The Money Myth: How a Nurse Paid Off Nearly $1M in Debt | ft. Naseema McElroy, RN, FNP

The Money Myth: How a Nurse Paid Off Nearly $1M in Debt | ft. Naseema McElroy, RN, FNP

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2606726/fan_mail/new] Most of us were taught to keep our heads down and never talk about money. Naseema McElroy, RN, FNP did the opposite, and it changed her whole life. She was a labor and delivery nurse earning well over six figures and still sitting on close to a million dollars of debt. Then she got loud about it, paid it off in under three years, and built Financially Intentional so other nurses could do the same. In this one, Naseema says the quiet part out loud: the people who make you feel like you can't talk about money usually have a vested interest in keeping you broke. We get into the net worth number nobody wants to print, why you probably don't need another degree to get paid more, opportunity cost and buying back your years, and the debt payoff method that became, in her words, addictive. Shantall pulls up a chair as the CRNA in the room, Marc keeps it honest, and Naseema frames the whole thing. If you've ever felt behind, or like talking about money makes you greedy, this is the episode that takes that off your shoulders. Naseema McElroy is RN, FNP, founder of Financially Intentional and author of Smart Money. This is not financial advice, just two CRNAs and a nurse who got free. Everything we make lives at clockoutandconnect.com. Free CRNA tools, the newsletter, all of it. Short summary (under 120 characters, for podcast apps) A nurse who paid off nearly $1M in debt on why staying quiet about money keeps you broke. Naseema McElroy, RN, FNP. SEO tags CRNA, nurse anesthesiologist, nurses and money, paying off debt, financial independence for nurses, Naseema McElroy, Financially Intentional, healthcare finance Chapters (delete the last three lines if the off-record segment isn't in the final cut) 0:00 Intro & the most embarrassing thing you bought to feel like an adult 1:54 Meet Naseema McElroy, RN, FNP  4:21 Why you don't need another degree to get paid more 6:42 How Financially Intentional started 8:40 When sharing her numbers took off 10:02 Normalizing money at work (the $20K overnight story) 13:23 The benefits you're not using 15:22 How she got to nearly $1M in debt 18:13 The debt snowball that became addictive 20:04 Her biggest money mistake: pausing investing 21:11 Learning to invest with the FIRE community 23:27 The net worth gap and the $5 statistic 26:02 Getting intentional in a high cost of living area 27:27 Teaching her daughters to own, not consume 30:53 Girl math, loud budgeting, and TikTok money terms 32:57 What FinTok gets right and wrong 35:19 Write-offs, Schitt's Creek, and bad money advice 36:06 Who benefits from you staying broke  38:21 Why this needs a part two 40:51 Where to find Naseema  41:59 Off the record: Marc's $300K student loan payoff 46:43 Shantall's story: the GI Bill, court reporting, and a loan that doubled 49:05 Why amortization should scare you, and starting where you are Season / Episode: Season 1, Episode 6 · Released June 30, 2026 ✨ Connect with us: 📧 Email: clockoutandconnectpodcast@gmail.com 🎥 YouTube: Clock Out and Connect [https://www.youtube.com/@ClockOutandConnect]📸 Instagram: @clockoutandconnectpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/clockoutandconnectpodcast/]📘 Facebook: Clock Out and Connect Podcast [https://www.facebook.com/people/Clock-Out-and-Connect-Podcast/61580766209784/] 💬 Got a story, question, or an Off the Record submission? Send it our way.

Occupational Hazards: A CRNA on Burnout, Faith, and Heavy Lifting (ft. Bilal Mohammad)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2606726/fan_mail/new] We called this one Occupational Hazards, but we're not talking about needle sticks. We're talking about what the job quietly costs a CRNA. What it feels like in your body to walk out of a case that went south, then do a stat C-section ten minutes later because the day doesn't stop for you to fall apart. Bilal Mohammad is a Miami CRNA you probably know as That CRNA Who Lifts, and he came on to talk about all of it. How he protects his faith at work and why he's never had to choose between praying and providing. Why he treats the gym like medicine, the bad day, the good day, the blah day, all of it ends in a workout. What we carry that nobody sees, the part where everyone's joking in the room until it's suddenly on you and the whole table looks up waiting for the plan. We also got into anesthesia and social media. How more information somehow gave patients less trust, and that epidural harpoon trend scaring women out of pain relief for clicks. And we stuck around off the record for the OR stories we don't usually tell. Let's just say not everyone walks out of that room without a bruise. Everything we make for CRNAs lives at clockoutandconnect.com. Free tools whether you're pricing your worth or still trying to get into school, plus our new, free weekly newsletter, the whole anesthesia world in a five minute read. Chapters:   00:00 Cold open, the desflurane pop quiz   01:04 Welcome to Clock Out & Connect   01:30 Meet Bilal, That CRNA Who Lifts   02:13 Miller vs Mac, and losing the DL   06:56 The 30 second dinner party challenge   07:36 Faith in the OR, what you check at the door   09:44 Praying at work without apology   12:00 Occupational hazards, the circle of life in one hour   13:56 Solo in Spain, how he resets   15:04 What we carry that nobody sees   18:25 Social media gave patients less trust   22:18 Independent CRNAs, supervision, and money   24:54 The body keeps score, the gym as medicine   27:40 No breaks, no food, and why it still chose us   30:22 The first paycheck and the real ROI   33:08 What the job gives back   34:50 Off the record, OR stories we don't tell   39:47 Would you do it all over again #ClockOutAndConnect #CRNA #NurseAnesthesia #NursingPodcast #HealthcarePodcast #Anesthesia #CRNALife #NurseLife #CRNAStudent #SRNA #OperatingRoom #HealthcareBurnout #FaithAtWork #MuslimInMedicine #OBAnesthesia #Epidural #DirectLaryngoscopy #GymAndMedicine #MentalHealthInHealthcare #ThatCRNAWhoLifts CRNA, nurse anesthesia, nurse anesthetist, healthcare podcast, nursing podcast, anesthesia, occupational hazards healthcare, burnout, faith at work, Muslim CRNA, direct laryngoscopy, video laryngoscopy, epidural, OB anesthesia, supervision vs independent practice, CRNA fitness, operating room stories, SRNA, Bilal Mohammad CONNECT WITH US Email: clockoutandconnectpodcast@gmail.com YouTube: Clock Out and Connect Instagram: @clockoutandconnectpodcast Facebook: Clock Out and Connect Podcast Guest: @thatcrnawholifts (Instagram + TikTok) ✨ Connect with us: 📧 Email: clockoutandconnectpodcast@gmail.com 🎥 YouTube: Clock Out and Connect [https://www.youtube.com/@ClockOutandConnect]📸 Instagram: @clockoutandconnectpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/clockoutandconnectpodcast/]📘 Facebook: Clock Out and Connect Podcast [https://www.facebook.com/people/Clock-Out-and-Connect-Podcast/61580766209784/] 💬 Got a story, question, or an Off the Record submission? Send it our way.

Selfish ft. Dr. Dani Williams, DNP, CRNA - Episode 04

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2606726/fan_mail/new] Is taking care of yourself actually selfish? Or is that just what healthcare trained you to believe? Dr. Dani Williams is a CRNA and IFBB Fit Model Pro — and she trained for her Pro card while she was in anesthesia school. Not after. During. In this episode, Shantall and Marc sit down with Dani to talk about what it actually costs to put yourself first when your entire career is built around putting everyone else first. Guilt, burnout, body image, boundaries, the pressure to always be available, the money you leave on the table every time you say no. All of it. They go there. What you'll hear: • How Dani competed through CRNA school and what it actually took to pull that off • The hidden price of discipline, borrowed energy, and running on caffeine for years • Mom guilt, dad guilt, and why turning down a shift can quietly feel like failure • Why burnout doesn't look the same for everyone — and why that matters • What a self-care practice that fits your actual life looks like instead of someone else's • Off the Record: what each of them does to genuinely recharge Being "selfish" might be the thing that makes you a better provider, partner, and parent. This episode is the permission slip you didn't know you needed. If this hits home, share it. Leave a review. DM us your story. Connect with us  📧 clockoutandconnectpodcast@gmail.com  🎥 YouTube: Clock Out and Connect  📸 Instagram: @clockoutandconnectpodcast  📘 Facebook: Clock Out and Connect Podcast Chapters • 00:00 Cold Open: Is Self-Care Selfish? • 09:00 Welcome Back to Clock Out and Connect • 10:00 Meet Dr. Dani Williams • 13:00 What It Means to Be an IFBB Fit Model Pro • 19:00 Competing Through CRNA School • 25:00 Borrowed Energy, Caffeine, and Discipline • 35:00 Who Pays the Cost of Your Goals? • 36:00 Burnout After CRNA School • 57:00 Saying Yes, Boundaries, and Job Culture • 1:09:00 Off the Record: What Recharges You? #ClockOutAndConnect #CRNA #CRNASchool #SRNA #NurseAnesthesia #CRNALife #HealthcareBurnout #HealthcareProvider #IFBBPro #FitModel #HealthcarePodcast #NursePodcast #SelfCareForNurses #NurseBurnout #AnesthesiaLife #WomenInHealthcare #FitnessAndHealthcare #HealthcareBoundaries #ProviderBurnout #OffTheRecord ✨ Connect with us: 📧 Email: clockoutandconnectpodcast@gmail.com 🎥 YouTube: Clock Out and Connect [https://www.youtube.com/@ClockOutandConnect]📸 Instagram: @clockoutandconnectpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/clockoutandconnectpodcast/]📘 Facebook: Clock Out and Connect Podcast [https://www.facebook.com/people/Clock-Out-and-Connect-Podcast/61580766209784/] 💬 Got a story, question, or an Off the Record submission? Send it our way.

They Stayed - Episode 03

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2606726/fan_mail/new] Everyone talks about what it costs you to chase CRNA school.Nobody talks about what it costs them. The spouses who held down households alone. The parents who stopped calling because they didn’t want to add to the weight. The friends who slowly disappeared. The marriages that survived — but barely. In Episode 3, Marc and Shantall get honest about the people who didn’t sign up for anesthesia school but lived every second of it anyway. Marc opens up about what it was like being newly married to Becky while trying to survive clinicals, and how their first year of marriage became something neither of them could have planned for. Shantall goes there about being geographically separated from Adam during military training and USAGPAN — almost failing out her first semester, hitting a wall she couldn’t climb alone, and what it actually took to ask for help when everyone around her looked like they had it together. This episode doesn’t wrap itself up neatly. It talks about loneliness, resentment, guilt, jealousy, and the quiet grief of watching someone you love disappear into a version of themselves you don’t quite recognize yet. And then — it talks about what comes after. Where their marriages are now. Why strong relationships aren’t luck. What it means to keep choosing each other through school, kids, career pivots, ambition, and every season that follows. If you’ve been through it — or if someone you love is in it right now — this one is for you. Off the Record: Real talk for the person who is in the middle of it right now. Up Next: Marc and Shantall are joined by Dr. Dani Williams, DNP, CRNA and IFBB Pro card holder, for an episode called Selfish — about what it looks like to actually choose yourself in a profession that never stops asking you to give. Connect with us  📧 clockoutandconnectpodcast@gmail.com  🎥 YouTube: Clock Out and Connect  📸 Instagram: @clockoutandconnectpodcast  📘 Facebook: Clock Out and Connect Podcast If this hit home, share it, leave a review, or DM us your story. Chapters 00:00 Cold Open: Everyone Paid for the Yes  03:00 Welcome Back to Clock Out and Connect  04:00 What They Thought CRNA School Would Cost  07:00 Realizing This Was Harder Than Expected  12:00 When Your Spouse Feels Alone Too  17:00 Living Separate Lives While Staying Married  22:00 Communication, Distance, and Survival Mode  27:00 Almost Failing Out and Asking for Help  36:00 How School Changes Every Relationship  57:00 Off the Record: Keep Going, But Stay Human #clockoutandconnect  #CRNA #CRNASchool #SRNA #USAGPAN #NurseAnesthesia #CRNAJourney #ICUtoCRNA #HealthcarePodcast #NursePodcast #CRNAMarriage #HealthcareRelationships #Military #MilitaryNurse #SRNALife ✨ Connect with us: 📧 Email: clockoutandconnectpodcast@gmail.com 🎥 YouTube: Clock Out and Connect [https://www.youtube.com/@ClockOutandConnect]📸 Instagram: @clockoutandconnectpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/clockoutandconnectpodcast/]📘 Facebook: Clock Out and Connect Podcast [https://www.facebook.com/people/Clock-Out-and-Connect-Podcast/61580766209784/] 💬 Got a story, question, or an Off the Record submission? Send it our way.

What Saying Yes Actually Cost - Episode 02

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2606726/fan_mail/new] What does saying yes to CRNA school actually cost? Marc and Shantall unpack the real price: friendships, marriage, identity, and why they would still do it again even knowing what they know now. This episode is for current CRNA students wondering if it is worth it, ICU nurses considering the leap, and anyone who has ever had to rebuild themselves after saying yes to something that changed everything. Marc knew it was over the day a preceptor snapped a photo mid patient turn, gray sweater, aching back, exhausted. Shantall’s breaking point was the slow, heavy realization that a system asking too much shift after shift was never going to suddenly ask less. What you will hear: * The exact moments they knew they had to leave the bedside * What CRNA school costs that nobody warns you about: time, money, and who you are outside of work * The marriage conversation, how school and training changed them as partners and what it took not to lose each other in the process * USAGPAN versus civilian programs, financial stability versus loss of freedom, and the tradeoffs they would make again or not * Off the Record: substance use in anesthesia, the impaired provider no one wants to talk about and why staying silent is not an option CRNA school cost them friendships, holidays, weekends, sleep, and confidence. It cost Marc his sense of self and nearly his marriage. Shantall did not recognize herself after graduation and talks about what it took to put the pieces back together. They also break down the real world difference between USAGPAN, the military CRNA route, and civilian programs: guaranteed paycheck and benefits versus limited autonomy and personal freedom, and what you are actually trading when you choose one path over the other. Off the Record, Marc addresses substance use among anesthesia providers: who is really at risk, what it looks like when the strong one starts to slip, and why bringing it into the light can save a career or a life. Next episode (May 19): They Stayed, what this career costs the people who loved you. If this hit home: share it - leave a review - DM your story. Chapters: * 00:00 Cold Open: The Moment I Knew I Had to Leave Bedside   * 09:33 What Saying Yes Actually Cost Us * 10:53 You Never Get Back to Your Life * 17:46 Why We Didn't Quit * 21:52 USAGPAN vs. Civilian: The Real Trade-Off * 27:18 Off the Record: The Conversation Nobody Wants to Have #ClockOutAndConnect #CRNA #CRNASchool #USAGPAN #CRNAMarriage #ICUtoCRNA #HealthcareReality #NurseAnesthesia #ImpairedProvider ✨ Connect with us: 📧 Email: clockoutandconnectpodcast@gmail.com 🎥 YouTube: Clock Out and Connect [https://www.youtube.com/@ClockOutandConnect]📸 Instagram: @clockoutandconnectpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/clockoutandconnectpodcast/]📘 Facebook: Clock Out and Connect Podcast [https://www.facebook.com/people/Clock-Out-and-Connect-Podcast/61580766209784/] 💬 Got a story, question, or an Off the Record submission? Send it our way.