Chris Moore is a Captain with the Chesapeake Virginia Fire Department with over 30 years as a first responder and he is also a national touring speaker. Chris Moore is the son of a Norfolk, Virginia Police Officer and began his own public safety career in Virginia Beach, Virginia as a Volunteer Firefighter/EMT in 1993. As a volunteer, he put in as many hours as possible, picking the brains of the career members and soaking it all in, in hope of one day becoming a career firefighter. In 2000 Chris' dream became a reality as he was offered a job with the Chesapeake Virginia Fire Department as a firefighter paramedic. Chris has served in a variety of assignments including Firefighter Paramedic, Field Training Officer, Recruit School Instructor, MDA Fill the Boot coordinator, Foam Team, PPE Team, Fire Lieutenant and he currently serves as a Captain and a key member of his Departments Behavioral Health and Peer Support Team. Chris has served all over the diverse city of Chesapeake, by providing responsive and caring service to protect and improve the quality of life of others. He has also deployed on various task forces for aid in his home state of Virginia and deployed to Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Chris has received numerous awards and commendations for his selflessness, bravery, commitment and dedication to the fire service. He most recently received the Fire Chiefs Medal of Commendation for his personal work and vulnerability in the field of first responder mental health and wellness. Chris was formally diagnosed with post-traumatic stress related to his years of service in 2018. In 2020 he decided that helping other first responders by sharing his journey in a completely open, honest and transparent format was another way of giving back and he started speaking at conferences and symposiums across the country. This let other first responders know that there is help out there as well as hope. He received his PTSD service dog, Lewis, in the summer of 2020. He is also a published writer in Fire Engineering Magazine, has been on numerous podcasts and news stories and is in the renowned documentary PTSD 911. Chris is also an alumnus of Save a Warrior. Chris is a dedicated advocate for awareness, prevention, education, training on Post Traumatic Stress and First Responder Suicide Prevention. Chris continues to candidly share his journey with PTS and speak to, not just fire but all public safety agencies across the United States, with the hope of ending the stigma behind mental health in the public safety community.

Since the opening of Advanced Health of Naperville (AHN) in 1999, Dr. Cathy has helped patients of all ages and types of symptoms reach their optimal health. She is a graduate of the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa and one of the first doctors in the U.S. trained in cranio fascial dynamics and cranial treatment.

Her appreciation for and interest in chiropractic care came from being a patient herself. Following a springboard diving injury at age 17, she struggled to do daily activities without pain and sometimes couldn’t get out of bed. Traditional treatments were ineffective and by chance, someone asked if she had ever seen a chiropractor. After a few adjustments, her back issues were 95% better and her daily headaches, which she had since she was 13, were gone. Making chiropractic care a career choice was an easy decision.

After 24 years as a practitioner, Dr. Cathy transitioned to overseeing the practice in spring of 2022. Her focus is on ensuring AHN’s team of doctors, therapists and staff maintain the practice’s reputation of being a welcoming and happy place where patients receive the care they need to heal.

She’ll also be devoting more time to running The Branch and Socket. The Branch is a moms’ community with more than 55,000 members. It offers online connections, local events, networking groups, information sharing, opportunities to volunteer, and a place to call home. Socket is a weekly podcast hosted by Dr. Cathy on which she and her guests cover a variety of life and self-care topics that invite listeners to plug into gratitude, confidence, and happiness and unplug from the people and things that no longer serve them.

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary A. Mitchell was born Mary A. Duncan on May 23, 1949, in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Mitchell’s mother, Carrie Williams Duncan, and father, Joseph Duncan, struggled to raise ten children in Chicago Public Housing’s Dearborn Homes and Clarence Darrow Homes. Mitchell, the eldest and a twin loved to read as she helped raise her siblings. Mitchell attended Einstein Elementary School and Wendell Phillips Upper Grade Center. At Dunbar Vocational High School, Mitchell joined a girls group called the Exquisite Ladies Club, which put emphasis on good grades, not having babies and service. Graduating from Dunbar in 1967, Mitchell was hired by Peoples Gas as a mailroom clerk. Starting at Wilson Junior College in 1968, Mitchell transferred to Chicago Teacher’s College (Chicago State University) that same year. 

Mitchell became the first African American legal secretary at a major Chicago law firm, Seyfarth Shaw, LLP; she eventually quit her job as a secretary after twenty years of service. Taking writing courses at Columbia College and encouraged by Carol Holtz and P.J. Bednarski, Mitchell landed a successful internship with the Chicago Sun-Times in 1990. Graduating with her B.A. degree in journalism from Columbia College in 1991, Mitchell was hired full time by the Chicago Sun-Times. Covering educational issues, Mitchell’s five part series on Chicago Vocational High School earned her an award from the National Association of Black Journalists. From 1993 to 1995, Mitchell covered City Hall reporting on Operation Silver Shovel. Since the start of her column in 1996, Mitchell, like Carl Rowan and Vernon Jarrett before her, has attracted a large and diverse readership. Mitchell also cultivated a substantial national following via the Internet, receiving an average of 900 e-mails per week from readers. 

Mitchell was the recipient of numerous journalism awards, including the Award of Excellence from the National Association of Black Journalists, the Studs Terkel Award from the Chicago Media Workshop, and the Peter Lisagor Award from the Chicago Headliner Club. Mitchell was a frequent guest panelist on television and radio programs; a president of the Chicago Association of Black Journalists; and a member of the Association of Women Journalists.

John is a M&A Advisor, strategy consultant and entrepreneur. He previously worked in strategic business development, marketing and management at several companies. Notable are his 15 years of selling businesses and his 11 years as Executive Leadership roles in multiple companies. He has consulted and successfully started businesses of his own and for clients. John’s success has been in developing exponential growth of the companies he works with.

Rev. Jessica Hebert is known and regarded for her gentleness, delicate way with words, and humor.

Through intuitive and spiritual services, she provides support, tools, and resources to harmonize your sacred wholeness, instilling calm, clarity, and hope.

A core aspect of her work is training and empowering Light workers, shamans, and healers. She teaches a variety of classes and courses about the workings of the Universe, understanding our mystical experiences, 5th dimensional approaches to life’s challenges, and tapping into the healer within.

Soon she will also release her first book, A Guide for the Budding Shaman, in which she draws on her decade of wisdom as a shaman and interfaith minister, as well as her two decades as a practicing pagan. 

Speaking of Jessica’s shamanic experience … 

Jessica walks through life consistently connected with the Divine, and the physical dimensions of Earth. She strives to serve the Divine with balanced tolerance, generosity, charity, mercy, compassion, and an appreciation for humor. 

She sees the spiritual in all of life, from doing dishes to lighting prayer candles. 

Rev. Jessica didn’t grow up seeing dead people, like a lot of her contemporaries. But that didn’t stop her from trying!

She draws on two decades of pagan practice, and self-healing initiations. In the past 10+ years, she has trained and practiced in shamanism, Reiki, dream interpretation, interfaith ministry, and priestesshood.

Jessica serves clients all over the world, offering remote sessions, including:

Reiki healing

Intuitive phone readings

Remote energy clearings

Dream interpretation

Her virtual classes include a healer course and an “Explore Shamanism” course.

Jessica also offers rites of passage ceremonies, including:

Baptisms/wiccanings

Coming of age ceremonies

Custom weddings

End of life ceremonies

See her website at https://bluestargaia.com/services/ for more information.

Email: rev.jessica@bluestargaia.com

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As a law enforcement veteran of thirty-years I have been involved in hundreds of critical incidents and a wide variety of specialized assignments. This diversification has given me a unique perspective in understanding the needs and obstacles facing our first responders.The greatest threat to my survival wasn’t the multiple attempts on my life from suspects but came from within. An alcoholic, addict, and adulterer, I struggled to overcome the darkness of PTS and suicidal ideation. Overcoming these obstacles made it absolutely necessary for me to show our brothers and sisters how you can fall, sometimes repeatedly, and keep getting back up. I developed a wellness / leadership program called “Sometimes Heroes Need Help” that addresses the personal, professional, financial, physical and mental health of the first responder. The program provides a roadmap that allows the individual to survive ”Self-Inflicted Wounds”.  

The number one killer of the law enforcement professional is suicide. We don’t need additional training to make us better at police work, we need additional training in life work. Shifting the focus from procedural to functional care is an absolute necessity. Relationship wellness, self-care, and making our physical and mental health a priority is an absolute must if we truly care about our front line peoples wellness and performance. I developed a wellness / leadership program called “Sometimes Heroes Need Help” that addresses the life stressors that are keeping our people from operating at their highest level. By working on our personal, professional, physical and mental health we become better officers and human beings. I authored the book “Surviving Self-Inflicted Wounds, A Deputy’s life of Redemption” as a compliment to the program. I have been presenting the program to conferences and agencies of all sizes for the past 22 months.