🎙 Episode Overview

In this episode, I’m bringing you a different kind of conversation: a follow-up with one of my former Changemaker Essentials students, Mia.

Mia is a nurse director at a large urban teaching hospital in Boston. She started by leading a single 18-bed medical unit, and was recently asked to take on a second unit, bringing her scope to 42 beds and 197 direct reports… while also working on her PhD and raising three kids.

We talk about what that transition has actually looked like, where it’s stretched her, and how she’s using systems thinking, personal mastery, and CME tools to stay a leader (not just a manager) in the middle of all of it.

🔑 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How Mia went from CNS to nurse director and then to leading two medical units in the same system
• What made her transition smoother: shared physician model, similar patient population, and strong relationships with clinical nurse specialists
• Where the real friction lives right now: performance evaluations, new systems (RL Solutions, Workday), and learning budgeting/forecasting at scale
• How she’s intentionally protecting her leadership identity instead of slipping into “task manager” mode
• The specific ways she’s using tools from Changemaker Essentials to navigate scope creep, feedback, and big structural changes

🧠 Key Ideas to Take With You

• Relationships before results. Mia is very clear that nothing meaningful happens on her units without relationships. She’s investing in knowing her staff professionally and personally, even with almost 200 direct reports.
• Scope increases don’t have to equal suffering. People expect her to say, “It’s horrible, I’m drowning,” and she can honestly say, “It’s going great,” because she trusts her competence, has tools, and is building structure on purpose.
• What got you here won’t get you there. The systems and habits that worked for one unit don’t automatically scale to two. She’s now building checklists, templates, and finance skills so she can grow with the role.
• Feedback is data, not a personal attack. When staff told her they felt blindsided by building work, she didn’t spiral. She logged it as useful feedback and adjusted her communication.
• Leadership ≠ niceness + empathy. Caring about your team matters, but without structural thinking and strategy, that care won’t show up in people’s actual workday reality.

🎧 How to Get the Most Out of This Episode

As you listen, put yourself in Mia’s shoes for a minute:

• What if your role suddenly doubled in scope?
• What systems would break first?
• Where would you feel confident… and where would you feel exposed?

Notice the parts of Mia’s story that spark either excitement or panic for you. That’s usually your growth edge. You don’t have to be leading 197 people to pull a lot from this conversation

📣 Special Announcements

The March cohort of Changemaker Essentials is opening for enrollment soon.

If you resonated with how Mia is thinking and leading – using systems thinking, personal mastery, and real-world tools instead of just “trying harder” – this is the program where I teach those skills in a structured way over 12 weeks.

If you join the waitlist, you’ll:

• Get detailed info about the curriculum and structure
• Hear stories from past students like Mia
• Have the option to book a free 15-minute Zoom call with me to talk through your specific situation and whether CME is a fit

📲 Call to Action

• Join the Changemaker Essentials waitlist. The link is in the show notes. If you’re even remotely curious, get on the list so you don’t miss the details and the short Zoom call spots.
• Listen to Mia’s original coaching episode on the Changemaker Case Files private podcast if you haven’t yet. It gives great context for where she started.
• Share this episode with a colleague who’s just taken on a bigger role or a second unit and feels like they “should” be drowning right now.

👉 Resources Mentioned

• Changemaker Essentials – My 12-week flagship program for nurses and nurse leaders who want to become effective change makers
• Changemaker Case Files Private Podcast – 10 coaching conversations with nurses like you (including Mia)
• CME Waitlist – Get details, launch dates, and an invite to a free 15-minute call with me