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

What happens to the version of you who survives CRNA school… once life keeps evolving?

In this honest and deeply reflective episode of The Mindful Nurse Anesthesia Resident Podcast, Amanda sits down with Sarah, CRNA and founder of Mooxli, for a conversation about growth, identity, resilience, and the many seasons of a CRNA career.

From starting in the ER and traveling with her nurse husband… to navigating waitlists, pivots, and the illusion of the "perfect time" to apply — Sarah shares how nursing has shaped her path in unexpected ways. Together, they unpack the life-changing evolution from the person you were in CRNA school to the person you become afterward — and why waiting is never passive if you're committed to your growth.

This episode explores: ✨ The power of agency — and why you can't hand your well-being over to circumstances ✨ The in-between seasons of waiting, transitioning, and redefining your identity ✨ The struggles and unhealthy patterns that got her through CRNA school — and what she learned from them ✨ Rural practice, career pivots, contracts, and the realities of first jobs ✨ Turning pain into purpose through Mooxli and building true resilience ✨ Why community, values, and self-compassion matter more than perfection

You'll also hear about the moment she almost quit CRNA school, how to walk through what feels impossible, and the three truths she shares to close out this powerful conversation.

If you've ever wondered: Does the perfect time for CRNA school really exist? Who's responsible for my well-being during this journey? What happens after CRNA school?

This episode is for you!

Because the goal isn't just becoming a CRNA — it's becoming someone who can evolve through every season that follows.

MOOXLI Website

Follow Sarah on IG

Books mentioned in the episode:

Say Less, Get More

Necessary Endings

Fawning

What if the path you think is non-traditional is actually your greatest advantage?

In this episode of The Mindful Nurse Anesthesia Resident Podcast, Amanda sits down for an honest, grounding conversation about letting go of the "shoulds" surrounding CRNA school, clinical training, and life after graduation—and learning to trust the path that's uniquely yours with Kendall CRNA, the creator of Vital Pro Docs.

From not starting in a traditional ICU, to navigating CRNA school during COVID, to failing her first exam and specializing right after school, this episode normalizes the realities many aspiring CRNAs quietly worry about but rarely say out loud.

Together, we explore:

• Why there is no single "right" ICU background for CRNA school

• How non-traditional ICU experience and even Med-Surg experience can actually make you a stronger CRNA

• Reflection points to help you uncover your future CRNA superpower before CRNA school interviews

• Why hobbies, presence, and identity outside of school matter more than you think

• The incredible pivot she made in CRNA shcool during Covid

• Honest conversations about being married in CRNA school—and the support it requires

• Failing your first exam, study tips that actually work, and learning to tolerate imperfection

• Did you feel prepared when you graduated? How to choose your first CRNA job

• Is OB right out of CRNA school really "allowed"? (Yes—and here's why she loved it)

• The essence of what being a CRNA truly is

• The privilege of pressure and learning to rise without burning out

• Locums tips, credentialing frustrations (and solutions), and life after CRNA school

This episode is for aspiring CRNAs who feel behind, different, or unsure if they're "doing it right."

✨ Because the truth is: There is no right way. There is only the way life takes.

And sometimes the path that looks the least traditional is the one preparing you most.

IG: @vitalprodocs, @kendall_crna

Vital Pro Docs Website

In this episode of The Mindful SRNA/RRNA Podcast, I sit down with Amber CRNA for one of the most honest, human conversations we've ever had about the CRNA journey—and what happens when life doesn't wait for your plans.

We talk about the deep connection CRNAs share, the truth that everyone has a story, and how Amber's path to nurse anesthesia wasn't linear: retaking classes, applying to schools, preparing for CRNA school after being out of school for 13 years, and learning how to trust her "why" even when the road got hard.

Just as CRNA school was beginning, Amber's family was hit with a devastating diagnoses. She opens up about how she worked with her program, handled the chaos of school, and what truly carried her through when everything felt overwhelming.

This episode is about more than getting through CRNA school—it's about who you become when life happens, how illness can reshape your purpose, and why the quality of your life is determined by the stories you tell yourself.

Plus we discuss her career pivot and how to avoid the mistakes she made when she made the decision to work from home and step away from anesthesia for a bit.

We talk about: • How Amber knew she wanted to be a CRNA • Being out of school for over a decade before starting anesthesia training • What really got her through the hardest moments • Why your "why" matters more than your circumstances • How she chose her first job and her advice for passing the NCE • Was CRNA school worth it? • Using CRNA as a stepping stone and making a career pivot • How she transitioned out of clinical anesthesia into entrepreneurship • Taking a CRNA gap year: what she'd do differently • The CRNA skills that transfer into business—and the mindset of always figuring it out

⚠️ Trigger Warning: We discuss miscarriage around the 27:00 mark, as well as becoming a mother later in life.

If you're in CRNA school, thinking about applying, facing personal challenges, or wondering what's possible after graduation—this conversation will remind you: you will be okay when life happens.

Because your journey doesn't have to look like anyone else's to be meaningful.

CONNECT WITH AMBER:

IG @amber_muhlhan

Her Functional Medicine Website: Restore My Vitality

FB Page

It's a new year—and we're starting with a truth every CRNA needs to hear: you don't have to have it all figured out.

In this return-to-the-podcast episode, Amanda Kay dives into a question flooding her DMs: "Did I get enough regional experience?" "What if I lose my skills?" "What job should I take so I don't fall behind?"

But the real conversation isn't just about nerve blocks—it's about what they represent: confidence, competence, ego, fear, and the pressure to prove yourself.

This episode explores:

• What to do if you didn't get as much regional or OB experience as you wanted

• How to relearn skills without shame or panic

• Why "figuring it out" is not a flaw—but a lifelong feature of growth

• Muscle memory, humility, and the power of curiosity over ego

• Navigating job decisions, confidence gaps, and systemic limitations

• Practical ways to grow your skills—even if your environment doesn't prioritize them

Amanda also shares deeply personal stories—from relearning epidurals and central lines to a powerful reflection from her CRNA graduation speech and mission work in Kenya—reminding you that you were trained for more than you think.

Whether you're in CRNA school, a new grad, or years into practice, this episode is an invitation to release perfection, embrace growth, and trust yourself again.

-------------------------------------

LINKS MENTIONED:

Muscle memory article: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-muscle-memory

Regional anesthesia conferences:

www.aana.com

https://www.twinoaksanesthesia.com

https://www.twinoaksanesthesia.com/courses

https://mtsa.edu/events/

POST CRNA School Course: https://mtsa.edu/academics/regionalfoundations/

For Coaching & Resources: www.amandakaycrna.com

***Subscribe so you don't miss upcoming episodes—new interviews and solo episodes dropping twice a month.

You asked & I answered!

I recently did a LIVE on IG and there were a TON of questions in the chat so I thought I'd do something different and answer them in this episode.

Whether you're applying to CRNA school, in the thick of school, or a new grad navigating your first job, I've got practical tips, encouragement, and honest insight to help you thrive.

Here's what I cover:

• Is it worth it to do Mock Interviews?

• What to do if you have a low GPA

• How to study for the GRE & CCRN?

• How to secure shadowing

• Should I work independently or do locums right out of CRNA school?

• Are you supported & respected at CRNA only facilities?

• What is the work-life balance as a CRNA for real?

• How do I best support my spouse who is in CRNA school?

• Do I have any regrets about becoming a CRNA?

This one's a mix of personal experience and encouragement. Enjoy!

💬 Got more questions? Let's connect: @amandakcrna

Want more CRNA lifestyle? Follow @crna_wellness

📲 Want coaching or support? Visit www.amandakaycrna.com

💻 Resources & Links Mentioned:

• CRNA Roadmap Program for RNs

• The Ultimate Interview Prep Bundle for CRNA School Interviews

• Podcast Episode: Marriage, Finances & CRNA School

• LIVE: Are you Abdicating your Life? The Good, The Bad, The Ugly of my CRNA School Journey

• GRE & CCRN Resources:
  • GRE: Magoosh, GRE Mat & Kaplan
  • CCRN: Laura Gasparis, Barron's CCRN Exam, Nicole Kupchik