🔥How to "Play the Game" of Travel Nursing + Men's Mental Health in Nursing

What does it actually mean to "play the game" in travel nursing… and what does it cost you long term? In this episode, I sit down with longtime ICU Travel Nurse Tyler turned mental health provider who breaks down both sides of the story: 👉 how he built a highly successful travel nursing career 👉 and how that same hustle led to burnout, PTSD, and losing his empathy   We get into the real, unfiltered strategies that helped him stand out as a travel nurse: how he built strong rapport quickly on new units how he became someone people wanted to extend (even in units he didn't originally work in) what makes a nurse more likable, trusted, and valuable and the biggest mistakes new travel nurses make when entering the field   But we also talk about the darker side of that grind… Because the same system that rewards you… ALSO exploits your compassion.   We unpack: how picking up extra shifts "just for a little while" turns into years of burnout the hidden dangers of overtime compounding over time what "moral injury" in healthcare actually looks like and why so many nurses don't realize they're burned out until it's too late   We also go deep into his personal mental health journey: the moment he realized he had lost his empathy the PTSD symptoms that showed up after working through COVID what it was like experiencing flashbacks and emotional shutdown and the exact mindset shift that helped him start healing   We also touch on: mental health in men and why so many avoid getting help the role of mentorship in navigating nursing careers and why therapy was a turning point in getting his life back on track This episode is part career strategy, part reality check, and part healing conversation. If you're a nurse trying to figure out how to grow your career without burning out… or if you're already feeling the weight of it all… this one's for you.