Preparedness Without Paranoia with Kathleen Kiernan

Education can help people to be prepared without paranoia, but how do you teach safety without causing fear? There are specific things to be aware of in an extraordinary situation like an active shooter that can fundamentally change the outcome.

Today's guest is Dr. Kathleen Kiernan. Dr. Kiernan is the founder and CEO of Kiernan Group Holdings, Chair of Emeritus and the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, and an adjunct faculty member of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School. As a 29-year veteran of Federal Law Enforcement, Dr. Kiernan serves as a subject matter expert in strategic thinking, strategy development, and facilitating critical incident management exercises for senior leaders across government and private sector organizations. She is the founder of Preparedness Without Paranoia which provides an opportunity to use a lifetime of service and earned experience at the extremes of human behavior to help others invest in their own security and preparedness. When they teach skills early, they can last a lifetime and can literally save lives.

Show Notes:

• [1:21] - Dr. Kiernan has spent her entire life in or supporting law enforcement. Her experience has given her understanding of human behavior.
• [3:04] - Dr. Kiernan recommends the book called The Safety Trap by Spencer Coursen and shares a story from it to illustrate how children are not prepared by their parents.
• [4:39] - There's not one single event that interested Dr. Kiernan about preparedness, but rather her multitude of experiences in law enforcement.
• [7:03] - Regarding an active shooter situation, there is a series of actions to take.
• [8:18] - Preparedness Without Paranoia educates children on these actions they can take in a way that is developmentally appropriate.
• [9:18] - Civics is not a class taught anymore. Preparedness Without Paranoia uses current and recent events to educate.
• [10:33] - The program is written by parents and educators for parents and educators of primary school aged children.
• [11:58] - Dr. Kiernan's program teaches a preparedness mindset that applies to many different types of events.
• [13:01] - You are responsible for your own security.
• [14:20] - Communication is the first major teaching point for children in Preparedness Without Paranoia.
• [15:41] - Although active shooters are statistically rare but devastating, there are more common events in domestic violence and abuse that children learn to communicate about.
• [17:19] - To build trust with kids is to be part of their adventure. What are they into?
• [19:32] - Dr. Kiernan and Chris discuss preparedness kits and checklists and getting kids involved.
• [22:10] - Have the discussions of why each item goes into the preparedness kit and introduce the idea of going to a shelter in times of natural disasters.
• [24:06] - Dr. Kiernan shares a realization she made that preparedness can be simple.
• [27:30] - One of the most common and vexing to teach about is human and sex trafficking.
• [28:54] - Using the example of an Olympic athlete who spoke up about sexual abuse as a child. Communication is key.
• [30:27] - Some of the educational resources on Preparedness Without Paranoia's website surround good decision making and thanking community heroes.
• [31:20] - Preparedness Without Paranoia runs on donations. All donations go directly to resource production. You can contribute HERE.
• [32:22] - In addition to donations, Preparedness Without Paranoia is in need of authors and illustrators.
• [33:18] - All resources are free and available on the website.

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