The Successful Nurse Coaches ™

In today’s episode, Shelby shares her journey from denying she had anxiety to learning to work alongside it while building a successful business. After being diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder while waiting for open heart surgery, she discovered that anxiety isn't a sign of failure. It's often a sign of growth and expansion.

Shelby opens up about her current anxiety triggers as a business owner: making decisions that impact her team, navigating corporate structure for the first time, and the weight of responsibility as the company grows. She shares how anxiety manifested during her six-month wait for open heart surgery during the pandemic, and how doubling down on her business during that time actually helped her manage the fear.

Five practical tools Shelby uses to manage anxiety:

1. Shorten the decision window
2. Give yourself 24-48 hours max, then trust yourself to decide and adjust later
3. Separate facts from fear
4. Write down what's actually happening vs. the story you're telling yourself
5. Regulate before you strategize
6. Get outside, move your body, calm your nervous system before making decisions
7. Treat anxiety as data, not directive
8. It might mean prepare or slow down, but rarely means quit
9. Build tolerance, not avoidance
10. Confidence comes from doing the things that make you nervous, repeatedly

Anxiety and success are not opposites. Every successful person feels fear and anxiety. They just keep moving anyway. You don't need to be fearless or anxiety-free to build something meaningful. You just need to be willing to move while fear is in the car with you.

Disclaimer: Shelby is a nurse life coach, not a therapist. This shares her personal experience. Seek professional support for your individual needs.

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

Watch our full episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/n90ydmz-rYY

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In today’s episode, Laura explores the powerful idea of what changes when we stop playing small in our lives and careers. She challenges listeners to examine the subtle ways we keep ourselves safe by choosing reasonable goals, stability, and certainty instead of pursuing the bigger impact we quietly feel called to create. Through personal stories and reflections from her own nursing career, Laura explains how tension, misalignment, and dissatisfaction are often signals that we’re meant to grow beyond our current roles.

She walks through the mindset shifts required to expand, including recognizing where we’re holding ourselves back, stepping into a new identity, and learning to tolerate uncertainty as part of growth. Laura emphasizes that alignment creates energy and momentum, while playing small often drains us over time. She encourages listeners to trust their internal whisper and that there may be something bigger available to them, and to begin exploring what it would look like to play a larger game in their work and lives.

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/w0Cv8E3i0g8

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In this episode, Shelby and Laura intentionally shift the conversation back toward the wins and momentum happening inside the nurse coach community. After hearing feedback that recent episodes felt a little heavy, they reflect on the importance of sharing both sides of the journey. Entrepreneurship requires discipline, consistency, and hard conversations, but it also comes with powerful moments of growth, courage, and transformation.

As they share real client stories from their residency program, Shelby and Laura highlight what actually happens when coaches commit to the process. From overcoming fear of being visible online to signing first clients and stepping into leadership, they share how structure, support, and clear expectations are helping coaches move faster and build real confidence. This episode reminds us that success happens when we decide to play full out.

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

Watch Full Episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/PVq_35uPRrY

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In today’s episode, Shelby shares an honest reflection on her shift from traditional nursing into nurse coaching, especially after a heavy year filled with personal and collective challenges. She acknowledges feedback from listeners who wanted a more balanced perspective, not just the hard parts of entrepreneurship, but the wins too.

Shelby walks through ten powerful ways her life has changed since becoming a nurse coach, highlighting the freedom, alignment, and autonomy she’s gained. She speaks openly about what it means to care deeply without carrying everything, and how stepping into this role allowed her to reconnect with her purpose.

At its core, this episode is an invitation. If you’ve been questioning your path, feeling boxed in, or craving something more aligned, this conversation will remind you that it’s possible to build a nursing career that actually feels like you.

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

Watch full episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/bLUeRPhA0As

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In today’s episode, Laura explores the universal human experience of fear and how our relationship with it impacts our effectiveness as nurse coaches. This conversation reveals why working on your relationship with fear is more valuable than perfecting your website, logo, or marketing materials.

The Five Universal Human Fears:

1. Fear of Rejection & Not Belonging - Will I be misunderstood? What will my coworkers think?
2. Fear of Abandonment & Loss of Connection - What if being myself costs me my relationships?
3. Fear of Failure - What if trying confirms my worst story about myself?
4. Fear of Success & Visibility - What if I can't go back once I expand?
5. Fear of Power & Responsibility - What if my impact is bigger than I know how to hold?

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

Watch full episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/7i3dwfxDp4s

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In today’s episode, Shelby and Laura dive into the identity shift that happens when you step into nurse coaching. If you’ve been second-guessing your prices, or waiting to feel “ready,” this conversation is your wake-up call. Together they unpack what it actually takes to move from free or inconsistent work, into confident, paid leadership. When you decide you’re a professional, everything changes.

Key Takeaways

• Decision creates momentum. When you decide you are a paid coach, your energy, language, and standards shift immediately.

• Free coaching and undercharging often delay growth. Charging creates commitment on both sides and accelerates skill development.

• Confidence is built through action, not overthinking.

• You are not selling sessions. You are selling transformation. That requires clarity, structure, and belief in your process.

• When you raise your standard for yourself, clients rise too.

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

Watch full episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/6cESbWtxxQ4

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In today’s episode, Shelby walks nurse coaches through a very common and uncomfortable conversation in coaching: when a client isn’t seeing results, and must take ownership for the reasons why. Rather than framing this as a failure of motivation, Shelby reframes stalled progress as an issue of identity, capacity, and nervous system tolerance. She explains why trying harder, giving more strategy, or offering pep talks often backfires, and instead teaches coaches how to get curious, name what is happening without shame, and work through resistance at the identity level. Through real client examples, Shelby shows how to scale goals down, build capacity through micro actions, and discern when a client is not ready for the work. This episode is a grounded, honest guide for coaches who want to support real change for their clients.

Watch our full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8SIcH1IxOVA

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In this episode, Laura explores why Nurse Life Coaches are uniquely positioned to thrive in the future of healthcare and coaching. As information becomes increasingly accessible through AI and technology, she explains that knowledge alone is no longer the differentiator. Real change comes from supporting identity shifts, nervous system regulation, and human behavior change. Laura shares how traditional health coaching often stalls at education and accountability, while nurse life coaching works at the deeper levels where transformation actually happens. This conversation reframes coaching as relational, embodied, and outcome driven, and invites nurses to step into a model of care that is both sustainable and deeply impactful.

Watch full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/drjQ9zR_1b0

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In this episode, Shelby and Laura take listeners behind the scenes of what it actually means to become a professional nurse coach. This is not a conversation about hype or shortcuts. It is a real, nuanced discussion about capacity, confidence, identity shifts, and why being new can feel so disorienting in leadership and entrepreneurship. They unpack why nurse coaching is inherently pioneering work, why confidence can never come before action, and how repetition, community, and regulation are what allow nurse coaches to stay in the game long enough to succeed. This episode normalizes the discomfort of growth and reframes it as a necessary, meaningful part of building a sustainable practice and a new professional identity.

Highlights in the discussion:

1. Confidence is built through repetition, not readiness.
2. Discomfort is part of becoming a professional, not a sign to quit.
3. Capacity means staying present with uncertainty without collapsing or overcorrecting.
4. Community matters because it prevents isolation and early burnout.
5. Residency acts as failure insurance, giving nurse coaches support, feedback, and structure while they build real-world experience.
6. Sustainable success comes from staying in the process long enough for competence and self-trust to form.

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7ncLBZ36bW4

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

In today’s episode, Shelby reflects on graduating 28 clients and experiencing her first week without active clients since 2022. She delivers a candid reality check about building a coaching business: no one is special or exempt from the fundamental rules of business. Success doesn't come from passion, manifestation, or good intentions alone—it requires consistent action, discipline, and a willingness to do hard things repeatedly. Shelby emphasizes that feeling too comfortable in your business is actually a warning sign, and entrepreneurs must constantly find their growth edge to keep their businesses alive and thriving.

Shelby outlines five non-negotiable rules that apply to every coach:

1. People buy because they feel seen and you invite them (not because you're passionate)
2. Visibility matters because no one can buy from you if they don't know you exist
3. Consistency beats brilliance every single time
4. No one is coming to rescue you so you must execute on your own
5. Time alone doesn't build your business—only action does.

She challenges listeners to track their actual working hours in 15-minute increments for three days to see how much time they're truly spending on business-building activities versus scrolling or just thinking about work.

You don't need to be special—you just need to be willing to show up when it's boring, awkward, or uncomfortable, and follow your plan even when you don't feel like it. While entrepreneurship is undeniably hard and requires grit and repetition, there are also incredible high points along the way—celebratory moments that should be bottled up as fuel for the challenging seasons that inevitably come.

Watch full episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/DJcR-_yM1L0

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/