Have you ever felt absolute dread the day before a shift…or walking into one?
If so, this is for you.
This is my story from those moments…or for me, several moments…of my body rebelling against something I thought I had to do to the point where I finally said, no more, and found a new way.
I’m a nurse practitioner, currently working as a nurse life coach. I’ve been in healthcare for 21 years. During that time, I chose my job over my family, over myself, and over what my body was trying to tell me.
My Body’s Protests Grew Louder
In the last few years, my body got louder with its protests. My mind tried to override it with stories: You won’t be able to pay the bills. How will you retire? What about health insurance? You don’t even know how to do anything else. These were stories I had learned and repeated for years.
About two years ago, those stories started to unravel. I began asking bigger questions: What is my purpose? What is the point of life? This can’t be all there is…can it?
Drive 90 minutes. Work 12–13 hours. Drive 90 minutes home. Sleep. Recover on days off. Repeat.
The Breaking Point
The breaking point came during a flood in my small town. I was at work on a holiday, trying to get permission to go home while my children (grown, but still my children) were sheltering in place under county orders. I live in a flood zone, and the main road one block from my house was under 5–6 feet of water. I was getting updates through Facebook while rounding on patients.
The truth is, I had already put in my notice. But that day solidified everything. It didn’t take away the fear, the absolute terror of stepping into a new way of living, but it confirmed that I couldn’t keep ignoring what I knew deep down.
Exploring Opportunities for Something Different
A few months before that, I had started searching for something different. I knew I still wanted to help people and stay in a healing role, but in a way that actually reflected who I am. I considered starting a holistic healing business; Reiki, energy work, and other less “traditional” paths (though many of those have been around far longer than what we call traditional Western medicine).
Then, the day after I made that decision, I found something unexpected while scrolling social media. A link. Something that felt aligned. The Nurse Life Coach Academy.
Wait…I could get certified and build my own business?
I did my research. I trusted my instinct. I signed up.
Building My Business
Since then, I’ve completed my certification, finished the first phase of my business training, and now have paying clients. I went from exhaustion, dread, and minimal time for myself or the people I love…to something completely different.
I work 3–4 days a week, typically 5–6 hours a day, from home. Every Friday, I spend time with my grandson. I connect with people who are going through real things, things I understand, and I get to walk alongside them through it.
I set my schedule. I decide when I work. I decide when I need to be home. No permission necessary.
I’m not just getting by, I’m thriving. I’m doing what I’ve always felt called to do: serve, help, and heal.
Do the fears still show up sometimes? Absolutely. Fear of failure, old patterns, self-doubt; they’re still there. But now I have the time and space to work through them. Growth isn’t something I squeeze in anymore. It’s part of my life.
If you’ve been feeling that dread…that quiet knowing that something isn’t right…
It’s your life. You get to choose.
Melissa Parsons, MSN, RN, FNP-BC
Nurse Life Coach
Pure Potential Pathways
📧 melissa@coachmelparsons.com
You can follow Melissa’s journey on Facebook: Melissa Parsons, Life Coach
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CALL TO ACTION:
If you are a nurse who works in a position away from the bedside, please contact me and let’s tell your story here. If you’d like to write your own post or answer a few questions so I can write it, please let me know. We all know how hard we work, and the toll it takes on our personal lives as well as our professional careers. Let’s help each other discover new ways to help and heal.
Thanks,
Kathy