70: Nursing the Nurse- Nicole Monteserrato BSN, RN, NC-BC

70: Nursing the Nurse- Nicole Monteserrato BSN, RN, NC-BC Transcript

Nicole Vienneau  00:00

Welcome, everyone, to the Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION! podcast. My name is Nicole Vienneau. I am your host, and I’m also a Board Certified Integrative Nurse Coach. And I’m always excited to come together with a fellow Nurse Coach, and today is not an exception. 

I just had the opportunity to chit chat with our next guest for a few minutes before the podcast and I just really felt a nice connection with her. And I’m excited now even more to have our next guest on our podcast. She is a Board Certified Nurse Coach that graduated in July of 2023. 

So she is a newer Nurse Coach graduate, which is really exciting to talk to the fresh Nurse Coaches of the world. And she’s been doing a lot of work within the hospital in coaching, using Nurse Coaching, with Nurses, with employees, and using her skills to enhance employee wellness. 

And in addition to that, she is also still in a role as a Nurse, which I think is so important to combine the two to really have the hands on approach of what’s going on in the healthcare system. So she’s a breast care RN and a navigator. And she’s from Long Island, New York, which is really cool, because I always enjoy talking to our New Yorkers. 

I’m all the way in Tucson, Arizona. So it’s really fun to connect in that way. And another important thing I want to bring up is that she also is a ovarian cancer survivor. And what I think is going to be really valuable for us is like, all of these challenges that we have in our lives, and we learn from them. 

And then we tend to take them, our successes, our learnings, our possibilities, and that becomes like an overarching way in which we approach our lives and our coaching practice. And so I’m so looking forward, on so many levels, to invite our next guest, which is Nicole Monteserrato. So welcome, Nicole.

Nicole Monteserrato  02:13

Thank you so much, Nicole, for that wonderful introduction. I’m so happy to be here. 

Nicole Vienneau  02:19

Yes. And I’m so glad you’re here too. And I feel, like I said, a nice, strong connection with you and the work that you’re doing. And so let’s take a trip down history lane, because we always love to do that. We always love to know, like, how in the world did you discover Nursing? What brought you to this world?

Nicole Monteserrato  02:36

Yeah. So I’ve always knew that I wanted to be in healthcare. I didn’t know exactly what route. I was dabbling with maybe dentistry or some sort of a physician. Maybe pediatrician, not really sure. But I just knew healthcare was it. I mean, since middle school, like I always knew something in healthcare. 

My mom was a Nurse. But it’s funny because I never wanted to be a Nurse because she was a Nurse. I don’t know why. I don’t think I knew anything of what she actually did. I just thought she was crazy for being a Nurse. And I was like, I don’t want to be a Nurse. And then here I am. I went right into Nursing school from high school. 

I don’t know what the change was. I did shadow, in high school, a physician’s assistant, and saw that role. And then I, you know, obviously saw the Nursing role as well at the same time and felt that the Nurse’s role was just, you know, obviously had more of a connection with the patient. 

It’s really more of why I wanted to be in the healthcare field really, with connecting with people. So that’s really how I got into Nursing, again, right out of high school. Yeah, so I went and I got a job at the hospital near me in pediatrics. That’s where I started my career. 

And I was a pediatric Nurse for probably seven years or so in that role. I did a little bit of a rotation through the NICU. I also did pediatric sedation for a few years. So that was a transition into more procedural Nursing, which I loved. And yeah, so that’s kind of my Nursing history and career I would say.

Nicole Vienneau  04:25

I love it. I always think it’s amazing that we think that we want to do something, and then it shifts dramatically. We don’t know why things happen sometimes. Like I remember when I was a little kid, I wanted to be a clown. Maybe some of that’s seeping into my life these days. 

So you didn’t think you wanted to be a Nurse because you saw your mom and you saw the work that she was doing and you weren’t sure. And yet still something connected you to Nursing, maybe it was the connection that you were seeing or experiencing and knew that you could spend more time with patients or maybe not. But whatever the direction, here you are. 

Nicole Monteserrato  05:06

Here I am. 

Nicole Vienneau  05:07

Went into peds and did that. And it sounds like a lot of different areas within pediatrics. Yeah. And then tell us a little bit more about your career and some of the choices that you made. 

Nicole Monteserrato  05:19

Yeah. So, you know, I’ve been in the same hospital my whole career, actually, which is, I think, a really cool thing to say. I actually was in the hospital working in medical records in college. And it is actually across the street from where I grew up. So I would walk to work in college, in medical records. 

And I just, you know, I’ve been in the hospital for 20 years now. And it’s more than half my life actually, that I just said that, which is kind of crazy. And I just feel a real deep connection with, you know, the facility and the mission there. And I love the career I’ve had here. I love how I’ve grown. 

I have… I love that about Nursing, that you can really change and redirect whenever you find… whenever you feel that it’s necessary or whether it’s time. I am definitely… I’ve always been a Nurse that has always felt a pull. And I always go with it. I was in peds. I loved peds. I probably imagined myself there for a long time. 

But there was a change in… you know, in the residency, and we had, you know, the electronic charting, there was a bit of a couple of different changes to the unit that I was not loving for myself. And I was starting to feel a shift in myself, and I was like, you know what, I think that I need to be elsewhere. 

So you know, I went to the NICU for a year, did not love that, I have to say. To me, it was monotonous having the same client, you know, same patient, over and over, that newborn. Same kind of thing. Whereas peds was from, you know, four day olds to 21 year olds, and all different med surg issues. 

So I loved that diversity of peds. So the NICU wasn’t really for me. And then I did peds sedation. Again, really, I got to the day shift on peds sedation. So that was one reason why. And I thought maybe, you know, procedural would be a little bit more fun or different again. And I loved that area as well. 

It was very intense in the moments where we were sedating. I had a lot of one on one time with the parents and the family and a lot of support for them while they see their child sedated, which was very high stress, you know, for them. And I’ve always had that, I don’t know, like that empathetic touch, you know, with families, I’ve always connected with the families. 

And that’s definitely I know, one of my strengths as a Nurse. So I just, you know, it was just… it’s been a great career up until that point. And it was when, you know, when I was in peds sedation, that’s when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer about six years ago. And I took a leave of absence for about six months to get myself treated. 

And when I came back, I was only in the role for a few months, and I knew that I needed another change. Going through what I went through, I felt the need to be with oncology patients. Because I had, again, that you know, that experience that I could empathize in a way that no other oncology Nurse could really understand. And I did not receive the best care going through my treatment. 

So to me, I think I really wanted to be that Nurse that understood, and that could make that journey a little bit easier and more special. So that’s why I shifted into this new role that I’m in now, which is a breast care Nurse and navigator, where I assist the doctors with breast biopsies. So it’s more of the diagnostic part of the journey. 

We go over the pathology results with the patients, you know, so I’m there with them at the time of diagnosis is being told to them. And I just, you know, I remember obviously the day that I found out and I heard those words, and I know how difficult it could be, so to be that person for these people and these women is very special, and I’m very honored to do this job. 

And then again, the navigator part of this role is, once they’re diagnosed, we help navigate them through this very difficult journey of cancer recovery. It’s not you know, especially breast cancer, I think people think breast cancer, how difficult and challenging could that be in the sense of the different aspects of it? 

And it’s just so complicated, breast care, and, you know, just to make that a little bit easier, that journey, be that person that they can ask questions to, it’s been… like I said, it’s been an honor.

Nicole Vienneau  10:05

I can tell by the expressions and the way that you talk about this, that this is an area that’s very close to your heart, helping fellow humans go through this difficult time in their lives and be so supportive, and coming at it with a different perspective. Because you have experienced cancer yourself. So, you moved into this new… the RN navigator and the breast RN, and then so how did Nurse Coaching fit into this spot? What happened?

Nicole Monteserrato  10:41

Oh, so now I’m in this role as a breast care Nurse for, I guess, about four years or so… 3 or 4 years. And, you know, after you go through cancer, I think most people struggle with this, is you’re constantly thinking about recurrence. It consumed me for a little bit after my diagnosis. And you know, you try to push through and you try to keep going. 

And I just want to backup, actually. 2019 is when I started in breast care, in August of 2019. I’m starting a new job, right? So this was… I only got my cleared, back to work, January 1st of 2019. So I came back to ped sedation, knew that I kind of needed a change and that this wasn’t really serving me anymore in the sense, made the transition to breast care in August, and then the pandemic hit. 

And life was crazy for everybody. There was no time to think about what actually just happened to me. When I went through my whole journey, I was… it’s funny, everyone, you know, around me, oh, you’re so strong, you’re doing this with such grace. And I never really cried, I just… the Nurse in me kicked in. 

And my mom, again, the Nurse, we both just kicked into gear and got what we needed done. There was no emotions attached to it. We had to advocate a lot for myself and make sure everything was done right. And it was just go mode and survival mode. Right? And I had… my son was just starting in kindergarten when I started my chemo. 

So again, I had a lot of new things with him. I couldn’t think about myself and wallow, you know? So then I got back to work right away. So I never dealt with my diagnosis emotionally or mentally. And then I was thrown back into work as Nurse and caregiver, right? Changed jobs, then went through a pandemic. 

And it wasn’t until like 2021 or 2022, where I hit a wall and I realized that I was really angry, I was depressed. I didn’t know why I was so mad. I kept telling myself you should be so grateful, Nicole, you just survived cancer and you have a great job now, what is wrong with you? Get over it. 

And something was not right inside and I realized that I never dealt with, you know, my diagnosis mentally and emotionally. So that’s when I signed up for my first support group. And I went on my first survivors retreat. I went on a retreat with my husband to Montana, because he was my caregiver and he needed to heal as well. 

And again, something that we didn’t think of when we were in the trenches of it. And we did a lot of healing, the two of us, and myself, obviously a lot, a lot of healing. And realizing that mind body connection and realizing the holistic part of healing that in traditional healthcare we don’t talk about. 

I don’t even know if I even knew what the word holistic meant. I swear to God. I just… you know, it’s not what we think of, it’s not what we’re taught. And to me, I did everything right. I healed and I should have felt great. But I wasn’t feeling great because my mind was not right. And once I did the healing inside, I felt a lot better. 

And I truly truly healed from everything, and I dove into all things wellness in this part. You know, I was fearing recurrence, I dove into all things wellness and holistic stuff and Nurse Coaching came up. And I was speaking with you earlier about this, Nicole, that I was going on the podcasts from INCA and to hear people’s stories, find out what Nurse Coaching really is about and you know what does holistic even mean? 

What is holistic Nursing? And I just took a leap of faith when I signed up for this course, because I remember my husband saying, well, what are you going to do with it? And I said, I have no idea. But I think I need to do it. And he goes, okay, he’s like, go ahead. And that’s how I got into INCA. That’s the long story of it. And that’s the journey.

Nicole Vienneau  15:20

Oh, I love this story. You know, going backing up to something that you said earlier, you know, the Nurse in me kicked in, right? Your mom… having, you know, witnessed your mom as you grew up and picking up some of her tendencies, and then you going through this very serious shift in your life. 

And then knowing that you got to get it done. So go into go mode and get things done. And I’ve got to speak up for myself, you know, marching along, as Nurses, which we tend to do, every day, marching along. We got to get that done, we got to do this, and stand up for my patient. 

I’m going to sacrifice some of myself in order to get things done. You know, and you pointing out forgetting about the mental and spiritual sides of yourself. You were mainly dealing with the physical components and, you know, going through treatment and taking care of business kind of thing. 

I know, this rings true— and I’m laughing but I’m not laughing in the sense of laughter, right? It’s probably also for myself, I hear myself say this, and I’m like, girl you do that too still. You know, constantly going back to reminding myself that we’re more than just a physical body. And that, you know, exploring this holistic… what does holistic even mean, right? 

But then realizing, oh my gosh, like I do need to look at myself and I need to heal from all aspects of myself. And then bringing your husband along for the journey too, knowing that he is such a support system, piece of the support system for you. And then journeying through that together and realizing that we are more than just one little bit, we are many pieces coming together.

Nicole Monteserrato  17:17

Yeah. And you know, I had my faith the entire time, which, thank God, I’ve always had my faith, and I’m grateful that my faith was where it was during that time, because that definitely helped get me through, you know, the spiritual part. I always thought that, you know, from the day I was diagnosed, this was for a reason. 

This is for a reason, Nicole, you’re gonna do something with this. It was never a, you know, oh, why me? Or how is the universe doing this to me? I mean, I never… it never came across to me that way because of my faith. And because of that, it was… it got me through— my faith. 

And I’m grateful for that, that piece of it all. And I bring that a lot into my Nurse Coaching as necessary, and if it’s relevant to the client. But I just think that that’s a huge part of healing, feeling a connectedness to something higher and bigger than yourself, you know, knowing that you are here for a reason. 

And that meaning and purpose was my, like, sole motivation, I guess. And like, what really got me through everything, you know. So the spiritual part I did have, and I think that that’s why again, maybe I thought I was okay inside, you know, but still, there’s still such another mental, emotional part beyond the spiritual and physical that I was missing. 

Nicole Vienneau  18:42

Right. Yes. And thanks for clarifying that too. Because you didn’t say spiritual, you said mental, emotional. And spirituality can also be reflected in other things besides religion, too. Yeah. Yeah. So okay, so mental, emotional, were the components where you’re like, ah, I didn’t even know I needed those. 

Yes, okay. So then you discovered Nurse Coaching, you listen to the Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION! podcast and some other really inspiring Nurse Coaching podcasts out there too, to hear people’s stories. And then you said, you know, I’m gonna take a leap of faith, I’m gonna jump into this program and see what happens. So what happened?

Nicole Monteserrato  19:29

We got… you know, and again, in leading up to… because that was probably a six month process of leading up and trying to sign up for this course. Like I said, I was diving into a lot of things wellness. So I was starting to do my own research and starting to incorporate some self care practices already in my life and putting in the work in that sense, going to my support groups and such. 

So I was learning a lot already, which was really great. And then jumped into the class. And it sounds cliche, but it was just so transformative. Even more, it was just like the last thing I needed, not the last, but it was such an important part of propelling me into this, like, this whole new life I have, I feel, honestly. 

I have a whole new perspective, I have a whole new life, I have a whole new career outlook. I mean, all thanks to INCA, really. It was very educational, obviously, as far as, you know, coaching competencies and techniques, which again, we don’t ever learn in Nursing, which I think would be so valuable for every Nurse to know, to really try to help and connect with our patients more. 

And then the self care piece to this whole course, you know, they really made you reflect so much on yourself. We were coached ourselves, you know, we coached each other in our practicums. And just being coached myself and looking inward and journaling a lot during the whole process, like they, you know, encouraged you to do. 

It was just really a great time of reflection. And really finding out who I am, what I want to do, you know, reflecting on everything that I’ve been through, and where I want to see my life going and how I can be a different type of Nurse. And how I could show up a little differently and more of what’s aligned to my values now. 

And it was a great course, it really was. In our practicum, I coached a fellow Nurse, actually, at my hospital, and it was great. It was such… I loved my sessions with her and I loved coaching the Nurse because I truly understood where she was coming from, we have issues that nobody else could understand. 

And it was just so great. And she loved the space to reflect on herself. And she talked through so many things for herself. And she had so many aha moments in our sessions. And she said to me, Nicole, you should bring this to the hospital. And I was like, I don’t know, I don’t know. 

And she goes, no, I really think this is something special. And I think that this would be great. And I was like, well, we’ll see, we’ll see when I graduate. Because I really, you know, during the course, I didn’t know exactly where I was gonna go. We talk about trying to find our niche a little bit or seeing what kind of clientele you want to work with. 

And I kind of was all over the place, you know, do I want to deal with maybe cancer patients, but I didn’t want to just do that, I didn’t want to really limit myself. So I kind of went away from the niches and I was just like, I’m just kind of gonna roll with it and see what kind of comes my way and gonna kind of take that approach instead. 

So I actually started my own private practice, because I knew that I wanted to take on clients of my own and do something right on my own. And I started with group coaching Nurses. That’s what was like my first project, so to speak, as a Nurse Coach, and it was extremely well received. 

It’s called Nursing the Nurse, I opened it up to, you know, all Nurses, you know, on social media, through work, word of mouth, whatever. And I got a small group of about 10 Nurses together, we met on the beach here on Long Island, and it was a beautiful morning and it was a two hour workshop where we, you know, reflect on ourselves. 

We used our IHWA form, which is our Integrative Health and Wellness Assessment, to kind of dive deep into all the different aspects of our health that sometimes we forget to think about, like the mental, emotional for me. And you know, it was very eye opening to these Nurses. We did some breath work, we did a meditation. 

And I’ll never forget this but one of the Nurses was like, I don’t remember the last time I took a deep breath, Nicole, and that was just… it’s always sat with me like so heavy because it’s just so sad to me that we are in this constant fight or flight as Nurses and mothers and wives and whatever, that we don’t take those deep breaths that we really truly need to heal. 

So yeah, that just kind of made me want… made me realize that that was the right group to start with, and possibly where I want to kind of continue my whole career in Nurse Coaching.

Nicole Vienneau  24:44

I so love this conversation. Nursing the Nurse is the perfect title. Right? So, you know, you’re so right about the majority of our Nurses and healthcare providers in general, you know, not slowing down, realizing we’re not taking a breath, and most of us don’t realize that, and that we are in sympathetic for all of the day. 

I mean, we’re not even stopping to eat lunch, and, you know, no rest and digest, no parasympathetic, or very limited parasympathetic response through the day. And then going home and dealing, helping our families and, you know, caring for our parents caring for our children, all of the things that— you know, the majority of Nurses are women, and that we are caregivers in general. 

And what a blessing that you decided, you know what, I’m not going to have a niche. I’m just going to see what comes up. And I’m not going to put myself in a box, you know, I’m just going to see what comes up for me and just see what these possibilities could be. 

And then this opened up Nursing the Nurse, and a beautiful collection of 10 Nurses, where you could… you all come together, you don’t have to explain yourselves because you already understand. So there’s no energy that’s wasted in trying to explain what it is that we do. 

When Nurses coach Nurses, we can get to the heart of the matter very, very quickly. So, tell us more. Tell us more about, you know, some of the things you’re thinking of, what’s going on now. You’re using Nurse Coaching now in your healthcare facility, right?

Nicole Monteserrato  26:27

I am. So yeah, I did it on my own. That summer, after I graduated, I hosted two on my own of those workshops. I actually became part of the Wellness Committee at the hospital. And after, you know, being a Nurse Coach, I was like I should… you know, wanting to focus on all things wellness, I was like, I wonder what our wellness committee actually does. 

So I went into it and kind of listened for one meeting. And I told them I just graduated, you know, Nurse Coaching, and I told them what it was. And literally, their ears went up. And I was like, oh, they seem so interested. And they’re like, well tell us more. And what do you think about this, and blah, blah, blah, and you know. 

And I just kind of explained what it was and that I would love to bring some of it here to the hospital, maybe for our employees. And they were very exciting. It was the Director of Nursing Education, was on that call, and our CNO actually was on that call as well. And she said, I would love to hear more. 

So I was like… it was so nerve racking but it wasn’t at the same time because I just was so passionate about it. And I knew that it would only be so positive for everybody that I figured let’s just go all in, right? So I said, like, you know, made a little proposal of… actually, even before I did that, I talked about like some of my ideas that I would like to bring in a general meeting. 

And then they reached out to me and said, you know, we’re doing a Nurse manager retreat, and it was like at the end of their year, so it was like, I think it was last October. And it was like the end of their year. And we’re doing a retreat for Nurse managers, and we would love for you to come in as the Nurse Coach to do a little wellness with them at the last part of this retreat. 

And like really, we want to focus on them and like, you know, maybe a little bit of self care and whatever. I was like, okay, okay, I literally just said yes to everything. So I’m like, okay! So I went in a room with all these Nurse leaders from the hospital, which, like, I look back, and I’m like, it was so intimidating. 

Like literally the CNO, the Educator of Nursing Ed, you know, all the big… the Nurse managers, everything, all the Nurse leaders and administration. And I spoke about my story, I spoke about self care, I spoke about the ideas that I had for this hospital and how important it is, especially since COVID. 

And they loved it. They absolutely loved it. They were super receptive. The next week, I got an email from the CNO, and she had me on her calendar, and she said, we’re going to have a meeting, this date, bring me everything you got, we’re going to talk about this and how to bring this here. 

And I go, wow, that was easy. And it happened so, so organically and it was just so easy. And I think that really was part of how I presented it and how passionate I was about it and that like you’d be dumb not to take it kind of thing. So, yeah. So I had a meeting and I proposed all of my ideas. 

And they kind of started me really slow. This was in December, I had a meeting kind of for the new year, like, what are we going to do with you type thing. And they gave me one day a week. So I have one… I work part time, so I’m three days a week at the Breast Care Center. And so now one of those days, I am in wellness and doing Nurse Coaching. 

So I have an eight hour shift. And we’ve labeled them Wellness Wednesdays. And I am bringing new things, kind of, all the time. But what I started with was I do guided meditations in our recharge room. For those of you who don’t know, a recharge room is a room in our hospital that we actually have a virtual screen, where you have a main menu that you can go into certain places, like scenic places, we have the Northern Lights, we have a serenity beach, and blah, blah, blah, and you just stare at this beautiful screen, and it transports you. 

And there’s music with it. And it’s a calm room with candles, and it’s beautiful. And it’s very underused. So I host guided meditations there on Wednesdays for two hours for our employees, and anybody can come, and they’ve been very well received. Sometimes… you know, I’ve done that for a while, since January, and I have to say that there are weeks where there’s much more people than others. 

Again, we work in a hospital, obviously, things are gonna happen, that they’re not gonna… they may not be able to get to a meditation. But lately, I’ve been trying to take them on the road as well. So if I find that it’s quiet in the recharge room, and nobody’s really coming, I go to them. 

And I’ve gone to a couple of units, and I say, hey, everybody, let’s just get in the break room, and let’s do a quick meditation. And that has been very well received, they love me actually coming to them. And, you know, kind of making them stop, which has been really great. 

And then also what I’ve brought was the Nursing the Nurse, so I told them kind of what I was doing outside of the hospital. And I actually brought them a bunch of testimonials from all of the Nurses that have done it. And I said, this is what these Nurses had to say about it. And I said I would love to touch every Nurse in this hospital with that workshop. 

But it is a two hour workshop, so it’s not something you can do really on shift, I said, I would like for it to be on our Health Academy or health stream, we call it, which is like where we have all of our competencies on that we have to, you know, that are scheduled to do. It was put on within a week. 

And I was shocked that they went for it and they put it up there. To see my name on our Health Academy was really cool. It was not mandatory, but it was highly encouraged. And we actually are getting points on our clinical ladder for taking it. So that’s a big deal for a lot of Nurses who are on the clinical ladder, you know, we need a certain amount of points every year to get it passed. 

And so now they get points just for coming into this class. And again, really just showing the importance and the value that they’re putting on wellness, administration, you know, which is huge, because I think they automatically think, you know, they don’t care or they’re not doing the right things. 

It’s a lot of, you know, resentment towards administration. But, you know, I keep saying, you know, they’re investing in us now, they really, truly are, and they are through me, and I just want my colleagues to know that, you know, they’re investing in us, you know, with this wellness stuff. 

So this is all great stuff. So yes, so I’ve hosted these workshops, I’ve done a few so far. And they’ve been, again, very well received. Every Nurse kind of comes in not knowing at all what to expect, and they all leave, I mean, noticeably just different and just very inspired. 

You know, a lot of self reflection happens, there’s a lot of tears, there’s a lot of laughing, it’s all… it’s just a safe space to give these Nurses that they don’t normally have, you know, to work through some stuff and to just, again, to even be amongst each other, be amongst like minded people who understand and you know, can validate their feelings that they have as Nurses every day.

Nicole Vienneau  34:20

Woo! I just feel like I need to woo!

Nicole Monteserrato  34:25

We need to pause for a second.

Nicole Vienneau  34:36

How amazing. I was really connecting with the organic process of what has happened for you. There wasn’t a pushing and pulling and trying to force, and instead it was so organic and something you said about just being so passionate about it. 

And coming at the whole topic just from your heart, it sounds like, and wanting to be of service to your colleagues and supportive of your colleagues. And who better to do that than a Nurse who understands the ins and outs of a day in the life of Nursing.

Nicole Monteserrato  35:19

Right. And that was another thing that I really led with, you know, because I think they know that there’s an issue, obviously, within healthcare and amongst Nurses and their burnout, right? And all of this stuff, and they know that they need to build resilience in some way. And every way they had in place was just not via a Nurse, you know, we have this other outside entity that they hire to build resilience. 

And it’s like, who is this guy doing this thing? Like, how can he really relate to us and understand and it’s all through a computer, and it’s always virtual, and I said, we need something face to face, we need something here in this hospital that’s tangible, that they can really feel. 

Yeah, I just, that’s what I really kind of lead with, you know, that it really has to be from a Nurse. And I think that they really… it was an aha moment for them like, wow, like I don’t think they even thought to look within first, you know, so, yeah.

Nicole Vienneau  36:18

Yeah. So good. So, I too am doing this work alongside you, in a completely different state, and showing up for Nurses in a different capacity. Right? And so my background is intensive care. So it’s a nice liaison to come in and know that of course, I have the Nursing background and can come in, but I’m coming at them, not at them, but I’m coming towards them, coming with them, uniting with them, guiding them from the wellness perspective, and Nursing. 

So, combined. And one thing I noticed in myself, and I don’t… I’m not putting this on you, but one thing I noticed for myself when I started, was a sense of vulnerability of showing up for my fellow Nurses in this new way. And I had to talk to myself a lot, like here, I’m gonna go show up, and I’m usually the black and white protocol driven, you know, do the things like this, you know, go go go, Nurse. 

And now I’m going to come from a different perspective, of a holistic perspective, of a calm, calm, focused, loving way. And I found myself like, Oh, God, are they gonna think I’m crazy, or, you know, all of that, you know, so there was some of that when I first started. 

And sometimes it still creeps in, I won’t say it’s gone, right, it still creeps in, and depending upon what I’m doing, who I’m going to speak with. So I’m curious to know if any of that has happened for you.

Nicole Monteserrato  37:54

I get that. I totally hear where you’re coming from with that. However, because of my journey, and kind of really what led me here, a lot of the Nurses that I do know, that I was friendly with, they all knew my story. They knew, you know, exactly why I was in this position. 

And it was… I didn’t have to prove myself or explain myself, how did you get here, Nicole? They knew. Those Nurses, the ones that I was friendly with and have worked alongside. And it was very natural for them. They were like, that’s it, like, I’m so happy you’re here because this was all just meant to be for you. 

Like that’s… so it was a lot of… it was very supportive, and it’s been really nice. And then for the Nurses that don’t know me, I usually, in the Nursing the Nurse workshop, I do give a little bio of myself and kind of how I got here. And I don’t know, I guess that gives me the credibility that I don’t have to fight with. 

I don’t know, I’m like, you know, because I truly feel like I’m walking the walk, you know, I’m doing it. I am the perfect example of somebody who’s living such a busy life on autopilot, as a wife, Nurse, mother, blah, blah, blah, coach, everything, you know, like, soccer coach, that is. 

I was doing everything, and I got sick, you know, it doesn’t discriminate cancer. And you know, maybe… and I truly believe that a lot of environmental factors have a big… play a lot on, you know, a cancer diagnosis. So, it just made me reevaluate my whole life. And I am a different person because of what I went through, and I want to preach to other people not to take their health for granted. 

And not to live on autopilot. Because this life is just too short. And that’s my biggest message that I want to give to these other people. And I don’t know, they just really, they take it for what that is. And they’re like, wow, I mean, she’s done it. And some really look to me and they’re like, I want to live like that now, you know, and if she can do it, I can do it. And, exactly, you know?

Nicole Vienneau  40:01

Beautiful. Well said. Yes. And another reminder that we’re all on all different journeys. And that we just follow our own path sometimes, and we don’t know where it’s going. 

Nicole Monteserrato  40:15

Absolutely. 

Nicole Vienneau  40:19

So good. So I wanted to also touch on, you mentioned about the recharge rooms, and some things are being underutilized. In some of the things that I am doing in my facility, some things are like people latch on to very easily and they’ll attend, and other things not so much. 

I do go to the units quite a bit, do a lot of like, in person, like in the moment kinds of things. And I’m curious what you’re seeing in your environment as some of the barriers that Nurses are faced with, and how you’re overcoming some of those to actually get the Nurses to come to these events.

Nicole Monteserrato  41:02

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So that was a big thing. You know, when I first introduced Nursing the Nurse on the health stream, people automatically thought it was required. And then I had people sign up, and then all of a sudden, I think word got out that it wasn’t required, and then I started having people fall out. 

And so I said to… I run to administration, and I said, listen, there needs to be, you know… there needs to be a motivating factor, you know, like, yes, they need this, but they don’t know they need this yet, you know, so we have to give it to them. 

So I talked about having points on the ladder, I said, that would be a great… that would make it important, you know, I mean, that’s you putting… that’s the administration making it important enough to give you points for a ladder, that’s a big deal, you know, and that would motivate some people to come. So we did do that, which was awesome. 

However, not everyone’s on the ladder. So now what we’re also doing, I’m in the process of, is trying to get it approved for continuing education credits, which again, would be a big incentive. But it’s just a little bit of a process. So I am working through that with Nursing ed. So that is definitely helping with the Nursing the Nurse. 

As far as the guided meditations that I do, I kind of said, you know, instead of sitting there waiting for people to come to me, sometimes I just have to go to them. And some of them, you know, we have it in like the middle of like, it’s like a little rotunda. So we have units off of the recharge room. 

So like, I’ll go to the unit, and I’ll say, you guys want to do a meditation? And they’ll be like, yeah, but our break room sucks. And I go, okay, well, the recharge room’s like ten feet this way, like, let’s just move on over. And they’re so good at it, and they do half the unit goes, and then they go back and then half the unit goes again. 

So it’s been… that’s been very helpful, kind of going there, reminding them, because again, who’s writing, you know, making a note to themselves in the middle of their shift, at two o’clock we have a five minute meditation, you know, so I get it. And again, it’s really… I’ve noticed also that they need permission from their managers. 

Nobody is going to come and take a break when nobody else is taking a break. So I have done a lot of work with the managers and the assistant Nurse managers, even the educators, because they’re kind of in their ears, saying you have to allow your staff to do this. I remind them every Wednesday of Wellness Wednesday, please encourage your staff to come down. 

You know, they need to hear it from them. And you know, one of the units has been so good with that. And the Nurse manager literally is like, it’s two o’clock, we all got to go down there. Like you know, Group A go and then Group B go, and he’s so good at making them go. 

And some of the staff comes down and I go, oh, I’m so glad you were able to get here, and one was like, my Nurse manager made me. And I go, oh, well thank you, that’s great! And then afterwards she was like, I’m so glad he made me come here. I’m like, oh, I’m glad! But I’ve learned that definitely, Nurses especially, need to be given that permission. So, that’s one thing. 

Nicole Vienneau  44:19

Well, I really heard you say that you’re going out there, you’re talking to people. I do this too. There’s no way that anybody… you’re right, at two o’clock or 12 o’clock I need to go to such and such. It’s just not going to happen. The Nursing world is not timed like that. Where you’re… if you’re in more of an administrative role, you can easily put that in your calendar, you’re gonna go. 

But you never can predict what’s going to happen as a Nurse when you’re on the floor. You can’t predict. You maybe want to go, but you know, stuff happens and you can’t make it. So this communication that you’re having not only with the Nurses but with Nurse managers, and how can we make this happen? 

What do we need to do to support the Nurses to be able to come? And how can we make that happen? And if it’s taking people by the hand and bringing them over, that maybe, you know, even two Nurses at a time. I mean, I’ve really come to realize that even if one person comes, that that has made a difference for that one person. 

And us showing up for them is going to be so important. And just being reliable, and you know, making sure that we’re showing up when we say we’re going to show up, and really embodying, like you were saying, you’re embodying this, being in the moment, this taking care of self, this no longer living on autopilot.

Nicole Monteserrato  45:50

Yeah, definitely. That’s been the biggest shift in my life. I really was that person on such an autopilot. Like, you know, I think most of us are, really, I mean, just from college, getting a new job, getting… buying a house, getting married, doing all the things, you know, it just… you just do them, and then you just get in a rut of working in the mundane stuff, and carpooling, and it’s overwhelming. 

But I just… I’ve really slowed down in my life. And I just… I would love to encourage other Nurses to slow down and just start to prioritize their health a little bit more. We are less healthy than the average American— the Nurse. I hate that statistic. I hate that that’s a thing.

Nicole Vienneau  46:38

No, I don’t want that for my colleagues, either. Right? Yeah, one thing you mentioned, and I want to touch on this just for your next thoughts on, you said that sometimes the Nurse doesn’t even know that they need it. 

Nicole Monteserrato  46:42

Yeah, absolutely. 

Nicole Vienneau  46:57

That’s for somebody else. That’s not for me. Yeah. And so how are you, besides like going to them and getting the Nurse managers, how are you like, just establishing that trust and that recognition that yeah, this is actually for you, Nurse.

Nicole Monteserrato  47:15

Yeah. Well, you know, I don’t know, I mean, I think just being really… I just am pretty raw. Like, it’s funny, because in the recharge room, like I said, I have a two hour block in there. And for days where I don’t get… you know, some days, it’s constant and I have people coming in, and they’ll be like, it’s Wednesday, right? We have guided meditation? 

Like, so great. And it makes me so happy. But other days are just really quiet. And then I’ll have that one person trickle in. And it’s funny because I had a male Nurse come in, and he… it’s definitely his break spot. And he comes in, and he was just like, what are you doing? What is this? 

And I’m like, this is… we’re doing guided meditations. I said, you’re more than welcome to stay. And he goes, well, I just wanna lay down, I just want to sit here. You know, whatever. I’m like, okay, I’m like, you can use this time for whatever you want. You can just chill out there. 

If I get a group of people, we’re going to start, you can participate or not, you know, it’s whatever you’re comfortable with. So he ended up sitting in there, and no one ended up coming in. And he was just like, so what do you do? And like, we just slowly started talking about Nurse Coaching, what my whole mission is kind of here, you know, about Nurses taking breaks and supporting our Nurses’ health, and, you know, what do you do on your days off? 

And he’s like, I mean, I like to exercise. We had such an in depth conversation, it was like a whole coaching session, and he didn’t even realize. It was great, you know, and like, I see him all the time now. And like, he totally comes down almost every Wednesday. And he’s like… oh, you know, comes and peeks in. 

And he’s like, is anybody here? And I was just like, you know how it rolls, like, come as you are. Whatever comes of it comes of it, you know, and he’s just so comfortable now, and he just gets it. I don’t know. I mean, who knows what he really has taken away with it, you know, on his end, but I know I’ve helped him.

 And amongst a lot of other people, just that simple kind of one on one. I don’t know, just being really raw and honest. You know? I don’t know if that fully answered your question.

Nicole Vienneau  49:37

Absolutely, it does. Raw and honest. Isn’t that all that we really would love from a connection with another human? 

Nicole Monteserrato  49:47

Exactly. Absolutely. I’m all about connection. I think that that’s why we’re put on this earth. I really do. Connection’s always been a really big deal to me, and I connect with a lot of people and I connect hard. And I feel a lot, I empathize a lot. And I just think that that’s such great qualities for a Nurse Coach to have. And it’s just been very easy for me. And it’s been very natural for me to be in this position.

Nicole Vienneau  50:17

On that note, I love to ask the question, what is on your heart that you would like to share with our listeners today? 

Nicole Monteserrato  50:28

Yeah. I think… I went to a networking event, actually, towards the… probably right when I graduated last year. And there was a sign there that like, it was like their slogan of the night, and it said, feel the fear and do it anyway. And I remember being so nervous at that event, thinking, you know, as a Nurse, it’s very hard, the whole marketing business side of Nurse Coaching, right? 

And getting yourself out there, being vulnerable in that sense, and like kind of explaining to people what Nurse Coaching is and whatnot. So I remember sitting with that saying, and I was like, so fearful at the time, and I was like, okay, like, it’s not a bad thing to feel that fear. It’s not a bad thing. 

It just means that something’s coming, it means that change is coming. And that could be the best change in the world. So why not just do it. So I love that saying, and I would… my advice to other people would to really be like, embrace that fear that you’re feeling because it is so new and it’s so different, and you don’t know where it’s going to take you, but do it anyway. 

Get started. Make the proposal, make the connection with somebody, and it will happen as it’s supposed to happen. I truly believe that.

Nicole Vienneau  51:53

Thank you for those words of wisdom. Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Nicole Monteserrato  51:58

I literally live by it now.

Nicole Vienneau  52:02

I love that so much. Yeah, the things that we’re doing are newer, are showing up in different ways. And you know, I shared a little bit, like I’ve been vulnerable in this position, right? And I’ve been doing it for many years. And I still feel that vulnerability. 

So I’m showing up anyways, despite the fact that I’m feeling that fear. But coming at it with my heart open anyways, and see what happens, right? Yeah. Ah, well, I’ve just so enjoyed our conversation. And I know our listeners, I know you’re enjoying this conversation, too. So Nicole, how can we find you? How can we connect with you after? 

Nicole Monteserrato  52:43

Yeah. Well as I said, I would love to connect with anyone and everyone. I am very active on Instagram, I am @holisticnursecoachli, from Long Island. So, @holisticnursecoachli on Instagram is definitely the best way to reach me. 

Or you can email me, it’s nmonteserrato@inursecoach.com. So it’s just “N” like Nicole, and my last name, that I’m sure will be out here, at inursecoach.com. You can message me there as well. 

I do have a website for my private practice that I do see individual clients for and host some group coaching as well. It has definitely taken a little bit of a backseat since starting everything in the hospital setting. But I do still have that up and going as well. And that’s rejoiceinwellness.com. 

Nicole Vienneau  53:33

Lots of places where we can reach you. Yes. Well, thank you so much for all of your inspiring wisdom, your words of love and support for all of us Nurse coaches out here in the world. And we look forward to hearing more about you and watching you and your success.

Nicole Monteserrato  53:54

Thank you, thank you so much. And again, I would love for anyone to reach out. I actually had listened to a podcast from here months ago, and his information was out there from his group coaching that he was doing in the hospital setting, and I reached out to him just as he asked, and we connected and it was just such a nice little lifeline that I used and like you know, to get where I wanted to get. 

And it was just great little inspiration and some advice that he gave me which was just really nice to have from another Nurse Coach. So we’re all here for each other and I hope everyone utilizes everyone in ways that, you know, like you said, this is a newer field and we don’t need to be reinventing the wheel. So I think the more connections and more questions we ask each other would be awesome. 

Nicole Vienneau  54:44

Yes, I love that. Yeah, we are all together and we are all sharing, and the more we can connect, the more this advances. And hey, I’m gonna put John’s podcast— I’m spacing on his last name, but I’m going to put his podcast in the show notes too. 

Nicole Monteserrato  54:59

That’s cool!

Nicole Vienneau  55:01

Yes. Thanks again, Nicole.

Nicole Monteserrato  55:04

Thank you so much for having me. It was such a pleasure.