Join The Tribe of Courageous Leaders
May 15, 2024

Yoga on the Frontline with Paige Arnone

The player is loading ...
Courageous Leadership

Send us a Text Message.

When the stakes are high and the heat is on, how do our first responders keep their cool? Paige Arnone, creator of Firstgevity, joins us to share the remarkable impact of yoga on the men and women who serve in law enforcement, detailing how a partnership with the Phoenix Police Academy began a  journey she could have never imagined. Paige's journey illuminates the potential of yoga to revolutionize the way our protectors manage stress and maintain fitness.

In the heart of the episode, we unpack the misconception of yoga along with the benefits that first responders can get including the reduction of injury, increase in flexibility and mental clarity. As we navigate this topic, it becomes clear that starting small can lead to big strides in overall health and job performance.

Finally, we shine a spotlight on the necessity of leadership support for wellness initiatives within law enforcement agencies. Paige emphasizes the importance of making wellness programs available to all department members, ensuring that everyone has the tools to handle the pressures of the job. Through powerful stories and testimonials, we reveal the long-term advantages of these programs—not only do they enhance active duty life, but they also pave the way for a healthier retirement. Join us to learn how a practice as ancient as yoga can bring cutting-edge benefits to those who dedicate their lives to serving and protecting.

Join Our Tribe of Courageous Leaders:

Get The Book
Get Weekly Articles by Travis Yates
Join Us At Our Website
Get Our 'Courageous Leadership' Training
Join The Courageous Police Leadership Alliance

Chapters

00:00 - Wellness Strategies for First Responders

09:15 - Benefits of Short Yoga Practices

14:20 - Investing in Employee Wellness and Leadership

18:42 - Promoting Proactive Wellness in Law Enforcement

Transcript

WEBVTT

00:00:00.641 --> 00:00:06.682
Working directly with people and then expanding and working with departments, and so I think you need that.

00:00:06.682 --> 00:00:15.913
You need some people who are in leadership or in a wellness coordinator position, who are forward-thinking and innovative.

00:00:18.021 --> 00:00:26.402
Welcome to Courageous Leadership with Travis Yates, where leaders find the insights, advice and encouragement they need to lead courageously.

00:00:27.643 --> 00:00:28.907
Welcome back to the show.

00:00:28.907 --> 00:00:36.448
I'm so excited you decided to spend a few minutes with us here today and I am super stoked about today's guest.

00:00:36.448 --> 00:00:40.475
Paige Arnone is the founder of Firstg evity.

00:00:40.475 --> 00:00:48.866
It's a virtual wellness course that's designed to promote physical, mental and emotional longevity for first responders.

00:00:48.866 --> 00:00:50.850
It's completely out of the box.

00:00:50.850 --> 00:00:54.667
I love what she's done and she has graced us today with her presence.

00:00:54.667 --> 00:00:56.371
Paige, thank you so much for being here.

00:00:57.359 --> 00:00:58.645
Hi, thank you so much for having me.

00:00:58.645 --> 00:00:59.347
I appreciate it.

00:01:00.460 --> 00:01:04.323
Well, you know, I know about what I've read online and it's super interesting to me and I'm just interested in your journey.

00:01:04.323 --> 00:01:08.347
I think you have to acknowledge this is Well, you know, I know about what I've read online and it's super interesting to me and I'm just interested in your journey Like this is.

00:01:08.347 --> 00:01:10.810
I think you have to acknowledge this is fairly unique.

00:01:10.810 --> 00:01:13.293
What you're doing is unique to first responders.

00:01:13.293 --> 00:01:16.855
It's not unique to the general population, but to first responders.

00:01:16.855 --> 00:01:18.076
This is unique.

00:01:25.906 --> 00:01:28.780
And so I'd love to kind of hear how you ended up doing this, how you're here today, kind of what your journey was to get here.

00:01:28.780 --> 00:01:37.183
Yeah, I mean, you kind of nailed it.

00:01:37.183 --> 00:01:39.128
I think that it's not normal, but it's not widely known that cops do yoga.

00:01:39.147 --> 00:01:41.212
Or we don't tell anybody right, we just keep it a secret.

00:01:41.939 --> 00:01:42.802
Yeah, that's true.

00:01:42.802 --> 00:01:45.427
Closeted yoga for sure.

00:01:46.349 --> 00:01:50.926
So I actually kind of fell into it, and I think you said that earlier like how did you fall into this?

00:01:50.926 --> 00:01:52.490
And it really was by chance.

00:01:52.490 --> 00:02:02.365
I've been teaching law enforcement yoga for about six years, so it's been a while and it was never my pinpoint focus.

00:02:02.365 --> 00:02:09.870
I never out the gate saying I want to teach cops yoga, but it kind of happened organically.

00:02:09.870 --> 00:02:40.783
And so I'm from the Phoenix area, so I was teaching a free class for a city, a local city, and it was an employee wellness day and they had a gentleman there who was teaching a HIIT workout and I was teaching a stretching recovery yoga class after the HIIT training and he was a sergeant at Phoenix Regional Police Academy and so we connected through the event and he was like, hey, do you want to teach my recruit class yoga?

00:02:40.783 --> 00:02:45.972
And I was like sure, and I say, kind of, the rest is history.

00:02:46.072 --> 00:03:02.614
But it was kind of a unique story after that because I walked into the academy and I didn't know anything about this profession or this world and I come from the yoga background and so learned a lot along the way and I had some champions and some people who believed in me and kind of brought me along.

00:03:02.614 --> 00:03:11.508
But that particular sergeant, he kind of got my foot in the door and then he was like I'm leaving, like I'm going to introduce you to people, and then I'm leaving and I was like where are you going?

00:03:11.508 --> 00:03:16.585
And he's like I'm leaving to become a firefighter, and so it's kind of like a funny, unique thing.

00:03:16.585 --> 00:03:24.854
But, um, you know, I think that everything happens the way it's supposed to and it's become my life's work now to work directly with first responders.

00:03:25.814 --> 00:03:27.016
So the Phoenix area.

00:03:27.016 --> 00:03:29.438
Yoga is probably pretty mainstream in that area.

00:03:29.438 --> 00:03:30.520
I've been to that area a lot.

00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:39.003
In regards to first responders, how difficult has it been to sort of convince them that this needs to be part of the routine?

00:03:39.003 --> 00:03:40.770
And I'll take you back to some of my experience.

00:03:40.770 --> 00:03:42.082
I brought a CrossFit gym.

00:03:42.082 --> 00:03:44.227
Well, I had a group of people but I was part of that group.

00:03:44.227 --> 00:03:47.152
We brought a CrossFit gym to a law enforcement agency.

00:03:47.152 --> 00:04:04.256
It was the first one in the state that had its own CrossFit gym and to convert them from that traditional 1970s banging the weights and power team stuff that, quite frankly, many of them still had heart issues because there wasn't a lot of wellness involved in that.

00:04:04.256 --> 00:04:14.243
They had big arms but they had sometimes unhealthy hearts and things like that and it was quite a struggle to transition them over there.

00:04:14.243 --> 00:04:19.103
Now, once they got there, they thoroughly loved it to that functional fitness model.

00:04:19.103 --> 00:04:27.961
But I have to imagine you've had some struggles along the way you've had some struggles along the way.

00:04:27.982 --> 00:04:34.211
Yeah, I mean, I think that I'd be lying if I said like it was the easiest sell and definitely learned and have grown throughout the years.

00:04:34.211 --> 00:04:37.444
But I think there's a few different strategies.

00:04:37.444 --> 00:04:43.627
Obviously, you need some people who are championing you, you need some people who believe in it, and that's really going to help.

00:04:43.627 --> 00:05:01.423
I also think it's a good strategy to introduce these concepts at an academy level, because I do think that if you can introduce new concepts early in the career, then it's a little bit easier to continue those strategies throughout the career.

00:05:01.423 --> 00:05:14.646
It's going to be much more challenging for a 30-year or 20-year cop who has never, ever done anything like that and has never had any wellness resources prior to that.

00:05:14.646 --> 00:05:19.483
To then get them to do a new concept is going to be harder than starting from day one.

00:05:19.483 --> 00:05:22.149
But I think I've been really lucky.

00:05:22.548 --> 00:05:28.641
Um, I wouldn't say that yoga um is super mainstream in Phoenix.

00:05:28.641 --> 00:05:30.065
Um, I definitely think it is.

00:05:30.065 --> 00:05:30.848
To a certain extent.

00:05:30.848 --> 00:05:32.713
I would say California definitely.

00:05:32.713 --> 00:05:35.605
Um, you know Colorado definitely.

00:05:35.605 --> 00:05:37.471
Um, Washington, you know States like that.

00:05:37.471 --> 00:05:54.523
But, um, I was really lucky to have some people who really believed in me and I built relationships over time and so you know word of mouth, working directly with people and then expanding and working with departments, and so I think you need that.

00:05:54.523 --> 00:06:03.749
You need some people who are, you know, in leadership or in a wellness coordinator position, who are, you know, forward thinking and innovative.

00:06:03.749 --> 00:06:23.403
But then you also need to present this in a way that is realistic and modern, and I think the approach has to be there, Like you can't walk in and start chanting or doing like any, like woo, woo, stuff, because you have a small window of opportunity.

00:06:23.423 --> 00:06:26.620
No, no, like we're not doing crystal bowls yet, you know.

00:06:26.620 --> 00:06:30.529
So I think that there are a few strategies.

00:06:30.529 --> 00:06:40.723
I definitely think that you have to know your audience, you have to know how to present it so that it's viewed as a tool and a resource for longevity.

00:06:40.723 --> 00:06:50.226
And I think when you can present it in that way and then you can give everyone the why behind what we're doing, that's really important too.

00:06:50.226 --> 00:07:00.369
So I'm a huge component of education and trying to present this in a way where it's like hey, like this is why we're doing it, this is how it relates to you specifically in the functions of your career.

00:07:00.369 --> 00:07:02.682
These are the studies, these are the stats.

00:07:02.682 --> 00:07:13.105
You know we're going to do this in a way that's direct and beneficial and easy to get on board with.

00:07:13.165 --> 00:07:19.062
And then, beyond that, I work with departments to work on implementation strategies that work for them, that are unique to the culture within that particular department.

00:07:19.062 --> 00:07:25.430
So I think there are a few different strategies and I've learned a lot over the years as to what works and what doesn't.

00:07:25.430 --> 00:07:33.401
But we also know and if we're being candid and honest, we also know that not everyone is going to be on board with it.

00:07:33.401 --> 00:07:36.468
We know this Not everyone is going to do yoga.

00:07:36.468 --> 00:07:49.089
There are still quite a few naysayers that I've ran into throughout the years, and I think that's okay too, just focusing your attention on the people who believe in it and trying to make a difference wherever you can.

00:07:50.314 --> 00:07:53.990
Yeah, I can remember a handful of years ago a bunch of Dallas Cowboys.

00:07:53.990 --> 00:07:59.035
In the off season there was a bunch of news articles where they started doing yoga and of course, everybody had a joke about it.

00:07:59.035 --> 00:08:01.202
But obviously there's a lot of benefit.

00:08:01.202 --> 00:08:02.487
There's a lot of research.

00:08:02.487 --> 00:08:03.711
You talk about a lot of research.

00:08:03.711 --> 00:08:09.021
You talk about the why.

00:08:09.021 --> 00:08:10.708
I know the benefits personally, but let's not assume everybody does.

00:08:10.708 --> 00:08:15.803
Let's talk about some of the benefits that first responders get out of this and it's sort of the time commitment.

00:08:15.803 --> 00:08:22.250
One of the things that I think pushes people away from wellness is hey, we got to spend an hour in the gym every day doing this, this, this and this.

00:08:22.250 --> 00:08:25.802
That's not necessarily the case, right?

00:08:25.802 --> 00:08:29.112
So let's talk about some of the benefits and sort of what it takes to reach some of those benefits.

00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:30.440
Yeah.

00:08:30.440 --> 00:08:37.081
So I try to keep it like super simple when we're talking about benefits and how this applies to you.

00:08:37.081 --> 00:08:40.831
So one of the main things we talk about is injury prevention.

00:08:40.831 --> 00:08:44.731
I think that most people can get on board with that.

00:08:44.731 --> 00:08:47.591
You know, maybe some of the other stuff people are like.

00:08:47.591 --> 00:08:56.980
You know, I think it's a little too like out there, but I could walk into a room full of you know, first responders are full of cops and say like how many of you want your low back to feel better?

00:08:56.980 --> 00:08:58.927
And almost everyone's gonna raise their hand.

00:08:58.927 --> 00:09:12.488
So I think if we can focus on injury prevention, that's gonna be a really big winner as far as like giving the why everyone can hop on board with that.

00:09:12.488 --> 00:09:14.980
So you're exactly right.

00:09:14.980 --> 00:09:20.883
I think that a lot of people think that they have to do an hour long or a 75 minute long yoga.

00:09:20.923 --> 00:09:27.182
Or, to make it even worse, hot yoga, right Hot yoga, and the reality is too.

00:09:27.342 --> 00:09:50.698
Everyone is so busy and most departments right now are struggling because they're short on bodies, and so there's mandatory overtime and everyone's working longer shifts and they're tired, and we know that, um, one of the top reasons for injury and law enforcement is over exertion, and so when you are working overtime, when you're working longer shifts, um, towards the end of your shift you're more likely to become injured.

00:09:50.698 --> 00:10:07.659
And so fitting an hour long yoga class into your schedule or traveling to a yoga studio that takes 20 minutes to get there, 20 minutes to get back, and then you're doing an hour long class it feels impossible with the busy schedules.

00:10:07.659 --> 00:10:21.576
And so there is a ton of research out there that states that regular yoga practice and to get the full benefits of the yoga practice two to three times a week, at least 10 minutes each session.

00:10:21.576 --> 00:10:40.071
So it is possible to still get the benefits of the yoga practice in short sessions that can fit into your schedule, and there's also a lot of research to suggest that yoga reduces the risk of injury from 25 to 30%, which is huge.

00:10:40.451 --> 00:10:48.236
So that's one of the you know, the main things we focus on with the program is how to reduce your risk of injury and promote physical longevity.

00:10:48.236 --> 00:10:52.847
And we do this through mobility and flexibility.

00:10:52.847 --> 00:10:58.245
We want to make sure your muscles are pliable and healthy and less prone to injury.

00:10:58.245 --> 00:11:05.216
We know everyone's tight, especially if you're sitting for long periods of time, whether that's behind the desk or in the patrol car.

00:11:05.216 --> 00:11:19.986
And then, through stabilizing the small supportive muscles of the body, focusing on balance and coordination, to then again, you know, reduce risk of injury, because we also know that some of the top reasons of injury are lack of mobility and tripping and falling.

00:11:19.986 --> 00:11:28.662
So, and then you I think you said it too, but you know top injuries are going to be backs, knees and shoulders, so focusing on those two.

00:11:28.662 --> 00:11:32.576
So 25 to 30% reduction in injury is what we're seeing with yoga.

00:11:33.317 --> 00:11:49.659
Yeah, and I think, if I'm going to be honest you just said it A lot of people in first responder world is they may look muscular, they may be muscular, they may be strong, but flexibility is another story.

00:11:49.659 --> 00:11:52.784
I'm horrible in flexibility, that's what in a sense.

00:11:52.784 --> 00:11:59.875
Well, I hate yoga because I'm not good at it, because I'm not flexible, but that's probably a little bit of everybody when they start out.

00:11:59.875 --> 00:12:04.778
So kind of explain to those maybe listen to this and maybe a little bit timid because they know they're not flexible.

00:12:04.778 --> 00:12:06.485
You go touch my toes, what are you talking about?

00:12:06.485 --> 00:12:08.634
I haven't seen those in years, right, yeah?

00:12:08.634 --> 00:12:15.596
So kind of explain how you sort of because you walk, you crawl before you walk, you walk before you run kind of explain how you introduce people to this.

00:12:16.518 --> 00:12:17.120
A hundred percent.

00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:26.674
So I always tell people like you didn't get tight overnight and you're not going to get flexible overnight, you know it's something that you have to work towards.

00:12:26.774 --> 00:12:31.727
It's the same, as you know, going to the gym, you know you go to the gym to get stronger.

00:12:31.727 --> 00:12:45.885
You go to yoga to get more flexible or more mobile I don't usually like to use the word flexible as much, but like mobile, we want to encourage mobility in the body and I think that it's exactly what you said.

00:12:45.885 --> 00:12:53.408
Like you just have to start, you know, and two to three times a week, 10 minutes.

00:12:53.408 --> 00:13:02.802
And I think that when you hear that, it's like it feels less daunting and it feels more attainable to say, okay, hey, pre or post workout.

00:13:02.802 --> 00:13:03.927
And that's another thing too.

00:13:03.967 --> 00:13:15.861
Like, we know that if you're already going to the gym and you're doing CrossFit or jujitsu or hit or whatever it is, you're not going to replace what you're doing with yoga, probably not going to become like a full-time yogi.

00:13:15.861 --> 00:13:27.836
Probably maybe some people will, but for the most part, everyone wants to use this as a tool to, you know, enhance what they're already doing or to regulate their stress, which we can talk about, you know, it's like a separate component of it.

00:13:27.836 --> 00:13:44.725
But, um, most people are wanting to add 10 minutes of mobility pre or post workout, and so doing something like that feels a little bit more approachable than like I need to suffer and stretch for an hour, and you know.

00:13:44.725 --> 00:13:53.034
And then also I think that the way people are stretching, if you're trying to reach your toes, you're not doing it right, you know.

00:13:53.034 --> 00:13:57.414
So there's ways that you know we can introduce this, that kind of meet you where you are.

00:13:58.818 --> 00:14:01.384
Yeah, I think that's fantastic and it's a great way to put it.

00:14:01.384 --> 00:14:09.638
And if you add it to your regular routine you already said two or three times a week Now you have a very unique way of distributing this content.

00:14:09.638 --> 00:14:18.743
Like you don't always just go in person, you have an online platform, right, Kind of explain how our audience can get a hold of that kind of what that will do for them and kind of go from there.

00:14:20.196 --> 00:14:22.059
Yeah, so I work directly with departments.

00:14:22.059 --> 00:14:29.947
I don't do like individual use stuff, so I work with departments who are investing in their employees' wellness.

00:14:29.947 --> 00:14:32.855
So this would be for everyone sworn in civilian personnel.

00:14:32.855 --> 00:14:36.403
Most of what I do is the virtual program.

00:14:36.403 --> 00:14:49.981
I do some in-person instruction locally, but I work with agencies all across the country with the virtual component, and so it's a combination of physical yoga classes.

00:14:49.981 --> 00:14:54.376
We also have mindfulness and meditation practices, breathing exercises.

00:14:54.376 --> 00:15:13.899
Those are designed to regulate the nervous system and regulate stress, and all of it is on a 24-7 access, so everything is on demand, pre-recorded, so regardless of your shift, regardless of your role within the department, you have access to it.

00:15:13.899 --> 00:15:18.269
So again, physical classes, meditations, breathing exercises.

00:15:18.269 --> 00:15:26.320
I also work with each department, really hand in hand, to implement strategies to ensure that people are actually using the program.

00:15:27.263 --> 00:15:34.043
So if an officer's listening to this and maybe their department hasn't signed up for it, do you sell this also to individual peace officers as well?

00:15:34.846 --> 00:15:36.176
I do not no.

00:15:36.176 --> 00:15:37.821
I work directly with the departments.

00:15:37.981 --> 00:15:38.403
I got you.

00:15:38.403 --> 00:15:40.822
I got you Because I won't name the other.

00:15:40.822 --> 00:15:46.221
There are some apps out there that aren't geared to first responders, but there's obviously apps out there that you can do some of this on.

00:15:46.221 --> 00:15:48.663
That would be fantastic.

00:16:00.434 --> 00:16:01.519
But I didn't know that answer, but I had to ask it yeah.

00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:02.240
And I can tell you the reason why.

00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:08.359
I am trying to get the departments to invest in their employees' wellness, and the attitude previous to that was well, they can just do it on their own.

00:16:09.160 --> 00:16:09.381
Yeah.

00:16:09.962 --> 00:16:15.225
No, I think that's fantastic because there's a leadership component here.

00:16:15.225 --> 00:16:16.679
This is obviously a leadership podcast.

00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:17.582
That's why we're doing this.

00:16:17.582 --> 00:16:32.644
We need to treat our employees like athletes, and we often will treat them like athletes in a police academy, and then we just go up, we just throw them away, wash them, send them down the road, and we need to have that attitude throughout their career, because in the police academy they've invested in them to get them there.

00:16:32.644 --> 00:16:45.817
They're going to do what it takes to make sure that they're well, but something happens in many agencies once the career starts, where we tend to forget that, and so talk about the importance of leaders embracing this attitude.

00:16:45.817 --> 00:16:48.402
You're talking about where they're going to invest in their employees.

00:16:48.402 --> 00:16:51.086
We invest in a ton of technology, right.

00:16:51.086 --> 00:16:59.779
We invest in a ton of overtime, we invest in a ton of things, but investing in employees pays dividends that are astronomical, is it not?

00:17:00.761 --> 00:17:01.683
Yeah, a hundred percent.

00:17:01.683 --> 00:17:05.079
And I think that it does start from the top.

00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:25.339
You know, in the departments I work with that have robust wellness programs and are really moving the needle when it comes to wellness and making a difference, have the buy-in and um, you know that leadership component where it's starting from the top down, leadership is doing it, they're promoting it, they're making it available to everyone.

00:17:25.339 --> 00:17:32.884
Um, so I I've a hundred percent agree with you that, um, you know there is some accountability to it for sure.

00:17:33.686 --> 00:17:36.402
Yeah, and you talk a lot about prioritizing yourself.

00:17:36.402 --> 00:17:49.523
Kind of explain to our audience what that is, because you know we oftentimes we're in the business of taking care of others and protecting others, but we oftentimes neglect the most important part of that, because if we don't take care of ourselves, we can't take care of others.

00:17:49.523 --> 00:17:52.855
If we don't lead ourselves, we can't lead others.

00:17:52.855 --> 00:17:53.576
So kind of talk.

00:17:57.461 --> 00:18:03.243
Yeah, I think that it's human nature to not address a problem until there's a problem.

00:18:03.243 --> 00:18:19.354
And I think that we I mean, I'm guilty of this too, and so it's not me pointing fingers I've had to reel things back in my work too, because I also have that servant mentality of like I want to help as many people as possible.

00:18:19.354 --> 00:18:31.412
And you know like I will like kill myself for this and had to say like, hey, like you know, you can't effectively do your job and you can't help others if you're not first taking care of yourself.

00:18:31.412 --> 00:18:37.303
And so I've I'm guilty of that too and I've had to reel things back and, you know, make time for my own wellness.

00:18:37.303 --> 00:18:42.882
But I do think it's human nature to not address a problem until there's a problem.

00:18:42.882 --> 00:18:48.874
And so I think that we've been very reactive in like, historically speaking.

00:18:48.874 --> 00:18:57.801
And that's when you start to see all of the stats and the issues and the numbers coming through with everything.

00:18:57.801 --> 00:19:01.048
You know injuries and cost of injuries.

00:19:01.048 --> 00:19:06.425
You know being reactive instead of proactive when it comes to physical wellness.

00:19:06.425 --> 00:19:25.724
We start to see stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, unhealthy coping mechanisms, you know suicidal ideation, suicidal behaviors, because we're not addressing problems as they come or before they come.

00:19:25.724 --> 00:19:29.823
We're being reactive to those things, and so that's where all those stats and numbers come from.

00:19:29.843 --> 00:19:33.332
And I think you said this too about cardiovascular health as well.

00:19:33.332 --> 00:19:41.107
You know seeing the numbers for cardiac arrest and cardiovascular disease and it's because we've been so reactive.

00:19:41.107 --> 00:19:50.732
And so I think it's so important to start, you know, thinking about your wellness and then also, if you're in leadership, your department's wellness as a whole in a proactive way.

00:19:50.732 --> 00:19:53.385
How do we put in measures for stress reduction?

00:19:53.385 --> 00:20:02.442
How do we make sure that you know everyone is living long and successful careers, but then also a long and successful retirement, which I think everyone forgets about.

00:20:02.442 --> 00:20:10.631
You know, and you have these long careers, and we want to make sure that you have a long and successful retirement and you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

00:20:10.631 --> 00:20:19.784
And so I do think that it's important to not only focus on your wellness, but then the department as a whole, making sure that you're taking care of each other.

00:20:20.684 --> 00:20:28.028
Yeah, and that's why I'm always surprised when, because a lot of these police leaders at the upper ranks are not dumb people, they're pretty smart people.

00:20:28.028 --> 00:20:29.030
They wouldn't have gotten there.

00:20:29.030 --> 00:20:33.112
But they tend to sometimes forget what that return on investment is, that ORI.

00:20:33.112 --> 00:20:53.549
Whatever the cost of your program is, whatever it is, if you prevent one heart attack, if you prevent one you know shoulder, you know rotator cuff surgery, whatever it is you're saving so much money from that prevention, from that, instead of just reacting, trying to get ahead of it.

00:20:53.549 --> 00:20:58.508
And sometimes it's hard to explain that, but I need people to understand that.

00:20:58.548 --> 00:21:09.308
It's why your training dollars should not be the first to go when you have a budget crunch, because it is saving you so many things that you may not be aware of, but it's saving you so much money down the line.

00:21:09.308 --> 00:21:19.023
And obviously the program that you have is tremendous, because a lot of the things that you're getting in your program page they're not really getting anywhere else.

00:21:19.023 --> 00:21:22.972
They're not getting when they're clanging the weights around, they're not getting when they're running the sprints on the treadmills.

00:21:22.972 --> 00:21:26.971
It's given them something that really has not been incorporated in the profession before.

00:21:26.971 --> 00:21:31.471
And kind of tell us about some of the successes you've seen as you've talked to these agencies.

00:21:33.019 --> 00:21:50.587
Yeah, so I actually I live off of testimonials and I ask, like I work with the departments hand in hand and I really value the feedback and what people are saying, because I think that's exactly what we have to look at is like are we preventing injuries?

00:21:50.587 --> 00:21:52.432
Are we improving quality of life?

00:21:52.432 --> 00:21:54.743
Are we, you know, reducing stress?

00:21:54.743 --> 00:21:58.432
You know, are we preventing burnout, things of that nature?

00:21:58.432 --> 00:22:07.441
And so, from a physical perspective, I would say the number one piece of feedback that I've personally gotten is that this has helped alleviate low back pain.

00:22:08.223 --> 00:22:12.115
I can't tell you how many people have told me that they've had a bad back.

00:22:12.115 --> 00:22:16.684
I had someone say that they were close to medical retirement and they were able to stay on the job.

00:22:16.684 --> 00:22:20.191
So you know big testimonials about back pain.

00:22:20.191 --> 00:22:22.474
Um has been one of the number one things.

00:22:22.474 --> 00:22:36.068
Um, beyond that, um, you know, I just I get glowing reviews about being able to have the tools to breathe and just combat stress.

00:22:36.388 --> 00:22:45.550
I think that's the number one thing that everyone is is struggling with, because you know your, your jobs, first responders, jobs are the most stressful jobs period.

00:22:45.550 --> 00:22:54.928
You know, like um, and you can't control the stress and you can't control what happens on the job and the types of calls you get and the things that you see and hear and um.

00:22:54.928 --> 00:23:02.349
But giving the tools to be able to regulate the stress and recover from the stress, I think is huge.

00:23:02.349 --> 00:23:08.931
So those are the two things being able to regulate and combat stress and then low back pain.

00:23:08.931 --> 00:23:10.240
The other thing is sleep.

00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:15.875
A lot of people are struggling to sleep, insomnia and sleep deprivation.

00:23:15.875 --> 00:23:19.229
So yoga has helped a lot of people and the program has helped a lot of people to improve their quality of sleep.

00:23:19.229 --> 00:23:21.579
So yoga has helped a lot of people and the program has helped a lot of people to improve their quality of sleep.

00:23:22.280 --> 00:23:28.185
Yeah, I know CrossFit faced a pretty incredible battle when they came on the scene, because it was completely different.

00:23:28.185 --> 00:23:32.329
People would say, oh, you're going to get hurt doing CrossFit, you're going to hurt doing this.

00:23:32.329 --> 00:23:54.431
Well, what CrossFit did and, paige, you're going to have this in no time is they were able to take these entire programs they did for these groups and they compared before and after and saw less injuries based on that, and so you're probably working with entire organizations right now that, in time, is going to be able to give you a snapshot of five years before and five years after on all these metrics you're talking about.

00:23:54.431 --> 00:24:01.872
And once you show that, I mean we're still hardheaded, but once you show that, because we know it's beneficial, it's just different.

00:24:01.872 --> 00:24:04.087
Just because it's different doesn't mean it's not beneficial.

00:24:04.087 --> 00:24:12.249
In fact, I think it's probably more beneficial than almost everything else because of that, and so because you're working with entire law enforcement agencies, are you not?

00:24:12.990 --> 00:24:13.731
Exactly Yep.

00:24:14.940 --> 00:24:25.390
I'm very curious and this is a little bit away from the yoga part, but you know you told your story that you really didn't know much about the profession and you work with first responders in general.

00:24:25.390 --> 00:24:29.509
So I'm sure you have other clients other than law enforcement, but you weren't familiar with the profession.

00:24:29.509 --> 00:24:37.301
This Phoenix guy at the academy kind of brought you in to do this and then you've really embedded yourself within law enforcement.

00:24:37.301 --> 00:24:41.347
I see you travel in the country and you're going to go visit agencies and you're open for appointments.

00:24:41.347 --> 00:24:47.305
What was your impression of the profession before you dove into the profession?

00:24:47.305 --> 00:24:49.189
Did that change once you got involved?

00:24:49.189 --> 00:24:51.021
Because I have to imagine I haven't been a.

00:24:51.021 --> 00:24:53.146
My father was in law enforcement.

00:24:53.146 --> 00:24:58.645
Since I was a little kid I've known what law enforcement was, but so I've never been able to be that citizen and didn't know.

00:24:58.645 --> 00:25:00.028
I just watched TV and that was it.

00:25:00.028 --> 00:25:03.694
So how did your impression change in the profession once you got involved in it?

00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:07.827
Oh, that's an interesting question.

00:25:07.827 --> 00:25:12.632
So my background is so different.

00:25:12.632 --> 00:25:19.545
I did not come from a family or a background of law enforcement not associated with any sort of first responders at all.

00:25:19.545 --> 00:25:23.319
Background of law enforcement I'm not associated with any sort of first responders at all.

00:25:23.319 --> 00:25:30.444
My parents were actually drug addicts and my dad went to prison for six years for the sale of narcotics.

00:25:30.444 --> 00:25:36.595
So I was familiar with law enforcement through the lens of my parents being incarcerated.

00:25:36.595 --> 00:25:42.460
And when my dad got out of prison he was in and out of jail for another decade.

00:25:42.460 --> 00:25:45.289
Afterwards he went straight back to using um.

00:25:45.329 --> 00:26:05.223
He was extremely abusive and so a lot of domestic violence, and so I, you know, had experiences with law enforcement through that lens, um, and it was always a positive lens because they were always coming to help me and to like, take me out of a bad situation, um, and.

00:26:05.223 --> 00:26:16.631
And so I, I, I don't think that I had maybe, like, like I wasn't naive to the profession and I didn't have any like negative experiences at all.

00:26:16.631 --> 00:26:50.787
It was actually, you know, the reverse um to that, and but I, I think that when I started working with law enforcement I just really fell in love with them even more, like I just have met some of the best people of all time, and maybe I'm just lucky, but everyone I've come in contact has been, um, just so amazing and really like wanting to help and wanting to make a difference, and so I haven't had any negative experiences at all, but I definitely had two different perspectives, for sure.

00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:53.183
Well, I mean what you're doing.

00:26:53.183 --> 00:26:54.950
I want people to understand what you're doing.

00:26:54.950 --> 00:27:07.884
It's no secret that most pensions in law enforcement in most states are over 100% funded, which I don't even know how that happens, but let me tell you why we, when we run around and we brag about that, oh, our pension's 100%.

00:27:07.884 --> 00:27:10.192
Yeah, that's because we retire and die.

00:27:10.192 --> 00:27:13.080
That's why we don't draw the pension very long.

00:27:13.080 --> 00:27:23.295
And so what you're doing, paige, is you're giving men and women an opportunity to literally enjoy their life so much longer.

00:27:23.295 --> 00:27:36.965
It's one thing of living life, but it's one thing to enjoy your life, and so when you make them healthy, both mentally, physically and spiritually, as yoga is so attuned to doing, they're going to enjoy their life in a way that they probably couldn't imagine.

00:27:36.965 --> 00:27:40.053
And I know you're young in this journey.

00:27:40.053 --> 00:27:45.586
You said about six years into this, but I think this is only going to get bigger and better for you.

00:27:45.586 --> 00:27:50.664
I need leaders to contact you and to invest in their people.

00:27:50.664 --> 00:27:53.517
You're going to be shocked at how inexpensive it is.

00:27:53.517 --> 00:27:56.346
You're spending thousands of dollars a day on nothing.

00:27:56.346 --> 00:28:00.503
Trust me, I know what the software costs, I know what technology costs, and you brag about all of it.

00:28:00.503 --> 00:28:10.679
Let's put some of that money back to the people that are the most important in your organizations and that will pay dividends well past their career for the rest of their lives.

00:28:10.739 --> 00:28:14.949
Paige, I can't thank you enough for what you're doing, because it's bigger than just talking about.

00:28:14.949 --> 00:28:16.772
The benefits of yoga is what I'm trying to get across.

00:28:16.772 --> 00:28:20.866
This is life changing, and I know you have the testimonies to show it.

00:28:20.866 --> 00:28:24.319
To get across this is life changing and I know you have the testimonies to show it.

00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:31.942
Thank you for stepping out and to do something that really people have probably been timid to do in the past, and you have dove headfirst into sort of this scary profession people don't know a lot about.

00:28:31.942 --> 00:28:33.188
I can't thank you enough.

00:28:33.188 --> 00:28:37.261
How can they reach you and how can they talk to you about bringing you to their agency?

00:28:38.464 --> 00:28:41.130
Yeah, so you can reach me directly.

00:28:41.130 --> 00:28:43.294
My email is page at firstjevitycom.

00:28:43.294 --> 00:28:46.306
I'm also super active on LinkedIn.

00:28:46.306 --> 00:28:50.622
I think that's how we kind of connected the first time is, you know, through LinkedIn.

00:28:50.622 --> 00:28:55.964
So you can always look me up under my name, paige Arnone, my website, firstjevitycom.

00:28:55.964 --> 00:28:59.451
I'm happy to talk to anyone and kind of go over everything.

00:28:59.451 --> 00:29:10.835
But I appreciate you so much and your support and you know I'm hoping that talk to anyone and kind of go over everything, but I appreciate you so much and your support and you know I'm hoping that you're right and that this does gain that traction and it's something that's, you know, beneficial for generations to come.

00:29:10.835 --> 00:29:12.260
So I really do appreciate you.

00:29:12.902 --> 00:29:17.280
Well, yeah, I mean, we can't afford not to be right, Paige, and thank you for being a part of that.

00:29:17.280 --> 00:29:19.763
And if you're listening, thank you for listening.

00:29:19.763 --> 00:29:22.188
And just remember, lead on and stay courageous.

00:29:24.471 --> 00:29:27.401
Thank you for listening to Courageous Leadership with Travis Yates.

00:29:27.401 --> 00:29:30.669
We invite you to join other courageous leaders at www.

00:29:30.669 --> 00:29:30.669
travisyates.

00:29:30.669 --> 00:29:31.971
org.