007: Day 1: PANEL: Enduring the Crisis: Ensuring Personal Sustainability for Leaders in Disaster Management

How to Disaster

2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

Episode Description:

“Allow yourself the best you can to just release into all things in due time.” —Jacqui Jorgeson

“It's important as leaders that we show those who we are leading that we also need breaks. We are not gods.” —Matt Henderson

“Whatever people needed, everybody stepped up to make sure that needs were met to the best of our capability under horrific and insane conditions. And we can do it. There's no reason not to. It's not rocket science. It's just Aloha.” —Noelani Ahia

Disaster recovery is a grueling work that can quickly lead to burnout for even the most dedicated leaders. Taking regular breaks is crucial to avoid mental and physical exhaustion, yet many struggle to prioritize self-care amidst the pressing needs of their communities. Therefore, maintaining resilience requires intentional strategies to recharge and prevent compassion fatigue.

In this discussion, Jollie sits with three bold disaster recovery leaders, Jacqui Jorgeson, Matt Henderson, and Noelani Ahia. Dive in as they share powerful stories, practical tips, and holistic approaches to help disaster leaders avoid burnout and foster post-traumatic growth within their teams and within themselves and their families.

• Connect with After The Fire USA:
• Website: https://afterthefireusa.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfterTheFireUSA
• X: https://twitter.com/AfterTheFireUSA
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afterthefireusa/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atf3r
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuTefxZgWUJkDVoZGZQpxgQ

Highlights:

• 00:29 Meet the Panel: Matt, Jacqui, and Noelani
• 05:50 Origin Story: Volunteer Fire Foundation
• 09:21 Change Your Socks
• 12:11 How Trauma Gets Stored In Our Bodies
• 20:37 All In Due Time
• 23:50 Take a Break
• 26:24 It’s Just Aloha

Meet the Moderator:

👩🏻‍💼Meet Jolie Wills, CEO of Hummingly

Jolie has a Master of Science in Cognitive Psychology and is a leading psychosocial expert in disaster and disruption. Jolie has studied how the mind works under prolonged pressure, how we make decisions and how our reactions and behaviors are impacted by stress. Jolie is a survivor of the Christchurch earthquakes and has lived disaster recovery with her family first-hand. She led the psychosocial recovery program for New Zealand Red Cross in response to the earthquakes and has supported those working in disasters around the world. Jolie is a Winston Churchill fellowship recipient, a Leadership New Zealand alumna, an Edmund Hillary Fellow, and is an advising member to the global Counter Terrorism Prevention Network. She is primary author of New Zealand's Psychological First Aid Guide and is a co-author of Leading in Disaster Recovery: A Companion through the Chaos.

• Website: https://hummingly.co/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hummingly/

Meet the Panel

👩🏻‍💼Meet Jacqui Jorgeson, Founder and Executive Director, Volunteer Fire Foundation

Jacqui Jorgeson is a writer and fourth-generation Californian. A trip to Greece at the height of the Syrian refugee crisis propelled her into grassroots nonprofit work. In the spring of 2016, Jacqui became the first Associate Director of Schoolbox Project, which delivers trauma-informed care to the littlest victims of disasters around the world. Now a mother, Jacqui feels deeply called to serve her community at home. She lives in Santa Rosa with her husband Kevin and their young son Edsel.

• Website: https://www.volunteerfire.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/volfireorg/
• X: https://twitter.com/volfireorg
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/volunteerfirefoundation/

👨🏻‍💼 Meet Matt Henderson, NorCal Communications Lead, Team Rubicon

Matt Henderson is a United States Navy veteran, wildlife photographer, and Team Rubicon leader. He has been a dedicated volunteer with Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization, serving as the NorCal communications lead and often stepping up as incident commander on operations. Matt has been instrumental in organizing and executing several disaster response projects, including a significant operation in Grizzly Flats that saw 70 volunteers working daily for a month to support a community devastated by wildfires. In addition to his work with Team Rubicon, Matt has 17 years of experience covering wildfires as a photojournalist and has consistently been at the forefront of relief efforts, offering his time, skills, and compassion to support affected communities.

• Connect with Team Rubicon: https://teamrubiconusa.org/

👩🏻‍💼 Meet Noelani Ahia, Founder, Maui Medic Healers Hui

Noelani Ahia is a healer/activist who works to protect what we love: ‘āina, kai, wai, iwi and each other. Trained in Traditional East Asian Medicine, she has been delivering acupuncture and herbal medicine to the Maui community for 15 years. In 2017 she co-founded the Mauna Medic Healers Hui with Dr. Kalama and in 2019, spent 8 months on Mauna Kea tending to our lāhui.

• Website: https://mauimedichealershui.org/