Season 2: Episode 1: Taura Barr - Living your Passion Despite Adversity & Challenge!

Thank you for joining me for another episode of the Nursing Strategies for Success podcast with this week's guest, Tara Barr. Tara is a fellow of the American Heart Association and a health and wellness board-certified nurse coach. She is also an internationally recognized nurse scientist and entrepreneur with expertise in innovation, entrepreneurship, and neuroimmunology. In her 17 years as a nurse, she has worked in various settings from clinical practice in the emergency room and neurotrauma to academia as an academic scientist and associate professor. She's also CEO and coach in multiple startups. She has launched 5 companies over the years and serves as a board member and coach for 2 others. Her personal mission is to inspire others to be brave enough to live in alignment with who they are, to nurture their creative and innovative spirit while enhancing their well-being. So let's welcome Tara to the show. Welcome to the Nursing Strategies for Success podcast, brought to you by The Nurse Speak, a show where we rally some of our nation's greatest nurse leaders educators, experts, and advocates to tackle some of our greatest challenges that the nursing profession faces. My name is Damion Jenkins, and I'm your host for this show. So sit back, relax, and get ready to learn that nurses can do anything. All right, Tara, thank you so much for being on the Nursing Strategies for Success podcast. Why don't you just take a moment and introduce yourself for the listeners? Let them know a little bit about yourself, where you started in nursing, and where you are today.

Yeah, I'm excited to be here, Damion Jenkins. Thank you so much. So, um, I guess the best place for me to start is, um, I was a nurse before I even realized I was gonna be a nurse. So I kind of had this, um, passion to support and just be there for others from a very young age, and then realized that nursing was the way that I could do that. I'm a deeply spiritual and intuitive person, and for a good part of my nursing career, I kind of ignored that part of me. And it left me feeling kind of frustrated and out of alignment. So I now work really hard to bring those gifts to my work and to teach others how to bring those gifts to their work as well. So if you would have met me, we'll say 10 years ago, you would have met a completely different version of Tarabar. I was academic nurse scientist. I was running on the hamster wheel. Uh, neurotrauma was my specialty focus. I loved everything about the brain and I was just like full steam ahead running. And then I had a really serious health event that almost killed me. And it just put everything into perspective for me. And what I learned in my recovery and that journey was that I was really not building my career and businesses from a place of alignment with who I was. And recognizing that that was causing me a lot of strain and frustration ultimately led to burnout and depression, anxiety, all these things. I now work really hard with myself to stay in alignment with who I am, what I'm here to do. And I'm now really passionate about helping others create this life of alignment. Because when we do, we experience joy and peace that you just can't otherwise. So that, that's kind of what I'm all about. It's, it's recognizing that we have these personal and professional experiences that bring us to this moment, and trying to figure out how to package all of that to use your gifts and skills and talents to bless others in unique ways related to your purpose is, is my passion. Wow.

So how long have you been a nurse now?

I have been a nurse for 17 years. Um, yeah, so let me make sure I did the math right on that one. So I graduated in 2000— no, not 17. I, I see, this is my, my, my weak spot is math. I graduated in 2004 for my nursing program. So, um, yeah, so 10— so 2004 Um, to— yeah, I'm going on now, um, almost— yeah, I guess almost 17 years. Yeah, I did do the math right.

See, one thing that I always notice is no matter where we are in our career, we always have the, the ability to slip back into the imposter syndrome and think that we don't know something when in fact we do. We kind of second-guess ourselves and I guess second-guessing yourself is healthy when you do it to double-check to make sure you're correct, but when it, when it stops you in your tracks, we have to—

oh, how true is that?

That is— wait a minute, we know what to do. This is basic, right?

So that is my life story. Oh my goodness, and how many people can relate to that? You know it.

I'm sure everyone listening to these shows can relate to that, that we always second-guess ourselves. No matter how excellent we become in our craft. But we just have to learn how to move through that, do that quick, you know, double check and say, yeah, yeah, we got this, and just keep moving forward.

That's right.

So awesome. So, so you, you mentioned you had a major health event that kind of helped you realign yourself with your passion and what it is you wanted to do. Um, share a little bit about that.

Yeah, so, um, It was in— it started in 2012. Um, I was academic nurse scientist, I was on the tenure track, I had 3 small children, and I just had this overwhelming sense of discomfort and, um, unease with where I was, you know, in my career. And although I was good at what I was doing, I just I wasn't enjoying it. Like no part of me was enjoying it. I was just running full steam ahead. I was, you know, burning the candle at both ends, really overworking. And I remember saying to myself, this next year I've got to make a change. Well, then the universe kind of intervened. And in February, that was around November. And I have a journal I started writing then to remind myself of that. Because then in February, I actually ended up with a pulmonary embolism and I was 12 weeks pregnant at the time. And, you know, otherwise healthy. I mean, we're talking like no history, no reason for something like this to have happened.

Yeah.

It was because I was not taking care of myself. I was a nurse who had no idea how to take care of herself. And I had multiple complications from that on top of trying to birth this beautiful baby boy, which by the grace of God we did. And he's healthy and he is now 8 years old.

Lovely.

Um, but I had to go through cardiac rehab and then I had to reevaluate how I was working, not just what I was doing, but how I was doing it. And what I realized was that number one, I was really not in a position that I wanted to be as a nurse. I had a, I had a lot of skills and I had a lot of gifts and talents, but I wasn't using them. The way I wanted to use them. So it was creating some frustration there. And then I was seriously overworking. I was not taking care of myself, um, you know, just everything. I was doing everything that we know is not good for us, and it was just, um, you know, going down the wrong path. So I really took about a year to two just to heal from that and to rediscover who I was. What I wanted to do with my life and create healthy strategies around how to get there.

Awesome. So, you know, sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways, right? And sometimes we need that, um, grand intervention to realize that we've been off track. You know, I'm sorry that you had to deal with the fear and the pain of that, you know, illness, you know, PEs are no fun. I'm taking care of quite a few patients with PEs and know a few colleagues and myself who wound up getting PEs for a variety of reasons, most of them unidentifiable reasons. So maybe we can just chalk it up to stress, the body being in that constant state of inflammation. Um, dehydration is also a big issue. Yes, you know, we don't drink enough when we're running around. Whether you're taking care of patients at the bedside or, you know, teaching or doing research, no matter where you are, um, you know, nurses are nurses are nurses. We just work, work, work, work, work, work, work. So, okay, so you've identified that what you were doing wasn't working, and clearly the universe gave you that evidence. Your body shut down, and you had the fear of also a complicated pregnancy. So that was a big wake-up call for you. And so you realize you needed to change things. So what, what was that thing that you identified that you needed to change?

I think wholeheartedly it was, it was, it was kind of twofold. Um, the first is just an awareness that I was burning myself into the ground, you know, having the mindfulness and the ability to say, this is not healthy, this is not sustainable. You know, no matter what the situation, it was recognizing that I had to, I had to be aware enough of how I was feeling in the moment to stop it in its tracks. And I think that's a problem that many of us had. I mean, you know, right now the talk is all about burnout. It's all about, you know, we're so burnt out, we're so burnt out. But that's not really the problem. The problem is that you know, we're not even aware of where we are in that trajectory because it starts with exhaustion, right? Then it can proceed to burnout and then it proceeds to things like depression and, you know, chronic mental health conditions. So, you know, it's, it's awareness I think is, is what I gained from this. And it was a beautiful gift for me. It really was the ability to just say, this is not working. This is not healthy. I need to reevaluate.

Yeah, and then go ahead.

No, and then I was just going to say, secondly, for me it was very spiritual. Um, you know, I really needed to reconnect with who I was and what I was here to do. And I was— I had the blinders on, you know, I was like nose to the grindstone, blinders on. Um, and that opportunity really allowed me to lean into something much bigger than myself and to rely on him and just to say, okay, I'm here now, you got to show me the way. And throughout my journey, that's really what has gotten me through. Awesome.

You know, and I think all of us have a point in our professional career where we say, why are we doing this? What are we accomplishing? Are we even really getting anywhere? And I think many of us fall back on the comforts of having a steady paycheck you know, getting familiar with the team that we're working with, whether we love those individuals or not, right? We get used to the routine. And I think those comforts kind of sometimes talk us out of making those radical changes to try to find something that better aligns with, you know, what we want and what we value and what makes us thrive, you know, and reignites our passion. And, you know, we're in difficult times right now, right? We're all struggling financially, many of us, trying to figure out how to pivot and navigate. But the one thing I'll say is, although financially things have been difficult for me, you know, going into my own business, doing educational consulting, you know, doing NCLEX prep, doing professional development for nurses transitioning into practice, I absolutely love what I do despite some cash flow, you know, issues. And I know that eventually the cash flow will be where it needs to be, that it's just the world's going through a major transition and everyone's holding tight to their dollar.

That's right.

But yeah, like, I can't imagine still being in the same position that I was that made me leave working at the bedside for a hospital in the first place, right? My exit from working bedside, um, for a hospital— and I'm gonna just emphasize, for a hospital— um, was back in like 2014. Yeah, like actually 2013 was the last time I was a staff nurse.

Yeah.

Um, because of just the same old same old. Like, I watched nurses leave who are nurses for 30 years, and everything that they said they were leaving were the exact reasons why I chose to leave. And, you know, to find my freedom and my flexibility, I did agency nursing, right? I started doing travel nursing or local agency, and I found that much more, um, in alignment with who I am as an individual because I was autonomous in my practice at that point. I could pick and choose when I wanted to work, when I didn't want to work, when I had a family obligation that I had to meet I didn't have to pick up shifts.

That's right.

You know, when I needed to be across the country to go be with an ill family member, I could. You know, when I was feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or starting to feel myself, you know, wear down, and before I put myself into a physical illness, I could take time off.

That's right.

And the work that I did was valued from a day-to-day basis. I would go to work. I would do the best I can. I would take care of my patients, help out the team. And it, it became a point to where even the staff at the hospital thought I was a staff member because I just always showed up. But I had the privilege of not coming back if I was overwhelmed. Um, and with that agency pay, I could afford to take a little bit more time off.

That's exactly right. That's exactly right.

And so that was my kind of exit from being a staff nurse and You know, I've since then gone back as a staff nurse in the capacity of a staff development nurse educator, which is a completely different set of challenges. But that role itself is still better aligned with, you know, my mission, my vision, my values, my strengths, you know, and being able to provide high-quality education and demonstrate and role model and do all of those things. Without being so overwhelmed by the tasks of direct patient care, I can make a better impact for the staff and give them the tools that they need so that they can better navigate those complexities. So it— we all find our place eventually, you know, and kind of go through the trenches and find our place. And, and so you're, you're living your truth now, right? You're living within what you want to do. So what are you doing? Um, yeah, you know, in the intro of this podcast, I kind of list out a few things that you've been doing, but let's, let's talk about that. Where has this taken you from this, you know, major wake-up call to now? What are you doing now with your talents as a nurse?

I would say that right now my whole goal is to help others rediscover who they are and really build a career or a business or a goal around who you are at your core, your authentic self, not that conditioned self that everybody tells you you are, right? Um, not that self that you're, you know, just used to being via habit. It's really, you know, who you are authentically and then creating your life from that. So I work one-on-one with clients, most nurses, but clinicians, that, you know, are really kind of in this place of their frustration, there's not a lot of clarity, you know, maybe you just feel like there should be something more to this and I don't quite know what it is, or I don't even know what the next step is. Those individuals, we work really hard to first help them rediscover who they are because Most of the time we identify with these roles that we have, like I'm a nurse, I'm a coach. That's not necessarily who we are. That, that might be how we define ourselves and how we introduce ourselves to the world, but who we are is much deeper than that. Um, so really kind of figuring out who we are and then our gifts, our skills, and our talents. You know, gifts are kind of these things that we've just we just have been gifted with. It's like your natural tendencies, your traits, you know, things that you're just good at, that you're— when you're doing them, you're in the flow. It's really super easy. And our skills and talents are things that we have learned and developed to be good at. And so when we can work from a place where we're really leaning into our gifts more than our skills and talents, we tend to experience more flow, which is that feeling of just being just kind of, you know, in that flow state where you're just in complete peace and it's easy and it's enjoyable. Doesn't mean it's going to be a challenge or hard.

You're going to—

we're going to hit challenge here. This is, this is the World. But when you hit that challenge, your tank is full. You're not running on empty. And I, I see most of the clients that I work with whose tanks are just empty. And so, you know, challenge comes and they're just, you know, I don't know what to do with this. I'm just, you know, they're not fully prepared to take on that challenge. So I work one-on-one with clients and then I also consult with organizations. I have an innovation fellowship and what I've found in my personal journey and then also professionally is that when we work to enhance innovation competency, things like risk-taking, courage, teamwork, thinking outside— these are all innovation competencies. When we develop these innovation competencies, we also enhance well-being, our personal well-being. So I consult with organizations to work with teams to bring innovation for well-being to their organization. I love, love doing this work. I am, I have always been connected to an academic organization except for now. I left, fully left that in August and now I'm 100% full-time in my coaching and consulting business. So when you were saying, you know, you're struggling with the finances, I'm feeling it too. You know, it is a huge, huge challenge to take that leap of faith, to say, I know this is where I'm supposed to be. But that fear that comes in that says, well, how is this going to work? You know, how am I going to pay my bills? How am I going to do? We always stop ourselves. That's where we stop ourselves. It's mostly money related, fear related, or like you were saying earlier, it's that imposter syndrome. I can't do it. You know, I don't have the confidence.

So who am I to be able to do this? You know, I'm just a nurse. Right? Or, right, I'm, I'm talented in academia, but I didn't take any business courses or consulting courses, so how can I possibly do this? Yes, this conversation and dialogue sounds very familiar. I had the same conversations with myself and with colleagues and with other individuals that I've also helped kind of navigate the complexities of leaving, you know, the security of working working for an organization and becoming their own, you know, boss and running their own business, whether it starts off as a side gig or goes full-time, you know. Um, I'm sure you're familiar with the National Nurses in Business Association, which I always like to— when we're talking about entrepreneurship and leaving, you know, a traditional kind of bedside role or organizational role and starting something of your I always want to recommend this resource. They are a fantastic resource. I've been a member for several years now, and they have tons of helpful, um, you know, tricks and tips and strategies and so much free content on their website. And if you become a member, you know, you can go to their conferences at a discounted rate, and it's just an amazing group of entrepreneurs, mostly nurses, who have done all of this already, have done this for years and years, and many of them are making millions of dollars a year, um, because they decided that they wanted to be in full control over their nursing profession.

So yes, I would say thank you for bringing that up because, uh, Michelle, the president of that organization, is amazing. And I will just say that she will give you time on her calendar.

She will.

Anybody can just pop in and say, I want to meet with you, and she is phenomenal advice. So yes, if you're, if you're thinking about innovation or entrepreneurship, even if it's just a glimmer, you know, um, absolutely check that organization out. I want to— I think their, their annual meeting is in June of next year or something like this.

Yeah, it seems like it's earlier, um, this coming year than it normally is. It's normally in September. Yeah, I haven't had a direct conversation with Michelle just yet about why that change happened. I'm interested to find out because September was always kind of a nice time to go, you know.

Yeah, Vegas, that's right, to get away.

I'm a little concerned about the summer heat. Oh yeah, but you know, I do have all, you know, all intentions in going and being a part of that conference. I am looking to start, you know, a new, you know, business venture with a home care agency, you know, as an educator. So we'll see how that goes. And, you know, when you're working with other organizations, time off can be a challenge, things like that. But we'll see what happens. But yeah, I'm looking forward to it because I always learn a ton of stuff that helps me on my journey. And then I also have the opportunity to teach others, which is my true passion. So, you know, aspiring entrepreneurs who are there for the first time, I usually get a hold of them and kind of coach them through and talk with them about what I've learned throughout the organization and kind of serve as a point person for resources if they have any questions, which is always fun.

Yeah, it's awesome.

So how long have you been helping individuals kind of learn these different roles that nurses can do, the different business— first of all, identifying who they are and then aligning a career path with just that. How long have you been doing this work?

Yeah, so really for the past 5 years, um, you know, I've worked as a consultant in academia, and then I did, I did kind of have, you know, one-on-one clients here and there, mostly because when I was in academia I spun a company out of academia based off of my academic research program. That company is called Beltari Bio. It's a biotech company. It's really immunodiagnostics for stroke and neuro disease. And so I've had a lot of nurses specifically come to me to say, how did you do that?

Right.

You know, no business training, no nothing. How did you do that? So really a lot of mentoring and a lot of one-on-one And then I went through the Integrative Nurse Coach certification process this past year. That was my COVID project. Everybody has a COVID project.

Um, was to get my NCLEX program online.

There you go.

So that people could access it without having to schedule one-to-one time with me every single time.

Awesome. Yeah, that's awesome. So, you know, I said, what do I want to do during COVID And I said, gosh, you know, I love mentoring. I love— I was coaching, but I wasn't like, you know, formally.

Sure.

And so I said, how can I combine this kind of holistic wellness lens that I have with this experience that I have professionally as a nurse entrepreneur? And I found Integrative Nurse Coach program to be where I fit best. So I went through that training program, I officially became certified the beginning of this year. Yeah.

Congratulations.

Thank you. And, um, and then just decided, you know, when I, when that official certification came out, I said, you know, I'm, I'm now going to do this full-time. This is what I'm— it's no longer going to be a side gig for me.

Yeah.

Um, this is now what I'm doing full-time. And I left— I had a position as entrepreneur-in-residence at Ohio State that I left in August to do this work full-time.

So brave to leave what sounds to be a wonderful position, right? So you didn't allow the comforts of that steady paycheck and the title and the security of working for an organization stop you from doing what it is you felt is more closely aligned with what you want, which is incredible. And, you know, to piggyback on the Nurse Coach Board Certification, I'm actually just getting ready to start that process. Yeah, thank you. So, you know, just kind of reflecting and thinking about how can I level up my existing talent skills and, you know, what I like to do. And I, I do coaching for new graduate nurses all the time, for nursing students, for nurses transitioning into practice. Um, so why can't I, you know, go through and gain that additional skill set so that I can become a certified nurse coach. Um, and then for those individuals who don't know about nurse coaching, it's not just coaching other nurses. You can actually coach patients. It's, it's very much— it doesn't have a specific, you know, audience. You can coach anyone. And being board certified, you know, nurses are the only profession that have a board certification process for coaching. So it's highly scientific. It's, you know, you know, highly, uh, evidence-based and outcomes-oriented. Um, and I just feel like it's going to be something that's really going to help me, um, impact my clients much better than I already am. And it's going to help me because every nurse coach that I know, it's helped them personally as well.

Yes, that's exactly right.

So I'm very excited about that.

And to add to all of that, I'm so glad you brought that up, Damion, because You know, I have a lot of people ask me, okay, why did you get certified? You know, you're already doing this, you're already competent, why certification? And for me, it was twofold. It was that personal, you know, I wanted to gain some additional skills like in my toolkit, you know, that I just didn't know how to do certain things like motivational interviewing, awareness practices, you know, just making sure that I had the best skill set available to my clients. And then also, you know, it gives you a lot of flexibility in the long run because as a certified coach, we now have a few reimbursement codes for coaching. So, you know, if you're really thinking about starting coaching business as a nurse, you can rely both on, you know, private pay as well as, you know, reimbursement if that's something that you wanna do. And then you're also ideally situated to lead in a nurse coaching profession. So it just, it was right up my alley. It was just a perfect kind of icing on the cake for me to get that certification process. And I would say that if anybody is thinking of nurse coaching, we are just on the tip, we're like at the tip of the iceberg here. Nurse coaching, I believe, will become a very prominent subspecialty in nursing over the next decade or so, particularly as we recover from this pandemic, the skillset of a nurse coach is really needed to help us heal and to help us move past some of these blocks and these struggles and these challenges we're having. That's what nurse coaching is all about. So, um, you know, you could be a nurse coach to help someone start a business or to build their career, or to just align with wellness, nutrition, health. I mean, just like the opportunities are endless in nursing, same thing applies to nurse coaching, right?

And I want to just emphasize, for those who are intrigued by the word reimbursement that you threw out, um, I was actually really surprised to find that, um, working directly with patients, we can bill for that time, and insurance will cover that service. Um, and so if you want to be a diabetic nurse coach, right, you have diabetic— if that's your specialty and you really want to help diabetics, you can do that, and insurance will pay you for your time in getting those individuals on track with their diabetic care maintenance, which is incredible. This is an opportunity, the first opportunity beyond becoming a nurse practitioner or a nurse anesthetist where you can charge. We can bill for our time.

Yes.

You know, so this is, this is great. So nursing is definitely moving in the right direction, um, albeit slow and painful sometimes. Um, you know, I'm, I'm very patient, but again, I'm kind of looking at the whole history of nursing and I'm like, it has been very slow to evolve. Um, but you know, we're on the way, and as long as we keep banding together and demanding the change and standing up for what we know we're worth and what we can do and helping those individuals who don't have any idea, um, come into the know of what we are fully capable of, um, eventually we will be our own 100% autonomous profession who can bill for our time. We'll be out of the room and board, you know, bottom line, and we will have a seat at the table, just like all of the other major healthcare professionals. So yes, this is exciting. So you're doing amazing work. Um, let everyone know how they can find you if they want to get in touch with you and collaborate.

Yeah, so you can follow me on LinkedIn. I, I like to try to stay active on LinkedIn. I'm not a LinkedIn pro yet. Um, I like how you said yet because it's on your way. That is my goal for the next year, is to just be more active and to, you know—

are you familiar with Keith Carlson?

Yes.

So if you want to become a LinkedIn pro, definitely hit him up because he knows all the tips and tricks about LinkedIn.

Yeah, that's— that is my goal. So, but it's more— it's about engagement, you know, um, you know, just being engaged and having engaged conversations. So absolutely. And you can also email me at Dr. Barr at tarabar.com, like R-B-A-R-R at tarabar.com, and then you can check out my website at tarabar.com.

Awesome. So I will have all of the information on how folks can connect with you in the show notes of this episode. I want to thank you so much for taking the time to be on the Nursing Strategies for Success podcast, um, letting everyone know that Despite burnout, despite frustration, despite the adversities of, you know, a near-death experience— let's call it for what it is, PEs are no joke— you can still come out of that, realign yourself, get in, in tune with your purpose, and really develop the professional trajectory that you want. So I really appreciate your time and the work that you're doing, and I can't wait to connect with you further and maybe get you to help me learn a thing or two.

Oh, likewise. Yeah, we learn from each other. Exactly.

So thank you so much for being on the first episode of season 2 of the Nursing Strategies for Success podcast, and we'll talk soon. Take care.

Thank you. My pleasure.

And that concludes episode 1 of season 2 of the Nursing Strategies for Success podcast with this week's guest, Tara Barr. We hope that all of the strategies that we've shared for you in today's episode will help to motivate you and inspire you to lead the charge. All of the ways to connect with Dr. Barr will be in the show notes of this episode. And as As always, if you have any questions, feel free to visit thenursespeak.com/contact and get in touch with me. I would love to have a conversation with you. So until next episode, take care, be well, and remember that nurses can do anything.