In this episode of the Love n' Leary podcast, host Rebecca Love sits down with nurse leaders Dr. Lendra James and Dr. Danielle McCamey, co-founders of Nurses Shift Change, to talk about why nurses must “report for duty” in Washington, D.C. this Nurses Week. They break down the urgent threats facing healthcare—hospital closures, cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, loss of coverage for vulnerable communities, and risks to nursing’s status as a profession—and why nurses’ voices are essential in shaping policy. 

Learn what to expect at the Report for Duty Rally and Hill Day, how advocacy connects to nursing’s Code of Ethics, and how joy, art, and community can fuel resistance and change. Tune in to get inspired, get informed, and get ready to show up.

>>Why Thousands of Nurses Are Marching on Capitol Hill May 7

Jump Ahead to Listen: 

[00:01:22] Introducing the Report for Duty rally in DC
[00:01:51] Origin and mission of Nurses Shift Change
[00:02:20] Adding Hill Day meetings with lawmakers
[00:03:21] Why Washington, DC and engaging legislators
[00:04:01] History of nurses marching and advocacy in DC
[00:05:21] Why nurses must leverage their collective power now
[00:06:41] Healthcare in trouble and nurses on the front lines
[00:08:33] Joy and resistance: format and feel of the rally
[00:09:09] Core values: humanity, ethics, social justice, science
[00:11:55] How to get involved and where to find more information

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn

Connect with Marion on social media:
Instagram: @marionleary
TikTok: @marionleary
Facebook: Marion Leary

In this episode of the Love n' Leary Podcast, hosts Marion Leary and Rebecca Love speak with nurses Dena Bushman and Rebekah Stewart about their difficult decision to resign from the United States Public Health Service. After years of leadership in public health and infectious disease response, both nurses share the ethical and moral conflicts they faced when deployments shifted toward immigration detention facilities. Through candid conversation, they discuss moral distress, nursing ethics, and the responsibility nurses carry when systems conflict with patient care. This episode explores advocacy, courage, and how nurses can use their voices to drive change in healthcare and beyond.

Jump Ahead to Listen: 

[00:01:21] Nurses resign from U.S. Public Health Service
[00:01:42] Dena’s background and CDC / EIS path
[00:03:07] Becky’s ER, Ebola, and CDC career overview
[00:06:24] Becky’s ethical breaking point and decision to resign
[00:09:37] What the U.S. Public Health Service is
[00:11:58] Shift in deployments toward detention facilities
[00:13:20] Question about deaths and conditions in detention
[00:13:47] Becky’s 2019 Border Patrol deployment experience
[00:17:42] Dena rostered to ICE and Guantánamo, moral distress
[00:25:03] Dena on using your voice and next steps for nurses

Connect with Rebekah: 

• LinkedIn: Rebekah Stewart
• Substack: @rebekahjstewart

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn

Connect with Marion on social media:

• Instagram: @marionleary
• TikTok: @marionleary
• Facebook: Marion Leary

In this episode of the Love n' Leary Podcast, we sit down with emergency nurse and congressional candidate Nancy Mannion (PA-11). Nancy shares how bedside experiences, seeing the impact of lack of access to care and crushing medical debt, propelled her to run for Congress. She breaks down the nursing skills—communication, negotiation, and teamwork—that translate directly to policymaking, and talks candidly about imposter syndrome, becoming a public figure, and preparing for tough town hall questions. Nancy also offers practical encouragement for nurses considering political engagement at any level, from school boards to federal office, and explains why she believes America is in “critical condition” and needs a nurse to help heal it.

>>From the ER to Congress: Why This Nurse Is Running for Office | Opinion

Jump Ahead to Listen: 

[00:01:00] Introducing guest: ER nurse Nancy Mannion, running for Congress
[00:02:09] What inspired Nancy to run for a congressional seat
[00:03:06] ER stories showing impact of poor access to healthcare
[00:04:37] Speaking at a local event leads to being asked to run
[00:06:09] Exploring how to run and finding Healing Politics
[00:07:45] Nursing skills Nancy will use in Congress
[00:11:50] Learning every word as a candidate is public
[00:14:29] Preparing for town halls and handling wide-ranging questions
[00:17:53] Advice to nurses thinking about speaking up or running for office
[00:21:33] How nurses can support Nancy’s campaign and get involved

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn
Connect with Marion on social media:
Instagram: @marionleary
TikTok: @marionleary
Facebook: Marion Leary

Space tourists, floating vomit, CPR in microgravity—this episode goes exactly where you think it won’t.

Marion and Rebecca sit down with Christine Rincon, founder of The Space Nurse™, to explore why the future of space travel urgently needs nurses. From decoding NASA job postings to unpacking “human in the loop” processes, Christine reveals how everyday bedside nursing skills directly translate to mission control and long-duration space missions. The conversation dives into microgravity’s surprising effects on the body, space station livability, and why nurses must help design the next era of space exploration.

If you’ve ever wondered what nursing looks like on the journey to Mars, this episode is your launchpad.

>>The Next Frontier for Nurses? Outer Space.

Jump Ahead to Listen: 

[00:01:47] What is The Space Nurse
[00:02:37] Space nursing isn’t “a thing” yet
[00:04:05] Why long-term missions need nurses
[00:05:31] Translating nursing skills to NASA jobs
[00:06:29] “Human in the loop” explained for nurses
[00:08:00] NASA Standard 3001 and human factors
[00:09:48] CPR guidelines for the International Space Station
[00:11:45] NASA’s free training and human research roadmap
[00:13:24] Idea of a Nurses in Space hackathon with NASA
[00:21:35] Webinar to prep nurses for care in microgravity

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn
Connect with Marion on social media:
Instagram: @marionleary
TikTok: @marionleary
Facebook: Marion Leary

In this episode of the Love and Leary Podcast, Rebecca Love and Marion Leary sit down with public health nurse and former USAID leader Jerilyn Hoover to discuss the sweeping impact of recent federal health funding cuts. Jerilyn shares a firsthand account of how the abrupt closure of global health programs disrupted HIV, maternal-child health, and workforce initiatives worldwide—contributing to devastating human consequences and the displacement of thousands of health workers.

The conversation also explores a critical but overlooked issue: the loss of nursing leadership within federal agencies and its long-term implications for healthcare policy and innovation.

>>How Federal Health Funding Cuts Are Reshaping Global Care—and Impacting Nursing Leadership

Jump Ahead to Listen: 

[00:01:03] Introducing guest Jerilyn Hoover
[00:02:15] Early interest in public health nursing
[00:04:10] MPH at Johns Hopkins and focus on health policy
[00:04:40] Joining USAID and health workforce work
[00:05:35] Asked about the day the agency was closed
[00:06:00] Inauguration week trip to Ivory Coast
[00:07:00] Seeing news of the 90-day aid freeze
[00:07:20] PEPFAR background and scale of support
[00:08:07] Overnight layoffs and halted services
[00:09:22] Locked clinics and shortages of HIV meds
[00:12:31] Estimated 700,000 deaths from aid cuts
[00:16:09] Federal government as career pathway for nurses
[00:19:23] Why nurses must be in policy roles
[00:22:13] Risk of nursing retreating to only clinical/academic roles
[00:23:31] Calls to action: advocacy, mentorship, support

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn
Connect with Marion on social media:
Instagram: @marionleary
TikTok: @marionleary
Facebook: Marion Leary

On this episode of the Love n’ Leary Nursing Podcast, hosts Marion Leary and Rebecca Love welcome Katie Boston-Leary, Senior Vice President at the American Nurses Association, for a powerful conversation on advocacy, leadership, and the future of nursing. Katie shares why political and social advocacy are core to nursing’s identity and how the ANA is taking bold action in response to national events impacting health, human rights, and democracy. The discussion also explores the Department of Education’s proposed reclassification of nursing degrees and what it means for education access, workforce development, and the profession at large. This episode is a call for nurses at every level to use their voices, engage in policy, and lead meaningful change.

>>From Bedside to SVP of Equity and Engagement at the ANA

Jump Ahead to Listen: 

[1:02] Meet guest Katie Boston-Leary (ANA)
[1:27] ANA’s stance: advocacy as core nursing work
[3:04] Alex Pretti case in Minnesota and ANA’s first response
[4:08] Petition to Congress and “nursing founded in struggle”
[6:03] DOE letter: nursing left off the professional degree list
[7:32] Stereotypes about nurses and how they shape policy
[8:12] Nursing roles: bedside, leadership, security, even space
[9:31] Public comment on DOE rule (through March 2) and aid impact
[11:29] “Where nurses go, society goes”: power of advocacy
[12:02] How you can plug into ANA’s advocacy work
[13:38] RNAction.org: quick tools to reach your lawmakers
[14:02] Start local: policy in your workplace and community
[15:21] Political advocacy as nursing’s lane
[16:52] Report for Duty Rally in D.C. (May 7) and next steps

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn

Connect with Marion on social media:
Instagram: @marionleary
TikTok: @marionleary
Facebook: Marion Leary

Disclaimer: This episode discusses violence and the death of a healthcare worker. Listener discretion is advised.

In this critical episode of Love n’ Leary, Marion Leary and Rebecca Love address the killing of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse in Minnesota, and what this moment demands of the nursing profession. Joined by Dr. Teddie Potter, clinical professor at the University of Minnesota and founding director of its Planetary Health Program, the conversation explores nursing’s moral obligation to speak out against injustice. Dr. Potter introduces the concept of “Code White,” a powerful, nonviolent act of collective advocacy rooted in nursing history. Together, they call on nurses to reject silence, lean into discomfort, and take action in ways that honor humanity, solidarity, and the true calling of nursing.  

>>Dedicated VA ICU Nurse Alex Pretti Dead After Clash with Border Patrol in Minneapolis

Jump Ahead to Listen: 

[1:31] What Happened in Minnesota & Why It Matters
[3:20] Why Speak Out Now
[5:33] The Origins of “Code White”
[8:00] From Code White to Collective Action
[9:38] Silence, Upstanders & Historical Parallels
[11:39] No Hierarchy of Service: Do What You Can
[12:53] Discomfort, Duty, and Nursing as a Calling
[15:06] Loving People You Don’t Like & Seeing Shared Humanity
[17:23] Breaking Nursing’s Silence
[19:19] The Petition & Policy Moment
[21:45] Many Ways to Show Up
[23:05] Nelson Mandela’s Story & A Vision for the Future

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn

Connect with Marion on social media:
Instagram: @marionleary
TikTok: @marionleary
Facebook: Marion Leary

In this episode of the Love n’ Leary Nursing Podcast, Marion Leary and Rebecca Love announce the podcast’s new partnership with Nurse.org and reflect on how this milestone represents the power of saying yes to opportunity. They revisit the early conversations that sparked the show, including imposter syndrome and career uncertainty, and connect those experiences to the broader responsibility of nurse leadership. The discussion explores advocacy, the importance of nurses using their voices with confidence, and how storytelling, policy engagement, and diverse communication platforms can expand nursing influence. Together, Marion and Rebecca emphasize how nurses can shape public narratives, strengthen the profession, and drive meaningful change across healthcare. 

>>Love n' Leary Nursing Podcast

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn

Connect with Marion on social media:
Instagram: @marionleary
TikTok: @marionleary
Facebook: Marion Leary

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has proposed new rules that would narrow the definition of a "professional degree" for the purposes of federal student loans, potentially excluding graduate nursing, physician assistant (PA), and public health programs from specific higher loan limits (Google AI). There are many misconceptions around the educational requirements for various nursing degree programs. In this episode of the Love n' Leary podcast we talk with Kathryn Shaffer, EdD, RN, MSN, CNE, nurse educator and innovator, about the proposed new definition, the effect it would have on student loans for graduate nurses, the rigor of what it really takes to obtain a degrees in nursing, and why there are so many misconceptions about nursing programs. We also talk, as we do in almost all of our episodes, about what we can do as nurses to use our voices to amplify nursing, this time focused on amplifying nursing as a "professional degree" program.

Nurses have the skills and knowledge to run for office and just by virtue of our education and experience, we are ready to govern. In this episode of the Love n' Leary podcast, we invited our colleague Dr. Danielle McCamey to join in the conversation, discussing our respective experiences going through the Healing Politics Campaign School for Nurses and Midwives. Healing Politics is an educational, non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)3 organization whose mission to inspire, motivate, recruit, & train nurses & midwives to run for elected office. Rebecca Love attended the program in 2023, Dr. McCamey attended in 2024, and Dr. Marion Leary attended the program in 2025.