You are exhausted from call ins and mandatory 16 hour shifts. A week went by and you were unable to put your kids to bed. Your feeling bad, abused, and unappreciated from patients and families. You’re questioning your decision going into this career; something that you thought you loved and would be different. You love to give but often fall short giving to yourself. Often times you have that dreadful feeling before going into work and you beat yourself up for feeling this way.
We know that when we become nurses, we will have sacrifices, and more than likely any nurse you ask will always make that sacrifice for our patients, but it doesn’t lessen the stress, workload or the feelings of being unappreciated in our career. – Courtney Chlada RN.
There is no surprise that many people in a healing career feel this way. It is in a healers nature to give, please and say yes for the greater good. Consistent disregard of ones needs will lead to burn out for anyone.
Cat Golden is the founder of Nurses Inspire Nurses, a movement to help nurses take back control of their lives. Through her own personal journey and nursing experience, Cat uses the tools she has learned to help inspire and coach nurses to feel more empowered. Cat’s ultimate value for life is freedom and to live the life that she designs for herself. It is a gift for her to be able to help and inspire others to feel the same.
Pain Inspires Change
Cat studied business and worked for a non-profit after college. In 2007, while visiting a friend in Colorado, she randomly got asked to interview for a job and got it. During her time in Colorado she decided to study nursing; wanting to help a friend with a child who was diagnosed with spinal bifida. Over the next 10 years, Cat worked in pediatrics, as a home health nurse and eventually in a GI clinic. During this time she got married and divorced, which was a pivotal moment in her life that inspired a deep desire for change.
Cat believed she deserved love based on what she did. After feeling like she did everything right and things can still fall apart, she knew she needed to make a change. This was a difficult time for her, falling apart shook her to the core. Change required her to let go of all she believed in; which is incredibly difficult and painful, something I feel people underestimate. Cat took control of her life by seeking therapy, going to yoga and reading self help books. She chose the personal growth journey and spent the next fews years focusing on learning how to love herself.
Cat eventually felt the calling to come back home to Michigan. She found a job as a travel nurse to help transition and this was eye opening for her. As Cat’s vibration began to lift, she began to notice a common theme among nurses. The nurses were truly amazing but seemed sad, tired and worn out. They seemed as if they were waiting for something to change that was never going to come.
Hospitals are fast paced serious environments where grace is lacking. Tasks take priority over being a human. Nurses are humans first and a super nurse does not exist.
Cat found her self giving her colleagues a lot of the same advice she had learned for herself. She became passionate about sharing and helping others feel more empowered. She counseled them with ideas to take better care of themselves such as: setting intentions and practicing gratitude. She created fun events like cereal theme nights and coffee pour over nights. She posted inspirational quotes around the office and inspired each other to say nice things about each other.
As Cat began to heal, she knew she wanted to do something big, but didn’t know what it was. She spent a lot of time feeling confused in her career. Wellness and fitness have always played a major role in Cats life, but was not exactly sure how it would play a role in her career, so she hired a business coach to help her figure things out.
Presence Provides Presents
Cat focused on being present, showing up in a big way, knowing that something was coming, but not knowing what it was. One day her coach asked how she was doing. Cat told her about how some of the nurses jokingly suggested that the hospital hire her solely to improve morale. Cat mentioned how that would be a dream and it was then that she realized that this is what she wanted to do.
Cat put together a big nurses give back night. She organized swag bags full of free stuff like work outs, blow outs and spray tans. Local vendors showed up and provided food and wine. Cat had tees made with Nurses Inspire Nurses printed on them. The tees were a huge success and she kept receiving requests for more. This was the beginning of Nurses Inspire Nurses.
Setting up the event was terrifying, but Cat felt so sure of the message she was sharing. She figured even if she helped one person, she felt it was worth it. Cat was inspired to do more. She created a 3-month mentorship program geared towards a small group of nurses to help change their life and mindset. Through her mentorship program, Cat helps nurses take back control of their lives by providing tools like fitting in working out, morning rituals to start the day right and nightly routines to manage their energy.
Her program is unique because she has created exercises and tools that have came out of her own personal growth. It’s easy to tell people what to do, but that can be very vague and intangible. Cat has created tangible tools to help ease and guide people into a more positive mind set.
There will always be problems, you will always be short staffed, these things are not going to go away but we can change our relationship to problems and not fall victim to them.
Cat has learned that she is not for everybody. She serves those that are ready and wanting to feel better. Cat credits her success by remaining true to who she is. As a result she is very clear on her vision and who she serves. She believes there is power in vulnerability. She is real and raw and does not hold back her true feelings that to some, might think would look bad. She believes in talking about real stuff that hits home and sharing both successes and mistakes.
Hard times forces us to make a decision. To repeat or grow. Taking responsibility for how she feels has created security and assurance in who she is. Cat is clear on who she is regardless of the success of her business. She is a light in this world because she has found worth in herself outside of anything else.
To find out more information and sign up for Cat’s mentorship program, you can visit Nurses Inspire Nurses. Follow Cat on Instagram or Facebook for her more inspiration and upcoming happenings. Cat hosts free monthly coffee talks, as a safe space for nurses to come to get things off their chest. Check her events for upcoming coffee talks dates.
