Special Episode: Nurses Making Waves Retreat 2023 in O'ahu Hawaii 🌸

Thank you for joining me for another episode of the Nursing Strategies for Success podcast. This is a very special edition of the show where I'm sitting in the Honolulu airport, just reminiscing on the amazing experience that I've had here in Hawaii at the Nurses Making Waves Retreat. So as we get ready to reminisce and I get to share all of the amazing things that we experienced here in paradise, Go ahead and grab yourself your favorite beverage and get ready for this exciting summary of the Nurses Making Waves Retreat on this episode of the Nursing Strategies for Success podcast. 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. Okay. And so again, in this special edition of the Nursing Strategies for Success podcast, I just wanted to take a few minutes to kind of discuss the amazing experience that I had at the Nurses Making Waves Retreat that was hosted by Nina Hart. For those of you who have listened to previous episodes of this podcast, you may remember that Nina Hart, came in and that she was doing consulting. And so Nina Hart wanted to create an experience for nurses in similar situations, nurses who needed a refresh or a refocus of their passion to take an opportunity to get away from the daily grind and kind of, you know, re-energize themselves. And so what she did is she created this amazing retreat opportunity in Oahu, Hawaii, in the Ka'ahava neighborhood, if you're familiar with the island. And, you know, just a really nice kind of secluded retreat center that was nestled right in the mountains. We were literally 3 minutes away from a gorgeous beach and park. And then, you know, most of us had vehicles and we would also carpooling with some of the attendees. Where we were still able to go out and, you know, see the island and see different things, go to Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, you know, visit the Buddhist temple that's there and just kind of take time away from the grind, right? Again, from our jobs that we may have or our businesses that we're running and just connect with each other and learn from each other and have a really transformative experience. And that's what I really want to share with all of you. Um, the first thing that I want to talk about is you have to keep an eye out for the next event. Um, it's not set in stone about when it's going to happen, but really, if you're not part of the Nurses Making Waves community, I highly recommend that you get connected. Uh, you can find the Nurses Making Waves, uh, Facebook page. Um, you can also just find Nina Hart on LinkedIn. And I'll have all of the ways that you can connect with the group or with Nina in the show notes of this episode. Um, but you should really be a part of the Nurses Making Waves group, just like you should be a part of the National Nurses in Business Association, just like you should be connected with Nurses Bond or the ELEX conference, because all of these are groups that I'm associated with that are really just getting like-minded health professionals together to leverage our strengths and our talents so that way we can shape the future of our own healthcare destiny, right? The businesses that we run, the organizations in which we work for or collaborate with or consult with, and to just change all of the things that have been plaguing us, that cause burnout, that cause frustration, or a sense of helplessness sometimes, you know, we feel like we're one person against an army. And so, you know, sharing a lot of our wisdom and experiences that we've gained over the years in a very diverse group of participants was really, really wonderful. For me, it was kind of surprising that several of the attendees were excited to meet me and connect with me and learn from me. And I've been an educator for most of my nursing career, going on 10 out of the 13 years that I've been a nurse, I've been in a formal capacity as an educator. And so I do know that I influence people in a positive way. And that's exactly what sparks my passion to continue to do what I do. But it's still, it never gets old. And I certainly don't get used to the idea of people looking forward to hearing from me or looking forward to connecting with me because they've seen a video that I've done or they've heard previous episodes of my podcast. And so, you know, it's humbling. It's actually really humbling and it makes me feel, it makes me feel really good that I'm doing things that inspire others or motivate others or give others the courage to kind of step out of their comfort zone and push themselves to get into a place that they truly love. And so this event was by far one of my favorite nurse-specific events. Of course, I always rave about the National Nurses in Business Association conference that they do every year. Um, everything that I've been associated with or have attended with Nurses Bond has also been excellent. And honestly, Nina has been to both of those. And so, you know, again, knowing the value of having like-minded individuals in a group for a specific amount of time pure magic really happens. And so I wanted to kind of talk about a few of the presenters that were at the retreat and how impactful they were for me. You know, I still consider myself a nurse that has a lot of room for improvement and understanding and how I can improve my practice and improve the practice of others whom I support in either an educational capacity or in a leadership capacity. And I want to start with Elizabeth Bachheim. So Elizabeth Bachheim is a social-emotional intelligence coach. She's a certified nurse educator and certified social-emotional intelligence coach. And for 28 years, she took care of infants in the NICU and supported their parents through the ups and downs of discharge preparation. As an instructor at an online university, she instills the values of empathy, resilience, collaboration, and leadership into the curriculum for the learner's personal and professional success. And that's exactly what Elizabeth did for us at the retreat. She presented more than once. She presented on multiple topics. And my favorite was really about awareness, about being aware and making choices in how we respond to circumstances or the world around us. And that's so powerful to not only be reminded that we have the choice in how we respond to whatever's going on in our lives, but when we develop a stronger sense of self-awareness, we actually have full control of changing our perceptions of the world around us. And it's so important to keep that in mind. And it's such a strong strategy for resilience that no matter if the world is on fire around us, we still have a choice to go to a place where we're in full control of how we feel or how we perceive in that moment. And of course, there's always going to be natural forces that are working against our intentional mindset, um, but there is so much power in mindset. And all of our most successful people out there truly practice this self-awareness and mindset kind of skills on a daily basis. They meditate, they journal, you know, they have vision boards, or they, they document their goals, and then they actively work towards manifesting those goals day in and day out by using mindfulness practices. And so everything that Elizabeth talked about really resonated with me. It's things that I've been teaching with my students and the people that I work with to support in either an educational professional development capacity or as a leader, a supervisor, um, teacher. However I've influenced them, I've I've always felt that these are essential skills that everyone should develop, and they really go far in building healthy teams, healthy work environments, and allowing people to step out of their helplessness and step into a place of empowerment. So kudos to Elizabeth for all of the work that she's doing. Um, I will also have ways for you to connect with her so that way you can, um, loop her into your network. She is an amazing speaker. She's captivating. She really helps people understand the importance of emotional intelligence and self-awareness. And, um, I will have the way to connect with her in the show notes of this episode. The next person that I want to speak about, um, is Janet Holliday. So Janet was a true pleasure to learn from. Um, she's been practicing nursing for over 35 years and has firsthand experience in moving beyond barriers and obstacles. She's an international speaker, coach, and trainer with the Maxwell Leadership Certified Team and Certified Life Mastery Consultant. She's also an international bestselling author. Her passion is to equip healthcare professionals that feel overworked, undervalued, and overwhelmed with the resources to lead a life that they love by blending leadership training skills and life coaching techniques with experiences of being a nurse in the trenches. So Janet believes that when you stand in your position and walk in your purpose, that you will release your greatness. And oh my God, Janet's trainings that she shared with us, and even just some side conversations that we had, are really inspiring. And it's so funny that some of the conversations that Janet and I were having on the side, outside of our sessions, You know, she kept saying things like, oh my goodness, your career path sounds so much like me. Your passion and your drive to improve the broken system or improve the processes that we find ourselves struggling with most sounds exactly like what I've been doing my entire career. And it's led me to this point in being this coach and trainer, speaker, author, and influencer, because I've learned so many of these strategies along the way. And to me, it just made me feel so great. And to see— it was almost like a validation for the work that I'm doing and the things that I'm so passionate about, because a lot of the things that plague our profession are not really nursing specific. I keep saying it time and time again because I truly believe to the core of my being that a lot of the problems that we face in nursing have nothing to do with the role of the nurse. It has nothing to do with the skill set of the nurse. But it has everything to do with how we're trained and how we are supported. And then also the essential skills that we need to learn that we perhaps didn't learn in school because it's not a part of the curriculum. Um, so I really loved all of the training that Janet shared with us. She shared a lot about the Maxwell Leadership Team, um, to give us more information about what that team can do for organizations. I'm really excited to tap into her some more as I step into a new role as an assistant director of nursing for a large long-term care facility here in New York City. So I think I have lots of opportunity to learn more from her in addition to Elizabeth, because I want to take a lot of the strategies that they shared with us and bring them to the team and see how I can help to really shape the, the staff and the, the even the leadership team that I'm going to be working with. I think everyone should benefit from the knowledge that they shared. And so that's why I wanted to, you know, come on here and, you know, talk about the speakers. But that's not it. There are two more speakers that I really want to talk about. Another presenter that was there at the retreat is Jessica Ian, who is a board-certified nurse coach and empowerment mentor. And Jessica's been in the healthcare field for over 13 years, and 5 years ago she had an awakening where she knew that there had to be more than just the typical Western medicine route for healing. So she discovered Reiki and energy healing, and then she was also able to heal herself from depression. And using her experiences, she's been able to coach others and help others really get through their limiting beliefs, developing clarity in their life, and then cultivating the confidence and self-worth so that people can be optimized to live the lives that they truly want and deserve. And so what I found really interesting about Jessica's presentation, using her nursing knowledge and really focusing on the scientific effects of how the neurological system, you know, wreaks havoc on our body when we're under stress and how using energy healing or mindfulness techniques can really change the way that our nervous system is responding to external or internal stimuli. And so, you know, these are things that I personally have been experimenting with for many, many years. I do believe in energy healing. I do believe that we are made of energy and that we have the ability to change the way our nerves respond with mindfulness techniques or meditation, if you will. These are things that I've practiced for many years when I'm not feeling well or when I'm upset about something, and it works for me. And so I was super interested in learning about the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system and how it responds and how just very simply, just in 5 minutes, you can completely change the physiological response that your body is having due to how you're feeling about something, or if you're in pain, or if you're upset or stressed or feeling kind of at your wit's end. And we all get to that point, but we have the ability to use mind over matter, if you will, right? And so she shared a lot of techniques with us that I know work for me, and I thought that it was really important for her to do this work and for her to share it with everyone in the retreat because we were all able to take something away and use those techniques right in real time, which is excellent. She even, you know, gave some Reiki demonstrations for those interested parties and Of course, everyone said nothing but great things about the work she's doing. So, you know, kudos to Jessica Ann for really kind of stepping into her own power, getting through her own struggles, and using these skills to live in her purpose. And she's also helping others do the same. So I will also have ways to connect with Jessica in the show notes of this episode. And then we also have Nina Hart, right? Nina Hart. Was to me the highlight of the entire event. Not only was she an amazing hostess, put on such a great retreat, had excellent catering options for us, really nice accommodations, a great location. She was super, um, accommodating and tended to our needs. So I can't speak highly enough of her hostess abilities. I'm not sure this is like her full-time, um, goals for the future and what she wants to do. But I think retreats are definitely in the future for her to continue to have them, at least on an annual basis. I would really challenge her to make sure that this is something she does on an annual basis, at least because she's really good at it. But she also shared some presentations. She also got up and taught us a few things. And, you know, she's been through a lot of experience in healthcare. And to hear her story, if you haven't heard her story, and I'm certainly not going to tell her story on her behalf. I would love for you to connect with her and hear it yourself, or maybe listen to the past episode where I've had her on the show, or in a future episode I do plan on having her back. Listen to her story if you haven't, but she has so much valuable experience and wisdom to share, and she got up and also did a piece on, um, mindfulness, right? A lot of this has to do with our perceptions and how Oftentimes we get in our own way. We're our worst critic, right? We, we often will talk ourselves out of doing something because we're afraid, right? So she talks a lot about stepping outside of fear, not allowing fear to stop you in your tracks from, you know, getting the things that you want to get or doing the things that you want to do. And I'll be very honest, I've been very afraid to do certain things in my career. Career path. And oftentimes I kind of default back to a safety net of working for an organization and getting that steady paycheck. And honestly, there's nothing wrong with that. Never once have I ever said working for an organization is bad. I do say that a lot of organizations do bad things, which we all know is true because all businesses have to make tough decisions about profits and losses and gains and, you know, expanding and the sustainability of the organization. And if they're not making a certain amount of money, Well, they can't make those projections. So, you know, I never once said that, you know, working for an organization is a bad thing, but what I do say is that if organizations are not supporting us to where we can thrive within our roles, then oftentimes we're looking for other options, right? So I think that's fair to say for any profession, but what makes nursing so exceptional is that we can really do anything. And that's the whole purpose of this podcast. And so I wanted to come on and just kind of give the summary about, you know, the experience that we had. And so in addition to these wonderful speakers who are all thriving within their own nursing profession and helping others do the same thing, but a lot of the other participants, even though they were coming to either learn additional skills or they were looking forward to connecting with us and hearing from us, Um, but they were all so experienced and brought so much value to the retreat that many of us didn't even realize that we were going to be put on the podium ourselves, right? I didn't expect to speak in front of the entire group. I never thought that that was going to be a possibility. I am a speaker. I've, I've spoke at many events on a national stage, um, for very large conferences, but I didn't think I was being expected to speak. And so, you know, one evening when I, I guess I ran to my room to grab something or went to the restroom, I don't know where I was, but while I was away, the group talked amongst themselves and said, "Hey, we would really like to hear from Damion." And so I come back and then Nina announced, "Hey, by the way, there's a request to have you speak." And so again, it's, it's very humbling and also exciting to have other people want to hear your story, want to hear your experiences. What got you to the point where you are now? What was the catalyst for, for getting you to do what you do, right? And so we all have a thing that we go through. It's either a challenge or something that we're uncomfortable with or a problem that we see that we feel like we should work towards contributing towards a solution. And so, you know, we all shared our stories, we all shared our experiences and our wisdom. And many of you have heard my story multiple times, so I won't bore you with that unless you want to hear it. If you do, please leave comments or send me messages and I'll be happy to share my story again. But the point here is that we have so much value to share, and I feel like we live in a society where we're afraid to share. And so my takeaway message about this entire amazing event, and if you don't follow me on social media, um, on my personal, uh, Facebook account or on my LinkedIn account, you should, because you'll see that I share a lot about my experiences, especially when it's related to, um, things that I find very empowering or very exciting because other people could also benefit from it. And so I really did a lot of sharing about this retreat, a lot of posts, because I truly was in awe. I was just swept away in wonder. Every 5 seconds I kept saying, "It's so stunning here. I'm so at peace. I'm so happy. I feel so refreshed. I feel no stress at all. I'm not worried about the challenges that are waiting for me when I go home because I feel renewed and empowered to go and handle those challenges." with ease and grace. And so this is exactly what this opportunity provided for me. I wasn't looking to make big business connections. I wasn't looking to get an audience to hear my story or learn about my products or services. I was really just there to recharge, refresh myself, tap into nature in its— in all of its wonder, and then just be surrounded by supportive and like-minded individuals. And that's exactly what happened. So, you know, for all of us that were there at the retreat, it was such a pleasure meeting all of you. I really look forward to our ongoing connections. I'm looking forward to having several of you on the show. So I reached out to many of the people who are there, not only the presenters, but also the participants, because I feel that we all have valuable experiences and strategies and innovative ways that we can improve our practice, improve our profession, and build the healthcare system that we all want and deserve. So yeah, so Nurses Making Waves 2023, it was a success in my opinion. Um, I do believe that some people were very humble and modest about receiving praise for the event, but I can't speak highly enough about it. It truly was transformative, um, and it, it was more than what I expected it to be. So I'm very, very blessed, um, and honored that I was able to be a part of that. And I'm really looking forward to the next opportunity that presents itself for me to do something similar, whether it's another one of Nina's events, the Nurses Making Waves events, or if it's someone else's retreat. I'm really looking forward to doing more of these because. I really had a great time. And so if, if any of you are feeling burned out, frustrated, overwhelmed, worked to death, do yourself a favor and invest in one of these retreats. They truly are incredible. There's lots of other people that I know that host these types of retreats. So if you're ever wondering about other opportunities, please feel free to connect with me. You can reach out to me on LinkedIn or send me an email at damionjenkins@thenursespeak.com. And I would love to have a discussion with you about how valuable these retreats really are and how you won't regret going to one. So thanks for listening. It's been about 20-some minutes of me rambling on about how amazing the experience was. I hope this, um, is not making you feel jealous about not being a part of it. That's not my intent at all. It's really just to kind of express how important and valuable I felt that this experience was. And I think all of you would benefit from investing in these types of services, events, um, retreats, so that way you can find what you need to live the life, live the passion, and live your purpose in the way that you want and deserve. So until next episode of the Nursing Strategies for Success podcast, take care, be well, and remember that nurses can do anything, even host retreats in Hawaii. I'll talk to you soon. Take care.