In Overcoming Tuesday, you'll find a man on a journey through a difficult childhood, entering a beloved career, marrying the love of his life, having a wonderful family together, and embarking on a career dedicated to his personnels' safety. He held many roles dedicated to cancer prevention and mental health at the local and national levels. Although he had many successes in those roles, he also had major setbacks.
In this book, Jim shares with you what those journeys looked like and their associated pain, some of which could be anticipated and some which blindsided him. More importantly, he shares with you what he learned in hopes that someone going through a similar journey-not only a firefighter but any person, regardless of vocation- may be able to avoid the same struggles.
Co-Author Jim Burneka Jr. speaks of his experiences with post-traumatic stress disorder, organizational betrayal, cancer, and mental illness. He shares his efforts, struggles, victories, defeats, and lessons learned. Firefighters are a breed very proud of their strength of character, but they struggle with their vulnerability. What Jim shares in this book is the powerful message that vulnerability is not a weakness, but a strength.
The book is a very easy read, but don't let that fool you; it is full of important lessons to absorb and apply to your life. Then, share what you've learned with people going through troubled times similar to those Jim outlines in this book. When you've finished Overcoming Tuesday, you'll have laughed and been brought to tears, and it will certainly make you think. Ultimately, it will provide invaluable knowledge to give you hope to overcome your own Tuesday!
About the Author :
Jim is a recently retired Dayton Ohio Firefighter Paramedic. He was the Health & Safety/Peer Support Coordinator for Dayton Firefighters Local 136 before retiring. Jim lives in Beavercreek with his wife Lauren, and two boys Jameson, & Logan. Jim has a monthly webcast on Fire Engineering and is the Co-Founder of the annual FF Health & Wellness Conference in "Exotic" Beavercreek Ohio. Hilary was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. As a young child, Hilary found her voice through writing. She obtained her Masters degree in Education, and had the joy of teaching preschool. Hilary and her husband Jestin have two precious children, Ava and Jett. She continues to live in gratitude for the countless blessings the Lord has given her. PATRICK J. KENNY has been a member of the fire service for over 38 years, and before retiring in January 2021 served as the Fire Chief in Hinsdale and Western Springs, Illinois. He has been a Chief Officer for over 25 years and a speaker in multiple countries on Mayday for Mental Health(R) for more than a decade. He is the international best-selling author of TAKING THE CAPE OFF: How to Lead Through Mental Illness, Unimaginable Grief and Loss and has articles published in the areas of mental health, leadership, fire safety, and fire code challenges. He was awarded the Fire Chief of the Year in 2004 by the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and in 2021 he was awarded Fire Chief Emeritus status by the Executive Board of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association. He was awarded the Fire Engineering/International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) George D. Post Instructor of the Year Award for 2020-2021.
