01 \\ More About Me — My "Quality of Life" Decision That Led Me Here

Hi, I'm Gabrielle, your host of Healthcare Confidence. If you haven't listened to the trailer yet, I'd recommend jumping back to that real quick so you can get up to speed on what the podcast is about. Today, I wanted to go a little deeper into myself and how I got here, but first, I want to say thank you for being here with me. I am so appreciative of each and every person who stops by to spend some time with me here, and I pray that I provide value and support you in some way along your own health journey, or the journey of someone you care about. In addition to a podcast I have developed a coaching program called Healthcare Confidence™ Program. I am super proud of this program and have a FREE online LIVE workshop coming up on September 22 to 24 where you can learn all about it and ask all the burning questions you have, so stay tuned until the end to find out how to save your seat! Before we move on I wanted to share what Anne and Marjie had to say about the program real quick:  "After just spending just one hour with you, I feel so much better and you answered so many of my questions that I didn't even know that I had." - Anne "I enjoyed your enthusiasm and passion around all aspects of healthcare, the sharing of your knowledge, and the open discussion on multiple topics." - Marjie Okay… now, let's get into the "more about me" part of this show. Where It All Started As a young girl, I knew two things; I wanted to be a nurse and I wanted to work in emergency medicine. I think I wanted to work in emergency medicine because it sounded exciting and I wanted to be around all the "blood and guts." I started out as a first responder by night and a medical assistant by day. What I didn't know is that oncology would ultimately steal my heart! I found oncology fascinating; the science, the constant change and growth in oncology research was so stimulating and remarkable. But more than anything, I fell in love with the patients! The relationships you build with your patients, their families, and your team are like no other. And over the years I learned so many valuable lessons from all of them; patients, families, and the people I had the privilege to work with. Needless to say, my career started off with a big bang! I was absolutely in love with what I was doing, and I knew I was on the right path to becoming a nurse. The Shift Fast forward many years later, one thing leading to another, my career shifted away from emergency medicine and oncology. This isn't a bad thing, it was just the evolution of a long career. But these shifts ultimately became the beginning of a career that I no longer recognized, and dare I say, wanted. Somewhere in 2023, I really started to feel some internal shifts. I had been on-call 24/7 for years at that point as a healthcare leader. I was worn out and tired of being connected to my phone at all times. I wasn't sleeping. I wasn't really "living" life. I was getting up at 2:30 in the morning to get as much work as humanly possible done before going in for a full day at the hospital and I struggled with never being able to turn it off. As you know, healthcare is a 24/7 business. Patients need help at all hours of the day and night, 365 days a year, and as a healthcare leader, that meant I was always on. I started to realize that this work was slowly starting to kill me. My health and wellbeing were taking a hit, and I felt like my quality of life had slowly slipped away from me. Sounds dramatic, I know, but it wasn't. It was actually very real. By December 2023, I was feeling completely out of alignment. Something was off. I couldn't articulate it at the time, but I was feeling like my quality of life was being compromised, and that did not sit well with me at all. I was questioning my career: what I wanted to do, and whether I even wanted to be a nurse anymore. I prayed on this so many times and got no clarity, just more confusion. Fast forward to May 2024. I went on vacation for the first time in years! While I was gone, I decided to quit my job. I can't say I made this decision consciously or out loud, but I had so much peace come over me and a lightness that was so incredible. When I got home and went back to work, I happily shared with my boss that I was stepping down, and that was that. I had zero clue what I was going to do, but I felt a huge sense of relief! And I knew that I would no longer compromise my health and wellbeing for any job. I was determined to get my quality of life back! Getting My Life Back Within a couple short weeks, I was home and living it up. I soaked up every ounce of sun I could. I slept more than I had in years. I worked out, and it felt amazing. I ate good, home-prepared food and enjoyed every day of my life. I even took illegal naps whenever I wanted to (which were the BEST!). I put my phone in a drawer and left it there! It took me months to fully change gears and decompress, but I did, and it's been the best decision I've made. I have zero regrets. My quality of life was no longer in the hands of others! I got my life back, and I finally felt in alignment again. Finding My Path I was back to the drawing board for my career, which felt wild to me! I knew what I didn't want and what I was not willing to compromise on for sure. And I knew I still wanted to help people. I knew that I still wanted to make an impact on people's lives. I knew I wanted to keep using my education and experience as a nurse. But I was not sure that I wanted to work as a “nurse.” I knew I wasn't done doing what I was called to do and what I love but I had zero clue what my future career was going to look like. So, I started my own business. Now, don't be fooled. I had no idea what I was going to do or how I was going to do it with this business. I spent the better part of the next two years figuring it out: learning, working with mentors and coaches from all over the country, spending a lot of time in prayer, talking with friends and prior colleagues, and taking countless walks with God, which is typically where I get the most clarity. And somehow 6-7 months ago, I landed here, starting a podcast. You might be thinking, "Wow, that's a stretch! Why would she do that?" And honestly, I'm right there with you. What in the world was I thinking? But nonetheless, here I am, starting a podcast. And this whole process of learning how to build a podcast took me right back down that same place: Who do I want to help? How do I want to help them? What's my message? All of these questions are what led to the development of my new program: the Healthcare Confidence™ Program. For the first time in years I feel back in alignment in my career and know that I will continue to add value to someone's life and truly make a difference. And this is everything to me.  About the Healthcare Confidence™ Program This program is pretty incredible, if I do say so myself. It touches on so many of the gaps, questions, concerns, and problems I've seen in the last 25+ years of my nursing career. This program is packed with education and group coaching opportunities, giving people the chance to feel truly supported and guided, with real clarity and real solutions to their healthcare-related questions, problems, and concerns. The feedback has been incredible! I could not be more proud and blessed to be helping people in a very big way. Join Me So here's what I'd love for you to do next. I'm hosting a FREE online LIVE Healthcare Confidence™ Workshop, September 22 to 24, at 10am PT / 11am MT / 12pm CT / 1pm ET. This is where I'll walk you through exactly what the Healthcare Confidence™ Program covers and how it can support you, whether you're navigating your own health journey or caring for someone else. Come with your questions. Come with your concerns. Let's talk through it together, live. Seats are limited, so grab yours now: https://bit.ly/HealthcareConfidenceWorkshop The link to save your seat is in the show notes, or feel free to send me an email: [email protected]. I look forward to seeing you in the Healthcare Confidence™ Workshop, September 22 to 24, and don't forget to save your seat! --- Save My Seat Now: https://www.gabriellesnedeker.com Join the Healthcare Confidence Community on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/healthcareconfidencecommunity/ --- Gabrielle Snedeker Coaching & Consulting, LLC Website: www.gabriellesnedeker.com Email: [email protected]