Live The Life You Deserve

Live The Life You Deserve
By Captain Heather Glogolich, Ed.D.

The power to make a change is within you. Most people would have never guessed I was 230 lbs back in 2021. I had Lyme disease and went undiagnosed for 6 years. I felt OK but I was always tired and figured it was because of four kids and shift work.I could not take the weight off no matter what I did. I was finally diagnosed with Lyme after some neurological issues presented themselves. Medication and a strict meal plan helped me combat the Lyme and I was able to lose some weight. I ended up having a hip replacement and then was able to focus on health and wellness.

I do not like boring workouts, and I need to be pushed. Jiu jitsu has been a huge motivator for that and 3 years later I have lost 75 lbs. I do think not working shift work really helped with my last 25 lbs but I also started to choose me no matter what. I scheduled time to work on me. Not just physically but mentally and emotionally. I’ve made life changes and let go of toxic people and the effects have been amazing. I love my life. I love how I feel. As my very good friend Tom Rizzo always says, “If you do not surround yourself with people that help you be the best version of yourself, you do not have a circle – you have a cage.”

I still deal with Lyme and now Type 1 Diabetes but it’s just one thing to work through. I will not allow it to hold me back. I work out 5-7 days a week with a group of people who show up for each other in all the ways. We come together at 5 a.m. in Lyndhurst at Subforce Jiu Jitsu to be the best versions of ourselves on and off the mats. Any of my fellow brothers and sisters are welcome to join us any day of the week. Let go of excuses. Find your passion. Self-care is not selfish – it's selfless.

Now, transition my personal success into professional success. Dreams do come true. NJIT Police Department hired me in September of 2023 and with this change, I was promoted to captain. Chief Kevin Kesselman brought me into NJIT PD to help enhance the culture. In addition, he wanted me to not only help our administrative team to recruit qualified women but to ensure we retain them. In August, there were only two women officers at NJIT PD. Now there are nine. And we are about to hire more. What an honor it was to lead a squad of all women for a full patrol shift.

It could not have been done without the support and alliance of some incredible men. These women are not just placeholders to meet some initiative for diversity and inclusion. They are quality officers who are rounding out our incredible agency. They are sisters, daughters, moms, and friends. They are soft and they are strong. I hope that I’ve allowed them to feel comfortable in who they are as women in a very male-dominated profession. I hope I continue to lead by example in a way that positively impacts them professionally and personally. I hope they realize that they don’t have to sacrifice who they are as individuals in order to be great law enforcement officers.

The 30x30 initiative is phenomenal as long as we do not let go of the minimum mandatory requirement for women to qualify for this job. Some will argue with me that the physical requirements make it harder for women to get hired. If you want to be a part of this career then you need to work for it. You need a certain GPA to get accepted into college and so yes you should meet a certain physical requirement to be a cop. And I will go as far to say that you should continue to meet those requirements throughout your entire career. This is coming from someone who was absolutely not fit for the job for a long time. No, push-ups won’t save my life. But the self-discipline to make sure I rise above and beyond those minimal requirements will prove more valuable than anyone could imagine.

I hope that I am just the small ripple that starts a huge tidal wave of what the future of policing will look like. To my ladies at NJIT - it is an honor to work alongside you and a blessing to watch your journeys. Life is too short to not live your life to the fullest; so go live your life. Everyone is born but not everyone lives. I can only hope that this personal vulnerability helps anyone who needs to hear it. At 44 years old, I’ve made the life I deserve to have. And you deserve the same.

Heather Glogolich is a 20-year NJ law enforcement professional. She recently transferred from the Morris Township Police Department at the rank of Lieutenant. Heather is currently a Captain with the New Jersey Institute of Technology Department of Public Safety and holds a Doctorate of Higher Education from Saint Elizabeth University. She is an instructor for the NJ Chiefs of Police Command & Leadership Training Course, and is a PTC Certified Police Academy Instructor.