Your Nurse Voice Matters

Episode 33 – Ella King -Standing Firm: A Nurse's Journey Through C%$ID -19 Mandates and Career Loss

What happens when your professional values, personal convictions, and career collide? In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Your Nurse Voice Matters, Wendy Trevarthen sits down with registered nurse Ella King to discuss her extraordinary nursing journey—from securing a graduate position at Queensland Children's Hospital to losing her nursing career during the C%$ID-19 vaccine mandates. Ella shares her experiences as a passionate patient advocate, a nurse who wasn't afraid to question systems, challenge assumptions, and speak up when she believed something wasn't right. She reflects on the culture of nursing, the importance of critical thinking, and the difficult decisions she faced during one of the most divisive periods in modern healthcare. Together, Wendy and Ella explore: * Ella's path into nursing and her early career in paediatric healthcare * The importance of patient advocacy and trusting your clinical instincts * The challenges of speaking up in healthcare environments * The impact of C%$ID-19 on nurses and healthcare systems * Her personal experience navigating vaccine mandates and employment consequences * The emotional toll of professional uncertainty * Workforce shortages and lessons healthcare leaders can learn from the pandemic * Why communication, transparency, and respect for nurses matter more than ever Throughout the conversation, Ella offers a candid reflection on resilience, integrity, and staying true to your values—even when the personal cost is high. Key Takeaway "Be the nurse that you want looking after you. Be the nurse you would want caring for your family. Have the courage to speak up, trust your judgment, and act with integrity." About Our Guest Ella King is a registered nurse with nine years of experience in paediatric healthcare. Passionate about patient advocacy and seeking truth, she spent nearly five years at Queensland Children's Hospital before her employment was impacted by the C%$ID-19 vaccine mandates. Today, she works with the Nurses Professional Association of Australia and continues to advocate for nurses and healthcare professionals across the country. Listen If You Want To: ✅ Learn about the importance of patient advocacy ✅ Hear a firsthand account of nursing during the C%$ID  era ✅ Understand the challenges faced by healthcare workers during times of crisis ✅ Explore the role of integrity, courage, and critical thinking in nursing ✅ Be inspired by a story of resilience and standing firm in your convictions Quote of the Episode "The nurses you want in your health system are the ones who ask questions, who challenge what doesn't make sense, and who will stand up for patients when something isn't right." Connect With Wendy If you enjoyed this episode of Your Nurse Voice Matters, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a nurse who needs to hear this conversation. If you know a nurse with a story to tell, contact wendy at wendy@healthyoptionsnow.org Because every nurse's voice matters. 🎙️💙

Episode 32 - Helen Zahos - What Nurses See in War Zones: Helen Zahos Shares the Reality

In this powerful episode of Your Nurse Voice Matters, Wendy Trevarthen sits down with emergency nurse, paramedic, humanitarian volunteer, and PhD candidate Helen Zahos to explore what it truly means to serve on the front line of global disasters and humanitarian crises. From the Bali bombings and the Nepal earthquake to refugee camps in Greece, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, and conflict zones in Ukraine and Iraq, Helen shares the raw realities of nursing in some of the world’s most challenging environments. She opens up about the emotional toll of disaster response, the lessons learned from working alongside international teams, and the importance of compassion, cultural respect, and emotional intelligence in nursing practice. This conversation is both inspiring and eye-opening for nurses at every stage of their career—whether you’re considering humanitarian work, beginning your nursing journey, or reflecting on the impact you want to leave in healthcare. Helen also discusses her current PhD research focusing on the mental health outcomes of disaster medical teams and offers practical advice for nurses interested in volunteering overseas. A moving conversation about courage, kindness, resilience, and why every nurse’s voice truly matters. To contact Helen – Instagram - Helen_Zahos LinkedIn www.helenzahos.com [http://www.helenzahos.com]   If you know a nurse who has a story to tell, wendy@healthyoptionsnow.org

Episode 31 - Alan Ramsey - Finding Your Voice In A Broken Healthcare System

In this powerful episode of Your Nurse Voice Matters, Wendy sits down with nurse academic, researcher, and advocate Alan Ramsay for a confronting and deeply honest conversation about the realities of modern nursing.  Alan challenges the idea that nurses need more resilience training, wellness workshops, or moral distress lectures to survive healthcare, arguing instead that the real problem is the system itself. Drawing on decades of experience in trauma, cardiology, education, advocacy, and research, he explores the power imbalances, workplace cultures, and silence that continue to impact nurses and patient safety across the profession. Together, Wendy and Alan discuss why nurses are often discouraged from speaking up, the emotional toll of unsafe workplaces, the hidden culture of lateral violence and bullying, and why near misses, advocacy, and open conversations matter more than ever. Alan also shares practical insights for early career nurses on finding their voice, navigating difficult workplace situations, and standing firm in their professional standards. This episode is thought-provoking, validating, and essential listening for nurses at every stage of their career. And somewhere within this conversation lies a golden nugget about courage, advocacy, and the quiet power of standing beside someone who chooses to speak up. To contact Alan alan.ramsay@jcu.edu.au [alan.ramsay@jcu.edu.au] If you know a nurse with a story to tell, contact Wendy wendy@healthoptionsnow.org

Episode 30 - Anne Jones - One Voice Against the System: A Nurse’s Fight

Some nursing experiences aren’t just experiences… they’re wake-up calls. ⚠️ (Warning: this may trigger some listeners. If this affects you, seek trusted, professional support.) What happens when a nurse does the right thing—and everything falls apart? When speaking up leads to isolation, investigations, and a system that turns its back? This powerful, confronting conversation with Anne Jones is about courage, bullying, and what it really costs to stand up for patients, colleagues, and integrity. It’s about persistent ‘resilience’ in the face of relentless pressure—and the strength it takes to keep going when everything is stacked against you. Surviving, for self and others. These are the voices that need to be heard. Not just to share experiences, but to create awareness, spark change, and remind every nurse: you are not alone, others walk alongside you. Because behind every headline or “incident” is a human being, a career, a family—and a story that matters. 🎙️ If you know a story like this—one that needs to be heard, one that could make a difference—introduce us in a 3-way chat. 💬🤝 wendy@healthyoptionsnow.org [wendy@healthyoptionsnow] To contact Anne email anniej1801@internode.on.net [anniej1801@internode.on.net] LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-jones-75410145/

Episode 29 Kylie Long - How Kylie Built a Second Career Without Letting Go of Her First

In this episode of Your Nurse Voice Matters, Wendy sits down with Registered Nurse and Workplace Health & Safety expert Kylie Long to explore what it truly means to expand your nursing career — without walking away from it. With over 30 years of experience in cardiac and emergency nursing, Kylie shares how her early passion for prevention and systems thinking led her into a second career in workplace health and safety. From hospitals to construction sites — including Brisbane’s Airport Link project — Kylie has applied her nursing lens to high-risk industries, helping organisations build safer, people-centred systems. But what makes Kylie’s story especially powerful is this: she never gave up her nursing registration. After nearly walking away from nursing altogether, a pivotal conversation changed her perspective. Instead of leaving nursing behind, she realised she was expanding it. By maintaining her clinical currency — even while working in other industries — Kylie created professional freedom, financial security, and a safety net during times of redundancy. In this conversation, Kylie and Wendy discuss: * The shift from structured cardiac care to the chaos of emergency nursing * Why prevention and systems thinking matter across industries * Practical strategies for maintaining nursing registration while exploring other careers * The power of transferable nursing skills in business and leadership * Why flexibility is critical to retaining nurses in the workforce * How keeping your registration can create long-term career security Kylie’s golden nugget for nurses at every stage? You will have to tune in to find out! This episode is a powerful reminder that nursing is not a narrow path — it’s a foundation. And sometimes, the thing you think you’re moving away from becomes the very thing that supports you most. Kylie can be contacted through LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyliealongsafetysupportsolutions/ If you know a Nurse with a story to share, contact Wendy at www.healtyoptionsnow.org