The Level Up Podcast w/ Paul Alex - Female Cop Goes Viral—Men Can’t Believe What She Did!

Episode Date: May 31, 2025

Katherine Montenegro—better known online as Sergeant Kiba—isn't your average cop. She's a viral sensation, a dedicated police sergeant, a competitive athlete, and a gamer with a growing following. In this episode of The Level Up Podcast, Paul Alex sits down with the multi-talented @sergeantkiba to talk about what really happens behind the badge… and behind the screen.From chasing suspects in uniform to dominating online lobbies and crushing workouts, Sergeant Kiba shares how she’s breaking stereotypes, going viral, and inspiring both women and men across the country. Her confidence, discipline, and grind have made headlines—and now, she’s telling her side of the story.💥 What You'll Learn:How she balances law enforcement, gaming, and fitnessThe viral moment that shocked the internetWhy confidence and mental strength matter more than everThe daily mindset that helps her show up as a leader—in and out of uniformWhat it really takes to go viral while staying authenticThis isn’t just about being a cop—it’s about breaking barriers and redefining what strength looks like. Whether you're into law enforcement, gaming, or just need motivation to go after your goals, Sergeant Kiba brings the energy.📲 Follow her: @sergeantkiba - https://www.instagram.com/sergeantkiba/🎙 Hosted by Paul Alex 💡 Subscribe and level up every week with real stories from game-changers.

Welcome to the Level Up Podcast. I'm your host, Paul Alex. I went from being a cop to an eight-figure entrepreneur that helps average people like you and me make money every single day. I created this podcast to help you get motivated and to crush your goals. Let's win together.

Remember, I have your six. Get ready to level up right now. Hey guys, and welcome back to the Level Up Podcast. This is Paul Alex, and today we have another special guest. Guys, we have a family member of mine, AKA my law enforcement family here. And I love talking to other Leo's law enforcement officers. Okay.

For you guys, there are civilians out there. She goes by the name of Catherine. Catherine comes from an immigrant family, went to the army uh transitioned into law enforcement became sergeant of the police and uh for a current law enforcement department here in florida and if she wants to tell the department she could but i'm not gonna say nothing and uh from there she's doing some great things on social media you know she she has uh about 250 000 people watching her live on Twitch social media platform, which is remarkable.

So she's she's actually learned to monetize that on her own. She currently has a pretty decent following on Instagram for 250,000 people on there. And she's an advocate for women empowerment, for mental health, for fitness, just like I am. We're talking about our fitness journey. And just overall, how law enforcement officers and departments should start using social media. Catherine, welcome to the show.

Hi, thank you for having me. I'm so glad to be here, honestly. No, no, no, no, it is. And trust me, like I said, you know, I've been checking out your socials. You're doing a lot of great things. trust me like I said, you know, I'll be checking out your socials You're doing a lot of great things. I'm highly impressed because you know, I wasn't on social media for eight years as you know Us talking together and me going on there, you know, I'm not a selfie guy I'm not I'm not I I always tell this I always tell my wife I was like babe

I'm the ugly dude like you you got to go ahead and take the photos and you know She my wife likes doing all that jazz, but let's go ahead and start with your background Okay, your background before you got into law enforcement And then we'll go into the journey as you tell us your background so start from the beginning when you Your family where you're from Going into the military So actually I am from Nicaragua. It's in Central America for people that don't know. I moved here when I was 15.

My mom came to the United States before I did. So obviously it was like a big transition coming from, you know, like a third world country to a first world country. Like just, even just the streets were very different. After that, you know, I was part of the police explorer program for my department that I currently work for. So I was like 15 and I was a cadet with them. I also did the Air Force GRTC in high school.

And because of that, that's when I decided you know like I want to go into the military I Joined the army at 18 right at a high school What your parents think about that my mom was like very nervous about it because you know especially during that time It was in 2008. You know there was a ongoing war. Yeah, so you were ready to go to war I was ready to go to war you're wild All right And the thing was that like I was you know, I came here to the United States with a permanent residence So my mom was I was trying to figure out a way how to become a citizen too And my mom was like, oh, you know, you can just marry somebody and then I'm like I couldn't marry somebody or go to war

I'm gonna go to war. That's what She's like, I'm just, I could marry somebody or go to war. I'm gonna go to war, that's why I decided to do it. What a beast. What a beast, she's like, I'm just gonna go to war. And I'm just gonna go to war. Yeah. That tells you a little bit about my personality. That's great. So I ended up in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. I'm 18 years old.

My English is super broken. You know, like, I don't understand anybody, nobody understands me and I decided to be a mechanic because I was really into cars I wanted to learn about cars I was my first car that I fell in love with was a 1990 5.0 Mustang and I didn't have a way to go to college either so I'm like the only way that I can really learn I think the army is gonna teach me for free you know I'm gonna become a citizen and I get education. I was like oh, yeah Katherine how many how many times did you watch Fast and Furious? Probably like 87 is that is that what inspired you to go ahead and want to be the mechanic yeah?

All right, I was so in love with cars at the time like right now I'm a big JDM fan like if I had the money I buy me an r34 is the first thing I'm gonna buy you know you got a milli over there like what? So alright, so you go into the military how long you serve for I was in the military for four years So I served you know my my contract I ended up getting out because I had my son my son was born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Oh nice. Yes, and You know the best thing that I have my son is my biggest motivation everything that I do I do it with my son in mind and how I can make his life better

Compared to the life that I had. Yeah, I Literally had a volcano in the back of my house. Yeah, you know, I lived in the jungle Yeah I literally had a volcano in the back of my house. Yeah. I lived in the jungle. Yeah. So seeing from where I came from to how his life is, is very different, very two different worlds. I get out, I come back to Miami. I started using my GI bill to go to FIU. I wanted to start college, but I realized that I wasn't making money because I can't

go to school and work and take care of my son and do everything all at once. Yeah. So I do drop out of college. Wow. And then I, that's when I'm like, I have to go into a police academy. Yeah.

I go to a police academy. What year was this? This is in 2014. I get out of the military in 2012. So like for like those two years, I was actually trying to get hired as a mechanic. But every time I would go and apply somewhere, obviously the stereotype and everything,

people would be like, oh yeah, have your boyfriend come and apply, and I'd be like, no, it's for me. I'm the mechanic. And I would never get a call back. That's wild. I would apply to a bunch of different mechanic shops, and I would never get a call back. Yeah, so that's why I was like Okay, you know, let me start college then I drop out of college and I

Join the Academy when you joined the police department back in 2014 Did you go through the process one time or several times? No, so this is the thing right? I go to the Academy self-sponsored I paid my way through the Academy I didn't go through a police department so so for the viewers right now cuz you know I get I get a lot of people that always hit me up in the DM so like a dude should I be a cop in 2025 I'm like dude you're not gonna do it for the money you're gonna do it because you just have a good heart and you just want to be a badass but with that being. But with that being said, okay, with that being said,

for the people that are watching, what is the difference between you paying, I guess to go through the academy, whether an agency paying for it? What is the biggest difference? So the biggest difference is like, since you basically go and get the certification to become a police officer on your own,

when you get hired by a department, the department is paying for that, the specific department's paying for your way to become certified. So that means that once you become certified, usually departments give you a contract that you, since we're sending you, you have to stay with us at least two years, for example.

Right? So you have to, you basically make a contract with that department that like, I'm gonna put you through it, so you're gonna stay years for example. Okay, that makes sense. So you have to basically make a contract with that department that like, I'm gonna put you through it, so you're gonna stay working for me. Yeah. Now as a self-sponsor, since I paid my way through it, I was certified, I could apply

with whatever department I wanted to. Right. And see who would hire me first, that's basically what it was. Got it. So you have the option to pick whoever you want to work for. And it's a lot easier because a lot of the departments they're gonna be like okay I don't have to send her to the Academy, I don't have to spend the money

she's already certified, she can already just start training. Got it. Rather than with a department they have to wait until you graduate and you know and then you can go ahead and training because usually the Academy is about six months here in Florida. Usually in most states is months. But I already had done all that, so I could just start right away. So for the people that are looking to get into the academy, whether they go ahead and they pay themselves to go through it or they go through an agency,

what would be three tips that you would give the audience right now that are about to go to the academy? Anybody that's about to go to the academy, like should they work on their mindset? Should they work on their fitness? Like what would you tell somebody, like the younger you basically,

three tips before going into the Academy? My first tip will always going to be physical fitness. Mm, mm. And why? And because physical fitness, being a cop is not just putting on the uniform, a gun and then I'm gonna go out there and arrest people You know you have to be physically fit if you're physically fit you are mentally fit also Because being a cop it is very tiresome. Yeah, and what a lot of people don't understand is that

We work so many hours. I work between 76 to 80 hours a week sometimes. So if you're physically fit, you are able to be not always tired mentally, because it's not just the physical part, it's the mental part. So always physical fitness. And not just to the academy, but like stay with it after the academy. Because a lot of people just train for the Academy because you're running every day and you're doing this every day.

And then when they get out in the streets, they just like put it in the back burner and they don't go back to the gym ever again. Yeah. So try to stay that you know and so physically fit to never forget who you are before you became a cop. You know, so whatever hobbies you had before, if you were a fishing guy, if you were somebody that likes drawing, painting, to not forget that. Because I feel like a lot of people, once they become cops, they lose themselves, and then that becomes their identity.

And that's all they do. And then I read this really good book that is called Emotional Survival Law Enforcement, and it talks about that, how you have that adrenaline desired all the time that when you're not working, all you want to do is talk about it because you want to re-experience that adrenaline rush.

So that's where all the cops get together and like, hey, you know, I arrested this guy and I did this and I did that because they want to re-experience that adrenaline because that's all they become. So as long as you don't forget who you are afterwards and you stay true to yourself. And my third thing is always going to be family. Family is more important, especially especially if you have a spouse. Sometimes, oh, you want to pick up overtime, and you're constantly working and working and working

and working, that you're not making time for your family. Because I remember that I used to do that. I did it with my son, because I would get home from work, and I'd be like, hey, mom, can we go to a park? And I'd be like, later, Bobby, I'm tired. Yeah. And then that later will never come. Yeah. Or like my mom's birthday, and then, oh, I picked up overtime.

Sorry, I'll take her to dinner next week. And then next week will never come. So always have like, make plans and make dates with your family, with your spouse, or whoever. And not focus so much on overtime all the time because the overtime is always gonna be there Yeah, it's always going to be there. No, you're right. I lost a lot of personal time, you know mental health physical

Spiritual yeah, and I gave it all for the overtime eighty to a hundred work weeks for the first five years It was tough and and I aged a lot. I always tell people cops go in there as kids and they come out as adults but okay so with that being said how many years are you current did you currently serve or you're still on the job? I know you're still sergeant of police so currently right now you're on ten years, correct? Yes. Okay. I just hit 10 years, yes. So 10 years.

Okay, so let's go ahead and talk about your fitness journey. So beginning of the year, you really emphasize going ahead and working on your fitness because it's so important to you. So what were some things that you did to actually get to where you're at right now? So I always had like an on and off relationship with fitness obviously because of life you know work and all that stuff especially when you're working 80 hours a week you're sleeping like three and then you know so at the beginning of the year my department for the first time actually had a weight loss challenge right. And this was when? This was December they make the post the challenge started on

January 7th and it was gonna end at the end of the month You know, so you were gonna do a weigh-in and then you know the beginning of no way in at the end How many people applied? Oh so many so many and they had like two categories. They had the female and the male categories, right? So I was going to the gym every day, you know, working out, doing my thing like I usually do, and then when I read the post, I was like, damn, should I sign up? I was thinking to myself, should I sign up? And there's somebody there, they're like, don't sign up. You're not going to win.

Damn. Throwing you under the bus, huh? That's the way it goes. Oh, man. That hit me so hard. I felt like I thought to myself, like, just punch me in the face like you know I rather you do that like then tell me this So then I was like that just flip a switch in me and I was I felt doubted I feel like like

In my mind I was like who are you to doubt what I can or I can't do. So I ran into the office and I signed up. So I ended up losing 18 pounds in those 25 days. I took it so serious, like I have never taken anything so serious in my life, because I was like I can't lose. So my question is, I mean, you're busy enough. You're a mom, you're a sergeant of police. I mean, you got personal things going on in your life control chaos, right? So What did you do? What was your routine to actually lose that weight because a lot of people want to know this a lot of people

I even want to know this right because I I had to go ahead and do all types of things I have to pay people a lot of money So for them to give me instructions on how to lose the weight that I lost this year the biggest thing honestly when you are in a a lot of money so for them to give me instructions on how to lose the weight that I lost this year. The biggest thing honestly when you are in a fitness journey is the fact that there's a lot of things that you have to sacrifice and one of them is the only thing that you have is time. I was waking up at four o'clock in the morning. I was going for a run in the morning. I would do a run around my house because I live inside a golf course. So I would run the golf course and mind you, running a mile is like what like even if you're just starting 10-15 minutes that it would

take you, it's not gonna take you you know you don't have to do two hours at the gym for you to like be able to do a fitness journey. Then I think that that's the biggest misconception that people think that you have to be at the gym like three five hours and it's not. So I think that that's the biggest misconception, that people think that you have to be at the gym like three, five hours, and it's not. So I would just take like 30 minutes at the beginning. I would go run, do a mile, and then I would come back and I would do some type of like, you know, jumping jacks, push-ups, things like that,

you know, just to start the day. I would take a shower, but I was fasting from 8 p.m. the night before, all the way till noon. Yeah. At noon, and all I was eating from 8 p.m. the night before all the way till noon. Yeah. At noon and all I was eating was chicken breast. No vegetables, no rice, no nothing. See, I can't do that. I can't do the whole chicken breast every day. I know, I know.

How is that sustainable? It's not that it's sustainable, but like at the end, like my mindset was so focused on it that I didn't care if it tasted bad. I didn't care if I got bored of it. I didn't care because I was not going to lose. I was just, I refused to like sign up because in my mind I was thinking, I was like, people are gonna be like, oh Sarge gave up. Oh, she gave up, she lost.

And I would tell that to myself all the time and I was like, I can't have that. And that was my biggest motivation. It was not to lose. So I learned how to do my macros. I learned, you know, how to do the whole protein and carbs and all that stuff. How many calories I had to do. I was drinking a whole gallon of water a day and I made sure that I was doing between 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day because that helps a lot more than having to go to the gym

every day, especially when you're busy. I that helps a lot more than having to go to the gym every day, especially when you're busy. I got me a little treadmill. I will go walk my dogs, you know? So I would sit here, there, and read my emails or even when I was just doing anything and the little treadmill, just walking, just walking, just walking, and I would walk everywhere,

take the stairs, not take the elevator, things like that, park really far far even when I was going to calls I will park a little further just I could walk more you know smart if you know during my lunch break luckily our police department does have a gym so during my lunch break I will go to the gym obviously you know how it is cost permitting when you're on the road yep if it wasn't busy and I could actually take my lunch I will go to you know to the road. Yep. If it wasn't busy and I could actually take my lunch, I would go to the station. So that's what I started implementing every day.

And just kind of implement that throughout the day to be able to do an overall of the fitness thing. Yeah. It makes sense. You've got to become savvy with the strategy that you're using in order to get the fitness in. Because I'm going to tell you something. It's not easy.

It's really not. it's not easy it's Not easy you know I'm currently 37 guys in you know I've been struggling with you know trying to stay fit my entire life Especially with my wife's cooking you know I got to eat it all But it's cuz I want to it's good alright, so babe. Don't get mad at me With that being said okay, so you're killing the fitness portion of your life. And I always tell people this, this is like, a successful person is somebody who's successful

in their mindset, their core values, they have a good heart, they dominate fitness, because I mean, especially in the police world, you have to be fit, because people do not respect fat cops they don't they don't let's be real yeah they don't you know and and I'm not hey guys I'm probably gonna get a lot of heat you know because there's a lot of cops on social media that like to bash each other and that's just what it is but it's the truth you know it's just you have to lose weight because that could be your life.

That could be your life, right? Yeah. You know how many times and there's stats on this. How many times do officers get in shootings? Because the suspect is determined based on how they look, how they're perceived, right? That, okay, this guy's fat, or he has not an organized uniform, or he doesn't even shine his boots. It's all psychology. It's all about the command presence that you give. It's the command presence, right? You're fit, you look good, you act good,

you bring that level of confidence. You're like, yo, I just told you to do this, compared to, to sir can you please hey sometimes you got to get down right you have to you have to you're the police especially here in Miami everywhere you know but no I love that mindset no that's good I love that it's refreshing it's refreshing you know especially as a female officer you know like I am I'm a big advocate that I think that women Cops not just women cops but like women in general we we should train

You know I've also been on and off with like jujitsu training and things like that because of that factor because I Feel like I never wanted to be put in a situation that sometimes, you know, backup might not be able to come. 100%. I might be in a situation where I might not be able to reach my radio, where I might not be able to ask for, you know, for emergency backup, and I need to be able to hold my own.

Yeah. You know? Right. Because things happen, and things happen in a second. Quick. Am I very vigilant about how I go about things? Absolutely. Yeah. You know, I am the kind of cop because of the fact that I know I'm a second. Am I very vigilant about how I go about things? Absolutely. Yeah.

You know, I am the kind of cop because of the fact that I know I'm a female. Yeah. Can I hold my own? Absolutely. But do I understand also that you are stronger than me? Yeah. I do.

So I am the kind of cop that I keep my distance very far from people. Yeah. Like, I'm not going to allow anybody to be like arm's length that I feel like you could just grab me right unexpectedly Yeah, you know and I think it's ingrained in us, especially with the level of experience that you and I have You know, I know before the podcast we were talking about all the specialized units date that you actually have been in right? Yeah, so if the audience is listening right now, you know, she's just not a regular beat cop

Yeah, she's a sergeant, but she had to work her way up, just like any good cop, right? So with that being said, what were a couple of the units that you did before you hit sergeant? So the first unit that I went in was CRT, which is our crime response team. These are the guys there,

and the black chargers wearing all black. The hitters. Those are the little jump out boys. And at the time, when I started, there was only two females that were in that unit. So, and this was like back in like 2017, I wanna say. So it was only two females. It was like eight of us, one sergeant.

And boy, that was like the best time of my life, honestly. I had so much fun in that unit, because all in that unit that we were doing at the time, honestly, were like doping guns. Yeah. So for people that you're like doping guns, like your primary focus was to take down drug dealers and to go against people that would shoot people

and the violent offenders, the gang members, and all that jazz, right? Yeah. And then you guys would get assigned to like high profile cases? At the time we didn't, but then we started like working with the detectives. Yeah. As once they started like, you know, when they will have like somebody that will look for,

they will try to find it for them, you know. Especially with like the burglary unit that we used to work very a lot closer to. Yep. Because at least in our department, the very the rob unit was very, very, they were very united. So they would do their own thing and nobody would mess with robbery. Because that's like the, you know, robbery is the highest thing, you know,

because nobody robs. The cream of the crop. Yes, because nobody robs anybody by mistake, you know. Right, right, right, right. So after that unit, I ended up actually going to detective and I went into burglary. Then I became a detective in burglary. While I was in burglary, I did a bunch of classes with like the Secret Service and you know, all these other agencies because I was trying to obviously learn the most that I

could. Of course. Yeah. Because in burglary, then I helped create like this program for the whole you know detective unit that is called a CCTV squad so it was to teach the detectives how to be able to like download all the cameras for cases and to actually be able to testify on them in court because the first thing that any good attorney is gonna do is try to throw out the videos. Right. You know? Yeah. So I actually went and I got

classes on how to be able to like download videos from different type of like you know CCTV systems and all that stuff and be able to like testify it on it on court. Yeah. After that I end up going to my favorite unit I end up going to homicide. Wow. So how many how many years in before you went to homicide? Three three. Wow, that's fast for four. That's still fast That's still fast because a lot of people especially in law enforcement They said that you need a minimum of five years at least back my department in Oakland They were like you need a minimum five years on the street in order for you to get that good experience. And then by OG standards, right? They would

say like, yo, like then you could go into specialized unit. But with me, I mean, very similar, you know, I was, I was well untold to go into like RC RT, CRT five. It was like deep East Oakland. So it was getting infested guns dope, but then I transitioned into narcotics task force and Undercover all that stuff the greatest time ever and I know it sounds weird. We're all like it's good. It's fun I mean it is guys. I'm not gonna lie. It's a great job in the world Great job in the world. I mean, let's be honest, right? Yeah, so with that being said, okay Let's go back to homicide so you're in homicide yes okay and are you like the youngest detective in there yes

I really was during that time our police department was very it was very young very under minimum no like we were having people leave left and right to all the departments the homicide unit had two people no way that's the reason how I end up going to homicide oh that's why because nobody wanted to be in homicide and the reason why nobody wanted to be homicide obviously besides dealing with the dead it's a lot of work we were getting called out all the time because our homicide unit wasn't just homicide we also did anything that had to do with victims crimes. Okay. Not special victims, but victims crimes. So rapes, assaults, you know, anything that it was

being done to a person up to death. Right, so shootings, all that jazz. Shootings, stabbings. Major crimes. Yes, major crimes. So you were busy. You were busy, you were getting called out. There was times that I would get home from my call out and I was sitting down in my bed and my sergeant was calling

Me again. I need to come out again. I need to come out again. Yeah, I need to come on. Yeah, that's rough Yeah, that's rough, but it was honestly the best time You learned a lot. Oh, I got a lot of experience. I learned a lot. I got bit. Yeah, so what so you got bit How'd you get bit? Tell me about that Okay, so what so you got bit how'd you get bit tell me about that? Okay, so During the during the time of homicide obviously you have to do a lot of training. I went to a death Investigation class at the medical examiner's office. Yeah For those people don't know what the medical examiner's office is basically where we take the dead and they do the autopsies and they try

To figure out the cost of death of a person So they teach you about all the types of death of people. One of the things that they teach you there is about bite marks and how you testify on bite marks and how bite marks became part of that something that you can bring into court as evidence and that they're very unique to a person just like fingerprints. They're a unique identifier. So this very elderly man comes and he starts talking to us about by mark. They're like, hey, we're gonna go to the morgue.

He gets a cadaver and he brings this mold of teeth, but they're attached to a clamp. So he grabs the cadaver's arm and he bites it really hard. You can hear the crunch when he closes it because he's supposed to have the same amount of pressure pressure than, you know, like an actual bite. He starts talking about the indentation, how it looks, you know, on the person that is deceased. So he's like, now I need a live volunteer.

And I was like, me right here, I'll bite me, sir. So why did I have no idea? He does the same clamp on my arm. It hurt. All I could think, I was like, I cannot cry in front of everybody. I'm not gonna cry in front of everybody. But in the inside I was crying,

because all I could hear is the crunch on my arm. And then he starts showing obviously the difference, because you have the blood flow, how it turns red, how it turns purple, et cetera, et cetera, because we leave, when we come back from lunch, he's putting the presentation of like the biggest case that has to do with bite marks which is Ted Bundy. Ted Bundy got indicted over a bite mark. He was the first case ever that a bite mark

was introduced into evidence in court and that's what got him indicted his bite mark. Wow. So then this man for the first time actually introduces himself and he's like oh my name is Dr. Richard. He is the doctor that took the mold print from Ted Bundy and the bite mark, the mold that he bit me with was Ted Bundy's teeth. That's pretty badass, that's a great story. So for the viewers right now that are not really into you know the criminal investigations or the historic serial killers, who was Ted Bundy? So Ted Bundy was one of the biggest serial killer in the

History of the United States. He was using his looks as a you know, very handsome man to pick up college women And he would basically you know Rape them and then he would murder them Yeah, so the one case that he got indicted on is because he bit the girls butt cheek Wow So when they go and they get his, you know, his mold, you know, the print of his mouth, they show how her, you know, bite mark, and his bite mark, it was a perfect match because he had a chipped tooth.

So that, which ended up in my arm when he bit me with it. Wow. And that's how he ended up getting it. That's amazing. I've never done a class like that. Now I learned something new. You educated me. I love that.

And that's the thing. A lot of people get the misconception of what police work is also because of everything that is in social media. And you're watching GSP, and all they're doing is pitting cars everywhere. And so people think that that's all police work is. And it's really not.

You deal with so much things, which is the reason why I'm a very, very big advocate when it comes to mental health. Because at the end of the day, people call the cops on their saddest, their most traumatic days, their worst days. I've been in the most traumatic days in people's lives, and they have cried to me. I've held people when they've taken their last breath You know and I am the last person that they see

but then afterwards I got to go you know and deal with a Call because you know somebody's parked in my driveway and like oh my god This cop is being a jerk and then they don't understand that ten minutes before that I had to deal with like somebody's tragic death, unfortunately. So people don't understand how that, as a person, it taxes you little by little. And it's all like, oh, because I pay your salary. I pay taxes. I pay your salary.

And we're the customer service that people don't want at the end of the day. We're the cleanup crew. I was going to say, you're doing the dirty work that no one wants to do. So Catherine, let me ask you this. How are you taking care of your mental health? Because mental health to me, I mean, it's huge. It's huge.

Like, you know, I've seen a lot of shit, you know, working seven years in Oakland, California. And it was one of those things like, I remember my stepdad, he would always love hearing my stories. He'd be like, hey, what happened today? And he'd be like, oh shit, that sounds fun. Oh my god, that's amazing. Oh, that's crazy, right?

But I would always hide it from my mother, because my mother, I never wanted her to worry about me. And I've had so many close encounters with death and shit. And it just never passed through my mind like, damn, what am I doing risking my life, right? so it was one of those things like To be honest, it was more of the politics in the department that drove me away from law enforcement And then also how how how liberal freaking California is but but with that being said, I'm not getting into politics

But I'm just saying guys. I'm just saying that's why I like I like Florida They allow me to do care and conceal out here. You know, and it's the American way, okay? But with that being said, what do you do to take care of your mental health? Honestly, like fitness was one of the first things I started doing to take care of my mental health. You know, the fitness, and believe it or not,

I actually do play video games. I do. I actually did start a Discord community. I have like over 400 members there. And because when I was in the military, right, this is how I played video games my whole life. But when I was in the military and I was pregnant, I was by myself living in Kentucky.

My husband at the time, he was deployed, so I was alone and pregnant. I had no family around me in Kentucky, okay? So I became very, very depressed because I was alone and pregnant. I had no family around me in Kentucky Okay, so I became very very depressed because I was alone and since I was pregnant I wasn't going to work because I was on maternity leave You know cuz I will go over there do some clerical work and come back. I started playing a game named World Warcraft Alright, and then I actually started meeting like people like because you have like a clan and all this and you meet people now You talk to them and I've made friends

since 2010 yeah that are my friends still now online that I've never met in person, but I know their whole life I know their wives names their families name with sent pictures and everything so I realized how Family's name we sent pictures and everything so I realized how? Honestly this gaming community helped me because when I felt alone and I felt sad I could jump in the game and I could talk To them and we can just like you know shit the shit and just talk shit So that's why I created the discord so every night when I when I game and I do my streaming I have like 10 20 people in the discord and we just talk and we play and I have so many people hit me up Afterwards and they're like, thank you. Like I don't feel alone

I feel like you know every time that I'm sad now, I've made all these friends I've made all these connections and my discourse been blowing up. That's what it's been doing Everybody's sending pictures of their family and talking is is very different when you have like a gaming community Compared to like any other community, you know It's very because you can make that friendship with people that you never even met in person have like a gaming community compared to like any other community you know it's very because you can make that friendship with people that you never even met in person no I'm a big believer in that I mean especially you know my story we were talking for quite a bit before the podcast but I wasn't on social

media for eight years right I wasn't on social media for eight years and let's be honest it's because everybody at the police department was like well influencers is not a real job like this is not all this all the stuff let's be honest, it's because everybody at the police department is like, influencers is not a real job. Like this is not all this stuff. Let's be honest, right? Yeah, there's still that stigma with police work and social media. Of course, but the thing is just like, here's the thing, right? People will always hate no matter what you do.

People hated on me when I started with one of my first ventures, which was not the sexiest business, but it got my bills paid, right? And then I was just like, you know what, let me go ahead and just educate myself on digital marketing, which is huge now. It's huge. And it's the gold rush. It's like-

That's the way now. It's the way now. And that's gonna be the trend, and people don't understand that, right? Especially like in the next five years, it's actually pretty scary because AI is coming into effect massively. So there's gonna be a lot of people are gonna

lose their jobs and they're gonna wish they knew the skill set. And I always tell people it's just like right now, if you only have one source of income, you're only one step away from poverty. And it's true. I always tell people that because I've seen so many people lose their jobs over stupid shit and it happens, right? Yeah. And especially in our job because exactly, let me tell you, like I got to a point where I was relieved of duty in my police department yeah I was relieved of duty for 13 months and even though they were paying me I wasn't allowed to work overtime I wasn't obviously allowed to do anything and that it's when I started thinking

like damn like I don't have any other source of income I need to I need to have something else just in case or even like make it a primary thing because like it's something happens and that's the problem when it comes to police work and why we suffer so much in the mental health part because we're so always like okay I need to work over time I need to you know pay this pay that so I need this over time that over time and then you have departments that have limitations and over. You know, so it's like, what do you do then? You know, are you gonna burn yourself out, you know, mentally, physically, emotionally,

that you can't do anything else besides just be a robot and work all day long? I mean, that was me. That was me. That was me. I was literally first five years, 80 to 100 hour work weeks. And I was doing it like nothing because I was younger.

But at the same time, it's not sustainable. It's not sustainable. Mind you, I'm 35. Yeah. OK. And I even got certified as a police dispatcher to be a police dispatcher in my police department to work more overtime.

That's wild. But it also shows that you're proactive. Yeah, and that's the thing. Respect. Respectfully. Yeah. I get it. But it was shows that you're proactive. Yeah, and there's a respect respectfully Yeah, I get it. Yeah, but it was also that like I got to the point that I was working 80 hours a week Yeah, and then I was sleeping like two three hours

I was not seeing my son because when I was working in as a dispatcher It was from 7 p.m. To 7 a.m. So my son will be alone all the time. Of course. I wasn't spending time with him I wasn't doing anything that it wasn't working. Right. I was basically living at work. Yeah. And I was just going to say hi to my house. I know. Basically. I know. And people are like, you know, they're so proud of, I got a house. And I'm like, what's the point of having a house if you never see it? You know, and that's where I was at. That's where I was at. You know, I've started investing in real estate at the age of 22.

And every three years I would I would go ahead and sell that property, buy a bigger property or a better neighborhood. Right. So so keep building that equity. And by the time I was like around 20, 29, I was in one of the best neighborhoods in the Bay Area. I had it was a million dollar home. People were like, dude, what are you doing? You working for the cartel? I was like, no, bro.

I was taking down the cartel. All that stuff, right? And I was never home. I was never home. I was like, what's the point? I wasn't living the American dream anymore. I was living the American trap. And that's what a lot of police officers

don't understand right now. I mean, that's what I'm telling you guys, especially for all you youngsters, if you're trying to get into law enforcement Right now, you know, you're in the military. That's cool Go do it because of purpose for fulfillment if it makes you happy go to I was the happiest when I was a cop And you were like bro, you were happy as a cop. I was like hell. Yeah, it was a dream job You know, you have to do the job for the job. Yeah for the job. You got a

You can make money. Yeah, you can make so much money at least officer a hundred percent, but it's blood money That's what I call it. I call it. It is straight-up blood money I call it blood money because you are always at work. Yep a hundred percent there and unfortunately That's when mistakes happen. Yeah, but become complacent Yeah, and you go to the same call over and over and over again and then you know It is not sustainable because you could get hurt or somebody else could get hurt because you are tired You're human your body takes a toll your mind takes a toll and always having to be at work, you know Absolutely. So I mean I had to figure out a way how to get out. Yep

Listen, my Instagram is fairly new. way how to get out. Yep. Listen, my Instagram is fairly new. I have a year on my account. It's been a year. So for me to have 257,000 followers in a year where I've basically not even done much, it's crazy. And that's what I was telling you. Just even me being here in this podcast with you,

I realized of how important social media is. It's huge. And how you can get the message, the right message out if you use it properly. Yeah. You know, so with that being said, let's go ahead and talk about social media and law enforcement. So here's my perspective on things guys. So back in, uh, let's say like towards the end of 2021, I remember I was sitting in, uh, in the department and I was talking to one of my captains and I told you this story before the pod is I was telling the captain I was like, hey man, like, you know, I'm trying to really like dig into this whole social media thing because

I was going to launch one of my first digital companies, it was called ATM together. And he's just like, what is social media? Like, how could law enforcement use it? Is what the captain was asking me. And I was like, well, Cap, I think it's super important that every law enforcement department agency in the United States should leverage social media where it's interactive with their avatar, like with the clientele that's actually looking to be the police, number one, because you're able to give them clarity about like the process, the inside look

of what it is to be a cop, the good, right? Instead of the media, which is bad, right? Usually, because the media, let's be honest, why is the news so popular? Why is the news so popular? Because they show the bad. And why do people so interested in the bad? Because they're chismosos.

Let's be honest, right? They like the gossip. That's just what it is, right? Like my mom, my dad, they call me and they're like, oh my God, Hurricane's gonna hit your house in Florida. I'm like, mom, I'm cool. Like I'm outside by my pool. Like what are you talking about?

Yeah. Right? So at the end of the day, media paints this picture the police as an authority figure oh man we're beating people out here no no guys those are small incidents that happens in every industry right there's always gonna be bad apples but majority of police officers do good work so with that being said what's your perspective with social media and law enforcement agencies? Do you think they should use it? Do you think

they should use it for recruiting? Do you think they should be having like dedicated social media departments? What are your thoughts? Oh, 100%. They should have social media and they should dedicate it and this should show every single aspect of like when it comes to police work because of the misconception that they have. So for example, the city of Miami, Nick off duty, he has one of the best social media platforms for his department because he shows like everything when it comes to it. And it's all about how you use the social media. What is the intention that you're trying to give?

You know, like right now you have a lot of like, TikTok cops. is the intention that you're trying to give, you know? Like right now you have a lot of like TikTok cops. Yeah. And- I've seen that out of all the platforms, guys. Come on, we're the police. Like you gotta be real. You gotta tell them how it is, man. Don't be on TikTok dancing.

Come on, guys. Yeah, like that whole dancing thing. Oh my God, I hate it so much. Yeah. Because then, especially when it comes to like the females because then it makes the rest of us that are trying Makes you guys look bad. Yeah, you know because now you know you think about it You see me and I'm a you know I'm a cop and I'm a female and your first thought is the one video that you saw before it was the other cop

That was of course of course so they put you in that circle oh yeah that's a group you together there's like your mark categorize yeah you know yeah for sure it depends on how you use it what message you're trying to give do I think that they need to use it and make like all these trendy videos and singing and all that no I think that it should be used to give the public the right information right of current events yeah I think that it should be used to give the public the right information of current events. I think that it should show also what the department does, especially in whatever area the department is and what they're focused on when it comes to the community.

So for example, my community, in my department, we do have a lot of elderly people. So we have a lot of elderly people that end up, for example, missing or because they have, you know, they have dementia, they have Alzheimer's and things like that. So maybe create a video and teaching the families how to go about dealing with their elderly that wanders off, you know, whether it's putting air tacks on their clothing or in their shoes or something like that, you know.

It's just an example of things like that not necessarily just making a video of like oh hey guys you know today we're gonna have coffee with a cup right you know and I'm not you know talking bad about my my department social media or anything like that or any department social media in general but I think it's just a message that you try to give and how do you deliver it to is very important no I think it's just a message that you try to give and how do you deliver it too is very important. No, I mean, it's the truth to be honest with you because like, you know, I wasn't very outspoken on social media. I hate taking selfies, but I do it because you know, at the end of the day, I got to give the people what they want. And it's not it's more than just

selfies, right? I remember when I has just first jumped into digital marketing back in 2020. But by the end of 2021, that first company, we had generated a few million dollars. And then that's when things started getting real. Right. Because people were like, bro, you are real and we like real. And, you know, I was talking about the bad. I was talking about the good. I remember when I remember I had told you, I had told people I was doing like 250 K as a cop. But then they were like bullshit Bullshit, and I was just like and to me. I'm like bro. I never talk about anything. I haven't done

I talk about my experience right because the age of 37 I've gone through a lot of shit So my thing is just like bro. I'm not here this 21 year old Tick-talker with fucking a Lambo trying to flex on you I'm a grown-ass man that has gone through some real shit. Like if you were to disrespect me in person, I slap the shit out of you. So so at the end of the day, when it comes down to it, you know, I have all the proof and that's what I was able to do. I was able to show the proof and then people were like, all right,

I'll put some respect in your name, bro. But when it comes down to it, no, you're absolutely right. I think what you should do. OK is my suggestion and for any police chief you know watching this you know I got a lot of a lot of friends in law enforcement I still back the blue you guys are doing God's work you guys are the best of the best I love you guys but to be honest I think that there should be a group of you know officers maybe get with that dude Nick, the guy with the channel. Nick off duty.

Yeah, Nick off duty, probably get with him and like network, right? But you guys should create a crew, and I would do it, but I'm busy as hell. I would create a crew of cops that know what they're doing on social media. Create an organization where you offer maybe one or two departments free

services to monetize their recruitment process and to elevate their brand awareness and this idea that I should came up with that I gave it to a friend Bob is he didn't execute it because he's lazy as hell and and I had told him I was like bro because if you can go ahead and get a case study let's say well your department you're like hey I'm gonna do this all for free. I'm gonna get your recruiting numbers up I'm you're gonna get high tier talent because I'm gonna make you guys go ahead and market you guys at the right light and Then you're gonna get people like oh shit. I didn't know that I can make this much This is the potential that you can make these are the special assignments that you could do

This is absolutely everything that we offer. You know how much I made last year What's up 195 see that's what I'm talking about and you're based out here in Florida. That's great money That's great money, right as coming from an immigrant family, right? Yeah, that's what I'm saying You dropped out of college, you know how many college kids right now can't even get a job that's paying them $100,000 No, that's barely anybody barely anybody you got people with college job that's paying them $100,000? Barely anybody. Barely anybody. You got people with a college degree going in and working at Starbucks, right? Not to say there's anything wrong with Starbucks, guys, but at the end of the day, it is what

it is, right? So, with that being said, right now, I believe you, that dude Nick off duty, like a lot of these officers that are putting out real information out there, not the TikTokers, not the dancers. I mean, that's cool, do your thing, right? If you're getting paid, get paid. But the people that have real information, what you need to do is you need to network together,

you need to build an agency, you need to go ahead and get a few case studies, like a beta launch, okay? Do it for free. Get the numbers up. Once you have the stats, now you have the social proof. Now, guess what? Now you could go to every department

and charge them like $100,000 every three months for your services, because you know why? How much does it cost to recruit an officer per department? For my department? It costs them six hundred thousand dollars to put somebody through an academy to get them all the way up to a sworn officer So just imagine if they lose Four officers a month, which was the normal for my department. Yep. How much is that guys? That is 2.4 million dollars they're losing every single month

You don't think you're actually saving on money, man. That's some good return on investment right there. That's business, right? So I'm talking about there you go. You can take that. All right Startup guy. All right I got you. I got you. Okay. So with that being said, this is called the level of podcast for a reason right now. We're currently ranked number one in business in the US guys. Thanks to you guys and thanks to our producer Emilio. We're looking for sponsors. So what's up Celsius sponsor us with that being said, okay? This is about self-help it's about mindset. Okay, You came on this podcast for a reason because I believe in you. I think you have a great story. I think it's really cool

that you're a woman in law enforcement because I know how hard it is. My mom was trying to be a cop back in Peru, but they didn't allow her because they didn't allow women police back then. Yeah. And then she's like, I'm living through you son. And that's why she didn't want me to leave the police. But I was like, mom, I gotta, I gotta handle business.

You know, it's just, it's not sustainable. So with that being said, go ahead, tell the audience, cause a hundred thousand people are gonna watch this. And I'm pretty sure your whole department. So a hundred thousand people are gonna watch this. So some words of motivation, you know, some words of motivation. You have a strong mindset, you know?

Honestly, my words of motivation is that it's always gonna be you versus you. It doesn't matter what else other people are doing, but it's also very important who you come across with and who your circle is. Yeah. So if you want to level up, honestly, mentally, financially, it's all about who you surround yourself with. Because if you are surrounded with successful people, you get a successful mindset and you believe in it yourself is the most important thing because when I started with my Instagram and everything it was all the jokes of like oh only fans right only fans that

happens and then a bit here I am look that's it that's it right your network is your net worth and that's what I always tell people. One person can change your life. So with that being said, where can people find you? So you can find me on Instagram. What's your handle? My handle is at Sergeant Kiba. Okay. K-I-V-A. Full Sergeant. Spell it out.

You can find me on TikTok. It's the same. And you can find me on Twitch, which is the same handle. At Sergeant Kiba. And then how often do you stream on Twitch? Every day. Every day. I do every day on TikTok. Usually when I stream on TikTok, it's more related to I get a lot of like Hispanic people and they do ask me a lot of questions.

Like, oh, I got a ticket. What do I do? Or, you know, my my my registration is expired. What do I do? So I do try to answer those questions because I think that that's very important, right? So like my tick-tock is more of like One question. Would you like to ask a cop if you could okay? Yeah, that's badass. That's a good concept. So like that is that's my concept when it comes to my tick-tock Because a lot of people like oh, what do I do if I want to become a cop like how do I got about it? What are the requirements, you know? Obviously everything that I say on my tick-tock is through my personal experience and not the opinions of my department

Of course, because I have to clarify that all the time disclaimer disclaimer disclaimer now for my Stream on my twitch is more for like the video game side for like when people want to come and they just want to play and They just want to release and you know, just a distressor you know yeah and then on my Instagram I do try to do like more of like the fitness part especially since I became a runner at the beginning of the year my algorithm on TikTok became unlike a lot of like female runners that were killed during running so I wanted to like emphasize on

also on the safety of running because I run with a half vest, but I carry. I have my pepper spray and I carry, I have an extra tag on just the vest in case my phone gets lost or dies. Things like that because I didn't realize, because obviously we have that A-personality mentality, I was running at four o'clock in the morning,

I was running at 10 o'clock at night,. I was running at 10 o'clock at night. And I didn't realize that I was running at nighttime because, you know, in my mind, I'm like, you know, I'm a cop, you know, I could, I'll find anybody. But then I was like, let me just be safe, you know? So that's also one of the things that, you know, I started doing on my Instagram. So.

Yeah, no, that's good. Self-awareness. People like that. They really do. Cool guys. So with that being said, if you want to follow Catherine and she really dropped the handles, check it down below in the description on YouTube. Also, guys, leave us five star review on Spotify and Apple podcasts. You guys are the reason why we are top three in business in the United States currently right now. Guys, we are trying to go ahead and actually grow this

even bigger. So share this with a friend, share this with a family member, share this with somebody that needs to level up their mindset. Okay. You never know who might change your life. With that being said, my name is Paul Alex. This is the level of podcasts. We'll catch you on the next one. Thanks for listening up to the level of podcasts. If you enjoyed today's episode, make sure to share with a family friend and everyone and everyone you know who's ready to level up. Leave a five-star review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you tune in. It really helps spreading the word. And don't forget to check out official paulalex.com for more episodes and resources to kickstart your journey. Let's level up together.