The Successful Nurse Coaches ™

Today, in Part 1 from our most recent masterclass, Laura makes the case that nurse coaching is moving from an emerging specialty into a legitimate healthcare service line, and that the infrastructure needed to build nurse coach departments is already beginning to take shape.

She explores what happens when a role that already exists in practice gets named, credentialed, supported by evidence, and eventually built into the healthcare system.

Laura breaks down the current landscape of nurse coaching, including CPT codes, credentialing, federal language, health-system examples, reimbursement considerations, and what it takes to build a sustainable nurse coach department.

She also shares the experience that led her out of traditional nursing and toward nurse coaching, and why the relational side of nursing deserves more time, recognition, and structure.

Tune in next week for our Q&A segment to complete our discussion in Part 2.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CuO763Fs0NE

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In today’s episode, Laura tackles one of the most common questions she hears from new Nurse Life Coach Academy graduates: do you have to be on social media to build a successful coaching practice? The short answer is no, but the longer answer is that it will make your path easier.

This episode explores what's really behind the statement "I hate social media.” Whether it's about consumption, a fear of visibility, or something deeper. Laura offers a key reframe from a mentor: “you're either going to work for someone who isn't afraid to be visible, or you're going to have to learn to be visible yourself.” Visibility is a non-negotiable in business.

Laura encourages listeners to find two or three accounts they admire and use those as a template. The nurse coaching field is far from crowded, and every coach who chooses visibility makes it easier for the next person who needs one to find them.

The next residency cohort begins in November for those wanting support building their practice.

Watch full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_stwc21KdSk

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In this special episode of The Successful Nurse Coach Podcast, Alana Beittel sits down with Nancy Thompson, a nurse with over three decades of experience who found her way to nurse coaching after feeling the weight of working inside two of the most broken systems in the U.S. - healthcare and education.

Nancy shares her journey from seeing NLCA pop up in her social media feed, to trusting her intuition and enrolling just two days before the cohort started, to launching her own coaching business before she even graduated. Along the way, she opens up about her breast cancer diagnosis, the pivotal moment with a radiation oncologist that changed her perspective, and how those experiences shaped her coaching philosophy: "I see you. I hear you. I've got you."

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qhCDjoex7k0

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In part 2 of the Cognitive Distortions Masterclass, Laura shares a step-by-step business roadmap from certification to first paying client, covering the four-phase timeline: weeks 1–12 for certification training, week 12+ for the business course where you set up your LLC and legal foundation, weeks 12–20 to learn enrollment conversations, and weeks 20–6 months for pro bono clients. She notes that 40% of graduates who follow this path have a paying client by six months. She then covers scope of practice — nurse coaching is not clinical care, and the distinction is your protection — and confirms you can coach outside your licensed state by working with out-of-state clients as a certified life coach. Client acquisition, she explains, is built on service: 20% of free clients convert to paying, and your first $100K will likely come from word of mouth and referrals rather than marketing.

The episode pivots into the Nurse Coach Residency program — a 12–18 month, 3-trimester, 200-CEU business program. Trimester 1 covers business setup, visibility, 80 invitations, and your first 1–5 paying clients. Trimester 2 targets your first $10K through sales training and niche development. Trimester 3 is a capstone project with website, advanced marketing, and a community leadership component. Pricing is $5K per trimester or $12K total, and Laura confirms you can succeed without residency — the business course has all the information; residency just provides structure and accountability, like a personal trainer for your gym membership.

The Q&A portion covers investment fears and cognitive distortions around price, including Laura's story of a nurse on food stamps who built a thriving practice; a detailed explanation of the 80 invitations for a recently laid-off nurse pursuing her MBA; an LVN asking about success without RN credentials and Nancy's story of kayak coaching and a $10K client.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/znQS_bHuOfU

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Nurse Coach Residency

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/nurse-coach-residency

In today’s episode, Laura teaches one of her favorite coaching concepts: cognitive distortions: the mental shortcuts and biased thought patterns that shape how we see ourselves and the world. Whether you're a brand-new nurse curious about coaching, a student in certification, or an established nurse coach, this episode breaks down the 10 most common cognitive distortions we see in ourselves and in the people around us.

The 10 Cognitive Distortions

• All-or-Nothing Thinking: "If I can't commit 100%, there's no point starting." Reframe: Progress doesn't require perfection.
• Overgeneralization: "I'll never get a paid client." Reframe: One experience does not establish a pattern.
• Minimizing & Magnifying (Catastrophizing): "If I invest and it doesn't work, I'll be homeless." Reframe: What's the most likely outcome?
• Shoulds: "I should have figured this out years ago." Reframe: The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.
• Labeling: "My client didn't renew — I'm not good at this." Reframe: One outcome doesn't define your worth. If you're going to label, label positive.
• Jumping to Conclusions (Mind Reading & Fortune Telling): "They're all judging me." Reframe: You're not a mind reader. Intuition is never fear-based; projection is.
• Discounting the Positive: "That client hiring me was just luck." Reframe: Stop systematically erasing evidence of your own competence.
• Blame & Personalization: "If she hadn't yelled at me, I wouldn't have been angry." Reframe: Clean up your side of the street. Take accountability for what's yours; release what isn't.
• Emotional Reasoning: "I feel like a fraud, so I must be one." Reframe: Feelings are data, not verdicts. Would your case hold up in court?
• Mental Filter: "Nine things went well but I said one awkward thing — that's all I can think about." Reframe: You're filtering out the 90% that worked. Widen the frame.

Tune in next week for part 2 of this amazing masterclass.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/g4pOyLyNVrw

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In today’s episode, Laura continues with our series on the six human needs — this time focusing on how to use the model as a diagnostic tool in your coaching sessions to ask sharper questions and help clients get unstuck faster.

In this episode:

• When a client "isn't making progress," ask: What is this behavior doing for them? Often it's meeting a deep need in a negative way.
• A powerful case study of a chronically ill client whose need for love was being met through sickness — and how uncovering that became the seed of her recovery.
• Why certainty and identity keep people stuck: Who am I without this problem?
• How to listen for "I need…" language cues, interrupt, and go deeper.
• Finding a healthier vehicle to meet the same need — so the old pattern is no longer necessary.
• A candid look at how these patterns show up in the instructor's own life and business.

Nurse Coach Tip: Identify the top two human needs for each of your current clients. How are those needs being met — positively or negatively?

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oul1Z0jXr_0

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In today’s episode of the Successful Nurse Coach Podcast, we kick off a series with Tony Robbins' framework of the six basic human needs. We explore what each need is, how they show up in our lives (both generatively and destructively), and why understanding your top two needs is essential for designing a life of intention and fulfillment.

The Six Basic Human Needs:

• Certainty: The need for stability, security, and predictability. Knowing where your next meal, paycheck, or home is coming from.
• Uncertainty / Variety: The need for novelty, stimulation, and change. Without it, life feels like Groundhog's Day.
• Growth: The need to expand, learn, and evolve. Everything alive is either growing or dying. Shadow side: Never feeling satisfied, compulsive achievement at the cost of relationships. Generative side: Rocket fuel for impact and purpose.
• Significance: The need to feel important, special, and recognized.
• Love & Connection: The need to feel close to others. We're social creatures.
• Contribution: The desire to give beyond oneself and leave a legacy. Only those who prioritize growth and contribution report lasting fulfillment.

Key Takeaways:

• Everyone has all six needs, but your top two are in the driver's seat — they shape your decisions, career path, and relationships.
• If your life doesn't satisfy your top two needs, you'll walk around in a "tolerable level of misery" and seek to get them met in either generative or destructive ways.
• The host's personal top two needs are growth and significance — and she shares how understanding this has explained patterns throughout her entire life.
• You don't need to change who you are; you need to understand who you are and harness your needs intentionally.
• Balance is a myth — we're always in motion. The goal is awareness and course-correction, not perfection.
• Growth + contribution are the two needs linked to lasting fulfillment. Without them, you'll eventually ask, "What's it all for?"

In Part 2 of this series we will dive into how to identify your own top two needs and how they're quietly running your life. Stay tuned.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vlpFxrMSBwc

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In today’s episode, Laura shares how her experiences with burnout, chronic illness, and the limitations of traditional healthcare led her from ICU nursing to nurse coaching. She introduces the concept of "soft nursing," a proactive, relationship-based approach that focuses on root causes and whole-person healing rather than crisis management.

Laura also challenges the idea of work-life balance, advocating instead for a life aligned with purpose and personal values. She offers an honest look at the realities of building a coaching practice and encourages nurses to explore new possibilities without feeling pressured to make an all-or-nothing leap.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ps95nkxGOJM

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In Part 2 of this workshop, Laura dives into one of the biggest mindset shifts entrepreneurs can make: separating self-promotion from idea promotion. While many coaches fear that marketing means constantly talking about themselves, Laura explains that the most impactful marketing isn't about being the center of attention—it's about championing ideas that genuinely help people.

She explores how to build an authentic personal brand that grows over time, why visibility doesn't have to look like everyone else's, and how sharing your values, experiences, and unique perspectives creates trust with your audience.

Laura also shares a powerful distinction between communicating your accomplishments from a place of confidence versus seeking validation, helping listeners reframe what it means to be visible in business without feeling "salesy."

If you've struggled with showing up online or promoting your coaching practice, this episode offers a refreshing and practical approach that feels authentic, sustainable, and deeply aligned with your purpose.

Watch full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ayLny6WriPQ

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In Part 1 of this masterclass, Laura explores the foundational mindset shifts that every aspiring nurse coach needs before building a thriving coaching practice. While it's easy to focus on certifications, business strategies, and marketing, lasting success begins with something much deeper: your own personal growth.

Laura shares why becoming a coach isn't simply about learning new skills. It's about evolving your identity, expanding your self-awareness, and learning to lead yourself before leading others. She discusses the importance of embracing discomfort, challenging limiting beliefs, and recognizing that the transformation you experience personally becomes the greatest gift you can offer your future clients.

Laura demonstrates how to use ChatGPT as a brainstorming partner to help articulate your ideas and turn them into engaging social media posts. Rather than starting with a blank page, she shows how you can ask ChatGPT to write several posts around a single coaching concept, then edit the results so they sound authentic to your voice. As AI learns your writing style over time, it becomes an increasingly valuable tool for generating ideas, overcoming writer's block, and creating content that reflects your unique perspective. The goal isn't to let AI replace your voice—it's to give you a strong starting point that you can personalize and make your own.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OX4a67nVs6w

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/