This episode is a real-time update on the structural overhaul I shared earlier this year. I walk you through exactly what changed on my team in Q1, what actually worked, and what those changes revealed about how our system functions. Because here’s the truth: good intentions don’t change teams. Structure does. When you change structure, you don’t just change outcomes, you expose patterns that were always there, just hidden.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• How shifting team structure away from a bottleneck model increases ownership and speed
• Why delegation works best when paired with clear ownership and visibility
• The real purpose of mentorship layers and structured connection points
• What happens when you redesign a system all at once—and when that does make sense
• Why new problems showing up is actually a sign of progress

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• Structure determines behavior—every time
• If you want different results, you need different systems, not more effort
• Good systems don’t hide problems—they make them visible
• More structure, when done well, actually makes work feel easier
• You don’t fix systems once—you evolve them in layers

📲 Call to Action

If this episode clicked for you:

• Share it with another leader who’s trying to “fix” their team through effort
• DM me your biggest takeaway or where you see a bottleneck in your own system

👉 Resources Mentioned

• Episode 54: Why Good Intentions Won’t Change Teams, Structure Does
• Change Maker Essentials

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain and walking you through how I actually think about my business—strategically, structurally, and operationally. Because from the outside, online businesses can feel vague or even a little magical… and they’re not.

This is a very real system. There are metrics, decisions, trade-offs, and priorities that all ladder up to one vision. And I want to show you how I hold both sides of that: the deep care I have for the people I serve, and the strategic thinking required to actually scale that impact.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• How I structure long-, mid-, and short-term vision inside my business
• The “Nursing the System house” and how each offer fits into a clear pathway
• Why simplifying options leads to more action (in business and leadership)
• The difference between process metrics and outcome metrics—and why you need both
• How I use systems thinking to make decisions without burning out

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• A business is a system, and systems require both empathy and strategy
• Clarity beats complexity—too many options stop people from taking action
• Metrics are only useful if they help you understand what’s actually working
• You don’t need more effort—you need better leverage
• Systems thinking shows up in how you zoom in and zoom out across time horizons

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

As you listen, don’t just think about my business—think about your own work environment. Where are you operating without clarity? Where are you putting in effort without tracking outcomes?

📣 Special Announcements

If you’ve been listening to the podcast and thinking, “This makes sense, but I don’t know what to do next,” that’s exactly why Map Your Impact exists. Podcast listeners get $10 off with the code "MYI10OFF".

It’s a short, practical way to move from understanding systems… to actually applying them in your day-to-day work.

📲 Call to Action

If this episode helped you:

• Share it with someone who’s trying to think more strategically at work
• Follow Nursing.the.system on IG.
• And if you want a clear next step, check out Map Your Impact . Podcast listeners get $10 off with the code "MYI10OFF"

Also—Taylor and I are planning a Q&A episode, so send us your questions (IG or Email). Work, business, life in the Netherlands… we’re open.

I recorded this episode after a long day at work, which honestly ended up being the perfect setup for what I want to talk about. We’re digging into a concept that shaped how I think about effort and performance—being a satisfier, not an optimizer—and how that idea gets misused inside healthcare systems.

If you’ve ever been told “it’s good enough” when you know it’s not your best work, this episode will hit. We’re talking about the difference between healthy prioritization and shutting down your changemaker instincts—and why that distinction matters more than you think.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• The difference between being a satisfier and a changemaker
• How “good enough” can quietly kill systems thinking on your team
• Why pointing out gaps is not the same thing as being perfectionistic
• How learned helplessness develops in healthcare organizations
• What it actually looks like to direct changemaker energy effectively

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• “Good enough” is a tool—not a default mindset
• Seeing gaps in systems is a skill, not a personality flaw
• Changemaker energy gets shut down when leaders overvalue comfort over growth
• You don’t need to fix everything—but you do need to choose what matters
• Systems thinking is about leverage, not perfection

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take

1. Identify one gap you’ve been ignoring

Where have you noticed something isn’t working—but you’ve been told (or told yourself) it’s “good enough”?

2. Separate the gap from perfectionism

Ask yourself:

• Is this about making something perfect?
• Or is this about making something better in a meaningful way?

3. Choose one lever—not twenty

Don’t try to fix everything.

Pick one area where your effort would actually create change.

4. Redirect your energy strategically

Instead of shutting down your instinct to improve things, ask:

• Where would my effort matter most right now?

📲 Call to Action

If this hit for you:

• Share this episode with a nurse or leader who needs to hear it
• DM me your experience—especially if you’ve been told “it’s good enough” when you knew it wasn’t
• And if you’re ready to stop guessing and start being strategic, check out Map Your Impact

👉 Resources Mentioned

• Map Your Impact Mini Course
• Promo code: MYI10OFF for $10 off
• Earn 2 continuing education hours (for RNs)

In this episode, I’m talking directly to nurse leaders about one of the biggest mistakes I see when it comes to developing their people. And while this one is especially relevant if you’re in a formal leadership role, it absolutely applies if you’re not a leader too. If that’s you, I want you to listen with a critical eye and ask yourself whether your current leader is making these mistakes and what that might mean for your own growth at work.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why treating every nurse the same is a leadership mistake
• What to do when someone says “I don’t know” in a job or growth conversation
• Why goals alone are not enough to guide someone’s professional development
• How a systems perspective changes the way I think about team growth
• Why someone’s starting point in the team ecosystem matters just as much as where they want to go
• How to support different kinds of employees in more individualized, strategic ways

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• A nurse is not just a nurse. Even two people doing the exact same job side by side need different things in order to grow.
• If someone says “I don’t know” when asked about their professional goals, that is not the end of the conversation. It just means they need support building clarity.
• The mistake many leaders make is stopping at “I know what this person wants.” That’s not enough. I also need to understand where they’re starting from within the team system.
• Growth plans should not just be individualized by goal. They should also be individualized by influence, confidence, communication style, and how someone currently functions within the team.
• If I ignore someone’s role in the ecosystem, I risk under-engagement, missed insight, and burnout.

🛠 Practical Actions You Can Take:

• In your next job and growth conversation, ask someone not just where they want to go, but what they enjoy, what drains them, and how they naturally contribute within the team.
• Stop accepting “I don’t know” as the final answer. Help people build clarity through small experiments and reflection.
• Identify whether someone on your team is a quiet expert, a high-energy doer, or an informal leader, and adjust your approach accordingly.
• Look for opportunities to create specific contribution pathways that fit someone’s natural strengths instead of forcing them into the same mold as everyone else.

📲 Call to Action

If this episode hit home for you, take the next step and check out Map Your Impact. If you’re a leader, it can help you think more strategically about your team. And if you’re not a leader, it can help you understand how to grow in a way that actually fits your role, strengths, and goals.

P.S. Code MYI10OFF gets you $10 off the Map Your Impact Mini-Course!

This episode is a bit of a kick in the pants. I’m talking about something I see constantly in my DMs: people asking what leadership books they should read or what systems thinking content they should start with.

And here’s the truth: you probably don’t need more content. What you need is practice. In this episode, I unpack what I call the consumption trap and explain why real leadership growth requires moving beyond passive learning into experiential skill building.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why consuming leadership content is not the same as building leadership capability
• What the consumption trap is and how it quietly keeps professionals stuck
• The difference between passive learning and experiential learning
• How Kolb’s experiential learning cycle explains real skill development
• Why structured environments like Change Maker Essentials accelerate leadership growth
• The three most common reasons people hesitate to invest in skill development: time, money, and confidence

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• Content inspires. Practice transforms.
• Your career is a complex system.
• Capability compounds over time.
• Readiness comes after action.

Waiting until you feel completely ready, confident, or comfortable is one of the most reliable ways to stay stuck.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

As you listen, take a moment to reflect on your own learning habits. Ask yourself honestly: am I primarily consuming leadership content, or am I actively practicing the skills that content is meant to teach?

The answer to that question will tell you a lot about where your growth might be stalled.

Enrollment for the March cohort of Change Maker Essentials is open now and closes on March 16th.

This program is designed specifically for healthcare professionals who want to move beyond passive learning and actively build systems change skills through structured practice, feedback, and real-world application.

📲 Call to Action

• Explore the CME program page to learn more about the curriculum and structure.
• Reach out on Instagram if you want to talk through whether the program fits your goals.
• Share this episode with a colleague who is constantly reading leadership books but still feels stuck in the same workplace dynamics.

Tomorrow, Change Maker Essentials opens for our March cohort. And instead of spending this episode convincing you to join, I’m doing something different. I’m walking you through who absolutely should not enroll.

CME is not for everyone. And I take that seriously. In this episode, I break down the types of nurses who would hate the program, why that matters, and what readiness for systems-level leadership actually looks like.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• The 6 types of people who should not join Change Maker Essentials
• Why I don’t hand out “solutions” to complex healthcare problems
• The difference between burnout cynicism and lazy thinking disguised as wisdom
• Why blaming individuals in healthcare keeps you stuck
• The traits I see in nurses who thrive inside CME
• Why waiting for a title before building influence is the biggest trap of your career

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• I teach you how to think, not what to think. If you want a plug-and-play solution, this won’t be a good fit.
• You need at least a kernel of belief that change is possible. Zero percent belief blocks growth.
• Systems change is slow and complex. It’s not easy. And it’s not supposed to be.
• Titles don’t create change makers. Systems thinking does.
• The nurses who get promoted are the ones who were already practicing systems thinking before the title came.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

As you listen, pay attention to your reaction. If something feels defensive or uncomfortable, that’s useful information. I’m not judging anyone. I’m helping you get honest about whether this is the right season for you to step into deeper leadership work.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take

• Do a readiness check. Are you open to questioning your own assumptions? Are you willing to be challenged?
• Shift from blame to diagnosis. The next time you catch yourself thinking “they’re the problem,” ask: What incentives are driving this behavior? What pattern am I seeing?
• Build influence now. You don’t need a title to start. Raise a thoughtful question. Surface a pattern. Connect stakeholders.
• Stop waiting for permission. If you’ve been telling yourself, “I’ll do this when I’m a manager,” ask yourself what you think that title will give you. Most of that can be built right now.

📣 Special Announcements

Doors to Change Maker Essentials open tomorrow for the March cohort.

If you’re on the waitlist, you can book a short call with me to talk through fit, timing, or how to ask your organization for funding.

📲 Call to Action

• Visit the Change Maker Essentials sales page
• Join the waitlist if you want decision support and updates during open cart.
• DM me if you’re unsure whether you’re a fit. I will tell you honestly. (PS- if you're on the waitlist you automatically get a 15 minute lightening call with me, just for being on the waitlist 😎)

In this episode, I’m checking back in with Katie, a former student inside Changemaker Essentials who is in a full-time job search season after leaving her role at a freestanding birth center.

We barely talk about the course itself. Instead, we walk through what has happened since she graduated, how her last role ended (spoiler: the center closed two weeks after she left), and how she’s navigating months of uncertainty, interviews, and “no’s” without crumbling.

As you listen, pay attention to how Katie thinks. Her mindset is the real case study here.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How Katie decided to leave a job she cared about without another role lined up
• What happened next when her former birth center temporarily closed soon after
• How she’s treating job searching as a full-time role and using that structure to her advantage
• The way she reframes rejection, including final-round “no’s” that still stung
• Why she sat for the CAPM (project management) exam and how it’s changing the kinds of roles she’s going after
• How she evaluates postings, scopes, and hidden responsibilities so she doesn’t walk back into burnout
• The role her partner played in setting a realistic timeline, including the possibility of not working for a year

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• This isn’t just “being positive.” It’s discernment.
• Rejection is data, not a verdict.
• You can be unemployed and still talk about yourself as a leader.
• Structure changes how you feel.
• Mindset is a skill, not a personality trait.

📣 Special Announcements: Changemaker Essentials Enrollment

The March cohort opens for enrollment on March 9. If you want:

• More discernment in your career decisions
• A stronger sense of “I know what I’m doing and why”
• A community of nurses who are practicing this mindset with you

Get on the waitlist.

📲 Call to Action

• Join the Changemaker Essentials waitlist.

👉 Resources Mentioned

• Changemaker Essentials – 12 week program for nurses and nurse leaders who want to build systems thinking, personal mastery, and real-world change skills
• Changemaker Essentials Waitlist – Get details, dates, and the option to book a 15-minute call with me

In this episode, I’m bringing you a different kind of conversation: a follow-up with one of my former Changemaker Essentials students, Mia.

Mia is a nurse director at a large urban teaching hospital in Boston. She started by leading a single 18-bed medical unit, and was recently asked to take on a second unit, bringing her scope to 42 beds and 197 direct reports… while also working on her PhD and raising three kids.

We talk about what that transition has actually looked like, where it’s stretched her, and how she’s using systems thinking, personal mastery, and CME tools to stay a leader (not just a manager) in the middle of all of it.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How Mia went from CNS to nurse director and then to leading two medical units in the same system
• What made her transition smoother: shared physician model, similar patient population, and strong relationships with clinical nurse specialists
• Where the real friction lives right now: performance evaluations, new systems (RL Solutions, Workday), and learning budgeting/forecasting at scale
• How she’s intentionally protecting her leadership identity instead of slipping into “task manager” mode
• The specific ways she’s using tools from Changemaker Essentials to navigate scope creep, feedback, and big structural changes

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• Relationships before results. Mia is very clear that nothing meaningful happens on her units without relationships. She’s investing in knowing her staff professionally and personally, even with almost 200 direct reports.
• Scope increases don’t have to equal suffering. People expect her to say, “It’s horrible, I’m drowning,” and she can honestly say, “It’s going great,” because she trusts her competence, has tools, and is building structure on purpose.
• What got you here won’t get you there. The systems and habits that worked for one unit don’t automatically scale to two. She’s now building checklists, templates, and finance skills so she can grow with the role.
• Feedback is data, not a personal attack. When staff told her they felt blindsided by building work, she didn’t spiral. She logged it as useful feedback and adjusted her communication.
• Leadership ≠ niceness + empathy. Caring about your team matters, but without structural thinking and strategy, that care won’t show up in people’s actual workday reality.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

As you listen, put yourself in Mia’s shoes for a minute:

• What if your role suddenly doubled in scope?
• What systems would break first?
• Where would you feel confident… and where would you feel exposed?

Notice the parts of Mia’s story that spark either excitement or panic for you. That’s usually your growth edge. You don’t have to be leading 197 people to pull a lot from this conversation

📣 Special Announcements

The March cohort of Changemaker Essentials is opening for enrollment soon.

If you resonated with how Mia is thinking and leading – using systems thinking, personal mastery, and real-world tools instead of just “trying harder” – this is the program where I teach those skills in a structured way over 12 weeks.

If you join the waitlist, you’ll:

• Get detailed info about the curriculum and structure
• Hear stories from past students like Mia
• Have the option to book a free 15-minute Zoom call with me to talk through your specific situation and whether CME is a fit

📲 Call to Action

• Join the Changemaker Essentials waitlist. The link is in the show notes. If you’re even remotely curious, get on the list so you don’t miss the details and the short Zoom call spots.
• Listen to Mia’s original coaching episode on the Changemaker Case Files private podcast if you haven’t yet. It gives great context for where she started.
• Share this episode with a colleague who’s just taken on a bigger role or a second unit and feels like they “should” be drowning right now.

👉 Resources Mentioned

• Changemaker Essentials – My 12-week flagship program for nurses and nurse leaders who want to become effective change makers
• Changemaker Case Files Private Podcast – 10 coaching conversations with nurses like you (including Mia)
• CME Waitlist – Get details, launch dates, and an invite to a free 15-minute call with me

In this episode, I’m talking honestly about what it actually means to move abroad as a nurse, especially in the middle of a very heavy political moment in the United States. This is not a “panic exit” episode and I’m not here to tell you whether you should stay or go.

Instead, I walk you through how I think about moving abroad from a systems-thinking lens: how it restructures your whole life, what tends to surprise people, and what I wish you’d sort through before you make the leap. I also share how I approached my own move to the Netherlands and why having a vision matters more than fear.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why “I just need to get out of here” is not a real vision for your life
• How to think about your life as a system, and why moving abroad is a massive structural change
• The difference between running toward a life you want versus running away from the one you have
• Three key questions I recommend you ask yourself before moving abroad as a nurse
• Why your U.S. nursing license may not transfer easily, and what that means for your career options
• How values, lifestyle, income, and language factor into an aligned decision to relocate

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• Fear of staying is valid. Fear alone should not be your entire strategy for leaving.
• “All I know is I can’t stay here” is a limited vision. You need something you’re moving toward, not just away from.
• Your life is a system. Moving abroad does not just change your address, it reshapes your relationships, identity, work, and daily routines.
• You will feel like a beginner again. If you cannot tolerate sustained discomfort, moving abroad will be rough.
• Your nursing background is still valuable abroad, even if you never work a traditional RN job again. There are more ways to use your skill set than just bedside care.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

As you listen, I want you to actively picture your life, not a fantasy Pinterest version of it.

When I walk through the three questions, pause for a moment and ask yourself:

• What would it actually feel like for me to be the immigrant in another country?
• How would my work, friendships, and family routines change in a different health system and culture?

If you can, jot down a few notes while you listen. Your first answers don’t have to be polished. They just have to be honest.

📣 Special Notes

If you’re seriously thinking about moving abroad and want help sorting through your vision and options, I offer one-off Power Hour coaching sessions. You don’t necessarily need six months of coaching to get clarity on a decision like this, but you might benefit from having someone neutral walk through the trade-offs with you.

📲 Call to Action

• If this episode helped you think more clearly about moving abroad, share it with another nurse who has been talking about “getting out” without a plan.
• Take 10–15 minutes this week to answer the three questions from the episode. Put your answers somewhere you’ll actually see again.

👉 Resources Mentioned

• Change Maker Essentials for values, personal vision, and systems-thinking foundations
• Power Hour Coaching with me for one-time support around big decisions like moving abroad
• Instagram: Follow me on IG to send questions, reflections, or get more context on my own move and work abroad

In this episode, I’m talking about something I see over and over again with nurse leaders: we care deeply, we work hard, we mean well… and yet our teams don’t actually change. I break down why good intentions, effort, and even personal self-care aren’t enough to shift team culture or outcomes if the structure of the team stays the same.

I’ll walk you through three different team structures (polka dot, firework, and spider web), how they show up in real life, and the specific structural changes I’m making with my own team in 2026 to move us toward a more resilient, high-functioning “spider web” model.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why working harder, being more organized, or “caring more” doesn’t fix systemic team problems
• The difference between personal support (therapy, planners, meditation) and structural change
• The three team structure models: polka dot, firework, and spider web
• How structure drives behavior, and behavior drives outcomes in any system
• Concrete examples of structural changes I’m making with my own team this year

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• Good intentions are not a leadership strategy. Structure is.
• You can’t “behave” your way out of a broken (or just outdated) team structure.
• A firework model (everything flowing through one leader) looks efficient… until that leader becomes the bottleneck.
• A spider web model (dense, intentional connections across the team) builds resilience, shared ownership, and speed.
• Your job as a leader isn’t to work harder than everyone else. It’s to design a better system for everyone to work in.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

Listen with your specific team in mind. Picture your unit, department, or project team as I walk through the three structures and ask yourself, “Where are we on this spectrum?”

If you’re a formal leader, think about what you can control structurally. If you’re an informal leader, listen for ideas you can bring to your manager or start modeling within your sphere of influence.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take

1. Map your team as a system.

• On paper, list your team members, key tools, and regular meetings.
• Draw lines where communication, decisions, and information actually flow.
• Notice: do you see polka dots, a firework, or something closer to a spider web?

1. Identify one structural tweak.

• Ask: “Where could I create one new connection or communication pathway that doesn’t depend on me?”
• Examples: peer huddles, rotating project leads, structured cross-coverage, or standing check-ins that aren’t all led by you.

1. Shift from “working harder” to “designing better.”

• Any time you catch yourself thinking, “I just need to try harder,” pause and ask:

“What is the structural reason this keeps happening?”

1. Create feedback loops, not wishful thinking.

• Build in regular check-ins where your team can name what’s working, what’s not, and where the structure is getting in their way.
• Use their feedback as your blueprint for your next round of changes.

📲 Call to Action

• If this episode hit a nerve, share it with another nurse leader who’s stuck in “work harder” mode.
• Send me a DM on Instagram and tell me which model your team currently looks like: polka dot, firework, or spider web.
• If you’re ready for leadership support and a community that actually “gets it,” apply to Nurse Leader HQ.
• Make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast so you don’t miss future episodes on systems thinking and nurse leadership.

👉 Resources Mentioned

• Changemaker Essentials – my foundational program on systems thinking and change leadership
• Nurse Leader HQ – 6-month coaching + curriculum for nurse leaders who want to build high-functioning, resilient teams
• Map Your Impact – self-paced workshop to start thinking like a systems thinker in your current role

This week’s episode isn’t what I originally planned. After the ICE shooting of a Minneapolis mom, I shifted my focus. Instead of leadership strategies or business updates, I’m sharing something heavier: how we show up as leaders when the world feels deeply wrong. This episode is a reading of my System Sunday email—a message I spent the week crafting, revising, and grounding in real-life experience. If you're a nurse, a leader, or simply someone trying to navigate injustice while staying present at work, this message is for you.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What emotional regulation really means—and what it doesn’t
• How silence from leadership during crisis shapes team culture
• Ways to practice professional resistance inside healthcare systems
• Why naming injustice out loud matters more than perfect wording
• Specific leadership actions you can take when the world feels unstable

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Transparency is not the same as emotional leakage. Regulated leaders hold space without handing off their overwhelm.
• Silence is not neutral. Naming what's happening—no matter how messy—builds trust.
• Your influence matters most when values are tested. Build it before you need it.
• Leadership isn’t about having answers. It’s about staying in the conversation when it would be easier to walk away.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Listen slowly. Reflect intentionally. This isn’t an action-packed, high-energy episode—it’s a grounded moment to sit with what’s happening and consider how you want to respond. Whether you’re leading a team or showing up for your community, this episode is about staying human in hard times.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Check your nervous system before meetings. Are you regulated, or are you leaking?
• Say the quiet part out loud: “This isn’t normal.” It’s enough to break the silence.
• Make space for your team to process. It doesn’t have to be a meeting—just an acknowledgment.
• Revisit your “red lines.” What won’t you do, even if asked?
• Learn documentation strategies that protect your patients, not just the system.

📣 Special Announcements:

Nurse Leader HQ applications are open this week (starting Monday, January 12). If you want to be in community with nurse leaders doing healthcare differently, now’s the time to apply. I’d love to walk alongside you.

📲 Call to Action:

• Share this episode with someone who’s been navigating hard decisions in their workplace.
• DM me on Instagram if you have thoughts or reflections to add—I genuinely want to hear from you.
• Apply for Nurse Leader HQ if you're ready to do leadership in a new way.
• Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss the next episode.

👉 Resources Mentioned:

• Join the System Sunday email list
• Apply to Nurse Leader HQ
• Connect with me on Instagram

This episode is part reflection, part reality check. I'm sharing how 2025 really played out—what changed in my corporate life, my business, and my personal world—and what those shifts taught me. You’ll hear how I set the foundation for a life that feels more stable and aligned than it has in years, and why I’m not setting huge overhauls for 2026 (even though I still have big goals). If you want to use systems thinking to reflect on your own year, this one’s for you.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What I actually did and didn’t accomplish in 2025—and why that’s not a bad thing
• How I balanced running a business with working full-time in a corporate role
• The small changes that added up to big shifts in stability and clarity
• Why things get easier with familiarity, not just more effort
• How I’m thinking about 2026 as a year to make my life work even better—not rebuild it from scratch

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• You don’t need to reinvent your life every year. Sometimes the best thing you can do is build on what’s already working.
• Things get easier when you just show up. Familiarity and consistency matter more than force.
• Stability is a huge win. There’s power in setting up systems that keep working, even when you’re not hustling 24/7.
• Burnout prevention isn’t sexy—but it’s essential. Creating space, re-evaluating priorities, and resetting recovery systems pays off.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Approach this like a guided self-reflection. Listen to the episode, then pause and ask yourself: What actually changed in my life this year? What’s working better now? And how can I make next year feel easier, more meaningful, or more aligned?

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Write down the specific ways your life looks different now than it did last year—no matter how small.
• Ask: What was quietly set up in 2025 that I can build on in 2026?
• Reflect on the systems that worked (or didn’t). What helped you stay grounded this year?
• Set intentions not just for growth—but for ease, recovery, and sustainability.

📲 Call to Action:

• Enjoying the show? Leave a review—it seriously helps more nurses find these conversations.
• Share this episode with a friend or colleague who’s reflecting on their year too.
• Get on the Nurse Leader HQ Waitlist.
• Follow me on Instagram for behind-the-scenes reflections and updates.

This week’s episode is a vulnerable one. I’m sharing what it looked like when I hit the early warning signs of burnout this fall and what I did to swerve before it turned into a full-blown crash. This isn’t a theoretical lesson. It’s a real-time reflection on what burnout actually feels like, what it taught me, and how I’m doing now. If you're starting to feel that low hum of stress in your own life or work, this episode is for you.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• The specific burnout symptoms I started noticing in myself
• Why burnout doesn’t always mean you’re in the wrong job
• How I started course-correcting in the middle of Q4
• What it means to “swerve burnout” instead of “bracing for impact”
• Three ways you can reflect and reset before it’s too late

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• Burnout is a feedback signal—not a diagnosis.
• Different people burn out for different reasons.
• You can love your job and still be running too hot.
• Recovery systems matter just as much as strategy.
• Your burnout symptoms are valid—even if no one else sees them yet.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

Listen with a notebook (or your Notes app) open. Track your own warning signs. Pause and jot down what comes up for you—especially if you’ve been brushing off exhaustion, irritability, or that feeling of wanting to delete your calendar.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take

• Make space to think clearly. Block 1–2 hours to reflect without distraction.
• Rank your current life priorities (1–6) and let the list guide your bandwidth.
• Re-establish the recovery systems that help you feel like yourself: gym, connection, rest, joy.
• Write out your personal early warning signs of burnout and share them with someone who can help spot them.
• If you're in a leadership role, talk openly about how you’re doing—modeling honesty helps the whole system.

📲 Call to Action

• If this episode resonated, share it with a friend or colleague who might need to hear it.
• DM me your personal burnout signals—I’d love to learn from your experience.
• Leave a review if you’ve found value in the show. It helps more nurses find our community.
• Want coaching support in 2026? Join the waitlist for Changemaker Essentials.

In this milestone 50th episode, I’m bringing you a very real-time reflection on a common mindset trap, one I’ve personally wrestled with and one I teach in Changemaker Essentials: the belief that we must get it right the first time. This episode started with me on the couch doing my year-end planning, spiraling into perfectionism, and then remembering, oh right, this is myth #7. Whether you're planning a project, launching a new initiative, or setting goals for the year ahead, this is one you're going to want to unpack.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• Why perfectionism sneaks into year-end planning and change work
• The key risks of trying to “get it right the first time”
• How to reframe your mindset to embrace iteration and learning
• Two frameworks for action: the PDSA cycle and design thinking
• Why failure isn’t final—and how I used a failed launch to redesign Nurse Leader HQ

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• Planning forever delays the actual learning.
• Failure isn’t the end—it’s the beginning of iteration.
• Trying to get it right the first time can block meaningful progress.
• Design thinking is not just for designers—it’s a powerful tool for change leaders.
• Instagram will not be the death of me (but I need a more iterative strategy there too).

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

Bring your planner or whatever you're using to map out 2026. As you listen, notice where perfectionism might be creeping into your thinking and where you might need to release control and let learning lead the way.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take

• Use this reframe: “We are well prepared for our first run at this. What processes can we put in place to support continuous adaptation?”
• Choose one project and map it through the design thinking cycle (Empathize → Define → Ideate → Prototype → Test → Implement).
• Identify one place where perfectionism is stalling progress—and take imperfect action anyway.
• Build in check-in points (weekly, monthly, quarterly) to revisit and refine as you go.

📣 Special Announcements

Nurse Leader HQ launches in January! If you’re a CME alum, there’s still time to join the next cohort. Reach out if you want details or help figuring out if it’s the right fit.

📲 Call to Action

• Share this episode with a perfectionist friend or colleague who needs to hear it.
• Leave a review to help others find the show (especially if you’ve been here since episode one).
• Join the email list to get updates and resources.
• DM me if you want to chat about your own plan to “iterate and improve” in 2026.

👉 Resources Mentioned

• Learn more about Changemaker Essentials.
• Join the NLHQ Waitlist if you're a CME alum
• Follow me on Instagram

Right after watching my team present during a company-wide session, I hit record. I couldn’t help but reflect on how many times I’ve coached others (and myself) through the basics of giving an effective presentation-whether it's on Zoom, in a meeting room, or from a keynote stage. In this episode, I’m sharing the quick, practical mindset shifts and strategies that help presentations actually land, whether you're speaking to staff nurses or hospital execs. I also explain how my corporate and coaching work feed each other in real time and why I wouldn’t trade that synergy for anything.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• How to slow down your speech so your message sticks
• Why signaling confidence and ease matters more than you think
• The two things to lock in before you ever build a slide deck
• How to adapt your message based on who's in the room
• Why you should always open with a story—and how to do it without forcing it

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• People can't absorb your message if you're rushing.
• Audiences mirror your energy—signal ease and they relax.
• A presentation without a clear audience and goal? Missed opportunity.
• Good storytelling isn't about impressing—it's about connecting.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

Think about a real presentation you have coming up. Maybe a project update or a team training. As you listen, jot down where you're already strong and where you could try a new approach. I promise, one or two shifts can change the whole experience.

📣 Special Announcements

Power Hours are 50% off this for Black Friday! If you're prepping for a presentation or want help refining your message, this is a great time to book a focused session.

📲 Call to Action

• Want help with an upcoming presentation? Book a Power Hour while it’s on sale.
• DM me on Instagram

After receiving upward feedback from my team, I tried something a little meta and surprisingly effective. In this episode, I walk you through exactly how I used ChatGPT to synthesize, share, and build on the feedback my team gave me. You’ll hear the full behind-the-scenes on the activity I created, why I think it’s a must-try for leaders, and how it’s already transforming the way we work together.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• A simple but powerful feedback activity any leader can replicate
• How I used ChatGPT to process and synthesize 10 forms of upward feedback
• Why modeling transparency matters more than we think
• What my team told me—and how I’m using that input to grow
• How this activity helps turn feedback into systems-level change

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Feedback is a system input—what matters is how we process and act on it
• Modeling vulnerability and transparency can change team culture
• When you invite your team into the meaning-making process, you get better results
• Good leadership includes showing your team how you think, not just what you decide

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

As you listen, think about the last time you asked your team for feedback and what you did with it. Consider what it would look like to reflect that data back to your team, and use it to shape future conversations.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Try the “Start, Stop, Continue” feedback format with your team or peers
• Use an LLM (like ChatGPT) to help summarize feedback and extract patterns
• Share anonymized or aggregated feedback with your team and invite comments
• Build structured, asynchronous ways for quieter team members to weigh in
• Create reflection prompts to turn feedback into a living system of improvement

📲 Call to Action:

• Subscribe to Nursing the System so you never miss an episode
• Try this feedback-sharing activity with your own team
• Message me if you do, I’d love to hear how it goes!

This week we’re talking about culture. Not as a vague workplace buzzword, but as something you’re constantly shaping through your behavior, your feedback loops, and your presence. Whether you're a formal leader or not, you're feeding data into your system every single day. This episode is about how to do that more intentionally.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What makes up a workplace culture (hint: it’s not your policies)
• The three most powerful levers you can pull to shift culture
• Why feedback loops are the lifeblood of a healthy system
• How modeling behavior (even casually) sends strong signals
• The difference between organizational structure and culture—and why it matters

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• You’re never separate from the culture—you’re shaping it every day.
• Micro-interactions send macro signals about what’s normal.
• Modeling and feedback are culture-change tools, not just leadership fluff.
• The healthiest cultures aren’t perfect—they’re self-correcting.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Listen with curiosity about your own patterns. What are you modeling? How are you receiving feedback? And how might those habits be shaping your team’s culture, on purpose or not?

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Ask yourself: What do I want to be more normal in my work culture? Then model that.
• Pay attention to how you receive feedback. Do you get defensive? Over-implement? How can you shift toward curiosity?
• Introduce a 360-style feedback loop (even informally!) by asking peers or your team: “What’s one thing I could start, stop, or continue?”
• Normalize feedback as data and use it to help your system see itself and evolve.

📣 Special Announcements:

If you want to understand your influence inside a system and take more strategic action—check out the Map Your Impact Mini Course. It's only $27 with our podcast code and is packed with value for nurse leaders and change makers.

👉 Resources Mentioned:

• 👉 Take the Map Your Impact Mini Course (use your exclusive podcast discount code-MYI10OFF)
• 📩 Join the System Sunday Newsletter for weekly strategy and behind-the-scenes insights

Yep, we’re talking about dating today. Stick with me.

In this very fun (and surprisingly strategic) episode, I’m walking you through a little experiment my friends and I did this summer: we turned dating into a game. From point systems to profile prep nights to tracking rejection resilience, we gamified the entire experience. And it got me thinking about how any unsavory or tedious process, whether it’s finding love, job searching, or leading change can be made better with intentional systems design.

Gamification isn’t fluff. It’s systems thinking in disguise.

🔑 In this episode, I share:

• How a brunch gripe session turned into a summer-long social experiment
• The full breakdown of “The Dating Game” we created (rules, scoring, prizes)
• The dating app that actually made the process better (shoutout to Breeze)
• Why rewarding effort—not just outcomes—can shift motivation dramatically
• How you can use gamification in your work life (for yourself or your team)

🧠 Big Takeaways:

• Most systems (like work or dating) only reward outcomes—but we stay more engaged when we also reward effort.
• Feedback loops and visible progress are key to staying motivated.
• You don’t need to wait for something to feel fun—sometimes you have to design it to be fun.
• Whether it’s patient recovery, conflict resolution, or giving feedback, gamification can help you and your team keep showing up.

✨ Reflection Questions:

• Where in your life or leadership could you use a little more motivation?
• How could you make your effort feel visible and fun—even in serious or boring areas?
• What “point-worthy” actions would move you toward a goal you're working on?

📲 Stay Connected:

• Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode
• Join the System Sunday email list for weekly reflections and behind-the-scenes updates
• Follow me on Instagram for more real-life systems thinking in action

This week’s episode is part confession, part coaching. I recorded this late at night after one of the roughest work weeks I’ve had in a while. I had planned to read you my most recent System Sunday email… but as I was preparing, I realized I was living through the exact lesson I’d written about. So instead, I’m sharing the email and the messy reality of what happens when we don’t follow our own advice.

If you’ve ever found yourself skipping your reset rituals, stacking your calendar with back-to-back meetings, or drowning in mental clutter... this one's for you.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why reflection isn’t a luxury—it’s a leadership necessity
• The hidden cost of letting your foundational habits slip
• How mental clutter fuels chronic stress (and what to do about it)
• What I did to course-correct a week overloaded with meetings and overwhelm
• Questions you can ask to reset when everything feels like too much

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• The slow, silent buildup of open loops and unfinished tasks is what burns most nurse leaders out—not the occasional crisis.
• Strategic reflection helps you see patterns and gives you permission to move differently.
• Our brains lie to us when we’re overwhelmed, telling us we don’t have time to pause—when in fact, that pause is exactly what would help.
• You can’t lead well if you’re constantly saying yes without checking if you have the capacity.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Listen with an open mind and a compassionate lens toward yourself. Pay attention to any habits or reflection rituals you’ve let go of recently and ask yourself whether they’ve been costing you more than you realized.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Block 15 minutes to do a reflection check-in: What’s heavy? What’s unfinished? What can wait?
• Audit your calendar for the upcoming week. Where are your “slow leaks”?
• Reinstate one helpful habit you’ve let slide (your version of a weekly reset, we-day, or task triage).
• Use the three reflection prompts from this week’s System Sunday email:

1. If work feels hard, why?
2. What patterns are emerging in your work days?
3. What could shift if you gave yourself permission to pause?

📲 Call to Action:

• Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss what’s coming next.
• Forward this episode to a friend or teammate who’s feeling overwhelmed.
• Join my System Sunday email list for weekly reflections you won’t get anywhere else.
• Follow me on Instagram

Yes, you read that right- we’re talking about Taylor Swift on the podcast today. Specifically: what we can learn from her about systems thinking, leadership, emotional regulation, and culture change. Whether you’re a full-blown Swiftie or just Swiftie-adjacent, this episode is a creative, thoughtful deep dive into five leadership lessons I pulled from her lyrics, interviews, and approach to impact. This one was just plain fun to make—and I hope it gets you thinking about your own leadership in new ways.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How Taylor Swift models system pattern awareness (even in her lyrics)
• What “losing your sh*t” has to do with losing your leadership
• Why emotional regulation is a non-negotiable skill for leading change
• How to treat your energy like it’s expensive (because it is)
• Why kindness and competence are not opposites—and what it means to lead like a human

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• You don’t have to be a healthcare executive to be a systems thinker. Taylor Swift shows us that impact requires awareness, strategy, and humanity—no matter your industry.
• Emotional regulation doesn’t mean pretending you’re fine. It means being honest, self-aware, and clear-headed when it matters most.
• Not everyone gets access to your mental energy. Be strategic about what—and who—you let in.
• You can be kind, warm, funny, and approachable and be deeply respected as a leader. These are not mutually exclusive.
• Culture change starts with humanity—but it doesn’t stop there. Strategic tools + a human approach = sustainable impact.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Listen with curiosity and see which of these five lessons hits home the hardest. If you’re a Swiftie, let the songs anchor the ideas for you. If not, don’t worry—this episode still packs a systems-level punch.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Ask yourself: Where am I holding too tightly to a plan that needs to flex?
• Notice the systems patterns around you: What vicious cycles are you part of (or perpetuating)?
• Start piloting. Don’t wait for perfect—start with thoughtful, strategic action.
• Audit your energy: Who gets it, and who doesn’t need to?
• Write out what it looks like to “lead like a human” in your world—then build a strategy to make it real.

📲 Call to Action:

• 🎧 Share this episode with a fellow Swiftie who’s also a nurse leader (they’ll love it)
• 📩 Take the quiz to get personalized support for your leadership journey
• 💬 DM me on Instagram with your favorite T-Swift lyric that hits a leadership note—I want to hear them!
• 🎵 Stream the new Life of a Showgirl album and let’s dissect it together

👉 Songs + Albums Mentioned:

• Taylor Swift albums referenced: Folklore, Lover, Tortured Poets Department, Evermore, Midnights, Red, Life of a Showgirl
• Songs mentioned: “Mad Woman,” “The Archer,” “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me,” “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” “Mirrorball,” “All Too Well,” “Marjorie,” “Mastermind,” “The Life of a Showgirl,”

If you’re a high-achieving, impact-driven nurse who’s juggling ten different projects and wondering why you still feel stuck or overwhelmed, this episode is for you.

Today I’m talking about how ambition (yes, even the well-meaning kind) can quietly sabotage our impact. I’m walking you through the concept of leverage points from systems thinking and how applying this lens to your career, leadership, and daily work can help you stop spinning your wheels and start creating real change.

If you’re tired of doing all the things and ready to do the right things, let’s go.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What systems thinking can teach you about working with less effort, more impact
• Why over-functioning is often a sign of misaligned ambition—not a lack of skill or discipline
• How to spot high-leverage activities in your day-to-day work (and what to cut)
• Why narrowing your focus actually builds your influence, visibility, and opportunities
• What happens when ambition becomes a bottleneck—for you and your team

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• You don’t need to do everything—you need to do the right things.
• Leverage isn’t lazy. It’s strategy.
• When people don’t know what you’re about, they can’t connect you to the right opportunities.
• Most change doesn’t require more energy—it requires better direction.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Listen with a recent “overwhelm moment” in mind. Maybe it’s a career decision, a leadership role, or a plate that’s feeling way too full. As I talk through over-functioning, leverage points, and strategic ambition, notice what hits close to home—and what might need to shift.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Reflect: Where are you putting in more energy than the outcome is worth?
• Identify one high-leverage activity that could replace 2–3 low-return ones.
• Ask yourself: What do I want to be known for professionally? Is it clear to others?
• Take the Map Your Impact mini-course to clarify your position and determine your best next move

📣 Special Announcements:

💡 Map Your Impact is a 90-minute CEU-accredited course helps you assess your social power, your workplace expertise, and your best leverage points for creating meaningful change, without burning out.

🎁 Use code MYI10OFF to save $10 at checkout.

📩 Got questions or feedback? I’d love to hear from you. If something’s holding you back from joining MYI—or you want help thinking through your strategy—DM me anytime.

📲 Call to Action:

• Enroll in Map Your Impact (just $27 with the code)
• DM me @nursing.the.system to share where you’re over-functioning or stuck
• Share this episode with a nurse leader who’s overwhelmed and needs strategy

There’s a myth in healthcare that speaking up will get you shut down. And while it’s true that how your voice is received depends on power, politics, and identity...what I’ve seen again and again is this: You don’t get burned for speaking up. You get burned for speaking up without understanding your environment.

In this episode, I’m walking you through how to assess your position in your organization, what most workplaces actually value, and how to speak up in a way that aligns with your current level of social power and expertise. If you want to make change without constantly getting pushback, this one’s for you.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why your voice isn’t always received the same way—and how to shift your strategy without silencing yourself
• The difference between what you say and how and when you say it
• How to assess your social power and expertise in any workplace
• Why the smartest changemakers know when to wait and when to push
• A practical framework for deciding how to speak up based on your current position

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Speaking up isn’t about confidence—it’s about strategy.
• You don’t have to be the loudest voice in the room to make an impact.
• Your social power and expertise determine how your ideas are received—learn to work with that, not against it.
• Systems don’t always reject ideas—they reject ideas delivered at the wrong time, in the wrong way.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Think of a time when you tried to speak up and it didn’t land the way you wanted. As you listen, reflect on how much social power and expertise you had in that moment—and whether your approach aligned with your position. This episode can help you self-correct without self-blame.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Use the “social power + expertise” matrix to assess your current position at work
• Reflect: Are you approaching change from a one-size-fits-all strategy, or tailoring your approach based on your context?
• Take the Map Your Impact mini-course to identify your position and build a strategic plan
• Try the end-of-episode journaling prompt: Think of a time you spoke up and it didn’t land. What was off?

📣 Special Announcements:

✨ The doors to Change Maker Essentials are now closed for this cohort—but Map Your Impact is always open.

If you’re looking for a bite-sized but powerful resource that helps you lead smarter and advocate more effectively, Map Your Impact is the next best step.

Use code MYI10OFF at checkout to save $10.

📲 Call to Action:

• DM me on Instagram @nursing.the.system if you want help figuring out your social power + expertise score
• Share this episode with a colleague who’s feeling discouraged or unsure how to speak up
• Reflect on what your current position allows—and how to build toward the position you want

If you’ve ever found yourself paralyzed by indecision, whether it’s about applying for a new job, enrolling in a course, or saying yes to a leadership opportunity—this episode is for you.

I created the Aligned Action Audit after several powerful conversations with nurses on the CME waitlist. Many of them weren’t struggling with motivation, they were struggling with decision clarity. This tool will help you assess professional opportunities (big or small) in a way that’s grounded, strategic, and personal.

By the end of this episode, you'll have a framework you can return to again and again to make aligned career decisions with more confidence and less mental spiraling.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How to use the Aligned Action Audit to evaluate any professional opportunity
• Why “vision fit” is more important than status or resume padding
• How to distinguish between a helpful stretch and an unsustainable strain
• What your hesitation might actually be trying to tell you
• Five final “gut check” questions I’d ask if I were coaching you directly

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Not every growth opportunity is aligned growth.
• Capacity isn’t just about time—it’s about energy, logistics, and support.
• ROI isn’t always financial—sometimes momentum, clarity, or confidence is the most valuable return.
• Hesitation isn’t a red flag. It’s a yellow flag asking you to slow down and get curious.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Grab a journal or notebook and walk through the audit with a real decision you’re facing. Whether it’s CME or something else entirely, the clarity you’ll gain can help you take action with more intention and less overthinking.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Use the 4-part Aligned Action Audit to assess your next big decision
• Reflect on which of the three hesitation types you tend to fall into
• Ask yourself: Is this a detour disguised as growth?
• Schedule a 15-minute lightning call with me if you're considering CME and need help deciding

📣 Special Announcements:

✨ The doors to Change Maker Essentials are officially OPEN!

Early action pricing ends Tuesday at midnight—save $300 by enrolling early.

💸 We also created a full funding guide PDF for you to send to your employer or HR rep. Many hospitals have PD budgets or tuition coverage, and this guide helps you make the case.

📲 Call to Action:

• the audio for this podcast was pulled from this video.
• Take the quiz to find your best-fit NTS resource if you’re unsure where to begin

This episode is a little heavier because I’m talking about something both personal and systemic: how we talk (and think) about big, broken problems like gun violence.

I’m walking you through three common myths that hold change makers back—not just around policy, but in our teams, organizations, and careers. These myths come from the broader Nine Change Myths framework I teach in Change Maker Essentials, and today we’re applying them to a real-world challenge so you can see how these patterns show up and how to think differently.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Three common myths that get in the way of real change—and how to spot them
• How well-meaning people can unintentionally stall progress by falling into faulty logic
• Why motivation isn’t enough to make systems change
• What it actually takes to lead change (hint: it’s not just passion)
• How to start shifting thinking in your workplace or community

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Believing there’s a single “right answer” often keeps us stuck
• Perfect rollouts don’t exist—iteration is where change really happens
• Motivation without know-how leads to burnout and stagnation
• Systems problems require systems thinking, not silver bullets

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

This episode blends real-world systems analysis with mindset reframing. Listen with your critical thinking cap on and consider where these myths might be showing up in your own work. If you feel stuck in your organization, this might give you language for why.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Reflect on which of the three myths you hear most often in your team or org
• Use the scripts I share in the episode to interrupt faulty thinking with curiosity
• Identify one problem you’ve been over-complicating (or oversimplifying) and map out how you might prototype instead
• If you’re ready for deeper tools and strategy, join the CME waitlist and book a clarity call with me

📣 Special Announcements:

✨ The September cohort of Change Maker Essentials opens next week! Join the waitlist, to save $300 and access a free 15-minute 1:1 call with me.

📄 We also created a funding/business case PDF to help you request tuition or work-time approval from your employer. Use it—it’s effective, research-backed, and designed to advocate for you.

🚨 Not sure if CME is right for you? Take the quiz to find out!

This week’s episode is a peek behind the scenes. I’m walking you through how I’m rethinking the way we run and grow Nursing the System, especially how we launch Change Maker Essentials. It’s part systems lesson, part business reflection, and fully rooted in the idea that iteration is key to sustainability.

If you’ve ever wanted to launch something of your own, or if you’re just curious how I think about testing, prototyping, and scaling this work, come on in.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How the concept of prototyping is shaping my business (and how it might help you too)
• What’s changing about how we enroll students in Change Maker Essentials this fall
• Ways nurses can access professional development funding (and how to ask for it)
• Why I built a quiz to help you find the right Nursing the System resource
• What I’m doing to make this a high-trust, high-integrity space in a low-trust online landscape

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• You don’t need to do it perfectly—you just need to get it into the world and iterate.
• If your work isn’t evolving, it’s not growing.
• It’s your right to access professional development funding—don’t leave money on the table.
• Systems thinking isn’t just for healthcare. It’s a lens that helps you approach business, career, and life with intention.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Take the new Nursing the System Quiz to find your best-fit resource
• Join the Change Maker Essentials Waitlist to book a free 15-minute clarity call with me

📣 Special Announcements:

📄 Need help getting CME funded? Use the business case PDF to advocate for tuition or work-time coverage.

📲 Call to Action:

• Subscribe to the pod if you haven’t already
• DM me @nursing.the.system if you want help requesting CME funding—I’m happy to support!

This episode was inspired by a DM I got from a nurse named Jessica, who asked about a topic I don’t hear discussed nearly enough: followership. We talk a lot about leadership in nursing—and for good reason—but we rarely explore what it means to be a great follower.

In this episode, I’m diving into how following is actually a critical leadership skill, what it looks like to move between leading and following in real-world changemaking, and how honoring the work that came before us makes us more effective (and less overwhelmed) systems thinkers.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why we need to reframe followership as an active and essential component of leadership
• How I think about leadership and followership as a dance, not a hierarchy
• What Picasso, cave paintings, and John Green taught me about systems change
• How to assess whether it’s your moment to lead—or your moment to follow
• The six key habits that make someone an effective follower in a change ecosystem

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Systems change is the work of generations. You don’t have to invent it—you just have to move it forward.
• Leadership and followership are not opposites. They’re both skills every changemaker needs.
• You don’t have to be in charge to lead change—you just have to know when and how to step up.
• Being an effective follower is about curiosity, discernment, humility, and action.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Listen with an open mind about your own role in change. Whether you identify more as a “leader” or “supporter,” this episode will challenge you to think differently about what it means to contribute meaningfully to a team—and a system.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Ask yourself: “Where in my work am I trying to invent when I could connect to what’s already been done?”
• Identify one place this week where you can follow strategically—whether by stepping back, supporting someone else’s idea, or conserving your energy.
• Reflect on who in your workplace has expertise you can amplify, not overshadow.
• Use the six followership habits I outline (escalation, amplification, collaboration, humility, resilience, and systems thinking) to evaluate where you might grow.
• Get curious about your current change ecosystem and the role you naturally play within it.

📣 Special Announcements:

✨ Changemaker Essentials opens soon for the September cohort! If you’re interested in systems thinking, strategic leadership, and practical tools for real-world change—join the waitlist.

🎓 Want a great starting point? Take the Map Your Impact mini-course. Use code MYI10OFF for $10 off.

👉 Resources Mentioned:

• Map Your Impact mini-course
• Change Maker Essentials
• The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
• The Lascaux Cave Paintings (L-A-S-C-A-U-X—look them up!)

This episode is a little different. I didn’t plan it. I didn’t prep it. I sat down on my lunch break in the middle of a very real, very messy Tuesday and hit record. Because I was overwhelmed and I remembered that I built a tool inside Changemaker Essentials specifically for moments like this.

So I decided to walk myself through the framework I teach for navigating overwhelm and regaining clarity when your brain feels like it’s short-circuiting. I talk through the mental chatter, the reality of my workload, and what it looks like to pause, reassess, and make a plan that actually feels doable.

If you’re juggling a lot and feel like you might snap, this one’s for you.

🔑 In This Episode, I Talk Through:

• What overwhelm really is (and why it’s not just about time)
• The three levers we can pull to manage it: raise resources, reduce demands, or reassess reality
• Why I treat my own brain like a system to be supported
• The real difference between perception and reality when we’re maxed out
• How I used a 4-step tool from Changemaker Essentials to go from spiraling to grounded in 30 minutes

🧠 A Few Mindset Shifts You’ll Hear:

• Overwhelm isn’t always a problem to fix—sometimes it’s a cue to pause and assess
• Resilience means working with your limits, not pretending you don’t have any
• The project plan didn’t fail—you just didn’t know what life was going to throw at you
• There’s no shame in revising timelines when your circumstances change
• Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is admit: “I need to stop and re-plan”

🛠️ Practical Steps You Can Try This Week:

• Do a commitment audit: What can you pause, delegate, or deprioritize right now?
• Try a brain dump and organize your tasks by priority and dependency
• Time block the rest of your week based on what’s truly essential
• Communicate your capacity clearly to others—whether that’s your team or your friends
• Protect your restorative routines (like workouts or quiet time), especially during crunch seasons

📣 Curious About the Tool I Used?

The 4-step overwhelm activity I walked through is straight from the Change Maker Essentials curriculum. It’s a framework I return to over and over again—and if you found it helpful, you’ll love the rest of the program.

✨ Join the waitlist here: Change Maker Essentials Waitlist

Enrollment opens in September—and you’ll be the first to know when it does.

📲 Let’s Stay Connected:

• Feeling overwhelmed right now? DM me and let me know what your first next step is
• Love this kind of behind-the-scenes honesty? Let me know in a podcast review, your words help the show reach more nurse change-makers like you

This week’s episode is inspired by a DM I received from a nursing faculty member who said, “I want to set the nursing world on fire—but I don’t know where to start.” If that resonates with you, you’re not alone.

Whether you’re a student, an educator, or a practicing nurse, if you know you want to make change but don’t yet know what your contribution will look like—this episode is for you. I’m walking you through why you don’t need a perfectly defined mission to get started, and I’m offering real, strategic steps you can take today to begin building your changemaker skillset.

Oh—and if you hear some rustling or meowing in the background, that’s Poppy the cat. She’s joining us for this episode too.

🔑 In This Episode, I Share:

• Why clarity comes after action—not before it
• How to use your current job as your changemaker training ground
• The personal story behind my own uncertain beginnings in nursing and systems work
• Why building skills (not chasing credentials) is the fastest path to clarity
• How to choose a first change project that’s motivating and manageable
• A behind-the-scenes look at how I approach leadership, personal mastery, and team development

🧠 My Hope for You After This Episode:

• You feel permission to start before you’re ready
• You see your current role—whatever it is—as fertile ground for change
• You understand the power of starting small and learning as you go
• You’re reminded that your energy, interests, and growth matter just as much as the outcomes you’re driving

🛠️ Try This:

• Make a list of “things that tug at your heart” at work—then look for patterns
• Set up one conversation this week with a colleague to learn more about their challenges
• Reflect on what kind of changemaker you want to be—not just what you want to fix
• Identify one tiny process, frustration, or pattern you can explore more deeply
• Don’t default into another degree or certification out of uncertainty—build real skills instead

🧭 Want Help Figuring Out Where to Start?

✨ Map Your Impact is my actionable mini-course designed to help you identify where you sit in your organization's change ecosystem—and exactly what behaviors to focus on to build momentum.

🎧 As a podcast listener, use code MYI10OFF to get $10 off:

👉 Enroll in Map Your Impact

📣 Want to Go Deeper?

If you're ready for 12 weeks of strategic skill building, professional growth, and systems-level thinking, check out Changemaker Essentials. It’s my foundational program for nurses who want to lead change with clarity and confidence. Applications open again soon!

📲 Let’s Stay in Conversation:

• DM me on Instagram @nursingthe.system and tell me:
• 👉 What’s one small step you’re taking this week to get in the sandbox?
• Enjoying the podcast? Leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen. It helps more nurses find this work and start their own changemaker journey.
• Have an idea or question for a future episode? Send me a message—I love hearing from you.

We’re back—and not exactly how I imagined. My summer sabbatical didn’t go the way I planned. I got sick, lost energy, and had to put a lot of things on pause. But the time away gave me unexpected clarity. In this episode, I’m reflecting on a post I shared at the start of the yearand I’m revisiting what’s held true, what’s shifted, and how I’m applying (or re-learning) those lessons now.

This is a vulnerable one. If you’ve been navigating your own version of plans-gone-sideways, I hope it offers something grounding and real.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Hear Me Reflect On:

• How I’m still learning to hold my vision tightly but my plans loosely
• The way illness forced me to rethink productivity and capacity
• Why I believe in piloting—even when things don’t go the way I hoped
• What actually happened with Nurse Leader HQ (and why we pushed the launch)
• How I think about investing in support—and why sometimes not hiring help is the right move

🧠 A Few Things I’m Taking With Me:

• A clear vision doesn’t need a rigid plan.
• Just because an opportunity is exciting doesn’t mean it’s sustainable.
• Your gut is a valid data source—especially when it comes to collaborators.
• Piloting is not a failure. It’s a wise way forward.
• Growth doesn’t always require new investments—it sometimes looks like honoring past ones.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Treat this episode like a check-in—with me, and maybe with yourself too. What intentions did you set at the beginning of the year? What’s changed? What do you want the rest of 2025 to feel like?

🛠️ Try This:

• Revisit your goals: Are you being flexible with the how?
• Scan your calendar: Are your “yeses” energizing you—or draining you?
• If you’re stuck waiting for perfect conditions, could you try piloting instead?
• Ask yourself: Am I listening to my gut—or trying to be liked?
• Have you already invested in support? Are you actually using it?

📣 A Quick Update:

Nurse Leader HQ is still coming—just not on the original timeline. We’re pushing the launch to December so we can build something even stronger. If you want to be the first to know when applications reopen, the link will be in the show notes soon.

📲 Let’s Stay Connected:

• Loved this reflection? Send it to a friend who needs to hear it.
• Leave a quick review to help other nurse leaders find the show.
• Want to read the original Instagram post I reflect on in this episode? Click here.
• DM me your thoughts—I’m back online and I’ve missed chatting with you!

🎧 Episode Overview:

This is a quick update to let you know what’s happening behind the scenes at Nursing the System and what’s coming your way this fall. After 6 months of showing up every week with new episodes, Taylor and I are taking a short sabbatical to rest, realign, and focus on some exciting projects we’re building for you. In this episode, I’m sharing why we’re pressing pause, what we’ll be working on this summer, and how you can stay connected while we’re on break.

📣 Special Announcements:

☀️ We’ll be back July 21st with fresh new episodes

📌 The How to Be a Systems Thinker workshop returns in August

🧠 Changemaker Essentials Fall Cohort kicks off in September

📣 Nurse Leader HQ second cohort begins in December

(If you’re interested in NLHQ and haven’t taken CME, now’s your time!)

📲 Call to Action:

• 🎧 Catch up on past episodes from the archive
• 📥 Join the System Sunday email list for weekly summer lessons
• 🔐 Sign up for The Changemaker Case Files private podcast
• 🎓 Take Map Your Impact to discover your next best move
• 💬 Follow me on Instagram @nursing.the.system for summer updates

🎧 Episode Overview:

In this episode, I’m walking you through a pattern I’ve seen over and over again—not just in healthcare, but across all kinds of systems: the cycle of disempowerment. It’s what happens when we bring up ideas or try to push for change, and we keep hearing “no” until we eventually stop speaking up. I’ll break down why this cycle happens, how to recognize it, and what you can do to break out of it—both for yourself and the people around you.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What the cycle of disempowerment looks like in action (and why it's so common in healthcare)
• The 5-stage framework that explains why we stop bringing ideas forward
• How our own protective responses unintentionally reinforce stagnant systems
• What to say to coworkers and leaders when you notice this pattern
• A practical, compassionate strategy to reclaim your voice—without burning out

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Repeatedly being told “no” changes our behavior—even when we care deeply.
• Emotional withdrawal is protective, but it also keeps our systems stuck.
• Sometimes the cycle isn’t a leadership issue—it’s a culture issue.
• Speaking up again requires both courage and strategy—and it's okay to start small.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

If you’ve been feeling disengaged at work—or watching your team shut down—this episode might name something you’ve struggled to articulate. Listen with curiosity and self-compassion. You’re not broken. But there is a way forward.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Ask yourself: “Where have I stopped trying—and why?”
• Share this episode with a colleague and start a real conversation about what’s keeping you stuck
• Use the scripts I share to name the pattern (with your team or your boss)
• Reframe “no” as data—not a reflection of your value
• Decide: is it time to shift your strategy… or shift your environment?

📲 Call to Action:

• Share this episode with a coworker and talk about where you’ve both felt shut down
• DM me on Instagram @nursing.the.system if you want help navigating this
• Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss future mindset + leadership tools
• Leave a review if this helped you—it really does help the show reach more nurse leaders

If you've ever felt like you were handed the keys to a leadership role and left to figure it out on your own—this one's for you. In today’s episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the making of Nurse Leader HQ, a brand new 6-month mentorship and mastermind for nurse leaders who are done winging it and ready to lead with clarity, strategy, and support. You’ll hear why I built this, what makes it different, and what you can expect inside this high-touch container.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• The real gap in leadership support that Nurse Leader HQ is designed to fill
• Why private coaching alone isn’t enough to meet the growing needs of nurse leaders
• The 3-part structure of the program: private coaching, mastermind community, and leadership lab
• What’s included inside the program—and who it’s built for
• A behind-the-scenes coaching conversation with a graduating client (that might just make you cry)

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Being a great nurse doesn’t automatically prepare you to lead in complex systems.
• You’re not behind—you just haven’t had the right support yet.
• Leadership growth takes time, but you shouldn’t have to figure it out alone.
• The best leaders build their systems before they burn out.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Whether you're already in a formal role or you’re preparing to step into one, listen with an open mind to what kind of support you actually need—not just what you’ve been offered. Ask yourself: what would be different in your workday if you had a space to process, strategize, and grow?

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Join the Waitlist for Nurse Leader HQ: Applications open June 2 at 8am PT—waitlist members get first access
• Assess Your Leadership Support: Are you being mentored, or are you just managing?
• Block Time for Strategic Work: Start practicing what we teach inside NLHQ now—set aside calendar space for long-term thinking
• Reflect: What would your future self thank you for learning now?

📣 Special Announcements:

🚨 Nurse Leader HQ Applications Open June 2

This is a small, high-touch cohort (only 5–7 spots). If you're even considering applying, get on the waitlist now so you can review all the details and be ready when the link goes live.

📲 Call to Action:

• ✅ Join the Nurse Leader HQ Waitlist
• 📩 DM me on Instagram @nursing.the.system with any questions

If you are curious how I juggle a corporate leadership role and run Nursing the System, this episode is for you!

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain and walking you through exactly how I structure my week—day by day, hour by hour. This is the behind-the-scenes of how I balance strategic leadership, client coaching, content creation, and actual human needs like sleep, fitness, and friendship.

Whether you’re in a high-capacity season yourself or just craving more intention in how you manage your energy and calendar, this episode is a deep dive into systems-thinking for your life.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• My full weekly routine—from Monday meetings to weekend voice notes and podcasting
• How I break down work by energy level and environment (and why that matters)
• Why I’m intentionally not aiming for balance in 2025—and what I’m optimizing for instead
• The 3 types of work nurse leaders must design for: Recurring, Reactive, and Strategic
• How I protect space for long-term planning while still staying responsive

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Systems thinking isn’t just for patient care—it works for time management, too.
• If your calendar doesn’t reflect your goals, your weeks won’t produce the life you want.
• Nurse leaders often spend too much time in reactive mode. Carve out time for strategic work on purpose.
• Your week doesn’t have to be “balanced”—it has to be aligned with your season, values, and vision.
• Calendaring is leadership. And you can design your calendar to work with your energy instead of against it.

🛠️ Try This: Map Your Week Like a System

Start with these reflection questions:

• What’s recurring in your work and life? What days/times are best for those tasks?
• What’s strategic and needs deep thinking time? Where can you protect space for that?
• What’s reactive, and how can you buffer time to handle it without derailing everything else?

Then ask:

• When is my energy highest for focused work?
• Where do I need community, rest, or creative time to feel like a human?

Design around your own data—not someone else’s ideal week.

📦 Resources + Mentions:

📝 Nurse Leader Headquarters – Join the Waitlist

• A high-touch, small-cohort leadership program for nurse managers who are ready to lead with clarity, strategy, and confidence. Applications open June 2.

📥 System Sunday Email List

• Weekly voice notes turned into grounded, honest emails—designed to help you reset and reorient each week as a nurse changemaker.

📲 Stay in the Loop

• Follow Claire on IG: @nursing.the.system

Today’s episode is personal and powerful. After a string of frustrating public encounters in my (usually peaceful!) Dutch city, I started thinking about bullies—and how very present they are in nursing and healthcare.

If you’ve ever been bullied, witnessed it, or had to manage someone who bullies others, this episode is for you.

We’re talking about:

• Why bullies act the way they do
• What bullying looks like in a professional setting
• How to hold the line (without losing yourself)
• Why rooting it out early matters—for the health of your team, culture, and leadership

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why bullying is a reflection of their wounds, not your worth
• What workplace bullying looks like (hint: it’s not just “being mean”)
• How a zero-tolerance approach protects your team from dysfunction and disrepair
• What to say in the moment to shut it down with composure
• How to lead through bullying—whether you’re the manager or a team member

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Bullies thrive in silence. Speaking up is a service to your team.
• You don’t need to “fix” a bully—but you do need to hold your dignity and the line.
• You can feel empathy without excusing behavior.
• Boundaries are leadership tools, not just personal preferences.
• Culture is shaped by what we tolerate. If we don't stop bullying, it spreads.

🛠️ Reflection Prompts:

• Where are you tolerating disrespect because it feels easier than confronting it?
• What’s one small boundary you can reinforce this week to flex that leadership muscle?
• How can you be part of a culture where bullies lose their power?

💬 Sample Phrases to Use with Bullies:

• “It seems like you’re having a rough day. I’m going to need you to handle that elsewhere.”
• “I’m surprised you felt comfortable saying that out loud.”
• “I understand you’re frustrated, but I will not allow you to speak to me like that.”

(These are calm. Direct. Non-negotiable.)

📣 Nurse Leaders—Heads Up:

My new program Nurse Leader Headquarters is opening for applications in June! This is a high-impact program designed to give nurse leaders the strategic tools, support, and confidence you should have gotten when you first stepped into your role.

🎯 Get on the waitlist now to:

• Be the first to hear details
• Secure first dibs on limited seats
• Get insider-only updates and early access

👉 JOIN NOW

📲 Stay Connected:

• Follow me on IG: @nursing.the.system
• Join the System Sunday email crew: For real talk, mindset shifts, and system-savvy strategy delivered weekly.

We’re unpacking why we struggle to say no, how to filter what you say yes to, and why setting boundaries isn’t selfish—it’s strategic leadership. If you’ve been stuck in overcommitment mode, let’s shift into something more sustainable.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• The cultural stories that make us feel like we have to say yes—and why they’re holding you back.
• A 3-part filter to help you decide what’s worth your time, energy, and attention.
• Why being overcommitted actually dilutes your impact (and how to stop it).
• How to use the Value Add Spectrum to figure out what’s no longer serving you.
• Real-life examples of how I’ve set (and held) boundaries—yes, even with the COO.
• How boundaries help you shift from a reactive leader to a proactive one who leads with intention.

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Saying no is not selfish—it’s a leadership skill that protects your capacity to lead well.
• If everything’s important, nothing is. You have to filter and prioritize to show up fully.
• Boundaries don’t just happen—you build the muscle by practicing (yes, even when it’s uncomfortable).
• You are your best systems change asset—don’t dilute your power with misaligned yeses.

🛠️ The 3-Part Filter to Evaluate Commitments:

1. Mission Fit: Does this align with where you’re headed?
2. Capacity Check: Can you do this well without draining yourself or hurting your bigger goals?
3. Fun Factor: Will this bring meaning, satisfaction, or joy to your life? (Not everything has to be a grind.)

💡 Try This: The Value Add Spectrum

• Rate your current commitments from -10 to +10 based on how much value you actually bring.
• Anything below a +5? Reevaluate.
• Anything at 0 or negative? Let it go.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Use this episode as a gut check. What are you holding onto out of guilt, fear, or habit? Grab a notebook, list your current commitments, and run them through the filter. You’ll walk away with more clarity—and maybe fewer things on your plate.

📣 Ready for More Support?

• Professional Mission Clarity: Download my free Professional Mission Statement Blueprint to get laser-focused on where you’re headed.
• New Program Alert: A leadership program for nurse leaders is coming soon. If you want to build boundaries, lead strategically, and stop drowning in everyone else’s priorities—join the interest list now to get first access.

📲 Stay Connected:

• Follow on Instagram: @nursing.the.system
• Subscribe to System Sunday: Sign Up Here
• DM Me: What’s something you’re saying no to this week? Let me know how this landed for you.

I’m walking you through why this happens and how to get back to yourself, without stepping away from your role. You’ll learn how to realign your personal priorities with your organization’s mission, so you can lead with clarity, purpose, and energy again.

We’ll get practical with two reflection questions you can use today, plus I’m sharing a sneak peek into something special I’ve got brewing for nurse leaders like you.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why so many nurse leaders feel like they’ve lost themselves in the role—and how to tell if you’re one of them
• The difference between being dedicated and being depleted, and how to stop sacrificing your own needs for the team
• How to reconnect with why you became a leader in the first place, even in a high-pressure environment
• Two powerful questions to help you realign your personal goals with your leadership responsibilities
• What it means to be a systems thinking leader—and how to show up for your team and yourself at the same time

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Leadership without self-connection leads to burnout. You matter in the equation too.
• You can care deeply about your team and still have personal goals that fuel your work.
• Aligning your organization’s mission with your own priorities will center you and help you lead sustainably.
• Leadership isn’t about losing yourself—it’s about bringing your whole self to the role, strategically and intentionally.

🛠️ Two Reflection Questions to Reset Your Leadership:

1. What is the primary organizational priority that your team needs to focus on right now?
2. How does this organizational priority connect to a personal priority you have as a professional?

Start here. Get honest. Then build your leadership plan around BOTH.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

This isn’t just something to listen to passively. Grab a notebook or open your notes app and answer those two questions. Come back to them weekly if you need to. When your goals and your organization’s goals are running parallel, you don’t lose yourself—you grow.

📣 Something Big Is Coming…

If this episode resonated with you, and you’ve been craving more support as a nurse leader, I’ve got something exciting on the horizon. A new program just for nurse leaders is in the works. If you want to be the first to hear about it (and get your first clue), join the super secret nurse leader waitlist.

📲 Stay Connected:

• Follow on Instagram: @nursing.the.system
• Subscribe to System Sunday: Sign Up Here

This episode started with a Free Advice Friday question about time management—but the real issue? A much deeper systems problem. I take you through a real-world case study of an ICU nurse floated to an ED observation unit with a 1:7 ratio, and use it as a launch point to unpack the real layers behind “not enough time.” This one’s for the nurses doing their best inside broken systems—and for the leaders ready to do better.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why time management strategies won’t fix a misaligned workload
• How to differentiate between sufficient and optimal care
• Practical mindset shifts and strategies for overwhelmed nurses
• What nurse leaders can do right now to reduce team burnout
• The 3 levels every sustainable staffing strategy needs to address

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• You are not failing—your system might just be misaligned.
• Sufficient care isn’t substandard care. It’s the right care for right now.
• Managing stress is a clinical skill, not just self-care.
• Leaders need to define, communicate, and defend realistic standards.
• Sustainable systems are designed. They don’t happen by accident.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Podcast:

If you’ve ever left a shift feeling like you barely kept your head above water, this episode is for you. Listen with curiosity—not self-blame—and take note of which level (nurse, unit leader, or system leader) you have influence over. Spoiler: it’s probably more than you think.

📣 Special Announcement:

If you’re not already getting my System Sunday emails, make sure to sign up. Each week I send out quick, actionable insights to help nurse leaders and changemakers lead with strategy, clarity, and a little bit more calm.

📲 Call to Action:

• Subscribe to the podcast and leave a review—it helps other nurses find this free resource.
• Share this episode with a colleague or leader who needs to hear it.
• DM me on Instagram with your own workplace challenge—I might feature it in a future episode. You can also fill out the form here to have you question featured on the pod!
• Sign up for System Sunday to get weekly tips and stories straight to your inbox.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

1. Reframe your shift with the “Sufficient vs. Optimal” lens

Before beating yourself up for not doing more, ask: What does sufficient look like today? Did I hit that bar? Great—job done.

2. Take a two-minute reset mid-shift

Stress compounds. Set a reminder to hydrate, breathe, and check in with your thinking. Ask: Am I moving fast… but thinking less clearly?

3. Identify your guilt voice—and challenge it

If you’re expecting inpatient-level care on a transitional unit with no tech support… that guilt isn’t yours to carry. Write it down. Release it.

4. Ask leadership-level questions (even if you’re not in leadership)

Is this unit designed for sufficiency? Are expectations aligned with reality? Am I intervening where I have influence?

5. If you’re a nurse leader: get clear, get vocal, and get upstream

Define sufficiency for your team. Monitor the signs of burnout. Coach your people through the hard days—and advocate where you can make change.

In this episode, I’m diving into one of my favorite (and most important) topics: workplace conflict. Whether you’re in healthcare or corporate, conflict is inevitable—and yet most of us never learned how to handle it well. I’ll walk you through a simple framework I use to navigate and coach others through conflict, the hidden trap of triangulation, and how leaders can shift from emotional labor to real coaching.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How to recognize the difference between indirect and direct repair—and why it matters.
• What triangulation looks like in real life and how it quietly erodes trust and team culture.
• Scripts and strategies you can use to navigate hard conversations with more clarity and confidence.
• Why conflict avoidance creates more stress (not less), and what to do instead.
• How to coach your team through conflict without carrying it for them.

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Indirect repair might feel easier in the moment, but it weakens relationships over time.
• Triangulation often looks like “processing,” but it’s really avoidance in disguise.
• Direct repair doesn’t have to be aggressive—it’s often soft, grounded, and kind.
• As a leader, your ability to model and coach conflict resolution sets the tone for your entire team.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Podcast:

Think back to a recent moment of tension at work. As you listen, reflect on how you typically handle conflict—then ask yourself what it would look like to try a different approach. If you lead a team, keep your coaching hat on.

📲 Call to Action:

• Subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode.
• DM me on Instagram and tell me what this episode brought up for you—I’d love to hear it.
• Share this episode with a teammate or leader who needs a fresh perspective on handling conflict.
• Sign up for System Sunday for more tools, stories, and strategies each week.

👉 Resources Mentioned:

• System Sunday Newsletter – Your weekly dose of strategy and sanity for leading change
• Changemaker Essentials – Learn foundational leadership skills, including conflict resolution
• Map Your Impact Mini Course – Reflective tools for building your leadership identity

Hey friends, welcome back to Nursing the System. Today’s episode is a bit different. Instead of my usual deep dive into leadership frameworks or strategies, I’m sharing something more personal—a real talk moment from my System Sunday email series.

This week, I’m reflecting on my worst week at work so far—one where I dropped balls, struggled to communicate clearly, and just didn’t feel like I was on my game. I’ll read you the email I sent to my list, and then share some insights on why giving yourself grace during tough weeks is essential for long-term resilience as a leader.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• How to recover from a rough week at work without spiraling
• The importance of self-compassion when you care deeply about doing good work
• Why taking one small action to repair a mistake can make a big difference
• How to reframe failure and move forward with confidence
• Three reflection questions to help you reset after a tough week

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• You don’t have to be perfect to be impactful—own your mistakes, repair what you can, and keep moving forward
• Self-compassion is essential for anyone doing hard work and leading change
• One small act of repair can stop an imposter spiral and help you end your week on a more grounded note
• Reflect and reset—don’t let one bad week make you question your entire professional journey

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

Think about a time when you had an off week. How did you handle it? Did you give yourself grace, or did you let guilt linger? As you listen, reflect on how you can practice self-compassion the next time things don’t go as planned.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take

1. Acknowledge the Mistake: Own it without over-apologizing.
2. Repair and Move On: Take one small action to make amends and reduce your mental load.
3. Reflect Without Judging: Ask yourself what you learned from the experience rather than dwelling on what went wrong.
4. Reset for the Week Ahead: Treat Monday as a fresh start—leave last week’s guilt behind.
5. Use Self-Compassion Questions:

• What would it look like to give yourself grace for how you showed up?
• What’s one lesson you can take from the hard moments?
• If you walked into tomorrow guilt-free, how would that change your day?

📣 Special Invitation

💌 If this episode resonated, make sure you’re subscribed to my System Sunday emails. They’re short, honest reflections designed to give you clarity and energy for the week ahead. Sign up via the link in the show notes!

📲 Call to Action

• Follow me on Instagram: @nursing.the.system
• Subscribe to System Sunday: Sign up here
• Share Your Story or Ask a Question: DM me or fill out the Google form if you want to share your own tough week story or as a question for a chance to be featured on the pod!

Hey there, changemakers! In this episode, I’m diving into a career path that doesn’t get talked about enough for nurse leaders—working at a scale-up. If you’re feeling stuck in a bureaucratic system or frustrated by the slow pace of change in healthcare, this episode will give you a fresh perspective.

I’ll share insights from my own journey into the scale-up world, how these companies differ from startups and corporations, and why nurses who thrive on innovation can make a huge impact here.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• What a scale-up actually is and how it fits between a startup and a corporation
• Why nurses are uniquely equipped to thrive in a scale-up environment
• The types of work you’ll do—from building systems to cross-functional collaboration
• How to know if a scale-up is right for you based on your personality and work style
• My personal experience transitioning from hospital leadership to a health tech scale-up

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• Scale-ups thrive on innovation—if you’re tired of hearing “That’s how we’ve always done it,” this might be the space for you
• You’ll see the impact of your work right away—no 18-month pilots or 12-person committees
• Professional development is a priority—leadership growth happens now, not five years from now
• You’re building the scaffolding for future growth—not just brainstorming ideas but making real, scalable systems
• Cross-functional influence is key—you’ll work with diverse teams like marketing, engineering, and product design

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

Think about your current work environment. Are you feeling stifled by red tape? Do your ideas often feel ahead of your team’s pace? Are you craving a faster, more flexible environment where you can test new ideas? This episode is all about finding the right context to match your energy and innovation mindset.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take

1. Self-Reflect: Ask yourself if you enjoy fast-paced environments and building something from the ground up.
2. Research Scale-Ups: Look into local and remote opportunities that align with your skills.
3. Reach Out: Connect with nurse leaders working in scale-ups to hear firsthand what it’s like.
4. Explore Professional Development: Seek out companies that actively invest in leadership and innovation training.
5. Take the Leap: If a scale-up sounds like your jam, don’t be afraid to make a bold career move.

📣 Special Invitation

💡 Got questions about working at a scale-up or navigating your own career path?

I’d love to hear from you! Fill out the Google form linked in the show notes to share your thoughts or ask questions. Your input helps shape future episodes!

📲 Call to Action

• DM me on Instagram at @nursing.the.system with your thoughts on today’s episode.
• Join my Systems Sunday email list for your weekly dose of strategy and sanity for nurses leading change in healthcare.
• Subscribe, Rate & Review the podcast—it helps me reach more nurse changemakers.
• Explore the Map Your Impact Mini-Course: Use code MYI10Off to get it for just $29.

👉 Resources Mentioned

• Map Your Impact Mini-Course: Get it here
• Follow me on Instagram: @nursing.the.system
• System Sunday Newsletter: Sign up here
• Google Form for Questions: Submit here

Today, we’re talking about one of my favorite strategies for avoiding burnout and sustaining long-term productivity: the Deload Week. Borrowed from the world of weightlifting, this concept has become a core part of how I structure my work and energy throughout the year.

Whether you’re juggling multiple roles, running a business, or just feeling like you never get a true breather—this episode will help you rethink how (and when) to pause without losing momentum.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• What a Deload Week is and why it’s essential for long-term sustainability
• How I structure mine around my business and corporate work
• Ways to tailor this concept to your unique life and energy cycles
• Why rest doesn’t mean disengagement—and how to make space for creativity, reflection, and deep learning
• When not to use this practice (yes, there are times it's not the move)

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• Rest is productive when it’s intentional.
• You don’t need a full week—even 1–2 days of strategic, structured rest can spark clarity and momentum.
• Bored brains birth good ideas. Giving your brain space helps creativity and innovation thrive.
• Structure + flexibility is the sweet spot. Guardrails help, but so does room to play.
• Deloading ≠ procrastination. Know when you're resting and when you're avoiding.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

As you listen, think about the natural cycles in your work or personal life. When could you plan a “pullback” period that would set you up for a stronger push forward? If you’re feeling exhausted, uncreative, or like you’re constantly in output mode, this episode will help you recalibrate.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take

1. Reflect: Where in your year could a deload week (or days) help you recharge?
2. Plan: Choose a period post-deadline, post-launch, or pre-push to give yourself intentional breathing room.
3. Define your guardrails: What are your non-negotiables (email, podcast, client care)? What can you pause?
4. Make it restorative: Use the time to play, read, think, journal, or explore new ideas.
5. Test and tweak: Try a mini deload and take notes on what helped. Adjust for next time.

📣 Special Invitation

💡 Have a question or a workplace challenge you want me to unpack on the pod?

Send me a DM on Instagram or reply to one of my System Sunday emails—I’d love to turn your Q into a full episode.

📲 Call to Action

• DM me on Instagram with your Deload Week idea or takeaway.
• Share this episode with a friend who’s overdue for a break.
• Rate & review the podcast—it helps more changemakers find this content!
• Subscribe so you never miss a new episode.

⁉️ Want me to answer your question or scenario on the podcast?

I just opened a new form where you can anonymously submit:

• A leadership or systems challenge you’re facing
• A scenario you want me to walk through
• A question that’s been stuck in your head about your role, team, or impact

I'll be selecting a few to feature in upcoming episodes.

Submit your Q here!

👉 Resources Mentioned

• Follow on Instagram: @nursing.the.system
• Join my System Sunday email list for your weekly dose of strategy and sanity for nurses leading change in healthcare.

Today’s episode is a little different—I’m recording straight from my bed, under the covers, because inspiration struck and I had to get this out of my brain.

I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at preparing for and delivering my first big keynote—to an audience of 2,000 at a national nurse practitioner conference. From pre-speech jitters to the moment I walked off stage, I’m unpacking what worked, what surprised me, and the mental strategies I used to keep my nerves in check.

If you’ve ever had to speak in front of a group, pitch an idea, or step into a high-pressure leadership role, this episode is for you.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• How I managed my nerves leading up to my biggest keynote yet
• The "it’s not a big deal" mindset hack I use to keep calm under pressure
• My dad’s genius storytelling trick for instantly connecting with an audience
• Why making friends with your audience in advance is a game-changer for confidence

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• Confidence isn’t about eliminating nerves—it’s about managing them.
• Your audience wants you to succeed. Humanize them, and you’ll feel less pressure.
• Stories create connection. A well-placed personal story makes your talk instantly more engaging.
• Growth often feels uncomfortable. The nerves mean you're stepping into something bigger.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

If you’ve got a presentation, pitch, or public speaking moment coming up, listen to this episode with that in mind. Think about how you can apply these strategies to show up with more confidence and own the room.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take

1. Test the “it’s not a big deal” mindset—see if downplaying the pressure helps calm your nerves.
2. Start with a story. Next time you speak, open with something relatable to set the tone.
3. Make audience connections before you speak—introduce yourself, chat with people, and anchor yourself to familiar faces.
4. Reframe nerves as proof of growth. If something makes you nervous, it’s probably pushing you to a new level.

⁉️ Want me to answer your question or scenario on the podcast?

I just opened a new form where you can anonymously submit:

• A leadership or systems challenge you’re facing
• A scenario you want me to walk through
• A question that’s been stuck in your head about your role, team, or impact

I'll be selecting a few to feature in upcoming episodes.

Submit your Q here!

📲 Call to Action

• DM me on Instagram (@nursing.the.system) with your biggest public speaking challenge!
• Share this episode with a friend who needs a confidence boost before their next big talk.
• Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss future episodes!
• Join my System Sunday email list for your weekly dose of strategy and sanity for nurses leading change in healthcare.

Today’s episode is a special sneak peek from my private podcast series: The Changemaker Case Files. This private series takes you behind the scenes into real coaching conversations with nurse changemakers — nurses just like you — who are navigating career pivots, leadership challenges, and everything in between.

In this episode, I’m sharing the 8-step process I personally use to navigate roadblocks in my own change work — including the very real tech disaster that almost derailed this entire podcast project. Whether you’re leading a project, navigating a career transition, or just trying to stay afloat in a constantly shifting healthcare system, these steps will help you stay grounded and move forward with confidence.

If you love this episode, you’ll love the full Changemaker Case Files series — and you can access it for free by subscribing at the link in the show notes.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• Why roadblocks are inevitable in any change project (and why that’s not a bad thing)
• The exact 8-step process for handling setbacks without spiraling
• How to emotionally discharge frustration so you can problem-solve effectively
• Why transparency builds trust — and how to share setbacks with your team the right way

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• Roadblocks aren’t proof you’re failing — they’re part of the process.
• Emotional regulation comes before problem-solving — always.
• Resilient leaders communicate transparently, even when things go wrong.
• Every challenge is an opportunity to build creative problem-solving skills.
• 
  

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

Listen with a recent or current challenge in mind, and think about how you can apply the 8-step process to your own situation. Even if you’re not leading a big project right now, this framework will serve you in any season of your career — from day-to-day work frustrations to major career pivots.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take

1. Save the 8-Step Process — write it down or save it somewhere you can easily access when things go sideways.
2. Practice emotional discharge intentionally the next time you hit a snag — avoid jumping straight into problem-solving mode.
3. Reflect on a past project that hit a roadblock — how would this process have helped you navigate it differently?
4. Subscribe to The Changemaker Case Files to hear even more real conversations and coaching moments — the private podcast is free and linked in the show notes.

📲 Call to Action

• Subscribe to The Changemaker Case Files for free
• Join Changemaker Essentials Waitlist if you’re ready to invest in your future
• DM me on Instagram with your thoughts, feedback, or how you’re using the 8-step process in your own work
• Join my System Sunday email list for your weekly dose of strategy and sanity for nurses leading change in healthcare.

The healthcare landscape is evolving at breakneck speed—but the career advice nurses are still being given is stuck in the past. In this episode, we’re getting brutally honest about why the “stable job, climb the ladder, collect degrees” mindset is no longer enough—and how it’s actively hurting your ability to build a career that lasts.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything “right” but still feel stuck, burned out, or unsure what’s next, this episode will help you understand why—and what to do instead.

Most importantly, you’ll learn why becoming a systems thinker and building a changemaker skill set is the ultimate form of career insurance in today’s healthcare world.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why traditional career advice for nurses is outdated—and dangerous in 2025.
• The three biggest career myths keeping nurses stuck (and what to believe instead).
• How the most successful nurse leaders think differently about their careers and impact.
• Why “stability” is a myth—and adaptability is your real superpower.
• How to future-proof your nursing career with a portable, powerful skill set you can apply anywhere.

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• There is no such thing as a “stable” nursing career anymore.
• Degrees alone won’t save you—but strategic skills, relationships, and systems thinking will.
• You can’t afford to wait for permission—the nurses who thrive create their own opportunities.
• Change leadership isn’t a title—it’s a mindset and a set of tools you can use anywhere.
• Your best career insurance plan is becoming someone who understands how systems work and how to change them.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

As you listen, take note of the career advice you’ve been following—where does it come from? Is it aligned with the realities of healthcare today, or are you still clinging to outdated ideas that no longer serve you? Reflect on what being a changemaker could look like for you, no matter where you work today.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

✔ Stop chasing stability and start building adaptability—become someone who can thrive in any setting.

✔ Audit your career mindset—are you waiting for a seat at the table, or learning how to build your own?

✔ Start thinking like a systems thinker—practice seeing the big picture, not just your daily tasks.

✔ Explore Changemaker Essentials—Claire’s 12-week program to help you build the strategic skills, influence, and confidence to create a career that works for YOU, not just the system.

📣 Special Announcements:

🚨 Changemaker Essentials enrollment is OPEN!

This 12-week program is designed for nurses who are ready to:

• Stop feeling stuck and start driving change in their careers and workplaces.
• Build systems thinking, influence, and problem-solving skills that work in any setting.
• Create a career path that’s aligned with their values and future-proofed against industry shifts.

Enrollment is only open March 3-6, 2025, so head to the link in the below to save your spot.

📲 Call to Action:

🔗 Visit here to enroll in Change Maker Essentials before doors close on March 6th.

📩 DM Claire on Instagram @nursing.the.system with any questions—or just to share your biggest takeaway from today’s episode.

📤 Know a nurse who feels stuck in their career? Send them this episode!

⁉️ Want me to answer your question or scenario on the podcast?

I just opened a new form where you can anonymously submit:

• A leadership or systems challenge you’re facing
• A scenario you want me to walk through
• A question that’s been stuck in your head about your role, team, or impact

I'll be selecting a few to feature in upcoming episodes.

Submit your Q here!

👉 Resources Mentioned:

• 📚 Changemaker Essentials Enrollment Page – Enrollment Closes March 6th
• Join my System Sunday email list for your weekly dose of strategy and sanity for nurses leading change in healthcare.
• 📲 Follow Claire on Instagram: @nursing.the.system

Stepping into a leadership role—whether you’re new to an organization, promoted within your unit, or stepping up as a charge nurse—can feel like drinking from a firehose. You’re excited, a little overwhelmed, and wondering, Where do I even start?

The truth? New leaders often feel like they’re failing before they’ve even begun. But leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about learning how to ask the right questions. In this episode, we’re breaking down the mindset shifts, first steps, and success tools you need to transition into leadership with confidence.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• The biggest mindset traps that new leaders fall into (and how to avoid them).
• Why you don’t need to prove yourself right away—and how pacing yourself sets you up for long-term success.
• The first steps every new leader should take to earn trust and build momentum.
• How to clarify your team’s challenges and goals before making big decisions.
• Three practical tools to help you stay organized, build relationships, and find early wins in your role.

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Leadership transitions take time—you don’t have to prove yourself in the first month.
• Your first job as a leader is to listen, learn, and observe.
• Small, strategic wins are more impactful than rushing to fix everything at once.
• Trust isn’t built by doing everything—it’s built by doing the right things well.
• You don’t need to have all the answers—great leaders know how to ask the right questions.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Reflect on where you’re at in your leadership journey—are you feeling pressure to over-perform, or are you focusing on learning first? Take notes on the success tools shared in this episode and pick one or two to start implementing this week.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

✔ Shift Your Mindset: Give yourself permission to be a learner first, not a fixer.

✔ Set Up 1:1 Conversations with key team members to understand what’s working and where support is needed.

✔ Start Your Orientation Manual: Document important systems, processes, and stakeholder insights.

✔ Use the Map Your Impact Mini-Course to identify key players and how to strategically build relationships.

✔ Find an Early Win: Look for a small, meaningful improvement to build credibility with your team.

📣 Special Announcements:

📌 Navigating a new leadership role? My Map Your Impact Mini-Course will help you cut through the noise, identify your strategic position, and make an impact—without feeling overwhelmed. Find it in the show notes!

📌 Want a clear strategy for leading with confidence? Join the waitlist for Changemaker Essentials—my leadership coaching program designed to help you step into your role with clarity and purpose.

⁉️ Want me to answer your question or scenario on the podcast?

I just opened a new form where you can anonymously submit:

• A leadership or systems challenge you’re facing
• A scenario you want me to walk through
• A question that’s been stuck in your head about your role, team, or impact

I'll be selecting a few to feature in upcoming episodes.

Submit your Q here!

📲 Call to Action:

📩 DM me on Instagram @nursing.the.system to share your biggest leadership challenge—I’d love to hear from you!

Join my System Sunday email list for your weekly dose of strategy and sanity for nurses leading change in healthcare.

🎧 If this episode resonated with you, send it to a fellow nurse leader or tag me on Instagram with your takeaways.

If you’re thinking about grad school—or you’re already in the thick of it—there’s a lot you probably wish someone had told you. Many nurses see grad school as the natural next step for career growth, but without a clear “why,” they often end up burned out, frustrated, or questioning if it was worth it.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the six biggest mistakes nurses make when choosing, applying to, and navigating grad school—so you can make the most of your experience.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• The biggest misconceptions about grad school (and why it won’t automatically fix burnout).
• Why using grad school as an escape route can backfire—and what to do instead.
• How to avoid underestimating the financial, time, and mental investment that grad school requires.
• Why not all schools are created equal (and how to find a program that actually fits your career goals).
• How to be strategic in your applications instead of telling admissions committees what you think they want to hear.
• The number one way to find mentorship during grad school—and why it’s your responsibility to seek it out.

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Grad school should be a strategic choice, not an emotional escape route.
• If you’re struggling with lack of structure, grad school won’t fix that—you have to build systems that work for you.
• The true cost of grad school goes beyond tuition—it affects your time, opportunities, and mental capacity.
• A “top-ranked” school isn’t always the best fit—your personal vision matters more than prestige.
• Professors and advisors won’t automatically check in on you—mentorship is something you have to create for yourself.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Take a moment to reflect on why you’re considering grad school. Are you running toward something or just running away? Listen with a critical and open mind—this episode will help you get clear on whether grad school is the right move for you right now.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

✔ Get clear on your "why" before applying—ask yourself what long-term impact you want to have.

✔ Assess whether you need grad school or just a better structure for career growth.

✔ Do the math—look at the true financial, time, and energy cost before enrolling.

✔ Research schools intentionally—find a program that aligns with your career goals, not just the most prestigious name.

✔ Seek mentorship proactively—connect with faculty, peers, or professional groups to support your journey.

📣 Special Announcements:

📌 Thinking about grad school? My Personal Statement Writing Guide is your roadmap to crafting an authentic, standout application.

📌 If you’re feeling uncertain about your next career move, Changemaker Essentials is designed to help you build clarity and confidence in your professional path.

⁉️ Want me to answer your question or scenario on the podcast?

I just opened a new form where you can anonymously submit:

• A leadership or systems challenge you’re facing
• A scenario you want me to walk through
• A question that’s been stuck in your head about your role, team, or impact

I'll be selecting a few to feature in upcoming episodes.

Submit your Q here!



📲 Call to Action:

📩 DM me on Instagram @nursing.the.system to share your thoughts on this episode or ask any questions!

Join my System Sunday email list for your weekly dose of strategy and sanity for nurses leading change in healthcare.

🎧 If you found this episode helpful, share it with a fellow nurse who’s considering grad school!

In this episode I discuss how I am stepping into a leadership role where I was hired for my leadership skills—not my subject matter expertise. In this episode, I’m sharing how I prepared for my new role and the seven things I did six weeks before my first day to set myself up for success. If you’re navigating a leadership transition, this episode will give you tangible strategies to help you feel more confident, clear, and prepared.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why preparing for a transition isn’t about control—it’s about resilience.
• The mindset shift that makes stepping into leadership feel less overwhelming.
• How to create structure before day one to reduce stress and decision fatigue.
• The importance of observing, listening, and connecting in your first few weeks.
• How setting expectations with your team and loved ones makes the transition smoother.

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Leadership transitions aren’t just about learning the job—they’re about designing systems that support you through the change.
• You don’t need to have all the answers on day one—your job is to listen, observe, and build trust.
• Setting up your home life and routines in advance creates more mental space to focus at work.
• Every system—from your calendar to your relationships—affects your success in a new role.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

If you’re stepping into leadership, about to start a new job, or feeling overwhelmed by a transition, use this episode as a checklist. Pick one or two strategies that resonate and implement them now—you’ll thank yourself later.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

1. Rehearse Your New Routine: Start practicing your new schedule before day one—wake up at the same time, test your commute, and fine-tune your workflow.
2. Declutter Your Physical & Digital Spaces: Clear out distractions so your home and workspace feel supportive.
3. Prioritize Observation & Connection: Spend your first weeks listening, asking questions, and learning the dynamics of your team.
4. Set Expectations With Loved Ones: Be upfront about how your schedule is changing and what you’ll need during the transition.
5. Identify Your Leadership Priorities: Define how you want to show up each day, even before you start making changes.

📣 Special Announcements:

🚨 The Map Your Impact Mini-Course is here! This course helps you map out your role, focus your energy, and start driving meaningful change from day one—without feeling overwhelmed.

As a podcast listener, you can use the code MYI10OFF for $10 off your enrollment. Find the link in the show notes!

⁉️ Want me to answer your question or scenario on the podcast?

I just opened a new form where you can anonymously submit:

• A leadership or systems challenge you’re facing
• A scenario you want me to walk through
• A question that’s been stuck in your head about your role, team, or impact

I'll be selecting a few to feature in upcoming episodes.

Submit your Q here!

👉 Resources Mentioned:

• Map Your Impact Mini-Course (Code: MYI10OFF)
• Connect with me: @nursing.the.system

🎙 Episode Overview:

Silos in healthcare are everywhere, from departments that don’t communicate to shifts operating in isolation. 

In this episode, I’m diving into why breaking down these barriers is critical for collaboration, patient care, and building a healthier workplace culture. 

I’ll walk you through practical steps to start dissolving silos at your level—whether that’s with your coworkers, managers, or other departments—so we can create an interconnected web of trust and teamwork.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why silos limit collaboration and delay patient care—and how to recognize them in your workplace.
• Practical ways to connect with your coworkers and reduce the “us vs. them” mindset.
• How building trust with your manager strengthens team dynamics and problem-solving.
• Strategies to go beyond surface-level niceties with other departments.
• How to become a connector and foster collaboration across your organization.

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Silos limit communication, delay care, and create an “us vs. them” culture.
• Collaboration starts with empathy and understanding others’ perspectives, no matter their role.
• Strong workplace connections create a “web” of trust that helps solve problems faster.
• You don’t need authority to make an impact—small actions can create ripple effects across your team.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

Come ready to reflect on how you interact with others at work. Pay attention to the practical examples I share and think about how you can apply them to build stronger connections in your organization.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

1. Ask a coworker a meaningful question, like, “What’s one thing making your shift harder today?”
2. Have a quick, intentional check-in with your manager to better understand their perspective.
3. Break the ice with other departments by asking a thoughtful question, like, “What drew you to this role?”
4. Introduce two people who could collaborate better and watch how that connection drives teamwork.

📣 Special Announcements:

🚨 I’m so excited to announce the launch of the Map Your Impact Mini-Course! In this course, I’ll guide you through creating a personalized impact map to help you identify your role, focus your energy, and start driving meaningful change without feeling overwhelmed.

As a podcast listener, you can use the code MYI10OFF for $10 off your enrollment.

📲 Call to Action:

• Enroll in the Map Your Impact Mini-Course with code MYI10OFF.
• Follow me on Instagram @nursing.the.system for more tools and tips on breaking silos.
• Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to make their workplace stronger.
• Join the CME Waitlist
• Join my System Sunday email list for your weekly dose of strategy and sanity for nurses leading change in healthcare.



⁉️ Want me to answer your question or scenario on the podcast?

I just opened a new form where you can anonymously submit:

• A leadership or systems challenge you’re facing
• A scenario you want me to walk through
• A question that’s been stuck in your head about your role, team, or impact

I'll be selecting a few to feature in upcoming episodes.

Submit your Q here!

👉 Resources Mentioned:

• Map Your Impact Mini-Course (Code: MYI10OFF)
• Connect with me: @nursing.the.system

When you're in a meeting discussing a complex problem, have you ever wondered how everyone can be looking at the same issue but seeing it completely differently? 

In this episode, we dive into systems mapping—a powerful visual tool that helps get your entire team on the same page. You'll learn how to use this approach to break down complex problems, create shared understanding, and move toward meaningful solutions together.

🔑 In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• How to use systems mapping to visualize relationships between different parts of your healthcare system—from staffing patterns to communication breakdowns
• Why creating a shared mental model is crucial for solving complex problems (and how systems mapping makes this possible)
• The key difference between systems mapping and workflow mapping, and when to use each
• A step-by-step approach to facilitate your first systems mapping session with your team

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Systems mapping isn't about controlling the system—it's about understanding it so we can move with it more effectively
• The act of mapping together is often just as valuable as the final map itself
• You're already familiar with systems mapping through things like org charts and anatomy diagrams—now it's about applying this skill intentionally
• When diverse stakeholders map together, you get a more complete picture of what's really happening

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

Take notes on the 4-step process for facilitating a systems mapping session. Think about a current challenge in your workplace that could benefit from getting everyone's perspective visually mapped out.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

• Choose a specific problem or process in your unit that would benefit from shared understanding
• Gather your team and use sticky notes or a whiteboard to map out the current system together
• Ask "what might be happening?" instead of "what is happening?" to encourage more open discussion
• Use the bathtub analogy (inflows, stock, outflows) to analyze staffing or resource challenges

📣 Special Announcements:

Stay tuned for a special surprise in the next episode! Make sure you've collected all the secret code letters from the past few episodes. Collect this episode's secret code letters: "O F F"

👉 Call to Action:

• Share this episode
• Connect with Claire on Instagram @nursing.the.system to share your feedback
• Subscribe, rate, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts
• Join my System Sunday email list for your weekly dose of strategy and sanity for nurses leading change in healthcare.

⁉️ Want me to answer your question or scenario on the podcast?

I just opened a new form where you can anonymously submit:

• A leadership or systems challenge you’re facing
• A scenario you want me to walk through
• A question that’s been stuck in your head about your role, team, or impact

I'll be selecting a few to feature in upcoming episodes.

Submit your Q here!



📲 Links & Resources:

• Instagram
• Systems Sunday Newsletter

In this deeply personal episode, I share how an unexpected pull toward living in the Netherlands challenged my carefully planned life path—and what that taught me about navigating vision shifts. Whether you're feeling a tug toward something new or wrestling with seemingly conflicting goals, this episode offers a framework for aligning your shifting vision with your life and career.

🔑 In This Episode, You'll Learn

• How to recognize and sit with the discomfort of a shifting vision instead of immediately trying to "fix" it
• A practical framework for integrating seemingly conflicting personal and professional goals
• Why "irrational" pulls toward new directions might hold important clues about your future path
• How to take small, exploratory steps toward a new vision while maintaining your current commitments

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• Your vision naturally evolves—this isn't a failure of planning but an invitation to grow
• Being stuck is always a feeling, never a fact. It's an invitation to think differently about your situation
• Being a changemaker isn't about becoming a strategic robot. It's about asking: Who do I want to be? What do I love to do? And how can I integrate that into my life?
• Clarity comes from action, not endless analysis

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

Take time to reflect on your own experiences with shifting visions or conflicting goals as you listen. Consider grabbing a journal to work through the reflection prompts shared in the episode, especially if you're currently feeling a "tug" toward something new in your life or career.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take

1. Sit with the discomfort: Journal about where you're feeling a "tug" toward something new or unexpected
2. Map your intersections: Write down your seemingly conflicting goals side by side and look for creative overlaps
3. Take small, exploratory steps: Choose one low-stakes way to explore your new vision this week
4. Ask yourself: "What parts of my current life feel out of alignment? What is this new vision trying to tell me about who I'm becoming?"

📣 Special Announcements

• Keep collecting for the secret code! This episode's numbers: 1 and 0

📲 Call to Action

• Share this episode with someone wrestling with a shifting vision
• Connect with Claire on Instagram @nursing.the.system to share your feedback
• Subscribe, rate, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts
• Join my System Sunday email list for your weekly dose of strategy and sanity for nurses leading change in healthcare.

⁉️ Want me to answer your question or scenario on the podcast?

I just opened a new form where you can anonymously submit:

• A leadership or systems challenge you’re facing
• A scenario you want me to walk through
• A question that’s been stuck in your head about your role, team, or impact

I'll be selecting a few to feature in upcoming episodes.

Submit your Q here!

👉 Resources Mentioned

• Book: "Curbing Traffic” by Melissa and Chris Bruntlett
• Claire's Systems Thinking Reading List
• Not Just Bikes YouTube Channel
• Change Maker Essentials Program
• Innovative Career Coaching Program
• Instagram
• Systems Sunday Newsletter

When you hear the word “resilience” paired with “nurses,” how does it make you feel? Frustrated? Defensive? Just plain tired? You’re not alone.

In this episode, we’re breaking down one of the biggest myths about burnout: it’s not a personal problem—it’s a systems problem.

Bubble baths and yoga might offer momentary relief, but they won’t fix the core issue: healthcare systems built for maximum efficiency, not long-term resilience.

It’s time to stop blaming individuals for systemic failures and start building systems that can actually absorb shocks and adapt to challenges without burning out their people.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why burnout feels so personal—and why it’s actually a systems-level issue.
• The difference between resilience and efficiency in healthcare systems and why they need balance.
• How healthcare systems excel at acute crises but fail at addressing slow-burning, chronic problems.
• Practical strategies for nurses to reframe personal complaints as systemic observations.
• How to advocate for changes using systems language that leaders understand.

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You:

• Burnout isn’t a personal failure—it’s a symptom of an overstretched system.
• Resilience and efficiency exist on a seesaw: Too much focus on one will destabilize the other.
• Slow-burn problems (like chronic understaffing) often go unnoticed until they become full-blown crises.
• Observation beats complaint: Framing problems as system patterns (e.g., “Our system is over-relying on overtime”) shifts the conversation to solutions.
• True resilience means absorbing shocks while maintaining core functions.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode:

• Listen with a systems mindset: Notice patterns, not just problems.
• Reflect on where you’ve seen the efficiency vs. resilience seesaw tilt too far in either direction.
• Share this episode with colleagues—it’s a conversation that needs to happen across teams, not just in leadership meetings.

🛠️ Practical Actions You Can Take:

1. Reframe Complaints → System Observations: For example, replace “I’m exhausted” with “Our system relies too heavily on overtime to meet basic needs”.
2. Spot Patterns of Over-Efficiency: Where are resources maxed out? Where is there no room for error?
3. Raise Awareness of Slow-Burn Issues: Identify trends like turnover or increased workloads before they snowball.
4. Speak Systems Language to Leaders: Highlight systemic solutions like better staffing models, flexible workflows, and improved resource allocation.