What Happens When Cops Sit In A Circle? With LAPD Officer Lyndon Barber

In this episode, Dre sits down with former LAPD officer Lyndon Barber for a conversation about policing, loneliness, vulnerability, nervous systems, and what happens when people trained to suppress emotion are finally given permission to speak honestly. They explore how council-based practices (think circle) are transforming law enforcement from the inside out.

 

 

 

A 16-year veteran of the LAPD, including years in gang enforcement, Lyndon opens up about the hidden emotional toll of law enforcement, the "hero complex" inside police culture, surviving thyroid cancer in isolation, and the moment a council circle cracked something open in him.

 

 

 

Lyndon now helps lead the POWER Program through Beyond Us & Them,  bringing emotional regulation, mindfulness, and human connection into police units, prisons, and communities across the country.

 

 

 

What started as a training he thought looked "cultish" became a practice that transformed the way he leads, listens, regulates stress, and relates to both his fellow officers and the communities he serves.

 

 

 

Together, Dre and Lyndon explore:
how circles dissolve labels and uniforms…
why so many officers are silently struggling…
how mindfulness can de-escalate violence in real time…
and what becomes possible when people stop talking at each other and start listening human to human.

 

 

Join Dre and Lyndon for an in person / CoEd Community Connection Circle at the Den Meditation Center in Los Angeles. Sunday June 14th, 9:45am. Sign up via link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soulful-sundays-the-london-weho-los-angeles-community-connection-circle-tickets-1987745089070

 

Follow: @beyondusandthem

Learn more: Beyond Us & Them

 

 

--

 

 

Stay connected with the Circle This team:

@andreabendewald @circlethispodcast

@emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace

For sponsorship inquiries, email: circlethispod@gmail.com