On the next episode of Survive & Thrive 8791, I welcome Mallory Zuhde to the Buck & Honey’s remote studios. Zuhde has been with the New Berlin (WI) Fire Department since April 2025, but her path to this role came with plenty of adversity and adaptation.

Soccer was her vehicle to college. She began her athletic career with the women’s soccer team at Madison (WI) College, then transferred to the University of Wisconsin–Platteville to pursue both a four-year college experience and a degree in Criminal Justice. Around that time, she discovered a new avenue—working as an ambulance driver for a volunteer fire department near her hometown of Waunakee, WI.

Her dream was to become a police officer. But after applying to several law-enforcement agencies across Wisconsin without success—and receiving little feedback—doubt began to creep in. Zuhde started to question herself.

Not one to give up, she shifted gears and pursued the next best path: becoming a firefighter and EMT. Drawing on her ambulance experience and a renewed drive to succeed, she completed fire service training and the EMT program at Madison College.

Since then, her motivation has soared. Zuhde is now among more than 17,000 female professional firefighters in the United States. She loves that every call is different, that she is tested every day, and that she can serve her community in meaningful ways.

You won’t want to miss this episode of Survive & Thrive 8791. CAN’T WAIT!!!