The Pulse Check Podcast

This week on The Pulse Check, Keaton is in the interviewer’s seat, asking Sammy all about marriage, health, wellness, fitness, nursing, and what makes her tick. From life behind the scrubs to finding balance, building healthy habits, and navigating your 20s, we’re getting personal, sharing lessons learned, and talking about the things that shape who we are. Real conversations, a little bit of ever...

Ever wondered what actually happens during spinal surgery? We're getting into the backbone of it all. Literally. This week on The Pulse Check, Sammy is breaking down the spine from cervical to thoracic to lumbar, and everything that can go wrong in between. Think herniated discs, pinched nerves, spinal fusions, rods, screws, and the surgeries that sound way more intimidating than they need to. We'...

You spend years working toward becoming a nurse… and then one day, you actually are one. In this solo episode, Sammy is talking about the weird identity shift that happens after nursing school. Going from student to RN, suddenly being responsible for real patients, building confidence, figuring out what kind of nurse you want to be, and realizing that getting your dream job doesn't necessarily mea...

Seizures are SO much more than someone shaking on the floor. This week on The Pulse Check, Sammy is breaking down seizures in a way that actually makes sense. We’re talking about what a seizure really is, why they happen, the different types of seizures, what they can feel like, what happens afterward, epilepsy vs. a one-time seizure, and when a seizure becomes a medical emergency. Plus, we’re bus...

This week on The Pulse Check, I’m joined by my friend and former Neuro Trauma coworker Hannah Smith! We just took on HYROX together on September 20th, so obviously we had to talk about the race, the training, what nearly killed us, and what we learned from pushing ourselves way outside our comfort zones. But this episode goes a little deeper too. Hannah recently made the move from Neuro Trauma to...

Have you ever had that feeling of “I just don’t feel like myself lately”? In this episode of The Pulse Check, Sammy sits down with Tara Udy, FNP, to talk about anxiety, depression, hormones, women’s health, and why our mental and physical health are way more connected than we realize. Tara has spent years working in women’s health and recently co-opened Encompass, a practice focused on caring for...

What happens when your period just… disappears? In this episode, Sammy gets personal about her experience with losing her period and eventually getting it back. She’s breaking down the science behind the menstrual cycle and talking about how the brain, ovaries, hormones, nutrition, energy availability, exercise, stress, weight changes, and hormonal birth control can all play a role in menstrual he...

One year married and three years together. We're getting real about what marriage is actually like, from the biggest surprises and dumbest arguments to growing together, communicating, and finding quality time when one of us works night shift. No perfect marriage advice, just our honest first-year reality check. 🤍

Stroke sounds like something that happens to “old people”… until it happens to someone you love. This week on The Pulse Check, we're taking you inside the brain and breaking down EVERYTHING stroke related without making you feel like you're sitting through a 3-hour nursing lecture. What's actually happening when a blood vessel gets blocked? What's the difference between an ischemic...

I went to Meno Fest and accidentally got a PhD in menopause. This week I’m spilling everything I learned about HRT, hormones, brain fog, sleep, stress, metabolism, nutrition, libido, and building muscle from some incredible women’s health experts. Basically, menopause is WAY more complicated than hot flashes and way more interesting than I thought. Come laugh, learn, and find out why your hormones...

Why does vacation make us feel like completely different people?! You eat amazing food, walk 20,000 steps, have a few drinks, sit on a plane for six hours… and suddenly you're bloated, swollen, dehydrated, constipated and wondering why your shoes don't fit. 😂 In this episode of The Pulse Check Podcast , we're breaking down what actually happens to your body when you travel and giving you our favo...

Life lately + the unhinged things patients say 😂 This week on The Pulse Check, we’re taking a break from the serious health and wellness conversations and giving you a REAL life update. We’re catching up on what’s been happening behind the scenes, talking about nursing life, and sharing some of the funniest, weirdest, and most unhinged things patients have said to us on the floor. From things tha...

What does it look like to spend a lifetime serving others? This week on The Pulse Check Podcast, we're sitting down with one of our favorite people... Dr. David Bush. A retired Air Force Colonel, pediatrician, father of 10, grandfather of 11, and someone who has dedicated his life to caring for children, leading teams, and serving both his country and his community. From delivering thousands o...

Ever wonder why you can deep dive into a random topic for three hours but avoid sending one email all day? Same. This week on The Pulse Check Podcast, we're talking all things ADHD and dopamine through the perspective of two women who live it every day. We break down the science behind the ADHD brain, bust common myths, share our own experiences, and explain why you're not lazy; your brain just wo...

No one talks about menopause until you’re in it... and by then, you’re left wondering why you can’t sleep, why you’re anxious, why your body feels different, and why no one warned you. This week, we’re joined by Aimee Hopkin, PMHNP, to break down the science behind brain fog, belly fat, hot flashes, hormones, mental health, and everything in between. This is the conversation every woman deserves t...

What if we've been focusing on the wrong number all along? In this episode of The Pulse Check Podcast, we're diving into the science behind muscle and why it may be one of the biggest predictors of long-term health and longevity. We break down what actually happens inside your body when you lift weights, why preserving muscle is just as important as losing fat, how muscle supports your metabolism,...

From CNA to Certified Nurse-Midwife to Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Mandy Christensen's career is a testament to lifelong learning, resilience, and compassionate care. In this episode of The Pulse Check Podcast , Mandy shares her remarkable 26-year journey through healthcare, reflecting on the experiences that shaped her both professionally and personally. We explore the realities...

What actually happens inside your body every time you eat carbs? Is glucose really the villain social media makes it out to be? In this episode of The Pulse Check Podcast, we're breaking down the science of glucose from the cellular level all the way to diabetes, insulin resistance, weight gain, energy crashes, and longevity. We dive into how glucose fuels your brain and muscles, what insulin...

In this episode of The Pulse Check Podcast, Sammy sits down with Janet Izzo, a nurse with an incredible 39-year career, primarily spent in Labor & Delivery, helping bring countless lives into the world. Janet shares unforgettable stories from her decades in nursing, from heartwarming deliveries and unforgettable patient moments to the chaos, surprises, and emotional highs and lows that came wi...

Thinking about nursing school? Before you spend hundreds of dollars on viral study supplies and aesthetic note-taking systems, listen to this episode. I am sharing everything I wish I knew before my first semester, from the supplies that are actually worth investing in to the things I completely regret buying. I talk about our favorite clinical essentials, the study methods that helped me succeed,...

What was nursing like before electronic charting, modern technology, and today’s fast-paced healthcare world? In this episode of The Pulse Check Podcast, Sammy sits down with Kathy Kurtis, a nurse with an incredible 50-year career, primarily spent in the Emergency Room, before retiring in 2014. Kathy shares unforgettable stories from decades on the frontlines of healthcare, from chaotic ER moments...

When was the last time you got a truly good night's sleep? If you're a nurse, healthcare worker, student, parent, or basically any adult, the answer is probably "I honestly don't remember." This week on  The Pulse Check Podcast , Sammy and Sarah are diving into one of the most important and most neglected parts of our health: sleep. We're talking about what actually happe...

What’s it really like to protect people on some of their hardest days? In this episode of The Pulse Check Podcast , Sammy sits down with Kevin Gross to talk about a career built around service, safety, and showing up when people need it most. From spending 7 years as a hospital security guard to 13 years in law enforcement and now nearly 7 years as a school resource officer, Kevin opens up about t...

Love, marriage, real life, and everything in between 💍 In this week’s episode of The Pulse Check Podcast , we are celebrating a huge milestone as Sarah and Jaime hit their 2-year wedding anniversary, while Sammy and Keaton are approaching 10 months together. We are getting real about our relationships, sharing the highs and lows of marriage, what no one talks about, and the lessons we are learnin...

This week on The Pulse Check Podcast, we sit down with Emmie Johnson to talk about her journey from CNA to PCT, the realities of nursing school, and figuring out what comes next in life and healthcare. From long shifts to big decisions, Emmie shares the highs, challenges, and lessons she’s learned along the way. Tune in for an honest conversation about growth, career paths, and finding your purpos...