Topic Video · One focused idea from a full conversation
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After reaching rock bottom, former police detective Craig Semple approached his recovery the same way he once approached a major criminal investigation: develop a plan, examine the evidence, choose practical strategies and take deliberate action. Following a suicide attempt, Craig promised his son—and himself—that he would find a way to rebuild his life. When he returned home from the hospital, he began writing down everything…
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After reaching rock bottom, former police detective Craig Semple approached his recovery the same way he once approached a major criminal investigation: develop a plan, examine the evidence, choose practical strategies and take deliberate action.
Following a suicide attempt, Craig promised his son—and himself—that he would find a way to rebuild his life. When he returned home from the hospital, he began writing down everything that had brought him to that moment.
That process revealed something important: throughout his police career, every raid and investigation had a clear plan. Yet during three years of PTSD treatment, Craig felt like he was going in circles without direction, goals or any sense of control.
In this segment from From The Ground Up Show, Craig explains how he put his investigator’s hat back on, gathered everything he had learned during more than 300 hours of therapy and created a practical recovery plan built around small, achievable actions.
In this conversation:
• Why Craig treated his recovery like a police investigation
• The promise he made to his son in the hospital
• How journaling helped him examine what led to his breaking point
• Why personal crises require a plan, direction and achievable goals
• How small actions reduce the temptation to surrender
• Why recovery required several complementary strategies
• How simply “getting wet” helped Craig return to surfing
• The power of building momentum one small step at a time
Craig’s experience offers a practical lesson for anyone facing PTSD, depression, burnout or another overwhelming season: you do not have to fix everything today. Create a plan, identify the smallest action you can take and begin rebuilding from there.
Watch the full Craig Semple interview and discover more real stories and hard-earned leadership lessons from From The Ground Up Show:
https://youtube.com/@FromTheGroundUp-k9p?si=kB-WcsBCp1dTtdB8
https://pod.link/1846907140
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Content note: This segment contains candid discussion of PTSD, depression and attempted suicide.
#PTSDRecovery #MentalHealthRecovery #Resilience #SmallSteps #FromTheGroundUpShow
Watch The Full Episode: https://youtu.be/5pxPUIFg1BY
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