127 - Shot, Stabbed, and Other Stressors: Sonny and Mikaela Byerley Artwork

Hey Chaplain: The Police Wellness Podcast

The Hey Chaplain podcast is where cops encourage each other by sharing their wisdom and experience with the Chaplain. On Hey Chaplain you'll hear from dispatchers and federal agents, Sheriffs and US Marshals, as well as local detectives and patrolmen. From the LAPD to Scotland Yard, the guests on Hey Chaplain deliver advice and insights so that police officers everywhere can survive and thrive. The host, Jared Altic, has almost 30 years of experience serving and counseling military and law enforcement families. The show looks at both the humorous and traumatic sides of police life, sharing wisdom to create healthy cops both at work and at home. New podcast episodes about police life and chaplaincy are available on first, third, and fifth Mondays of each month. Look for occasional special bonus episodes! Share this podcast with a cop or someone who loves a cop.

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Hey Chaplain: The Police Wellness Podcast

127 - Shot, Stabbed, and Other Stressors: Sonny and Mikaela Byerley

November 17, 2025 • Jared Altic

Text a Message to the Show

Today we're talking to Sheriff Sonny Byerley and his wife Mikaela. I met Sonny and Mikaela because they have begun traveling to police wellness conferences to share their experiences about PTSD. Sonny is a cop's cop: strong, independent, and self-reliant, but he's also a cop who has survived being shot and stabbed on multiple occasions and has endured all kinds of other traumas that a lot of officers can relate to.

In today's interview we're going to focus on Sonny's story and a few of the traumatic incidents he's experienced. But then I'm going to produce a part two episode for next week that will look at the effects that thirty years of trauma began to have on Sonny and Mikaela. So part one will be all the gruesome stories, part two will be the impact it had on the Sheriff. You're really going to want to hear both sides.

Music is by Wes Hutchinson

Hey Chaplain Podcast Episode 127, Part One

Tags:

PTSD, Career, Injuries, Police, Rural Policing, Sheriff, Shooting, Stabbing, Trauma, Branson, Ferguson, Missouri

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