Embracing Fear and Moving Forward Anyway – Podcast with Catherine Cape
Three months ago I posted the following on LinkedIn: The response was tremendous and I’m still interviewing and in many cases podcasting conversations with truly fantastic individuals who epitomize resilience and strategic risk-taking. This latest podcast features my former Director at Compass One Healthcare, the legendary Catherine Cape. Catherine has been a powerful force in my life the past 6+ years – from her composure and poise to her huge heart to her brilliant abilities to see the big picture, yet get down in the weeds to untangle the world. Listen to this podcast to learn more about Catherine, her…
Keep readingCitizen Soldier – Powerful Songs to Get You Through Troubling Times
Emma just introduced me to Citizen Soldier – if you aren’t familiar with them, here’s a quick bio on their lead singer: Citizen Soldier was born in 2016 when frontman Jake Segura penned the lyrics to “Let It Burn” from a psychiatric hospital. Now practicing as a clinical therapist, he implements intensely emotional lyrical themes on mental health into their music. The band presents an accessible message that combats stigmatization and provides a group therapy dynamic. I LOVE their songs. Specifically this one: Stronger Than My Storm Let me know what you think! Here’s their YouTube Channel.
Keep reading2023 – The Grand Reopening of Our Lives – Podcast Featuring Dave Fox!
Join Dave Fox, a former colleague and dear friend who has helped me identify this year is the Grand Reopening of my life and me on my latest podcast (linked below)! I may go on tour and sell t-shirts as Dave suggested, but more than likely I am going to bask in his wisdom and experiment with many of the possibilities while looking forward to the future. Whether you are feeling ‘stuck’ in the job you are in, dreading a ‘retirement’ that looks nothing like what was expected, or telling yourself “there’s gotta be more to life than this” -…
Keep readingThere Is NO Getting Better with Dementia
One of my Mom’s dearest friends wrote me a message recently and said “I hope your Mom’s condition is getting better”. With all due respect and love, there is NO getting better with Dementia, it’s a progressive disease. And, when you add in Hospice which is supposed to be a 3-6 month program providing care for the actively dying (Nancy is on month eight and was recertified by Hospice this month for another six months), there’s even a greater chance of NOT getting better. In fact, Nancy has lost four pounds since December 2022 (it’s now January 2023) and she’s…
Keep readingImposter Syndrome
I have struggled with imposter syndrome in the past. Are you familiar with it? Healthline.com defines Imposter syndrome, also called perceived fraudulence, as “involving feelings of self-doubt and personal incompetence that persist despite your education, experience, and accomplishments. To counter these feelings, you might end up working harder and holding yourself to ever higher standards”. It’s like being a Type A and getting lots of great things done but deep down you believe you are a failure or a fake and secretly doubt you really did accomplish anything. After years of working through this and finding ways to stand in myself…
Keep readingFeeling the Blahs
Coming off the holidays and dealing with a sick household where NONE of us (even the dog) was ok for about 10 days, I returned to whatever my new normal is and felt incredibly stuck, lost, and wondering if I could still pack a punch! I did what any weary human being would do – scroll through news headlines (a habit I would like to break), scroll through social media (looked for ‘miserable company’ as I wallowed and wanted to know I wasn’t alone), and stared at the fridge and cupboards wishing I had an appetite but would invariably find…
Keep readingOne Year Later…Where Am I?
I had a series of goals I defined a year ago – just before I resigned from the corporate full-time gig: So what does my year look like: And, people actually read what I write? We broke 2000 views this month! Woo hoo! Couldn’t have done it without y’all! And special shout-outs to: Here I thought I was the end of the family line… I’m surrounded with amazing soul family! All the best in 2023! And, from coaching to motivational speaking to training/leadership development – please consider me for any and all of your self / people development needs!
Keep readingSo, how many falls is considered too many for a dementia patient at an elder care facility?
Assumptions: The answer I will provide is based on DSS findings (and my own documentation gathered from facility reports to me). No need to provide any other answers, as her facility doesn’t seem to care how many falls my Mom has (although they admit it’s wrong she is left unattended) and I think one fall is one too many when negligence is the issue…. According to the DSS findings, the facility reported falls on 3/9, 3/10 (transported to hospital 3/11 and moved to rehab through 3/29), 4/22, 5/17, 5/17-18, 6/20, (6/24 NOT REPORTED – see photo below of injuries to…
Keep readingI don’t belong in this world…
It’s been a really tough week, as a wife, as a mom, as a daughter, as a human being. I’ll admit, things got a little dark and I still feel a bit uneasy about where we stand as a little family right now. We are currently in what is considered paradise by many and I truly wish we never came here. We flew down to see a medical specialist/surgeon for Emma and there isn’t a day that we don’t all look at each other and say “we hate it here”. We certainly don’t belong in this world, and I’m questioning…
Keep readingSweet Child o’Mine
These past couple of weeks have opened up our lives for outside influences and growth opportunities more than our wedding and giving birth to Emma. Our ‘coming out’ has put us in the spotlight and with that a lot of good, and a lot of good intentions. Some however, were not received as well as intended. Don’t get me wrong. It has been an incredibly powerful time full of unexpected surprises – from gifts to hugs to heart-felt messaging to support, our little family is feeling a sense of peace and safety we haven’t felt in years. But with the…
Keep readingPride
NOTE: I have full permission from my little family to share this post. I also realize there may be backlash. Please be kind and consider what you would do if a loved one was having a similar experience. I pride myself on being a good Mom and a decent human being, and as a relatively self-aware person… I was thrown for a loop though on a recent trip. We took our teen to New England and spent quite a bit of time in Portsmouth, NH. I used to travel there for work pre-pandemic and it became one of my favorite…
Keep readingElder Care, Compassion and Righting Wrongs
Meet Ragan Brown (LinkedIn profile), one of my favorite human beings who has been ‘available’ to be there, to manage healthcare for her elders, to do it all from a very young age – and is now a working professional (I met her while working at Compass), a wife, a Mom, an absolute riot, a masterful juggler, and such a wise ‘old soul’. I had the pleasure of recording this podcast with her recently. What I love about this podcast: The beauty of our conversation is how Ragan has reframed all of her experiences – as she recognizes they have…
Keep readingAsking for a Friend
What a fantastic week! I had the pleasure of facilitating the Biomed’s Guide to Working Through Burnout to a group of 100+ Biomedical Technicians. These are a great group of healthcare heroes that often work behind the scenes testing, maintaining, calibrating and repairing medical equipment in healthcare facilities. I have worked with the Biomeds for years and was honored when the President of the NC Biomed’s Association invited me to be the Keynote Speaker at their Annual Symposium in Pinehurst, NC. I’ll admit, I kicked off the session with full force, however, things were a bit quiet at first. They…
Keep readingSix Months!!! Update
Yes I’m still doing my own thing – and loving it! It’s been absolutely busy, at times – however, I haven’t lost sight of the dream as I continue to balance the demands of my new normal. For now I’ve got a rhythm that works for me and the little family and I’m making the most of the work I do and the life I live. I took today off to evaluate where I am and where I want to go. Lots of ideas and plans underway as I take on the next six months. Thought it would be good…
Keep readingTemperature Check – What Kind of Fatigue Do You Have?
What is most relevant and important to you as it relates to burnout and fatigue? Help me co-create content for an upcoming event… Depression Fatigue? Helper Fatigue? Future Fatigue? Career Fatigue? Anxiety Fatigue? What else is beating you down? Thanks for any insights!!!!
Keep readingFirst Comes Stress, Then Comes Burnout. Next Up???
I had no idea that I was a candidate for a nervous breakdown. I was so focused on recovering from burnout that I didn’t see I had all the signs… not to be dramatic. Just wanted to share what I’ve learned, as my journey continues to be full of surprises and lessons. The nervous breakdown kicked in the night after I saw my Mom in the ER a few weeks ago. It was such a surreal and horrible experience at the hospital – to see how our healthcare system continues to struggle despite being staffed by amazing people who are…
Keep readingSpeaking Your Truth – Warrior On!
I have been a warrior for as long as I can remember. From defending my little brother in neighborhood fights to taking on the school bully when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade. He used to knock everyone down and loved picking on my brother and me. ‘Bobby the Bully’ was a large 5th grader and the day I knocked him to the ground (looking back I think he probably fell on purpose) he kissed me and then pulled up my skirt. That’s when I refused to wear a skirt or dress to school ever again btw! When I…
Keep readingPersistence Triumphs Over Doubt – The Story of My Baby Brother
(trigger warning – my brother ‘chose’ suicide) My brother, Sean O’Malley, lost hope 10 years ago this March (2022). We tried everything, but nothing was helping him fight the battle against a disease we didn’t understand yet. His death brought light to the darkness many were facing. We know know that darkness as CTE. Despite the daemons and the struggles, he lived a very full and powerful life, and I can not represent that accurately without sharing his final Earthly action which was death by suicide. A dear soul sister wrote me last week and said she was going to…
Keep readingPractical Ways to Release Emotion
Interview with Jennifer Hippensteel – February 2022 Jennifer is an author, holistic health practitioner, Reiki master and business consultant with a deep desire to help empower others to find their balance. With 25 plus years of education and experience in natural medicine and Reiki, Jennifer offers her clients insight and healing for all that ails them. Learn more about Jennifer here. Jennifer, you recently wrote about releasing what no longer serves us… and probably never did… What do you mean by releasing what no longer serves us? Many talk of the need to release that which no longer serves us……
Keep readingDay One on My Own – Am I Still the Poster Child for Burnout???
Despite being on the phone with my Mom’s nurse for hours last night and holding space for my Mom yesterday and this morning so she could vent incoherently as the Dementia blurs her thoughts and behaviors for the worse, I think I’m ok. I got up early, put on some music, and packed up my laptop and phone to my former employer. I’m going to head into town later to ship them off and might just take a few minutes to check out the antique and stationary store while there. Usually I’m trying to cram in as many errands as…
Keep readingHow Will I Make It on My Own??? Solving for Steady Paychecks and Healthcare Benefits
How Will I Make It on My Own??? That is the most frequently asked question over the past few weeks. It’s not that people think I can’t be successful; they just want to know how I will do it? How will I handle not having the security of a steady paycheck. What will I do for health care insurance? Don’t get me wrong, every single person I’ve talked to since announcing my departure from full-time employment to start Forged by Life has reinforced my decision. I keep hearing “this is your ‘wheelhouse’ and if anyone is going to succeed doing…
Keep readingBlog Post: I Will No Longer Be the Poster Child for Burnout
I am taking tomorrow (Sunday) off from producing anything. Why? Because I can, because I need to, because I refuse to be the poster child for burnout anymore.. Announcing my departure from my full-time job brought relief in the moment, but has been overwhelming in some ways and heart-breaking in others. I have had so many fantastic conversations with co-workers who have been sharing their own stories, hopes, and fears. I have had many requests for coaching, virtual incubator partnerships, and consulting opportunities. I even got a few more speaking engagements! And, as expected, there are many requests for transition…
Keep readingI Joined the Great Resignation Last Week
Feel free to read the blog post below or listen to the audio version/podcast on SoundCloud. I joined the Great Resignation last week. I didn’t walk. I gave three weeks’ notice, and although work has become more of a whirlwind, I feel extreme relief at a deep level. However, I have been up most the eve wondering why. Not so much ‘why did I leave my job’, but ‘why is this happening’? ‘Why are so many people leaving their jobs’? Do we all have the same reasons and motives? What does this mean for the world and new normal (a…
Keep readingBLOG POST AND PODCAST :: From Crisis to Renaissance
10 minute podcast of this blog post is also available here It blows my mind how many people I know are experiencing absurd situations, heightened family issues, toxic work environments, burnout, and all out chaos. Based on human history, my own life experience, and what I call ‘deep knowing’, I don’t think this all out craziness is cause for concern, technically. I think we are hitting a tipping point — in a good way. Many of us have been digging deep and finding levels of strength we’ve never had to experience at this level, for this duration – in such…
Keep readingI formed a business in less than 15 minutes
I woke up this morning realizing that I’m really doing this! 🙂 I have picked up amazing consulting and contract opportunities and know that having an S-corporation, B-corporation or LLC would be good moves, but I hadn’t formalized our business approach yet. I spent a few minutes on a web site called Northwest Registered Agent reviewing all of the legal structures that made sense and created an LLC for our family. It allows us to consolidate our tax reporting, provides a federal registration number (EIN), and gives a structure so we can ‘do business as’ (DBA) a few different entities.…
Keep reading24 Hours of Wallowing
Interview with Jennifer Hippensteel, author, holistic health practitioner, Reiki Master, business consultant – 12/31/21 “We all have those times when we feel low, down or concerned about things going on in our lives. However, sometimes we can get stuck in that dark place… the place that offers no answers or hope. This place of feeling stuck is not where we want to stay.” Jennifer Hippensteel – JUST BREATHE The words written above and in this post are from a dear friend, intuitive guide, and holistic practitioner who has taught me practical and useful strategies over the years. From coping through the…
Keep readingWant to Know What the Future Holds for HR Jobs – kinda freaky but cool information
Since the pandemic hit, my role as a healthcare operations and leadership development focused specialist has moved quickly into championing diversity, equity, and inclusion toolkit creation over the past few years and now seems to be all about emotional well-being. I’ve witnessed a huge shift in the organizational matrix as HR also re-adjusts their focus. While doing research around trends in HR for the next few years, I found an interesting article from Harvard Business Review about jobs around emotional well-being and other organizational roles. I’ve pulled a bit of content and an image that summarizes the 21 HR jobs…
Keep readingFinding the Right Job
I’m supporting so many of my friends and colleagues as they deal with burnout, are choosing to walk off the job, and as they lose their way in this chaotic and complicated world of work. As a professional job coach and resume writer I’ve mastered the art of finding the right jobs for each of my clients. What worked pre-lockdown can still work, but the goal now is to find the job that makes you feel energized, genuinely valued, and that you truly want to wake up and do. I’m a big proponent of having something for work that pays…
Keep readingAsking for Help + the Scientifically Proven Healing Hug
= VIDEO SERIES: SUNDAY MORNING SANITY #2
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Struggling with life, with work, with being? 