
Hi, I’m Abbie
I’m a former UK police sergeant - I served for six years.
I was incredibly passionate about my work and was promoted within three years, but fell seriously ill a year later from stress, burnout and trauma caused by events both in my personal and professional life.
On my road to recovery, I discovered a completely different approach to healing than the one we were taught in the police - working with the body/somatics and the nervous system.
This became my new passion and two years later, I walked away from what was once my dream job to qualify as a somatic breathwork practitioner & run my own coaching business - Healing Blue Hearts, guiding frontline workers to become more resilient to stress and burnout using the same modalities that supported me.
(0:00) Introduction and Abbie Westgate's journey from loss to police work (4:13) The role of identity as a first responder and its challenges (6:51) Comparing support systems in different police forces (13:08) The role of emotional intelligence in policing and mental health (17:22) Addressing mental health stigma and the importance of emotional regulation (20:36) Embracing emotional intelligence for better decision-making and resilience (23:46) Abbie Westgate's transition to Healing Blue Hearts and breathwork (28:41) The benefits of breathwork and alternative therapies for first responders (32:15) Connecting with Abbie Westgate and closing thoughts (33:06) Sponsor: Healing Blue Hearts