Robyn Mikel, Red HELP, Suicide, and the Stigma of Mental Health

WARNING: This episode contains descriptions of traumatic events involving children and discusses suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

Your favorite Fireman and Policeman are back this week with a special guest we happened to bump into fortuitously. Yes, I looked it up.

Red Help is an organization trying to bring awareness to Firefighter mental health and speak candidly about suicide risks. We all know the story: Someone shares that a colleague died by suicide and the entire community comes together to discuss it for 5 minutes then gets distracted by some dumb East Coast vs West Coast argument and the discussion is forgotten.

This week Robyn Mikel from Red Help comes in to tell her story (grab some tissues) and talk about why that 5 minutes we spend on mental health isn’t nearly enough.

From Robyn’s bio on RedHelp.org:

Robyn Mikel is the widow of Firefighter Eric Mikel, a 14-year veteran with the Alameda County Fire Department who took his life on June 24th, 2019, just one month short of their 20-year wedding anniversary. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Robyn received her bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Cal State East Bay. Her career began in Advertising, but she ultimately found her passion in the technology industry where she spent nearly 20 years with assignments ranging from training to project management. Through the experience of losing her daughter who was stillborn at 36 weeks she really began the process of understanding her own mental health struggles and the toll it takes on the entire family. The feeling of powerlessness in helping her husband overcome depression and the job-related PTSD that ultimately led to his suicide has compelled her to focus her life toward seeking opportunities to advocate for better services and support for first responders and their families. She is currently a stay-at-home mom caring for and being the best role-model she can be for their young son, Donovan.

This week we discuss:

• How Robyn got involved with Red Help and why she’s so passionate
• Why there aren’t any “red flag” warning signs for suicide until it’s too late
• How we can all be more aware about the mental health of those around us
• How to pronounce Robyn’s last name. Or at least, how to pronounce it now. Long story.

Listen in and please share this show with your coworkers. It could save a life.