Your Coach Charlene: Where purpose meets wellness, and whispers become movement

What if getting older isn't something to fear, but something to embrace? In this conversation, Coach Charlene sits down with retired nurse, midwife, author, and Nurses Talking founder Dale Barzey-Pond to discuss purpose, identity, healthy aging, and why our greatest years may still be ahead of us. After more than 50 years in nursing and healthcare, Dale shares the lessons she's learned abo...

In this conversation, Charlene sits down with Dr. Andrea Hall, nurse leader, educator, and mind-body coach, to talk about what it really looks like to reconnect with yourself after years of pouring into others. With over 30 years in healthcare, Dr. Hall shares how she transitioned into a more holistic approach to healing, focusing on the connection between the mind, body, and spirit. This is a gro...

Staying calm is not something you’re born with. It’s something you build. In this video, Charlene shares the foundation of what she calls “undisturbed composure” and how it became a non-negotiable skill during her years in nurse leadership. From leading high-pressure hospital units to navigating difficult people and chaotic environments, this is the mindset and practice that helped her stay ground...

What if the most powerful leadership skill in healthcare isn’t clinical expertise, but love? In this episode, Coach Charlene sits down with Darlene A. Cunha, MMHC, BSN, CENP-RN, WCSI, Caritas Coach and former Chief Nursing Officer, to talk about the leadership skill no one teaches nurses, but every great leader eventually learns. With more than four decades of executive nursing experience, Darlene...

In this video, Coach Charlene explores why humility matters just as much as knowledge in healthcare. Drawing from lived experience and clinical leadership, she unpacks the critical difference between cultural competence and cultural humility —and why humility must be a lifelong practice, not a checked box. She introduces the 5Rs Framework as a practical, reflective tool providers can use to streng...

Pregnancy and birth should feel safe, supported, and respectful. In this video, Coach Charlene speaks directly to Black moms about how to find your voice, build trust with your provider, and advocate for your health every step of the way. You will learn how to ask the right questions, recognize when something does not feel right, and bring support into your care so you are not navigating this jour...

Are you good at your job but secretly burned out? In this episode, Nurse Practitioner turned Marketing Expert Lauren Leigh reveals why so many healthcare professionals get trapped in the "Zone of Excellence"—where competence and a steady paycheck keep you from finding your true purpose. Lauren shares her 15-year journey from the ER to the streets of Detroit doing harm reduction, and finally to lau...

"You better think twice about whether or not you have what it takes to be a nurse." Those were the devastating words a preceptor said to Dr. Renee Thompson just two weeks into her nursing career. She went home that night and told her husband she was quitting. If it wasn't for one manager who intervened, the nursing world would have lost one of its most vital leaders. In this episode,...

Welcome to the final video of my series on nurse burnout! In this episode, I’m getting personal because we're talking about the real battlefield—the one inside your mind. Do you feel like your inner critic is louder than any praise? Or that burnout has become so personal, you feel like you're the problem? I want to remind you: You are not the problem; you are the solution . I believe that...

Greetings, this is Coach Charlene. We’ve spent the last few weeks in a deep series on burnout , and I know so many of us are tired of just hearing the word. But I think it’s so important to keep talking about it, because sometimes you don't even know you're in it—you just have the signs. As nurses, physicians, and caregivers, our work isn't getting easier. That's why my role as the...

Are you a nurse, physician, or healthcare professional feeling the effects of burnout, frustration, and negativity in your workplace? That's "emotional contagion"—the silent transfer of moods and attitudes—and it can drain your energy and impact patient care. In this episode, we talk about why "what you carry affects what you create" and gives you practical tools to manage...

Are you dreading going into work, feeling emotionally numb, or disconnected from your purpose? I know exactly what that feels like. I've been there. Burnout can blind you to the impact you're making , but I want to remind you that your purpose is more powerful than any policy or perk. In this video, I share my personal journey through burnout and the powerful tools that helped me find my meaning a...

Hey, this is Coach Charlene. Have you ever returned from a vacation or taken time off, only to feel just as empty and exhausted as before? I know that feeling all too well. I learned that this isn't just fatigue—it’s your soul being depleted. In this video, I share my personal story about how I realized that no amount of vacation can fix the feeling of being misaligned with your true purpose. It’s...

In this fireside chat, I wanted to do a heart-to-heart for every nurse out there who is feeling the weight of our profession. After more than 32 years in nursing, I want to open up and share my own story of burnout, the constant grind of leadership, and some of the sobering lessons I've learned along the way. I'll reflect on the incredible impact we have—how we are the instruments used to help a b...

Have you ever walked away from a shift thinking, "Man, I should have said something," but you froze?. If you've ever felt ignored, dismissed, or afraid to speak up at work, this episode is for you. We are exploring the "silent suffering behind nurses' smiles" and the reasons why a culture of silence is so common in healthcare. The host shares her personal story of being silent for 20 years in the...

In this pisode, I want to go a little deeper into how you can choose joy on purpose, every single day, no matter what your shift throws at you. For me, choosing joy is an intentional and deliberate act ; it doesn’t mean ignoring reality, but deciding not to let circumstances steal your essence. I call this practice my "daily rebellion" against the natural tendency to be negative because of everyth...

In this episode, I want to talk directly to you about a tough question: What do you do when the place that once made you proud now just makes you tired?. I know how it feels, especially in the nursing profession, to be present but disconnected. I want you to know that you're not broken, and you are enough. We'll talk about some of the reasons joy fades in healthcare, from the high emotional labor...

What happens when career success comes at the cost of your health and soul? In this episode of When the Moment Chooses You , Coach Charlene sits down with Dr. Megan Carter, DNP, RN, NEA-BC — Board-Certified Nurse Executive, founder of MC Health Care Consulting, and creator of the Chaos Whisperer Movement. After 20 years of climbing the nurse executive ladder, Dr. Carter hit a breaking point. Burne...

What would you do to reclaim health in your community? For Kwame Terra, it meant building Bear Health (bEHR Health) — a patient-centered platform using real-time data and community challenges to close health gaps in the Black community. It also meant walking 2 million steps in 30 days to prove what’s possible. In this episode of When the Moment Chooses You, Coach Charlene dives into Kwame’s journe...

What happens when you’ve checked every box of “success” — the title, the income, the apartment, the freedom — but still feel empty inside? In this episode of When the Moment Chooses You, Coach Charlene sits down with Bianca Ariel, MBA — Founder & CEO of Recalibrated Vision, career strategist, and purpose-driven business coach for healthcare professionals. Bianca shares her powerful journey fro...

With over two decades of diverse nursing experience—from neuroscience to urgent care—Nina M. Stevenson has seen it all. As the founder of Nina Nurses and AI Nurse Consultants, she’s on a mission to equip healthcare professionals with the tools, training, and confidence to thrive at every stage of their careers. In this episode, Nina shares her journey, her groundbreaking AI Nurse Consultant progra...

Double board-certified Family and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Chinelo A. Okoye joins the show to speak truth—boldly and clearly—about the real image of nursing. As the founder of Nurse On Purpose, Chinelo is on a mission to dismantle media stereotypes and uplift the truth: nurses are critical thinkers, leaders, researchers, and autonomous professionals who shape the future of healthcare. In this...

In this transformative episode of When the Moment Chooses You, we sit down with Debbie Renee Howard — speaker, transformational coach, and founder of Dezigned for Greatness — as she breaks down what it really means to own your brilliance. With over 30 years in the healthcare industry and a deep-rooted mission to equip women to lead with confidence, clarity, and faith, Debbie shares a bold and empo...

🎙 Welcome to the When the Moment Chooses You Podcast! I’m Coach Charlene —a nurse, Wellness Whisperer, and advocate for purpose-driven living. On this show, I amplify the voices of trailblazers, dreamers, and change agents —those who dare to disrupt themselves and the systems they serve. Each episode is a heart-centered journey into transformation, leadership, and the power of saying “yes” to the...

In this powerful episode, Nurse Practitioner, educator, and entrepreneur Fallon M. Flowers shares her personal mission to empower aspiring Black nurses and advocate for women’s health equity. From her roots on the Southside of Chicago to founding NursingInspired LLC, Fallon reflects on how representation, mentorship, and service have shaped her purpose. Coach Charlene and Fallon dive into what it...