Tightrope
Balancing Duty with Courage and Conviction
by Jennifer Hyland

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How do you stay upright when the very system you swore to uphold begins to shake beneath your feet? In Tightrope, retired Deputy Chief Constable Jennifer Hyland offers a rare and unflinching look behind the badge. Through raw honesty and hard-won wisdom, she charts her twenty-six-year journey through Canadian policing—rising from a young recruit to one of the highest-ranking women in the profession—all while walking the fragile line between duty and despair, strength and vulnerability, silence and truth. But this is more than a story about crime scenes and crisis calls. It’s about the invisible injuries: the quiet corrosion of identity from institutional politics, power struggles, and a culture that too often punishes authenticity. Diagnosed with PTSD and multiple sclerosis, Hyland came face-to-face with her breaking point—and chose not to shatter. Instead, she found a way forward that honoured both the work and her humanity. Tightrope is a reckoning and a rallying cry. It’s for everyone who has walked a difficult path, for those wearing a uniform, those just entering policing, and those who’ve left—wondering if they were the only ones who struggled. It’s a mirror, a lifeline, and an invitation to heal. Because the truth is, you’re not alone—and there is strength, and even hope, on the other side of the storm.

https://www.jennhyland.com/

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Jennifer Hyland lives in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs who think they run the house. Now retired, Jennifer is still figuring out what “next” looks like. She finds joy in speaking to groups from all walks of life and mentoring both new and seasoned leaders—especially those trying to hang on to their values in tough systems. Tightrope is her first book, and possibly not her last (depending on how much coffee and courage she can muster).

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Contributors

Author

Jennifer Hyland