It's time to Break Free from what I'm calling Downward Thinking

Have you ever felt like you're meant for more, only to talk yourself out of it?

I'm too old. I'm not smart enough. What if I want a family? What if I don't get accepted? What if I get the interview and completely blow it?

Or maybe you got the interview, the acceptance letter, or the opportunity you've been praying for—and somehow, you still don't feel ready. You still wonder if you belong.

Here's what I've been seeing in my coaching conversations: you can move forward in your career while remaining stuck in the same mindset.

Welcome to a conversation about downward thinking—the ins, uns, less, and nots that quietly shape how we see ourselves: incapable, inadequate, unworthy, helpless, hopeless, unwanted, or as if we don't belong.

Because here's the truth: new zip codes do not create new mindsets.

What you're carrying in this season doesn't automatically disappear when your circumstances change. You can get the interview, enter CRNA school, earn the degree, and collect the credentials without ever confronting the thoughts that keep you questioning your worth.

In this episode of The Mindful CRNA, we're talking about the silent process through which a thought becomes a belief, a belief becomes a pattern, and a pattern can become a trap. We'll explore how overthinking, overfunctioning, people pleasing, perfectionism, and why constantly trying to prove yourself can leave you exhausted from doing more while remaining disconnected from your purpose.

And no, the answer isn't to slap a positive affirmation over every uncomfortable thought and hope it disappears.

It's time to become aware of what you're agreeing with, challenge what isn't true, and deliberately replace and renew that smart brain of yours.

In this episode, we're unpacking:

• Downward thinking: Recognizing the "ins, uns, less, and nots" that pull you down.
• The silent trap: How unchallenged thoughts can become beliefs, patterns, and strongholds.
• The overfunctioning cycle: Why staying busy, seeking validation, and trying to prove yourself can keep you stuck.
• The internal infrastructure: Why clinical preparation matters—and why the person behind the provider needs preparation, too.
• Renewing your mind: Learning to question your thoughts instead of automatically believing them.
• What is right with you?: Shifting your attention toward what is good, true, and already present in you.
• Intentional action: Moving from scrolling, hesitating, and waiting for motivation to taking one purposeful step forward.
• Faith, identity, and becoming: Choosing what you dwell on and who you want to become, even when the journey gets messy.

Because CRNA school will stretch you. Increased responsibility can expose the places where your internal foundation needs strengthening. And if you never learn to recognize your patterns, you may find yourself carrying the same fears into every new level.

You are not required to agree with every thought that enters your mind.

You don't have to wait until you feel ready to begin preparing. You don't have to keep proving your worth through achievement. And you don't have to live beneath your potential because fear has become your default setting.

Awareness is where we start. Then we learn to walk differently.

Your challenge this week: Catch one thought that keeps you small. Ask yourself, Is this actually true? What do I know is true about me? And what's one thing I can do right now to move toward the person I want to become?

You have a future to prepare for—and the work of becoming that person starts today.

Subscribe to The Mindful CRNA and share this episode with someone who needs the reminder that they are more than their fears, their circumstances, or their credentials.

Stay mindful. Renew your mind. Keep becoming.

LINKS MENTIONED:

CRNA Bootcamp 2026 is LIVE! Join here.

More Than Anesthesia: The Legacy Pivot

What if becoming a CRNA was never just about earning the credentials but about becoming the person your purpose requires?

In this episode of The Mindful CRNA Podcast, I'm pulling back the curtain on the rebrand and the personal refinement that have shaped this next season of The Mindful CRNA.

Over the last six months, I've experienced some major changes—bodybuilding, working full-time, becoming a certified coach, deepening my faith, expanding my vision, and realizing that the version of me who got me here cannot be the version of me who carries where I'm going.

And then, life reminded me exactly why this work matters.

After finding myself on the other side of healthcare as a patient, followed shortly after by watching someone I love navigate a terrifying medical situation with her father, I was reminded of something we can never afford to forget:

People don't just need our clinical competence, they need our humanity.

They need compassion when they're scared.
They need presence when they're in pain.
They need someone who can hold space when everything feels uncertain.

And no degree, GPA, certification, title, or string of letters after your name can replace that.

In this episode, we're talking about burnout, emotional work, leadership, compassion, resilience, and why mindset alone isn't enough.

Because if we don't do the deeper work, we can become incredibly competent while slowly losing the very compassion that brought us into healthcare in the first place.

This is more than anesthesia.

It's about building the leader behind the license. The person behind the provider.
Leadership before licensure. Character before career.

We don't just need more impressive healthcare professionals.

We need healed, grounded, courageous, compassionate leaders who can remain steady in hard places and help other people rise.

So the question isn't simply: Will you become a CRNA?

The deeper question is: Who are you becoming while you do it?

Because your calling is bigger than your career. And everything you've walked through may be preparing you to carry something far greater than you can see right now.

Are you coming?

CRNA Bootcamp waitlist is now open. Sign up here.

LINKS Mentioned:

NEW WEBSITE: The Mindful CRNA

Full Capacity Book by Juliana Page

Respect, Money & Business in Healthcare: What can physicians, CRNAs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals learn from thinking beyond the clinical role?

In this episode of The Mindful CRNA, I'm joined by Dr. Brian Parker, MD, MBA—"The Energy MD"—an internal medicine physician, entrepreneur, and CEO of Total Elixir, for a conversation that goes far beyond medicine.

Brian breaks down how to recognize where you're leaking energy and how to begin taking it back, without simply defaulting to the usual advice to "sleep more, exercise more, and do more."

Brian speaks passionately about nurses and the critical role they play in healthcare—and why the entire healthcare team deserves respect, from nurses and physicians to CRNAs, housekeeping, administration, and everyone working behind the scenes.

We also get into something healthcare professionals don't always want to talk about: 💰 MONEY, Student loans, Investing in yourself, Understanding your earning potential, Learning business and Understanding the healthcare system.

He recognizes that being clinically excellent doesn't mean you should remain financially or professionally uninformed.

Brian shares why he believes healthcare professionals should learn about business and how developing business acumen can actually make us better advocates for ourselves, our professions, and our patients.

In this episode:

• We discuss his journey into medicine
• Why nurses are the backbone of healthcare
• Student loans and viewing education as an investment
• The importance of financial literacy for healthcare professionals
• Why clinicians should learn business
• And His Four Energy Leak Framework: Alertness, Momentum, Attention & Recovery

🎙️ Listen to the full episode and ask yourself: Where am I leaking energy—and what could become possible if I took it back?

Stay mindful. Stay curious. Stay courageous.

Please Subscribe, share this episode with another healthcare professional!

LINKS Mentioned:

Total Elixer Energy Drinks **He's given Mindful listeners a discount so take advantage! Use "mindful25" at checkout!

Follow him on IG @total.elixer

"Dr. Brian Parker is an internal medicine physician, entrepreneur, and founder of Elixir, a physician-formulated functional energy drink created to provide focused energy while supporting overall health. Trained in internal medicine at Mayo Clinic Arizona, Dr. Parker also holds an MBA and has a particular interest in metabolic health, prevention, and the science of human energy and performance. His work focuses on translating complex medical research into practical strategies people can actually use, including his "Four Energy Leaks" framework, which explores how alertness, momentum, attention, and recovery shape how energized we feel. Through his clinical background and entrepreneurial work, Dr. Parker brings a physician's perspective to conversations about energy, nutrition, health optimization, and building healthier products."