Early in my career, my boss gave me some feedback:

“You need to speak up more on conference calls.”

She meant well.
She knew I had ideas.
But what she didn’t understand was this:

I wasn’t not speaking up because I didn’t care or didn’t have thoughts to contribute.
I was listening—deeply.

I’ve ne...

 I just got back from vacation.

It took me two full days to stop scanning for problems.

Two days before I stopped mentally checking in on everything I’d left behind at home.

This time, it wasn’t patients I was worried about — I haven’t worked clinically for years.

But I’d left my 18-year-old son...

This week, I’m trading in my calendar, Zoom links, and never-ending to-do list for sunscreen, ocean waves, and margaritas.

My husband and I are headed to Cancun to meet up with his brother and sister-in-law, and I have to admit—there’s a part of me that almost felt guilty stepping away right now.

As nurses, we're trained to think critically, analyze situations, and problem-solve on the fly. Our brains are wired for rapid assessment and decision-making, and this serves us well when patient care is on the line. But when it comes to our own needs, especially setting boundaries, many of us get t...

I used to be the go-to person when someone needed help “getting their message just right.”
Tense email? I’d smooth it out.
Difficult conversation? I’d script it line by line.
Vague idea? I’d turn it into a polished masterpiece.

Wordsmithing was my superpower—and my shield.

It made me valuable at w...

Have you ever found yourself overthinking every word before speaking up?

You know you have something important to say—but instead of just saying it, you pause. You tweak the phrasing. You wait for the “right” moment. You run through the possible reactions. You worry about sounding too emotional…...

Yesterday, I co-hosted a unique online gathering—a Procrastination Party. It was a space for people to share the things they keep putting off, from getting out of bed early to going for a walk to having a long-overdue conversation. And it was fascinating.

As the stories unfolded, I couldn’t help bu...

A few weeks ago, I asked a nurse how she saw herself.

She paused and said,
"I don't know… I guess I’m someone who helps. I just do my job and try not to cause problems."

She wasn’t being modest—she was being honest.
She truly saw herself as small. Replaceable. Secondary.
And I get it… because I us...

We hear a lot about burnout in nursing.

Yes — the exhaustion is real. The short-staffing is real. The pressure is real.

But let’s be honest:
Burnout is not the root problem.
It’s a symptom of something deeper.

The real issue?
Too many compassionate, capable nurses are operating under an outdated ...

 Most nurses I know are incredibly self-aware — when it comes to caring for others.

But when it comes to themselves?
They’re often following a strict internal rulebook they didn’t even write.

Rules like:

• I should always be nice

• I shouldn’t say no

• I should just handle it myself

...

 If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “It’s just easier if I do it myself,” you’re not alone.

As nurses, we’re known for our deep sense of responsibility and our desire to protect both our patients and our colleagues. But that well-meaning drive often turns into overload. We end up carrying too mu...

If you've ever worked a short-staffed shift, you know how easy it is to get stuck in a loop of frustration, fear, and hopelessness.
“This is going to be awful.”
“We’ll never make it through.”
“No one cares how hard this is.”

It’s a natural reaction, especially for hardworking, nurses who already ca...