With Love, From Chiang Mai
Lessons on Accepting Limitations and Living More with Less
*Pictured above* I am participating in the Wool&Co 30 day challenge. That's right, I am wearing the SAME DRESS for 30 days! (Yes, I do wash it) but this challenge demonstrates that we can live better with less and simplicity can be fun and rewarding.*
I have always wanted to be that gal that writes consistently and quite often but the truth is, I have never been able to maintain a routine of writing all the way back from childhood. We encourage patients to embrace their limitations so I am trying to hold myself to the same standard and realize "hey, we will write when it feels right."
I have so much to say as I sit here in the Chiang Mai, Thailand heat. If any of you know me personally, you know I routinely place a lot on my plate though I genuinely try to promote the beauty of simplicity in life. My absence has been because I have had a lot going on and have been trying to really experience life instead of letting life happen to me.
With that said, I have waited awhile to get on here and talk about resolutions as we are settling into the year 2026. I have decided not to go into this year with lofty aspirations or "I am going to be so badass" or anything else of that nature. Instead I am trying to be mindful of what I really want and sort out what this all means to me.
The truth is, in 2025 I reached a level of burn-out that has been more insidious than any other episode has been (yes, I have been through burn-out many times in the past 20+ years). I noticed it in how I show up for those I serve, how I show up at home, and how I feel when I login to work. I was starting (and still am) to feel detached, less enthusiastic, and totally confused about why something just felt off.
Now granted, I did SO MUCH in 2025 but since I am accustomed to my own flavor of awesome chaos, I believe I let too much of the bad chaos in.
What is "bad chaos?" It is the noise that tells us we have to do better, do more, over achieve, or complete large goals before we can rest. I was trying to grow two of my businesses after selling the biggest one in 2024. Then the FDA changed the rules on compounding and, instead of worrying, I felt a sense of relief. Why? It meant I had outside permission to shut a business down and take it off my plate. That's right-I shut down a profitable business simply because it did not match what I want and what feels right in my life anymore.
That left me with my primary psychiatry business, the one that gave me freedom as I moved to Mexico in 2021. In 2025 I started shifting hard to a functional medicine model and weeding out accepting insurance. I hired someone to see patients. And then...I realized that was not what I really wanted.
Since 2021 my brain has been TURNED UP much of the time most days even though my businesses have offered me freedom. Often I think we get freedom in one way in life and we create barriers in others immediately after. That is exactly what I had done, unwittingly.
I am recognizing that I desperately need a "brain turn off" option.
I am moving my long-term clients to my prior practice, where I only see the clients then move on with my day. No administrative in and out leftover.
In 2026 I make the bulk of my money by creating continuing education programs and most importantly- I live on very little compared to the average American. One way I do that is through travel. I am sitting here typing this after I just fed my family a great meal on a whopping $10 TOTAL. I live simply. I leverage real estate to drastically reduce my tax bill while upping my investment portfolio. I do not need much and it is the key to working through this episode of burn out.
I am doing all these things to streamline where I am going in life and simply shut off my brain from time to time.
That said, this is probably a strange time to introduce the fact that I just started working for a company that offers NP review courses! I have waited for a position like this for many years but with my travel, single parenthood situation, etc, it was not in the cards for me. My life is now in a perfect position to be able to do this and the level of pressure in this job is simply different whilst very rewarding.
What does this mean for me as a NP Entrepreneur?
I am still leveraging the chaos that comes with our profession in a way that allows me to "be more free." I am still traveling. Still hosting CE events and cruises. That will probably never stop.
I will always stay abreast of what other NP entrepreneurs are doing. Being a Clinical Nurse Specialist provides me with a unique skillset in examining, creating, and expanding the role and abilities of the NP entrepreneur. I will still coach other NPs and be in awe- as I often am- as what we accomplish as nurses. However, I do not plan to do that for myself again (growing another business) for the immediate future.
It is time to live a little bit more and preferably with a little less, and I hope you consider that too.
Awesome reminder: Remember we are going to BERMUDA in October! Bonus! Get credit towards FREE CE by referring someone to us to join one of our cruises. Contact us now at: Veteran Voyages.
What CE topics would you like to learn more about?
First 3 to sign up receive their CE FREE. *Agenda to come soon*
We went and enjoyed a water fall after hanging out with elephants on day 1 in Chiang Mai!
