It is my strong belief that if we spend more time focusing on supporting and uplifting our colleagues, nurses would find greater satisfaction in the work that they do. Therefore I decided to create a monthly blog series: the Nursing Entrepreneur Spotlight – that focuses on exploring other nurse entrepreneurs and the fantastic work they’re doing. Since I’ve launched my company The Nurse Speak, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful business savvy nurses. I’ve learned that there are so many amazing nurse entrepreneurs out there doing some really groundbreaking work, and this month’s featured guest is no different! So please let’s welcome this December’s featured nurse entrepreneur – Heather Taylor, RN!
ABOUT HEATHER TAYLOR, RN
Heather Taylor is the owner and operator of afteraloss.com, and has been a Registered Nurse for 26 years. Heather found her passion in caring for Oncology patients early within her nursing career. She realized that in many instances she couldn’t stop the disease process, but that she could provide the best care possible to help make her patient’s most difficult days a little bit better. After many years working within the oncology setting, Heather found a new passion within Hospice and Palliative care. She especially grew fond of working with bereaved family members, and in 2013, she returned to school where she studied Thanatology – The study of death and dying, and earned certification in Grief, Bereavement and Loss.
While co-facilitating a support group for family members that have experienced the loss of a loved one to suicide, it was very apparent to her that our society no longer has any real form of symbolization or recognition for when people are grieving. Since grief is largely invisible, and we have no way of knowing who it is that may be experiencing the pain of loss, The Grieving Pin was born.
The Grieving Pin is an attempt to meet this need, recognizing that there is no set ” Grieving period”, and that grieving doesn’t just happen for a day, week, month or year. Grief, and the amount of time someone spends grieving is different for each individual, and The Grieving Pin is a way to make it visible that someone is grieving. Heather’s hope for The Grieving Pin is that it will alert those around a mourning individual that they may require additional support and understanding. With an increased awareness that someone around you is grieving, the opportunity for kind gestures, increased compassion, and increased patience may just be what that individual needs to help them in that moment.
The Grieving Pin – a simple enamel black ribbon pin, can provide a clear message to others without it’s wearer saying a single word, especially since speaking of the grief may be too painful for them. Heather hopes that The Grieving Pin can become a universal symbol that is recognized all over the world, allowing those in mourning the respect, dignity, and support that they need in their time of need.
CONNECTING WITH HEATHER
I had the pleasure of meeting Heather at my first National Nurses in Business Association Conference in St. Pete, FL in 2017. After we connected at the 2017 NNBA Conference, Heather and I kept in touch via social media. It was a pleasure getting to connect with Heather again this year at the 2018 NNBA Conference in Las Vegas, where she continued to inspire, invigorate and motivate aspiring nurse entrepreneurs, as well as offer value for those of us who are already in the running with our businesses. Heather is a real gem, and I am so excited to continue collaborating with her as she positively impacts the lives of those around her!
To make things more interesting and to give you a taste of what Heather Taylor is up to, you can check her out on Social Media via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn!
So be sure to connect with Heather, and be inspired at what we nurses can accomplish!
Best Wishes!
-Damion
