What Are You Feeding?

Wolf howling in winter

Last month, I had a period of not sleeping well causing me to lose my energy, focus, and perspective. My erratic moods compelled my husband to ask me frequently, “Are you Good Diane or Bad Diane today?” It reminded me of an old Cherokee tale of two wolves: One evening an elderly Cherokee told his…

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9 CPR Practices for Self-Leadership

Healthcare workers

Self-Leadership is the relationship you have with yourself. It is how you talk to, prioritize, and treat yourself, especially in times of challenge and stress. It is deeper than self-care because when we take full responsibility for the decisions we make to honor our bodies, energy, and time, we empower ourselves to feel and do our…

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Home for the Holidays: 3 Ways to Experience Joy

Holiday ornaments

Home for the Holidays has a new meaning this year. Many of us have altered our plans forgoing holiday travel, festivities, and gatherings outside our household. These changes are disappointing and require us to be very intentional to experience joy at work, and everywhere else. Whether it’s your relationships, career, or the holidays, experiencing joy…

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5 Ways to Be Sick to Get Well

Last month I woke up to a sore throat, headache, and general exhaustion. That day, I proudly surrendered and spent the day on the couch. Day 2: I felt better, but still rested– just to be sure. Day 3: I thought I was over it and stayed upright working all day. Day 4: I crashed…

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Living with Resilience: Keep Your Word

Some days I wake up feeling discouraged, frustrated and tired of it all. I call it a COVID day when I grieve the way things used to be and berate myself for not completing my book, getting organized or reaching out to more family with all the extra time I think I should have. I…

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Living with Resilience: Flying Lessons

I was drawn to paragliding for years so when Tim, a good friend and experienced pilot, offered to take me, I said yes immediately. I’m really not a daredevil, but there was something about the freedom of being in the air, above all the noise and chaos that really attracted me. As we stood on…

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Living with Resilience: Self-Leadership

Monkey status see, hear, speak no evil

Before I gave a webinar to nurse residents last month on work-life balance, I asked them about their biggest challenges. They all shared a similar theme: the ability to leave work at work, without agonizing about what they didn’t know, get done, or anticipate. They want what we all want, to feel good about ourselves…

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Living with Resilience: Our Resistance to COVID

Diane hiking during COVID

When the pandemic became apparent to most of us in early March, we had no idea of the long-term implications it would have on virtually every aspect of our lives physically, emotionally, socially, and financially. Four months later, there is no waiting for our new normal, because it is here. I have observed and experienced…

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Recovery with Resilience: Restore

Last year at this time I wrote about the need for recovery as I experienced a full speaking schedule, a lot of travel, and planning my wedding! Today we are experiencing different reasons for needing recovery with limitations on travel, social interactions, and resources, leading to what a CNO said recently, feels like one very…

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Recovery with Resilience: Patience

My conversations with nurse leaders in the last couple of weeks revealed a general consensus of staff and managers feeling tired, apathetic, and a loss of control and trust, after everything they have experienced. I think we can all relate to these emotions, are more than ready to put this pandemic behind us and return…

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