Special Guest Billie Sell
Best EMS Life
Billie has been in EMS for 21 years. She has held the position of EMT, fire fighter, paramedic, FTO, flight paramedic, supervisor, and now Clinical Manager. "Making paramedicine a career has been the most amazing thing" Showing others that this career isn't a stepping stone is a passion of hers. Billie leads by example and truly cares about the people she leads. "I want to inspire other paramedics, especially women, that career advancement is possible, and it's pretty amazing!" Twitter: Billie Sell Linkedin: Billie Sell Mentioned in this episode: She Thinks Like A Boss book ...
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Special Guest Kate Bergan
Best EMS Life
Kate Bergen is a paramedic and self taught artist from NJ. She has been in EMS for 18 years and to date, COVID was the most significant experience of her career. Kate has always prided herself on her own mental resolve to get through hard times. She never had difficulty not “taking work home” with her, the way some of her colleagues had. This pandemic hit in a way Kate was not prepared for and despite her training Kate found herself feeling increased anxiety and helplessness as the pandemic wore on. As a way to cope with mounting stress Kate began painting this series, Modern...
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The Resilient Life with guest Alex Jabr EMT-P part 4
Best EMS Life
Join in on a great convo with my fist guest, Alex Jabr. I'm breaking down the interview into FOUR parts! You can watch, the entire, unedited video on my YouTube Channel by clicking ! We discuss many different topics and I hope that you will enjoy listening in. Bio: Alexandra Jabr, M.S., EMT-P, began her EMS career in 2003 and has been teaching since 2008. Alexandra holds a master’s degree in Mental Health with an emphasis on death, grief, and bereavement. She is completing her Ph.D. in Depth Psychology, conducting research on the use of ketamine for firefighters with PTSD. She is the...
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The Resilient Life with guest Alex Jabr EMT-P part 3
Best EMS Life
Join in on a great convo with my fist guest, Alex Jabr. I'm breaking down the interview into FOUR parts! You can watch, the entire, unedited video on my YouTube Channel by clicking ! We discuss many different topics and I hope that you will enjoy listening in. Bio: Alexandra Jabr, M.S., EMT-P, began her EMS career in 2003 and has been teaching since 2008. Alexandra holds a master’s degree in Mental Health with an emphasis on death, grief, and bereavement. She is completing her Ph.D. in Depth Psychology, conducting research on the use of ketamine for firefighters with PTSD. She is the...
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The Resilient Life with guest Alex Jabr EMT-P Part 2
Best EMS Life
Join in on a great convo with my fist guest, Alex Jabr. I'm breaking down the interview into FOUR parts! You can watch, the entire, unedited video on my YouTube Channel by clicking ! We discuss many different topics and I hope that you will enjoy listening in. Bio: Alexandra Jabr, M.S., EMT-P, began her EMS career in 2003 and has been teaching since 2008. Alexandra holds a master’s degree in Mental Health with an emphasis on death, grief, and bereavement. She is completing her Ph.D. in Depth Psychology, conducting research on the use of ketamine for firefighters with PTSD. She is the...
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The Resilient Life with guest Alex Jabr EMT-P part 1
Best EMS Life
Join in on a great convo with my fist guest, Alex Jabr. I'm breaking down the interview into FOUR parts! You can watch, the entire, unedited video on my YouTube Channel by clicking ! We discuss many different topics and I hope that you will enjoy listening in. As a disclaimer, the views and opinions we express in this episode are ours, and not that of our employers. Bio: Alexandra Jabr, M.S., EMT-P, began her EMS career in 2003 and has been teaching since 2008. Alexandra holds a master’s degree in Mental Health with an emphasis on death, grief, and bereavement. She is completing her...
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Napping
Best EMS Life
Naps...not just for babies. Join me today as we talk about naps! PS. I did make an error in the podcast and I was not able to catch it before it was published. I said that the average amount of time it takes for sleep inertia to wear off is 2-5 min, I should have said 2-15min. Sorry. Resources: is known as the sleep diplomat. I’m a big fan of his. He has a podcast, book, and tons of stuff on social media and youtube. Give him a follow. If you are a Women in EMS, we'd love for you to join us in our private, Women only Facebook Group. Head to to get the deets. Find us on:...
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Physical & Mental Rest
Best EMS Life
Join host Valerie Bestland as she discusses five techniques/strategies to improve your rest game! Check out the bonus episode on NSDR. Download it and listen to it often when your mind and body and need a rest. Show notes and resources can be found on our website for Episode 7. If you are a Women in EMS, we'd love for you to join us in our private, Women only Facebook Group. Head to to get the deets. Find us on: Facebook Instagram Pinterest TikTok Spotify Theme Music by Rick Munoz: Instagram YouTube: *Disclaimer* The opinions and views expressed in this podcast (and all social...
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Resting Mindset
Best EMS Life
Are you feeling well rested? Tune in today to learn how to adjust your mindset so you can get more rest! I also share two strategies to help you get more rest today! If you are a Women in EMS, we'd love for you to join us in our private, Women only Facebook Group. Head to to get the deets. Find us on: Facebook Instagram Pinterest TikTok Spotify Theme Music by Rick Munoz: Instagram YouTube: *Disclaimer* The opinions and views expressed in this podcast (and all social channels) are mine and not that of my employer. Creative liberty taken to protect the identity of patients and...
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Bonus Episode! NSDR Guided Meditation
Best EMS Life
This episode is a keeper! Make sure you save it, so that you can revisit it often. NSDR, or Non Sleep Deep Rest is a great tool for those of us in EMS. Sometimes life happens and we don't get the sleep we need pre-shift. Pop in your ear buds, set a timer (incase you fall asleep!), and enjoy this guided meditation.
info_outlineIn Today's Episode we are talking ECS (Exceptional Care Strategies) while on Duty.
Things that are EASY to do, are easy NOT to DO.
Read that again.
Yes, these suggestions are easy, but are you doing them?? You don't need to go ham on all your ECS...just start with one. Do the one thing everyday, and when that becomes automatic, add another.
Mentioned in today's episode:
Your brain on games:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7828932/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zyNcov087U
Podcast suggestions:
https://unfuckyourbrain.com/podcasts/
https://drleaf.com/pages/podcasts
Book Recommendations:
https://www.morethanabody.org/
Crew Care report request
https://www.imagetrend.com/news/categories/crewcare/
If you are a Women in EMS, we'd love for you to join us in our private, Women only Facebook Group. Head to www.allemswomen.com/fbgroup to get the deets.
Find us on:
Facebook @allEMSwomen
Instagram @allEMSwomen
Pinterest @allEMSwomen
TikTok @valeriebestland2
Spotify @valeriebestland
Theme Music by Rick Munoz:
Instagram @rimshot_drummer
YouTube: Rimshot Drummer
*Disclaimer* The opinions and views expressed in this podcast (and all social channels) are mine and not that of my employer. Creative liberty taken to protect the identity of patients and other people in stories/examples unless otherwise stated.