Here's something that surprises people: my last seven nursing jobs came from networking. Not from cold applications, not from perfectly timed job postings, but from relationships I built over time with people who knew my work. And here's the twist you might not expect: I'm an introvert. I would rather stay in my lane and do my work. So if networking has always felt awkward, transactional, or just not your thing, this episode is for you.

This is part three of the Small Steps, Big Moves series, and I'm pulling back the curtain on what networking actually is. Hint: it's way less intimidating than you think. We talk about why networking isn't the business card collecting, awkward LinkedIn message thing you're picturing, what actually counts as building relationships, and why career growth never happens in isolation. Then I give you two low effort ways to start this week. Because a book or a podcast can give you ideas, but it can't give you the colleague who thinks of you when an opportunity opens up. That part is up to you.

3 Takeaways

• Networking is rapport, not a transaction. It isn't collecting business cards or using people to get ahead. It's building genuine rapport, showing up consistently, and becoming someone others want to recommend.
• Relationships are the thing a podcast can't give you. Books and shows are the starting point, but they can't give you the sponsor who advocates for you when you're not in the room, or the colleague who thinks of you when a role opens up. Those are career gold, and they only come from real connection.
• Start small and start with what you have. You don't need a massive conference. Reconnect with one person you already know, and put one event on your calendar for the quarter. Two moves, not ten.

Got a Career or Work question? Send me a text right here.

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Last episode I gave you one tiny action to take, so before we dive in, I have to ask: did you do it? Whether you did or didn't, no judgment. This episode picks up right there and hands you a clear roadmap you can start today. Because here's the truth I've learned the hard way, with two master's degrees to show for it: education alone does not create career advancement. A plan and a strategy do.

I walk you through a five step checklist to figure out what you actually want, what you're genuinely good at, and how to start moving toward it, even if you have no idea what "it" is yet. We cover naming your real values (not the ones you think you should have), taking honest inventory of your strengths, making your resume work harder, the difference between a mentor and a career coach and when you need each, and why joining a professional organization opened the door to my presidency. Grab a notebook or your notes app. We're doing this together.

3 Takeaways

• A degree is not a strategy. 36% of nurses plan to further their education, but advancement comes from a plan, not another credential. Alignment between your values and your work is what raises satisfaction and lowers burnout.
• Clarity comes from naming what's actually true about you. Your real values (not the ones handed to you) and your honest strengths (not the ones you're supposed to have) are the raw material for every good career decision that follows.
• You can't see your own blind spots. Books and podcasts take you far, but a mentor or coach sees what you can't. A coach is for a specific, targeted goal; a mentor is the longer relationship. The sweet spot is one to two years of consistent connection.

Got a Career or Work question? Send me a text right here.

Support the show

Trying to figure out your next career step?
Download my FREE Nursing Career Growth Roadmap

Tired of being overlooked for promotions? Book a Nurse Leadership Positioning Intensive—a 60-minute 1:1 session to pinpoint what's blocking your advancement and map out your plan to get there.

Here's something people don't believe when I tell them: I became president of my state nurses association, and it did not start with a big, dramatic decision. It started seven years ago with something almost embarrassingly small. I showed up to one convention meeting, then one regional event, then volunteered for one tiny committee right there in the space where I already worked. That's how real career growth happens. Not in the big cinematic moments, but in the small ones that feel like they barely count.

In this episode, I break down why small steps beat big leaps every single time, and why your brain resists the big changes anyway. I'll walk you through the ideas that reshaped my thinking (The Slight Edge and Atomic Habits), the three reasons tiny steps feel not worth it in the moment, and the truth that the magic isn't in any one moment. It's in the repetition. As nurses, repetition is what we already do best.

3 Takeaways

• Career growth compounds, it doesn't leap. Getting 1% better every day makes you roughly 37x better in a year. One certification you never build on isn't 1% better; the daily 10 to 15 minutes of reading and applying afterward is. Small, repeated, strategic. That's the engine.
• The steps that feel insignificant are the ones that pay off later. One conference conversation, one email to a mentor, one article about your specialty. None of them feel like they matter until the day they open a door you didn't know existed.
• If you're already taking steps and still swirling, the fix isn't more steps. It's strategy. Action takers who feel stuck don't need to hustle harder. They need the next right step, and that's clarity work you can do on purpose.

Got a Career or Work question? Send me a text right here.

Support the show

Trying to figure out your next career step?
Download my FREE Nursing Career Growth Roadmap

Tired of being overlooked for promotions? Book a Nurse Leadership Positioning Intensive—a 60-minute 1:1 session to pinpoint what's blocking your advancement and map out your plan to get there.