on that for the walk. Sorry, we're going to miss you on the river cruise this weekend. That would have been fun.
Speaker 3:That would have been fun, but I'm going to be up north fishing.
Speaker 2:No, enjoy your time fishing.
Speaker 2:It's needed especially after last session, before next session, I've been asked about a million times when I'm going to get into politics. I'm just like I'm good right now, but thank you for everything. Thank you for serving the people, listening and being supportive of the organization. And again, we don't dive into politics much, but you know, honestly, these careers are affected from everything, few and far between. Politics create climates and I think it's important for you to have your voice here and be able to voice those, uh, your support and, where it's needed, and what your initiatives are.
Speaker 3:So thank you very much I appreciate you having me on and I'll I'm happy to talk to you anytime about these issues.
Speaker 2:They're so important well, thank you, senator, and enjoy your time fishing, and we will touch base probably the next month or two with session coming around the corner. So thank you, senator, and enjoy your time fishing, and we will touch base probably the next month or two with a session coming around the corner. So, thank you very much again. I appreciate your time.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 2:All right, everyone from the Hometown Hero Outdoors podcast. Thank you for tuning in today. Please join us in a couple weeks for the next podcast. Thank you.
Speaker 1:The Hometown Hero Outdoors podcast is made possible by the following sponsors O'Neill Electric Contractors. The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. Relentless Defender, apparel and Financial Cop Financial Advisors. Thank you for listening to the Hometown Hero Outdoors podcast. For more information, visit our website at hometownherooutdoorsorg.
