Frontline Strong and the Power of Peer-Led Mental Health Support

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Episode 142: Frontline Strong Together – When Support Actually Shows Up

In this episode, I sit down with Mike Mattern and Scott Taylor from Frontline Strong Together, a Michigan-based mental health program built by first responders for first responders.

Here’s why this matters.
 It’s free.
 It’s state-funded.
 And it works.

Mike and Scott are retired first responders who didn’t find this work through theory or policy. They found it through lived experience. Years of normalizing stress. Years of unhealthy coping getting brushed off as “just part of the job.” Years of not realizing how much damage was piling up until something finally cracked.

We talk about what changes when help comes from people who actually get it. Peer support that feels like a real conversation. Crisis lines answered by first responders. Training that happens before someone hits rock bottom, not after.

Mike shares how teaching suicide prevention later saved a life he never expected to reach. Scott talks about the moment he realized slowing down was not weakness, it was survival.

This episode is about breaking stigma, building support that lasts, and proving that taking care of first responders doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be human.

If you’ve ever wondered what real mental health support could look like in this profession, this episode shows you.

DISCLAIMER:
After the Tones Drop has been presented and sponsored by Whole House Counseling. After the Tones Drop is for informational purposes only and does not constitute for medical or psychological advice. It is not a substitute for professional health care advice diagnosis or treatment. Please contact a local mental health professional in your area if you are in need of assistance. You can also visit our shows resources page for an abundance of helpful information.

ATTD Music Credits (Music from #Uppbeat):

• https://uppbeat.io/t/vens-adams/adventure-is-calling License code: ANJCYVHRMULSNKQR
• https://uppbeat.io/t/vens-adams/rise-of-the-hero License code: H4WTAGJZIXZCM8DM
• https://uppbeat.io/t/yeti-music/homewardLicense code: KO7FZAIJBAEAJLKE
• https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/the-heart-grows License code: KAID0ITO96GJZAPS
• https://uppbeat.io/t/philip-anderson/achievement License code: XZ4PMCKHW94GUR74
• https://uppbeat.io/t/tobias-voigt/nexus
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• https://uppbeat.io/t/paul-yudin/breakthrough
  License code: FYPM3OJF0NQ4OGTE