PTSD and Post-Traumatic Growth with Travis Gribble

In this conversation, retired SWAT sergeant Travis Gribble shares his experience with PTSD, its impact on family, a police culture that reinforced silence, and his journey to Post-Traumatic Growth through Boulder Crest's Warrior PATHH program. 

About the Guest: Travis Gribble is a retired 24-year law enforcement veteran. He spent 11 years in Michigan where he worked as a Deputy, Deputy Sergeant, and SWAT Team Leader. In 2008 he made a lateral move to the Mesa Police Department in Arizona. Mesa is a city of 520,000 and 850 sworn police officers. In Mesa he worked as a Patrol Officer, Patrol Sergeant, SWAT Assistant Team Leader, and SWAT Sergeant Team Leader. During the course of his career he was involved in countless critical incidents and always thought none of the calls were affecting him. 

In 2016 he experienced what he now knows to be a life-changing call. For five years after the call he never sought appropriate help and was slowly self-destructing from within. As the years and calls went by, his cup was reaching capacity and in 2021 he reached his breaking point.

Thankfully he was put in touch with a therapist who specializes in first responder care, so he began the journey of healing. It was then he learned to live life in a much better way, but due to the extent of the trauma, he ultimately decided to seek retirement. In 2022, Travis was awarded a post-traumatic stress injury retirement and his current journey began. Only one short month after his retirement and through unplanned circumstances, he was given the opportunity to share his story with a leadership group of SWAT operators in Montana. He presented his story in the most vulnerable and authentic way possible, while also highlighting lessons learned by him and his agency. From that day forward he continued sharing his story on podcasts, at law enforcement conferences, for individual agencies across the country, and through a social media platform. This whole path led him to form the organization, My Arena, which is dedicated to providing training for individual first responders, their families, and agencies. The organization stands for one very specific concept: It's okay to not be okay, but it's not okay to stay that way. He works with like-minded organizations and providers, changing the views surrounding mental health, and provides assistance for those who need support and guidance. In 2024 he was fortunate to be invited to a five day immersive training, provided by the leading authority on Post Traumatic Growth, the Boulder Crest Foundation. The training was nothing short of life changing, so he charted a path to begin work in the Post Traumatic Growth world. He is now a Senior Level Guide for Boulder Crest, working immersive programs once per month in Texas. It is truly an honor for Travis to be in this space and is proud to have presented at conferences, first responder agencies, and tactical units across the country.

• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/my_.arena/
• Boulder Crest Foundation Warrior PATHH Program - https://bouldercrest.org/program/warrior-pathh/

Thank you for listening. You can connect with me here:

Instagram: @dr_baumgart

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbaumgart/

Website: https://www.drbaumgart.com/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Retirement-Finding-Purpose-Fulfillment/dp/B0CB99HMVS