Why do so many clinically brilliant foot care nurses shrink themselves down, hide their wins, and stay quietly invisible instead of owning their success out loud?

Janis gets vulnerable about the years she spent hiding her own growth out of fear of judgment, unpacks where that fear actually comes from in our profession, and issues a real challenge for you to be visible this month, whatever that looks like for you.

Thanks for listening to EmpowerHer Entrepreneur with Janis Boudreau.

If this episode supported you in building your foot care nursing practice with more confidence, clarity, and intention, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another foot care nurse who would benefit from this conversation.

Stay connected with AFCN Learning Institute for education, resources, and support for foot care nurses.

🌐 AFCN Learning Institute: https://afcnlearninginstitute.com
🌐 Advanced Foot Care Nurse: https://advancedfootnurse.com
📧 Contact: [email protected]

Until next time — keep caring, keep growing, and keep showing up for the clients who need you most.

AFCN Learning Institute

What does it actually take to get your foot care nursing certification in Canada, and how do you know if you are ready?

In this special episode of the EmpowerHer Entrepreneur Podcast, Janis Boudreau sits down with Kathleen Stevens, Special Projects Representative with the CAFCN, working in collaboration with the CNA on foot care nursing certification.

Kathleen answers the questions foot care nurses across Canada are asking:

• What certification actually is, including why it is a portfolio and not a scary exam
• Who it is for and what the eligibility gate really means
• How the four domains are scored and what “evidence” actually looks like
• Where to start if you have been practising for years and never formally refreshed
• What to do if you are a newer nurse building toward certification from Day 1
• Her best advice for the nurse who feels overwhelmed by the process

Whether you are already thinking about certification or just starting to wonder if it is for you, this conversation will give you clarity, confidence, and a real path forward. You are not alone in this journey.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

🌐 CNA Foot Care Nursing Certification, Portfolio-Based:

https://www.cna-aiic.ca/en/certification/portfolio-based-certification/foot-care-nursing

🌐 CAFCN National Competencies:

https://cafcn.ca/resources/#national-competencies

💙 Join us on our journey through certification inside the private Foot Masters VIP Network. We will work through the process together, one domain at a time:

https://www.afcnlearninginstitute.com/bundles/afcn-foot-nurse-masters-vip-group

Learn more about AFCN Learning Institute:

https://www.afcnlearninginstitute.com/

A heartfelt thank you to Kathleen Stevens for the generosity of her time and expertise in this episode.

Thanks for listening to EmpowerHer Entrepreneur with Janis Boudreau.

If this episode supported you in building your foot care nursing practice with more confidence, clarity, and intention, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another foot care nurse who would benefit from this conversation.

Stay connected with AFCN Learning Institute for education, resources, and support for foot care nurses.

🌐 AFCN Learning Institute: https://afcnlearninginstitute.com
🌐 Advanced Foot Care Nurse: https://advancedfootnurse.com
📧 Contact: [email protected]

Until next time — keep caring, keep growing, and keep showing up for the clients who need you most.

Janis gets honest and completely non-salesy about the $1,950 Advanced Foot Care Nurse Series, why she priced it the way she did, how it actually stacks up against other training options that cost twice as much, and the real ROI math for a nurse building her own practice. If you've been sitting on the fence about investing in yourself, this episode is your permission slip.

Thanks for listening to EmpowerHer Entrepreneur with Janis Boudreau.

If this episode supported you in building your foot care nursing practice with more confidence, clarity, and intention, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another foot care nurse who would benefit from this conversation.

Stay connected with AFCN Learning Institute for education, resources, and support for foot care nurses.

🌐 AFCN Learning Institute: https://afcnlearninginstitute.com
🌐 Advanced Foot Care Nurse: https://advancedfootnurse.com
📧 Contact: [email protected]

Until next time — keep caring, keep growing, and keep showing up for the clients who need you most.

The single biggest liability risk in foot care nursing isn't your pricing or your paperwork --- it's the red flag you almost missed. In this episode, Janis walks through the skin changes, colour shifts, sensation loss, and wound signs that mean stop and escalate right now, shares a mistake from her own early career she still thinks about, and gives you a simple habit to build into every single appointment so nothing slips past you again.

Thanks for listening to EmpowerHer Entrepreneur with Janis Boudreau.

If this episode supported you in building your foot care nursing practice with more confidence, clarity, and intention, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another foot care nurse who would benefit from this conversation.

Stay connected with AFCN Learning Institute for education, resources, and support for foot care nurses.

🌐 AFCN Learning Institute: https://afcnlearninginstitute.com
🌐 Advanced Foot Care Nurse: https://advancedfootnurse.com
📧 Contact: [email protected]

Until next time — keep caring, keep growing, and keep showing up for the clients who need you most.

Ten years ago, Janis paid $3,600 for a magazine feature that got her nothing. She spent a decade building a wall of "top choice" awards — until she stopped paying for one and watched her ranking disappear overnight. 

In this solo episode, Janis breaks down the real difference between being seen and being trusted, why Google reviews outperform every paid recognition program she's ever tried, and what she'd tell her younger self about where to actually put her marketing dollars. 

Honest, practical, and built for any foot care entrepreneur trying to figure out what's actually worth paying for.

Thanks for listening to EmpowerHer Entrepreneur with Janis Boudreau.

If this episode supported you in building your foot care nursing practice with more confidence, clarity, and intention, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another foot care nurse who would benefit from this conversation.

Stay connected with AFCN Learning Institute for education, resources, and support for foot care nurses.

🌐 AFCN Learning Institute: https://afcnlearninginstitute.com
🌐 Advanced Foot Care Nurse: https://advancedfootnurse.com
📧 Contact: [email protected]

Until next time — keep caring, keep growing, and keep showing up for the clients who need you most.

Knowing when to refer a client does not make you less capable. It makes you more credible.

In this episode of EmpowerHer Entrepreneur, Janis Boudreau talks about one of the most important parts of building a professional, ethical, and trusted foot care practice: knowing when to refer and how to build a strong referral network.

You’ll learn why referrals strengthen client trust, how to connect with reliable professionals in your community, and how a simple referral system can support better care while also helping your business grow. Janis also shares practical language you can use when explaining a referral to a client with confidence, compassion, and professionalism.

If you are a foot care nurse building your practice, this episode will help you see referrals not as competition, but as collaboration that elevates your care, your reputation, and your client experience.

Thanks for listening to EmpowerHer Entrepreneur with Janis Boudreau.

If this episode supported you in building your foot care nursing practice with more confidence, clarity, and intention, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another foot care nurse who would benefit from this conversation.

Stay connected with AFCN Learning Institute for education, resources, and support for foot care nurses.

🌐 AFCN Learning Institute: https://afcnlearninginstitute.com
🌐 Advanced Foot Care Nurse: https://advancedfootnurse.com
📧 Contact: [email protected]

Until next time — keep caring, keep growing, and keep showing up for the clients who need you most.

In this Graduate Spotlight, Janis Boudreau sits down with Jamilla, one of her mentees and an AFCN Learning Institute graduate who has built her foot care practice, Soleful Harmony in Alberta, into a thriving business in just twelve months.

Jamilla shares why she made the leap from her previous career, how she used AFCN Learning Institute training, forms, manuals, and ongoing mentorship to build her practice from the ground up, the lessons she learned along the way, and what she would tell every nurse who is wondering if a practice of her own is really possible.

If you are standing where Jamilla stood a year ago, this conversation is the proof and encouragement you have been waiting for.

Featured Practice:
Soleful Harmony — Alberta
Website: https://solefulharmony.ca/

Thanks for listening to EmpowerHer Entrepreneur with Janis Boudreau.

If this episode supported you in building your foot care nursing practice with more confidence, clarity, and intention, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another foot care nurse who would benefit from this conversation.

Stay connected with AFCN Learning Institute for education, resources, and support for foot care nurses.

🌐 AFCN Learning Institute: https://afcnlearninginstitute.com
🌐 Advanced Foot Care Nurse: https://advancedfootnurse.com
📧 Contact: [email protected]

Until next time — keep caring, keep growing, and keep showing up for the clients who need you most.

In this Clinical Partner Spotlight, I sit down with Becky, our AFCN clinical partner and a foot care business owner in Ottawa. 

Becky shares why she moved on from her family practice team to build her own foot care business, how she grew it from the ground up, the hard seasons she pushed through, and what the AFCN partnership has meant for her work in the nation's capital. 

If you are a nurse dreaming about a practice of your own, this conversation is the encouragement and the roadmap you have been waiting for.

Thanks for listening to EmpowerHer Entrepreneur with Janis Boudreau.

If this episode supported you in building your foot care nursing practice with more confidence, clarity, and intention, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another foot care nurse who would benefit from this conversation.

Stay connected with AFCN Learning Institute for education, resources, and support for foot care nurses.

🌐 AFCN Learning Institute: https://afcnlearninginstitute.com
🌐 Advanced Foot Care Nurse: https://advancedfootnurse.com
📧 Contact: [email protected]

Until next time — keep caring, keep growing, and keep showing up for the clients who need you most.

Certification isn’t a test you cram for — it’s a portfolio you build.

In this episode, Janis breaks down the four domains the CNA foot care nursing certification is built on, why “I’ve done this for years” isn’t the same as proving it, and the simplest first step to becoming the gold standard.

You’ll learn how to think about ongoing learning, standards of practice, collaboration and leadership, and self-reflection as evidence you can start collecting now.

Free resources and next steps:

Free Certification Readiness Self-Assessment:
https://www.afcnlearninginstitute.com/products/digital_downloads/certification-readiness-self-assessment

Ingrown Toenail Course + Live Workshop:
https://www.afcnlearninginstitute.com/courses/foot-care-skills-workshop-series-ingrown-nails

Explore AFCN Learning Institute courses:
https://www.afcnlearninginstitute.com

Certification is administered by the Canadian Nurses Association. Please confirm current eligibility and portfolio requirements directly with the CNA.

Thanks for listening to EmpowerHer Entrepreneur with Janis Boudreau.

If this episode supported you in building your foot care nursing practice with more confidence, clarity, and intention, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another foot care nurse who would benefit from this conversation.

Stay connected with AFCN Learning Institute for education, resources, and support for foot care nurses.

🌐 AFCN Learning Institute: https://afcnlearninginstitute.com
🌐 Advanced Foot Care Nurse: https://advancedfootnurse.com
📧 Contact: [email protected]

Until next time — keep caring, keep growing, and keep showing up for the clients who need you most.

Your client experience is your best marketing tool. Learn how to design every step — from first contact to follow-up — to make clients feel cared for and valued

In this episode of EmpowerHer Entrepreneur, Janis Boudreau explores why the client experience is one of the most powerful marketing tools for foot care nurses building thriving independent practices.

From the first phone call, voicemail, website visit, or Instagram bio to the appointment itself and the follow-up afterward, every touchpoint shapes how clients feel about your care. Janis shares practical ways to make clients feel seen, valued, safe, and supported — both inside and beyond the treatment room.

You’ll learn how to strengthen first impressions, create meaningful connection during appointments, use small gestures to build loyalty, handle difficult moments with professionalism, and follow up intentionally so clients feel like part of a relationship — not just a transaction.

This episode is a reminder that memorable client experiences are built through small, consistent actions that help clients return, refer, and trust you as part of their wellness routine.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why client experience is your best marketing tool
• How first impressions build trust before treatment begins
• Ways to make appointments feel personal, warm, and professional
• The importance of comfort checks, education, and using the client’s name
• How follow-up messages can increase loyalty and referrals
• Why Google reviews matter for your online reputation
• A simple challenge to improve one client journey touchpoint this week

Listen in and learn how to create a client experience that goes beyond the treatment room — and keeps clients coming back.

Thanks for listening to EmpowerHer Entrepreneur with Janis Boudreau.

If this episode supported you in building your foot care nursing practice with more confidence, clarity, and intention, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another foot care nurse who would benefit from this conversation.

Stay connected with AFCN Learning Institute for education, resources, and support for foot care nurses.

🌐 AFCN Learning Institute: https://afcnlearninginstitute.com
🌐 Advanced Foot Care Nurse: https://advancedfootnurse.com
📧 Contact: [email protected]

Until next time — keep caring, keep growing, and keep showing up for the clients who need you most.