JOIN THE MENTAL HEALTH IN FORENSICS SUMMIT VIP WAIT LIST

We’re closing out our Mental Health Awareness Series with a reflection on everything this month has brought into focus.

Over the past several episodes, we’ve revisited conversations around burnout, trauma exposure, leadership pressure, recovery, and the emotional weight of long-term work in forensic science. And while each story is different, a few themes show up again and again: the slow build of stress over time, the normalization of exhaustion, and the moment many professionals start questioning whether they can (or should) keep going the way things are.

We also want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who listened, shared episodes, or opened up about their own experiences this month. These aren’t always easy conversations to have, especially in this field, but they matter more than we can probably measure.

A special thank you as well to Matt Davis, Letty Ramirez, Jason Cole, Kat Pope, and Alice White for being willing to share their stories so openly about trauma exposure, burnout, leadership, and recovery in forensic science. Their honesty is what makes conversations like this possible.

And while this series is wrapping up, the conversation definitely isn’t.

A quick announcement before you go...

We’re excited to share that this year’s virtual summit will be the:

Mental Health in Forensics Summit

This free virtual summit takes place during National Forensic Science Week and continues the conversation we’ve been having all month focused on burnout, trauma exposure, leadership, and what it actually takes to build sustainable careers in forensic science.

If you’d like early access and updates as soon as registration opens, you can join the VIP waitlist here:

👉 https://gapscience.com/summit-wait-list/

What happens when the job you built your identity around is no longer sustainable to stay in?

As part of our Mental Health Awareness Series, we’re revisiting a deeply honest conversation with forensic supervisor Alice White about one of the hardest decisions in the profession: walking away from a forensic career.

In this episode, Alice reflects on years in forensic leadership marked by high responsibility, chronic stress, and the emotional weight of managing both people and performance in high-stakes environments. She discusses the cumulative impact of long-term stress, the pressure to always “hold it together,” and how many professionals begin normalizing stress just to keep up.

Alice also shares how major critical incidents, including mass casualty events, shaped her perspective and ultimately contributed to the realization that something had to change.

This conversation unpacks burnout, identity, and the emotional complexity of knowing when it’s time to let go.

🎙️ This episode is part of our Mental Health Awareness Series, where we’re revisiting some of the most impactful conversations we’ve had around stress, burnout, trauma, and wellness in forensic science.

In forensic science, changing agencies or leaving a position can feel strangely personal… almost like admitting failure.

As part of our Mental Health Awareness Series, we’re revisiting an honest conversation about career changes in forensics and why so many professionals feel pressured to stay quiet about wanting something different.

In this episode, Ashley opens up about the emotional reality of leaving an agency, including the anxiety of telling supervisors, the fear of rumors and backlash, and the guilt that can come with prioritizing your personal life, health, or future goals over loyalty to a job.

We're also challenging an outdated expectation that many professionals still feel trapped by: the idea that you should spend your entire career at one agency no matter the cost.

🎙️ This episode is part of our Mental Health Awareness Series, where we’re revisiting some of the most impactful conversations we’ve had around stress, burnout, trauma, career sustainability, and wellness in forensic science.