Where Service Meets Purpose: A Conversation with Chrissy Neafsey
At R. Riveter, we believe in amplifying the voices of women who are creating impact within their communities—whether through service, innovation, or simply showing up for the people who need them most.
Today, we’re honored to share the story of Chrissy Neafsey: a first responder spouse, entrepreneur, and fierce advocate for mental health and wellness in the veteran and first responder communities. From co-founding businesses that provide critical support, to partnering with organizations like Friends of Firefighters, to championing R. Riveter’s First Responder line, Chrissy embodies resilience, purpose, and connection. Her journey reminds us that when we lift up those who serve, we strengthen entire communities.
1: Tell us about yourself and the work you do?
I’m Chrissy Neafsey, I live in Rockaway Beach, NY - where the city meets the sea. My mom is a nurse practitioner, my dad is a physician, his dad was a Chief of Police, and my husband, Kevin, is a first responder. Kevin started his career with the NYPD and transferred to the FDNY, and his dad served with the Navy during Vietnam. We have more family and very close friends who are active and retired military members and spouses. I can’t handle blood and needles - so my path was business. I am a co-founder of two businesses delivering mental health and wellness services for veterans and first responders.
Chrissy's grandfather - Chief of Police for Waterbury, CT
The first is Summit Chasers, a business advisory community for first responder and veteran founders who are ready to grow their business with sustainable operating plans. I believe local business is the backbone of this country, and financial wellness is a major factor of mental health.
The second is Sentra AI, an AI companion to help individuals navigate exposure to trauma. Sentra is built by veterans and first responders - two of my co-founders are veterans with multiple deployments under their belts, and one is also a trauma doctor. We have veterans and first responder groups test the product and use their feedback to make changes and improvements.
I’m also working closely with Nancy Carbone, the Founder and Executive Director, at Friends of Firefighters. Friends of Firefighters is a nonprofit that provides free, confidential, and independent mental health and wellness services to active and retired members of the FDNY and their families. Together, we’re building a long-term sustainability plan for the organization because demand for counseling has increased 300% in five years. Our goal is to ensure Friends of Firefighters can continue delivering critical services well into the future.
My goal is to make sure people feel safe, supported, and able to thrive. When first responders are cared for, their natural dedication to public service comes back to our civilian communities tenfold.
2: What are you most passionate about in work and in personal life?
I’m very committed to making “professional tourism” a thing. It’s a reason to get away with friends to make boring business cycles feel like a fun, quick productivity rabbit hole that was totally worthwhile. If my friends and I can hunker down in Paris for a long weekend with a bottle of rosè and knock out our go-to-market strategies together - it feels like a win-win to me :)
For a long time, I felt split between “corporate Chrissy” and “family Chrissy.” Now, I’m building businesses that feel more relevant to my friends and family and everyone has been helping me which is amazing. My in-laws have been gathering a million raffle donations for Friends of Firefighters events, my dad has been advising the Sentra team and making introductions for us, my aunt has been sharing out the first responder line to friends, and I’m learning a lot about retail healthcare models through my mom. Kev has been my thought partner and advisor along the way. It’s been so fun to be fully present in the same reality finally.
3: How has your work history shaped the path you’re on today?
My career as a global HR Business Partner really set the foundation for the work I do today. I understand organizational psychology—how people, systems, and culture work together to sustain performance. I can translate those same principles across very different contexts. For example, the firehouse has its own culture, rhythms, and chain of command. I can build culturally competent business plans to deliver organizational sustainability, and improve team performance and engagement in a way that will feel familiar for first responder business owners.
I’ve taken a lot of coaching assessments, so now I know: I’m a maximizer by nature—I engage people quickly based on their strengths, and figure out how to delegate so the individual feels their work is impactful. I always think long-term and can combine different work streams to supercharge results. I’m in the 90th percentile for skepticism, so I’m always on high alert for risks and unexpected outcomes, and too neurotic to get caught without a plan.
I’m deeply curious and opportunity-driven. Even when plans go left, I find the lesson to be learned and the next opening. This mindset means I love collaborating with other founders and taking calculated risks together. In fact, I met Zach Carlin, one of my partners at Summit Chasers through a corporate collaboration that didn’t pan out, and Sentra is the result of taking a leap with a previous co-worker, Tom Sherwood - I was an early investor in his first start-up, and now we are co-founders at Sentra.
The corporate world taught me business principles and a lot about my personal leadership style, but my instinct to take strategic risks and embrace collaboration is guiding me now.
2004: Kevin was sworn into the NYPD the day Chrissy's grandfather died. Her Grandma Frances & husband, Kevin at his police academy at Madison Square Garden.
4: Your husband retired from the FDNY, and before that he served in the NYPD—can you share how his service has influenced you and the work you’re doing now?
My husband has been one of the biggest influences on the work I do today. He had his dream job in one of the busiest firehouses in the department, with amazing friends, serving the city his family has called home for three generations. He set the bar for how I measure my own impact on society, and how I aligned my personal values with the corporate values of my past employers.
2020 was a rough year for the world - Kevin was working in the Bronx, the highest per capita COVID death rate for the five boros, and in November 2020, he sustained a career-ending injury while responding to a 3rd alarm fire. His retirement was unexpected and emotionally devastating for both of us.
Our lives had always revolved around his schedule or precinct or firehouse events. This meant my own career had to be restructured because my business travel schedule would only create distance between his newfound availability and mine.
Between 2020 - 2025 I focused on bankrolling the next stage of my career and experimenting how to combine my corporate resources and relationships to build support systems that would honor Kevin’s service and the service of so many others. I got involved with our veteran ERG group, ultimately serving as the global lead: setting a multi-year business plan, introducing new partnerships - including R.Riveter! - and bringing in executive coaching resources with specific experience working with veteran transitions. I really focused on laying the groundwork so I would be ready to make the leap to entrepreneurship.
5: What does it mean to you personally and professionally to be a part of the R. Riveter community?
Honestly, I never imagined I’d have the opportunity to be part of the R. Riveter community. But when [R. Riveter's Director of Marketing] Chrissy Logesky said I would make a great affiliate because she could sense my passion loud and clear in our first conversation, I was floored! I felt seen and validated in my conviction to keep beating the drum of support for my first responder family proudly.
I realize my role as a first responder spouse extends beyond my firehouse wives circle— some of the best friends I’ve ever had—I feel alignment and belonging with the R.Riveter community deep in my heart.
There is so much overlap between the military and first responder communities—many people serve in both roles. Joining the R.Riveter community allows another bridge between these two worlds. I am proud to use my platform to amplify R.Riveter’s support for Military Spouses - I will never take this privilege for granted.
Being part of this community also exemplifies the quality, mission, and values I bring to my work and relationships. My brand is to bridge first responder and civilian communities with trusted, vetted products and services that I use in my own life.
2023 R. Riveter Thin Line Collection
6. Can you tell us about your R. Riveter Thin Line Bag and what that bag meant to you when you received it as a gift?
This is one of my favorite memories. In 2023, R. Riveter’s first responder line included the By Your Side Whittle crossbody purse with the thin red line design, and my in-laws gifted it to me when Kevin retired from the FDNY. They told me this bag was perfect for me because I was by Kevin’s side throughout his whole career - being sent to Hurricane Katrina with the NYPD, the tough fire academy period, during Hurricane Sandy, COVID, injuries and close calls. Their recognition of my role in Kev’s career meant so much—my in-laws have always been supportive and proud of me, and I just really love them.
The placement of the thin red line is subtle, the leather and nylon combination is durable, and I love the gold dog tags and the riveter number sewn inside. Every detail is symbolic.
That bag was my introduction to R. Riveter. I fell in love with the brand that day. Two years later, I invited R.Riveter to share your story with Yahoo’s global military ERG, and you were featured on Aol’s homepage. It felt full-circle that a personal gift had become something I was proud to champion professionally.
7. We recently partnered with you on the First Responders line—what does that collaboration mean to you?
This line was a nudge from my mother-in-law, Mary, and getting to create this line with R.Riveter is one of my proudest pieces of work. I’ve always seen clothes and accessories as a powerful expression of who you are and what you stand for. It is incredibly meaningful to have military spouses make this line which is only possible through R.Riveter.
The timing of this launch carries deep significance. In the first responder community, August often brings a spike in counseling needs as we approach the anniversary of 9/11. For New Yorkers, and especially here in Rockaway, 9/11 is a sacred day. So many of us lost friends or family to 9/11, some were killed that day and many others have died in the years since - including an additional 418 members of the FDNY from 9/11-related illnesses. Sadly, my husband and I have attended so many funerals and we are at least one family foundation benefit a month to honor fallen first responders. It’s overwhelming to think about the compounding trauma first responders live with daily that hardly gets acknowledged.
That’s why this line matters. September reminds us why we should stay visible and steadfast in our support for first responders year-round. This collection allows us to wear that support proudly— on our sleeves, or even on our heads if you get the hat!
September 11th Ceremony at the Firefighters Memorial in NYC.
8: Any upcoming events you’re excited about?
Yes! First, Summit Chasers is hosting our very first Summit Success Experience at the Rockaway Hotel. We’re bringing together 20 founders for a two-day oceanside retreat. Day 1 - we take founders through a business model diagnostic and growth strategy exercise, and Day 2- we nail down our thought leadership strategy for 2026 and beyond. What excites me most is that we’re giving founders the gift of time—with loved ones during the holidays—and acceleration of generational wealth for their families. Next year I’ll be partnering with Post-Veterati to make this event veteran and first responder business focused.
For Sentra, nearly 150 testers provided feedback, and we’re confirming clinical trial partners. This is a huge milestone for venture capital funding which will get this app in the hands of veterans and first responders looking for support in-between formal treatment sessions.
And Friends of Firefighters, will be commemorating its 25th year of serving the greatest fire department in the world, the FDNY.
9. How do you see the First Responders line playing a role in those events and in the lives of the people who use them?
First off, this line makes me want to go to battle for every resource I can get for our first responders. I feel fueled by the spirit and determination of the military spouses behind the R. Riveter brand. The First Responder line keeps the mission to “Support First Responders” front and center for key audiences to stay committed to mental health and wellness for this community.
My R. Riveter affiliate compensation helps fund Sentra - this means all purchases through my link have twice as much impact on this community.
First responder owned businesses should purchase this line for swag at their events, and this collaboration showcases R. Riveter’s flexibility to partner on custom projects in the future, so we can keep future commerce “all in the family.”
I also hope this line removes the stigma for people who may be afraid or intimidated to show their support. In corporate, it was difficult to get recognition specifically for first responder causes because PR teams like to avoid politically charged rhetoric. But this line gives these heroes their well deserved and differentiated honor.
Chrissy Neafsey wearing her R. Riveter Support First Responders Sweatshirt
10. If you could leave our audience with one message about your work and this partnership, what would it be?
As a nation, we all have a responsibility to protect the mental health and wellness of veterans and first responders. This partnership is a reminder that we stand together to strengthen the communities we all call home.
Spouses are a conduit to the civilian communities because we have empathy and patriotism for our families, friends, and neighbors, and the distance from the trauma of the job. This allows us to be a bridge between civilians and first responders so we can all engage in a way that feels safe, approachable and familiar.
R. Riveter is an example of this bridge.
A Legacy of Service and Support
Chrissy’s story is one of dedication, collaboration, and heart—a powerful reminder that behind every first responder and veteran is a family and community who serve alongside them. Through her businesses, advocacy, and partnership with R. Riveter, Chrissy continues to bridge the gap between the first responder and civilian worlds, ensuring that mental health, wellness, and support remain front and center. We’re proud to have her as part of the R. Riveter community and grateful for the impact she’s making every day.
