On this week's episode, we have Jennifer Garcia with us! She is a nurse who is passionate about all things mental health, is the host of the RawTea Podcast, and will be our opening musical act at this year’s nurses week concert! If you can't tell from all that, Jen is incredibly fun and a great conversation! She talks with us about managing anxiety as a nurse, finding balance in life through creative expression, and what it means to take care of ourselves.

This week, we were joined by Micheline Fraser, AKA @the.healthynurse, whose work is all about nursing burnout prevention! We talked with her about her own burnout story, the factors and problems that lead to it in our industry, and what we can all do to take care of ourselves. Micheline is a truly incredible advocate and someone who cares deeply about her fellow nurses and healthcare workers, so we were beyond grateful to talk with her this week!

Make sure to follow her work @the.healthynurse on Instagram!

This week on the Self Care Unit–we LET. IT. OUT. Carley and Sarah take some time to vent, decompress, share what's happening in hospitals, and discuss solutions to the pressures and burdens nurses face. They also talk about their nurse specialties, the work of fellow nurses to improve emotional intelligence, and the many paths available for nurses who want to make a change.

This week, we learn about ASMR by speaking with Inna, the Sleep Asmrtist! She shares how she got started as an ASMR creator, the thinking behind the phenomenon, how she built her community of listeners, and what they find in her content. Tune in and find out why you should give it a try! 

To experience Inna’s ASMR, check out @sleep_asmrtist on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube!

Happy Valentine’s Day! This week, we discuss romance and finding a partner as a nurse! From listener-shared meet-cutes, to what makes relationships work, to nurses dating fellow nurses, we aim to help you find love in this wild world!

This week, we were joined by Tauqilla Manning, the founder of Black Nurses Week. Their mission is to empower and impact the lives of Black nurses by building a thriving community to celebrate Black nursing excellence. In this remarkable conversation, Tauqilla shares the founding story, the meaning of her work, and the challenges black nurses face. 

For more on the work Tauqilla is doing, please follow @blacknursesweek on Instagram!

CW: Eating Disorders/Disordered Eating

For this week’s Mental Health Matters, Carley and Sarah spoke with NYT Bestselling writer Christie O. Tate. Christie is well known for her profound and moving words, as well as a "startling" hopefulness and honesty. We were so fortunate to experience that on the pod, as she talked with us about shame and confidence, isolation and relationships, our self-image and public personas, and the impact of being truly heard by someone.

For all that Christie has to offer, please follow @christieotate or visit christietate.com for info on upcoming writing workshops or to get your hands on her books!

For this week's Mental Health Matters, we were thrilled to be joined by Darnell Walker! Darnell is a writer, filmmaker, teacher, and a healer. He is also well known for his work as a Death Doula, which is one of the big focuses of this incredible conversation. Darnell talks with us about his mental health journey, his work, end-of-life care, grief, mentors, and so much more. We end up with one of the most deep and vulnerable episodes we've ever had.

For more of Darnell, please follow him @hello.darnell on Instagram or visit darnellwalker.com!

On this week episode of the Self Care Unit, Carley and Sarah spoke with Britt Frank. Britt is a clinician, educator, trauma specialist, and the author of The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path Forward. We had a fascinating and revelatory conversation, as she talked us through what it means to be stuck and shared her process to find a way out!

If you want to learn more about getting unstuck or just want more of Britt, please check out her instagram @brittfrank or her website scienceofstuck.com!

The Self Care Unit rings in 2024 with an episode about financial stability for nurses! To that end, April Waddell joined us as our expert! She is the founder of NurseMoneyDate, a retired pediatric nurse, and a financial coach exclusively for the nursing profession. We discussed the basics of finances, her specific strategies for nurses, how to manage the fears and stresses that can arise, and more! April is one of those incredible talents that can take a complex topic and make it so approachable, so this is an episode you don’t want to miss!

For more of what April has to offer, check out nursemoneydate.com or her Instagram @nursemoneydate!