The Successful Nurse Coaches ™

Latest Episodes:

221: Are You Special? Jan 19, 2026

Show notes

In today’s episode, Shelby reflects on graduating 28 clients and experiencing her first week without active clients since 2022. She delivers a candid reality check about building a coaching business: no one is special or exempt from the fundamental rules of business. Success doesn't come from passion, manifestation, or good intentions alone—it requires consistent action, discipline, and a willingness to do hard things repeatedly. Shelby emphasizes that feeling too comfortable in your business is actually a warning sign, and entrepreneurs must constantly find their growth edge to keep their businesses alive and thriving.

Shelby outlines five non-negotiable rules that apply to every coach:

People buy because they feel seen and you invite them (not because you're passionate)
Visibility matters because no one can buy from you if they don't know you exist
Consistency beats brilliance every single time
No one is coming to rescue you so you must execute on your own
Time alone doesn't build your business—only action does.

She challenges listeners to track their actual working hours in 15-minute increments for three days to see how much time they're truly spending on business-building activities versus scrolling or just thinking about work.

You don't need to be special—you just need to be willing to show up when it's boring, awkward, or uncomfortable, and follow your plan even when you don't feel like it. While entrepreneurship is undeniably hard and requires grit and repetition, there are also incredible high points along the way—celebratory moments that should be bottled up as fuel for the challenging seasons that inevitably come.

Watch full episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/DJcR-_yM1L0

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

220: NLCA 29 - How to Upgrade Pro Bono Clients into Paid Clients Jan 12, 2026

Show notes

In today’s episode, Shelby revisits a crucial topic for nurse coaches: how to confidently transition your pro bono clients into paying clients. Whether you’re a Nurse Life Coach Academy student, a graduate of another nurse coaching program, or just starting out, this episode is packed with actionable advice, real talk, and step-by-step strategies to help you grow your coaching business.

What You’ll Learn

Why pro bono clients often don’t convert, and how to change that
The mindset shifts needed to confidently offer paid coaching
What NOT to do when a client asks about continuing (and what to say instead)
How to guide the conversation without feeling “salesy”
The power of silence and letting clients make informed decisions
How to “future cast” and root client goals in reality
Structuring your paid offer (pricing, session count, and more)
Handling client responses: yes, no, or “I need to think about it”
Why a “no” isn’t a failure, and how to keep the door open for future work

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://youtu.be/fGp1UNmtw_8

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

219: The Year of Giving Medium F*cks Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Laura kicks off 2026 with a candid and insightful solo discussion about her new approach to life and business: “The Year of Giving Medium Fs.” She explores the pitfalls of all-or-nothing thinking, the value of finding balance, and how embracing “medium Fs” can lead to more peace, consistency, and sustainable growth in both personal and professional life.

Key Topics Covered:

Why setting intentions and focusing on who you want to become is more powerful than chasing specific achievements
The dangers of living at the extremes—giving all or none of your energy—and the benefits of finding a middle ground
Laura’s personal goals for 2026, including financial growth with peace, health and nervous system regulation, and nurturing family relationships
The importance of boring, consistent habits for long-term health and success
How to balance ambition with emotional availability for family and friends
Letting go of algorithm drama and internet outrage to focus on meaningful work
The challenge (and value) of embracing “boring” consistency for high achievers
An invitation for listeners to find one area of their life to practice giving “medium Fs”

Watch full episode on YouTube

https://youtu.be/94wO9kqUvAU

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

218: How to L.E.A.P into Making a Change Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

As the year comes to a close, Laura and Shelby introduce a powerful framework they have been using behind the scenes for years to help nurse coaches move through fear, uncertainty, and stagnation. In this episode, they break down the L.E.A.P Framework, a practical and deeply human way to understand why change feels so hard and how to keep moving anyway. Whether you are considering nurse coaching, building a private practice, or standing at the edge of a personal or professional shift, this conversation offers clarity, reassurance, and a path forward. This is not about forcing confidence. It is about building it through action, trust, and repetition.

The L.E.A.P Framework

L is for Longing: The internal pull toward something more. This is the moment you realize you have outgrown where you are and can no longer ignore the desire for change.
E is for Evidence Seeking: The phase where the brain looks for certainty before moving. This becomes a problem when evidence seeking turns into avoidance and delays action.
A is for Ambiguity Tolerance: The ability to sit in uncertainty without collapsing, freezing, or quitting. This is one of the most important skills for entrepreneurship and leadership.
P is for Practice: Repeated action builds certainty retroactively. Confidence, clarity, and skill are earned through doing, not thinking.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://youtu.be/k2YaK9M_YMA

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

EP 217: Why Nurses Struggle to Receive Money (and How That Caps Their Impact) Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

In this solo episode, Laura delivers one of the most honest and confrontational conversations the Successful Nurse Coach Podcast has ever held. After a behind-the-scenes moment with mentors that shook her perspective, she unpacks a core issue holding nurses back from real impact: the inability to receive. This episode explores how nursing culture conditions martyrdom, why under-earning is not ethical, and how learning to receive money, praise, and support is essential for leadership, sustainability, and changing healthcare. If this episode makes you uncomfortable, that is the point. Discomfort is where deconditioning begins.

In this episode, Laura shares:

Nurses do not have a money problem. They have a receiving problem.
Nursing culture rewards overgiving, endurance, and martyrdom while discouraging receiving.
Impact in private practice is not based on hours worked but on outcomes created.
Underearning does not make nurses more compassionate. It makes them exhausted, resentful, and exploitable.
Learning to receive is an ethical responsibility if you want to lead and create change.
Money creates safety. Safety creates clearer thinking. Clearer thinking creates better care.
Private practice and nurse coaching force growth by requiring nurses to receive without guilt.
Martyrdom is not moral high ground. It is a business model, and nurses have been the product.
Receiving allows you to give from excess, alignment, and regulation instead of depletion.
You cannot heal healthcare while financially depleted and resentful.

If nurses want to lead the next evolution of healthcare, they must unlearn martyrdom and master receiving. Receiving is not greed. It is regulation, capacity, and leadership in action.

Watch full episode on YouTube

https://youtu.be/554LgCwFq3g

If you loved this episode…

Please take 30 seconds to subscribe, rate, and leave a review — it helps more nurses find this work and fall in love with the boring parts too.

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

216: You’re Certified – Now What? Building Confidence as a New Nurse Coach Dec 15, 2025

Show notes

After the excitement of becoming a Board Certified Nurse Coach, many coaches hit an unexpected wave of uncertainty. In this episode, Laura and Shelby break down the messy middle that happens right after certification: the “am I doing this right,” the fear of visibility, and the pressure to suddenly have everything figured out. They share what actually matters in these early stages, why slow and steady progress builds long term success, and how to create momentum without burning out or expecting perfection. This conversation is grounding, practical, and a permission slip to breathe, soften, and take the next small step instead of trying to leap into a fully formed business overnight.

Things to remember:

Certification is the beginning, not the final destination. Feeling uncertain afterward is completely normal.
You do not need a perfect plan. You just need consistent action and willingness to learn as you go.
Wobbliness is part of the process. Confidence comes from reps, not readiness.
Visibility grows slowly. You do not have to show up everywhere at once.
Community support matters. You build faster and stay grounded when you are not doing it alone.
You already have what you need to start. The next step is always small, doable, and right in front of you.

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

If you loved this episode…

Please take 30 seconds to subscribe, rate, and leave a review — it helps more nurses find this work and fall in love with the boring parts too.

Watch the full episode here:

https://youtu.be/r2ohGjiY5hk

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

215: Behind the Scenes with Shelby Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

In this week’s episode, Shelby is interviewed by the lovely Meghan Ruttan, sharing all about the inner workings of the successful nurse coaches, and learning some fun facts about Shelby’s personal life.

Shelby shares what she endures behind the scenes every day: the patterns, the breakthroughs, the wobbliness, the resistance, and the moments when everything finally clicks. Her perspective is both grounding and validating, especially for anyone who is in the messy, uncertain, or stretchy season of becoming a nurse coach.

In this episode, you will hear:

The behind the scenes experience of supporting new nurse coaches
Common fears and mindset obstacles students face in their first months
Why discomfort is not a sign something is wrong
How to move through overwhelm without shutting down
The difference between consuming information and actually embodying the work
Why being coachable matters far more than being confident
What Shelby wishes every new nurse coach understood at the start
How NLCA blends emotional support, skills practice, and business strategy
The power of community and why it accelerates growth
Real stories of breakthroughs, pivots, and unexpected wins inside the program

Success as a nurse coach is not about having it all figured out. It is about staying connected, staying coachable, and allowing yourself to grow into someone you have not yet met.

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

If you loved this episode…

Please take 30 seconds to subscribe, rate, and leave a review — it helps more nurses find this work and fall in love with the boring parts too.

Watch the full episode on Youtube:

https://youtu.be/CXV9-AGuoug

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

214: NLCA 28: Why Nurse Coaching Is the Fastest-Growing Holistic Nursing Specialty — and How NLCA Is Leading the Movement Dec 01, 2025

Show notes

In today’s episode of The Nurse Life Coach Academy edition of the podcast, Laura and Shelby dive into why nurse coaching is the fastest-growing holistic specialty in nursing, and why now is the perfect time to join the movement. They explore the impact of AI on healthcare, the urgent need for emotional support in nursing, and how Nurse Life Coach Academy is leading the charge to create innovative roles that transform both patient care and nurse well-being.

Throughout the episode, they discuss:

The Rise of Nurse Coaching: Why it’s the only holistic specialty in nursing that’s rapidly expanding and how it compares to the early days of nurse practitioners.
AI and Healthcare: How technology is reshaping the industry, and why coaching remains essential for human connection and adaptability.
Burnout and Retention: Eye-opening stats on nurse turnover, stress, and the cost to hospitals—and how coaching can help reverse these trends.
Organizational Impact: Real-world examples of hospitals implementing nurse coach departments and seeing reductions in turnover by up to 40%.
Private Practice Benefits: Why every RN should consider a home-based coaching business.
Leadership and Sales Skills: How coaching equips nurses with entrepreneurial and leadership skills to pioneer change in healthcare.
Job Market Growth: Nurse coach roles are popping up nationwide, with salaries ranging from $70K to $95/hour and even six-figure opportunities for advanced practice nurses.

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

If you loved this episode…

Please take 30 seconds to subscribe, rate, and leave a review — it helps more nurses find this work and fall in love with the boring parts too.

Watch full episode on YouTube

https://youtu.be/XSb_Cogio3E

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

213: How Introverts Thrive as Professional Nurse Coaches Nov 24, 2025

Show notes

What if introversion isn’t a limitation in coaching, but instead, a superpower that makes you extraordinary?

In this episode, Laura opens up about what it really means to be an introverted nurse stepping into entrepreneurship, visibility, and leadership. Far from the stereotypes of being shy or quiet, introversion is about energy, attunement, depth, and the ability to create a grounded presence that transforms people from the inside out.

Through personal stories and years of coaching experience, Laura reframes introversion as a powerful advantage in private practice, especially in one to one nursing coaching, where deep listening and intuitive awareness matter more than hype, charisma, or filling a room with noise.

This episode is your permission slip to stop performing like an extrovert and start building a business that honors your wiring, your nervous system, and your natural magic.

Key Takeaways

Introversion is about energy, not personality.
Coaching is built for introverts. Deep listening, attunement, and presence are superpowers.
Selling as an introvert is not persuasion. It is service, clarity, and grounded confidence.
You do not need to perform like an extrovert. You need to honor your nervous system.
There are wildly successful introverted coaches. You can build success without abandoning yourself.

If you identify as an introvert, Laura invites you to:

Honor how you recharge and communicate that to the people in your life
Build your business around your strengths instead of forcing extroverted strategies
Trust your presence because it is potent, powerful, and deeply transformative

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesuccessfulnursecoach

If you loved this episode…

Please take 30 seconds to subscribe, rate, and leave a review — it helps more nurses find this work and fall in love with the boring parts too.

Watch the full episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/dg8dDyFW8T0

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/

212: How To Do Hard Things Nov 17, 2025

Show notes

Nurses do hard things every single day. So why does entrepreneurship feel harder?

In this solo episode, Shelby breaks down the truth about why nurse coaches freeze when it is time to build a business, even though they are some of the most capable, resilient humans on the planet. She walks through her own history of doing hard things, the uncomfortable lessons that shaped her capacity, and the real reason your confidence seems to evaporate the moment you sit down to work on your business.

This is not a pep-talk episode. It is a grounded, honest exploration of how to translate your existing resilience into the world of private practice and how to build the internal capacity required to grow a successful business.

Connect with us:

Instagram: @successfulnursecoaches

Website: www.thesuccessfulnursecoaches.com

If you loved this episode…

Please take 30 seconds to subscribe, rate, and leave a review — it helps more nurses find this work and fall in love with the boring parts too.

Watch full episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/oTN8yqFfWsk

Mentioned in this episode:

NCR + Cohort 8

https://www.nurselifecoachacademy.com/