7 Habits of Highly Empowered Nurses

71% of nurses don’t believe their well-being is a priority to their organizations. While every Nurse Leader I know has workforce well-being at the top of their list, it’s hard to determine what to do about it. Empowering nurses in their own well-being is a start and requires commitment at the organizational and the individual…

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The Gift of Compassion

When I fell on a hike last month dislocating and fracturing my right shoulder, I experienced many acts of compassion: The good samaritan who helped me to my car, drove me to the emergency room, and stayed with me until my husband arrived; The nurses and physicians in the ER who reduced my shoulder after…

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Make the Connection

Spirituality

In the last 2 years, I have coached a lot of nurses, from frontline staff to Chief Nursing Officers. While they all want to make a difference, they share the false belief that they never do enough. They say, “If I could just get more efficient… organized… faster…I could get ahead and be a better…

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Recovery is Your SuperPower

Boy flexing arms like a super hero

I woke up to a beautiful Colorado blue-sky morning feeling dark, disappointed and depleted. Everything felt heavy and I immediately searched for sources I could blame: My high-energy husband, happily whistling away while he worked…My Golden Retriever tracking my every step, eager for his morning walk…My scratchy throat, maybe I was getting sick…I was in…

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5 Steps to Recommit

Commit tiles

I had a realization last month when I was planning to send my book to my editor. I opened up the manuscript to review one more time before sending and found it was not in the condition I remembered, in fact, I was sure there must be a more recent version! Apparently, I had been…

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Practice CPR for YOUR New Normal

Dignity HealthSign

I was thrilled to speak in person at Dignity Hospital last month for Hospital Week! While I have been grateful to present on Zoom for the last 16 months, it pales in comparison to the energy, spontaneity, and sharing an in-person experience provides. It was a great trip on many levels, and quite different from…

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Thank You for Your MOST Important Work

Girls holding a pan of scones

Waiting in line for my vaccination last month, I felt such a sense of hope and gratitude for the opportunity to re-engage in greatly missed activities, like baking scones with our granddaughters. The nurse who gave me my shot said, “This is the most important work I’ve ever done.” I was touched by her sentiment…

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Are You Overfunctioning? ONE Thing to Help

Nurse with mask on

After coaching many nurses and leaders over the last year, I have noticed a common theme. When nurses are feeling overwhelmed or out of control, we tend to overfunction. Our inherent role as caregivers and problem solvers make this an obvious way to manage our stress, but it is not a sustainable one. Overfunctioning is…

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5 Things I AM LEARNING

We are in our 13th month of (you know what) and I am tired—of Zooming, masking, and social distancing. I miss traveling to see clients and host yoga retreats, sleepovers with my grandchildren, and birthday lunches with girlfriends. I know there is light at the end of the tunnel, but I am impatient for it…

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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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