September 4, 2025 • 41 mins
What if the most powerful act of kindness isn't fixing someone's problems, but simply being present with them? Pediatric cardiothoracic intensive care nurse Natalie Miller Binkley brings this revolutionary perspective to life in our conversation about healing, presence, and the unique challenges facing healthcare workers today.
Natalie takes us inside the specialized world of pediatric cardiac care, where tiny patients with congenital heart abnormalities undergo complex surgeries that literally reroute how blood flows through their bodies. She explains why some pediatric cardiac units now treat patients into adulthood - these unique anatomies require specialized knowledge that adult cardiologists simply don't have.
But our conversation goes much deeper when Natalie shares how her experiences during COVID transformed her approach to healing. Working in adult ICUs during the pandemic's darkest days, she witnessed profound isolation and suffering that no medical intervention could fix. This awakening led her to develop a holistic coaching practice centered on a radical idea: before we can heal, we need someone to witness our experience without judgment.
Unlike traditional coaching that focuses on giving advice and directions, Natalie's approach begins with creating space for people to process their experiences and regulate their nervous systems. She explains how many symptoms we attribute to conditions like ADHD or anxiety may actually stem from chronically dysregulated nervous systems - the result of constant overstimulation and pressure.
For nurses especially, the challenges are immense. Many work 12-16 hour shifts with minimal breaks, sometimes unable to drink water throughout their day or even use the bathroom. With unsafe patient ratios becoming the norm, nurses often spend entire shifts distributing medications with little time for the compassionate care that drew them to nursing.
Discover why true kindness isn't always about grand gestures or perfect advice, but creating a space where people feel safe enough to breathe, to be witnessed in their chaos, and to remember they're whole human beings experiencing normal responses to abnormal situations.
Have you experienced the healing power of simply being heard? Share your thoughts and connect with Natalie through the links in our show notes.
This podcast is a proud member of the Mayday Media Network. If you have an idea for a podcast and need some production assistance or have a podcast and are looking for a supportive network to join, check out maydaymedianetwork.com.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everyone and welcome to the Kindness Matters
podcast.
I'm your host, mike Rathbun.
On this podcast, we promotepositivity, empathy and
compassion, because we believethat kindness is alive and well,
and there are people andorganizations that you may not
(00:21):
have heard of in the world,making their communities a
better place for everyone, andwe want you to hear their
stories.
On this podcast, we talk aboutmatters of kindness because
kindness matters.
Hey, welcome to the showeverybody, thank you, thank you.
(00:42):
Thank you for taking 30 minutesout of your time, your day or
your evening, whenever you'relistening to this, to listen to
this podcast.
We hope that we bring you somevalue to your 30 minutes and you
will never know how much Iappreciate the fact that you
(01:04):
choose to listen to this podcast.
It's so amazing and, honestly,from the bottom of my heart,
thank you.
And if you find anything inthis podcast that brings you
value, that is relatable, thatuplifts you, feel free to share
that with your family, yourfriends, your co-workers, the
(01:27):
guy at the deli, whoever,because you know I like to have
a lot of people listening.
Right, I have such a great showfor you today and my guest
today, I'll just go into it.
Right, my guest today is NatalieMiller Binkley.
She is okay, here we go.
(01:50):
This is where I couldpotentially mess this up.
A pediatric cardiothoracicintensive care unit nurse based
in California, and that alone, Imean that alone, would make me
want to have her on the show.
I mean, we'll get into that ina minute, but that's not all
(02:15):
there is to Natalie, because sheis also a healing, holistic,
transformational coach fornurses and others.
And how cool is that?
Welcome to the show, natalie.
Thanks for coming on.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Thank you so much, Mike, for having me.
You did a great job with themouthful of what my job is.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
That was perfect okay , so I know what cardiothoracic
is right.
But, I've never put thattogether with pediatric.
Are there a lot of babies?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
or children, small children, that need heart
surgeries, lung surgeries yeah,so Go ahead.
It's very different inpediatrics than it is in adults.
You know, adults' hearts aremore like you have heart attacks
, blocked arteries and that kindof stuff.
So the surgery is a bitdifferent, whereas in children's
a lot of it is congenital, sothe heart is not formed properly
(03:24):
during, um well, their time inutero, um, and there's a ton of
different congenitalabnormalities and it impacts the
way that their blood flows.
It can impact blood flow totheir lungs, um, so yeah, we see
a lot of like pretty much everychild who comes to us has to
have surgery.
(03:45):
And then occasionally we'll getsomeone who was not a congenital
heart baby and developed maybecardiomyopathy from the flu or
maybe has some experience with Imean, I think one time we got a
kid who was hit with a baseballto the chest and had a funky
(04:07):
rhythm or there's just somerandom things that'll cause
cardiac stuff.
So we've seen a lot ofinteresting things.
But, yeah, most of it is ableto be diagnosed, luckily
prenatally, when they're inmom's tummy still, so mom and
dad have time to prepare for,okay, we're going to have to
(04:30):
have surgery and what the courselooks like.
So it's.
Yeah, it's really great that wecan lay that out for them so
they know what to expect.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
That must.
That type of work must besimultaneously heartbreaking and
satisfying, right?
Heartbreaking?
Because here's this kid,especially for babies.
They have no idea and theyprobably still don't.
They'll never remember it, morethan likely.
But yeah, now what is thedefinition of pediatric?
(05:06):
How old are you when you getout of pediatric?
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I laugh because this is something that's changing.
No, it's just changing.
So I think everyone's initialthought would be obviously
newborn to 18,.
Potentially Some might sayloosely you can go up to early
(05:34):
20s.
However, with the cardiac sideof things it's dependent on
hospital.
I work at two differenthospitals.
One of them accepts up to like30, I think maybe 35.
And the other one justincreased the age to 40.
For pediatric Well, for cardiacpediatric like yeah.
(05:57):
So the reason is because thesecongenital abnormalities that we
see, adult cardiac orcardiologists or intensive care
doctors aren't familiar with thedifferent anatomy of these
(06:18):
children because they havesurgeries that basically reroute
the blood flow through theirheart and have different.
It's called a shunt, but youcould think of it like a pipe
that basically goes fromdifferent places that connects
and so because they have aspecial anatomy and with the
(06:39):
medical and surgical advancesthey're living a lot longer than
they used to.
So we're having to adjust ourpatient population and there's
been a lot of talk around thissubject because obviously they
will have comorbidities, oranother word for just like other
(07:01):
ailments that can progress asthey age.
And pediatric nurses anddoctors might not be as familiar
with some of thosecomorbidities because children
don't often have them.
So it's new this whole takingcare of adults thing, but yeah,
(07:22):
so I think loosely in thecardiac world it is a lot older
than what you would think umpediatrics is, whereas in not
cardiac I would say it'sprobably mid twenties, like 24,
25.
And that's just with umcongenital, you know, defects
and stuff that kids can have.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Yeah, that just made me think.
My stepson, my wife's son, wasborn with a bicuspid aortic
valve, and, you know, they saidat some point he may need
surgery to correct it.
Right, but he's doing fine.
He's 36.
That's the kind of patientyou're talking about, though
(08:06):
right.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
So his actually could just be a valve replacement,
which is not necessarilypediatric.
It's more of like the kids whohave to have complete anatomy
changes, which is it's reallydifficult to explain without
pictures because I'm more of avisual person.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
But yeah, wow, and you mentioned comorbidities.
I learned that word during COVIDyeah, right a lot, a lot of
people yeah yeah, because, andand being a, it's stressful
enough, as it is right, butCOVID, kind of like, took it to
(08:53):
a completely different level asfar as stress goes.
Is that where you started tohave your your things?
What?
Yeah, the guy with words can'tthink of a word um, your your
(09:15):
feelings, like maybe you knowwhat we need as a coach, what I
need as a coach, what myco-workers need as a coach, and
I could be that coach.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Yeah, I think COVID definitely helped that
transition along.
I don't know if I would havefound this route without it.
I actually was in the adult ICUduring COVID.
I wasn't in pediatrics at thattime.
It was after quote unquoteCOVID ended, that I switched to
(09:47):
pediatrics back in 2023.
So it was really hard in theCOVID adult ICUs.
I, you know, saw things I didn'treally ever think I'd see, and
going through that from thenurse perspective.
(10:07):
But also, I mean, I have a hugeheart, which is why I'm a nurse.
But seeing what patients gothrough being alone you know
families on FaceTime, patientswho were just left there,
patients who didn't have COVIDand couldn't have family members
, and you know families dealingwith death over the phone I mean
(10:29):
there's certain things where,yeah, you kind of just watch
everyone in this reallytraumatic state for a prolonged
period of time and you realizethere's no real fix, right.
And I think this is where Itransitioned to coaching,
(10:52):
because I kind of saw, as wetalked about themes, that
kindness and presence, right.
And I think, more than anything, as a nurse and a coach, I am
very committed to just holdingspace for people when life gets
(11:12):
heavy, and the kindness doesn'thave to be big gestures.
It's just about being in themoment with people and as a
nurse and coworkerworker, I'mthere in difficult times.
And it's not about the fixingwhich you know.
Everyone always is like oh,what can I do for you, how can I
(11:33):
be there?
Or I'm sorry you're goingthrough this and yeah sometimes
it's just recognizing like yourfeelings are valid.
This is difficult.
I don't know what you're goingthrough because I'm not you, but
I can be right here alongsideyou and witness that.
You know emotion and just besomeone present.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Right, yeah, I was just.
We talk about this a lot onthis program and, like I always
say, I'm going to end up sayingthis now in two episodes in a
row.
But the kindest thing you cando for another person is just
being there and being willing tolisten without judgment,
(12:33):
without you know, becausethere's no shortage in this
world of people who will go.
Well, what you need to do aboutthat or how you should be
handling that, is blah, blah,blah, blah blah, and that's not
kind.
But being present, beingavailable, being willing to
(12:56):
listen to this person's, anotherperson's issues, whatever they
may be, and you know, but that'sthe's, that's the definition of
being kind, isn't it?
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Yeah, and it's hard too because, um, you know a lot
of nurses and I think a lot ofpeople in general can relate to
this.
I say nurses, cause that's whatI relate to the most.
Um, being a nurse myself arehigh functioning.
You have all these things thatyou need to do.
Your job is critical.
(13:30):
People are relying on you leftand right.
You're at the cornerstone ofall things happening with the
patient.
The doctors come to you, thephysical therapists come to you,
occupational therapists come toyou.
The physical therapists come toyou, occupational therapists
come to you, um, family comes toyou, everyone's coming to you
and through you, and so you'remanaging a lot.
(13:51):
Um, they're very high I saidthis already, I think high
functioning.
But and even when we're runningon empty, right like we put
aside everything I think parentscould probably relate to this,
this anyone who's a mom or dador caretaker of someone else in
their family, whether it's aparent or a child, and you run
(14:15):
on empty and it isn't the adviceor motivation that you need in
that moment of feelingoverwhelmed.
It's actually just a moment tobreathe and to be witnessed in
that chaos and to feel safe inyour body again and being
(14:36):
someone who can like helpco-regulate that with other
people and be like that calmpresence, like making sure I'm
monitoring my breathing and mybody language and helping people
realize that it is a safe space.
I think that's the real giftyou know, like we're talking
(14:56):
about is just being present andhelps them realize you know
they're not broken and they'renot, you know, needing to be
fixed, because they feel thisinner sense of overwhelm and
burnout.
They just need a moment tobreathe and be witnessed that
they are experiencing this,because it doesn't feel the same
(15:18):
when you do it alone.
We're meant to be social people.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
You're absolutely right and, yeah, I think maybe
doing it alone probably has itsown sets of issues.
When you're coaching now, andwhen I think of coaches or
(15:44):
coaching, I think of somebodywho's, and this is probably not
right.
So if there's anybody else thatfeels this way, let this be a
correction for you.
But you know, they do a lot oftalking and they say, okay, you
need to do this and this andthis and this, try this, not
that.
But it's not all like that, isit?
Speaker 2 (16:09):
No, and it's so interesting because sometimes I
really struggle with the wordcoach because I don't personally
feel like it aligns with what Ioffer.
And I mean I, you know, I love.
I'm a big runner, so you know,I would love to hire a running
(16:31):
coach, you would love to hire ahealth coach to, like, lose
weight and give you all thisadvice and stuff.
And you know, do this, do that.
And when you think of a coachin sports, they're doing all the
same thing, you know, tellingyou what to do, Um, but for me,
my, my coaching is being thatwitness.
(16:52):
First and foremost, Um, it is acollaboration with my client.
I just am there to listen andwhat they think is correct.
Because, to be honest, we'reall whole.
You know we're all perfectlywhole and complete the way we
are.
I think getting back toourselves and having that space
(17:16):
to explore that is reallyimportant.
And I, you know you mightwonder why people fail when they
do go through programs of, youknow, health and fitness
training, and it's because wasthat person really working with
the person they're coaching tofind something that aligns with
(17:40):
what works in their life?
Right?
I have a lot of trust in myclients that they know the
answers.
We all know the answers to ourown issues.
You might need a little helpgetting there.
You might need a little someoneto be your cheerleader, which
is something I love callingmyself everyone's cheerleader,
(18:04):
remembering your voice andbuilding that confidence back up
.
So I think, yeah, a witness, acheerleader I don't typically
tell people like what to do.
We shape it together and it'ssomething we build and I think
that is that comes from mybackground, I think as a nurse
(18:26):
and transforming into a, a coach.
You know, having that, right,um, now.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Now you refer to yourself as a healing slash,
holistic slash, transformationalcoach.
Do those things fit neatlytogether, or are they three
separate practices?
That's not what I wanted to say, but that's the only word that
(18:54):
comes to my hand.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Yeah, I think I talk about all of them because words
hit differently with differentpeople.
I think healing at its root youknow you think about healthcare
is what I think about ishealing Like you're sick.
You need healed.
As a coach, I don't utilize mynursing license.
(19:19):
I'm not giving any medicaladvice under my coaching like
hat we'll call it when I have mycoaching hat on.
It's no medical advice, it'spurely just me being there.
Holistic is something I wouldlike to see in healthcare,
because this is me taking allsides of the person you know as
(19:43):
nurses.
You know we might be nurses inby trade and I think it's very
american as well to you know,you ask someone, oh, what do you
do, or who are you, and theysay, oh, I'm.
You know I'm an investor or II'm an engineer, or, and we
define ourselves by our jobs.
Um, and something I'd like tobring back is that holistic
(20:05):
nature of it is like more, whoare you on, a deeper sense of
being, um, you know what makesyou up, not just like that
you're a daughter or you know afather or a son or a husband or,
um, a friend, but that you'reconfident, that you enjoy doing.
(20:28):
You know traveling or running,or you, you know what makes you
the person you are and I,holistic coaching is so
important to me because everydifferent person, every person,
sorry has different aspects thatmake up who we are, aspects
(20:52):
that make up who we are, and soI try to take into account, you
know, our social health.
You know, are we being proactivein the community?
Are we involved?
Do we have friends?
Do we have family that we canrely on?
Financial health, emotionalhealth, um and other.
You know just the multifacetedareas of our lives, right and
then transformational.
(21:13):
I just feel like being withsomeone who is your witness and
cheerleader.
It's hard to not be transformedin that time.
I've had many people say thatit's just so nice to have the
space.
They don't realize how muchthey need it until they have it,
and then they're like God, Ijust needed that 60 minutes to
(21:34):
just like talk and be listenedto and like actively listening.
You know is something so big.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Are resources available for somebody like you,
for for the nurses?
I mean, I'm sure there's amental health department, that
that is available to nurses orto all hospital staff?
Really I'm sure.
But but yeah, that sounds likemaybe maybe each hospital should
(22:09):
have like a little room whereyou can just go in and
decompress, for you know, Idon't know, that's because
nurses have their own unique setof I don't want to say issues,
but look, I said it, even thoughI didn't want to say issues,
but I'm oh, look, I said it eventhough I didn't want to say it,
(22:30):
but I mean, if you're coachinga nurse, the average person on
the street is not going to comeinto you and go.
they're not going to have thesame needs Needs.
There's a word I was lookingfor that a nurse might have
right Needs needs.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
There's a word I was looking for that a nurse might
have, right.
Well, I'll go back to.
Every hospital should have alittle nice like detox room kind
of thing because, that would begreat.
There are some hospitals thatdo have that.
I did travel nursing for a bitand I did it.
(23:16):
You know, some places have um alittle massage chair in the
break room or something likethat, but um, yeah, you would
think that there would beresources for nurses and I think
that's something thatpost-covid is we're building
awareness around it because itdidn't used to be like that.
Very few and far betweenhospitals offer resources for
people and I will say majorityof hospitals that do offer these
(23:40):
resources for nurses are thelarge university hospitals that
have more funding than, say,like, the smaller hospitals.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
It all comes down to funding, doesn't it?
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Yeah, so, and we're, you know, slowly but surely
there's, there's other nurseswho are like me that have gone
through coaching, training andhave been building out programs
in their own hospitals andspreading awareness.
So it's coming.
It's just not as fast asobviously it would be, you know,
(24:17):
liked to be implemented.
But, um, and then back to thenurses have our own set of
difficulties or needs thataverage people might not have.
Yeah, it's really hard, becauseI also I don't want to discount
(24:47):
anyone else's experience, right.
So I think, having been a nurseworking bedside, I see people
coming in and you just neverknow the life struggles that
everyone has.
So I don't want to say thatpeople don't have, you know, I
(25:09):
think everyone could benefitfrom something like the type of
space that I can offer.
But I also think where you'recorrect in saying, like, nurses
have maybe a unique set of needsthat need, yeah, and it's very
specific um, a lot of nurses Italk to are like, oh, yeah, like
(25:31):
therapy is great and I've donetherapy and you know therapy has
its place um, but I think thisis where the nurse having
someone who is also a nurse totalk to is honestly a huge game
changer.
Absolutely, because I relate tothe 12-hour shifts, 13-hour
(25:54):
shifts, the overtime, the16-hour shifts when you stay
over.
I relate to working night shift.
I relate to the meal prep.
I relate to not being able tohave a water bottle all day.
I relate to not being able togo to water bottle all day.
I relate to not being able togo to the bathroom, like.
There's certain things whereit's like you nurses, just get
(26:15):
other nurses, you know, and youhave to have someone like that
who understands the whole partof being a nurse at the bedside.
We need to back up.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
You can't have a water bottle all day.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
We have hydration stations set up in the unit,
which is very common, so yourwater sits at the hydration
station.
If you have a busy day and yourwater is not near you, you
never drink the water, you nevergo to the bathroom.
I'm spoiled.
(26:51):
Being in california, the breaksthat I get are mandated and
there's like laws, I'm prettysure.
But when I worked back east, Imean you would go the whole
shift with you know your 30minute break would be at your
desk desk overnight.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
Charting or something yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Yeah, eating bites in between, so it's crazy yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
That blew me away.
When I heard you say that, Iwas like wait what?
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
And it's.
I mean, I know here inMinnesota one of our nurses
unions just threatened to strikebecause a lot of it these days
is staffing, isn't it?
That's a huge sticking pointfor nurses, right?
Speaker 2 (27:40):
Yeah, I would say patient ratios is where that
stems from mainly is safepatient ratios, which ends up
being a staffing issue.
But the safe ratios is what'simportant because we want to
make sure that we, you know,have the time to take care of
(28:03):
the patients the way that theydeserve to be taken care of.
And you know, I'm I mean I'm Idon't want to say everyone's had
an experience in a hospital,because I realize how not
everyone has had an experiencein a hospital, it's just my day
to day.
But you know it's really hard tobe in the hospital or a family,
(28:27):
have a family member in thehospital and think that you're
not being seen or not beingtaken care of and, as a nurse on
the other side, realizing, likewhen am I supposed to have time
to like really truly make adifference if I have, like on a
med surge floor which is justlike the regular units, not ICU,
(28:47):
they might have like eightpatients, seven or eight
patients, and at that point youknow you've got seven or eight
patients, that you have eighto'clock meds, nine o'clock meds,
10 o'clock meds, and then bythe time you finish that med
pass, then you're starting yournoon med pass and then after
that you're starting your dinnermed pass and when are you
finding charting that you'restarting your dinner med pass
(29:08):
and when are you finding you'respending your entire shift
handing out meds?
yeah, and it, it, just it.
It's really hard because, assomeone who does have a lot of
heart and like loves being anurse, um, you know I want to be
there for people and I againthis is why going into coaching
kind of healed my heart a littlebit and I can be that for other
(29:32):
nurses.
But yeah, the safe patientratios One day it would be great
if this was a national thing,but maybe one day we'll get
there.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
So what would be ideal Like two to three patients
per nurse.
Is that too low?
Speaker 2 (29:51):
I mean, it would be great it depends on what unit
you're on right.
It does, yeah.
So I think med-surg maximumwould be great with five.
I would say, five sometimes iseven hard, but I think I'm not
sure in California what themaximum.
I think I'm not sure inCalifornia what?
Speaker 1 (30:15):
the maximum I know we have?
Speaker 2 (30:15):
we're the only state in the country with patient
ratios right now, and I thinkit's yeah, yeah, and I think
it's five, it might be six, butI think it's three to four, and
(30:37):
then ICU is one patient or twopatients if they're not critical
, yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Yeah, my poor nurses.
I told you that story.
I owe nurses so much because Iwas the patient from hell when I
had my bypass.
I'm pretty sure they wanted meto like leave, like get them out
(31:04):
of here.
We put that alarm on that chairfor a reason, sir.
I didn't realize what colorslippers I had on.
If I had to go, I had to go,just saying, anyway, that's
neither here nor there.
I love your focus on on beingpresent in the work that you do
(31:30):
because, honestly, that iskindness in action, right, and I
really appreciate the work thatyou do.
I'm sure your fellow nurses doas well.
But it's everything that thisshow is about.
It's about people just takingcare of other people.
(31:54):
And you do that as a nurse andyou do that as a coach, and so
you're you're a double threat.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
I also wanted to add, I think, something important on
the topic of like healing andbeing present, you know.
And back to coaching and makingprogress with clients.
I think the amazing thing aboutbeing present and allowing
(32:23):
people to process and justwitnessing it can help regulate
their nervous system, and Idon't think we all realize how
dysregulated our nervous systemsare just on a daily basis.
And so how can you expectsomeone to heal with a
dysregulated nervous system?
And again, that's why I thinkmy coaching is so different is
(32:48):
because I allow them the spaceto process first and then, once
we are through the processing ofall the, you know, overwhelm
and burnout, then we can finallywork to regulate your nervous
system, which allows like adeeper and more extensive like
(33:09):
progress through the healing youknow, like it just is different
than the band-aid that we puton it with other things, and
when you can heal from yournervous system, it's, I mean,
it's life-changing.
That'll be so healing for yearsto come when you work from that
inner peace.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Bear with me what does a deregulated nervous
system look like.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
It can be people thinking that they have ADD,
adhd, overwhelmed, constantlythinking about a to-do list,
fidgeting, not being able to sitstill high heart rate, high
blood pressure, headaches, youknow, and how it's healthcare
right.
(33:59):
We're always like, oh, youmight have this, you might have
that, you might have this, or,you know, take a medicine.
Medicine or and that's kind ofwhere I come back to the
holistic side is when we'reoverstimulated right from media
just sound.
I mean, I've got constructionand you know we're on social
media and all these things thatwe feel like we have to do um,
(34:23):
you constantly feel behind, youfeel like you're falling behind
or you're not doing enough, andit's.
I mean, I just think everyonecan relate to that feeling right
Of just like, oh, I need to dothis, or I should catch up with
this person, or and they start,you know this thought process in
your brain and then you're like, oh, oh, I want a moment to
(34:45):
breathe.
And then our moment to breatheis sitting on the couch watching
tv or, um, you know, scrollingon our phone, yeah, um, and
sometimes even reading a book,like that's still stimulation,
your mind is still beingactivated and um.
So I think a dysregulatednervous system can be so much
(35:06):
right, I mean if you really itcould be chest pain, it can be
upset, stomach headaches, um,and so it's really connecting
back with your body, um, andhealing that through you know,
once you have to be in a spaceto be ready for that right, like
I can't just take someone andbe like you have a be in a space
(35:27):
to be ready for that right,like I can't just take someone
and be like you have adysregulated nervous system.
Let's get to work on that, um,and that's where the kindness
and presence starts.
Right is.
I'm starting with just beinghere and and a witness, and then
after that, and after they'veprocessed what they need to
through space and presence andtime, then we can move into.
(35:51):
Okay, what do we need to healon a deeper level, where we can
rewire our nervous system andnot get so over activated about
little things or put our brainback into, like that you know,
to-do list mode and and it takestime.
(36:11):
It's not something that's justlike a one and done fix, but the
thing is is the more we work atit, the easier you recognize it
and the faster you can flipback into a regulation, as with
anything right.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
The more you practice it, the better you get at it.
So are you saying I wouldn'tneed my amlopidine?
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Amlodipine that's right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
No, I'm kidding, I'm kidding.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
No medical advice.
That's a I'm kidding, I'mkidding.
No medical advice.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
That's a new one for me, that's just within, like the
last couple of years, I'm likeyou say what I have never had
high blood pressure.
Before in my life, it's alwaysperfect 120 over 80 every single
time.
And then, like two years ago,my cardiologist was like I think
you might have high bloodpressure and for those of you
(37:14):
listening at home, I just rolledmy eyes and mouth the word
whatever.
No, thank you so much forcoming, taking the time, natalie
.
This has been reallyenlightening and I will have you
have a coaching website or no?
I do yes that link will be inour show notes.
(37:36):
I don't think I've gotten itfrom you yet, but we'll get it
afterwards.
And yeah, if you're feelingoverwhelmed and stressed out to
the max and this is a virtualworld now right, so you could
treat anybody anywhere, correct?
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Yeah, I do, mostly virtual.
I've been working on buildingout communities so I just love
surrounding myself with people.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
And especially if you're a nurse.
Yes, if you're a nurse.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
I have a free Facebook group where I do
monthly group calls.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
Every month I'm going to need all those links.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Yeah, I can send them to you, yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
Thank you so much for taking the time and speaking to
me for a little bit here.
I really appreciate it and Iappreciate what you do.
Speaker 2 (38:32):
This has been so amazing.
Mike, Thank you for having meon.
I've had so much fun talking toyou and getting to know you
through this.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Take care and we will talk again soon.
Take care and we will talkagain soon.
Minutes that you spent herewith us today and I hope that
(39:05):
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If you experienced any of thosepositive feelings, please
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So if you have something thatyou like about the show,
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(39:27):
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(39:51):
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You've been listening to thekindness matters podcast.
I'm your host, mike Rathbun.
Have a fantastic week, thankyou.
Hello everyone and welcome to the Kindness Matters
podcast.
I'm your host, mike Rathbun.
On this podcast, we promotepositivity, empathy and
compassion, because we believethat kindness is alive and well,
and there are people andorganizations that you may not
(00:21):
have heard of in the world,making their communities a
better place for everyone, andwe want you to hear their
stories.
On this podcast, we talk aboutmatters of kindness because
kindness matters.
Hey, welcome to the showeverybody, thank you, thank you.
(00:42):
Thank you for taking 30 minutesout of your time, your day or
your evening, whenever you'relistening to this, to listen to
this podcast.
We hope that we bring you somevalue to your 30 minutes and you
will never know how much Iappreciate the fact that you
(01:04):
choose to listen to this podcast.
It's so amazing and, honestly,from the bottom of my heart,
thank you.
And if you find anything inthis podcast that brings you
value, that is relatable, thatuplifts you, feel free to share
that with your family, yourfriends, your co-workers, the
(01:27):
guy at the deli, whoever,because you know I like to have
a lot of people listening.
Right, I have such a great showfor you today and my guest
today, I'll just go into it.
Right, my guest today is NatalieMiller Binkley.
She is okay, here we go.
(01:50):
This is where I couldpotentially mess this up.
A pediatric cardiothoracicintensive care unit nurse based
in California, and that alone, Imean that alone, would make me
want to have her on the show.
I mean, we'll get into that ina minute, but that's not all
(02:15):
there is to Natalie, because sheis also a healing, holistic,
transformational coach fornurses and others.
And how cool is that?
Welcome to the show, natalie.
Thanks for coming on.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Thank you so much, Mike, for having me.
You did a great job with themouthful of what my job is.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
That was perfect okay , so I know what cardiothoracic
is right.
But, I've never put thattogether with pediatric.
Are there a lot of babies?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
or children, small children, that need heart
surgeries, lung surgeries yeah,so Go ahead.
It's very different inpediatrics than it is in adults.
You know, adults' hearts aremore like you have heart attacks
, blocked arteries and that kindof stuff.
So the surgery is a bitdifferent, whereas in children's
a lot of it is congenital, sothe heart is not formed properly
(03:24):
during, um well, their time inutero, um, and there's a ton of
different congenitalabnormalities and it impacts the
way that their blood flows.
It can impact blood flow totheir lungs, um, so yeah, we see
a lot of like pretty much everychild who comes to us has to
have surgery.
(03:45):
And then occasionally we'll getsomeone who was not a congenital
heart baby and developed maybecardiomyopathy from the flu or
maybe has some experience with Imean, I think one time we got a
kid who was hit with a baseballto the chest and had a funky
(04:07):
rhythm or there's just somerandom things that'll cause
cardiac stuff.
So we've seen a lot ofinteresting things.
But, yeah, most of it is ableto be diagnosed, luckily
prenatally, when they're inmom's tummy still, so mom and
dad have time to prepare for,okay, we're going to have to
(04:30):
have surgery and what the courselooks like.
So it's.
Yeah, it's really great that wecan lay that out for them so
they know what to expect.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
That must.
That type of work must besimultaneously heartbreaking and
satisfying, right?
Heartbreaking?
Because here's this kid,especially for babies.
They have no idea and theyprobably still don't.
They'll never remember it, morethan likely.
But yeah, now what is thedefinition of pediatric?
(05:06):
How old are you when you getout of pediatric?
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I laugh because this is something that's changing.
No, it's just changing.
So I think everyone's initialthought would be obviously
newborn to 18,.
Potentially Some might sayloosely you can go up to early
(05:34):
20s.
However, with the cardiac sideof things it's dependent on
hospital.
I work at two differenthospitals.
One of them accepts up to like30, I think maybe 35.
And the other one justincreased the age to 40.
For pediatric Well, for cardiacpediatric like yeah.
(05:57):
So the reason is because thesecongenital abnormalities that we
see, adult cardiac orcardiologists or intensive care
doctors aren't familiar with thedifferent anatomy of these
(06:18):
children because they havesurgeries that basically reroute
the blood flow through theirheart and have different.
It's called a shunt, but youcould think of it like a pipe
that basically goes fromdifferent places that connects
and so because they have aspecial anatomy and with the
(06:39):
medical and surgical advancesthey're living a lot longer than
they used to.
So we're having to adjust ourpatient population and there's
been a lot of talk around thissubject because obviously they
will have comorbidities, oranother word for just like other
(07:01):
ailments that can progress asthey age.
And pediatric nurses anddoctors might not be as familiar
with some of thosecomorbidities because children
don't often have them.
So it's new this whole takingcare of adults thing, but yeah,
(07:22):
so I think loosely in thecardiac world it is a lot older
than what you would think umpediatrics is, whereas in not
cardiac I would say it'sprobably mid twenties, like 24,
25.
And that's just with umcongenital, you know, defects
and stuff that kids can have.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Yeah, that just made me think.
My stepson, my wife's son, wasborn with a bicuspid aortic
valve, and, you know, they saidat some point he may need
surgery to correct it.
Right, but he's doing fine.
He's 36.
That's the kind of patientyou're talking about, though
(08:06):
right.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
So his actually could just be a valve replacement,
which is not necessarilypediatric.
It's more of like the kids whohave to have complete anatomy
changes, which is it's reallydifficult to explain without
pictures because I'm more of avisual person.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
But yeah, wow, and you mentioned comorbidities.
I learned that word during COVIDyeah, right a lot, a lot of
people yeah yeah, because, andand being a, it's stressful
enough, as it is right, butCOVID, kind of like, took it to
(08:53):
a completely different level asfar as stress goes.
Is that where you started tohave your your things?
What?
Yeah, the guy with words can'tthink of a word um, your your
(09:15):
feelings, like maybe you knowwhat we need as a coach, what I
need as a coach, what myco-workers need as a coach, and
I could be that coach.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Yeah, I think COVID definitely helped that
transition along.
I don't know if I would havefound this route without it.
I actually was in the adult ICUduring COVID.
I wasn't in pediatrics at thattime.
It was after quote unquoteCOVID ended, that I switched to
(09:47):
pediatrics back in 2023.
So it was really hard in theCOVID adult ICUs.
I, you know, saw things I didn'treally ever think I'd see, and
going through that from thenurse perspective.
(10:07):
But also, I mean, I have a hugeheart, which is why I'm a nurse.
But seeing what patients gothrough being alone you know
families on FaceTime, patientswho were just left there,
patients who didn't have COVIDand couldn't have family members
, and you know families dealingwith death over the phone I mean
(10:29):
there's certain things where,yeah, you kind of just watch
everyone in this reallytraumatic state for a prolonged
period of time and you realizethere's no real fix, right.
And I think this is where Itransitioned to coaching,
(10:52):
because I kind of saw, as wetalked about themes, that
kindness and presence, right.
And I think, more than anything, as a nurse and a coach, I am
very committed to just holdingspace for people when life gets
(11:12):
heavy, and the kindness doesn'thave to be big gestures.
It's just about being in themoment with people and as a
nurse and coworkerworker, I'mthere in difficult times.
And it's not about the fixingwhich you know.
Everyone always is like oh,what can I do for you, how can I
(11:33):
be there?
Or I'm sorry you're goingthrough this and yeah sometimes
it's just recognizing like yourfeelings are valid.
This is difficult.
I don't know what you're goingthrough because I'm not you, but
I can be right here alongsideyou and witness that.
You know emotion and just besomeone present.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Right, yeah, I was just.
We talk about this a lot onthis program and, like I always
say, I'm going to end up sayingthis now in two episodes in a
row.
But the kindest thing you cando for another person is just
being there and being willing tolisten without judgment,
(12:33):
without you know, becausethere's no shortage in this
world of people who will go.
Well, what you need to do aboutthat or how you should be
handling that, is blah, blah,blah, blah blah, and that's not
kind.
But being present, beingavailable, being willing to
(12:56):
listen to this person's, anotherperson's issues, whatever they
may be, and you know, but that'sthe's, that's the definition of
being kind, isn't it?
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Yeah, and it's hard too because, um, you know a lot
of nurses and I think a lot ofpeople in general can relate to
this.
I say nurses, cause that's whatI relate to the most.
Um, being a nurse myself arehigh functioning.
You have all these things thatyou need to do.
Your job is critical.
(13:30):
People are relying on you leftand right.
You're at the cornerstone ofall things happening with the
patient.
The doctors come to you, thephysical therapists come to you,
occupational therapists come toyou.
The physical therapists come toyou, occupational therapists
come to you, um, family comes toyou, everyone's coming to you
and through you, and so you'remanaging a lot.
(13:51):
Um, they're very high I saidthis already, I think high
functioning.
But and even when we're runningon empty, right like we put
aside everything I think parentscould probably relate to this,
this anyone who's a mom or dador caretaker of someone else in
their family, whether it's aparent or a child, and you run
(14:15):
on empty and it isn't the adviceor motivation that you need in
that moment of feelingoverwhelmed.
It's actually just a moment tobreathe and to be witnessed in
that chaos and to feel safe inyour body again and being
(14:36):
someone who can like helpco-regulate that with other
people and be like that calmpresence, like making sure I'm
monitoring my breathing and mybody language and helping people
realize that it is a safe space.
I think that's the real giftyou know, like we're talking
(14:56):
about is just being present andhelps them realize you know
they're not broken and they'renot, you know, needing to be
fixed, because they feel thisinner sense of overwhelm and
burnout.
They just need a moment tobreathe and be witnessed that
they are experiencing this,because it doesn't feel the same
(15:18):
when you do it alone.
We're meant to be social people.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
You're absolutely right and, yeah, I think maybe
doing it alone probably has itsown sets of issues.
When you're coaching now, andwhen I think of coaches or
(15:44):
coaching, I think of somebodywho's, and this is probably not
right.
So if there's anybody else thatfeels this way, let this be a
correction for you.
But you know, they do a lot oftalking and they say, okay, you
need to do this and this andthis and this, try this, not
that.
But it's not all like that, isit?
Speaker 2 (16:09):
No, and it's so interesting because sometimes I
really struggle with the wordcoach because I don't personally
feel like it aligns with what Ioffer.
And I mean I, you know, I love.
I'm a big runner, so you know,I would love to hire a running
(16:31):
coach, you would love to hire ahealth coach to, like, lose
weight and give you all thisadvice and stuff.
And you know, do this, do that.
And when you think of a coachin sports, they're doing all the
same thing, you know, tellingyou what to do, Um, but for me,
my, my coaching is being thatwitness.
(16:52):
First and foremost, Um, it is acollaboration with my client.
I just am there to listen andwhat they think is correct.
Because, to be honest, we'reall whole.
You know we're all perfectlywhole and complete the way we
are.
I think getting back toourselves and having that space
(17:16):
to explore that is reallyimportant.
And I, you know you mightwonder why people fail when they
do go through programs of, youknow, health and fitness
training, and it's because wasthat person really working with
the person they're coaching tofind something that aligns with
(17:40):
what works in their life?
Right?
I have a lot of trust in myclients that they know the
answers.
We all know the answers to ourown issues.
You might need a little helpgetting there.
You might need a little someoneto be your cheerleader, which
is something I love callingmyself everyone's cheerleader,
(18:04):
remembering your voice andbuilding that confidence back up
.
So I think, yeah, a witness, acheerleader I don't typically
tell people like what to do.
We shape it together and it'ssomething we build and I think
that is that comes from mybackground, I think as a nurse
(18:26):
and transforming into a, a coach.
You know, having that, right,um, now.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Now you refer to yourself as a healing slash,
holistic slash, transformationalcoach.
Do those things fit neatlytogether, or are they three
separate practices?
That's not what I wanted to say, but that's the only word that
(18:54):
comes to my hand.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Yeah, I think I talk about all of them because words
hit differently with differentpeople.
I think healing at its root youknow you think about healthcare
is what I think about ishealing Like you're sick.
You need healed.
As a coach, I don't utilize mynursing license.
(19:19):
I'm not giving any medicaladvice under my coaching like
hat we'll call it when I have mycoaching hat on.
It's no medical advice, it'spurely just me being there.
Holistic is something I wouldlike to see in healthcare,
because this is me taking allsides of the person you know as
(19:43):
nurses.
You know we might be nurses inby trade and I think it's very
american as well to you know,you ask someone, oh, what do you
do, or who are you, and theysay, oh, I'm.
You know I'm an investor or II'm an engineer, or, and we
define ourselves by our jobs.
Um, and something I'd like tobring back is that holistic
(20:05):
nature of it is like more, whoare you on, a deeper sense of
being, um, you know what makesyou up, not just like that
you're a daughter or you know afather or a son or a husband or,
um, a friend, but that you'reconfident, that you enjoy doing.
(20:28):
You know traveling or running,or you, you know what makes you
the person you are and I,holistic coaching is so
important to me because everydifferent person, every person,
sorry has different aspects thatmake up who we are, aspects
(20:52):
that make up who we are, and soI try to take into account, you
know, our social health.
You know, are we being proactivein the community?
Are we involved?
Do we have friends?
Do we have family that we canrely on?
Financial health, emotionalhealth, um and other.
You know just the multifacetedareas of our lives, right and
then transformational.
(21:13):
I just feel like being withsomeone who is your witness and
cheerleader.
It's hard to not be transformedin that time.
I've had many people say thatit's just so nice to have the
space.
They don't realize how muchthey need it until they have it,
and then they're like God, Ijust needed that 60 minutes to
(21:34):
just like talk and be listenedto and like actively listening.
You know is something so big.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Are resources available for somebody like you,
for for the nurses?
I mean, I'm sure there's amental health department, that
that is available to nurses orto all hospital staff?
Really I'm sure.
But but yeah, that sounds likemaybe maybe each hospital should
(22:09):
have like a little room whereyou can just go in and
decompress, for you know, Idon't know, that's because
nurses have their own unique setof I don't want to say issues,
but look, I said it, even thoughI didn't want to say issues,
but I'm oh, look, I said it eventhough I didn't want to say it,
(22:30):
but I mean, if you're coachinga nurse, the average person on
the street is not going to comeinto you and go.
they're not going to have thesame needs Needs.
There's a word I was lookingfor that a nurse might have
right Needs needs.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
There's a word I was looking for that a nurse might
have, right.
Well, I'll go back to.
Every hospital should have alittle nice like detox room kind
of thing because, that would begreat.
There are some hospitals thatdo have that.
I did travel nursing for a bitand I did it.
(23:16):
You know, some places have um alittle massage chair in the
break room or something likethat, but um, yeah, you would
think that there would beresources for nurses and I think
that's something thatpost-covid is we're building
awareness around it because itdidn't used to be like that.
Very few and far betweenhospitals offer resources for
people and I will say majorityof hospitals that do offer these
(23:40):
resources for nurses are thelarge university hospitals that
have more funding than, say,like, the smaller hospitals.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
It all comes down to funding, doesn't it?
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Yeah, so, and we're, you know, slowly but surely
there's, there's other nurseswho are like me that have gone
through coaching, training andhave been building out programs
in their own hospitals andspreading awareness.
So it's coming.
It's just not as fast asobviously it would be, you know,
(24:17):
liked to be implemented.
But, um, and then back to thenurses have our own set of
difficulties or needs thataverage people might not have.
Yeah, it's really hard, becauseI also I don't want to discount
(24:47):
anyone else's experience, right.
So I think, having been a nurseworking bedside, I see people
coming in and you just neverknow the life struggles that
everyone has.
So I don't want to say thatpeople don't have, you know, I
(25:09):
think everyone could benefitfrom something like the type of
space that I can offer.
But I also think where you'recorrect in saying, like, nurses
have maybe a unique set of needsthat need, yeah, and it's very
specific um, a lot of nurses Italk to are like, oh, yeah, like
(25:31):
therapy is great and I've donetherapy and you know therapy has
its place um, but I think thisis where the nurse having
someone who is also a nurse totalk to is honestly a huge game
changer.
Absolutely, because I relate tothe 12-hour shifts, 13-hour
(25:54):
shifts, the overtime, the16-hour shifts when you stay
over.
I relate to working night shift.
I relate to the meal prep.
I relate to not being able tohave a water bottle all day.
I relate to not being able togo to water bottle all day.
I relate to not being able togo to the bathroom, like.
There's certain things whereit's like you nurses, just get
(26:15):
other nurses, you know, and youhave to have someone like that
who understands the whole partof being a nurse at the bedside.
We need to back up.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
You can't have a water bottle all day.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
We have hydration stations set up in the unit,
which is very common, so yourwater sits at the hydration
station.
If you have a busy day and yourwater is not near you, you
never drink the water, you nevergo to the bathroom.
I'm spoiled.
(26:51):
Being in california, the breaksthat I get are mandated and
there's like laws, I'm prettysure.
But when I worked back east, Imean you would go the whole
shift with you know your 30minute break would be at your
desk desk overnight.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
Charting or something yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Yeah, eating bites in between, so it's crazy yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
That blew me away.
When I heard you say that, Iwas like wait what?
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
And it's.
I mean, I know here inMinnesota one of our nurses
unions just threatened to strikebecause a lot of it these days
is staffing, isn't it?
That's a huge sticking pointfor nurses, right?
Speaker 2 (27:40):
Yeah, I would say patient ratios is where that
stems from mainly is safepatient ratios, which ends up
being a staffing issue.
But the safe ratios is what'simportant because we want to
make sure that we, you know,have the time to take care of
(28:03):
the patients the way that theydeserve to be taken care of.
And you know, I'm I mean I'm Idon't want to say everyone's had
an experience in a hospital,because I realize how not
everyone has had an experiencein a hospital, it's just my day
to day.
But you know it's really hard tobe in the hospital or a family,
(28:27):
have a family member in thehospital and think that you're
not being seen or not beingtaken care of and, as a nurse on
the other side, realizing, likewhen am I supposed to have time
to like really truly make adifference if I have, like on a
med surge floor which is justlike the regular units, not ICU,
(28:47):
they might have like eightpatients, seven or eight
patients, and at that point youknow you've got seven or eight
patients, that you have eighto'clock meds, nine o'clock meds,
10 o'clock meds, and then bythe time you finish that med
pass, then you're starting yournoon med pass and then after
that you're starting your dinnermed pass and when are you
finding charting that you'restarting your dinner med pass
(29:08):
and when are you finding you'respending your entire shift
handing out meds?
yeah, and it, it, just it.
It's really hard because, assomeone who does have a lot of
heart and like loves being anurse, um, you know I want to be
there for people and I againthis is why going into coaching
kind of healed my heart a littlebit and I can be that for other
(29:32):
nurses.
But yeah, the safe patientratios One day it would be great
if this was a national thing,but maybe one day we'll get
there.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
So what would be ideal Like two to three patients
per nurse.
Is that too low?
Speaker 2 (29:51):
I mean, it would be great it depends on what unit
you're on right.
It does, yeah.
So I think med-surg maximumwould be great with five.
I would say, five sometimes iseven hard, but I think I'm not
sure in California what themaximum.
I think I'm not sure inCalifornia what?
Speaker 1 (30:15):
the maximum I know we have?
Speaker 2 (30:15):
we're the only state in the country with patient
ratios right now, and I thinkit's yeah, yeah, and I think
it's five, it might be six, butI think it's three to four, and
(30:37):
then ICU is one patient or twopatients if they're not critical
, yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Yeah, my poor nurses.
I told you that story.
I owe nurses so much because Iwas the patient from hell when I
had my bypass.
I'm pretty sure they wanted meto like leave, like get them out
(31:04):
of here.
We put that alarm on that chairfor a reason, sir.
I didn't realize what colorslippers I had on.
If I had to go, I had to go,just saying, anyway, that's
neither here nor there.
I love your focus on on beingpresent in the work that you do
(31:30):
because, honestly, that iskindness in action, right, and I
really appreciate the work thatyou do.
I'm sure your fellow nurses doas well.
But it's everything that thisshow is about.
It's about people just takingcare of other people.
(31:54):
And you do that as a nurse andyou do that as a coach, and so
you're you're a double threat.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
I also wanted to add, I think, something important on
the topic of like healing andbeing present, you know.
And back to coaching and makingprogress with clients.
I think the amazing thing aboutbeing present and allowing
(32:23):
people to process and justwitnessing it can help regulate
their nervous system, and Idon't think we all realize how
dysregulated our nervous systemsare just on a daily basis.
And so how can you expectsomeone to heal with a
dysregulated nervous system?
And again, that's why I thinkmy coaching is so different is
(32:48):
because I allow them the spaceto process first and then, once
we are through the processing ofall the, you know, overwhelm
and burnout, then we can finallywork to regulate your nervous
system, which allows like adeeper and more extensive like
(33:09):
progress through the healing youknow, like it just is different
than the band-aid that we puton it with other things, and
when you can heal from yournervous system, it's, I mean,
it's life-changing.
That'll be so healing for yearsto come when you work from that
inner peace.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Bear with me what does a deregulated nervous
system look like.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
It can be people thinking that they have ADD,
adhd, overwhelmed, constantlythinking about a to-do list,
fidgeting, not being able to sitstill high heart rate, high
blood pressure, headaches, youknow, and how it's healthcare
right.
(33:59):
We're always like, oh, youmight have this, you might have
that, you might have this, or,you know, take a medicine.
Medicine or and that's kind ofwhere I come back to the
holistic side is when we'reoverstimulated right from media
just sound.
I mean, I've got constructionand you know we're on social
media and all these things thatwe feel like we have to do um,
(34:23):
you constantly feel behind, youfeel like you're falling behind
or you're not doing enough, andit's.
I mean, I just think everyonecan relate to that feeling right
Of just like, oh, I need to dothis, or I should catch up with
this person, or and they start,you know this thought process in
your brain and then you're like, oh, oh, I want a moment to
(34:45):
breathe.
And then our moment to breatheis sitting on the couch watching
tv or, um, you know, scrollingon our phone, yeah, um, and
sometimes even reading a book,like that's still stimulation,
your mind is still beingactivated and um.
So I think a dysregulatednervous system can be so much
(35:06):
right, I mean if you really itcould be chest pain, it can be
upset, stomach headaches, um,and so it's really connecting
back with your body, um, andhealing that through you know,
once you have to be in a spaceto be ready for that right, like
I can't just take someone andbe like you have a be in a space
(35:27):
to be ready for that right,like I can't just take someone
and be like you have adysregulated nervous system.
Let's get to work on that, um,and that's where the kindness
and presence starts.
Right is.
I'm starting with just beinghere and and a witness, and then
after that, and after they'veprocessed what they need to
through space and presence andtime, then we can move into.
(35:51):
Okay, what do we need to healon a deeper level, where we can
rewire our nervous system andnot get so over activated about
little things or put our brainback into, like that you know,
to-do list mode and and it takestime.
(36:11):
It's not something that's justlike a one and done fix, but the
thing is is the more we work atit, the easier you recognize it
and the faster you can flipback into a regulation, as with
anything right.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
The more you practice it, the better you get at it.
So are you saying I wouldn'tneed my amlopidine?
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Amlodipine that's right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
No, I'm kidding, I'm kidding.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
No medical advice.
That's a I'm kidding, I'mkidding.
No medical advice.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
That's a new one for me, that's just within, like the
last couple of years, I'm likeyou say what I have never had
high blood pressure.
Before in my life, it's alwaysperfect 120 over 80 every single
time.
And then, like two years ago,my cardiologist was like I think
you might have high bloodpressure and for those of you
(37:14):
listening at home, I just rolledmy eyes and mouth the word
whatever.
No, thank you so much forcoming, taking the time, natalie
.
This has been reallyenlightening and I will have you
have a coaching website or no?
I do yes that link will be inour show notes.
(37:36):
I don't think I've gotten itfrom you yet, but we'll get it
afterwards.
And yeah, if you're feelingoverwhelmed and stressed out to
the max and this is a virtualworld now right, so you could
treat anybody anywhere, correct?
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Yeah, I do, mostly virtual.
I've been working on buildingout communities so I just love
surrounding myself with people.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
And especially if you're a nurse.
Yes, if you're a nurse.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
I have a free Facebook group where I do
monthly group calls.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
Every month I'm going to need all those links.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Yeah, I can send them to you, yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
Thank you so much for taking the time and speaking to
me for a little bit here.
I really appreciate it and Iappreciate what you do.
Speaker 2 (38:32):
This has been so amazing.
Mike, Thank you for having meon.
I've had so much fun talking toyou and getting to know you
through this.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Take care and we will talk again soon.
Take care and we will talkagain soon.
Minutes that you spent herewith us today and I hope that
(39:05):
you're inspired or motivated ormoved in some way.
If you experienced any of thosepositive feelings, please
consider sharing this podcastwith your friends and family.
I'm also striving to offer youa better podcast.
So if you have something thatyou like about the show,
something that you like aboutthe show, something that you
(39:27):
hate about the show, somethingin between, feel free to drop me
an email, mike, at the kindnessmatters podcast, comm, or in
the comments on the platformthat you listen to the podcast
on whatever, reach out and letme know how you think I'm doing.
I would really love that.
And make sure to follow us onall of our socials as well.
(39:51):
We're on Facebook, instagram,linkedin, tiktok, youtube you
name it.
We're there.
Go, look us up the KindnessMatters podcast, and make sure
to follow or subscribe.
This podcast is part of theMayday Media Network, maybe you
(40:11):
have an idea for a podcast andyou need some production
assistance.
Or you already have a podcastand you're looking for a
supportive network to join.
Check out maydaymedianetworkcomand make sure to check out
their many different shows, likeAfrocentric Spoil, my Movie
Generation Mixtape In a PickleRadio Show, wake Up and Dream
(40:35):
with D'Anthony Palin, staxo, paxand the Time Pals.
We will be back again next weekwith a new episode and we would
be honored if you would join us.
You've been listening to thekindness matters podcast.
I'm your host, mike Rathbun.
Have a fantastic week, thankyou.
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