My Journey from Burned-Out Nurse to Holistic Advocate
The Day That Changed Everything
It was around 2 p.m. in an urgent care setting during a clinical rotation. I was asked to quickly assess a patient with upper respiratory symptoms, give them a “script” for antibiotics and get them out the door. I didn’t realize it then, but I was running on fumes trying to stay afloat in a traditional medicine environment. I was already experiencing burnout before my career as a provider ever began. “That’s just healthcare,” I’d say. But deep down, I knew: We weren’t healing people. We were putting out fires, ignoring the sparks. That’s when I knew I had to be part of the change!
Chapter 1: The Burnout Trap
The Myth of “Toughing It Out”
For decades, I believed exhaustion was normal. As a nurse, then a nurse practitioner, I worked 12-hour shifts, surviving on adrenaline and cafeteria food. My patients? They were stuck in the same cycle:
“Take this pill for your blood pressure.”
“Come back when it gets worse.”
No one asked why their bodies were rebelling. Including me.
My Breaking Point
The migraines started first. Then the insomnia. By 2017, I was diagnosing patients with burnout while secretly battling my own. I’d cry in my car at the end of the day, wondering: “If medicine can’t heal its healers, what’s the point?
Chapter 2: The Wake-Up Call
A Patient Named Maria
Maria was 52, diabetic, and exhausted. She’d been prescribed seven medications—none addressing her crushing fatigue. On a hunch, I ordered advanced labs. Turns out, her “laziness” was severe adrenal fatigue and a gut microbiome resembling a warzone.
The Realization
Helping Maria taught me two things:
Symptoms are clues, not life sentences.
True healing requires time most doctors don’t have.
So I quit.
Chapter 3: Rebuilding from Scratch
Unlearning Everything
Shifting to holistic care meant dismantling everything I thought I knew. Gone were the rushed 15-minute appointments where patients became charts, not people. Instead, I embraced 90-minute conversations—time to ask, “What happened to you?” instead of “What’s wrong with you?”
Here’s what changed:
Out with: Handing out prescriptions like candy.
In with: “Let’s co-create your plan”—because you’re the expert on your body.
Out with: Calling it “normal” when labs looked fine but you felt awful.
In with: Digging deeper. (Spoiler: “Normal” labs often hide broken systems.)
My Own Healing
I had to walk the talk. That meant:
Trading night shifts for morning walks.
Replacing vending machine meals with real food (yes, I burned a few dinners at first).
Admitting “I don’t know”—and realizing that’s where true collaboration begins.
Chapter 4: Why I’m Never Going Back
The Moment I Knew
Last year, a former patient tracked me down. “You listened,” she said. “Now I’m off meds and backpacking again.” That’s the power of asking why instead of what.
What Holistic Advocacy Means Today
Detective Work: Connecting dots between stress, diet, and symptoms.
Partnerships: You’re the CEO. I’m your guide.
Progress Over Perfection: Celebrate small wins (like sleeping through the night).
Your Turn: Let’s Rewrite Your Story
Burnout isn’t a rite of passage. Fatigue isn’t “just part of aging.” If you’re tired of being a Band-Aid in a system that ignores root causes—I get it. Let’s build a healthcare model that heals, not just treats.
“You don’t have to quit your life to heal it. Start where you are.”
