S2E10: Carrying Our Rocks - Empathy, Faith, and Resilience with Jen Shumsky

This week on Show Me the Way, I had the joy of sitting down with my friend and fellow Duchenne mom, Jen Shumsky. Our families have known each other through the Duchenne community for years, but it’s been a while since we really caught up—and this conversation was such a gift.Jen’s story is full of unexpected turns and beautiful “Godwinks.” As a college student, she had her sights set on a TV and movie career, laughing at friends who were going into nursing. She was sure she’d be living in California someday—but life had other plans. Eventually, she felt called to nursing herself, a choice that not only reshaped her career but also brought her back home to Michigan (Go Blue!). One more year in the dorms led her to meet her husband, and all those seemingly small choices became defining moments on her journey.Today, Jen is a wife and mom of two incredible kids—one living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and the other with type 1 diabetes. She and her family have faced these challenges with grace, strength, and heart. Her nursing background gave her the knowledge to navigate complex medical systems and inspired her to start her own consulting business, helping families who feel lost and overwhelmed by insurance or healthcare struggles. My favorite takeaways were : • Medical diagnoses are the least interesting things about people—they are made up of so much more. • Everyone carries a “backpack” filled with rocks. Some we can toss out, but others we must carry—and when we remember that, we lead with empathy and understanding.Jen’s perspective is such a reminder that every twist in the road has purpose. What an inspiring and heartfelt conversation!Find Jen and her consulting business on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-shumsky-bsn-rn-cnmap-pacs-bcpa-chco-a587a0102/