In today’s healthcare climate, it's no secret that burnout has reached epidemic levels, especially among nurses. The heart of healthcare is suffering, and the ripple effects are felt not only by providers but also by patients and entire communities. The question is no longer if we need change, but how we will lead it.

In my chapter, Restoring the Heart of Healthcare: From Burnout to Bold Leadership, of the collaborative book Being the One, I share my personal and professional journey of reclaiming purpose and power within a system that often depletes both. After 35+ years in clinical nursing, I’ve witnessed how the traditional model of sick care strips the joy and spirit from the very people meant to bring healing. But I also know this truth: we can’t change a broken system from the outside. We must be the ones to lead the shift from within.

That’s why I developed the I-S.T.E.P.™ Method, an integrative therapy engagement model that brings quick, restorative wellness strategies to frontline teams in five minutes or less. From breathwork and aromatherapy to energy-based modalities, these tools not only alleviate stress but also activate bold leadership, inner calm, and a renewed sense of purpose.

Burnout thrives in silence and separation. Healing grows in empowerment and connection. Nurses are not just caregivers but visionaries, educators, and system shapers. When we rise into this awareness, we don’t just heal, we transform.

Now is the time to restore the heart of healthcare, not with more policy or paperwork, but through bold, empowered leadership grounded in self-care, collaboration, and holistic practice.

We are not waiting for the system to fix itself. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.