High Performance Nursing with Liam Caswell

Can you believe that we are celebrating our anniversary episode of High-Performance Nursing? I still remember that fateful day of January 17, 2021, when I was full of fears about the launch of this podcast.

Now I can confidently say that I’m glad I chose courage and did not let my fears or doubts consume me.  This courage also helped me build a community of high-performance nurses and healthcare professionals from all over the world.

Today’s episode highlights what we have achieved as a community through five amazing guests namely, Rachel Longhurst, Tammy Copley, Lauren Bell, Hannah Sawyer, Elaina Mullery.  This consists of snippets from previous highly rated episodes based on the number of downloads and the feedback that I have received personally.

Join me as we look back at the wisdom and valuable information that helps healthcare professionals with their career growth.  And as always, I hope you enjoy and learn a thing or two with this episode, let’s dive in!

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• All things intensive/critical Care with Rachel Longhurst (05:30)
• Bullying and harassment in healthcare environment Tammy Copley (12:59)
• Wealth and mindset mentoring with Lauren Bell (30:55)
• Find your Inner Queen and empower your mindset with Hannah Sawyer (50:44)
• Self-Compassion and dealing with burnout with Elaina Mullery (1:05:47)

Resources:

Happy 2022 Beautiful people! In this first episode of the year, I want you to take a moment to reflect on what you achieved and were proud of last year. It was a beautiful experience to see how much we had all changed and grown. It might have been confronting for most of us, but it was so nice to just be there and see how much everyone had grown and developed as individuals.

We make new year's resolutions on a regular basis. But what I've realized is that when we make resolutions, we tend to focus on what we haven't accomplished or done yet. In this episode, I wanted you to consider what you are proud of in your life. What did you accomplish in the year 2021? Let us begin the year with gratitude and pride in what we've accomplished thus far.

The past year has been challenging for us as a health care clinician. We've been so busy that we've forgotten to pause, practice gratitude, and celebrate our accomplishments. As we begin this year, I want you to pause and reflect on your journey, no matter where you are. Allow yourself to sit in the joy and happiness of the present moment. Let us choose to begin this year with great pride!

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• Starting the year with gratitude (01:51)
• The missing step - Celebrating (04:53)
• The Achievement List (08:58)
• Liam’s achievements from 2021 (10:21)
• Therapy and Coaching (12:33)

QUOTES:

• “Reflecting back on the year before us allows us to see how far we've come.” - Liam Caswell (04:47)
• “How many times have you taken a minute to just stop and practice gratitude and to be grateful of what you've achieved and what you've done?”- Liam Caswell (05:21)
• “We all have different trajectories, paths, and lives. And there's no need or reason for us to compare because it doesn't bring us any joy or happiness.” - Liam Caswell (09:46)

Resources:

In today’s episode of High Performance Nursing, let’s talk about some top tips for responding to interview questions.  We are diving deeper into a couple of key components that I would love you to get your head around so that you can approach your interviews confidently. There is a lot of work, but preparation is the key for making it work and getting your dream job.

In this episode, we will be covering three different types of questions that you will come across in the interview and how to respond to those three types of questions, ensuring that you use effective strategies throughout to help you confidently respond under pressure.

As clinicians, we put a lot of work and preparation to be able to go in and perform at our highest level. Always remember that it will be worth it. You'll have a new job. You'd be really happy in this new role because it's what you want to do. Make the preparation and nail those interview questions with confidence!

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• Interview notes as safety net (02:31)
• The introductory icebreaker question (05:48)
• Key question themes (07:20)
• A list of sentences (10:59)
• The STAR example question (12:50)
• The scenario based response (14:25)
• Importance of using professional language in communicating (20:47)
• The STAR process and behavioral examples (22:24)

QUOTES:

• “If you don't get it the first time, do not beat yourself up.” - Liam Caswell (02:14)
• “They want to see that we have the underlying knowledge. They don't necessarily look for the perfect answer.”- Liam Caswell (10:42)
• “If you really, really want something, you will make the time.” - Liam Caswell (36:05)

Resources:

In this episode of High Performance Nursing, I will walk you through the exciting process of preparing for your next nursing interview. What if you can feel more confident and happy with what you can do and achieve in your interview?

When we receive a call or email from a potential future employer and land an interview, we immediately go into fight or flight mode. It is because of our self-limiting beliefs and inner critic that we are unable to get past the interview.

In this episode, we'll talk about how to prepare for a Nursing interview and the best strategies and red flags to pay attention to during the interview process. I'll give you some key points on how to be more confident and present during the interview so you can secure the dream job you applied for.

For clinicians considering applying for jobs in 2022, now is the time to really level up your interview skills.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• Getting started with interview coaching preparation (01:36)
• Overcoming your inner critic (02:12)
• Assessing your facts through thought downloads  (06:24)
• Compiling strategic interview prep notes (13:35)
• The panel secrets (17:18)
• The star response and ideal buzzwords (19:34)
• The power of delay tactics (23:47)
• Ending the interview with the safety net (26:37)
• Do’s and don'ts when asking questions for the panel  (28:55)
• Post-interview email follow up and self-care (36:00)
• The top tip for internal interview (39:42)

QUOTES:

• “The ideal answer doesn't mean that there is a one size fits all response. It is more that they have ideal words that they need or want to hear from you during the interview.” -Liam Caswell
• “Remember you have a choice. Ultimately, you make the choice about whether or not you take the job. You want to take the right job for you. Not just any job. ” - Liam Caswell
• “We know that all of those things running through our mind are just thoughts. We have a choice over whether or not we want to believe them.”  - Liam Caswelll
• “Questions that make the panel feel something are the best questions.” - Liam Caswell

There are a few ways you can connect with me to start taking those steps to build your healthcare career:

In this week’s episode of High Performance Nursing, I'm sharing a Heart to Heart chat I had with Lauren Belle on self leadership and leading others.

Nurses are among the most trusted professionals, and leading by example is how we begin to develop our self-leadership. It’s about us doing the work and understanding who we are at our core.

I hope that this episode empowers nurses to thrive in their careers and helps to fill some of the gaps as they advance and avoid burnout so that they have a true sense of who they are.

If you are a clinician who wants to improve your Self-Leadership, join us as we chat about career, self-leadership, self-care, wellbeing, and wealth in this episode.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• Liam's transformational journey to Australia (02:57)
• Becoming a Multi Passionate Clinician (05:26)
• A continual process to Self-Leadership (08:42)
• The Importance of Unlearning (10:54)
• How do we learn who we are? (12:42)
• Creating a psychologically safe working environment (17:55)
• The standard you walk versus The standard you accept. (24:04)
• Owning ourselves and Setting up Boundaries (26:48)
• How does Liam help clinicians move to leadership with ease and confidence? (30:09)

QUOTES:

• “Realize where your strengths, your opportunities to know your lessons, like where all of those things lie, and how you can use them to your advantage to build the life that you want to live intentionally.” -Liam Caswell (09:20)
• “I think when you realize that no one's coming to pull you out of it, and you have to do it yourself, and that you're strong enough to do it yourself. That's, I think, when the shift starts to happen.” -Liam Caswell (12:26)

Resources:

In this week’s episode of High Performance Nursing. I have a lovely chat with Kay Reynoldson, founder and full-time director of SustainHealth Recruitment.

Kay may not be a nurse, but a nurse’s blood runs within her, she comes from a family of nurses and carers. She has seen firsthand how hard the nursing profession can become and what kind of vocation it truly is.

In this episode, Kay shares her nursing career insights as a leading healthcare recruiter.

Kay makes sure that she knows the story behind every resume that lands on her desk. Doing so ensures that she partners every carer with the best clients.

She believes that recruitment should always be done “with a heart” so values can be established early on.  Also, this helps her recognize the area of nursing the candidate is suited for.

If you are a nurse wanting to explore other career avenues in nursing or healthcare, you’ll know how top recruiters like Kay executes the process.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• Kay's relocation journey to Australia (03:45)
• Landscape changes in the nursing workforce (09:38)
• Kay's process of analyzing the story behind every resume (18:58)
• How can nurses tell their unique stories? (22:35)
• What is the ideal nursing candidate? (31:20)
• Ways to develop a strong team culture (37:33)
• Exploring potential career avenues for nurses (45:00)
• The growth areas of SustainHealth (47:00)
• What does Kay need to keep re-learning as a recruiter? (49:57)

QUOTES:

• “There's so much you can tell and sell about  yourself just from the things you do day to day.” -Kay Reynoldson (23:53)
• “We don't want to hear ten cliché interviews in a row, we want somebody to stand out. And you stand out by being authentically yourself.” -Liam Caswell (34:53)
• “The great thing is I'm not scared of making a mistake because we're in it together, the principles and the values bring us all back to the same page.” -Kay Reynoldson (41:45)

RESOURCES:

In this unique episode of High Performance Nursing, I have a fabulous conversation with Elaina Mullery and Lauren Bell.

Elaina is the founder of The Happy Nurse. When Elaina noticed that there was a rise in fatigue, stress, and burnout in healthcare workers, it prompted her to launch her advocacy.

For her, self-care is an important factor in making sure that nurses offer the best version of themselves to patients, themselves, and their families.

While Lauren is a Wealth and Wellness Coach committed to helping professionals gain meaning, understand their purpose, and know their value. She helps clients acknowledge the barriers holding them back from well-being including financial wellbeing.

Lauren directs her clients to the path that allows them to realize their true potential and embrace goals and dreams.

In this episode, we’ll give a sneak peek of what’s going to happen on the Beating Stress & Burnout - Unleash Your Happy Nurse Online Seminar set on November 25th.

It’s so easy to experience stress and burnout especially for people working in healthcare industries. We are here to help you recognize and go through this phase, so you can continue giving outstanding service not only to patients but also in your personal life.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• Elaina's advocacy through The Happy Nurse (02:45)
• Evaluating the burnout journey (03:35)
• Lauren’s career story (04:09)
• The creation of  Beating Stress & Burnout - Unleash Your Happy Nurse webinar (05:05)
• What can people expect from the webinar (06:28)
• The pandemic's effects on the nurses' burnout (10:37)
• The Burnout Cycle (11:25)
• Reasons why the webinar is beneficial  (13:17)
• The outcomes that people can walk away with after the workshop (19:15)
• Final remarks from Lauren, Elaina, and Liam (24:35)

QUOTES:

• “If you can't lead yourself, how the hell are you going to lead somebody else.” - Liam Caswell (08:48)

Resources:

In this week’s episode of High-Performance Nursing, I speak with Nurse Jacqui O’ Connor of Heart Place New Zealand. Jacqui is an advocate of healing and empowering carers.

Her unique life experiences, deep spiritual connection, and practitioner tools are an indicator that she is not your average, traditional coach.

It is Jacqui’s mission to offer the kind of care that has long been missing. Through this, caring professionals feel supported and develop their self-confidence and self-worth.

In this episode, Jacqui shares her lifelong belief that in order for carers to become and offer the best version of themselves, they have to heal from within. When carers become advocates for themselves, they continue doing what they love.

For caring professionals experiencing compassionate fatigue or burnout, this episode is definitely for you.

What you'll discover in this episode:

• Lockdown and vaccination status in Auckland (02:20)
• Jacqui's coaching career (03:50)
• Heart Place with Nurse Jacqui (05:03)
• Feeling empowered after the burnout (06:15)
• Healing and mindset modalities (07:23)
• Empowered period workshop (09:07)
• The healing process for carers (12:45)
• The butterfly language (14:25)

Quotes:

• “Wellness needs to be accessible.” - Jacqui O'Connor (10:20)
• “We need to fly our freak flag, we need to stand there and be true and authentic to who we are.” - Liam Caswell (13:25)
• “As much as I practice compassion for myself, I practice compassion for others.” - Jacqui O'Connor (16:52)

Resources:

This week on the High Performance Nursing Podcast, I catch up with the remarkable Hannah Sawyer. Hannah is a registered nurse for 7 years, a timeline therapist, a master NLP practitioner, and a dog mom to a mastiff.

Hannah is the founder of The Breakthrough Nurse, and she is on a mission to empower nurses.

By helping nurses heal from their past traumas, acknowledge limiting beliefs and hindrances they become the best version of themselves.

In this episode, Hannah shares the importance of doing the inner work and developing a resilient mindset to continue thriving in any healthcare practice. When nurses feel empowered, they offer the best kind of service to others and to themselves.

This casual conversation I had with Hannah is something that you will gain so much knowledge from.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• What's keeping Hannah and Liam busy these days (02:15)
• The importance of having a mindset in career-driven people (04:20)
• Why leaders need to be in touch with who they are (06:07)
• Q&A With Liam and Hannah (16:00)
• How to identify limiting beliefs (16:05)
• The Ego voice (21:00)
• Ways to know your worth (26:55)
• Shifting to intensive care (31:12)
• Toxic bullying nurses (34:18)
• How to deal with burnout and not getting support from managers (42:42)

QUOTES:

• “There's so much more to nursing than just being a good clinician.” -Liam Caswell
• “The inner work is more important than professional development.” - Hannah Sawyer
• “If you want to be an exceptional leader, you have to take that inside-out approach alongside knowing your clinical knowledge.”  - Hannah Sawyer
• "If you're waiting to be ready to apply for that job, you're never going to be ready, just do it." -Liam Caswell

Resources:

In what I think is the most exciting episode yet, I chat with Tim Ferris, a private strategic advisor to CEO's and CEO of Leadership genius. 

Tim is one of Australia’s leading strategic advisors to CEOs having had particular success in leading, coaching, and developing CEOs who are new to their role to unlock their leadership genius. He has served as a business advisor for the past 15 years, along with leading companies and large mission-based not-for-profits.

Tim specialises in saving humans from bad leaders and in this episode we talk about all things leadership, culture mindset and how they apply to healthcare. 

There are so many amazing insights from Tim in this episode that if you allow them, will change your idea and perspective about leadership! Be ready to have your mind blown!

Please share, screenshot and review this podcast to let us know your thoughts!! 

FREE BOOKS and Professional development: Tim is kindly offering all HPN listeners access to order not one, but two free books to help you learn more about leadership, culture and your development as a leader in healthcare (Exclusive only to HPN listeners!) You can sign up for the FREE books below: 

In this episode of HPN, I interview the amazing Lauren Bell, Wealth Mindset Mentor who helps heart centred professionals make a difference in the world by overcoming burnout and helping professionals understand what they are truly worth.

Lauren has over 30 years of clinical experience and throughout this time has amassed exceptional coaching, counseling and mentoring skills to assist and support professionals in the move from surviving to thriving within their careers.

In this episode, we talk about common mindset challenges faced by clinicians, the victim blame/shame cycle, money mindset and amassing more wealth as a clinician and so much more!

Join Lauren and I, as we unpack how we can optimise our potential as clinicians and build a thriving mindset and amass more wealth.

Make sure you tag us on social media when you listen!

Find out more about Lauren here

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Cynarra from Health Insight HQ. A nurse mentor/coach who helps nurses thrive in their career search, applying for roles and managing their university workload! 

Cynarra shares her career insights from working in the private system in Gynae, Anaesthetics, Recovery, Tertiary education and how that led to setting up her business Health Insight HQ. 

In this episode, we have a good laugh and bust some common myths that come up when we coach nurses throughout their career lifespan. 

Furthermore, we tackle the challenges faced by nurses when setting up their own business and how they can navigate such challenges! You are not alone! 

Make sure you stick around to the end, where we unpack how to position yourself for success in the current job market! 

I trust that you will love this episode and learn heaps from Cynarra. 

On this episode of High Performance Nursing, I had the privilege of interviewing the founder of The Breakthrough Nurse, Hannah Sawyer. 

Hannah Sawyer is a Registered Nurse of 7 years, a dog mum and Master NLP practitioner and Timeline Therapist. She is the founder of The Breakthrough Nurse. A brand on a mission of empowering nurses to heal from their past trauma, limiting beliefs and everything holding them back so that they can be the most empowered, confident, authentic version of themselves at work and in their life.

In this episode, we talk about all things self care, self-limiting beliefs, how to manage your thoughts, how your subconscious is where the gold lies and how to live your best life as a self aware and conscious nurse. 

We talk about how any nurse can step into nurseprenuership and create their own wealth and shape their own career trajectory. 

This is a fabulous episode, with the amazing Hannah, I am sure you will gain so much from this conversation!

Please note we had some audio issues throughout, apologies, the content is still friggin awesome so I couldn't not put it out into the world!

You can learn more about The Breakthrough Nurse here:

On this episode of High Performance Nursing, I share my thoughts, concerns and genuine worries for the future of the nursing workforce. 

Over the last 2 years we have as a profession faced some unprecedented challenges not seen for over 100 years. 

I unpack some of the challenges we face in our day-to-day work, our career sustainability, our progression as nurses among many other key challenges. 

This episode is heavily influenced by my thoughts and opinions and does not reflect my employers. 

I would love to hear your thoughts on my channels below - we are in this together! 

You can follow/work with Liam here:

On this episode of High Performance Nursing, I catch up with Zara Lord (RN), the founder of uPaged an on-demand healthcare marketplace solution to connect healthcare facilities, nursing agencies & compliant clinicians in a single, fully integrated ecosystem.

Zara was first and foremost a proud ICU and shares her career experiences whilst working in a busy tertiary hospital ICU. Zara's discusses how by stepping back and getting innovative within her spare time, she was able to identify a significant gap in the market for on-demand work to be streamlined, cost less for the hospital whilst improving the nurse's experience! Genius!

We talk about the future of on-demand work utilizing the uPaged system and how nurses with fabulous ideas can harness their full potential and solve frustrating clinical programs often created by non-clinicians!

Finally, we discuss how you can join uPaged, whether you are a workplace or a clinician, you can get in touch with Zara and her team to discuss further (for free)!

You can learn more about uPaged here:

In this week's episode of HIgh-Performance, Nursing Liam gets deep as he talks about quitting a very high-paying dream job( >160K per year) after being in the role for 4 weeks!

Liam talks about the challenges of finding a role that is in alignment with your personal values and professional career goals. Chasing your dreams doesn't always result in happiness, especially if you are chasing the wrong thing! This has been ongoing learning that Liam wants to share within the High-Performance Nursing Community. 

As high performers, we push, we win, we thrive and we grow but sometimes it's at the cost of being true to ourselves. Listen as Liam unpacks the key learnings from being misaligned in a job and how you can take steps within your role to recentre, focus and follow your true bliss. 

Warning, this episode may encourage you to take career action & start doing the inner work! You're Welcome! 

Work with & follow Liam here: 

In this episode of High-performance Nursing, Liam unpacks the two common types of mindsets that exist and how we can navigate them within a clinical nursing context.

Drawing upon his personal learnings, studies, and experiences Liam dives into what affixed mindset is, how it may present, and how to spot it on your peers and self. Liam explores how you can coach someone with a fixed mindset to move on the mindset continuum towards growth. Furthermore, Liam unpacks what it means to adopt a growth mindset and how this will propel your personal and professional development forward in your home and work lives.

10 minutes of jam-packed goodness, to help you thrive within your nursing career – no matter what stage you are at!

Follow & inquire about working with Liam here:

This week on the High Performance Nursing Podcast, I was lucky enough to interview the amazing Nurse Jacqui O' Connor from Heart Place New Zealand.

Jacqui is a champion of carers, noting the importance of carers (nurse, AIN's, students, PSA's, NDIS carers, OT's, Physios etc) filling their cup first allowing them to give more to the vulnerable they care for holistically via natural osmosis.

Jacqui dives into her backstory, where she courageously shares her episode of burnout and her "aha moment" of realizing she was "Unhealed" prior to joining the nursing workforce and how that need for healing became a central component of her self discovery journey and in founding Heart Place.

If you are a carer who feels out of alignment, has lost their passion for their career, and/or is beginning their own self-discovery journey, this episode is not to be missed!

We cover the importance of values, boundaries, self-discovery, self-worth, mindset, reframing, meditation and so much more!

You can follow Jacqui here and learn more about what she has to offer (which is lots!):

In this episode of High Performance Nursing, I share with you the top tips that I have tried and tested to ensure that you have all the information and more required, prior to putting pen to paper and applying for the role! 

In this episode, I talk about how doing your research about the role you are interested in (yes even if you are a graduate nurse) can make a huge difference and potentially save you from the dreaded toxic healthcare workplace.

I also share some insights from the recruiters perspective to help you understand fully what it is that nurse managers are looking for when you submit that application package! 

Stay curious & enjoy! 

Please rate, review, share and subscribe! Lets elevate nursing!

Join Liam on the HPN journey!

In this episode of High Performance Nursing, Liam gives us insight into the tips, tricks and tools he shares with his nurses to tackle the dreaded selection criteria and cover letter. 

Liam dives into how to utilise the STAR approach to tackling complex Selection Criteria questions to ensure you brand yourself optimally, to increase your chances of securing a nursing interview! 

This episode is an excellent FREE resource for grads, established nurses and nurses seeking a promotion to help them put their best application forward. 

If you enjoy the episode, please rate, review and subscribe! Oh don't forget to share too!

If you would like to work with Liam to help you hone your resume writing skills you can check him out here: 

In this week's episode of HPN Liam takes you through the simple, practical steps to make your CV a stand out at your next job application, he shares his views on your CV being your entry way into a new role + just how critical it is as part of the application. 

Although it may sound boring, thoroughly evaluating the format, layout, font and length of your CV is paramount when aligning yourself with the right role for you. 

He also chats about the preparation you can do to make sure the job role you are applying for is not a mismatch therefore preventing time wasting on a workplace that doesn't tick all your boxes in terms of culture, values and vision.

In this episode of HPN Liam chats with Dunja, social worker and case manager about her accidental journey into working with her heart in social work. Together they unpack what it means to listen to the inner voice and passion of yourself and how doing good in an area that does good for your heart also, is rewarding on so many levels. 

As a nurse health care professional, both Liam and Dunja dissect the cost of doing the job of caring and talk about how to confidently and politely call out bad behaviours in the workplace so it can be a safe and feel good working environment for everyone.

Dunja gifts us with two tools that social workers have, to benefit your relationship with yourself and your patients showing us that invaluable insight identifying your values can be have in the job and that using it as a guiding light when you are tired or close to burnout can be incredibly beneficial. 

This week on HPN Liam chats with The Happy Nurse Elaina Mullery, listen as they both share their personal experiences with stress and burnout having both experienced it twice in their careers. Elaina explains how getting external help from a therapist who helped her understand Cognitive Behavioural Therapy ignited  a passion in her for personal development that ultimately led to the birth of The Happy Nurse. 

We hear about the power of self awareness and self reflection, and how really it comes down to the compassion element we have for ourselves, the ability to be our own best friend versus listening to the inner critic that makes all the difference. 

Elaina also tells us about an amazing coaching tool that is so quick and easy to implement into our life when the inner critic starts to really ramp up and that they key to recognising overwhelm stage can actually help you avoid burnout. 

 For any nurse who has teetered on the edge of stress, overwhelm, fatigue and exhaustion this one is for you! 

Liam shares with us his learnings after attending a Brené Brown workshop on leadership. He shares his personal insights around adapting the takeaways to the healthcare industry and highlights the need for more vulnerability and courageous leadership. Pointing out that work cultures that don't shame or blame are often more inclusive, effective and have better outcomes. 
Liam shares that the definition of vulnerability focuses on 3 key components; risk, uncertainty and emotional exposure and that embracing the suck actually makes for a more flexible and authentic leader. He explores that part of being a great leader is the ability to have the hard conversations in real time and that embracing failure in all it's forms is actually a healthy path of progress and change in the workplace. 

He also poses two great questions for you to ponder...
How authentic are you in leadership? 
How sustainable is it?