Travis Gribble: Who Helps the Helpers?Travis Gribble: Who Helps the Helpers?
Struggle Well Podcast
Retired SWAT leader and Warrior PATHH guide Travis Gribble talks about trauma, drinking, PTSD and the culture of "sucking it up" in law enforcement. He shares how therapy, peer-led training and daily practices shifted him from barely coping to actively working on growth.
40:45•1 Jul 2026
Who Helps the Helpers? Travis Gribble on Trauma, Drinking and Choosing to Struggle Well
Episode Overview
- Police and SWAT culture often teaches people to suppress emotions and see asking for help as weakness, which can intensify suffering.
- Heavy drinking became a way for Travis to numb the impact of traumatic calls, but it worsened his mental health and relationships.
- Specialised, culturally competent therapy, including EMDR, helped reduce the intensity of traumatic memories and opened the door to change.
- Warrior PATHH and the Struggle Well Experience provided peer-led training, deep connection, and tools for posttraumatic growth.
- Consistent daily practices—gratitude, intentions, journalling, meditation and breathing exercises—help Travis stay grounded and respond better to stress.
“It’s okay to not be okay, but it’s not okay to stay that way.”
What drives someone to seek a life beyond "suck it up and carry on"? This conversation follows retired SWAT team leader and Warrior PATHH guide Travis Gribble as he talks frankly about years of trauma, heavy drinking, and the belief that asking for help meant weakness. The episode is aimed squarely at first responders, veterans, and anyone living with anxiety, addiction, depression or PTSD who feels they should "handle it" alone.
You’ll hear Travis describe growing up in a chaotic home, finding purpose in policing, and chasing the high of big-city law enforcement — only to be brought to his knees after a series of harrowing calls, including rescuing a trafficked child and finding multiple people dead in a hostage situation. Travis explains how the culture of “we just suck it up and keep moving on” fuelled his drinking, emotional shutdown, and suicidal thoughts.
Things shifted when he finally saw a therapist who understood first responders and went through intensive EMDR: hard work that softened the worst memories but still left him waking up angry and numb. The turning point came when he attended Boulder Crest’s Struggle Well Experience (now part of Warrior PATHH). Expect a very honest look at peer-led training, posttraumatic growth, and why connection is at the heart of real change.
Travis shares the daily habits that now keep him grounded: early mornings, gratitude, journalling, stoic reading, short meditations, and simple breathing tools like 4-7-8. He’s clear that guides are “just a few steps ahead” and still have bad days, but they refuse to stay stuck.
As Travis puts it, “It’s okay to not be okay, but it’s not okay to stay that way.” If you’ve ever thought getting help would ruin your career or prove you’re weak, could this be the story that helps you choose yourself instead?
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