Why I Do What I Do: From Breakdown to Nurse Coach

Welcome! If you’ve found your way here, it’s likely you're navigating your own wellness journey—maybe burnt out, overwhelmed, or just feeling stuck. I want you to know: you're not alone.

I’m Samantha, a registered nurse since 2005 and now a certified nurse coach. While I wear many hats (including a few side hustles), this space is dedicated to the heart of what I do: guiding others toward healing—physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. This is my story—how I got here, why I do what I do, and the path that shaped me.

The Nursing Start Line

Although born and raised in New York, my career started in Maryland, where I graduated from Towson University, and began nursing at the one and only Johns Hopkins Hospital. From there, I made my way out west, still working the med-surg floors, dabbling in home health, Oncology, and Orthopedics, before I eventually trained into the ER.

Let me tell you—ER life is a beast. Organized chaos, high energy, nonstop.

Then one day, my back said, “Nope, we’re done.”

Years of bad posture and wear caught up with me, and it hit hard. It started as a searing pain in my lower back—so bad I had to leave a shift mid-way. My first instinct? Yoga. I thought, Okay, I need to stretch this out.

Funny side story: In college, I once went to a yoga session. The instructor told us to sit on the ground, “feel your bottom rooted to the Earth,” and imagine “a light beaming out of the top of your head.” I couldn’t wait to get out of there. Thought, Nope. This is not for me.

Fast forward to me watching hundreds of yoga videos, desperately trying to fix the pain.

When Pain Becomes a Teacher

A few months after the initial injury, I was reaching into the back seat to hand my then-4-year-old daughter something. I felt something pop in my mid-back. It hurt, but I shrugged it off.

About a week later, I started feeling numbness and tingling down my right hand and leg. That kicked off a whole new journey—tons of doctors, tons of meds. Anti-anxiety pills, muscle relaxers, pain meds... trying to treat the symptoms, even though all the scans and imaging came back clear.

It wasn’t until I saw one orthopedic doctor and a physical therapist that things started making sense. The ortho told me I’d been standing “jacked” for years. And fixing it? Would take a long time—and a lot of pain.

That I could accept. A real problem with a real path to healing. But no one prepared me for just how long, painful, and lonely that road would be.

Pain, Parenthood, and Feeling Lost

Those years were dark. The pain was constant. I was exhausted. I was a single mom, trying to hold it all together. Parenting, providing, guiding, surviving. And under all of that, I had no desire left. No spark.

So I turned inward. Took the holistic route—maybe because it made the most sense to me.

I had already started exploring things like chakras, Ayurveda, acupuncture. So I kept following what felt aligned. I started using herbs like turmeric and ginger for inflammation. Cut back dairy and sugar. Focused on stretching, movement, yoga. (Yoga, in all its forms, became my go-to. I now call it the movement of longevity.)

Looking back, I was healing more than just my body. Spiritually, I was reconnecting with faith—realizing I was supported, even when I didn’t feel it. And that I was capable of more.

Healing the Mind, Too

Even though I had stopped the medications, I couldn’t ignore the fact that they had served a purpose. For a while, they dulled the racing thoughts. They gave me space.

But the truth is—I think a lot. About everything. Good, bad, possible, impossible. And it left me drained, stuck in my head, and far from the real world.

I realized I had been living in my head, disconnected from my body and the present moment. That’s when I made a choice: I had to focus on me.

Through a mix of mentorships, courses, “interesting” choices, and winding roads, I slowly began to find what I’d been missing.

So… What Do I Do Now?

I help people—especially those who are burnt out, overwhelmed, or feel like they’re stuck in a life that no longer fits. People who know they want something different but aren’t sure where to start.

And I do it with the heart of a nurse and the wisdom of someone who’s been through it.

Whether you’re facing a new diagnosis, trying to manage chronic pain, navigating weight loss, or just in need of a complete life reset—you don’t have to walk alone. I bring both professional expertise and deeply personal experience to the table. I've been the patient. I’ve lived with chronic pain. I've faced dark thoughts, guilt, bitterness, and burnout.

But I moved through it. And I found purpose on the other side.

Now, my purpose is to help you do the same.

What to Expect from This Blog

This space will be a little random—because, well, that’s how my mind works. But it will always come from a place of guidance, truth, and healing. I'll share lessons, stories, wellness tools, and probably some things I'm just personally exploring.

There are three fundamental pillars that I stand by: yoga, continuous self-growth and learning, and spirituality. These three elements will remain foundational throughout this blog. While I promise to remain open-minded and unbiased in my approach, these are the lenses through which I view healing and holistic well-being.

Whether you're a nurse, a parent, a seeker, or someone in pain, I hope my words help you feel seen—and remind you that transformation is possible.

To guidance, protection, and healing,

Samantha