The other day I watched something happen that I think you’ll recognize in your own life. My husband and I were driving down the road and something fell out of the back of the truck. My husband got upset, stopped, backed up, and put it back in and we were off again. Less than a mile later, it happened again. And again he got upset, stopped, backed up, and put it back in. We go a little further and sure enough….we’re in the same situation for the third time, but he’s furious now. One could reason that it should have been tied down, the roads need to be bladed, etc… etc… but outside of that, what stuck out to me is that immediately after that happened he grabs for the bottle of Ibuprofen he keeps in the pickup and says, “I got so mad I gave myself a headache.” Now the nurse and healer in me know that this headache isn’t here to stay. It’s merely a side effect of his blood pressure skyrocketing due to his anger about the...

What does burnout look like? It might surprise you to know that burnout isn’t necessarily a mental breakdown. It’s not you ending up in bed, sick, because you pushed too hard for too long. Burnout isn’t even always a midlife crisis. 

Sometimes burnout looks like a short-temper and irritability. 

It might be a lack of patience or empathy. 

It might look like increased frustration with the little things. 

It might look like chronic exhaustion.

Maybe it’s a reaction that is much bigger than the problem at hand (think toddler tantrum over a red cup instead of a blue cup: small problem, big reaction). 

Sometimes it looks like putting in less than your best at work. 

Sometimes burnout is not having the desire to enjoy the things you used to enjoy, be it a hobby, a relationship, or even adults-only time with your partner. 

Burnout may also look like you running headfirst into another project because you feel this need to...

I, like you, have experienced many different kinds of leaders in my life. From our principals to coaches, instructors to bosses, everyone does something a little different and still manages to lead people. We all have a little bit of leadership built into us, although some people develop their skills while others are comfortable following the leader. There’s no judgment here, it takes all kinds of kinds. I was very involved in extracurricular in high school and began my own leadership development then. It was accelerated when I attended nursing school at the University of Mary (tag line: America’s Leadership University)  and was invited into the Emerging Leaders Academy. Again, I was exposed to many different leadership styles, despite us all having the same leadership training. Some of my classmates have gone on to fulfill leadership roles in their careers and communities, others use that knowledge to be better employees/parents/humans. 

No matter the...

Have you ever heard it said that kids grow better with love? Research has shown us that our children’s brains actually grow bigger when they are loved. There’s also research stating children grow up to be happier, more resilient adults if they are shown love in their childhood. How cool is that? Something as simple as asking about their day, hugging them before they leave for school and after they come home, and taking an interest in the things they are interested in, helps them become less anxious and more resilient. I do firmly believe in doing our best to raise our babies in such a way that they don’t need to heal from their childhood when they’re grown, but that is not why I bring this up with you today. 

We talk about love and growth because you never really stop growing. Just like we talked about in this post for as long as you are here on Earth, you are growing and evolving. I pray that the person you are today is not the same person...

She said to me, “I’m broken.”

“I was abused, I’m broken. “

“I was cheated on, I’m broken. “

“I have a diagnosis, I’m broken.”

“I cannot keep a man, I’m broken. “

“I got fired, I’m broken. “

“I lost someone I love, I’m broken. “

I stared into her eyes and said, “You, my dear are not broken. Something broke your heart, but it did not break you.” 

Every time we experience pain, discomfort, heartache, we are given a choice. Allow this to define our lives and be the story of brokenness we tell, the excuse for nothing going right in our lives… OR… we let this pain be a driving force to become better. 

Your past doesn’t have to define you, it can empower you. 

To the one who was abused, you now know to never give your power away. 

To the one who was cheated on, you now know how to find...

Who would you be if you weren’t burnt out and tired and exhausted all the time? If you had the energy to get on the floor and play with your kids? What would it look like if you weren’t exhausted? Or if the smallest thing didn’t set you off? If you had the energy and the desire to interact with your partner for more than just the, “how was your day?” “good, how was yours?” type of small talk? What kind of mom would you be if your stress didn’t rule you’re every waking thought? What kind of wife would you be if anger and frustration were not the go-to emotions? 

Can you imagine a life where peace is your default setting instead of frustration? 

Imagine a life where instead of feeling like everything is your responsibility, you know exactly which tasks are yours and exactly which ones are a priority today. Imagine a life where you get to live in such a way that you do the things that make your heart happy routinely and...

Have you ever heard the phrase, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”? If you read my post Self-Care isn't Selfish you know exactly what I’m talking about. So often our cups are empty because of the lives we lead. We are overwhelmed with the busyness of life and we have allowed society to tell us what is important, and in most cases taking care of ourselves is not at the top of that list. We have allowed our schedules to get so full that there is no room for us anymore. We have nothing left to give. That is when your cup is empty. When you feel like there is just nothing left of you or just not enough of you. If you’ve ever thought or uttered the words, “I’m just one person, I can’t do it all,” then you know exactly what I mean. 

Routine self-care usually keeps us out of that feeling. It keeps us from getting to a place of burnout, anxiety, depression, overwhelm, etc. But what happens if we allow ourselves to keep...

A friend recently reached out to me with two different job opportunities available to her. She was grateful for the opportunity, but these are life-changing decisions and she was having a hard time deciding what would be best for herself and her family. I’m sure you’ve been in that position. If I choose this path then these things will happen. If I choose that path then those things will happen. Each choice came with its own set of benefits and its own set of risks. When we compared the pros and cons of each job, they were about the same. The good of this one matched the good of that one, they were just different kinds of good… which makes it hard to make a decision. The conversation gave way to many, “yeah… but” arguments {insert “Yabits come at Easter Dad Jokes here}. We went rounds in the conversation. She and her husband went rounds in the conversation. She went many rounds in her own head… and was still stuck at making a...

You know that saying, “if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got”? Have you ever thought about the habits you’ve created in your life? The ones that maybe don’t serve you so well, but you do it anyway, simply because you always have. Why is that a thing? 

We are so quick to write off our poor decisions because “that’s just who I am” or “this is just what my family does.” Think about the things in your life that are like that. How often do you use your upbringing, your past, or those bad habits as an excuse for not improving your life? How often do you write off a decision as something you choose because of something that happened to you before? 

Here’s an unpopular opinion: You get to decide what choices you make in your life. 

This isn’t a conversation about privilege. This isn’t a conversation about manifesting...

Most of my clients will tell me that they love working with me because I don’t sugarcoat things. I’m going to tell you exactly how it is. My patients and their families will say the same thing. Sometimes, those things are hard to hear. I understand it is hard and that’s why I say it. 

No, I don’t enjoy bursting your bubble, but I do enjoy watching you grow and succeed. You don’t work with me, or even read these blogs because you want to hear that you’re a perfect human being and you could do nothing better, and if something goes wrong it is always someone else’s fault. No… you’re here to grow. You’re here to get tips, tricks, and insights that help guide you to become the purest version of yourself that you can be. You’re here to gain a new perspective and make lasting changes in your life that lead you to peace and happiness and out of burnout and exhaustion.

The journey isn’t always...