The Mindful CRNA Podcast

It's time to Break Free from what I'm calling Downward Thinking

Have you ever felt like you're meant for more, only to talk yourself out of it?

I'm too old. I'm not smart enough. What if I want a family? What if I don't get accepted? What if I get the interview and completely blow it?

Or maybe you got the interview, the acceptance letter, or the opportunity you've been praying for—and somehow, you still don't feel ready. You still wonder if you belong.

Here's what I've been seeing in my coaching conversations: you can move forward in your career while remaining stuck in the same mindset.

Welcome to a conversation about downward thinking—the ins, uns, less, and nots that quietly shape how we see ourselves: incapable, inadequate, unworthy, helpless, hopeless, unwanted, or as if we don't belong.

Because here's the truth: new zip codes do not create new mindsets.

What you're carrying in this season doesn't automatically disappear when your circumstances change. You can get the interview, enter CRNA school, earn the degree, and collect the credentials without ever confronting the thoughts that keep you questioning your worth.

In this episode of The Mindful CRNA, we're talking about the silent process through which a thought becomes a belief, a belief becomes a pattern, and a pattern can become a trap. We'll explore how overthinking, overfunctioning, people pleasing, perfectionism, and why constantly trying to prove yourself can leave you exhausted from doing more while remaining disconnected from your purpose.

And no, the answer isn't to slap a positive affirmation over every uncomfortable thought and hope it disappears.

It's time to become aware of what you're agreeing with, challenge what isn't true, and deliberately replace and renew that smart brain of yours.

In this episode, we're unpacking:

• Downward thinking: Recognizing the "ins, uns, less, and nots" that pull you down.
• The silent trap: How unchallenged thoughts can become beliefs, patterns, and strongholds.
• The overfunctioning cycle: Why staying busy, seeking validation, and trying to prove yourself can keep you stuck.
• The internal infrastructure: Why clinical preparation matters—and why the person behind the provider needs preparation, too.
• Renewing your mind: Learning to question your thoughts instead of automatically believing them.
• What is right with you?: Shifting your attention toward what is good, true, and already present in you.
• Intentional action: Moving from scrolling, hesitating, and waiting for motivation to taking one purposeful step forward.
• Faith, identity, and becoming: Choosing what you dwell on and who you want to become, even when the journey gets messy.

Because CRNA school will stretch you. Increased responsibility can expose the places where your internal foundation needs strengthening. And if you never learn to recognize your patterns, you may find yourself carrying the same fears into every new level.

You are not required to agree with every thought that enters your mind.

You don't have to wait until you feel ready to begin preparing. You don't have to keep proving your worth through achievement. And you don't have to live beneath your potential because fear has become your default setting.

Awareness is where we start. Then we learn to walk differently.

Your challenge this week: Catch one thought that keeps you small. Ask yourself, Is this actually true? What do I know is true about me? And what's one thing I can do right now to move toward the person I want to become?

You have a future to prepare for—and the work of becoming that person starts today.

Subscribe to The Mindful CRNA and share this episode with someone who needs the reminder that they are more than their fears, their circumstances, or their credentials.

Stay mindful. Renew your mind. Keep becoming.

LINKS MENTIONED:

CRNA Bootcamp 2026 is LIVE! Join here.

Respect, Money & Business in Healthcare: What can physicians, CRNAs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals learn from thinking beyond the clinical role?

In this episode of The Mindful CRNA, I'm joined by Dr. Brian Parker, MD, MBA—"The Energy MD"—an internal medicine physician, entrepreneur, and CEO of Total Elixir, for a conversation that goes far beyond medicine.

Brian breaks down how to recognize where you're leaking energy and how to begin taking it back, without simply defaulting to the usual advice to "sleep more, exercise more, and do more."

Brian speaks passionately about nurses and the critical role they play in healthcare—and why the entire healthcare team deserves respect, from nurses and physicians to CRNAs, housekeeping, administration, and everyone working behind the scenes.

We also get into something healthcare professionals don't always want to talk about: 💰 MONEY, Student loans, Investing in yourself, Understanding your earning potential, Learning business and Understanding the healthcare system.

He recognizes that being clinically excellent doesn't mean you should remain financially or professionally uninformed.

Brian shares why he believes healthcare professionals should learn about business and how developing business acumen can actually make us better advocates for ourselves, our professions, and our patients.

In this episode:

• We discuss his journey into medicine
• Why nurses are the backbone of healthcare
• Student loans and viewing education as an investment
• The importance of financial literacy for healthcare professionals
• Why clinicians should learn business
• And His Four Energy Leak Framework: Alertness, Momentum, Attention & Recovery

🎙️ Listen to the full episode and ask yourself: Where am I leaking energy—and what could become possible if I took it back?

Stay mindful. Stay curious. Stay courageous.

Please Subscribe, share this episode with another healthcare professional!

LINKS Mentioned:

Total Elixer Energy Drinks **He's given Mindful listeners a discount so take advantage! Use "mindful25" at checkout!

Follow him on IG @total.elixer

"Dr. Brian Parker is an internal medicine physician, entrepreneur, and founder of Elixir, a physician-formulated functional energy drink created to provide focused energy while supporting overall health. Trained in internal medicine at Mayo Clinic Arizona, Dr. Parker also holds an MBA and has a particular interest in metabolic health, prevention, and the science of human energy and performance. His work focuses on translating complex medical research into practical strategies people can actually use, including his "Four Energy Leaks" framework, which explores how alertness, momentum, attention, and recovery shape how energized we feel. Through his clinical background and entrepreneurial work, Dr. Parker brings a physician's perspective to conversations about energy, nutrition, health optimization, and building healthier products."

More Than Anesthesia: The Legacy Pivot

What if becoming a CRNA was never just about earning the credentials but about becoming the person your purpose requires?

In this episode of The Mindful CRNA Podcast, I'm pulling back the curtain on the rebrand and the personal refinement that have shaped this next season of The Mindful CRNA.

Over the last six months, I've experienced some major changes—bodybuilding, working full-time, becoming a certified coach, deepening my faith, expanding my vision, and realizing that the version of me who got me here cannot be the version of me who carries where I'm going.

And then, life reminded me exactly why this work matters.

After finding myself on the other side of healthcare as a patient, followed shortly after by watching someone I love navigate a terrifying medical situation with her father, I was reminded of something we can never afford to forget:

People don't just need our clinical competence, they need our humanity.

They need compassion when they're scared. They need presence when they're in pain. They need someone who can hold space when everything feels uncertain.

And no degree, GPA, certification, title, or string of letters after your name can replace that.

In this episode, we're talking about burnout, emotional work, leadership, compassion, resilience, and why mindset alone isn't enough.

Because if we don't do the deeper work, we can become incredibly competent while slowly losing the very compassion that brought us into healthcare in the first place.

This is more than anesthesia.

It's about building the leader behind the license. The person behind the provider. Leadership before licensure. Character before career.

We don't just need more impressive healthcare professionals.

We need healed, grounded, courageous, compassionate leaders who can remain steady in hard places and help other people rise.

So the question isn't simply: Will you become a CRNA?

The deeper question is: Who are you becoming while you do it?

Because your calling is bigger than your career. And everything you've walked through may be preparing you to carry something far greater than you can see right now.

Are you coming?

CRNA Bootcamp waitlist is now open. Sign up here.

LINKS Mentioned:

NEW WEBSITE: The Mindful CRNA

Full Capacity Book by Juliana Page

We have become obsessed with arriving.

We live in a world that celebrates degrees, promotions, big houses, big dreams...anything that makes a sexy highlight reel. Or anything that shows that we are productive.

But what if the greatest work isn't in getting there, but preparing to carry what you've been asking for.

In today's episode, I'm sharing one of the most personal messages I've ever recorded.

We're talking about the hidden danger of settling, why disruption is often an invitation instead of a punishment, and how growth isn't about becoming more impressive—it's about increasing your capacity to be where you are well.

Using lessons from anesthesia, freediving, leadership, and my own journey, we'll explore:

• Why comfort quietly steals your calling. • The surprising connection between pressure and expansion. • What carbon dioxide tolerance can teach us about anxiety and resilience. • Why we mistake discomfort for failure when we're actually adapting. • How radical ownership creates radical freedom. • Why you don't simply arrive at purpose—you train for it.

Whether you're navigating CRNA school, healing from disappointment, or simply wondering why life feels so hard right now, this episode is an invitation to stop surviving and start becoming.

Because someday people won't need your perfection, they'll need the presence only you can bring.

And the version of you who can carry that responsibility is being built today.

You don't just arrive. You train for it.

Have you ever felt like life completely derailed your plans?

Like the dream was finally within reach, only for everything to fall apart?

This may be one of the most powerful conversations we've ever had on The Mindful CRNA Podcast.

In this deeply honest episode, Amanda sits down with current NAR Shana Dagny—a former professional actress, singer, competitive athlete, ICU nurse, and one of the most resilient humans you'll ever meet.

Shauna's journey to CRNA school is anything but traditional.

Born in the Philippines and then living in the world of theater and performance, she spent years chasing success on stages and enduring rejection after rejection in pursuit of her acting dream. Nursing orginally was the side hustle and how she put food on the table. Eventually though, nursing became the place where she rediscovered her joy and her CRNA calling.

But just as she was preparing for her next chapter, her health took an unexpected turn.

After developing severe asthma and complications from long-term steroid treatment, Shauna faced devastating diagnoses including Addison's Disease and Cushing's Syndrome. Within weeks, she gained over 80 pounds, became largely bedridden, lost her athletic abilities, and was forced to defer her CRNA school acceptance.

Many people would have stopped there but Shana didn't. Instead, she rebuilt her life one day at a time.

In this episode, we discuss:

✨ Handling rejection and disappointment without losing yourself

✨ Why failure may be one of your greatest teachers

✨ The surprising lessons acting taught her about CRNA interviews

✨ Learning to stop seeking validation from others

✨ What it means to intentionally pursue discomfort & failure

✨ Building confidence through action instead of certainty

✨ Navigating chronic illness while pursuing ambitious goals

✨ The mindset that helped her get accepted into CRNA school

✨ Why "you don't need more strength—you need fewer excuses"

✨ Trusting God when the path forward doesn't make sense

This conversation is a reminder that courage isn't the absence of fear, It's showing up anyway.

Whether you're applying to CRNA school, currently in school, facing rejection, battling health challenges, or simply navigating a difficult season of life, Shana's story will challenge you to rethink what is possible.

The greatest victories aren't found in perfect circumstances but in the willingness to keep going.

🎙️ Listen now and prepare to be inspired.

Delayed Dreams and Unshaken Purpose. Delays don't have to take you off your path but can become the very things that keep you grounded in it.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Shana's IG: How to Find Happiness Experiment

Flow Anesthesia on IG

Commercials Shana has done

How to Find Happiness Experiment on YT

Shana Broadway Musical Theatre

What does it really take to get into—and through—CRNA school?

In this episode of The Mindful CRNA Podcast, Amanda sits down with CRNA and content creator Bilal Mohammad for an honest conversation about leadership, perseverance, social media, and the realities of becoming a nurse anesthetist.

Bilal shares his unique journey from aspiring aerospace engineer to CVICU nurse to CRNA, including how he was accepted into CRNA school with just 2 years of nursing experience.

Together, they tackle some of the biggest topics facing aspiring CRNAs today:

✨ Gatekeeping in anesthesia ✨ Getting into CRNA school with "limited" ICU experience ✨ Leadership qualities that set applicants apart ✨ Why delayed gratification is essential for success ✨ Failing exams and bouncing back stronger ✨ Surviving integrated CRNA programs ✨ Managing difficult preceptors and clinical challenges ✨ Social media, professionalism, and protecting your career ✨ Board preparation and transitioning into practice ✨ Learning to trust yourself when self-doubt creeps in

If you've ever wondered whether you're ready, questioned if you belong in CRNA school, or struggled through the inevitable challenges of this journey, this conversation is for you.

Bilal's message is simple but powerful: You were selected for a reason. You belong where you are. Keep going.

🎙️ Whether you're an aspiring CRNA, current NAR, or new graduate preparing for boards and your first job, you'll walk away with practical advice, encouragement, and a fresh perspective on what it means to lead yourself through one of the most demanding journeys in healthcare.

Follow Bilal @thatcrnawholifts

After a few weeks away from the mic, I'm finally back — and this episode marks the beginning of an entirely new season.

Since we last talked, I competed in my first bodybuilding competition, took 4th place, turned 40 and realized something that completely shifted the way I view success, purpose, CRNA school, leadership, and life itself:

The stage was never the point.

We spend so much of our lives chasing "big moments": ✨ getting accepted into CRNA school ✨ graduation day ✨ passing boards ✨ the title ✨ the applause ✨ the recognition

But what happens when the moment ends?

In this deeply personal episode, I unpack:

• What bodybuilding prep taught me about discipline, identity, and emotional resilience
• Why so many aspriring CRNAs burn out after reaching the goal
• The dangerous lie social media sells about "overnight success"
• Why CRNA school is far more formational than educational
• How imposter syndrome is often a sign of adaptation — not inadequacy
• The connection between muscle physiology, stress adaptation, and nervous system regulation
• What "post-show blues" taught me about sustainability and self-worth
• How fear, perfectionism, people pleasing, and overwhelm act like emotional paralytics
• Why preparation is NOT punishment
• The leadership lessons hidden inside disappointment, delay, sacrifice, and pressure
• What it truly means to build a legacy that lasts

This episode is for the aspiring CRNA, NAR, new CRNA, high achievers, perfectionists, and exhausted humans who feels like they're carrying heavy weight right now.

You are not failing. You are being built.

And maybe… just maybe… the discomfort isn't proof that you're incapable, but proof that you're growing.

CRNA Bootcamp is coming soon, and this episode opens the door into what we're building next together.

Because we are not just preparing you for CRNA school. We are preparing you to carry the weight of the life you prayed for.

If you've been feeling behind, overwhelmed, discouraged, emotionally exhausted, or stuck in comparison… this episode is for you.

You are not behind. You are in training.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Website: www.amandakaycrna.com

Instagram: @amandakcrna

@crna_wellness

IG Post that was the inspo for this episode

How to Stop Overcomplicating your CRNA Journey (Free Video on the CRNA Roadmap Sales Page)

YT Channel

What if the hardest part of the CRNA journey isn't your intelligence… but your nervous system?

In this episode, we're disrupting the narrative that burnout, chaos, brute force, constant hustle and enduring constant suffering are just "part of the process" in becoming a CRNA.

Because let's be honest… Some of what's been normalized in healthcare is not excellence but survival mode. And you were not created to just survive your way through this journey.

Inside this episode, we break down:

✨ Why your brain resists change—and how that's keeping you stuck

✨ The real reason you feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and mentally tapped out

✨ The science behind stress, cognitive fatigue, and "change overload"

✨ Why pushing harder is actually making it worse

✨ How curiosity and compassion can rewire your brain for growth

✨ The shift from hustle → steadiness

✨ Why "standards over goals" will completely change how you show up

✨ And I reveal the question that makes everyone I ask it uncomfortable

You'll also learn how to stop operating from: → Perfectionism → People-pleasing → Performance pressure → Constant productivity …and start leading yourself from a place of: → Emotional intelligence → Regulation → Resilience → Identity-driven standards

Because here's the truth: You don't need more strategy. You need a new way of thinking, responding, and leading yourself through pressure.

This episode will help you stop reacting to your environment and start shaping it.

It's time to stop saying: "I'm surviving" …and start deciding: "I will thrive through this"

🔥 If you're ready to move from burnout → self-leadership, this one is for you.

🎧 Listen now & share with a future nurse anesthetist!

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Email me for a FREE 15min Consult at [email protected]

Coaching Program for RNs

Coaching Program for NARs

My website for all the goods: www.amandakaycrna.com

Becoming a CRNA isn't just an academic challenge. It's an identity transformation.

In this episode of The Mindful Aspiring Nurse Anesthesia Podcast, I introduce a powerful framework that explains something many aspiring CRNAs experience but struggle to put into words: Why is this so hard? And why does this journey sometimes feel so bad?

Welcome The 7 Identity Crises of the CRNA Journey!

At every stage of this path — from deciding to apply to stepping into your role as a new CRNA — your sense of identity is challenged, stretched, and reshaped. And if you don't understand what's happening psychologically, it's easy to believe something is wrong with you.

But the truth is:

Nothing is wrong with you.

These internal struggles are a normal part of becoming the provider you're meant to be.

In this episode, we explore:

• The 7 Identity Crises every future CRNA experiences • Why imposter syndrome shows up again and again during this journey and how to overocme it • The hidden psychological shifts that happen from ICU nurse → NAR → CRNA • Why strategy alone won't move you forward • How confidence, resilience, and leadership are built during the journey — not after you arrive

You'll learn about the key identity transitions many people face:

1. The Worthiness Crisis – "Am I good enough to apply?"

2. The Decision Crisis – "Is this dream worth the sacrifice?"

3. The Imposter Crisis – "Did they make a mistake accepting me?"

4. The Competence Crisis – Going from expert ICU nurse to beginner again

5. The Pressure Crisis – Learning to regulate yourself under high stakes

6. The Identity Integration Crisis – Student → Provider

7. The Leadership Crisis – Who will you become once you arrive?

This episode is a reminder that becoming a CRNA is not just about mastering pharmacology or passing boards but about developing the internal leadership, emotional intelligence, and resilience required to care for patients when their lives are most vulnerable.

Because great anesthetists aren't just knowledgeable, they're steady under pressure.

If you've ever questioned whether you belong on this path, felt the weight of imposter syndrome, or wondered why the journey feels so mentally intense — this episode will give language to what you're experiencing and help you move forward with clarity and confidence.

You're not just surviving this journey.

You're becoming someone extraordinary.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

www.amandakaycrna.com

YouTube: Why a CRNA School Acceptance Won't Fix your ICU Burn-out

**FREE 15min Consult: Email [email protected] with your availabiity

Welcome back to The Mindful Aspiring CRNA Podcast.

In this episode, I'm diving into a conversation that's long overdue in healthcare: mentoring vs. coaching — what they are, what they aren't, and why the distinction actually matters more than we think.

If you've ever wondered:

• "Why would I pay for coaching when I can get advice for free?"

• "Is coaching even legit?"

• "Isn't this just mindset fluff?"

• "Shouldn't healthcare professionals be able to handle things on their own?"

This episode is for you.

I share my own very real, very skeptical beginning with coaching back in 2020 — when I was a brand new mom, working 24-hour shifts during the height of the pandemic, juggling personal challenges, and silently white-knuckling my way through it all. Hiring a coach didn't just help me "feel better." It changed how I led at work, how I showed up in my marriage, how I built my business, and how I took care of my own nervous system.

And that's the part we don't talk about enough in healthcare.

We are trained to manage everyone else's physiology — but not our own.

In this episode, I unpack:

• Why mentorship is powerful — but often incomplete

• How coaching goes deeper than strategy and into identity

• The nervous system science behind procrastination, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome

• Why high-achievers often stall despite "knowing what to do"

• The 4 P's that quietly dominate the CRNA journey: Perfectionism, Productivity, Performance, and People-Pleasing

• Why burnout is normalized — but personal development is not

• The truth about paying for coaching and the psychology behind commitment

• 6 reasons you absolutely should not get a coach

This isn't about hype. It's not about "just think positive." It's not about someone telling you what to do.

It's about learning how to lead yourself.

Because you can know everything… and still not execute. You can look successful… and still feel shaky inside. You can hustle toward your goals… without building the character required to sustain them.

If you're an aspiring CRNA who feels stuck in cycles of overthinking, overworking, self-doubt, or emotional reactivity — this conversation will challenge you in the best way.

Healthcare doesn't need tougher people. It needs developed leaders.

So listen with an open mind and then decide for yourself if coaching is for you or not.

I'll see you inside the episode.

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Want a 15min FREE Consult? Email me your availabiity at [email protected]
• Follow me on IG @amandakcrna or my YouTube Channel
• Roadmap Coaching for RNs
• Coaching for NAR/RRNAs
• Website: www.amandakaycrna.com