What We
Carry
Life inside frontline families. For the partners, parents and families who live alongside service.
What is What We Carry about?
Some things are never spoken about in frontline families. But they are felt, every single day.
The unpredictability. The responsibility. The emotional load of holding everything together, often without recognition.
What We Carry is written for the partners, parents and families who live alongside service. The ones who are strong, capable and deeply committed, yet sometimes feel stretched, unseen or quietly overwhelmed beneath the surface.
Through honest reflection, insight and practical perspective, Simone Lord brings language to experiences that are often difficult to explain. The result is a grounded, compassionate look at life inside frontline families, helping readers feel more understood, more connected, and better equipped to navigate the realities of service life without losing themselves in the process.
Sometimes the most powerful thing a frontline family can hear is that someone else has felt exactly the same. This book was written to say it out loud.
Who is What We Carry written for?
It is for anyone who loves someone in uniform, and for the families who hold the home together while service takes the rest.
Partners of frontline workers
Police, ambulance, fire, defence and emergency services partners carrying the unpredictability of shift work, risk and the after-effects of the job.
Parents and families
The parents, children and extended families who feel the weight of service without ever being on the roster.
Leaders and organisations
Those who support frontline personnel and want to understand what their people, and their people’s families, are really carrying home.
Why survival mode is not the same as failing
A central insight in the book is that many frontline families are not failing. They are operating in survival mode, where decisions become short-term and reactive, prioritising immediate needs over long-term wellbeing. Over time that leads to fatigue, strained relationships, reduced connection and a slow erosion of identity and family cohesion.
What We Carry is both a validation of lived experience and a practical guide, with structured, accessible strategies tailored to frontline life, so families can move from reactive coping toward sustainable, connected and intentional living.
Chief Executive Officer, Fortem Australia
Former Deputy Commissioner, NSW Police Force
Mick Willing writes that What We Carry should be mandatory reading for all, and that he thoroughly recommends it.
Inside the What We Carry launch
Simone launched What We Carry with the people the book is about: her family, fellow frontline families, and the colleagues and community who have walked alongside her. Copies were signed, stories were shared, and a few of them were told aloud for the very first time.
Who is Simone Lord?
A police wife, a mum of three boys, and a leader who has spent twenty years learning what it takes to hold a family together behind the frontline.
Simone has led teams across corporate, community and not-for-profit organisations, built a wellness business, served on community boards and advocated for frontline families as an ambassador. What We Carry is the book she wished had existed years ago: part memoir, part guide, written for the families who rarely get asked how they are.
Questions about What We Carry
Is What We Carry only for police families?
No. Simone writes from her own experience as a police wife, but the book speaks to every family living alongside service: police, ambulance, fire, defence, corrections and other emergency and frontline roles.
Is this a memoir or a practical guide?
Both. Simone shares honest personal reflection and pairs it with grounded, practical strategies tailored to the realities of frontline life, so families can move from reactive coping to intentional, connected living.
What is the free Frontline Family Check-In?
A short, gentle self-reflection Simone created to accompany the book. It helps you take stock of where you are emotionally, mentally and relationally right now. It is free and takes only a few minutes.
Can Simone speak about the book at my organisation or event?
Yes. Simone speaks to frontline agencies, leadership teams and community groups on the themes in What We Carry. Use the contact page to enquire about availability.
Can I order copies for a team, station or support group?
Bulk orders for agencies, teams and support groups are welcome. Contact Simone directly with the quantity you need.
Order What We Carry
Available now on Amazon Australia in paperback and Kindle.