Hi I'm Michelle! RN & Wellness Life Coach
With 22 years in the nursing profession and a young family of my own I recently found myself lost, overwhelmed and eventually burnt out. After hitting rock bottom I found my way out using this exact same approach that I have now created into this online program.
Hi Michelle! Thanks for agreeing to chat with me! Let's start with how did you find yourself in nursing?
Hi there, No problem! I knew I wanted to be a nurse as a teenager and left high school and went straight onto university. I’m now 24 years in and going strong.
So great that you knew what you wanted so early on in life! Where did your nursing career start out?
In med/surg and aged care for my grad year I then went on to work in cardio thoracic for several years before doing my crit care degree.
And what area do you currently work in?
I’m in a regional qld hospital emergency department but also running my online coaching business helping nurses navigate burnout.
Can you tell us more about how you got into the coaching thing? And how you find running a business alongside being a nurse?
I got into coaching after hitting burnout myself. I’m 2016 I was in a very dark place and turned to alcohol to cope with the demands of my role as an ED nurse. I was working full time, 3 children and didn’t have the tools or resilience to cope with everything. I also had some very traumatic shifts that I didn’t process very well. In 2018 I tuned my life around took myself on a huge self development journey and uncovered 8 pillars to True Transformation and wellness that are now the 8 modules of my Program. I lost all the weight I gained, dived into my health, fitness and spirituality and stopped drinking and felt AMAZING and it was here I could see so many nurses around me in burnout mode like I once was, they too were barely coping. And I embarked on creating a program for nurses and put myself through so many courses and program including becoming an NLP practitioner. I absolutely love what info now and being on the floor in ED and have found a beautiful balance.
That's wonderful! I wonder whether the drinking culture is worse these days in nursing because there seems to be a movement of women who make light of drinking a lot of wine. I know myself I used to drink every weekend and whenever I'd had a rough day. Can I ask what was that final straw that made you realise you had to change something?
Yeah I have found there’s a real culture around having a bad shift and going home for wine! So many of colleagues do this and joke about it. For me it got really serious when I realized how far gone I was and completely dependent on it every night 
I never drank before work of course it was just at the end if the day.
I never drank before work of course it was just at the end if the day.
If you could impart one bit of advice to a nurse who can feel themselves starting to burn out what would it be?
Get a coach do the work to learn boundaries and initiate self care without the guilt and to let go of limiting beliefs and patterns that no longer serve you.
Brilliant. Could you tell us a little more about starting your own business?
I started my business to help nurses and women become free from overwhelm and burnout. To live a life that happens for them not too them and to feel energized, focused and balanced again. To create empowering daily routines, to build resilience and let go of limiting beliefs. The drive to create my courses and business truly came from the heart as I don’t want anyone to stay in that dark place of burnout like I did for 2 years.
What have been the challenges you faced starting a business?
Getting my message out there and being seen.
Yes! That is a real struggle. How long did it take before you thought ok yes this is working?
It’s all about self belief and knowing my product and services are heart based and will help my fellow nurses.
Awesome! Is there anything else you would like to share? And could you let us know where our readers can find out more about your services?
I’d love to share that since my transformation From burnout and overwhelmed I was heavily overweight and very unhealthy. Through the steps in my program I’ve lost 12kg and kept it off, built resilience, boundaries and have reconnected with my spirituality.
My key areas I help my clients with are
- mindset overhaul
- breaking through old beliefs
- breaking through old habits
- manifestation
And through this my clients go on to live a healthy happy and abundant life.
I can be found on
FB: the healthy happy nurse
Instagram: michellegordon_coach
If you would like to be interviewed or write a guest post for the Nurse Life blog please get in contact at nurselifeaus@gmail.com
Stay safe brothers and sisters!