Flame Deacon: Innovating Firefighter Safety

Celebrating One Year of Just a Girl and Her Firefighter with Tara's Inspiring Journey

In this special first anniversary episode of 'Just a Girl and Her Firefighter,' host Kristi Hilmer sits down with Tara, a veteran and the founder of Flame Decon. Tara shares her incredible journey from military service to creating a product line focused on firefighter wellness, inspired partly by the aftermath of 9/11. The episode delves into the challenges and rewards of starting a business dedicated to removing carcinogens from firefighters' skin using a unique blend of activated charcoals. The discussion also highlights the broader impacts on fire families, such as fertility issues and children’s health, emphasizing the need for wellness solutions. Kristi and Tara also touch on the importance of community, human connection, and sharing stories to support each other in the fire service lifestyle. Tune in for an episode full of heartfelt moments, practical advice, and the celebration of a supportive community.

00:00 Welcome to the Podcast

00:59 Celebrating One Year

02:27 Introducing Tara and Flame Decon

02:59 Tara's Background and Business Journey

04:19 Firefighter Wellness and Flame Decon Products

15:01 Challenges and Growth of Flame Decon

18:32 Tara's Military Inspiration

19:48 Unexpected Medical Discharge

21:26 Family Tragedy and Career Shift

22:30 Supporting Military Families

23:51 Health and Wellness Advocacy

25:13 Firefighter Family Challenges

29:25 Cultural Reflections and Personal Stories

32:48 Rapid Fire Questions

35:21 Exciting Community Announcement

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Transcript

0:23

Hello and welcome to just a girl and her firefighter. I'm Kristy Homer, your host. Grab your favorite drink, whether it's coffee, fizz, or maybe something else. And let's dive into the wild, wonderful world of first responder life. We are here to swap stories, share laughs, and tackle those. This really happen moments. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just figuring this all out, this is the place for you. So kick back, get comfy, and let's have some fun. I can hardly believe it, but we have been at one year with just a girl in her firefighter podcast, and this has been a journey I could never have predicted of what this was gonna be like or the incredible stories I've heard, the people we've gotten to meet and the community that has gotten to be built from this. I absolutely love hearing from all of you guys out in the community. Of what this has meant, the different stories that you've related to, or seen or heard or learned from. It has been a beautiful, beautiful experience. So to celebrate and honor one year of this podcast, we are going to hear from my new friend Tara, and her story's incredible. I am so excited for you to get to hear from her and learn from her, and really see what her mission and her company is all about. Because nine 11 really inspired her journey from the beginning, and I just thought this was an incredible episode to honor our first anniversary, but also as we are here remembering nine 11, that this is a phenomenal time to just take a moment to realize where we've gone, how far we've come, and to remember those that have given everything. So I can't wait for you to hear from her and to learn from her story. And here we go. Cheers. To one year. I.

Audio Only - All Participants: 2:27

We've been trying to do this for what I think feels like months now and connected over Instagram, but she's the owner of Flame Decon and has just an incredible story of first responder life and how she's gotten here. So I'm so excited to get to know You better hear your story. So why don't you just share a little bit about who you are and kind of. How you got to where you are and what you do. Thanks Christie. I am so excited to be here and finally be able to chat with you. Yes, I know. Took a minute. Yeah, so, um, born and raised in San Diego. My brother is actually a firefighter in San Diego. Um, so that's kind of how I ended up with this business. Um, but my background is I am a veteran. Um, I was active duty Navy, then worked for the Army and the Marine Corps as a civilian. Um, oh wow. Yeah. And then after, so you just need Air Force and then you've hit all of the I know branches. Get them a hall. Totally. Whenever Air Force people tell me that, I'm like, no, you don't go backwards. You know? Yes, exactly. You're like, I just skipped that one. Yeah, totally. It's like telling a firefighter to go be a cop. Yeah. Oh yes. That doesn't happen. Totally. Um, but yeah, so we're. I was in the military, and, um, when my mom retired, she wanted to have a, just a small business for a little income and something that she loved to do though. Um, and she really, she'd been asking my brother for one of those fire mom stickers forever and being a busy firefighter, you know, it was, yeah. Yeah. Mom, I, I wanna get that for you, and I promise I will, you know? Mm-hmm. So eventually we decided that, um, maybe a gear and gift store for firefighters and their families where they could have access to stuff like that, um, would be great. And then eventually when she wanted to fully retire, I changed our mission to Firefighter Wellness. And doing that, I was looking through like, what do we need to bring in to fulfill this mission, right? Mm-hmm. And realized that there was stuff out there to clean the gear, clean the apparatus, um, clean the station, clean everything else, but the firefighter, the one who gets cancer, right? Um, so that kind of, that's what really led me to flame it. Once I dug into the research and realized that like. I knew what it would take to, to bring this product to market. Mm-hmm. Um, it was just a calling at that point. It was something that I had to do for my brother and for the fire service. Absolutely. And you're so spot on too with the like swag, fire, swag. There's nothing for the families. I mean now there's a few things, but I'm just like, no, where's, where's my stuff? Like where I know. And it has gotten me outta a ticket. Once he did, I finally got like a, I think it was union sticker or some fire sticker, and he put out on the back of my car, we had just moved to Texas and in California you didn't have to have the front. License plate or it's like recommended or I don't really know what the rules were. And so I never had one on the front of my car and literally, I think it was like day three in Texas, like it was not long at all. I get pulled over and I was like, I didn't do anything wrong. Like what? What did I do wrong? And the motorcycle cop pulled me over and he was just like, well, you don't have a front license plate. But we sat on the side of the road for 20 minutes and he told me all the reasons he should have been a firefighter. Because he, like, he pulls up and he goes, what station does your husband work at? I was like, how do you know? Like, is that in my driver's license record? Like, I'm so confused because I forgot the sticker was on the back of my car. So anyway, they are helpful. Totally. That's so I didn't get a ticket. I had to go fix it. But he cut you sas so three days. Like I know. I'm like, I just left here. Yeah. That's insane. Yes. How did you know? Oh, but anyway. So yes, those are important. But back to firefighter Wellness. Yes. I remember there was a time, uh, my husband was like, yeah, when we get done with a fire, we are told to take a cold shower because then the pores don't open up and absorb all the toxins because it still seeps through your gear and you know, all the different things. But there really isn't a ton out there. And that's a huge passion of mine is firefighter wellness because we're just exposed to more, even on the family side. As to what they're exposed to as well. So, totally. And can I throw my first bit of knowledge at you right now? Yes, yes. I'm ready. So there's so many rumors out there of like, go take a cold shower. Yes. No, go take a hot shower. Yes. So I have talked to. The scientists in our field, right, who work with firefighter cancer about this and work with decon because from my point of view, um, I also have my esthetician license in California from when I was a kid, like right after I got outta high school, right? Yes. So just some knowledge of how the skin works. Um, if you get in with those, those carcinogens on your body still in your pores and take a cold shower, it's gonna close down your pores on those carcinogens, right? Yes. If you get in the shower immediately, take a hot shower before you can get. Product on your skin that's gonna draw those away. It's gonna open your pores more and allow them to ob uh, allow those toxins to absorb in more. Yes. So truly you should take a lukewarm shower. Firefighters there should be taking a lukewarm shower, nothing. Yeah. Leave your pores right where you they are. Um, shower with flame, let those, that car, those, um, the activated charcoal, draw out those carcinogens, wash'em away. Mm-hmm. And then if you wanna crank up the shower to hot, go for it. Um, yeah. But yeah. Interesting. Yeah.'cause this is just what they're told to do. And then it also changes from department to department and, you know, station to station. There's no standard here. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Interesting. Okay, so then tell us about. Flame and kind of what your product is, how it works, and then I'd love to hear kind of the journey of creating a business too. But we'll start with what it is. How does it work? All great. Sounds great. Yeah, absolutely. So FLAME is, um, personal, basically personal care products. We've also come out with a laundry detergent, but, um, okay. Shampoo and body wash, a hand soaps, that's the same formulation as our hand sh shampoo and body wash. We just made it. With a pump, easier to use. Okay. Um, a bar of soap for people who prefer to use bars of soap. Um, firefighters asked me for a shave soap, so I came out with a shave soap form. It also has our activated charcoal in it, and we have interesting laundry soap as well. Um, so in this, um, there's activated charcoal products everywhere, right? Mm-hmm. There have been for decades now, but every other product out there is using one type of activated charcoal, so it's removing a certain size of carcinogens. Okay. The key to removing. All sizes of carcinogens is using multiple types of activated charcoal because when you're dealing with activated charcoal. Different types have different sized pores in them. And then once that activated charcoal gets close to the toxin, it's like a magnet. It draws it in. And as long as that pore is the right size, it's gonna go right in there, stick to it, and wash it away. So let me give you kind of an example so you can, you know, visualize it. Yeah. So if you have a carcinogen, like soot that has everything from 0.01 to a thousand microns in size, okay. If you have, uh, an activated charcoal, like coconut activated charcoal that has super small pores in it, so it'll remove everything. Under two microns. Okay? So you're dealing with things like gases, odors, colors, gases are super important to get off firefighters, right? Yeah. There's toxic gases everywhere. Um, so, so that's amazing for removing the gases. But then if you go back to soot and you're only removing under two microns and leaving the rest of that on the skin, you're leaving toxins behind. So our products have four different types of activated charcoal. Um, our proprietary blend of activated charcoal to remove all sizes of carcinogens, removing all of that soot and all kinds of other, um, toxins on the skin. Wow, that's incredible. Yeah. Thanks. That's very, very cool. And have you seen, this would be so hard to collect data on this, but have you seen a reduction or is there any way to track the data of like how this has helped? So my, my hope is yeah, that firefighters will never know how much it's helped. Yes.'cause they don't get cancer. You know what I mean? Like Exactly. That's like, I dunno how you test this. Um, we do have testing though that shows that, um, after a fire, we've had swabbing, skin swabbing done on firefighters, which is okay. Exactly how you should do it, because you're not dealing with, um, you know, testing on gear, testing on oranges, or testing on pig skin. Right. You test on firefighters skin, then you're, you're, you know exactly what's there and exactly what's not right. Absolutely. So you've done skin swabbing after, um, fire training and after live fire structure and wildland. Okay. Um, and, um, the, the swabs after, um, the fire shows exactly. What Carcin engines are there. Okay. The swabbing after using flames shows that carcin engines are no longer detectable on the skin, so it's removed everything. So it has removed everything. Yeah, that is, that's a much better way to test it. I was like, how do you test this? Yeah, totally. Yeah. That's incredible. That is so cool. Well, how was it kind of starting the business side? Because that's very different than coming from Navy. And any kind of military background. So what was that process like? It's so intimidating going into something like that. Yeah. And just figuring out every single little aspect of it. I discovered that like activated charcoal is great for removing carcinogens, right? Yes. Then, but I wanted to know exactly how that works. So that's when I dug in and spent like three weeks digging into the science of it, just like day and night, um, figuring out exactly how it works, like I just described to you. Um, and coming up with our proprietary blend. Mm-hmm. After that I was like, okay, this is. Above my head now. Yeah. Websites like I'm working on that right now, building a website and you know, all the different things. I'm like, this is a, there's a lot. Totally. And I mean a lot, a lot of figuring out business I think is Google, YouTube University, right? Yes. Like you go and you research and you figure it out. Yes. But trial and error when it comes to this stuff. Yeah. Um, I then went to chemical engineers that developed these types of products. Okay. And said, okay. Verify my research on the activated charcoal first. Make sure that like this is the proper way to move forward. And then I worked with them and they did. They verified, said, yeah, this is. This is right. Awesome. Um, and then I worked with them to develop our formulations around it to make sure that everything is one clean ingredients. There's nothing on there that's gonna be harmful, gonna add toxins to your skin, anything like that. Um, but also all of the ingredients are working with the activated charcoal to continue getting you clean. And there are no ingredients in there that are gonna clog the activated charcoal and keep it from working.'cause that can totally happen too. Absolutely. Or any, you know, I do. I branded with a company like 10 years ago and have done so much research in, you know, European model and, and United States and what's allowed and what's not, and totally, yes. Different brands are made. Like the same brand but different formulations in Europe and the United. Yes. I don't understand how that's legal, but that's a whole other conversation. Yeah. Um, and so it's so cool to see when companies aren't putting the cheaper filler products, you know, like mineral oil and the different things because it, your profit margin's bigger, but then it's doing harm, not good, or making it not work.'cause you can have so much good stuff in it. And then three quarters of the filler, and then it's not doing its job. So that's incredible. Yeah. That's so cool. That's exactly it. And, and yeah, our, our product is not cheap to make water is even the sixth ingredient. Correct. And all queen ingredients. So it is stupid expensive to make. Yes. Um, but it's for a purpose. It's, it, it's help save firefighter lives. Yeah. Um, so I've even said like. 10 years from now, if a company were to come along and just offer me an amount of money that I couldn't refuse to sell the company. Mm-hmm. Even if I were to agree to a deal like that in the contracts would be that they couldn't change the formulations. Yeah. That everything there had to stay the same. It's too important, you know? Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. Well, how have you seen it grown? Because it's a name, like I've heard of it. Thank you. And I think a lot of people have heard of it, I would think. Right. So how has the growth been? It, it's been total bootstraps and slow. So like most business, right? I mean, you know how firefighters are skeptical of everything Oh, yes. As they should be. Yes. You know, like, yeah, they're a hard, they're a hard group of people to crack. Totally. So. So you take a product like this, that's a personal care product one, right? Yeah.'cause they don't believe in personal care, most of them, unless it's for their mustache. Yeah, totally. Yes. A hundred percent personal care product one, and. Then you have, they've been trying to decon for years with different products. Mm-hmm. I mean, you, tea tree shampoo, old Spice, I mean, you name it. Right? Yeah. Um, and none of it has truly worked for them. They're like, I use this three times and then I'm okay. Yeah. So you take another product to'em and they're like. This isn't gonna work, but I guess I'll try it. Right, right. And then they're amazed that they use it and it actually worked with just one wash. Yeah, so realizing that how I've grown the business is the first four years I just focused on getting our single use packs into firefighters, hands at conferences. Mm-hmm. Um, to, so that they could try it, use it, love it, um, tell their buddies, but also go back to their departments and ask for it. Say, Hey, you guys should be buying this for us. And that's exactly how it's worked. It's exactly how it's grown. Um, I actually, so. Throughout the years, there have been, you know, many times that I have stopped by different departments or, you know, I go to conferences and have slowly seen the brand recognition grow. Yeah. Yesterday I was fortunate to get to stop by a department, um, a bigger department here in Colorado stopped by two different stationed stations and both crews, every member of the crew at both stations was like, oh yeah, I know flame. Like I use it. Awesome. Blown away. Yeah. I was like, no way. That's awesome. And a good reminder for anybody in business.'cause we have a lot of people that listen to this, that are also working on a business or trying to create something that it does not happen overnight. My gosh. It can look on social media like it happens overnight, but it has not like there's so much that goes behind the scenes. But it, you'll get there if you don't quit. Totally. Absolutely. And it's, it's truly the grind and truly just. The slow growth, I think is where it's at. You know? Yeah. I, of course, we all, when we start out, want it to go fast, but you have to learn not to compare yourself to any other business and where they're at. Um, absolutely. It has been a grind and it continues to be and will continue to be, you know? Absolutely. Absolutely. Because then we're gonna hit who knows what in the world and Totally. Something will change. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Last year was. Hard. It, we barely, our, our sales were barely up from the year before last year. Mm. Um, so where our economy's been, it's, it's been difficult, but we continue to push. Absolutely. And is that all that you do? Is that your main focus or do you also It's okay. That's awesome. Very cool. Yeah. This is what I do full time. Yeah. Well, let's go back into like your Navy days. My, one of my good friends, her son just graduated the Navy boot camp and so it's so fun, but what inspired. Military and Navy and, and all the things that you did. So after, um, nine 11 Uhhuh, I saw one of the very first ships coming back from deployment after nine 11 and this sailor got off and she was giving an interview on TV talking about her experience and fighting in the war on terror and making a difference. And like, yeah, there's just this calling. Yeah. Aw, I love that. It's still emotional. It totally is. Yeah. That's amazing. I know my, I just came back from a mission trip in the Dominican Republic, and the interpreter nicknamed me Cry Baby.'cause I would just cry. All the things, happy things, sad things. Yeah. And it's just, it's one of like, I'm so patriotic. Yeah. And. I think a lot of people look at that and are like, what the heck? Like, and it's truly just goes back to like that calling, you know, like, yeah. I truly just love our country. Absolutely. So how many years did you serve? So I just did one enlistment. Okay. Um, and then I, and that's like six years. So I was, I was actually only in three years. Okay. Um, active duty because I, they, I was running the last PFT that I ran, I got to the end of the mile and a half that the Navy does for their, their PFT run and suddenly couldn't walk. Oh wow. That in my tracks couldn't walk. Wow. There so much pain in my hip that I couldn't put any pressure on my hip. Um, I was 25 years old, like, wow, what's going on? Yeah. So they sent me to hip specialist and as it turns out, I have a degenerative condition in both hips. Um, okay. And. My command basically told me like, you can, um, you know, stay until, um, your enlistment up at our command. Like they're not gonna let you transfer to a new command. Um, which that was my plan. I planned on staying my five years there. They're like, or you can get out now because they're, they're kicking you out medically, basically. Right. Like a medical, we'll extend you to the end of, of your, your enlistment if, if you want, um. Then, God, you're gonna keep me crying. I know. Sorry. I tend to do that, so, right, right. Be so, so as I was making that decision, they said like, let us know. Yeah. So I was in the middle of being diagnosed with, diagnosed with this hip condition. Um, I had a, um, TAD, like a short deployment to Thailand. Okay. Um, with the military actually attached to the Army for that deployment and Okay. Girlfriend, it's okay. While I was there, my dad dropped to dead. Um Oh. And so I came back and was like, I think I'm just gonna get out. Yeah. Go spend time with my family. Absolutely. Yeah. So that, um, that actually plays a big role in Oh, that plays a big role in what I do too, though, like mm-hmm. I want my brother to be around for his babies. Absolutely. Was your dad fire? He wasn't, no. Okay. Um, he was a car salesman and dropped dead at work with a customer. Wow. Yeah. Oh, I'm so sorry. Thanks. Yeah. That is hard when you're deployed and have no communication, you know? Yeah, yeah. I, um, got a Red Cross message and a stranger told me over the phone. Yeah. Okay. I'm gonna take a sip of water. Yes, absolutely. Absolutely, man. Well, that's an incredible story. Yes. And so then you came back, and then that's when you were, did you say civilian military? When I first, uh, got out, I went to work for, um, the Navy doing, uh, casualty calls. Oh.'cause you're like, uh, I know what this felt like. Yeah, totally. And it needs to be a different experience. Yeah. So when a military member would die or get seriously injured, um, I would work with their command to send somebody to do the notification, help them with all of the personal effects, the death benefits, the burial. All of that. Yeah. Um, and I found that to be so rewarding, just helping people get through that period of, of their life. Um, absolutely. Yeah. And then after that worked for the va, helping people, helping process disability claims, basically helping veterans get their disability. Yeah. And then worked for the Marine Corps as a family readiness Officer. Okay. And then, um, after that I worked for actually a PR agency, global PR agency doing, um, public relations for army recruiting. Okay. Okay. Yeah. So basically your whole career has been about helping families. Yeah. From the very beginning. Yeah. Now we're just keeping families alive. Totally. We're trying. Yes. Oh, that's incredible. That's very cool. I literally just yesterday. And I dunno when this podcast will actually air, but just yesterday it created a reel on the things we don't talk about in the fire service and it's death injury and cancer. Yeah. And it's like we're not talking about them and there's things we can do. Like we cannot control the uncontrollables. Like we can't control fire, we can't control that. They're gonna have, you know, hazardous and all the things. But we can control stuff at home and we can control things like personal care and what they're eating and like we don't do any fragrances in our house because they're a top 10 cancer causing agent. And. You know, all the different things. We don't even really do dairy much and we get our meats like he hunts and we get our meat from like good ranchers or wild eats or pastures, wild something. Um, and different things. And that, you know, washing with charcoal. And then I'm a huge proponent of mushrooms and the legal kind. That's, I'm talking about the legal kind of mushrooms. Totally. But just all the things, like I have this five blend powder and I'm like, this is a non-negotiable. Like you have to do this. This is about cellular health and you know, he just does it'cause I make him, but I do, yeah. Uh, beef, organ protein in my coffee. Yes. All of it. I hear you. Yes. I'm like, there are things that we can do. Totally. Um, so Absolutely. Well, that's incredible. Yeah. I think another thing to, to kind of share with, you know, fire families is that it's not just the firefighters that, that are at risk. Mm-hmm. There has been, it's been a pretty concentrated study, but a study in the northeast that shows that, uh, children of firefighters are getting cancer at much higher rates. Um, so I think it's just good to know that. So that when you do do station station visits, you can make sure, you know, hands are washed before food and hands go in the mouth and that absolutely a d decon is done on the kids after you get back and yourself and you know. Absolutely. I think I read that study or a different, or study similar'cause I was like, I didn't realize'cause his bunkers don't come home. You know, like you think because that, that you're safe or that we aren't exposed as much, but it's just. You just still are. Yeah. Like they still, I don't know how, but it still comes home and even now we're seeing such a difference in fertility of firefighters and there's a huge rise in infertility. Yes. And treatments and different things. And so it's like what has been happening and what their bodies go through that translate to home. So Absolutely. I think it's so important. Absolutely. I think the interesting thing with fertility too, is gonna. Be seeing when they look into these studies and actually do studies. Is it more the exposures before they get pregnant? Because like,'cause not being able to get pregnant obviously is fertility issues prior to. Mm-hmm. Obviously yes. But we're seeing a much higher rate of miscarriages in female firefighters. Yeah. So are these exposures from before and um. Cellular, abnormal abnormalities be from before getting pregnant? Mm-hmm. Or is this exposure during pregnancy or is it both? Like let's, we need to learn what that is. Yeah. So that we can reduce that.'cause it's so high. Yeah. It really is. And it's, you can almost, it's almost not possible to talk to a fire family trying to get pregnant and having some sort of, I guess. Like difficulties, maybe not the right word, but there's some sort of element. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Until you've been through it, you don't realize just how much that can affect your life. I mean, yeah, it's soul crushing to go through a, so by head, neck topic, it's soul crushing to go through something like that. Or miscarriage or, yeah. Not being able to get pregnant or, you know. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. And another thing we're not talking about. Totally. Yeah. We should just start calling this instead of just a girl and her firefighter. It should be all the things we don't talk about. Yeah. That's why I'll just throw things at you.'cause I like I'm with you. I think we need to talk about things and the more people will talk about things, um, the better off we are. And even if it's just somebody opening up and asking their own doctor in a private room. Yeah. You know? Absolutely. Absolutely. And we are starting to see some things change and you know, conversations are starting and people are starting to. Just talk about it.'cause that's really the goal of this whole podcast. It's not like there's any answers that we necessarily have, but it's like, let's just share the stories because it's how we used to live. Like we used to live in communities and villages and depend on each other for survival, and we would learn from our elders. And it's, we've lost that in this, you know, just fast-paced, microwaved society of. Learning and listening, and it was a good reminder coming back from the Dominican Republic as well of, you know, listening to their stories and seeing that they have nothing, but they're still so joyful. But they also are talking about what's hard. And they're talking about like, this is what we've experienced. Not for any sympathy, but just this is what human connection is. And I came back and I was talking to a friend and I said, basically human connection knows no language. Like you can connect with humans no matter what. Absolutely. And we have lost that. It's so, so I'm on a mission. Yeah. Bring it back. Very similar experience when I went to Thailand in that Yeah, you would, I mean. The majority of the population is so poor, and yeah. We saw so many people just living in these huts. Mm-hmm. On the side of the road, you know, and it's well beyond what we consider like a homeless problem here. Right, right, right. But those people are still willing to give you the shirts off their Yes. Their back. If not, even if you ask for it. It just, they're just gonna give it to you. Yeah, because, because they're nice. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes. Like we would go in and is their kind. Yes. Like we would go into these communities and it's literally like no running water, no electricity. Like it's just like a, you know, shingle here and. Tarp here, just kind of like mod podded into this home that multiple people live in. And you, they would, you know, welcome you in and they would have you sit. And we asked the interpreter before we went in, we're like, what do Americans do that are rude that we shouldn't do? And they're like, you have to sit, like take your backpack off and sit down when they invite you in. And they would be turning buckets over or the two chairs that they have and just sitting. And it was just remarkable. Like it's, it was an a hundred percent like a calling, like these are my people and I will go back as often as I can go back and take our whole family. So, so cool. That's so cool. Yeah. I am. I've gotten myself in in a little bit of trouble. Not with that, with that cultural, you know, what's rude to do and don't do it. Yes. Um, when in Thailand there was, um. These tie guys had invited me, and one of my best friends down, to like have lunch with them under these trees. Yes. Right. Yeah. Which in America you're like, you're trying to kill me. Totally. Yes. You invite me out into the jungle under some trees where you're having lunch. No way. Yes. So we came down and they're sharing their food from home with us that they have packed and brought from home. Yeah. And. Like it's rude not to eat it. Yes. We heard about that with coffee and they're like, the interpreter will tell you if it's safe or not. Yeah. Yes. So I take a bite and it's the spiciest thing I've ever put in my mouth. Like, oh, there's no way I can finish even what's in my hand. Yeah. So I thought maybe it was gonna be like the other end issues I like could barely swallow the first. One. Oh my gosh. And I look at my friend who's with me and I'm like, and he can just see it and he grabs it on my hand and fishes. I'm like, hi. Can. Yeah. We went to a Thai restaurant once where we used to live in California and they were like, would you like white people spicy or Thai? Spicy? I'm like, white people spicy. Like I don't, I'm not as cool as you. Totally not as cool as you. Yeah. I am the weaker species. Yes. Thank you. Yes. Hundred percent. Yeah, like you get into some interesting situations for sure. Totally. Yeah. When you travel in different cultures, but that's funny. Yeah. I'm a wuss when it comes to spice, so Yeah. That would not have gone well. So funny. Absolutely. Well, this was incredible. I can't think of any other questions. Um, is there any last little thing that we didn't cover that you're like, okay, people need to hear this. I don't think so. Well, thank you so much for having me on. I appreciate it. Absolutely. Well, we will do rapid fire questions. Awesome. End with these, and I've done like a variety of of different things this season, but we're just gonna shoot off a few random ones, so Sounds good. How do you drink your coffee? Oh, I drink it with, um, ancestral protein and half and half. There we go. Now you just add some mushrooms. Yeah, totally. Yeah, you're right, you're right. Actually, I've been, um, adding collagen to that too, so. Oh, yes. It's like a little bulletproof. I know. Just, and then we good. And then you'll really be ancestral. Totally forge your coffee. And then what book are you reading? If you're reading a book right now, currently I am not. What has been maybe the best book you've read or one of your favorite books? Um. So one of my favorites is Rich Dad, poor Dad. It's an old book, but it, um, it taught me to take risks and you have to know that for business. A hundred percent. Yeah. Yeah. All a risk. Yeah. And then the last question we'll do is what has been the best advice you've ever been given? Oh gosh. I know this one's not really rapid fire. It's kind of, yeah. The root of need to put in the end really should have an answer for this. It's hard when you're put on the spot, like, I don't know. Totally. Mm-hmm. I think all of it is just in how, like my mom raised me, like mm-hmm. Be honest with people, you know? Mm-hmm. Um, treat people how you wanna be treated. Absolutely. It's, I think it's just the core, core moral values that we should all have. I think that just carries through in me that I always refer, revert back to, um. Mm-hmm. Not necessarily some quote or anything like that. Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you. And then how do people find you is on Instagram, obviously.'cause that's how I found you. Yeah. Um, but how else? Our website is flame dcon.com. Okay. All of our social media is at Flame Dcon and my email is tara@flamedcon.com. Awesome. Perfect. So they can all go shopping. Yes. And get their departments to all get Flame dcon. Yes. Save the world. Yes. Very cool. Okay, well thank you so much for your time and I can't wait for everybody to hear this story. It's gonna be awesome. Me too. Thank you.

35:23

I hope you enjoyed that conversation just as much as I did. So before we wrap up this episode, I have really exciting news about what is happening right now for all of you in this amazing community with justice, er firefighter. We all know what that feeling is like when we're scrolling through social media, we're listening to our friends, our neighbors, our friends who have what we think is this normal life, and we start to wonder, does anybody else even get it? Like, does anybody know what this schedule is like? Like what we're going through? Or is it just me all alone, isolated feeling this way? You know, the missed dinners, the holidays on a Tuesday instead of the actual day random pickups. Like all the different things that happen. Well, you are not alone anymore. And I am so excited to introduce the brand new app we just launched. It is a space created specifically for you. Partners of the first responders, and it is filled with people who understand, who get it and have resources and tools available and ready to help. Please join our free community to connect with others who get it. And if you're somebody who needs a little bit more, or you wanna dive in deeper, like what is it like to actually live this lifestyle? How can I do this well? What are the resources, the tools, different things that we need access to or just need to dive a little bit deeper into? We have that for you as well. It is our inner circle, and you can upgrade to that at any time. We'll have monthly virtual fireside chats, resources, experts, reintegration strategies, exclusive video content, and so, so much more. It is constantly evolving because let's be real loving. A first responder is beautiful, but also challenging, and you deserve support just as much as they do. So join us in the community. The app link will be in the show notes below. It'll be posted all over social media, but we cannot wait to have you to join us and to get to know you better. Thank you for listening to just a Girl and Her Firefighter. It would mean the world to us to have you subscribe, like, share with all the people you love, and join us in our Fire Wife community. Thanks again and see you next time.