Firefighter Zen: Thriving in Tough Times with Hersch Wilson
Listen in on an incredible conversation between Kristin and Hersch Wilson, a 30-year veteran volunteer firefighter/EMT, and author of “Firefighter Zen: A Field Guide to Thriving in Tough Times.” Hersch has a lot of insightful wisdom to help during stressful times. Listen to him share more about how he manages through difficulties with help by understanding that we need to always live in the moment, and try to incorporate positively serving others. Hersch explains how some simple changes in thinking and how we live can create a far happier mindset during the difficult times we are all living in today.
Hersch Wilson is a thirty-year veteran volunteer Firefighter-EMT with the Hondo Fire Department in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. He is also a story-teller, committed to explaining how First Responding can change how we see and experience our own lives. In his “real job” he is a writer, speaker, and consultant. In the past twenty-five years, Hersch has worked extensively with leadership teams from a variety of organizations including Kodak, IBM Japan, Altria, The United States Postal Service, the CIA, Kraft Foods, and Baxter Healthcare to name a few. He has co-written three national business best sellers with Larry Wilson, including the awarding-winning, “Playing to Win!: Choosing Growth Over Fear in Work and in Life.” His latest project, based on thirty years as a volunteer firefighter, is helping individuals and organizations see the world as firefighters do and learn how to thrive through traumatic and stressful times.
Hersch attended Colorado College and graduated with a BA in English from the University of Minnesota. Prior to becoming a writer and consultant, Hersch was a dancer and actor. He performed in Canada, Switzerland, and the United States. He has also worked as a flight instructor and commercial pilot. Finally, he is obsessed with dogs. The Wilson’s currently have two large Bernese Mountain Dogs, Nellie and Tank, and one rescue terrier-chihuahua named Maisie. He writes a monthly column on dogs for The Santa Fe New Mexican. He and his wife Laurie have two daughters, Brynne and Sullivan.