It is my strong belief that if we spend more time focusing on supporting and uplifting our fellow 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 are doing. Since I’ve launched my company The Nurse Speak, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful business savvy individuals, and I’ve learned that there are so many amazing nurse entrepreneurs out there doing some really groundbreaking work – this month’s featured guest is no different! So please let’s welcome this December’s featured nurse entrepreneur – Michelle Podlesni, RN!
ABOUT MICHELLE PODLESNI
Michelle Podlesni, RN (“Unconventional Nurse: Going from Burnout to Bliss!”) is President of the National Nurses in Business Association and CEO/President of Bloom Service Group LLC. She is a proud US Navy veteran and nurse with over 30 years of experience ranging from clinical care, case management, and healthcare information systems – to nationally known speaker, best-selling author, and serial nurse entrepreneur. She has a proven track record of leadership success in C-suite level executive management of startups and established multi-million dollar SaaS companies serving Fortune 500 clients. Michelle is a widely recognized and respected authority in business and speaks nationally on empowerment of nurses through entrepreneurship. Michelle’s presentations, workshops and coaching services brings three decades of real-life experiences, from the bedside to the boardroom and beyond; sharing how to transition nursing knowledge and expertise into a variety of non-traditional opportunities. Michelle helps nurses imagine, plan, and embrace their next professional venture!
Michelle Podlesni’s Message to today’s Nurse
“Now more than ever, nurses need to protect the longevity and financial future of their careers. With the upheaval changes in our healthcare delivery system, it is essential that nurses diversify their knowledge to incorporate sound business practice knowledge. Also, half of the nurse workforce is over the age of forty-five. Health systems are slow to design career paths with expanded roles and slow to recognize the immense cache of their knowledge and experience. As the multi-generational nurse workforce reflects on the intent to stay in an conventional setting, consideration must be given to transitioning from employee to entrepreneur.” —Michelle Podlesni
You can learn more about Michelle and the services she provides by visiting UnconventionalNurse.com.
About the NNBA
Established in 1985, the National Nurses in Business Association is dedicated to advancing and promoting nurses role in business. The NNBA provides nurses with business education and tools to meet business goals and connects nurses to an extensive network of colleagues and resources that can help them navigate through the journey of entrepreneurial success. NNBA’s Annual Signature Conference on Nurse Entrepreneurship & Career Alternatives is each Fall, next being in October of 2018 in Las Vegas.
You can learn more about the benefits of becoming at member of the National Nurses in Business Association by visiting www.NNBANow.com.
Connecting with Michelle
Michelle Podlesni and I connected shortly after I stumbled across the NNBA website and registered for membership. Almost immediately after becoming a member, I was contacted by one of her team members to welcome me to the NNBA, and to see if I had any particular need or interest that could be addressed. I was certainly impressed and wanted to learn more!
Within a few weeks of becoming an NNBA member, Michelle and I connected on social media, and began to learn more about one another and the work that we do. I made many more connections online after becoming a member, and I quickly became convinced that I should join the 2017 NNBA Nursing Career Alternatives conference in St. Pete Beach, FL.
The 2017 NNBA conference was scheduled for September, but Hurricane Irma had other plans. As a result, the September conference was cancelled and Michelle swiftly made arrangements for the conference to be rescheduled to November. I called the NNBA telephone number to inform someone that I was cancelling, and to my surprise Michelle was the one who answered the phone. Michelle was pleasant, professional, and very accommodating during our telephone conversation. She blew me away!
I belong to many professional nursing organizations, and I have NEVER experienced such a personalized and welcoming telephone conversation with any of the members. From the moment Michelle answered the telephone, she was approachable, kind, and most importantly – human. I was sure she was under a lot of stress having to reach out to over 200 conference registrants, the hotel, airlines, transportation companies, plus all of the speakers and vendors, but I never knew if she was overwhelmed one bit. It was at that moment that I knew I wanted Michelle in my professional network, and that I made a good choice in choosing the NNBA conference.
Meeting Michelle at the NNBA Conference
Once I arrived at the NNBA conference registration tables, Michelle was present, approachable and she even recognized me, calling me by name. During my time at the NNBA conference, Michelle and I had many interactions. There was even time when she asked me to provide her with some honest feedback about the detailings of the conference as she noticed that I pay particular attention to details – after I assisted the registration table attendees with improving their pre-conference registration sign-in system by making a very simple suggestion for improving the process.
Since the conference we have remained in touch. Michelle has been very supportive of me and my work on social media, and continues to inspire me to grow and develop The Nurse Speak. I am looking forward to many more future collaborations with Michelle, and I highly recommend you connecting with her today!
To make things more interesting, and to give you a little taste of what Michelle is up to, here is an article that she wrote and posted on the NNBA website: Tribute to Nurse Entrepreneurship #NNBA2017.
*To learn more about my experiences at the 2017 NNBA conference, please check out my video testimonial!
Best Wishes!
-Damion
