Content note: this episode discusses workplace violence, suicidal ideation and psychological harm in a clinical/workplace setting.

This week, almost seven years to the day since I walked out of a role where I once hid under my desk to escape a leader who ran her unit on fear, that same leader was walked out of hers.

This isn't a celebration episode. I don't take pleasure in anyone losing their income or their identity. But I can't stay quiet about what it means that it took seven years — seven years of turnover, burnout, and silence — for accountability to catch up.

In this solo episode, I break down five things we need to talk about: how healthcare culture protects powerful people who lead through fear, why "getting results" is not the same as good leadership, what real accountability structures should look like, and why we need to stop rewarding leaders who manage through intimidation instead of trust.

This one is personal. If you've ever made yourself small to survive a shift, this episode is for you.

With a growing mental health crisis and a system bogged down by waitlists and rigid silos, a powerful paradigm shift is happening across Canada: the rise of nurse-led psychotherapy. In this educational episode, we sit down with Sheena Howard (BScN, MA, RYT, RN), award-winning Nurse Psychotherapist and the founder of Acceptance Psychotherapy.

We dive deep into why Registered Nurses are uniquely positioned to transform mental healthcare. Grounded in a holistic nursing blueprint, nurse psychotherapists don't just treat symptoms in isolation; they integrate biological, psychological, and social factors—bridging the gap between the physical nervous system, medication management, and emotional trauma.

However, paving this independent path comes with major friction. Sheena pulls back the curtain on the institutional gatekeeping, regulatory ambiguities, and insurance barriers that independent nurse providers face daily. More importantly, she shares evidence-backed strategies on how to overcome these hurdles: by shifting focus from restrictive corporate insurance policies to strict provincial legislation, building multi-disciplinary alliances, and creating inclusive, trauma-informed clinical spaces. This conversation is a masterclass in healthcare advocacy and systemic disruption for any clinician ready to expand their scope and build a practice on their own terms.

Key Topics & Timestamps

• 00:00 – Introduction to Nurse Psychotherapy in Canada

• 02:12 – Moving Beyond the Bedside: Sheena's Professional Journey

• 04:45 – The Holistic Edge: Merging Nursing Knowledge with Psychotherapy

• 06:48 – What the Data Says: Evidence-Based Outcomes of Nurse-Led Mental Health Care

• 09:07 – Overcoming Institutional Bias: Founding the Acceptance Clinic

• 11:59 – The Educational Pipeline & Advanced Clinical Competencies for RNs

• 14:54 – Dismantling Systemic Barriers, Sexism, and Gatekeeping in the Field

• 15:07 – Strategy Session: Navigating Insurance Red Tape & Regulatory Hurdles

• 20:15 – Intersectional Clinical Care: Harm Reduction & 2SLGBTQIA+ Affirmation

• 25:46 – Advocacy in Action: Changing Legislation to Expand Public Mental Health Access

About Our Guest: Sheena Howard

Sheena Howard is an award-winning Nurse Psychotherapist, healthcare entrepreneur, and the founder of Acceptance Nurse Psychotherapy, a leading nurse-owned mental health practice. Registered with the College of Nurses of Ontario, Sheena holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Arts. Over her 20+ year clinical career, she has dedicated herself to providing trauma-informed, intersectional, and harm-reduction-focused psychotherapy. Honoured with the provincial Nurse Innovation Award from the Registered Nurses' Foundation of Ontario in 2023, Sheena is a fierce advocate for nurse autonomy, health equity, and diverse mental health access.

Connect with Sheena:

• Website: Acceptance Clinic

• Email: [email protected]

• Instagram: @AcceptanceNursePsychotherapy

• Community Advocacy: Join the Nurse Psychotherapists of Ontario network.

Resources & Frameworks Mentioned:

• Clinical Practice: Acceptance Clinic Official Page

• Professional Standards & Policy: Canadian Nurses Association (CNA)

• Regulatory Context: College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO)

• Legislative Foundations: Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA)

• Equity Initiatives: CNA Reconciliation Framework

• Clinical Practice: Acceptance Clinic Official Page

• Regulatory & Practice Guidance: CNO: Psychotherapy and the Controlled Act Component

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Thank you to Hospital News for being a collaborative partner with the Gritty Nurse!

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How do we move from a healthcare system that only reacts to illness, to one that actively empowers patients?

In this episode of The Gritty Nurse Podcast, host Amie Archibald-Varley sits down with Mike Serbinis, the visionary CEO and founder of League, a leading digital health platform transforming the consumer healthcare experience. A seasoned tech innovator and entrepreneur, Mike has a storied history of disrupting industries—from working alongside Elon Musk on early jet propulsion designs to co-founding Kobo, which challenged the global e-reading market. Now, he's turning his sights toward fixing our fragmented healthcare system.

Amie and Mike dive deep into how cutting-edge technology, personalization, and AI can bridge the massive gaps in current healthcare delivery, alleviate provider burnout, and truly put the power back into the hands of patients and frontline workers.

What We Discuss in This Episode:

• The Journey to Disruption: How Mike transitioned from mainstream tech innovation to tackling the complex world of healthcare.

• AI & Digital Platforms: The real-world applications of technology in streamlining care, improving patient outcomes, and modernizing the clinical experience.

• Empowering the Individual: Shifting the paradigm toward proactive, patient-centered care and navigating the barriers to systemic change.

• The Future of Care: What a fully integrated, tech-enabled healthcare ecosystem actually looks like for patients and providers on the ground.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Healthcare Transformation

02:25 Personal Journey into Healthcare Innovation

05:28 The Need for a Consumer-Centered Healthcare System

07:56 Aha Moments: Personal Experiences Driving Change

10:38 Shifting Power Dynamics in Healthcare

13:37 Leveraging Technology to Improve Healthcare Access

15:56 Case Study: Hello Pregnancy Initiative

18:53 AI in Healthcare: Balancing Innovation and Care

22:34 Empowering Clinicians Through Technology

27:31 Building Trust in Healthcare Innovation

31:42 The Digital Front Door to Healthcare

35:13 Preventative Care and the Infinite Care Team

39:45 Hope for the Future of Healthcare

Connect with Mike & League:

• LinkedIn: Michael Serbinis

• Website: League.com

• X (Twitter): @mserbinis

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Stay Connected:

• Website: grittynurse.com
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Collaborations & Inquiries: For sponsorship opportunities or to book Amie for speaking engagements, visit: grittynurse.com/contact

Thank you to Hospital News for being a collaborative partner with the Gritty Nurse!

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What happens when a nurse picks up a pen and refuses to stay quiet? She becomes Tilda Shalof — ICU nurse, bestselling author, patient advocate, and one of Canada's most powerful voices for the nursing profession.

In this episode of The Gritty Nurse Podcast, host Amie Archibald-Varley sits down with Tilda Shalof, RN, BScN, CNCC(C), a veteran nurse from Toronto General Hospital's Medical-Surgical ICU and the author of six books — including the acclaimed A Nurse's Story, The Making of a Nurse, Camp Nurse, Opening My Heart, Lives in the Balance, and Bringing It Home. Her work has been translated into French, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese, reaching nurses and patients across the globe.

Tilda has spent decades doing what nurses do best — caring for the critically ill, advocating for patients, and working in the most demanding environments in healthcare. But she's also done something radical: she wrote it all down and made the world pay attention.

In this conversation, Amie and Tilda dig into:

• Why nursing stories matter more now than ever — and how storytelling is a form of advocacy
• What Tilda learned about the healthcare system when she became a patient herself after open-heart surgery
• The moral courage it takes to be a nurse — and why the profession is "the opposite of despair"
• How nurses can combat burnout by finding community, voice, and purpose through their stories
• The hidden world of home care, ICU nursing, and everything in between
• What it means to be a nurse-first, author-second — and why that distinction matters

Whether you're a nurse on the front lines, a nursing student wondering if you have what it takes, or a healthcare advocate who believes the system needs to change — this episode will remind you why nurses' voices are essential, urgent, and worth amplifying.

📚 Find Tilda Shalof:

• 🌐 Website: www.nursetilda.com
• 📷 Instagram: @nurse.tilda
• 📧 Contact: [email protected]

* Listen on Apple Podcasts – : The Gritty Nurse Podcast on Apple Apple Podcasts

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Stay Connected:

• Website: grittynurse.com
• Instagram: @grittynursepod
• TikTok: @thegrittynursepodcast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064212216482
• X (Twitter): @GrittyNurse

Collaborations & Inquiries: For sponsorship opportunities or to book Amie for speaking engagements, visit: grittynurse.com/contact

Thank you to Hospital News for being a collaborative partner with the Gritty Nurse!

www.hospitalnews.com

Do you actually know your rights as a nurse?

What does it take to go from the operating room to the courtroom — and why should every nurse care?

In this episode of The Gritty Nurse Podcast, host Amie Archibald-Varley sits down with the remarkable Dr. Cambria Nwosu, RN — a nurse whose career has taken her from high-stakes surgical suites to the frontlines of legal nursing consulting and healthcare policy advocacy. Cambria's story is a masterclass in what's possible when nurses refuse to stay in their lane. Amie and Cambria dig into the real, often unspoken truth that nurses deserve to know: your legal rights matter, and understanding them can protect your license, your patients, and your career. They break down what a nurse legal consultant actually does, why it's a growing and essential field, and how policy decisions made far from the bedside are quietly reshaping the profession you work in every day.

Drawing on her outspoken social media advocacy — where Cambria has built a community of nurses hungry for truth, transparency, and change — this conversation goes beyond the theory and gets gritty about the systemic issues nurses face and what they can actually do about it. In this episode: → Cambria's path from OR nurse to legal nursing consultant → What nurse legal consultants do and why it matters → Know your rights: legal literacy every nurse needs → The intersection of policy, law, and everyday nursing practice → Why nurse advocacy is not optional — it's essential → Building a platform and using your voice online Whether you're at the bedside, in the boardroom, or building something new — this episode is your reminder that nurses are powerful, and it's time to act like it. ─────────────────────────────

ABOUT DR. CAMBRIA NWOSU

─────────────────────────────

Dr. Cambria Nwosu is a registered nurse, legal nurse consultant, and passionate healthcare advocate whose career spans the operating room, legal consulting, and public health policy. After years working in surgical nursing, Cambria pivoted into the world of legal nursing — a field where clinical expertise meets the justice system — providing expert consultation on medical-legal cases, standards of care, and nursing practice. She is also a widely respected voice on social media, where she advocates fiercely for nurse rights, healthcare equity, and systemic reform. Cambria believes that informed nurses are empowered nurses, and she shows up every day to prove it. ─────────────────────────────

CONNECT WITH DR. CAMBRIA NWOSU

─────────────────────────────

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjnlegalnurse/

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cambrianwosu

🔗 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cjnlegalnurse

🔗 Website: https://sunincorp.net

CONNECT WITH THE GRITTY NURSE ─────────────────────────────

🎙️ Website: www.grittynurse.com

📸 Instagram: @thegrittynurse

Youtube: @thegrittynursepodcast

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Stay Connected:

• Website: grittynurse.com
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Thank you to Hospital News for being a collaborative partner with the Gritty Nurse!

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#NursingPodcast #GrittyNurse #LegalNursing #NurseAdvocacy #NurseRights #HealthcarePolicy #NurseLife #LegalNurseConsultant #OperatingRoom #NursingEducation #NursesOfInstagram #NursingCommunity #HealthcareAdvocacy

Women's health needs a ton of work, and it is a hill we are willing to die on. In this powerful episode of The Gritty Nurse Podcast, host Amie Archibald-Varley sits down with Tina Bitangcol—widely known as Mama Nurse Tina—for an urgent, unfiltered conversation about the realities of women's healthcare, maternal mortality, and systemic disparities.

From navigating birth trauma and postpartum complications to addressing the critical gaps in Indigenous health and cultural competence, Amie and Tina shed light on the untold stories of the healthcare system. Together, they discuss how we can break down institutional barriers, the vital role of doulas, and why patient empowerment and knowledge are our greatest tools for change.

Whether you are a healthcare professional, a mother, or an advocate, this episode is a call to action to reclaim autonomy over our bodies and our care.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Systemic Disparities: The critical gaps in tracking maternal mortality and addressing women's health disparities.

• The Reality of Birth & Postpartum: Navigating birth trauma, postpartum mental health, and underrecognized medical complications.

• Advocacy & Cultural Competence: The intersection of Indigenous health, institutional challenges, and the vital role of community support and doulas.

• Patient Empowerment: How to navigate the healthcare system safely and confidently using the power of knowledge.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Motherhood and Nursing Journeys

01:20 Exploring Maternal Health Disparities

04:10 The Importance of Tracking Maternal Mortality

07:06 Challenges in Women's Health and Care

09:54 Empowering Women Through Knowledge

12:50 Personal Experiences in Maternal Care

15:49 Reflections on Birth Experiences and Outcomes

16:32 Postpartum Complications and Awareness

21:12 Navigating Healthcare as a Patient

26:55 Indigenous Health and Systemic Challenges

30:24 Cultural Competence in Nursing

31:46 The Role of Doulas in Women's Health

34:19 The Importance of Community Support in Birth

34:52 Exciting Trends in Women's Health

37:06 Addressing Birth Trauma and Mental Health

42:14 The Intersection of Comedy and Nursing

Connect with Tina B (Mama Nurse Tina):

• Website & Courses: Bump to Latch

• YouTube: @mamanursetina

• Instagram: @mama_nurse_tina

• TikTok: @mama_nurse_tina

• Facebook: Mama Nurse Tina

• Featured News Profile: Global News Feature

In this urgent episode, host Amie Archibald-Varley sits down with Dr. Michelle Acorn, CEO of the Nurse Practitioners' Association of Ontario (NPAO), to rip the band-aid off a system that refuses to evolve.

Dr. Acorn pulls no punches: Nurse Practitioners are trained, capable, and ready — and they're being held back by outdated policy, inadequate funding, and a government content to watch the primary care crisis deepen rather than act.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• The full scope of what Ontario's inaction actually means for patients on the ground
• Why NPs remain one of the most underleveraged solutions in Canada's healthcare system
• The funding reforms and regulatory barriers that must be dismantled — now
• What a truly patient-centered, NP-inclusive system could look like — and the path to get there
• Why this moment is a turning point

This is the conversation healthcare needs to have. The one that doesn't end with "we'll study it further."

If you care about access to care, about equity, about a system that finally treats Nurse Practitioners as the leaders they are — this episode is required listening.

Subscribe, share, and turn up the volume. The gritty truth can't wait.

Update:

The April 1st Deadline Has Come and Gone. Ontario's Patients Are Paying for It.

The federal government drew a line in the sand: by April 1, 2026, provinces must ensure that medically necessary services delivered by Nurse Practitioners are publicly covered. Ontario blinked — and millions of patients are now left holding the bill.

As reported by CBC News, Ontario failed to meet the federal deadline, leaving Ontarians without primary care and forcing them to pay out-of-pocket for services that should never cost them a dime. This isn't a bureaucratic hiccup. This is a political choice — and people without a family doctor are the ones suffering the consequences.

The Gritty Nurse isn't here for polite conversation. We're here to start the revolution.

More About Dr. Michelle Acorn

Dr. Acorn has over 35 years of nursing, health systems and leadership expertise. NP Acorn transitioned to her NPAO CEO role in 2024. She previously was the inaugural Chief Nurse with the International Council of Nurses, a former Provincial Chief Nursing Officer in Ontario, and has served as a NPAO President.

Dr. Acorn was inducted as an inaugural Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing (FCAN), Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), Fellow of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (FFNMRCSI, Ad Eundem), and Fellow of the Queens Nursing Institute in the United Kingdom. NP Acorn has received prestigious recognitions including the Nurse Practitioner Association of Canada Award of Excellence and Premier's Award Nominee for Outstanding Scholars and Leaders. She was named one of the top 20 visionary CEOs in Canada (2024), and top 25 women of influence in Canada (2025) and received a King Charles III Coronation Medal (2025). Michelle received the inaugural Canadian Nurses Association highest merit Sapphire Award in 2025.

Dr. Acorn upholds all the NP advanced practice role domains. She is diploma to post-doctoral educationally prepared, is a Doctor of Nurse Practitioner/ Nursing Practice, dually registered as both a Primary Health Care and Adult Nurse Practitioner, and a certified Global Nurse Consultant. Dr. Acorn's diverse clinical expertise includes practicing in the Emergency, as a Hospitalist, innovating GAIN (Geriatric Assessment and Intervention Networks), and pioneering the most responsible provider (MRP) impacts of a NP–led model of inpatient hospital care as well as NP primary care models in corrections. NP Michelle continues to practice in the community enhancing access to care for health equity seeking populations. Michelle is recognized as a credible clinician, thought leader, mentor, teacher and scholar locally to globally.

https://www.npao.org/dipl-team-member/michelle-acorn/

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Stay Connected:

• Website: grittynurse.com
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Collaborations & Inquiries: For sponsorship opportunities or to book Amie for speaking engagements, visit: grittynurse.com/contact

Thank you to Hospital News for being a collaborative partner with the Gritty Nurse!

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What does Florence Nightingale have to do with authoritarianism? More than nursing wants to admit.

In this episode of The Gritty Nurse Podcast, host Amie Archibald-Varley and guest Meg Lambrych, RN tackles one of nursing's most uncomfortable questions: why can't nurses criticize Florence Nightingale? She is nursing's most sacred icon — but what if the "good nurse" myth she built has been grooming nurses to accept obedience, silence, and their own oppression for over a century? Beyond this, what happens when we cannot critize the leaders we put in places of power?

This is a conversation about nursing, power, and democracy. It is about lateral violence in healthcare, racism in nursing, and the cult of individualism that keeps nurses isolated, exhausted, and politically powerless. It is about what happens to a democracy when citizens — cannot bring themselves to criticize the leaders and figures they have placed into power.

Because the conditions that silence nurses are the same conditions that allow fascism to take root.

In this episode you will hear about:

• Florence Nightingale's legacy and why nursing needs to critically examine its own icons
• The "good nurse" myth and how it has normalized obedience, self-sacrifice, and silence in healthcare
• The connection between nursing culture, the cult of individualism, and the rise of fascism
• Lateral violence and racism in nursing and how they are tools of systemic oppression
• What happens to democracy when we cannot criticize our leaders
• Why collective power — not individual heroism — is what changes systems
• Hope as a discipline: what it means, why it matters, and how nurses can lead the way

This episode is for nurses who are exhausted but still showing up. It is for healthcare workers who know something is broken and are ready to name it. It is for anyone watching democracy erode in real time and looking for a way to fight back that goes beyond voting.

Because hope is not a feeling. Hope is a discipline. And collective power is the only thing that has ever dismantled oppression.

Keywords: nursing podcast, nurse empowerment, Florence Nightingale, nursing history, lateral violence in nursing, racism in nursing, nurses and politics, healthcare advocacy, nursing and social justice, collective action, nurse burnout, democracy and healthcare, authortarianiasm and obedience, Canadian nursing, Gritty Nurse Podcast, Amie Archibald-Varley, hope is a discipline, nursing culture, nurse mental health, political nursing

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Nursing Advocacy and Challenges 02:29 Meg's Journey into Nursing and Writing 05:02 The Toxic Environment in Nursing 07:44 Racism and Lateral Violence in Nursing 10:31 Historical Context of Racism and Accountability 12:55 The Political Landscape and Nursing's Role 15:34 Fascism and Its Impact on Society 18:20 Mobilizing Nurses for Change 20:54 Understanding Fascism and Its Mechanisms 23:30 The Role of Nurses in Advocacy 26:29 The Importance of Collective Action 29:11 Breaking Free from White Supremacy Culture 37:13 Responsibility and Collective Action 38:53 Breaking the Spell of Individualism 41:35 Stepping into Collective Power 45:21 The Power of History and Community 49:49 The Importance of Community in Resistance 54:10 Understanding Our Power and Responsibility 57:53 The Role of Each Individual in Liberation 01:01:22 Facing the Reality of Fascism 01:03:26 Empowerment Through Knowledge and Action

Connect with Meg Lambrych, RN

IG: https://www.instagram.com/meg_lambrych/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meg-lambrych-writer/

Website: https://www.meglambrychcontent.com

https://www.nursingcolleges.com/blog/tale-of-two-nurses

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• Website: grittynurse.com
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Collaborations & Inquiries: For sponsorship opportunities or to book Amie for speaking engagements, visit: grittynurse.com/contact

Thank you to Hospital News for being a collaborative partner with the Gritty Nurse!

www.hospitalnews.com

The healthcare system is flatlining, and it's time for a professional resuscitation.

This Nursing Week, join Dr. Danielle McCamey and Gloria E. Barrera for a heavy-hitting breakdown of the HESS framework—Humanity, Ethics, Social Justice, and Science—as the ultimate toolkit for systemic reform. From the grassroots power of Nurses Shift Change to the national Report for Duty call to action, we explore how to move beyond the bedside to fight for environmental justice, primary care, and safe working conditions. We are done paying the price for a profit-first system; it is time to stop working the shift and start being the change.

Inside This Episode:

• The HESS Framework: Why merging social justice with clinical science is the future of nursing.

• Nurses Shift Change: How grassroots movements are mobilizing the workforce to demand better working conditions.

• Political Power: Why nurses must engage in policy and advocacy to fix a broken healthcare system.

• The Retention Crisis: Addressing the unique challenges facing young nurses and how to prevent "ethical injuries" in the workplace.

• Collective Action: The roadmap for nurses to unite and demand better outcomes for both patients and practitioners.

Nurses are the backbone of healthcare, but systemic barriers often stifle their voices. This episode is a call to action for every nurse, student, and healthcare advocate to pivot from "coping" to "changing."

"It's not just about surviving the shift; it's about changing the shift."

Keywords: Nursing Week, Nursing Advocacy, HESS Framework, Healthcare Reform, Nurses Shift Change, Nursing Ethics, Social Justice in Nursing, Nurse Retention, Health Policy.

Don't forget to like, share and subscribe and leave a review if you're ready to see the nursing profession lead the charge in healthcare transformation!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Nursing Advocacy and Community Building

02:25 The HESS Framework: Humanity, Ethics, Social Justice, and Science

05:14 Public Health and Nursing: Bridging the Gap

07:45 The Power of Collective Voice in Nursing

10:45 Mobilizing for Change: The Report for Duty Rally

13:48 Strategic Nursing Leadership and Systemic Change

23:03 Awakening the Nursing Profession

24:45 The Political Nature of Nursing

26:57 Understanding Nursing as a Political Force

33:08 Addressing Racism in Nursing

39:13 The Leaky Bucket: Retaining Nurses

42:15 Ethical Injuries in Nursing

More about Nurses Shift Change: https://nurseshiftchange.org

Gloria E. Barrera, MSN, RN, PEL-CSN, PLNC

Gloria E. Barrera (she/her/ella) is a public health and school nurse leader, recognized expert, and dedicated nursing faculty member with over 16 years of experience. She serves as Director of an RN to BSN Program and has been recognized nationally for her leadership, including being named Nurse Influencer of the Year by ANA-Illinois, and a 40 Under Forty in Public Health honoree by the de Beaumont Foundation. Gloria is the Co-Founder of Nurse Heroes for Zero and the Society of Latinx Nurses, a Fellow of the Center for Health Equity Education and Advocacy (CHEEA) and the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, and alumni of Healing Politics '25. She is dedicated to advancing health equity, climate justice, and the next generation of nurse leaders.

Danielle McCamey, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FCCP

Danielle McCamey is a dedicated nurse leader, educator, and advocate for diversity in healthcare. With over 16 years of critical care experience and nearly a decade as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, she currently serves as the Chief Advanced Practice Provider of the Pre-anesthesia Testing Department and Senior Advanced Practice Provider in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. She also chairs the MedStar Doctoral Nurses Collaborative and is a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians. As the founder, CEO, and president of DNPs of Color, Inc., Dr. McCamey is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in nursing through mentorship, leadership development, and community empowerment.

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Stay Connected:

• Website: grittynurse.com
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• X (Twitter): @GrittyNurse

Collaborations & Inquiries: For sponsorship opportunities or to book Amie for speaking engagements, visit: grittynurse.com/contact

Thank you to Hospital News for being a collaborative partner with the Gritty Nurse!

www.hospitalnews.com

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This Gritty Nurse episode is my special kick-off to the National Nursing Week 2026, celebrated May 6–12 in the United States and celebrated May 11-16 in Canada. Nursing week dedicated to honoring the nurses who show up for us at every stage of life.

What does it really mean to care for someone — and why has the profession built around that act been so misunderstood for so long? To open the week, host Amie Archibald-Varley sits down with Sarah DiGregorio, journalist and author of Taking Care: The Story of Nursing and Its Power to Change Our World — a sweeping cultural history of nursing from the Stone Age to the present day. Part love letter, part urgent call for change, the book traces how nurses have always been at the vital intersection of healthcare and community, appearing in hospitals, schools, prisons, homes, and even at NASA — yet remain chronically undervalued in ways rooted in misogyny and racism.

Sarah shares how personal encounters with nurses during family medical crises inspired her to write the book, why she believes we need to radically reframe nursing as a fundamental human necessity rather than a supporting role in medicine, and what gets lost when we reduce the profession's rich history to a single heroic figure like Florence Nightingale. We dig into the forgotten nurses whose contributions have been erased from the historical record, the urgent need for nurses to have a seat at the table in advocacy and policy-making, and the persistent racial disparities in healthcare that nursing is uniquely positioned to help address.

Whether you're a nurse, a patient, a caregiver, or simply someone who believes the people doing the hardest work deserve to be seen — this conversation is for you.

📖 Taking Care is available wherever books are sold.

More about Sarah DiGregorio:

Sarah DiGregorio is a freelance journalist and critically acclaimed author whose work sits at the intersection of healthcare, humanity, and storytelling. She has written on health and other topics for the New York Times, the Washington Post, Slate, Insider, and others, and has been a keynote speaker for national audiences including the American Nurses Association, the National Association for Neonatal Nurses, Seattle Children's Hospital, and Rutgers University, among many others.

She is the author of two books: Early: An Intimate History of Premature Birth (Harper, 2020) and Taking Care: The Story of Nursing and Its Power to Change Our World (Harper, 2023). The New York Times Book Review called Taking Care "a brilliant book" and described DiGregorio as "a beautiful writer," saying it deserves to be on the reading list for nursing and medical schools and on the bedside table of all politicians.

Sarah lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, daughter, two cats, and a dog.

Find Sarah Here:

• Instagram: @sarahedigregorio

• X (formerly Twitter): @sarahdigregorio

• LinkedIn: Sarah DiGregorio

• Website: sarahdigregorio.com

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https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-gritty-nurse/id1493290782

* Watch on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@thegrittynursepodcast

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