Hi, I'm Dylan Cade Bates founder of Blonde in Blue. This began with me, a "Blonde in Blue" behind the badge, but like most things in life worth building, it's grown to include more. Today, my husband Po'okela "Kela" Bates and I run this space together. It will be me leading the mission and content — Kela as a co-host, advocate, and leader for every first responder and family member who connects here.

Dylan's Story

I'm a seasoned law enforcement professional with nearly a decade of service—from patrol and investigations to crisis negotiation, critical incident response, and peer support roles. I'm also a counselor-in-training and certified in Crisis Intervention, Trauma-Informed Care, and Peer Support Facilitation. My lived experience and professional background give me a deep understanding of the toll the job can take—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Kela's Leadership

Kela brings nearly a decade of law enforcement, along with safety and security leadership experience—from patrol and criminal investigations to leadership and organizational development. He's an FBI-LEEDA Supervisory Leadership Institute graduate, certified in Advanced Interview and Interrogation Techniques, and trained in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills. He's led peer support groups and helped create departmental policies for mental health advocacy and resilience through labor management and employee relations. As a proud Mason, his commitment to service, integrity, and brotherhood extends throughout his career and personal life. From the brotherhood of the badge and Freemasonry, he brings values of courage, unity, integrity, and service to community.

Our Mission

Together, we're building something that has never been done before—a nationwide network of peer support for first responders and their families. Our mission: to make sure you know you're not alone, that your life matters, and that there are others out there who get it because they've lived it too.

After years wearing the badge, working in mental health, and watching friends and colleagues struggle in silence—or feeling silenced by the very departments they swore to serve—I saw an opportunity to change the narrative. Badges and Breakthroughs exists to break stigmas, normalize real conversations about mental health in first responder culture, and connect people nationwide who've felt the weight of those same heavy, unseen moments.

It's not just about what happens on duty—the job changes us at home, with family, and within ourselves. We carry the stories, the stress, and the scars well past shift's end. Understanding the way, why, and how this work impacts our personal lives—sometimes subtly, sometimes profoundly—is critical.

Here, you're encouraged to hear and read the real stories of first responders, and you're invited to share your own, whether anonymously or openly. This is a space to learn about the good, the bad, and the ugly—all without shame or judgment.