The Nurse Wellbeing Mission Podcast

Helping nurses and midwives prepare for emotionally challenging work. Research, tools and powerful stories.
Our Podcast Episodes

Ep 1: The Origins of Nurse Wellbeing Mission

Show Notes — Welcome to the introduction to the Nurse Wellbeing Mission podcast! In this introductory episode, your host, Dr. Nathan lllman (Clinical Psychologist), discusses his professional journey with supporting nurses and other healthcare staff and how his personal experiences led him to commit to helping the nursing and midwifery workforce. The podcast is designed […]

Ep 2: What does preventative mental health for nurses look like?

Show Notes — Nurses have a huge responsibility of taking care of different kinds of patients. This role, from a broader perspective, subjects nurses to several factors that lead to increased stress and there is a high chance for this stress to deteriorate their well-being. Hence, it is necessary to take preventative interventions before the […]

Ep 3 – Punishment of whistle-blowers, BME bias and unfair disciplinary procedures: A conversation with Narinder Kapur.

Show Notes — In today’s episode, I talk with Professor Narinder Kapur, visiting professor of neuropsychology at UCL in London. Narinder is not a nurse, but has done incredible work to support nurses after his own harrowing experience of unfair dismissal within healthcare. Narinder suffered an extremely stressful unfair dismissal earlier in his career and […]

Ep 4: Can effective nurse wellbeing be done in 5 mins at work? Interview with Darcy Copeland, Prof of Nursing

Show Notes — Professional quality of life greatly affects the overall well-being and work performance of healthcare workers. It is important to address the factors that negatively affect this and form habits through brief interventions. In this episode, Darcy Copeland, a Professor of Nursing and Nurse Scientist, talks about the study she conducted on brief […]

Ep 5: How do we better prepare and support student nurses for critical incidents? A conversation with Tiffany Hood

Show Notes — Tiffany Hood is an Associate Professor of nursing at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. She has a highly varied nursing background and in the latter stages of her career has focused more on research. In this episode we talk about her research examining student nurses’ responses to critical incidents at work, […]

Ep 6: Should I go to therapy? Removing barriers to accessing support.

Show Notes — There are times when we already know that we should seek help because of the changes that we are noticing in the way we deal with things in our life. The problem is that many barriers stop us from taking action and make us think twice about getting help. However, thinking about […]

Ep 7: Stress management programs for student nurses – effective, or not? A conversation with Becky Petley.

Show Notes — Interested to know more about stress management programs for student nurses? Then you’re in the right place. We talk to Becky Petley in this episode. Becky is finishing her Ph.D. at Winchester University in the UK and was investigating what aspects of wellbeing programs for student nurses actually work. In this conversation […]

Ep 8: Self-forgiveness for nurses and midwives: The foundations

Show Notes — It is normal for people to make mistakes and it is also completely normal to feel guilty about it. However, dwelling on the past and excessively thinking about the future effects of what we did wrong will oftentimes make it worse. It will greatly affect our practice, our overall health, and our […]

Ep 9: Jennifer Wild on preventing PTSD in nurses.

Show Notes — PTSD can reduce the quality of life for a long time but it is a treatable condition. The earlier it is detected, the better it will be for the person being crippled by it. Furthermore, in a workplace that has a high risk of facing traumatic experiences, taking the steps to prevent […]

Ep10. Making the case for self-compassion in nurse education. A Conversation with Jasna Schwind

Show Notes — In today’s episode, I talk to Jasna Schwind, professor of nursing at the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing in Toronto about self-compassion in nurse education. Jasna is an RN and nurse educator who is interested in the humanness of care and ways to enhance nurse student learning via mindfulness and compassion. If […]

Ep 11: How to coach and support nurses through difficult times. A conversation with Jackie Dominick

Show Notes — Being in a healthcare team is a tough job and even more when you stand as the leader. You have to be someone your team members can rely on especially during the most difficult times. It’s not enough to have the courage and strength of a leader. It is most important to […]

What are Schwartz Rounds and how do they benefit nurses? A conversation with Prof Jill Maben, RN, OBE.

Show Notes — Schwartz Rounds provide a safe space for healthcare staff to share many aspects of their work with others. This results in reflections and realisations that enable staff to be more compassionate towards themselves and others. In this episode, Nathan Illman sits down with Jill Maben to discuss Schwartz Rounds and her evidence-based […]

Ep 13: How to reduce fatigue in shift workers: The role of evening light. A conversation With Despina Artenie

Show Notes — Fatigue is a common problem in the workplace. It’s even more common and well-documented in people who work night shifts because of the lack of sleep they experience. It can cause different problems in our body systems that can, later on, affect the quality of our lives. It’s a good thing that […]

Ep 14: Key sleep tips for nurses and midwives

Show Notes — In this episode, Nathan talks about the importance of sleep for wellbeing and shares some insights into some of his favourite tips to get better sleep. This episode is part of a series that will cover general sleep tips (today’s episode); ways to tackle insomnia; and how to improve sleep for night […]

Ep 15: Overcoming sleep problems and trouble sleeping

Show notes: In this episode, Nathan talks about sleep difficulties, problems, and insomnia and how to improve those for nurses and midwives. In the previous episode, Nathan talked about some general tips and tools for improving sleep. Today’s episode focused on people struggling with sleep; this episode is part two of a series about sleep […]

Ep 16: Optimising Sleep and Recovery in Shift Workers

Show Notes — In this episode, Nathan talks about sleep again: part three of his mini-series about sleep difficulties, problems, and insomnia and how to improve those for nurses and midwives. In the previous episodes, Nathan provided an overview of effective evidence-based ways to optimise sleep and recovery in shift workers. Today’s episode focused on […]

Ep 17: Inspiration for Early Career Nurses – Liam Caswell on vulnerability, overcoming burnout, and career success.

Show Notes — Liam Caswell Coaching created a nurse career and life coaching service where they helped nurses navigate the life and career struggles that they face day to day and help them see that they have so many options.  In this episode, Nathan Illman sits down with Liam Caswell as he shares his own […]

Ep 18: From Charge Nurse to Business Owner – Conversation with Hemmen Jutla

Show Notes — Livaware is an innovative nurse-led team that fills the gaps in people’s healthcare. They combine clinical excellence, coordination, and empathy to provide an unrivaled experience led by Hemmen Jutla, RN. In this episode, Nathan Illman talks with Hemmen as he talks about his inspiring journey of breaking away from his traditional nurse […]

Ep 19: A Nurse’s Journey through Psychosis and Recovery with Emma Henry

Show Notes — Nursing seemed like a good career path for Emma Henry. She had finally found a profession she enjoyed, where she felt she could make a difference. But things changed. She had stressful experiences with her young children. She had stressful experiences at work. As things deteriorated, the unimaginable happened: She started experiencing […]

Ep 20: Powerful Questions to Enhance Your Self-care

Show Notes — Are you someone who neglects their needs and struggles with implementing self-care? Many nurses and midwives struggle with burnout and not taking appropriate care of themselves.  There is a real art and science to making behaviour change and properly taking care of ourselves. In this episode, Nathan will share with us some […]

Ep 21: What is Professional Nurse Advocacy and why is it needed?

Show Notes — Today’s episode is all about the story of how nurses are supporting other nurses in the UK.  We dive deep into the Professional Nurse Advocacy (PNA) program in the UK and how it is helping with nurse wellbeing and staff retention.   I chat to Martin Hogan, Lead Professional Nurse Advocate for a […]

Ep 22: Do mental health nurses get enough mental health training?

Show Notes — In today’s episode, we will be tackling the question of whether mental health nursing students are being given adequate preparation and training in mental health. In this insightful discussion, I talk with Dan Warrender about the challenges and concerns surrounding mental health nurse education.  He highlights the impact of the Nursing and […]

Ep 23: How to quickly relieve stress

Show Notes — All nurses and midwives experience stress in the course of their work. Having ways to quickly manage stress is crucial for one’s wellbeing and performance at work. In this solo episode, Nathan shares a powerful tool that helps to relieve stress, understand one’s emotions better, and develop self-compassion. It is a useful […]

Ep 24: Deepa Korea on the RCN Foundation, leadership, and imposter syndrome

Show Notes — In this engaging and insightful podcast episode, we talk to Deepa Korea, the Director of the RCN Foundation, a leading UK charity for nurses and midwives. She discusses the organization’s mission to support nursing and midwifery staff through grants, research, and advocacy.  She candidly addresses imposter syndrome and the evolution of her […]

Ep 25: How to build a thriving community nursing team

Show Notes — District Nursing is tough business. Long hours, solo working in complex and challenging environments. Not to mention the distressing and sometimes dangerous situations nurses are placed in. This can all take its toll on nurses’ mental health. Which is why it is CRUCIAL to have a compassionate team leader who knows how […]

Ep 26: Professional Nurse Advocacy and suicide prevention: A conversation with Emma Wadey

Show Notes — Today’s guest is Dr. Emma Wadey, a registered mental health nurse and Deputy Director of Mental Health Nursing for NHS England and Improvement. Emma’s humility shines through in her clinical work and leadership style. We discuss her experiences, including public speaking anxiety, her unexpected path into nursing, the impact of nursing identity, […]