Love n' Leary Nursing Podcast

Why Thousands of Nurses Are Marching on Capitol Hill May 7 (With Dr. Danielle McCamey and Dr. Lendra James)

In this episode of the Love n' Leary podcast, host Rebecca Love sits down with nurse leaders Dr. Lendra James and Dr. Danielle McCamey, co-founders of Nurses Shift Change, to talk about why nurses must “report for duty” in Washington, D.C. this Nurses Week. They break down the urgent threats facing healthcare—hospital closures, cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, loss of coverage for vulnerable communities, and risks to nursing’s status as a profession—and why nurses’ voices are essential in shaping policy.  Learn what to expect at the Report for Duty Rally and Hill Day, how advocacy connects to nursing’s Code of Ethics, and how joy, art, and community can fuel resistance and change. Tune in to get inspired, get informed, and get ready to show up. >>Why Thousands of Nurses Are Marching on Capitol Hill May 7 [https://nurse.org/news/report-for-duty-rally-2026/] Jump Ahead to Listen:  [00:01:22] Introducing the Report for Duty rally in DC [00:01:51] Origin and mission of Nurses Shift Change [00:02:20] Adding Hill Day meetings with lawmakers [00:03:21] Why Washington, DC and engaging legislators [00:04:01] History of nurses marching and advocacy in DC [00:05:21] Why nurses must leverage their collective power now [00:06:41] Healthcare in trouble and nurses on the front lines [00:08:33] Joy and resistance: format and feel of the rally [00:09:09] Core values: humanity, ethics, social justice, science [00:11:55] How to get involved and where to find more information Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalovenursing/] Connect with Marion on social media: Instagram: @marionleary [https://www.instagram.com/marionleary/] TikTok: @marionleary [https://www.tiktok.com/@marionleary] Facebook: Marion Leary [https://www.facebook.com/marion.leary1/]

2 Nurse Leaders at the Peak of Their Public Health Careers Resigned — Here’s Why (With Dena Bushman and Rebekah Stewart)

In this episode of the Love n' Leary Podcast, hosts Marion Leary and Rebecca Love speak with nurses Dena Bushman and Rebekah Stewart about their difficult decision to resign from the United States Public Health Service. After years of leadership in public health and infectious disease response, both nurses share the ethical and moral conflicts they faced when deployments shifted toward immigration detention facilities. Through candid conversation, they discuss moral distress, nursing ethics, and the responsibility nurses carry when systems conflict with patient care. This episode explores advocacy, courage, and how nurses can use their voices to drive change in healthcare and beyond. Jump Ahead to Listen:  [00:01:21] Nurses resign from U.S. Public Health Service [00:01:42] Dena’s background and CDC / EIS path [00:03:07] Becky’s ER, Ebola, and CDC career overview [00:06:24] Becky’s ethical breaking point and decision to resign [00:09:37] What the U.S. Public Health Service is [00:11:58] Shift in deployments toward detention facilities [00:13:20] Question about deaths and conditions in detention [00:13:47] Becky’s 2019 Border Patrol deployment experience [00:17:42] Dena rostered to ICE and Guantánamo, moral distress [00:25:03] Dena on using your voice and next steps for nurses Connect with Rebekah:  * LinkedIn: Rebekah Stewart [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebekahjstewart/] * Substack: @rebekahjstewart [https://substack.com/@rebekahjstewart] Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalovenursing/] Connect with Marion on social media: * Instagram: @marionleary [https://www.instagram.com/marionleary/] * TikTok: @marionleary [https://www.tiktok.com/@marionleary] * Facebook: Marion Leary [https://www.facebook.com/marion.leary1/]

From the ER to Congress: Why This Nurse Is Running for Office (With Nancy Mannion)

In this episode of the Love n' Leary Podcast, we sit down with emergency nurse and congressional candidate Nancy Mannion [https://www.nancymannion.com/] (PA-11). Nancy shares how bedside experiences, seeing the impact of lack of access to care and crushing medical debt, propelled her to run for Congress. She breaks down the nursing skills—communication, negotiation, and teamwork—that translate directly to policymaking, and talks candidly about imposter syndrome, becoming a public figure, and preparing for tough town hall questions. Nancy also offers practical encouragement for nurses considering political engagement at any level, from school boards to federal office, and explains why she believes America is in “critical condition” and needs a nurse to help heal it. >>From the ER to Congress: Why This Nurse Is Running for Office | Opinion [https://nurse.org/news/why-our-political-system-needs-nurses/] Jump Ahead to Listen:  [00:01:00] Introducing guest: ER nurse Nancy Mannion, running for Congress [00:02:09] What inspired Nancy to run for a congressional seat [00:03:06] ER stories showing impact of poor access to healthcare [00:04:37] Speaking at a local event leads to being asked to run [00:06:09] Exploring how to run and finding Healing Politics [00:07:45] Nursing skills Nancy will use in Congress [00:11:50] Learning every word as a candidate is public [00:14:29] Preparing for town halls and handling wide-ranging questions [00:17:53] Advice to nurses thinking about speaking up or running for office [00:21:33] How nurses can support Nancy’s campaign and get involved Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalovenursing/] Connect with Marion on social media: Instagram: @marionleary [https://www.instagram.com/marionleary/] TikTok: @marionleary [https://www.tiktok.com/@marionleary] Facebook: Marion Leary [https://www.facebook.com/marion.leary1/]

The Next Frontier for Nurses? Outer Space. (With Christine Rincon, The Space Nurse)

Space tourists, floating vomit, CPR in microgravity—this episode goes exactly where you think it won’t. Marion and Rebecca sit down with Christine Rincon [https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-rincon-445b248b/], founder of The Space Nurse™, to explore why the future of space travel urgently needs nurses. From decoding NASA job postings to unpacking “human in the loop” processes, Christine reveals how everyday bedside nursing skills directly translate to mission control and long-duration space missions. The conversation dives into microgravity’s surprising effects on the body, space station livability, and why nurses must help design the next era of space exploration. If you’ve ever wondered what nursing looks like on the journey to Mars, this episode is your launchpad. >>The Next Frontier for Nurses? Outer Space. [https://nurse.org/news/nurses-in-space-missions/] Jump Ahead to Listen:  [00:01:47] What is The Space Nurse [00:02:37] Space nursing isn’t “a thing” yet [00:04:05] Why long-term missions need nurses [00:05:31] Translating nursing skills to NASA jobs [00:06:29] “Human in the loop” explained for nurses [00:08:00] NASA Standard 3001 and human factors [00:09:48] CPR guidelines for the International Space Station [00:11:45] NASA’s free training and human research roadmap [00:13:24] Idea of a Nurses in Space hackathon with NASA [00:21:35] Webinar to prep nurses for care in microgravity Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalovenursing/] Connect with Marion on social media: Instagram: @marionleary [https://www.instagram.com/marionleary/] TikTok: @marionleary [https://www.tiktok.com/@marionleary] Facebook: Marion Leary [https://www.facebook.com/marion.leary1/]

How Federal Health Funding Cuts Are Reshaping Global Care—and Impacting Nursing Leadership (With Jerilyn Hoover)

In this episode of the Love and Leary Podcast, Rebecca Love and Marion Leary sit down with public health nurse and former USAID leader Jerilyn Hoover to discuss the sweeping impact of recent federal health funding cuts. Jerilyn shares a firsthand account of how the abrupt closure of global health programs disrupted HIV, maternal-child health, and workforce initiatives worldwide—contributing to devastating human consequences and the displacement of thousands of health workers. The conversation also explores a critical but overlooked issue: the loss of nursing leadership within federal agencies and its long-term implications for healthcare policy and innovation. >>How Federal Health Funding Cuts Are Reshaping Global Care—and Impacting Nursing Leadership [https://nurse.org/news/federal-health-cuts-impact-on-nursing-leadership/] Jump Ahead to Listen:  [00:01:03] Introducing guest Jerilyn Hoover [00:02:15] Early interest in public health nursing [00:04:10] MPH at Johns Hopkins and focus on health policy [00:04:40] Joining USAID and health workforce work [00:05:35] Asked about the day the agency was closed [00:06:00] Inauguration week trip to Ivory Coast [00:07:00] Seeing news of the 90-day aid freeze [00:07:20] PEPFAR background and scale of support [00:08:07] Overnight layoffs and halted services [00:09:22] Locked clinics and shortages of HIV meds [00:12:31] Estimated 700,000 deaths from aid cuts [00:16:09] Federal government as career pathway for nurses [00:19:23] Why nurses must be in policy roles [00:22:13] Risk of nursing retreating to only clinical/academic roles [00:23:31] Calls to action: advocacy, mentorship, support Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalovenursing/] Connect with Marion on social media: Instagram: @marionleary [https://www.instagram.com/marionleary/] TikTok: @marionleary [https://www.tiktok.com/@marionleary] Facebook: Marion Leary [https://www.facebook.com/marion.leary1/]