Loretta, a nurse practitioner, had dream after dream in which she saw her patients being unwell. She would wake up feeling helpless.

Even during her waking hours, she felt as though she was failing her patients, despite their feedback emphasizing that they feel seen, not processed.

What’s worse, she was struggling to contain the signs of her burnout.

I listened. Loretta desired to spend more time with each patient to uncover the deeper causes behind their conditions. She wanted to spend more time educating them on managing their health.

With more questions, we uncovered that her patients and younger colleagues alike blossom under her guidance. She loves sharing her knowledge and experience. This insight became the foundation for her midlife career reinvention.

Loretta is now exploring opening a private practice that would give her the flexibility to coach and teach, as well as offer patient care without system constraints.

She won’t go all in, not until she has tested out the new direction. If her “experiment” doesn’t go as planned, at least she would have tried, and her professional reputation and income would remain secure.