Hello heroes. I'm Kevin in Salem, Oregon. I'm on the job hunt since I was laid off from a nonprofit in higher ed in Nov. As I looked through jobs on LinkedIn, the entry-level police officer role caught my attention for a variety of reasons. For one, it's the only job post I see that doesn't show "over 100 people clicked apply." As of right now, it was posted a month ago and only 4 people clicked apply. Part of that catching my eye is maybe I have a chance here, and the pay is $37.61+, almost double most other roles I've applied for. I use the term "ugly duckling" as a metaphor because not only would this be a major career change for me, but, for all the self-doubt, imposter syndrome, I have no firearm experience, etc. my friends and family would fall out of their chairs if they saw me in this role! My understanding is I have to do both the fitness and mental tests to apply, so I'm interested to see if I can pass those. I am not a muscular build, but I have been more active over the past several years with personal training at the gym and ran in several Spartan and Tough Mudder races. What do you think; have you heard/seen/been this story before? Thank you for any insights.

6 weeks ago I did something stupid… I responded to a group chat saying two words that unbeknownst to me, would change me over the next two months. The two words? “I’m in” It was a response to a local grappling tournament for first responders only I said yes to a weight class 14 pounds lower than what I was currently And to top it off, I haven’t been taking any of my BJJ training serious at all really So little by little I made adjustments No boozing with the work crew on our day 4 No more nuggets left over from the kids happy meals Counting my macros every day And a solid gym schedule, jiu jitsu training with a purpose, and support from the wife Fast forward ⏩ I’m two weeks away, 10lbs down, solid jiu jitsu gameplan for when I compete, and a solid gas tank for cardio Gotta thank @Anthony Shefferly for following me on IG and inviting me to this group Win, lose, or draw I’ll make sure to post my results. Anyone got any goals they’re working towards?

Hey sorry I missed the live today. I had court as well as several doctor appointments due to an upcoming neck surgery I was informed I'll be having in the next several weeks. I appreciate your patients with me on this and am sorry for the miscue. When I get final notification when my surgery is I will have to clear the training calendar for about a week but I'll be right back up and running as soon as I can! Let's Get After IT!!!!

To kick things off, please comment below introducing yourself. Let us know… #1 - Who are you, where are you from and if you want to add your agency that's cool too. #2 - What do you want to get out of being in this community? #3 - For fun what do you like to do? #4 - Drop a photo of you training or working. Here's mine: #1 - My name is Anthony Shefferly, I am a 16 year police officer in north east Indiana. #2 - What I want out of this community is to change the culture of First Responders when it comes to both physical and mental health. We are a group that is deteriorating by the minute and the time for action is now. This job is too important and the people that do the work are too important to allow us to simply rot and die. It's time to get strong and resilient. #3 - For fun I train...lifting weights, Jiu Jitsu, and heavy music are critical to life!!! lol #4... Here's one from SWAT training a few years back. Let's GET AFTER IT!!!

50 minutes in the sauna at 160 They say infrared sauna is amazing and mine also incorporates red light Anything to counter working nights! Post sauna I consume activated charcoal to help bind to toxins and flush from my body Studies suggest minimum of 4 times a week for a minimum of 20 minutes