Q&A with the FRC Team: Caroline Godin, Director of Public Relations

We’ve been connecting and building for a while and things are starting to get big, Bigger, HUGE! We’d better start introducing ourselves! We are First Responder Coaching, first responders and family members who understand the job, the stress, the challenges, and the heartaches of first responder life. You probably knew that, but did you know who’s behind this whole endeavor? We’re going to throw a bio out every couple days to introduce the admin team. Everyone’s important to making this ship sail, so let’s continue introducing our leadership team.

Today, we’ll highlight:

Caroline Godin

What’s your role here at FRC?

I have been the content writer for about a year but am newly the Director of Public Relations. I still write the blogs for the website, but I also help edit, maintain, and manage content regarding all FRC media. I help keep a positive image consistent with our mission and goals. (Oh! And I’m a life coach!)

What’s your connection to first responder life?

My husband was a firefighter when I met him, then became an EMT, then a 911 dispatcher, and he is now an ER nurse. For the last 14 years, he’s worked overnights almost exclusively, even throughout nursing school. We’ve made sacrifices and learned more scheduling gymnastics than we ever thought possible. We firmly believe our faith got us through the thick of it. I wouldn’t weather the storm with anyone else.

What’s your experience with coaching?

I had a major career change last year and went to freelancing with my writing. I knew our friend, Jen, was working on something big and looking to recruit some people. I called her up and the rest, as they say, is history. Actually, I’ll tell you the rest. I started coaching classes with the one-and-only Keith Hanks. I knew generally what coaching was, but I had no idea the power behind those questions. Things became clear and there was no excuse to hide behind. Seeing perspective change, hearts open, and then seeing all the need in the first responder world… I’m so glad to be a part of this amazing venture.

How did your journey bring you to FRC?

It’s a parallel story to the one above. I had a job loss and renounced certain career paths. I needed a fresh start alongside my freelance work. Jen and my husband go back years so we were all friends. I reached out to Jen to see what she was offering. Everything about coaching appealed to me. It just fit; it felt right. I knew the first responder world, especially the EMS world and a bit of the fire world, fairly well. I knew there was a major care gap and saw FRC as an opportunity to help fill that gap. I couldn’t pass it up.

What are hopes and aspirations as an FRC team member?

As the Director of Public Relations, I hope to bring our company and our mission to the front of mental health awareness. I want first responder departments and organizations across the country to know there’s a proactive approach to mental health. We don’t have to wait for crisis and trauma to debilitate our people. We can prepare our responders mentally now so that when trauma happens, and it will, they will come through it with resilience.