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About Andrew BaxterFounder, Clarity Bureau I teach leaders how to make the right call when the manual doesn't cover it, time is short, and everyone's looking to you for the answer you don't have. |
The Short Version
Andrew Baxter spent 29 years in public safety, progressing from 911 dispatcher to communications commander. He teaches leaders how to make decisions under pressure when stakes are highest.
His graduate research on traumatic stress in emergency telecommunications has informed wellness programs across the country. In 2008, he got sober. The frameworks that helped him rebuild his life are the same frameworks he teaches leaders facing impossible pressure.
Andrew is also known as Drew Breasy on social media, where he hosts The Comm Center - a YouTube channel and podcast focused on true crime content from a public safety perspective.
The Story
From the Bottom Up
Andrew's career began at the bottom of the org chart: answering 911 calls in Hillsborough County, Florida. For 29 years, he worked his way through every level of public safety operations - dispatcher, detective, patrol supervisor, sergeant, lieutenant, and eventually communications commander.
Along the way, he learned what most leadership books don't teach: how to make the right call when policy is silent, how to stay calm when everyone else is panicking, and how to lead people through the kind of pressure that breaks most leaders.
The Fall and the Climb Back
In 2006, Andrew hit rock bottom. A DUI incident led to his suspension without pay for over 100 days and a demotion from Corporal to Deputy - working midnights with people he used to supervise. It was humbling. It was also the beginning of the most important lesson of his career.
Two years later, at age 40, sitting in a bar after another fight with his ex-wife, he had a moment of clarity: "I don't want the next 40 years to go like this."
On August 28, 2008, Andrew checked himself into rehab. He's been sober ever since.
The Comeback
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After getting sober, Andrew didn't just survive - he rebuilt. He earned back every stripe he'd lost. Then he kept going: Detective. Supervisor. Sergeant. Lieutenant. Eventually, he became the commander of the same communications center where he'd started his career as a 911 dispatcher. The frameworks he used to get sober - Mission Over Manual, the 40-70 Rule, PBED, Stockdale Paradox - weren't addiction frameworks. They were leadership frameworks. And they worked under the worst pressure he'd ever faced. |
Lieutenant Andrew Baxter, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office - The career I rebuilt after getting sober |
The Research
While rebuilding his career, Andrew pursued graduate-level research on traumatic stress in emergency communications. His work revealed what many agencies still don't acknowledge: 911 dispatchers experience the same psychological trauma as officers on the street - they just experience it over the phone.
His research recommended mandatory counseling, trauma inoculation for new employees, and centralized wellness programs. These recommendations have been implemented in agencies across the country.
Why This Matters for Leadership Training
Most leadership consultants teach theory from a distance. Andrew teaches frameworks he's actually used:
- To get sober and stay sober for 17 years (sustained pressure, no room for error)
- To rebuild a career from the ground up (after being demoted and nearly fired)
- To lead teams through real crises (officer-involved shootings, multi-day incidents, political pressure)
- To research and implement organizational change (wellness programs, trauma protocols)
When Andrew teaches Mission Over Manual, he's not citing a case study - he's describing the moment he had to decide to get sober even when the first hospital refused him and he had to go home and figure it out himself.
When he teaches the 40-70 Rule, he's describing every crisis decision he made as a commander with incomplete information and time running out.
When he teaches authentic care vs. canned compassion, he's describing what it's like to be the person who needed intervention and didn't get it - and then later becoming the leader who learned to have those hard conversations.
The Comm Center
Andrew Baxter, known as Drew Breasy on social media, hosts The Comm Center podcast |
Outside of Clarity Bureau, Andrew is known as Drew Breasy on social media, where he runs The Comm Center - a YouTube channel and podcast focused on true crime content told from a public safety perspective. With a loyal following, he's built credibility through authentic storytelling, deep expertise, and real-world law enforcement experience. The Comm Center serves as Andrew's proven credibility engine and connects him with audiences interested in the reality of law enforcement, emergency communications, and criminal investigations. |
What Andrew Believes About Leadership
"Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off. If everyone likes you, you're not leading - you're managing."
"The frameworks only matter if they hold up when you need them most. I used these frameworks to rebuild my life from scratch. If they work for that, they'll work for your leadership challenges."
"I don't hide from what I did wrong. In 2006, I let the pressures of the job and of real life sway my better judgment. I was a blackout drunk and not very many people knew it. I drank and drove. I got demoted. Thankfully I didn't hurt anyone. I lost decades of my life to addiction. But I also got sober, rebuilt my career, and became a better leader because of it. Your failures don't define you - what you do after them does."
"Never let authority overshadow service. Position doesn't make you a leader. Responsibility does."
Why Clarity Bureau Exists
Andrew created Clarity Bureau because he got tired of watching good leaders freeze up, burn out, or compromise their values because nobody ever taught them how to handle the weight.
Most leadership training teaches you how to manage when things are calm. Clarity Bureau teaches you how to command when pressure is highest - when the manual doesn't cover it, when time is short, when everyone's looking to you for the answer you don't have.
These aren't theoretical frameworks. They're battle-tested under the worst pressure Andrew has faced: rebuilding from rock bottom, leading through real crises, and staying sober for 17 years when one bad decision could have cost him everything.
What Andrew Offers
8-Week Virtual Cohort: "Command Under Pressure"
- Small group leadership accelerator (max 12 participants)
- Two realistic crisis simulations
- Frameworks you can use Monday morning
- Lifetime alumni community access
Multi-Day In-Person Intensives
- 2-Day, 3-Day, and 5-Day programs
- For individuals or corporate private cohorts
- Compressed high-intensity training
Keynote Speaking
- "Command Under Pressure: Leading When Stakes Are High"
- "Mission Over Manual: Decision-Making in the Grey Area"
- "From Rock Bottom to Command: Leadership Lessons from Recovery"
Credentials
What People Say About Andrew
"In each of his leadership roles, Lt. Baxter transformed his teams by actively coaching and mentoring. He successfully helped his personnel uncover their inherent potential and ensured they were fully prepared for significant future career opportunities."
— James B., Retired Police Chief
"I will always appreciate you and your guidance while I began my career in the sheriff's office as well. I always appreciated you sitting down and actually listening to what I had to say. You are one of a handful of amazing leaders that helped mold me into a better person. Thank you for your leadership and your compassion."
— Alicia S., a former co-worker
"I have known Drew for about twenty years. When Drew speaks on a topic he draws on his professional and life experiences to provide an informative and balanced response. Drew doesn't mind being challenged on his opinions and will provide receipts to support his claims when needed."
— (Ret.) Sergeant Dean R., a former co-worker
Contact Andrew
For Program Inquiries: drew@claritybureau.com
For Speaking Engagements: booking@claritybureau.com
For Media/Press: media@claritybureau.com
The Comm Center (YouTube/Podcast): Host: Drew Breasy | Watch on YouTube