If you’re tired of pretending everything is fine, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to stay stuck.

In the past week, I’ve heard from so many of you reeling from the news that Congress passed legislation that will decimate healthcare as we know it. Funding cuts. Fewer resources. Even more pressure to do the impossible.

It’s tempting to grit your teeth and say, “I’m fine. I’ll adapt.” But let’s be honest: you are human, not a machine. And no amount of pretending will change what this costs you.

Today, I want to share practical tools, journal prompts, and micro-practices to help you reconnect with your own humanity—even in the busiest, most demanding roles. Because real leadership doesn’t come from being invulnerable. It comes from being fully human.

Name What’s Real

You can’t transform what you refuse to acknowledge.
Many of us learned to minimize our own struggle: “It’s not that bad.” “Others have it worse.” “I can handle it.”

But when you keep swallowing the truth, it eats you alive.

Micro-Practice:
At the end of your shift, take 60 seconds to write a single sentence naming your truth:

• Today was too much.

• I felt invisible.

• I did my best with what I had.

Journal Prompt:
When you say “I’m fine,” what are you really feeling?

Make Space for Self-Compassion

Your humanity is not a flaw. It’s your foundation.
Self-compassion isn’t indulgent—it’s a lifeline.

Micro-Practice: The 3-Breath Reset

1. Inhale: “This is hard.”

2. Exhale: “I am not alone.”

3. Inhale: “I am worthy of care.”

Journal Prompt:
What would you say to a colleague you love if they felt the way you do? What keeps you from saying that to yourself?

Identify Your Anchors

Even one small anchor can bring you back to yourself in the middle of chaos.

Examples of Anchors:

• A phrase on a sticky note: “You are more than what you do.”

• A daily ritual—like making your coffee slowly instead of rushing.

• A colleague you trust to check in with honesty.

Micro-Practice:
List 3 tiny ways you can reconnect to your humanity this week. Choose one to start today.

Reconnect with Your Why

When the system feels broken, it helps to remember what drew you to this work before the bureaucracy took over.

Journal Prompts:

• When did you last feel proud to be here?

• What moments remind you why you started?

Micro-Practice:
Create a “Why File.” Collect notes, photos, or memories that remind you your work matters—and that you do, too.

Choose One Thing

You don’t have to overhaul your life in a week. Just choose one small thing:

• One sentence of truth.

• One compassionate breath.

• One anchor to ground you.

Each tiny act of honesty and care is a vote for your wholeness.

You Deserve More Than Fine

If you’re exhausted, you’re not failing—you’re living in a system that was never designed to honor your humanity. But you still have the power to choose: to tell the truth, to stay anchored, to remember why you started.

✨ Real leadership starts when you allow yourself to be fully human.

Next week, I’ll be sharing more about my new program, Healthcare Visionary Academy. You can join the priority list now (see below) or stay tuned if you are more of a "give me the deets first" kind of person.  

Be sure to check out our current podcast episode with Dr. Lindsay Ragsdale on leading culture change without losing yourself.

Until then, be gentle with yourself. You are not fine—and you don’t have to pretend you are.

🌿 The Healthcare Visionary Academy isn’t just a training—it’s a community.

When you join the priority list for our next cohort, you’ll also get access to our private Facebook group: a space where you’ll meet other healthcare professionals who are done pretending everything is fine.

Together, we share support, encouragement, and real conversations about what it means to lead—and heal—as humans first.

✨ You are not alone here. Come be part of the movement.

Join the Priority List