The Next Right Thing: Nurse Gwenny’s Story of Darkness, Curiosity, and Comeback

Send us Fan Mail**Hey, before we jump into today's episode, I want to give you a quick heads-up. This conversation includes a personal story about an attempted suicide and some mental health struggles.If that's something that feels heavy or triggering for you right now, it's completely ok to skip this episode or come back to it another time. Take care of yourself first.If you're listening and finding that this brings anything up for you, just know you're not alone. You can call or text the 988 Suicide &Crisis Lifeline anytime, or reach out to someone you trust. Support is out there, and you deserve it.Today’s guest is the kind of educator you don’t forget.Gwenny Winkler, or Nurse Gwenny, built her career in some of the most extreme environments in healthcare—from the emergency department to helicopter EMS—where decisions are fast, the stakes are high, and there’s no room for autopilot.But what makes Gwenny stand out isn’t just her clinical background—it’s how she teaches.She believes learning should be fun, engaging, and built for real life—not just for passing a test. And she’s known for creating those “aha” moments that flip a switch for her students and bring their curiosity back to life.Often described as “intense,” Gwenny brings a fast-paced, high-energy style to everything she does—but her real superpower is knowing when to slow down, connect, and treat the human behind the condition.In 2026, she and her husband, Mr. Nurse Gwenny, launched The Nurse Gwenny Library, a modern continuing education platform designed for today’s learner, with over 100 hours of content that actually sticks.We talk about what’s broken in healthcare education, how to prepare clinicians for the realities of high-acuity environments, and why curiosity in the form of the question, “But, Why?” might be the most important skill Gwenny is teaching. I’m grateful for our conversation because I’m certain someone will benefit by hearing Gwenny’s deeply personal story of a dark time in her life and how she overcame it by doing the next right thing. In the five-minute snippet: Hallmark, step aside.Nurse Gwenny on the Nine One One Nonsense podcasts Contact The Conversing Nurse podcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconversingnursepodcast/Website: https://theconversingnursepodcast.comYour review is so important to this Indie podcaster! You can leave one here!  https://theconversingnursepodcast.com/leave-me-a-reviewWould you like to be a guest on my podcast? Pitch me! https://theconversingnursepodcast.com/intake-formCheck out my guests' book recommendations! https://bookshop.org/shop/theconversingnursepodcast I've partnered with RNegade.pro! You can earn CE's just by listening to my podcast episodes! Check out my CE library here: https://rnegade.thinkific.com/collections/conversing-nurse-podcastThanks for listening!