Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION!

"A lot of us get in that go-go-go mode and we don't know how to slow down.

Our thoughts are our biggest stressors.  So our thoughts alone can wreak havoc on our body. Even if you think, oh, I have no stress in my body right now, no stress in my life, but what you're thinking about can cause so much stress. So doing all the modules and courses with INCA really opened me up to that world and really helped me realize what was missing in my world was working on my mind." ~Cheryl Toto BSN, RN, NC-BC

Ah Ha Moments

• Our experiences shape the nurses we become. Compassionate nurses cared for Cheryl during childhood scoliosis treatment, inspiring her lifelong career in pediatric nursing.
• Nurse Coaching connected the missing pieces. Through INCA, Cheryl discovered how mindfulness, nervous system regulation, and the mind-body connection could support her own well-being and her work with others.
• The client knows what works for them. Nurse Coaches don’t prescribe joy or well-being. They listen, ask, and help clients discover their own path forward.
• Presence is powerful. Slowing down, truly listening, and helping someone feel seen can transform nursing care. And Cheryl reminds nurses that caring for ourselves matters, too.

Links and Resources

Integrative Nurse Coach Academy's Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program

Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION! podcast

Cheryl’s email: [email protected]

Well-Being Reimagined

Cheryl's Instagram

Cheryl's Facebook

*****

Integrative Nurse Coach Academy I Integrative Nurse Coach Foundation
We provide nurses with a global community for learning, networking, and reconnecting.

Thank you for listening.  We LOVE Nurses!

• Please leave us a 5 star rating and a positive comment about an episode you love!
• Follow Integrative Nurse Coach Academy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
• Learn more about our programs at the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy
• Schedule a free call with one of our awesome admissions specialists here>> and get your questions answered!
• Use the code 'ACTION' at checkout and get $100 off the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program (Parts 1 & 2 Bundle). 

"...these are qualities that are core to who we are. And there's times where we may be underusing strengths. And one of them I'll give for Nurses. Often one of our strengths as a profession, is kindness. We're caring. We're compassionate. Everybody says that about Nurse. We know that.

But how many of us would underuse kindness for ourselves? At some level, potentially. I mean, it's so easy. We're caring, giving to others, but we may be underusing it for ourselves. These strengths are to be used, the goal is to use them to benefit ourselves and others." ~Chad Sanders RN, BSN, NC-BC, MSc APPCP, MBSP Certified Facilitator

Ah-Ha Moments

• Nurse Coaching begins with knowing and caring for ourselves. Chad reflects on his own experiences with burnout and the tension nurses can feel when healthcare systems don’t align with their values. Integrative Nurse Coaching helped him recognize that his own well-being, self-awareness, and personal growth are foundational to how we care for and coach others.
• Know your strengths and learn to live them. Chad introduces the VIA Character Strengths and encourages listeners to identify the qualities that are essential, energizing, and natural to who they are. Rather than simply knowing your strengths, he invites you to practice them mindfully and consider how they can support you through challenges, relationships, nursing practice, and everyday life.
• Mindfulness and character strengths can become powerful partners. Through practices such as mindful strength use, strength spotting, reflection, and intentional awareness, we can become more present to what is best within ourselves and others. Chad’s work reminds us that strengths don’t eliminate adversity, and they can provide meaningful resources for navigating it while supporting well-being.
• Nurse Coaching can evolve into something uniquely your own. Chad’s journey has led him to combine positive psychology, mindfulness, music, movement, character strengths, and group coaching into his emerging Embody Your Strengths Coaching practice. His story is a beautiful example of how Nurse Coaches can evolve over time, bringing your own interests, talents, experiences, and even playfulness into how you serve others.

Links and Resources

• Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION! podcast
• Chad’s LinkedIn
• Chad’s Instagram
• Connect Wellness™ website
• Newsletter: Embodied Rhythm & Inner Intelligence Review™
• VIA Institute on Character: Free VIA Character Strengths Survey

Published research:

• Wellbeing and Nursing Burnout — Journal of Happiness and Health (2022)
• Interprofessional Substance Use Disorders Education — American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (2020)
• Interprofessional Psychiatry Education — Academic Psychiatry (2017)

*****

Integrative Nurse Coach Academy I Integrative Nurse Coach Foundation
We provide nurses with a global community for learning, networking, and reconnecting.

Thank you for listening.  We LOVE Nurses!

• Please leave us a 5 star rating and a positive comment about an episode you love!
• Follow Integrative Nurse Coach Academy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
• Learn more about our programs at the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy
• Schedule a free call with one of our awesome admissions specialists here>> and get your questions answered!
• Use the code 'ACTION' at checkout and get $100 off the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program (Parts 1 & 2 Bundle). 

"I need to be bold and empower myself to this too!  And Nurses are uniquely positioned to do that, and I really think through empowerment and being a bit more bold I can transform healthcare in many different ways." ~Elise H. Peterson MS, MPH, BSN, RN, CPN, AMB-BC, AHN-BC, NC-BC

Ah-Ha Moments

• Integrative Nurse Coaching empowers nurses to lead with courage, and to be bold. Elise shares how stepping into Integrative Nurse Coaching gave her the confidence to advocate for herself, embrace new opportunities, and create a career aligned with her purpose rather than staying where she had outgrown.
• From "educating and directing" to partnering and empowering. One of Elise's biggest transformations was learning to shift from telling patients what to do, to partnering with them, honoring each person as the expert in their own life, who is ready for change in their own time.
• Nurse Coaching skills extend far beyond the bedside. From pediatric critical care and global medical missions with Operation Smile, to a health technology startup supporting caregivers of people living with dementia, Elise demonstrates how coaching principles can transform healthcare in every setting.
• An exciting new chapter for ALL Nurse Coaches. Elise shares the vision behind the International Nurse Coach Association (INCAssociation), a growing professional organization creating state, regional, national, and international connections, leadership opportunities, continuing education, and community for Nurse Coaches around the world.
• What's on Elise’s heart? Elise reminds us that boldness, connection, partnership, and humanity have the power to transform both nursing and healthcare. When nurses embrace these qualities, they create healing not only for their patients but also for themselves and the future of the profession.

Resources and Links

• Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION! podcast 
• International Nurse Coaching Association  I-NCA
• International Nurse Coaching Association Facebook page
• Elise's LinkedIn
• Elise’s email: [email protected]

Integrative Nurse Coach Academy I Integrative Nurse Coach Foundation
We provide nurses with a global community for learning, networking, and reconnecting.

Thank you for listening.  We LOVE Nurses!

• Please leave us a 5 star rating and a positive comment about an episode you love!
• Follow Integrative Nurse Coach Academy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
• Learn more about our programs at the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy
• Schedule a free call with one of our awesome admissions specialists here>> and get your questions answered!
• Use the code 'ACTION' at checkout and get $100 off the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program (Parts 1 & 2 Bundle). 

 Celebrating 100 episodes of Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION! with a special “What Is On Your Heart?” edition featuring heartfelt reflections from past guests across episodes 49–75. 

This milestone honors 100 Integrative Nurse Coaches from around the world who have shared wisdom, vulnerability, compassion, and inspiration over the last five years. 

This episode also includes special reflections from nurse coaching co-founders Dr. Barbara Dossey and Susan Luck whose vision helped shape the future of Integrative Nurse Coaching and continue to inspire nurses globally. ✨ 

Integrative Nurse Coach Academy I Integrative Nurse Coach Foundation
We provide nurses with a global community for learning, networking, and reconnecting.

Thank you for listening.  We LOVE Nurses!

• Please leave us a 5 star rating and a positive comment about an episode you love!
• Follow Integrative Nurse Coach Academy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
• Learn more about our programs at the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy
• Schedule a free call with one of our awesome admissions specialists here>> and get your questions answered!
• Use the code 'ACTION' at checkout and get $100 off the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program (Parts 1 & 2 Bundle). 

"...when you can get yourself and that parasympathetic nervous system in a calm place, that is when you start healing.  

That is when you heal your nervous system, and to calm that nervous system is such an important part of Nursing. And that helps us do our self care, that helps us to regenerate who we are, so we can function day to day. It helps us so that we can love ourselves and each other. It's coming from that calm nervous system that is a primary focus of being human." ~Geralyn Retzel MS, BSN, RN, NC-BC, CAP, LMT

Ah Ha Moments

• Integrative Nurse Coaches help patients access their inner healer through presence, listening, self-awareness, and whole-person support.

• Addressing and calming the nervous system is foundational to healing, with practices such as meditation, sound healing, movement, and stillness supporting wellbeing.

• Nurses bring immense value beyond tasks and treatments through education, emotional support, family guidance, and compassionate human connection.

• You are already whole and life’s challenges can become opportunities for growth, wisdom, and deeper self-understanding.

Links and Resources

• Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION! podcast
• Trust Your Intuition: A Journey with Geralyn Retzel
• Geralyn’s email: [email protected]

Integrative Nurse Coach Academy I Integrative Nurse Coach Foundation
We provide nurses with a global community for learning, networking, and reconnecting.

Thank you for listening.  We LOVE Nurses!

• Please leave us a 5 star rating and a positive comment about an episode you love!
• Follow Integrative Nurse Coach Academy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
• Learn more about our programs at the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy
• Schedule a free call with one of our awesome admissions specialists here>> and get your questions answered!
• Use the code 'ACTION' at checkout and get $100 off the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program (Parts 1 & 2 Bundle). 

"Nurse coaching, as we know, is not only about coaching others, but it's also about self development of the Nurse and helping the Nurse to transform and into greater health and well being for themselves. And how did we think of it?  

Well, we certainly have been in the space together in certain conferences and listening to certain programs, and we realize that Nurses have an awful lot of education, experience that they can bring to clients, and use a lot of functional medicine principles as well as lifestyle nursing principles." ~Karen Avino

Ah Ha Moments

• Integrative Nurse Coaching, Functional Nursing, and Lifestyle Nursing come together to create a powerful, whole-person approach that transforms how nurses support health, healing, and prevention.

• Lifestyle Nursing focuses on evidence-based pillars like nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, and connection to prevent, treat, and even reverse chronic disease.

• Functional Nursing personalizes care by identifying root causes and addressing the mental, emotional, and physiological factors that influence health and healing.

• Integrative Nurse Coaching enhances outcomes through presence, deep listening, and partnership, empowering patients to create sustainable lifestyle change.

• Together, these approaches shift healthcare from reactive “sick care” to proactive, relationship-based care that restores joy, purpose, and impact in nursing practice.

Links and Resources

• Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION! podcast 
• Functional Nursing + Lifestyle Nursing Dual Certificate Pathway
• Lifestyle Nursing: A Lifestyle Medicine Framework for Nurses course
• Functional Nursing: A Functional Medicine Framework for Nurses course
• Episode 96: Ignite Your Impact with Lifestyle Nursing - Karen Laing DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-BC, DipACLM, HWMC-BC, CHES, FPCNA
• Episode 95: Functional Nursing: Tools, Presence, and Hope for Modern Nurses - Thomas Sult MD, IFMCP and Elizabeth Sult BSN, RN, NC-BC
• Episode 85: Celebrating Integrative Nurse Coaching - Karen Avino EdD, RN, AHN-BC, HWNC-BC
• Karen Avino’s email: [email protected]
• Karen Laing’s email: [email protected]
• Elizabeth and Tom Sult’s email: [email protected]

Integrative Nurse Coach Academy I Integrative Nurse Coach Foundation
We provide nurses with a global community for learning, networking, and reconnecting.

Thank you for listening.  We LOVE Nurses!

• Please leave us a 5 star rating and a positive comment about an episode you love!
• Follow Integrative Nurse Coach Academy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
• Learn more about our programs at the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy
• Schedule a free call with one of our awesome admissions specialists here>> and get your questions answered!
• Use the code 'ACTION' at checkout and get $100 off the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program (Parts 1 & 2 Bundle). 

“I've never seen this type of healing in the conventional healthcare system. Never. It's so profound and so fast and long lasting, and it's just absolutely mind blowing every time. Not always, though, isn't this effective for everybody, right? It's not a magic pill or a cure all or anything like that. 

But for the people that it does work for, they say that everything they tried didn't work, but this was it.  It brings me to my soul work, which is being able to be a bridge or a facilitator, to help somebody heal, and that is what lights me up.” ~Anna Desmarais BSN, RN, HWNC-BC

Ah Ha Moments

• Integrative Nurse Coaching can reconnect you to your “why.”  It’s OK to shift the way you show up and practice as a Nurse, connecting back to your purpose can help you discover new ways to find joy and a renewed passion for your work.
• Anna’s biggest Integrative Nurse Coach Academy Nurse Coach Certificate Program takeaway: hold space, listen deeply, use silence well, and ease up on the “fix it” reflex.
• It’s not all private practice. Her Integrative Nurse Coaching skills translate directly into nurse-led telehealth roles with ongoing client relationships, without constant hustle.
• Psilocybin highlights the evolving role of nursing. Integrative Nurse Coaching skills, like presence, safety, and deep listening, facilitate naturally into psilocybin-supported care, where Nurses can blend clinical expertise with holistic, relationship-centered healing.
• Your RN background becomes a superpower in all spaces. Nursing supports safety and clinical judgment, coaching supports preparation, regulation, and integration for real change.

Links and Resources

Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION! podcast

Nursing Pathways in Psychedelic Care course

Upcoming (legal) psilocybin retreat in Boulder, CO in April

The Path Back: A Holistic Nurse’s Guide to Healing from the Intersection of Science, Spirituality, and Ancient Wisdom

Link to a free consultation with Anna

INCs in ACTION! Podcast episodes related to psychedelics

80: Psychedelics and Sacred Medicine in Nursing- Dr. Stephanie Van Hope DNP, RN, NC-BC

69: Combining Psilocybin Education and Nurse Coaching- Chandra “CeeCee” Campanelli RN, HN-BC, HWNC-BC

*****

Thank you for listening. We LOVE Nurses!

• Please leave us a 5 star rating and a positive comment about an episode you love!
• Follow Integrative Nurse Coach Academy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
• Learn more about our programs at the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy
• Schedule a free call with one of our awesome admissions specialists here>> and get your questions answered!
• Use the code ‘ACTION’ at checkout and get $100 off the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program (Parts 1 & 2 Bundle).

Integrative Nurse Coach Academy I Integrative Nurse Coach Foundation
We provide nurses with a global community for learning, networking, and reconnecting.

Thank you for listening.  We LOVE Nurses!

• Please leave us a 5 star rating and a positive comment about an episode you love!
• Follow Integrative Nurse Coach Academy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
• Learn more about our programs at the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy
• Schedule a free call with one of our awesome admissions specialists here>> and get your questions answered!
• Use the code 'ACTION' at checkout and get $100 off the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program (Parts 1 & 2 Bundle). 

"...we sell hope, because lots of times patients will come to us, they've got the med list this long, and they just think it's going to keep getting longer. We let them know that this is not what it has to continue being. We can actually make changes, and lifestyle medicine providers will, as appropriate, de-prescribe or decrease the dose on these medications. 

And from the Nursing perspective, it's about being very specific, so making the recommendations instead of saying, you know, eat more fruits and vegetables. You know, well, what's realistic for you at this time? What are you ready to do? So Nurse Coaches are the best at this because we're already used to being able to assess where the client is and what they're ready to make a move on." ~Karen Laing DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-BC, DipACLM, HWMC-BC, CHES, FPCNA

Ah-Ha Moments

• Explore how Lifestyle Nursing and Integrative Nurse Coaching blend the art and science of Nursing to prevent, and even help reverse chronic disease with evidence-based lifestyle interventions.
• Learn the six pillars of lifestyle medicine:  sleep, stress, movement, nutrition, social connection, and avoiding risky substance, and how Lifestyle Nursing makes them practical and doable for real patients and real Nurses.
• Hear how Nurses can use a Lifestyle Nursing framework to “sell hope,” collaborate with patients, and confidently stay within scope while talking about food, movement, and behavior change.
• Discover how Integrative Nurse Coaching + Lifestyle Nursing give Nurses structure, language, and heart-centered tools to support patients, communities, and themselves.
• Feel inspired as Karen reminds us that Nurses are powerful, trusted advocates who can model lifestyle change and help transform a broken healthcare system from the inside out.

Links and Resources

• Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION! podcast
• Lifestyle Nursing: A Lifestyle Medicine Framework for Nurses course
• Functional Nursing: A Functional Medicine Framework for Nurses course
• Functional Nursing + Lifestyle Nursing Dual Certificate Pathway
• Lifestyle Nursing book
• Health Promotion and Disease Prevention for Advanced Practice book
• Karen's email

Integrative Nurse Coach Academy I Integrative Nurse Coach Foundation
We provide nurses with a global community for learning, networking, and reconnecting.

Thank you for listening.  We LOVE Nurses!

• Please leave us a 5 star rating and a positive comment about an episode you love!
• Follow Integrative Nurse Coach Academy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
• Learn more about our programs at the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy
• Schedule a free call with one of our awesome admissions specialists here>> and get your questions answered!
• Use the code 'ACTION' at checkout and get $100 off the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program (Parts 1 & 2 Bundle). 

"A lot of what we do is give patients hope. Give patients hope and listen to them. And that, in itself, is so healing. I think it's so healing and transformative, ...even if they don't get to where they were before, they become the best version of themselves that they can be." ~Elizabth Sult BSN, RN, NC-BC

"In conventional medicine, the question is, what's the diagnosis? And once you know the diagnosis, then there's sort of these algorithms that, you try to see if they help. But in functional medicine, once you understand what's the diagnosis, the question is, really, why? Why do you have the diagnosis?

And that's where these antecedents, triggers, mediators, all these kinds of ideas come from— to get to the why. But I like to say that the antecedents, triggers and mediators are kind of like Einstein's Theory of Relativity, right? Because an antecedents from one frame might be a trigger from another frame.

And so, you know, getting to the real root cause. You might think, Oh, I got to the molecular medicine cause. But actually, it was a spiritual mal-alignment that caused the biochemical issue, because it caused all this stress and strain and all that trickles down to the molecular medicine."  ~Dr. Tom Sult MD, IFMCP

Ah-Ha Moments

• Functional Nursing asks a different question: Not just what’s the nursing diagnosis? But, why is this happening?  And what does this body need to heal? It’s about raising wellness so illness has less space to take hold
• The Functional Nurse listens for patterns, stories, and turning points. Elizabeth and Tom highlight how powerful it is when Nurses can really listen, and help patients connect the dots in their own health journey
• Functional Nursing and Integrative Nurse Coaching are a natural fit. When Nurses combine root-cause thinking with coaching presence, patients feel seen, supported, and empowered to take steps that fit into their busy lives
• The nervous system matters deeply. Functional Nurses learn about how long-term stress and fight-or-flight affect digestion, immunity, hormones, and healing, and why joy, safety, and regulation are essential parts of care
• This work restores dignity and hope for patients and nurses. 

Links and Resources

• Functional Nursing: A Functional Medicine Framework for Nurses
• Functional Nursing + Lifestyle Nursing Dual Certificate Pathway
• Just Be Well website
• Book: Just Be Well by Thomas Sult
• Email for questions: [email protected] 
• More episodes of Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION! podcast

Integrative Nurse Coach Academy I Integrative Nurse Coach Foundation
We provide nurses with a global community for learning, networking, and reconnecting.

Thank you for listening.  We LOVE Nurses!

• Please leave us a 5 star rating and a positive comment about an episode you love!
• Follow Integrative Nurse Coach Academy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
• Learn more about our programs at the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy
• Schedule a free call with one of our awesome admissions specialists here>> and get your questions answered!
• Use the code 'ACTION' at checkout and get $100 off the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program (Parts 1 & 2 Bundle). 

"What is homeopathy? I think a lot of people confuse it with home remedies. And it's not necessarily home remedies. It is, not garlic and using turmeric and herbs. Rather, it's its own subset of medicine. 

It's an energetic medicine. So everything is ultra diluted in homeopathy. So they do take a mother tincture, or a natural substance, and will dilute that to the point where it's only the energy left of that substance. So we are talking about only the energy, and the way that it works is these ultra dilutions are going to help us to heal the body.”  ~Lauren Briggs BSN, RN, HWNC-BC, HN-BC

Ah-Ha Moments

• You can redefine nursing on your own terms. Lauren’s journey from bedside burnout to Integrative Nurse Coach shows that Nurses can create meaningful, holistic careers that light them up.
• Homeopathy is more than herbs. Discover how this energetic form of medicine works with the body’s natural healing response using the principle of “like cures like."
• Acute vs. chronic care — there’s a remedy for that. Learn the difference between quick, short-term symptom support and deeper, long-term healing approaches
• Education is empowerment. Nurses can confidently integrate homeopathy within their scope through safe, evidence-informed education and client teaching
• Holistic nursing is evolving. Explore how Integrative Nurse Coaches are expanding the definition of care — weaving together compassion, intuition, and science to support whole-being healing

Resources and Links

• Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION! podcast
•  Practical Medicine LLC website
•  Homeopathy for Nurses: Acute Care course
•  Lauren's email

*****

Integrative Nurse Coach Academy I Integrative Nurse Coach Foundation
We provide nurses with a global community for learning, networking, and reconnecting.

Thank you for listening.  We LOVE Nurses!

• Please leave us a 5 star rating and a positive comment about an episode you love!
• Follow Integrative Nurse Coach Academy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
• Learn more about our programs at the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy
• Schedule a free call with one of our awesome admissions specialists here>> and get your questions answered!
• Use the code 'ACTION' at checkout and get $100 off the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program (Parts 1 & 2 Bundle).