1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:03,100 Welcome to the doctor nurse podcast. 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,400 I'm Sandra magenta a doctoral. We prepared nurse practitioner 3 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:11,100 and I am your guide into the world of nursing job, options, 4 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:15,100 take a seat and relax and let's get started with today's guests. 5 00:00:15,900 --> 00:00:18,400 Hi, welcome to the doctor nurse podcast. 6 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:21,200 Today, on the podcast. I have Ashley Evans. 7 00:00:21,500 --> 00:00:26,300 She is a nurse practitioner and the CEO and founder of Psych, 8 00:00:26,300 --> 00:00:29,500 life Tea Company. She has her master's in health 9 00:00:29,500 --> 00:00:32,000 administration. Thracian, and she has a masters 10 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,400 in nursing and she is a board certified psychiatric, mental 11 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:39,500 health nurse practitioner. She graduated in 2021 from the 12 00:00:39,500 --> 00:00:42,200 University of Alabama at Birmingham with her master's 13 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:44,300 degree. She's currently working at a 14 00:00:44,300 --> 00:00:47,600 psych mental health clinic at the Veterans Affair hospital. 15 00:00:47,900 --> 00:00:52,000 She created the site life Tea Company out of her desire to 16 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:56,100 create a positive experience for those who felt different by 17 00:00:56,100 --> 00:00:58,200 normalizing. The conversation around mental 18 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:01,400 health, her challenge. All mental health professionals 19 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:06,100 is to empower others to share their stories of mental health. 20 00:01:06,100 --> 00:01:09,900 Until the stigma is no more. Oh, I love that. 21 00:01:09,900 --> 00:01:13,800 Just seems like fires you up, and honestly, I love driving out 22 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:15,700 stigmas. I think they're just a way that 23 00:01:15,700 --> 00:01:18,200 we limit ourselves. So, beautifully said and welcome 24 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,100 to the podcast. Thank you excited to be here 25 00:01:21,100 --> 00:01:23,500 with you today. Well, I'm so happy to have you 26 00:01:23,500 --> 00:01:27,000 on me to really dive into how you've carved your career. 27 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:29,100 And then also how you've made your business. 28 00:01:29,300 --> 00:01:32,100 Tell me about About your current role and your job title. 29 00:01:32,100 --> 00:01:35,000 And then what you do for a living, all the pots that you're 30 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,600 involved in? Okay, wonderful. 31 00:01:37,700 --> 00:01:40,600 I am a psychiatric mental health, nurse practitioner 32 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:44,500 working for the VA here in Temple, Texas, in this Clinic. 33 00:01:44,500 --> 00:01:50,000 We treat a myriad of mental illnesses from depression and 34 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:53,900 anxiety to PTSD schizophrenia. Bipolar. 35 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:58,100 We really see the gamut and we also treat lots of substance 36 00:01:58,100 --> 00:02:01,900 abuse as well. Still have programs that we 37 00:02:01,900 --> 00:02:07,400 refer veterans to some of those programs are real residential 38 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:15,000 programs, where they go in order to detox and to seek help for 39 00:02:15,100 --> 00:02:17,900 coming off of the substances. They would actually go into an 40 00:02:17,900 --> 00:02:20,600 inpatient unit to do that so that they can be closely 41 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:24,100 supervised. And then once they have detox 42 00:02:24,100 --> 00:02:28,400 fully, they go into the residential program where they 43 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:33,200 can learn how to cope. If being without substances and 44 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:37,400 learn what they can do, instead there really is a very 45 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:39,900 comprehensive program. We're very proud of it. 46 00:02:40,100 --> 00:02:43,600 I actually did a rotation in Psych mental health at the VA, 47 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:47,800 when I was a nursing student, and it was an incredibly 48 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:51,500 eye-opening experience, watching and listening to these veterans 49 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:55,800 that were experiencing mental dysfunction and illness. 50 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:58,800 And I'm never going to forget one of the guys just seemed 51 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:01,000 completely normal. You came into the room. 52 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,700 He sat down and he was 25 26 years old. 53 00:03:04,700 --> 00:03:07,700 And I looked at my preceptor. I said he seems completely 54 00:03:07,700 --> 00:03:09,200 normal. Why is he here? 55 00:03:09,500 --> 00:03:13,000 And she said, just listen. And so as he began to talk, he 56 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,900 began to describe how he had two phds. 57 00:03:16,100 --> 00:03:19,000 And these all these different fallacies and delusions of 58 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:21,400 grandeur. When I began to look around and 59 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:23,600 go. Oh my goodness, like this. 60 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:26,300 This person is not well and yet they seem. 61 00:03:26,300 --> 00:03:29,700 They seem so normal. And it's just again, kind of 62 00:03:29,700 --> 00:03:33,000 going That stigma that we all have. 63 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,500 I feel like driving out the stigma of this mental health 64 00:03:36,500 --> 00:03:40,700 disease and people struggling with their mental health is 65 00:03:40,700 --> 00:03:43,500 critical because it can happen to any of us. 66 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:47,100 It isn't just something that it can affect anyone and it could 67 00:03:47,100 --> 00:03:50,500 be in your family. You make a great point and I 68 00:03:50,500 --> 00:03:53,700 want to pause here. I don't want us to proceed 69 00:03:53,700 --> 00:03:57,100 without really drawing out. What you just said. 70 00:03:57,100 --> 00:03:59,900 The person looked normal quote unquote. 71 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,700 Boat, that's very important. And it's important. 72 00:04:02,700 --> 00:04:07,100 Because of this, what is normal, right? 73 00:04:07,300 --> 00:04:11,900 Especially as it relates to having a mental illness or a 74 00:04:11,900 --> 00:04:15,900 physical illness, right? Like you can't tell that a 75 00:04:15,900 --> 00:04:19,899 person has hypertension by looking at them, right? 76 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,000 You can't tell that a person has anything. 77 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:29,000 You cannot tell, right? It is the same way for mental 78 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,900 illnesses. I think there's there's one 79 00:04:31,900 --> 00:04:36,700 thing that we have to understand and if the fact that mental 80 00:04:36,700 --> 00:04:41,800 illness is in the past, it was associated with Beggars on the 81 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:47,600 street nomadic people who look like their quote unquote crazy. 82 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:51,200 I don't use that word, but I'm trying to make a point in the 83 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:55,900 fact that that's not how mental health actually looks is, what 84 00:04:55,900 --> 00:04:59,900 is portrayed to us. However, I have the face of 85 00:05:00,100 --> 00:05:02,900 Don't go, right? You have the face of mental 86 00:05:02,900 --> 00:05:05,300 health. In the reason why I say I have 87 00:05:05,300 --> 00:05:10,300 that faith is because I personally have had a 16-year 88 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:16,300 journey myself was having just battling depression and anxiety. 89 00:05:16,500 --> 00:05:22,300 And I guarantee you I told him quote look normal, right, but 90 00:05:22,300 --> 00:05:27,300 that's what we have to get away from this notion that there's a 91 00:05:27,308 --> 00:05:29,800 particular. Look, if you will. 92 00:05:30,100 --> 00:05:33,300 Those seated with having a mental illness. 93 00:05:33,700 --> 00:05:36,200 Yeah, because we can write, it can be yes. 94 00:05:36,500 --> 00:05:40,200 And who has the most money in the world, money in the world is 95 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:42,500 not going to keep you from being sad. 96 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:46,900 It's not that I can't be anxious and it's certainly not going to 97 00:05:46,900 --> 00:05:52,600 keep your genetics from developing, whatever you develop 98 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:56,900 which we know, genetics, play a huge parking and to 99 00:05:56,900 --> 00:05:59,900 schizophrenia and bipolar. Well, it's Jenna. 100 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,500 Going to do those things. That's a guarantee. 101 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:07,500 Tell me about how you developed your t-shirt company. 102 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:10,500 So, you've been working. How long have you been working 103 00:06:10,500 --> 00:06:13,100 at the VA? I have been working at the VA 104 00:06:13,100 --> 00:06:18,000 for five years, and prior to go back in and tell you a little 105 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,900 bit of my history because prior to working at the VA. 106 00:06:21,900 --> 00:06:26,400 I worked in a community hospital back in our hometown, Auburn, 107 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:30,700 Alabama. And at that particular, It'll is 108 00:06:30,700 --> 00:06:33,500 when I had my first experience inside. 109 00:06:33,500 --> 00:06:39,000 You can imagine these adolescents had severe. 110 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:43,600 Trauma, trauma. You can't even imagine the worst 111 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:46,600 of the worst adverse childhood experiences. 112 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:52,900 These children had indoor from from rape to other sexual 113 00:06:52,900 --> 00:06:59,400 assaults, to being beaten. I mean the list just goes on and 114 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:04,500 it was very When I went into that unit stops myself. 115 00:07:04,700 --> 00:07:06,600 Oh my God. This is going to be a cakewalk. 116 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:09,500 Right? I'm just gonna go and keep some 117 00:07:09,500 --> 00:07:13,300 kids. Keep I I didn't understand just 118 00:07:13,300 --> 00:07:20,900 how impactful the psychiatric realm of nursing truly was, is 119 00:07:20,900 --> 00:07:24,900 far beyond sitting with some patients. 120 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:28,700 It's done that. I know a couple of years back 121 00:07:28,700 --> 00:07:32,700 there was The notion of all psychiatric. 122 00:07:32,700 --> 00:07:35,100 Nurses, do is sit around and play cards. 123 00:07:35,100 --> 00:07:38,900 Have you heard that before? I heard somebody, some Senator 124 00:07:38,900 --> 00:07:41,900 said something about all nurses, do sit around and play Clefairy 125 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:44,800 and we just sit around and play cards, right? 126 00:07:44,900 --> 00:07:49,500 But if that's all we did, can you imagine how much talking we 127 00:07:49,500 --> 00:07:51,700 do while we're playing those cards? 128 00:07:51,700 --> 00:07:55,600 I mean, it is a therapy session 24 hours. 129 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:59,600 When I started working in the Adolescent unit, these kids 130 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:02,900 date. Need a lesson in the fact that 131 00:08:02,900 --> 00:08:08,800 you cannot show up on bubbly and think that your loveliness is 132 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,600 going to rub off on them on day one. 133 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,100 It just does not work that way when you have been exposed to 134 00:08:15,100 --> 00:08:19,100 the types of trauma that these people have been exposed to and 135 00:08:19,100 --> 00:08:22,700 let down over and over and over again. 136 00:08:23,100 --> 00:08:27,700 It really changes them in a way that is very difficult to 137 00:08:27,700 --> 00:08:33,500 understand but they don't Don't just perk up and feel like 138 00:08:33,500 --> 00:08:35,000 you're a knight in shining armor. 139 00:08:35,100 --> 00:08:39,400 I mean in because you're so nice and sweet, it takes for you to 140 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:43,400 show up, time and time again, day in day out. 141 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:47,600 Shh, the shift to really influence them the way that you 142 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:52,800 really want to influence them and and start chiseling away at 143 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:58,400 that hardcore surface that they have built over the number of 144 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:01,500 years that that Alma was happening to them. 145 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:06,300 So what I learned here was that they really experienced a great 146 00:09:06,300 --> 00:09:10,300 deal of embarrassment. They experienced a great deal of 147 00:09:10,500 --> 00:09:13,800 just feeling like people are talking about them. 148 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:17,200 Looking at them. They feel like pariahs their own 149 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:19,500 family. They feel like their families, 150 00:09:19,500 --> 00:09:22,700 don't love them, and many of them, their families have 151 00:09:22,700 --> 00:09:25,600 abandoned them. So they have every reason to 152 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:29,700 feel like they're not love and most of the time, they feel like 153 00:09:29,700 --> 00:09:31,900 it. Is because of their mental 154 00:09:31,900 --> 00:09:34,600 illness, right? We know that at the end of the 155 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:38,800 day, that's not the real reason. Why their family abandoned them. 156 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:42,200 Their families had lots of trauma that were going on with 157 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:46,000 them as well. And I've been ill necess it is 158 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,700 something that runs in families. Although the child is 159 00:09:49,700 --> 00:09:54,300 experiencing a mental illness. We can't forget that the parent 160 00:09:54,300 --> 00:09:58,500 usually is too especially when you have a child that young 161 00:09:58,500 --> 00:10:02,400 experiencing it. I started working at the VA and 162 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:06,900 I started working with adults. I noticed that the very same 163 00:10:06,900 --> 00:10:11,700 things that kids are plagued by in terms of just embarrassment 164 00:10:11,700 --> 00:10:14,900 and feeling so isolated and feeling. 165 00:10:14,900 --> 00:10:18,200 So different adults are playing with the same thing. 166 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:23,200 They feel like their diagnosis has ruined their lives and 167 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:26,600 because of that, they feel like they can't be love. 168 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:29,800 They're unworthy is what they think in there. 169 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:34,400 They think that people are looking at them, that they're an 170 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:37,400 embarrassment and they're ashamed of themselves, because 171 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:41,700 the caring this diagnosis. And so I said, how can I give 172 00:10:41,700 --> 00:10:44,400 back? How can I show them that? 173 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:48,200 That's not what we're thinking, especially people who are in 174 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:51,000 health care, giving them treatment. 175 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,400 We're not looking down on them. We want to build them up. 176 00:10:54,500 --> 00:10:59,800 And so I say what when a person has on a shirt, right? 177 00:11:00,100 --> 00:11:03,300 And the shirt is a nice t-shirt, Alabama. 178 00:11:03,300 --> 00:11:06,100 Like I said earlier. Well, if you saw me with the 179 00:11:06,100 --> 00:11:09,800 Nike shirt, that represented Auburn University, you would 180 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:12,100 know two things. I love Nike and I love our 181 00:11:12,100 --> 00:11:13,400 University. Right? 182 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:19,900 So I said, if I created an apparel line that pulled 183 00:11:19,900 --> 00:11:27,400 together, really, beautiful bright messages on bright, teas 184 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:31,900 and show support for the middle. No Health Community and show 185 00:11:31,900 --> 00:11:35,300 support for those who suffer with mental illnesses. 186 00:11:35,300 --> 00:11:39,000 I wonder how that would translate to them. 187 00:11:39,100 --> 00:11:43,400 I placed myself in their shoes quite literally because though, 188 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:47,500 I've never been a patient on an inpatient unit. 189 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:52,900 I can empathize when you have empathy and you can place 190 00:11:52,900 --> 00:11:57,800 yourself in someone's shoes what they are experiencing and you 191 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:05,600 try to do Thing that prevents them from experiencing a bad 192 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:10,700 onboarding into an inpatient unit or a bad exchange. 193 00:12:10,700 --> 00:12:13,800 And so that's why I came up with the team because the tea light 194 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:15,900 has beautiful things. Mental. 195 00:12:15,900 --> 00:12:18,700 Health matters, reflective practice. 196 00:12:18,900 --> 00:12:22,300 You are worthy, just so many different things. 197 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:29,600 I love God, reinforces our advocacy from us to the patient. 198 00:12:29,900 --> 00:12:33,800 And it's an awesome as well. What have, you know, do you wear 199 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:36,600 it to work? If you notice like any response 200 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:39,200 from patients? Oh, yeah, is definitely a 201 00:12:39,208 --> 00:12:41,900 conversation starter. Oh, that is so cool. 202 00:12:42,300 --> 00:12:45,900 Yeah, because when I do me an example of, like, one of the 203 00:12:45,900 --> 00:12:47,700 conversations you've had with a patient. 204 00:12:47,700 --> 00:12:51,800 Absolutely, so, I went and got one patient from the lobby, and 205 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:55,600 I had on my mental health matters shirt, and he came into 206 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:59,800 my office, sat down, and he also stole my mug sitting there on. 207 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:04,100 That's because well, they don't have matters and he said, you 208 00:13:04,100 --> 00:13:06,800 really care, don't you? And I looked at him and I was 209 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:13,200 like, care about what you really care about mental health. 210 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:19,700 I said, absolutely. I said, I am Ashley all things 211 00:13:19,700 --> 00:13:24,000 mental, health Evans, and he was like, wow. 212 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:26,200 He said this isn't just a job for you. 213 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:29,700 I said, it's my life. That's a really good segue into 214 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:33,500 Into how you became a nurse and how you decided to be a psych 215 00:13:33,500 --> 00:13:35,800 mental health, nurse because your Journeys really interesting 216 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,100 starting in the corporate world, kind of realizing that there was 217 00:13:39,100 --> 00:13:41,600 something missing. When, did you decide to become a 218 00:13:41,608 --> 00:13:44,400 nurse, and then walk me through your steps through nursing 219 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:46,300 school and then to your master's degree. 220 00:13:46,500 --> 00:13:48,800 I will make it as concise as possible. 221 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:54,100 But when I first went to college, I went I obtained. 222 00:13:54,100 --> 00:13:57,300 My undergraduate degree from Florida State University, go 223 00:13:57,300 --> 00:14:01,100 knows we won't hold that against you here, but Head and I wanted 224 00:14:01,100 --> 00:14:04,400 to become a doctor. I wanted to become a 225 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:07,300 psychiatrist. Okay, interesting. 226 00:14:07,300 --> 00:14:12,000 So if pre-med psychology after the second psychology class, I 227 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:15,700 look like this is for the birds. This is the best thing and then 228 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:20,400 I started delving into the math and science courses that had to 229 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:24,400 take for premium. I am I'm going to have to change 230 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:28,900 my major because I cannot tell my dad that I'm going to fail a 231 00:14:28,900 --> 00:14:31,900 class. Because it's so difficult and 232 00:14:31,900 --> 00:14:34,900 I've always struggled in math and science. 233 00:14:34,900 --> 00:14:37,600 Well, let me just say my health has always represented an 234 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:40,400 opportunity for improvement to me. 235 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:45,400 I love how you worried about that's fabulous because it's his 236 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:48,200 right. Love that absolutely changed. 237 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:50,200 My man. International Fair, something 238 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:53,700 totally different age classes graduated. 239 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:59,100 Yes to Birmingham, Alabama and started working for Blue. 240 00:14:59,100 --> 00:15:00,400 Cross Blue Shield. I'll be a month. 241 00:15:00,500 --> 00:15:04,200 And when I started working there, I started out and claims 242 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:07,400 and told my husband I said, well I'm going to go back and I'm 243 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:10,100 going to get a masters in healthcare administration. 244 00:15:10,100 --> 00:15:12,200 I've decided I'm going to climb the corporate ladder. 245 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:14,900 This is for me. I love Administration. 246 00:15:14,900 --> 00:15:19,300 I convinced myself that. That was good enough. 247 00:15:19,300 --> 00:15:24,100 I went back to school attain that Masters and eventually we 248 00:15:25,100 --> 00:15:29,200 went into another position there at Blue Cross, but I still had 249 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:32,800 that now. Nagging urge that kept telling 250 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:36,500 me pulling on me. This isn't what you want to do. 251 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:37,800 I ignored it. Why? 252 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:40,900 Because the money was good. I mean, people say it's the norm 253 00:15:40,900 --> 00:15:43,900 in handcuffs, right? And they say that there's the 254 00:15:43,900 --> 00:15:45,900 salary is the price. You pay to let go of your 255 00:15:45,900 --> 00:15:49,100 dreams. Like, yeah, that money was good. 256 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:52,300 Okay. I was getting my regular 257 00:15:52,300 --> 00:15:55,300 paycheck one Friday and the next Friday. 258 00:15:55,300 --> 00:15:59,700 I was getting was known at that company as PB people. 259 00:15:59,900 --> 00:16:04,400 Foreman. Spaced a and honey, my bonus is. 260 00:16:04,500 --> 00:16:08,200 I mean they were awesome. I stayed there for a couple of 261 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:11,300 years because the benefits were so amazing. 262 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:12,500 Good. Yeah. 263 00:16:13,100 --> 00:16:15,200 Yeah. No, they can catch it on that. 264 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:17,700 It was affecting my mental health. 265 00:16:17,700 --> 00:16:22,300 It was a very good job. People stay in jobs that are 266 00:16:22,300 --> 00:16:27,200 dead in and, you know, psychological safety and jumps 267 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:29,700 where there's no support encouragement inspiration. 268 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:32,500 Operation. And they do it all in the name 269 00:16:32,500 --> 00:16:37,600 of a benefit, right? And to me because it's affecting 270 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:39,600 your mental health. Were you having mental health 271 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,000 issues out this job or work? Okay. 272 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:45,600 So it was just you were still having that nagging feeling that 273 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:47,600 you were meant to do something else. 274 00:16:47,700 --> 00:16:51,400 And I was like what I just I really want to go back and do 275 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:54,800 something else before I really listened to myself and my 276 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:58,700 husband and I we had a baby this is when I develop postpartum 277 00:16:58,700 --> 00:17:03,900 depression at Time after we had a baby and my mom had died when 278 00:17:03,900 --> 00:17:06,500 I was 15. And so, I had, I had my first 279 00:17:06,500 --> 00:17:11,800 son when I was 23. And I tell people all the time 280 00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:17,500 when I speak about grief that I did not fully understand nor 281 00:17:17,500 --> 00:17:22,599 process, my mother's death until I had my first son, it's me to 282 00:17:22,599 --> 00:17:27,700 bring a child into the world to really process loss of her. 283 00:17:27,700 --> 00:17:32,700 And what that law is Resented and because maternally, you 284 00:17:32,700 --> 00:17:38,800 expect for your mother to be there with you during this 285 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:43,600 incredible time in her life. And she was not then having all 286 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:48,000 of the hormones in my body, just going through so much. 287 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:53,200 That is when I develop and I ended up seeing a psychiatrist. 288 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:56,800 He really changed my life and I saw him at the urging of my 289 00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:59,200 husband who noticed that I wasn't the same. 290 00:18:00,300 --> 00:18:04,200 That he had known for so many years and I'm so thankful that 291 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:08,400 he noticed that and me now this person who was crying all the 292 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:10,500 time. Didn't want to hang out with the 293 00:18:10,500 --> 00:18:14,000 baby, didn't want to make our price limit of. 294 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:16,800 It was just not me. Right? 295 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:20,400 And I'm thankful that he encouraged me, but the one thing 296 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:22,900 I said went because I didn't immediately say, okay. 297 00:18:22,900 --> 00:18:25,800 I'll go see the doctor when she said, maybe going to see a 298 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:28,600 doctor. I was like no you need to go. 299 00:18:29,300 --> 00:18:41,800 Yeah. I was just thinking that. 300 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:44,700 Yeah, with being African-American, we the beat 301 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,300 Community. If we're going to move the 302 00:18:48,300 --> 00:18:52,100 needle, we have to do it in a very honest and transparent 303 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:53,500 fashion. Okay. 304 00:18:53,500 --> 00:18:56,200 Yeah, and so I was part of that group of people. 305 00:18:56,300 --> 00:18:59,600 I stand here before you part of that group of people. 306 00:19:00,300 --> 00:19:04,800 So myself, mental health does not exist in black people 307 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:07,900 because we are too strong, but it was which is the exact 308 00:19:07,900 --> 00:19:11,600 opposite its exact opposite. It's the strong that I asked for 309 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:14,600 help like that's vulnerable T. That's the strength and 310 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:17,600 vulnerability and in my weakness. 311 00:19:17,700 --> 00:19:21,000 I was like, yeah, there's no way I'm going to do that. 312 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,800 That I mean, it doesn't exist from too strong, like the first 313 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:28,400 person in my family who's ever going to college, like I started 314 00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:32,200 naming these things. But those things have nothing to 315 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:36,000 do with your hormones and neurotransmitters in your body, 316 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:39,400 increasing and decreasing and making you feel sad. 317 00:19:39,900 --> 00:19:42,500 So, how did you overcome that? How did you overcome that? 318 00:19:42,700 --> 00:19:47,700 The stigma, the culture, your own rap sheet of success. 319 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,000 How did you say? All right, I'm going, that's a 320 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:55,500 great question. I listen to my husband and I 321 00:19:55,500 --> 00:19:59,600 said, what I have a little one it is best for me. 322 00:19:59,900 --> 00:20:04,100 To go and see if I need to talk to someone about how I'm feeling 323 00:20:04,100 --> 00:20:06,300 because I was crying all the time and I knew that wasn't 324 00:20:06,300 --> 00:20:09,600 normal, right? And so when I went to the 325 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:13,900 psychiatrist he treated me with such respect. 326 00:20:13,900 --> 00:20:19,200 He was a Caucasian male and I know I was so blessed. 327 00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:24,300 I was so blessed to have someone who treated me. 328 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:29,600 Ethically who treated me with beneficent who treated me with. 329 00:20:29,700 --> 00:20:34,400 With respect who didn't rush me, but wanted me to fully process 330 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:37,700 the grief that I had held for so long. 331 00:20:37,900 --> 00:20:42,500 He is with me through those things, and I decided at that 332 00:20:42,500 --> 00:20:44,900 point. I've got to go back to school 333 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,900 because I want to help people like he's helping people. 334 00:20:48,100 --> 00:20:51,800 And so that's what made me end up talking to my husband about. 335 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:54,300 Hey, I've got to get back to go back to school again. 336 00:20:54,300 --> 00:20:57,700 He's like, oh God, again because I had already finished my 337 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,000 masters and Buster's. And probably. 338 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:03,200 Yes, I have to I said, but don't worry. 339 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:05,400 I'm just going to go and get an associates. 340 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:07,900 I just want to be a nurse. Okay. 341 00:21:08,100 --> 00:21:12,400 I just want to be a nurse and so I went back and we moved back 342 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:16,100 home over so that we can have some help with our little one. 343 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:20,000 And I started going to school after work at the community 344 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:25,100 college and in Auburn Opelika, and I finished that degree in 345 00:21:25,100 --> 00:21:29,500 2012. But his saddle for I don't sell. 346 00:21:29,900 --> 00:21:35,100 Okay, I keep going like the Energizer but and so I started 347 00:21:35,100 --> 00:21:38,400 working in a NICU then my husband and I we decided that we 348 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:40,900 would be moving to Texas before. Then. 349 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:45,600 I say, well I need to get back to school and get my BSN because 350 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:49,200 that's the only way that I'm going to be able to really make 351 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:53,400 changes and in and get back into Administration as a nurse. 352 00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:56,000 And I said this is it. I'm not going back to school 353 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:59,200 after this. I go back to school and we moved 354 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:03,200 to, Texas. Is and I completed my BSN, and 355 00:22:03,300 --> 00:22:05,500 that's when I started working for the VA. 356 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:09,200 And, oh, my God, it was such a wonderful experience. 357 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:13,600 I love working with that. And when you love doing 358 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:17,600 something, when you're passionate about something, and 359 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:23,100 you can be more impactful, if you get additional schooling, 360 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:27,500 you're just gonna do it. And I'm just gonna go, I'm about 361 00:22:27,500 --> 00:22:31,000 to have my husband yet again. But at this point, you've 362 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:32,900 condition them. He's ready for it. 363 00:22:32,900 --> 00:22:34,900 I'll get this point. Okay, but you were to go to 364 00:22:34,908 --> 00:22:37,300 school. So I said, babe, just one more 365 00:22:37,300 --> 00:22:38,700 time. I want to go back and get a 366 00:22:38,708 --> 00:22:43,100 nurse practitioner degree. And so he knew how much I loved 367 00:22:43,100 --> 00:22:46,600 psyche. And he said, absolutely here. 368 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:48,900 I am. And I'm already having a 369 00:22:48,900 --> 00:22:51,500 conversation about. Should I do the PHD? 370 00:22:51,500 --> 00:22:54,400 Should I do the DMV? So we're not done. 371 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:57,300 He's now, I love your hunger for knowledge. 372 00:22:57,300 --> 00:22:59,600 I love for your hunger for self-development. 373 00:22:59,700 --> 00:23:03,800 And to continually improve your ability to impact patients lives 374 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:06,900 and I share your love for the veterans. 375 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,500 I also work with veterans and I absolutely love the population. 376 00:23:10,500 --> 00:23:13,500 It's actually the population that I felt like, I meant to 377 00:23:13,500 --> 00:23:17,300 work with just because they are so real and raw. 378 00:23:17,500 --> 00:23:20,400 And they tend to be in that age group that I love. 379 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,100 I'm an adult nurse practitioner board-certified. 380 00:23:23,100 --> 00:23:26,400 And so, that's really what I like, or just the older adults. 381 00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:29,500 And so, it's just a total optic, complete Hospital older. 382 00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:31,500 So like this is like my playground. 383 00:23:31,500 --> 00:23:34,700 I love this this place which is sweet, man, that story about 384 00:23:34,700 --> 00:23:38,900 country that gave so much for for us to be free. 385 00:23:39,100 --> 00:23:43,800 It is so easy to just, enjoy serving the veterans when you 386 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:47,600 see that they gave up so much so that we could be free. 387 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:50,000 The least I can do is just take care of them. 388 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:55,200 Well, so I completely aligned with you and I again it does 389 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:58,100 give you a different sense of purpose when you go to work. 390 00:23:58,100 --> 00:24:02,000 I only work two days a week, but But I do go in and they say, how 391 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,500 is your baby? And I'm like, oh, he's good. 392 00:24:04,500 --> 00:24:07,300 And they're like, I remember you were pregnant when you went out 393 00:24:07,300 --> 00:24:09,800 and I was worried about you or they brought me gifts when I 394 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:13,000 came back to work. And so I just think there are 395 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,400 some of the salt of the earth people and more nurses need. 396 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:20,000 If you are burned out or tired, go work at the VA is a 397 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,700 population is incredible. You will enable weigh them and I 398 00:24:23,700 --> 00:24:26,700 have enjoyed them. So I love that you're sharing 399 00:24:26,700 --> 00:24:32,200 that I will pay every veteran. And some of the most transparent 400 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:34,000 people on the Earth. I agree. 401 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:37,800 They don't have a filter and I love, it was wrong. 402 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,000 They're going to tell you. And in the sight of you love 403 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:44,800 that because you don't want to have to go fishing and pulling 404 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:48,900 out things that or asking questions about things that are 405 00:24:48,900 --> 00:24:53,200 not pertinent to them. The most part veterans, tell you 406 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:56,000 exactly was going on. They tell you what they're 407 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,500 thinking, what they're having a difficult time with it. 408 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:05,100 And in the population that I see in the clinic, these people deal 409 00:25:05,100 --> 00:25:08,700 with lots of nightmares, they deal with lots of 410 00:25:08,700 --> 00:25:16,200 hyper-vigilance and the PTSD is very strong, and they also deal 411 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:19,500 with lots of schizophrenia and bipolar as well. 412 00:25:19,500 --> 00:25:25,400 But the, the population is amazing and I absolutely love 413 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:29,100 it. And I love how when they come in 414 00:25:29,100 --> 00:25:31,500 very. Draw meeting the treatment 415 00:25:31,500 --> 00:25:34,000 needing to get stabilized on meds. 416 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:38,000 But being a little untrusting like I don't know if I really 417 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:40,800 want to take these medications and then you do your 418 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:45,200 psychoeducation with them do Psychotherapy, give them 419 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:48,800 medication. Give them some group therapy and 420 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:52,900 they come back in a few months and they are transformed like is 421 00:25:52,900 --> 00:25:58,000 wonderful to see them in that. Lets you make them up believer. 422 00:25:58,100 --> 00:25:59,500 Hey guys. Thanks for listening. 423 00:25:59,700 --> 00:26:02,700 The podcast, I hope you're enjoying the conversation. 424 00:26:02,700 --> 00:26:05,000 I want to take a second to remind you guys to join the 425 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:07,100 doctor nurse podcast, email list. 426 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:11,500 I send out weekly emails about podcast episodes weekly blogs 427 00:26:11,500 --> 00:26:15,500 and creating with information about nursing and building side. 428 00:26:15,500 --> 00:26:18,000 Hustles. I want to provide nurses with 429 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:22,700 information that I am gleaning, as I grow my podcast and my 430 00:26:22,700 --> 00:26:24,700 business. The link is in the show notes, 431 00:26:24,700 --> 00:26:27,000 guys. Be sure to check it out and 432 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:28,400 let's get back to the conversation. 433 00:26:28,500 --> 00:26:30,300 Ya know. It's Funny that you say that 434 00:26:30,300 --> 00:26:32,800 because I had a patient recently, I treated, and he had 435 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:36,000 said, I need to go see my side doctor, because, or my site 436 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:38,600 nurse practitioner because he's like, oh, these meds are 437 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:40,500 working. And I was like, okay, let me tag 438 00:26:40,500 --> 00:26:42,900 her real quick on a note. So, I tagged the nurse 439 00:26:42,900 --> 00:26:45,600 practitioner, but it was just, it was just, he was wrong. 440 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:47,300 He came in. I was like, I don't think he's 441 00:26:47,300 --> 00:26:49,400 meds are working. My mom's driving me nuts. 442 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:53,600 So it was just a moment of just, yes, it was like where he was 443 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:55,800 that day. And he was okay and nothing 444 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:59,200 concerning was going on, but he was just wrong and I was like, 445 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:01,400 yeah. I love this population and Lou 446 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:04,400 much. It's totally my jam and it's 447 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:07,100 what I meant to take care of because I really, really like 448 00:27:07,100 --> 00:27:09,700 that. So actually tell me a little bit 449 00:27:09,700 --> 00:27:12,800 about a challenge that you had to overcome in your career. 450 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:16,100 A moment that you felt like this is Ashley's out. 451 00:27:16,100 --> 00:27:19,300 She's not going to make it but then you overcame whatever that 452 00:27:19,300 --> 00:27:21,000 was. You have an experience like 453 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,100 that. There are many times that we 454 00:27:23,100 --> 00:27:25,500 make decisions that we later regret. 455 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:29,200 And I remember I was in a cute site. 456 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:34,400 At the VA and I work there for maybe eight or nine months and I 457 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:38,100 saw a management position come up and I was like, I've got a 458 00:27:38,100 --> 00:27:42,900 plan for this. I've got this and apply and I 459 00:27:42,900 --> 00:27:47,600 got the job. And I remember finding out cuz 460 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:51,500 the the lady who I would be reporting to the nurse manager. 461 00:27:51,700 --> 00:27:56,600 She was hiring to assistant nurse manager, and I remember 462 00:27:56,600 --> 00:27:59,400 finding out who the second assistant. 463 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:03,400 Manager was going to be and there's always going to be 464 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:08,600 people who Aura and whose life does not align with yours. 465 00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:12,900 You hear the talk about them, but you know, you know know 100% 466 00:28:12,900 --> 00:28:16,900 but you're kind of like pretty certain that this person isn't 467 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:21,000 of the earth type of people. And so I remember finding out 468 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:24,700 that this person was going to be your counselor. 469 00:28:24,700 --> 00:28:28,500 Yeah. Yeah, and and I prayed about it 470 00:28:28,500 --> 00:28:32,600 over the weekend. And like I got the job offer and 471 00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:35,100 I prayed about, I told my husband, I said, you're not 472 00:28:35,100 --> 00:28:38,000 going to believe this, we prayed about it and we were just like, 473 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:41,800 what just go ahead and do it. Hopefully, you'll be in a 474 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:46,000 separate case. And so I ended up calling that 475 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:51,200 Monday and I spoke to a manager and I said, hey am I going to 476 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:53,900 have a separate office? And she said, yeah, who are 477 00:28:53,900 --> 00:28:56,700 still having separate offices? Well, I never did sell her my 478 00:28:56,700 --> 00:28:58,700 concerns. I just told her I wanted to 479 00:28:58,700 --> 00:29:02,900 separate. And I remember starting that job 480 00:29:03,100 --> 00:29:05,700 from the time that I got in that job. 481 00:29:05,700 --> 00:29:11,500 This person was trying to sabotage me and essentially just 482 00:29:11,500 --> 00:29:16,000 ruined my, my career ruined my credibility and who I am 483 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:20,600 everything that I stood for as a person this person was trying to 484 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:25,500 dismantle and I didn't understand why and come to find 485 00:29:25,500 --> 00:29:29,600 out. He was doing this because a In 486 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:33,600 that he was saying, on the unit that we have worked for, I was 487 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:37,500 friends with and he didn't like the fact that he, that she and I 488 00:29:37,500 --> 00:29:40,100 were friends. So he was trying to ruin my 489 00:29:40,100 --> 00:29:46,400 reputation because I was trying to instill worthiness and hers 490 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:50,000 to tell her that she's worth more than being with a person 491 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:53,500 who treats her so poorly like he was treating her. 492 00:29:53,500 --> 00:29:55,700 So poorly. This is oh my goodness. 493 00:29:55,900 --> 00:29:59,400 That is that is some psych drama is the true. 494 00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:03,700 Tiny. And so, when he found out that I 495 00:30:03,700 --> 00:30:08,400 was saying those things to her building her up, he was livid. 496 00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:10,600 But I didn't know about that because she didn't tell me. 497 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:16,000 He started saying all these ugly - things dismantling my like, oh 498 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:18,200 my gosh. Oh my gosh, ever. 499 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:21,500 And what happened? I talked to my nurse manager and 500 00:30:21,500 --> 00:30:25,600 I said, hey, I'm going back to keep site and it was only after 501 00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:29,400 about seven months at the end of the day, money doesn't matter - 502 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:35,800 A matters who I am matters, what I stand for matters, but piece I 503 00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:40,200 went back to a cute site and I should have never left because 504 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:44,600 as soon as I found out, who's gonna be my peer, I knew it 505 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:47,600 didn't feel right. But sometimes you do things that 506 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:50,600 don't feel right. And back to the unit and I gave 507 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:54,800 the unit 1000%, I may have been given nine hundred and 508 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:58,800 ninety-nine percent before giving them a thousand percent. 509 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:04,200 Now. And went all in and was able to 510 00:31:04,500 --> 00:31:09,500 bring in ideas that I had brought changes for on the 511 00:31:09,500 --> 00:31:11,300 previous unit. That I was working for. 512 00:31:11,300 --> 00:31:14,500 Those eight months that seal see, which is the residential 513 00:31:14,500 --> 00:31:18,900 area for geriatric patients, and was able to implement some of 514 00:31:18,900 --> 00:31:23,100 those ideas that I created there and brought them over to a cute 515 00:31:23,100 --> 00:31:24,900 side. So that's cool. 516 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:29,000 But it was an incredibly difficult experience that I was 517 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:32,100 able to get. Through and able to give back up 518 00:31:32,100 --> 00:31:35,100 even more. Once I got back to the place 519 00:31:35,100 --> 00:31:38,200 that I really loved and see what I love about that. 520 00:31:38,300 --> 00:31:42,300 You think that would that wasn't great, but you still walked away 521 00:31:42,300 --> 00:31:45,400 with so much knowledge, so much experience. 522 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,800 And so even though you tried it and it wasn't for you. 523 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:51,000 You still are better because of it. 524 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:53,600 And I really want my nurses and nurse practitioners that are 525 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:58,000 hearing this podcast today, to let that sink into your soul, 526 00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:00,800 not every decision you're going To make you're going to fit in. 527 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:02,600 It's going to be perfect. Absolutely. 528 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:05,500 It will make you stronger and you will come out of it. 529 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:09,500 A better NP if you allow it to or better nurse and you'll be 530 00:32:09,500 --> 00:32:13,500 more chiseled in a way that that experience caused you some type 531 00:32:13,500 --> 00:32:16,900 of learning or some type of Gap closure or something that you 532 00:32:16,900 --> 00:32:19,200 go. Alright, that wasn't the best 533 00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:21,700 experience but I still learn something from there still a 534 00:32:21,708 --> 00:32:23,700 lot. I can I can throw from that 535 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:29,400 discomfort for me represents an opportunity for me to learn and 536 00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:34,700 For me to get more comfortable with something that I would 537 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:40,000 usually walk away from nursing in my regular life before I 538 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:42,300 became a nurse. If something got difficult, I 539 00:32:42,300 --> 00:32:45,700 would walk away from it. When things go in a Direction, 540 00:32:45,700 --> 00:32:51,000 you don't want to go in, nursing is such a robust feel, you can 541 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:54,900 literally like apply for a job today and have another job 542 00:32:54,900 --> 00:32:57,200 tomorrow. And that's what's so wonderful 543 00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,400 about nursing and that's the reason. 544 00:32:59,500 --> 00:33:02,900 Then why I was able to get through those eight months as 545 00:33:02,900 --> 00:33:06,600 the assistant nurse manager. Because I knew that the options 546 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:11,600 were Limitless. I wasn't bound to stay in that 547 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:14,100 place. It was just a matter of time 548 00:33:14,100 --> 00:33:20,400 before I put my mental health first and made the decision to 549 00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:24,800 not worry about the money but to worry about my health. 550 00:33:24,900 --> 00:33:28,200 First me first over the paycheck-to-paycheck. 551 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:32,900 Yeah. It will come, you know, yes, I 552 00:33:32,900 --> 00:33:34,900 love that. And that resiliency, I know is 553 00:33:34,900 --> 00:33:38,000 something that you put into your business and you put into your 554 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:42,500 t-shirt business, that fervor that you have for mental health. 555 00:33:42,500 --> 00:33:46,700 And that, and that passion that you have is being displayed. 556 00:33:46,700 --> 00:33:49,500 In your t-shirts. It's in the messaging that 557 00:33:49,500 --> 00:33:52,000 you're conveying to your patients. 558 00:33:52,000 --> 00:33:55,700 And I think the best thing we could do as nurse practitioners 559 00:33:55,700 --> 00:33:58,900 is to remind people that they're worthy of Love, worthy of 560 00:33:58,900 --> 00:34:01,500 attention. In worthy of time and that 561 00:34:01,500 --> 00:34:04,500 messaging is just something that I think a lot of us don't get a 562 00:34:04,500 --> 00:34:07,700 lot as children. And so you just become adults. 563 00:34:07,700 --> 00:34:10,100 I still need those things just because you're different ages. 564 00:34:10,100 --> 00:34:11,800 That mean those things are not important. 565 00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:14,600 I love your journey. I love how that time that you 566 00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:17,100 were, you were taking care of the adolescence, it helped. 567 00:34:17,100 --> 00:34:20,800 You still see those same needs in the adult population and then 568 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:24,400 you're looking to kind of fill in that Gap with subliminal, but 569 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:26,900 not. So subliminal messaging of you 570 00:34:26,900 --> 00:34:29,000 are worthy. Mental health matters. 571 00:34:29,500 --> 00:34:32,600 That's your passion and that you have found it and you are 572 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:35,900 operating in your zone of strength and in your zone of 573 00:34:35,900 --> 00:34:38,500 passion, which is, which is perfect, which is just the 574 00:34:38,500 --> 00:34:40,600 perfect zone for for your career. 575 00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:44,100 You know, it really is and one of my many mentors. 576 00:34:44,100 --> 00:34:47,199 Oh God, you're going to say. One other thing that I would 577 00:34:47,199 --> 00:34:51,100 like to say. I think it's know many patients. 578 00:34:51,100 --> 00:34:54,699 So many people who have a mental illness. 579 00:34:55,100 --> 00:34:59,300 They believe they are the mental illness that they have. 580 00:34:59,500 --> 00:35:02,700 Does that make sense? That is definitely true, they 581 00:35:02,700 --> 00:35:07,900 identified themselves as actually the depressed person. 582 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:10,900 I am depressed. That's who I am. 583 00:35:10,900 --> 00:35:14,500 I am depressed. Everything I do is depressed. 584 00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:17,800 Like, we have to get out of that mindset, though. 585 00:35:18,100 --> 00:35:21,400 You are not the illness that you have. 586 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:26,800 My name is Ashley Evans. I am a child of God. 587 00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:29,200 That's who I am. I might. 588 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:33,400 I have depression and anxiety which I do. 589 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:37,000 Thankfully, they are under control, and I'm stable. 590 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:41,200 But what I am saying is that they don't Define me as a 591 00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:44,900 person, they don't I love that every day. 592 00:35:44,900 --> 00:35:51,700 My job that I have for myself, is to debunk the stigma that's 593 00:35:51,700 --> 00:35:56,100 associated with those who have mental illnesses, because most 594 00:35:56,100 --> 00:35:59,300 people think they are poorly functioning people. 595 00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:03,300 Belen, is just not true. Give me a very highly functional 596 00:36:03,300 --> 00:36:07,600 person and suffer with mental illness. 597 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:12,700 So, that's one thing I want to draw out that you are not what 598 00:36:12,700 --> 00:36:16,700 you wear your struggle with not. Yeah, you're not the diagnosis 599 00:36:16,700 --> 00:36:18,300 that you carry. Yeah. 600 00:36:18,300 --> 00:36:20,500 Absolutely. I get this word picture of like 601 00:36:20,500 --> 00:36:22,700 the body, right? And so you like arms, and you 602 00:36:22,707 --> 00:36:25,500 have legs, and you have hair, and you've got nose and years 603 00:36:25,500 --> 00:36:27,600 all these different body parts and you don't walk around to 604 00:36:27,607 --> 00:36:31,200 finding yourself by your nose, or Your ear, you're a total 605 00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:32,700 picture, right? It's everything. 606 00:36:32,700 --> 00:36:35,400 You're the, accumulation of all these different things and 607 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:37,400 parts. And so it's the same thing with 608 00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:42,200 past struggles or depression, anxiety, or diagnosis that you 609 00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:44,300 carry. I mean, people with cancer all 610 00:36:44,300 --> 00:36:46,900 these different things. They had that same Mantra of 611 00:36:46,900 --> 00:36:51,500 like I am not this, I am this by focusing on what you are. 612 00:36:51,700 --> 00:36:53,700 You can Elevate yourself up to that spot. 613 00:36:53,700 --> 00:36:57,000 If you focus in on the bad parts, the things that aren't 614 00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:59,000 working. Well, things that are, everyone 615 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:01,600 has Little something. So well that doesn't quite work 616 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:04,300 the way it used to anymore. You can't look at that. 617 00:37:04,300 --> 00:37:07,100 You have to look at all that you do have, that's working and 618 00:37:07,100 --> 00:37:08,900 functioning. Well, powerful. 619 00:37:08,900 --> 00:37:13,800 The brain is powerful and really focus on the - Sandra. 620 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:17,400 Then that's exactly what's going to manifest in your life. 621 00:37:17,500 --> 00:37:25,500 Let's see you to daily reframe. The cognitive distortions that 622 00:37:25,500 --> 00:37:29,300 you struggle with. Please don't think that I am. 623 00:37:29,500 --> 00:37:32,200 Perfect. In my thought life is just not 624 00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:34,000 true. No one is. 625 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:35,400 Come on. Okay. 626 00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:41,300 Where you're thinking something - you have to daily reframe it. 627 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:44,000 Santa. Thankfully we can do that 628 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:49,400 because the brain is neural plastic and that neuroplasticity 629 00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:54,800 allows him to reframe. All of those things that you 630 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:59,300 have dwelled on a ruminated on consistently in. 631 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:02,100 In your life, you can reverse it right now. 632 00:38:02,100 --> 00:38:06,300 Yeah, I posted today. That how amazing is the soul 633 00:38:06,300 --> 00:38:09,500 that both the devil and God are both after it. 634 00:38:09,500 --> 00:38:13,800 And it is so true because it's this battle, right? 635 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:16,300 This battle between submitting, your thoughts. 636 00:38:16,300 --> 00:38:19,800 Either to positive things. Things that are true or 637 00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:21,200 submitting. Your thoughts of the things that 638 00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:23,400 are not true and you are not your depression. 639 00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:27,000 You are not your anxiety. You are so much more than those 640 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:31,000 things and so leaning onto the Earth holding onto it. 641 00:38:31,100 --> 00:38:34,100 I look at it like just holding on for dear life. 642 00:38:34,100 --> 00:38:36,700 Off the side of a cliff just holding onto the truth. 643 00:38:36,700 --> 00:38:39,600 And just saying, this has got to work because this is all I got 644 00:38:39,700 --> 00:38:41,700 is kind of the picture that I'm getting to. 645 00:38:41,707 --> 00:38:43,600 I don't think you described any mentors along your way. 646 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:45,000 But sounds like your husband's been. 647 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:48,700 Your biggest Mentor, coach. Keep you going. 648 00:38:48,700 --> 00:38:51,400 But have you had any nurse mentors along the way? 649 00:38:51,400 --> 00:38:57,700 As a matter of fact, I did not have a mentor until about a year 650 00:38:57,700 --> 00:39:02,300 and some change ago. Emma last position at the VA. 651 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:06,200 I was the high reliability organization lead and I know you 652 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:09,400 are familiar with her liability because you're at the VA as 653 00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:14,700 well, but I was the leave for our organization here in 654 00:39:14,900 --> 00:39:18,800 Central, Texas. And so for those who don't know, 655 00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:22,400 could you explain what that is? So how reliability is really 656 00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:28,000 awesome. It is a type of organization 657 00:39:28,300 --> 00:39:34,200 that Understands that it has many high risk in the 658 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:38,000 organization. But so, do you have lots of 659 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:42,700 high-risk hospitals? Do they have lots of high-risk? 660 00:39:42,700 --> 00:39:48,500 You still want to have a very low adverse event rate and so 661 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:54,800 really organizations Pride themselves on giving their staff 662 00:39:54,800 --> 00:39:58,400 or instilling in their staff. Psychological safety, which 663 00:39:58,400 --> 00:40:03,400 empowers Them to speak up when they see a safety concern 664 00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:08,100 because it allows the organization to work proactively 665 00:40:08,100 --> 00:40:10,900 and not reactively. Split it h. 666 00:40:10,900 --> 00:40:14,200 R0 is. And we have been on this journey 667 00:40:14,500 --> 00:40:19,000 as an Enterprise in the va's, just 2019, but slowly were 668 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:24,900 trickling to each system to spread High reliability which is 669 00:40:24,900 --> 00:40:29,200 going to take a while because it's 160 facilities and over 15. 670 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:31,900 You see box. But anyway, I'm sorry. 671 00:40:31,900 --> 00:40:33,700 I was actually thinking of empress. 672 00:40:33,700 --> 00:40:37,600 She knows, I don't even know the need for over a year and it 673 00:40:37,600 --> 00:40:41,400 still pumps in my veins. I still get very excited and the 674 00:40:41,400 --> 00:40:47,400 whole incident with the nurse about a week ago, a redundant. 675 00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:51,100 Oh my God, I posted about that. I'll have to share it with you. 676 00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:54,500 But that has everything to do with high reliability. 677 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:57,800 Nursing. It is really at a Crossroads 678 00:40:57,800 --> 00:41:01,700 with that verdict because Because nurses are on the 679 00:41:01,700 --> 00:41:08,100 Frontline day in and day out. If the system is not in 680 00:41:08,100 --> 00:41:14,200 stirring, safety for patients and nurses, then it's the system 681 00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:17,000 that is failing. Us is not the nurses that are 682 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:19,900 failing because we're percent of the there should have been 683 00:41:19,900 --> 00:41:24,500 systems in place to prevent, and this is all high reliability. 684 00:41:24,600 --> 00:41:28,200 There should have been systems in place to prevent redundant 685 00:41:28,200 --> 00:41:32,300 from from Some of the errors that she made in that incident, 686 00:41:32,300 --> 00:41:36,600 but because those systems were in place such as her ability to 687 00:41:36,600 --> 00:41:40,400 give the the medication without scanning it, because she's in 688 00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:42,200 the Pet Scan room. Don't care. 689 00:41:42,200 --> 00:41:46,500 What room you in. You need to stand the man area. 690 00:41:47,300 --> 00:41:50,000 That's bad failed. Run Tonda. 691 00:41:50,700 --> 00:41:53,900 Okay, this she met are absolutely. 692 00:41:54,200 --> 00:41:56,800 But guess what? Ashley has made an error. 693 00:41:56,900 --> 00:42:01,800 I guarantee you've made an are we Humans, that's why doesn't 694 00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:05,400 this system has to protect its human. 695 00:42:05,600 --> 00:42:09,400 But this goes if in mind with this because through high 696 00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:13,700 reliability is when I met the most wonderful, most awesome 697 00:42:13,700 --> 00:42:16,400 nurse. She was actually a colonel in 698 00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:18,800 the Army. Her name is one of Janka. 699 00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:21,400 Shoutout. So Colonel Jenkins, I love her 700 00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:25,700 was a charm. Roll executive coach, and she 701 00:42:25,700 --> 00:42:29,700 served me in that capacity. So I was able to come Day or 702 00:42:29,700 --> 00:42:33,400 night with any problems at hand very quickly. 703 00:42:33,800 --> 00:42:37,800 When you meet people Sandra and I know what to do, even though 704 00:42:37,800 --> 00:42:42,900 it's in a professional capacity. You very quickly, learn to be 705 00:42:42,900 --> 00:42:46,000 friends with her. I'm saying, you think to 706 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:50,800 yourself. She loved her like her fervor, 707 00:42:51,100 --> 00:42:56,800 which is the energy energy that know that finesse her ability to 708 00:42:56,800 --> 00:42:59,200 talk to everybody in the c-suite. 709 00:42:59,300 --> 00:43:02,600 We because it's like she created the c-suite. 710 00:43:02,700 --> 00:43:04,200 Yeah. No, I know what you're talking 711 00:43:04,200 --> 00:43:06,000 about. Oh, I love that. 712 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:08,400 Yeah, and she is God of the earth. 713 00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:12,900 Most wonderful person very selfless and will literally sit 714 00:43:12,900 --> 00:43:18,300 in the back while you do your thing, and she has totally 715 00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:22,700 helped to prepare you and she sitting in the very back and 716 00:43:22,700 --> 00:43:25,800 doesn't want the microscope on her. 717 00:43:25,900 --> 00:43:29,100 She's totally good with you being. 718 00:43:29,400 --> 00:43:35,100 The front that makes her day. You are pinpointing her ability 719 00:43:35,100 --> 00:43:38,500 to be a humble leader. She would rather create leaders 720 00:43:38,500 --> 00:43:42,200 around her and through that creation getting it makes the 721 00:43:42,200 --> 00:43:44,800 baiting herself, but she doesn't think that's what she's doing. 722 00:43:44,800 --> 00:43:48,200 She's just she's elevating others, but it's through doing 723 00:43:48,200 --> 00:43:50,400 that. That other people then go this 724 00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:54,000 person is awesome. Even though she's doing is 725 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:55,500 working on making everybody else. 726 00:43:55,500 --> 00:43:57,300 Awesome. I remember a couple of months 727 00:43:57,300 --> 00:44:00,600 ago before I exited the position and I went into mental health. 728 00:44:00,800 --> 00:44:05,600 She said, Ashley, I need you to put in to become a presenter at 729 00:44:05,600 --> 00:44:08,700 emphasis emphasis is a conference and they do this 730 00:44:08,700 --> 00:44:12,900 conference two to three times a year and is for healthcare 731 00:44:12,900 --> 00:44:16,600 professionals, but you're presenting to military 732 00:44:16,600 --> 00:44:18,100 Healthcare professionals. Right? 733 00:44:18,200 --> 00:44:21,800 And I was like, I've never done a presentation before. 734 00:44:21,800 --> 00:44:26,800 Like like not that kind of right like where you have delegates 735 00:44:26,800 --> 00:44:32,100 who are coming and they Hearing you as the expert of whatever 736 00:44:32,100 --> 00:44:34,700 you're thinking about right now is the time. 737 00:44:34,700 --> 00:44:36,700 But not in that way. Miss Wanda. 738 00:44:36,900 --> 00:44:39,000 She was like, well, that's what you're about to do. 739 00:44:40,300 --> 00:44:44,400 I love that. So she said, what I want you to 740 00:44:44,400 --> 00:44:47,900 put together something and I didn't it was chosen and I 741 00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:51,000 present it at a conference for the very first time. 742 00:44:51,000 --> 00:44:54,400 So just things like that, that she inspires me. 743 00:44:54,400 --> 00:44:56,900 I never want to let her down. So when she asked me to do 744 00:44:56,900 --> 00:45:00,900 something, I'm gonna kill ya. No, the main point I'm hearing 745 00:45:00,900 --> 00:45:06,300 in that is by taking your time and investing in others, you 746 00:45:06,300 --> 00:45:09,900 will grow yourself, even though you don't even know you're doing 747 00:45:09,900 --> 00:45:14,500 it and people, you will change people's lives in a lasting way. 748 00:45:14,500 --> 00:45:16,900 It'll be your legacy. And so I think that's 749 00:45:16,900 --> 00:45:18,700 incredible. And that's what she's doing 750 00:45:18,700 --> 00:45:20,900 either intentionally or not. But it sounds like she's a 751 00:45:20,908 --> 00:45:24,000 pretty intentional person. So I'm sure she's intentionally 752 00:45:24,400 --> 00:45:26,600 doing that. So for the last question of our 753 00:45:26,600 --> 00:45:30,900 podcast interview, it is about A piece of advice that you would 754 00:45:30,900 --> 00:45:33,600 give to a new nurse starting off that you wish, you would have 755 00:45:33,600 --> 00:45:37,500 known go back to that, Ashley, who's just, like, I want to help 756 00:45:37,500 --> 00:45:40,300 people that you wish you would have known a piece of advice to 757 00:45:40,300 --> 00:45:45,200 toss and a piece of advice to keep toss and keep one of each. 758 00:45:45,300 --> 00:45:51,800 So I would love to give you this piece of advice, no matter what 759 00:45:51,800 --> 00:45:57,400 mistake you've made speak up. No matter what mistake you've 760 00:45:57,400 --> 00:46:00,400 witnessed speak up. And the reason why that's 761 00:46:00,400 --> 00:46:06,200 important Sandra is, because if the error was made to mr. 762 00:46:06,200 --> 00:46:11,100 Jones, we want to prevent that same error from happening to 763 00:46:11,100 --> 00:46:14,500 another mr. Jones, or whoever else don't be 764 00:46:14,500 --> 00:46:17,300 afraid of how you quote on quote made. 765 00:46:17,300 --> 00:46:21,400 Look, throw that out of the equation. 766 00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:26,000 And what I tell people all the time is to do the substitution 767 00:46:26,000 --> 00:46:29,100 test because of mr. Jones were your dad. 768 00:46:29,700 --> 00:46:35,500 Your brother if he were any of those people and you were in the 769 00:46:35,500 --> 00:46:39,800 room, wouldn't you want that nurse to speak up and let people 770 00:46:39,800 --> 00:46:45,100 know what happened with mistake. I respect people much more who 771 00:46:45,100 --> 00:46:50,600 are transparent and don't try to hide things over people who try 772 00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:55,200 to hide things and are very mischievous about it, because 773 00:46:55,200 --> 00:46:58,400 you're not admitting what we all know to be true. 774 00:46:58,600 --> 00:47:03,200 We all make Okay, so that's one thing that I want to tell people 775 00:47:03,200 --> 00:47:07,300 because in nursing school, it is drilled into you that you have 776 00:47:07,300 --> 00:47:09,200 to be perfect. I don't know about your nursing 777 00:47:09,200 --> 00:47:12,300 school sander, but that's how you can't make mistakes. 778 00:47:12,300 --> 00:47:15,500 You got to be perfect. But y'all that's false. 779 00:47:15,500 --> 00:47:20,100 It's an illusion is not reality. So it makes nurses walk on 780 00:47:20,100 --> 00:47:22,500 eggshells. The standard is unattainable 781 00:47:22,800 --> 00:47:26,100 being perfect as completely unattainable. 782 00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:29,300 And so, what, what I also want to drive home. 783 00:47:29,500 --> 00:47:32,700 At, I think it's good that you're saying is I know that 784 00:47:32,700 --> 00:47:36,500 what I've come forward with a mistake in any capacity that 785 00:47:36,500 --> 00:47:41,200 I've worked in patients, are way more receptive than if you did 786 00:47:41,200 --> 00:47:44,400 not tell them. And then you continue on. 787 00:47:44,700 --> 00:47:49,000 As if you were in that perfect State, I have received more 788 00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:52,900 grace and more covering. When I've said we made a mistake 789 00:47:52,900 --> 00:47:55,200 here and I've owned up to it in the moment. 790 00:47:55,200 --> 00:47:58,400 I've let the family know the patient know and that same vein 791 00:47:58,400 --> 00:48:01,400 of what would I want? And to my family member and I 792 00:48:01,400 --> 00:48:05,900 have always been received with thank you for telling us and we 793 00:48:05,900 --> 00:48:09,500 trust you more now because you took that moment and you could 794 00:48:09,500 --> 00:48:12,800 have covered it for your ego, but you humbled yourself and you 795 00:48:12,800 --> 00:48:15,600 said, I'm not perfect. I made a mistake here and 796 00:48:15,600 --> 00:48:19,700 there's a humility that I believe that nurses need to have 797 00:48:19,700 --> 00:48:22,200 should have probably mostly do have. 798 00:48:22,200 --> 00:48:25,800 And I think that's also why the redonda case bothers me? 799 00:48:25,800 --> 00:48:29,200 Because she came in and said, I made a mistake and so I think 800 00:48:29,200 --> 00:48:32,300 that When we confess, and we say, Hey, listen, I screwed up 801 00:48:32,300 --> 00:48:34,300 here. We need to be met with and we 802 00:48:34,300 --> 00:48:37,200 typically are with from a patient standpoint were met with 803 00:48:37,200 --> 00:48:40,600 with Grace. And so again, there is I think a 804 00:48:40,607 --> 00:48:43,900 lot more to gain by being honest than being just an estate trying 805 00:48:43,900 --> 00:48:46,100 to cover to look like a certain way. 806 00:48:46,100 --> 00:48:49,300 Absolutely, one thing that someone told me and it made so 807 00:48:49,300 --> 00:48:51,600 much sense. I don't know if you are going to 808 00:48:51,600 --> 00:48:54,100 want to remove this from the podcast. 809 00:48:54,100 --> 00:48:57,200 If you do, that's totally fine, know if you purchase it like 810 00:48:57,200 --> 00:49:03,500 that, it stays Ashley people Sue. 811 00:49:03,500 --> 00:49:09,200 It's so true. He sent when you are honest and 812 00:49:09,600 --> 00:49:13,100 you tell people I am, sorry, I made this mistake. 813 00:49:13,500 --> 00:49:16,300 I was overwhelmed. I don't know what happened. 814 00:49:16,500 --> 00:49:19,800 But I made an error. He said, those are the people 815 00:49:19,800 --> 00:49:22,400 who get through. Those aren't the people whose 816 00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:28,100 families press charges. It's about what they did. 817 00:49:28,200 --> 00:49:30,800 The people who Ooh, hide the same. 818 00:49:30,800 --> 00:49:33,500 It's very difficult to reconcile. 819 00:49:33,800 --> 00:49:35,800 I agree. It's been very disturbing for 820 00:49:35,800 --> 00:49:37,800 healthcare professionals. Because Physicians have also 821 00:49:37,800 --> 00:49:41,000 been like this is terrible. Nurses, of course, are up in 822 00:49:41,000 --> 00:49:43,100 arms. Like this is super scary and 823 00:49:43,100 --> 00:49:46,100 what it will do, it will drive us away from the bedside. 824 00:49:46,100 --> 00:49:49,800 Like it will drive good nurses away from the bedside, which is 825 00:49:49,800 --> 00:49:52,900 not what we need right now. Don't think you need to be 826 00:49:52,900 --> 00:49:55,200 perfect. Be honest. 827 00:49:55,200 --> 00:49:57,800 That is that is the most beautiful thing, you can do with 828 00:49:57,800 --> 00:50:00,700 your nursing career, because you've got people Grants and 829 00:50:00,700 --> 00:50:04,600 honest, there's one other thing I'll say is to be authentic and 830 00:50:04,600 --> 00:50:07,700 you can go home and know that you've made a difference. 831 00:50:07,900 --> 00:50:11,400 Be the difference. Don't worry about the naysayers 832 00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:15,200 that work the say Susie Q was always trying to brown-nose 833 00:50:15,200 --> 00:50:18,400 somebody, girl. Listen, who cares about what 834 00:50:18,400 --> 00:50:21,700 these people say. They are jealous because you 835 00:50:21,700 --> 00:50:24,800 have a fire in you. I love that. 836 00:50:25,100 --> 00:50:27,200 That's what we ended on love that. 837 00:50:27,300 --> 00:50:29,300 Last part of the interview is the rapid fire. 838 00:50:29,400 --> 00:50:31,500 Questions. These you cannot prepare for and 839 00:50:31,500 --> 00:50:35,100 they will come at you fast and you will have to just spit out, 840 00:50:35,100 --> 00:50:37,800 whatever comes out. What's your holiday Christmas? 841 00:50:38,100 --> 00:50:40,400 What is your favorite beverage water? 842 00:50:40,400 --> 00:50:43,100 I'm so boring. Oh, that was so boring. 843 00:50:43,100 --> 00:50:46,200 It was not expecting that. I was born like, like a 844 00:50:46,207 --> 00:50:47,900 margarita. You seem like, you like have 845 00:50:47,900 --> 00:50:50,300 fun. And what would you call? 846 00:50:50,900 --> 00:50:53,300 What would be a spirit animal that you could look at animal 847 00:50:53,300 --> 00:50:55,200 and go? I think I'm that animal. 848 00:50:55,500 --> 00:50:59,300 You're going to laugh which one I've tiger tiger. 849 00:50:59,800 --> 00:51:03,800 Because baby, I'm a go-getter Tigers honey. 850 00:51:03,800 --> 00:51:06,600 They sit back. They have a vision. 851 00:51:06,900 --> 00:51:10,200 They create a plan and baby. They parents own it. 852 00:51:10,300 --> 00:51:13,100 Thanks for listening five times today. 853 00:51:13,400 --> 00:51:16,600 Thanks Ashley for sharing your journey and for just being so 854 00:51:16,600 --> 00:51:20,100 animated and fun. It's been a great time and I'll 855 00:51:20,100 --> 00:51:22,400 put it in the show notes where to find your t-shirts. 856 00:51:22,400 --> 00:51:24,800 If we have any mental health nurse practitioners, that are 857 00:51:24,800 --> 00:51:28,800 wanting some cool swag where they can find and pick up some 858 00:51:28,800 --> 00:51:32,300 of those items so that they can support their patients and just 859 00:51:32,300 --> 00:51:35,600 tell people that they're worthy. And that mental health matters, 860 00:51:35,600 --> 00:51:38,800 and all the wonderful messaging that you're providing on your 861 00:51:38,800 --> 00:51:40,900 company. And yeah, thank you so much for 862 00:51:40,900 --> 00:51:42,300 your time. Thank you. 863 00:51:42,300 --> 00:51:44,500 It was a pleasure. All right, guys, continue to 864 00:51:44,500 --> 00:51:47,700 enjoy the journey. So that's a wrap. 865 00:51:47,800 --> 00:51:49,300 Be sure to subscribe to the show. 866 00:51:49,300 --> 00:51:52,200 So you don't miss an episode and leave me a review. 867 00:51:52,200 --> 00:51:55,000 If you like the show. I would love to get 5 stars. 868 00:51:55,100 --> 00:51:58,600 The doctors podcast is on the world wide web, YouTube 869 00:51:58,600 --> 00:52:01,700 Instagram. This book, Twitter, Patriot and 870 00:52:01,700 --> 00:52:05,300 Tick-Tock subscribe to my newsletter for updates on new 871 00:52:05,300 --> 00:52:08,800 podcast episodes and other information to help you on your 872 00:52:08,800 --> 00:52:11,200 own nursing Journey. You can always message me at the 873 00:52:11,200 --> 00:52:14,200 doctor nurse podcast at gmail.com with any career 874 00:52:14,200 --> 00:52:17,000 professions that you're interested in hearing about and 875 00:52:17,000 --> 00:52:18,300 just a friendly. Reminder. 876 00:52:18,300 --> 00:52:21,700 The information on this podcast is for educational purposes. 877 00:52:21,700 --> 00:52:25,100 Only and the information should not be used in substitute for 878 00:52:25,100 --> 00:52:27,300 Professional Care by a medical provider. 879 00:52:27,600 --> 00:52:31,100 The information in this podcast is Not represent medical or 880 00:52:31,100 --> 00:52:33,000 professional advice or services?