Senior Manager, Planning and Preparedness, Senior Manager, Response IEM Cheshire, Connecticut, United States
Emergency management is a profession defined by long hours, sustained stress, and constant responsibility. While we spend significant time strengthening systems, plans, and community resilience, far less attention is paid to the long-term resilience of the professionals doing the work. Dear Younger Me is a practitioner focused session that addresses this gap by examining how personal well-being, boundaries, and family stability directly impact preparedness and leadership effectiveness. Drawing on experience across emergency management, the fire service, and EMS, this presentation is framed as a candid 'letter' to the next generation, and a reflection for those already deep into their careers. Through personal experiences, the session explores cumulative stress, burnout, identity beyond the job, and the strain high-demand careers place on families and relationships. This session ties directly to the conference theme by reframing preparedness as a long journey rather than a single event. Just as emergency managers chart courses and anchor plans in resilience, professionals must intentionally sustain themselves over years of crisis work. A workforce that is burned out or emotionally depleted cannot remain resilient, regardless of how strong plans appear on paper. Participants will leave with practical, experience-based strategies they can apply immediately to support personal resilience, set healthy boundaries, and sustain effectiveness throughout the full arc of their careers.
