The Other Side Of
Welcome to The Other Side Of — a podcast hosted by two trauma-focused psychotherapists and a former 911 dispatcher-journalist. We go beyond the headlines to explore what really happens behind the uniform, behind closed doors, and inside the mind. Expect powerful clips, survivor stories, and expert insight on recognizing, processing, and living with trauma while rebuilding your life.
Our first season features current and former first responders sharing what helped, what hurt, what pulled them back together, and what they’d tell someone entering the field today. Those brave voices are joined by peer support networks, researchers, and clinicians on the front lines of this critical issue.
Launching November 4, 2025 — with a Remembrance Day feature interview from a Canadian Armed Forces veteran who served in Kandahar — The Other Side Of is a destination for real talk, real people, and real recovery. Future seasons will explore other high-stress careers, domestic or intimate partner violence, and generational trauma across families.
For media inquiries, collaborations, or speaking opportunities, contact:
📧 Amelia Thornton – amelia@tosopod.com
📧 Rebecca Rafuse, RP – rebecca@tosopod.com
☎️ Hero Hotline (toll-free): 1 (888) 874-0911 (leave a voicemail or send a text)
Follow @TOSOPOD on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Ep 23: Flames, Fallout, and Finding Himself: Firefighter Rob Leathen on Service, Survival, & Starting Over
In this episode of The Other Side of the Call, In this episode of The Other Side of the Call, we sit down with retired firefighter Rob Leathen for a direct and unfiltered conversation about what the job gives, what it takes, ...
Ep 22: Private, Practical, Proven: Accessible Mental Health for First Responders (PSPNet Explained)
Where do first responders actually go for support when they’re not ready, or not willing, to sit across from a therapist? In this resource-focused episode, we sit down with Dr. Heather Hadjistavropoulos, Executive Director of...
Ep 21: The Weight of the Work: Dispatch, Distress & Recovery (Part 2 of 2)
In part two of this National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week roundtable, the conversation shifts from what dispatch is to what it can do to the people doing it. Featuring dispatchers from police, fire, and paramedic serv...
Ep 20: The Toll of the Tones: Truths of 911 Dispatch (Part 1 of 2)
In recognition of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, this special roundtable brings together dispatchers from police, fire, and paramedic services across Canada and the United States. With decades of combined expe...
Ep 19: First Responder Families: Separation, Healing & Life After Crisis (part 2 with Parul Shah)
First responder work does not stay at the station, the hall, the hospital, the prison, or the dispatch centre. It comes home. In Part Two of this conversation, psychotherapist and doctoral candidate Parul Shah returns to expl...
Ep 18: First Responder Families: Stress, Warning Signs & Life at Home (Part 1 with Parul Shah)
First responder work does not stay at the station, the hospital, or the dispatch center. It comes home. In this first part of a two-part conversation, trauma therapist and doctoral candidate Parul Shah joins The Other Side of...
#17 – North of Normal: Fighting Fire in the Far North (Part 2)
What does it mean to fight fire in a place where everyone knows everyone, resources are stretched, and you may be on call any time you are in town? In Episode 17 of The Other Side of the Call, we return to Fort Smith, Northwe...
#16 – North of Normal: Becoming A Northern Firefighting Family
What does firefighting look like in a town where everyone is a volunteer? In Episode 16 of The Other Side of the Call, we travel to Fort Smith in Canada’s Northwest Territories to speak with longtime volunteer firefighter Jas...
#15 – Hidden in Plain Sight: The Research Behind Military & First Responder Families in Canada
Families connected to military, Veteran, and public safety service carry responsibilities that often go unseen. Shift work, mobility, operational stress, caregiving demands, and identity strain shape family life long before c...
#14 – The Personal Price: Progress, Prevention, and the OPP
In this episode, we sit down with Jason MacKenzie, the husband of OPP Constable Cindy MacKenzie, who died by suicide while serving. Rather than revisiting institutional failures of the past, this conversation focuses on insti...
Resilience Reimagined: Lt. Col. Steven Boychyn on Trauma, Training, and the Future of Care
Today we’re at CFB Kingston with Lt. Col. Steve Boychyn of Wounded Warriors Canada. Wounded Warriors Canada offers trauma and resiliency programs across the country. For clarity and length, today we’re focusing on six of thei...
Mind Over Fire: The Michael Laughlin Story (Part 2)
Michael Laughlin had already fought his way back more than once, but then, a motorcycle accident changed everything again. In Part II of Mind Over Fire, Michael speaks candidly about the aftermath of losing his leg, the physi...