Episode Summary:

In this episode of Don’t Eat Your Young, host Beth Quaas talks with Abby Kent, a board-certified nurse coach in Raleigh, North Carolina, about stepping off autopilot after post-COVID burnout, rebuilding self-trust, and creating lasting change through empowerment. Abby shares her 14-year nursing path (including a unique role as the RN for the North Carolina Highway Patrol) and how nurse coaching helped her shift from “giving people the worksheet” to creating space for sustainable, values-based change. 

Key Topics Covered:

• Why so many nurses feel numb and disconnected after COVID, and how “autopilot” can spill into personal life.
• Abby’s “winding road” in nursing and what a nontraditional nursing role can look like.
• What nurse coach training taught her: coaching skills, deeper listening, better questions, and stronger communication.
• Different ways nurse coaches work (leadership, units supporting nurses, corporate wellness, functional medicine, bedside enhancement).
• Abby’s message for nurses: You don’t have to leave nursing. There are other paths.

Resources & Links:
Visit Abby’s website https://www.abbykentcoaching.com/.
Follow Abby’s journey on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.