You've kind of had so many vast, different experiences in terms of your career.
 2
00:00:05.038 --> 00:00:08.742 What career advice do you have for us to find our path in life?
 3
00:00:09.109 --> 00:00:13.179 What I've been able to do throughout my life, in my career,
 4
00:00:13.546 --> 00:00:16.750 is to be open to any and all possibility.
 5
00:00:17.350 --> 00:00:21.588 People ask me, do you have a plan you can share with me?
 6
00:00:21.788 --> 00:00:22.655 And guess what?
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00:00:22.655 --> 00:00:25.759 I don't even have the back of a napkin I can show anyone.
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00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:30.196 But I think one thing that helped me, quite honestly,
 9
00:00:30.397 --> 00:00:35.101 is the fact that there were no preconceived notions in my family
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00:00:35.568 --> 00:00:38.905 as to what I was supposed to do with my life or my career,
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00:00:39.372 --> 00:00:42.509 because no one in my family had ever gone to college.
 12
00:00:42.709 --> 00:00:45.712 As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss.
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00:00:46.413 --> 00:00:48.281 Because I didn't know.
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00:00:48.281 --> 00:00:52.419 Because I didn't have parents telling me well you need to go to med school.
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00:00:52.419 --> 00:00:54.154 You need to go to law school.
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00:00:54.154 --> 00:00:57.490 My parents were just happy I was able to pursue
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00:00:57.724 --> 00:01:00.693 a college education, something they couldn't do.
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00:01:00.760 --> 00:01:04.497 They didn't care what I did as long as it led
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00:01:04.864 --> 00:01:08.101 to a fulfilling life, which I've certainly had.
 20
00:01:08.635 --> 00:01:11.104 So I have always been
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00:01:11.104 --> 00:01:14.307 the kind of person that has embraced the unknown.
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00:01:14.441 --> 00:01:16.242 I've never said no.
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00:01:16.242 --> 00:01:18.978 When someone has called me about a new job,
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00:01:18.978 --> 00:01:22.348 or someone has called me about doing something I've never done.
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00:01:22.816 --> 00:01:25.819 I immediately say, well, tell me more about it.
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00:01:26.252 --> 00:01:30.490 And I'm always open to the possibility of doing different things.
 27
00:01:30.523 --> 00:01:33.927 So my advice is not to get too hung up
 28
00:01:33.927 --> 00:01:37.097 in what you're studying or things of that nature.
 29
00:01:37.130 --> 00:01:40.433 I mean, I think about my college degree, my undergraduate
 30
00:01:40.433 --> 00:01:43.436 degree was in agriculture
 31
00:01:43.803 --> 00:01:47.574 and then my graduate studies was in theology.
 32
00:01:47.574 --> 00:01:50.577 I went to divinity school,
 33
00:01:50.743 --> 00:01:55.743 and that taught me how to be with people during their time of need.
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00:01:56.316 --> 00:01:59.285 I think back to 9/11,
 35
00:01:59.652 --> 00:02:02.689 I was working for a pharmaceutical company
 36
00:02:03.123 --> 00:02:06.559 in new Jersey at the time, in the shadows of New York City,
 37
00:02:06.559 --> 00:02:11.531 and that was an example of where my training
 38
00:02:12.031 --> 00:02:17.031 in theological divinity school came to be, because all of a sudden,
 39
00:02:17.537 --> 00:02:20.940 all the things we were doing that day were immaterial.
 40
00:02:21.274 --> 00:02:23.143 They didn't matter.
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00:02:23.143 --> 00:02:24.811 What I needed to do
 42
00:02:24.811 --> 00:02:28.481 was to be with people because we didn't know what was happening.
 43
00:02:28.615 --> 00:02:32.685 It was a period of time, just like when President Kennedy was killed.
 44
00:02:33.019 --> 00:02:36.022 I was five years old and in kindergarten.
 45
00:02:36.022 --> 00:02:39.125 And I remember that day like it was yesterday.
 46
00:02:39.726 --> 00:02:44.264 So there will be these instances in your life, and you've probably already
 47
00:02:44.264 --> 00:02:48.401 had some that you're going to remember when you're my age.
 48
00:02:48.935 --> 00:02:53.106 But ultimately, what you're going to remember is what you did
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00:02:53.606 --> 00:02:58.111 and how you helped other people get through that time of need.
 50
00:02:58.611 --> 00:03:00.847 And regardless what career you're in.
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00:03:00.847 --> 00:03:03.850 Whether you're a farmer, whether you're a teacher,
 52
00:03:03.950 --> 00:03:06.719 whether you're a mental health advocate,
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00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:09.556 it's all about being with people
 54
00:03:09.556 --> 00:03:12.559 because we're all on the same journey here.
 55
00:03:13.059 --> 00:03:15.895 We're all here for a finite period of time,
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00:03:15.895 --> 00:03:18.898 and it's our responsibility and our privilege
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00:03:19.232 --> 00:03:22.235 to just walk side by side with each other
 58
00:03:22.302 --> 00:03:26.472 and to get each other through both happy times and times of trouble.
 

I lost my nephew to suicide. I had spent my career working in healthcare but that loss made mental health very personal for me. It propelled me to launch Rural Minds to help others in rural America get mental health help.

I had a brain injury that required a craniotomy. I was told I may never walk, run, or ride horses again. I was determined to push through and prove the doctors wrong.

My days are spent advocating for mental health in rural America. I meet with community groups, farmers, and partners to share resources, reduce stigma, and bring care to places that often feel forgotten. Between nonprofit work and life on my dairy farm, I listen to people’s stories and help connect them with support and hope where they live.

Founder & Chairman

Family

Fulfillment

Opportunities & Possibilities

Advice For A Fulfilling Life

What's the most rewarding part of your job?
 2
00:00:03.203 --> 00:00:05.672 I think it's every time I'm,
 3
00:00:05.672 --> 00:00:09.843 I'm listening to the radio and I hear one of my DJs just nail it.
 4
00:00:09.843 --> 00:00:13.713 I think those moments, you can ask anybody who's ever been in the car
 5
00:00:13.713 --> 00:00:17.717 with me or who listens with me, I'll be like, heck yeah, Prometheus Brown.
 6
00:00:17.717 --> 00:00:21.221 That's one I said the other day, you know, like that was just, amazing.
 7
00:00:21.221 --> 00:00:24.858 So the most rewarding thing is just when I get to witness my DJs
 8
00:00:24.858 --> 00:00:28.895 succeeding and growing, and it's one of the last places
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00:00:28.895 --> 00:00:32.932 that human beings are kind of experiencing all at the same time.
 10
00:00:33.133 --> 00:00:34.334 Like it used to be,
 11
00:00:34.334 --> 00:00:38.171 you could turn on the TV and everybody was watching everything at the same time.
 12
00:00:38.171 --> 00:00:43.043 Because TV had a schedule now, everybody can watch everything whenever they want.
 13
00:00:43.343 --> 00:00:46.513 Radio is still one of those moments where it's live, it's happening.
 14
00:00:46.713 --> 00:00:49.883 We can be in the room and we can find out an artist
 15
00:00:49.983 --> 00:00:53.953 passed away, and we can switch our programing to reflect that.
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00:00:53.953 --> 00:00:56.790 We can find out something major happened in the world,
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00:00:56.790 --> 00:00:58.391 and we can switch our programing
 18
00:00:58.391 --> 00:01:02.228 to reflect that, so we can reflect things that are happening in real time.
 19
00:01:02.395 --> 00:01:03.997 We can bring people together
 20
00:01:03.997 --> 00:01:07.434 and we can reflect the needs of the community as they share them with us,
 21
00:01:07.634 --> 00:01:09.903 as well as just play some really great music. Right?
 22
00:01:09.903 --> 00:01:11.304 You know, still, that's what we do.
 23
00:01:11.304 --> 00:01:13.673 At the end of the day, we get to help people discover
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00:01:13.673 --> 00:01:16.176 their new favorite band, their new favorite song.
 25
00:01:16.176 --> 00:01:18.812 And I will be 100 years old and I will still get goosebumps
 26
00:01:18.812 --> 00:01:20.346 when I talk about those kind of things.
 

I got my first job in radio because of my internship experience. If you're interested in radio, I recommend starting with your school's radio station if they have one. If not, get involved in your local community radio. Many communities have volunteer-run stations. Start there to get some base skills and see if it's something you're interested in pursuing further. That's more important than your specific degree.

One of the best things about my job is that my day-to-day can change and vary, so it's always interesting! Every day though, I make sure our on-air lineup is staffed, I communicate between teams about what's going on for the day, I make sure my DJs have what they need to do great work, and I focus on long term initiatives that involve the training and mentorship of DJs, both new and old.

DJ Manager

You're just going to do radio for a little while and then get a real job, right?

Passion

The Most Rewarding Part Of My Job

So I'm wondering for you.
 2
00:00:01.167 --> 00:00:05.271 What was it like when you started to profit off of your artwork,
 3
00:00:05.271 --> 00:00:10.271 and how did you keep true to the spirit of what your art was inspired?
 4
00:00:12.078 --> 00:00:13.580 Well,
 5
00:00:13.580 --> 00:00:16.249 I think you hit on it as you, as you asked
 6
00:00:16.249 --> 00:00:19.252 that question was how do you stay true?
 7
00:00:21.988 --> 00:00:23.623 I learned
 8
00:00:23.623 --> 00:00:26.226 that that's the only way to build something
 9
00:00:26.226 --> 00:00:29.596 that's meaningful and that has a purpose is you have to stay true.
 10
00:00:29.596 --> 00:00:33.400 I use my background
 11
00:00:33.400 --> 00:00:36.403 as a farm worker and as a graffiti artist,
 12
00:00:36.636 --> 00:00:39.639 and I blend that in my work.
 13
00:00:40.407 --> 00:00:43.743 I don't think there's that many farm worker graffiti artists out there like so.
 14
00:00:43.743 --> 00:00:46.546 I don't know that people are going to buy this or
 15
00:00:46.546 --> 00:00:49.049 so I've learned to do it for yourself.
 16
00:00:49.049 --> 00:00:53.386 You have to fuel that for yourself so you can't really put too much attention
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00:00:53.386 --> 00:00:56.723 on the audience, on who's going to buy
 18
00:00:56.723 --> 00:00:59.726 your work, who's going to care for your work,
 19
00:00:59.893 --> 00:01:03.797 you have to put that energy more into, like, I enjoy doing this
 20
00:01:03.797 --> 00:01:08.068 and I want to do this, and the only way to do this is if I do it for myself.
 21
00:01:08.334 --> 00:01:11.271 I feel like we just have to remain true to that and,
 22
00:01:11.271 --> 00:01:14.274 to whatever that is that fuels you.
 23
00:01:14.340 --> 00:01:18.678 And sometimes that might mean you got to find a niche,
 24
00:01:19.813 --> 00:01:21.948 something that's like you.
 25
00:01:21.948 --> 00:01:26.219 That means going deep into your core, your roots, your like.
 26
00:01:26.219 --> 00:01:30.557 Well, what is it that makes my art different?
 27
00:01:30.757 --> 00:01:32.025 It's just.
 28
00:01:32.025 --> 00:01:34.594 How do you go about that? And it's tough.
 29
00:01:34.594 --> 00:01:38.331 I'm not going to sit here and say that it's an easy path.
 30
00:01:38.331 --> 00:01:41.134 It's not. Like, there's a lot.
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00:01:41.134 --> 00:01:44.137 You have to have a thick skin because it's a very,
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00:01:44.604 --> 00:01:48.875 subjective thing where people it's like everyone's a critic.
 33
00:01:48.942 --> 00:01:51.377 My mom was the biggest critic,
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00:01:51.377 --> 00:01:53.947 so my mother would
 35
00:01:53.947 --> 00:01:55.849 know if I didn't put 100. Right.
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00:01:55.849 --> 00:01:58.852 And so she would say things like,
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00:01:59.085 --> 00:02:02.088 that's not your best work, or, you know what, like that.
 38
00:02:02.255 --> 00:02:03.656 I don't think that's you, Bobby.
 39
00:02:03.656 --> 00:02:06.459 Like, that doesn't fit you.
 40
00:02:06.459 --> 00:02:08.361 Or just straight out, like, critique it.
 41
00:02:08.361 --> 00:02:09.262 Like.
 42
00:02:09.262 --> 00:02:11.598 And she was always spot on, right? And I go back.
 43
00:02:12.565 --> 00:02:14.033 The other thing
 44
00:02:14.033 --> 00:02:18.071 I had, one of my first bosses was probably my toughest boss.
 45
00:02:18.104 --> 00:02:20.507 He hired me to do a lot of
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00:02:20.507 --> 00:02:24.978 art, like on t shirts and art in his stores,
 47
00:02:25.678 --> 00:02:28.014 and he would call me out.
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00:02:28.014 --> 00:02:31.651 Because sometimes we get so comfortable when we create something,
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00:02:31.651 --> 00:02:34.654 we're like, everyone's going to love it.
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00:02:34.821 --> 00:02:36.489 And then they, and then it doesn't.
 51
00:02:36.489 --> 00:02:40.193 And then he calls me out and is like, that's trash.
 52
00:02:40.426 --> 00:02:44.130 Or maybe not with those words, but
 53
00:02:44.597 --> 00:02:48.134 he definitely would say, like, you know, go back to the drawing board.
 54
00:02:49.068 --> 00:02:52.705 And for an artist to go back to the drawing board, it's tough.
 55
00:02:52.705 --> 00:02:55.975 Like because you think like, oh, I put all my energy into something
 56
00:02:56.576 --> 00:03:00.446 for, for somebody to call me out and that it's not good enough.
 57
00:03:00.446 --> 00:03:02.949 But what I've learned is just
 58
00:03:02.949 --> 00:03:06.252 going back to the drawing board is one of those things that has helped me a lot,
 59
00:03:06.286 --> 00:03:10.089 because I'm not afraid to go back and start from scratch or from the bottom
 60
00:03:10.089 --> 00:03:13.092 if it means getting a better result.
 

Street Artist & Muralist

How are you going to make a career out of art?

Stay True To Yourself When Pursuing Your Dreams

So Columbia University has a program called Justice in Education,
 2
00:00:04.104 --> 00:00:09.042 and they have instructors go into the prisons to teach.
 3
00:00:09.576 --> 00:00:13.580 And so they reached out to me and was like, hey,
 4
00:00:14.047 --> 00:00:17.684 because I have my doctorate degree now, it's like, are you interested in teaching?
 5
00:00:18.184 --> 00:00:22.155 We know you were teaching for John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
 6
00:00:22.155 --> 00:00:23.757 Are you interested in teaching in the prison?
 7
00:00:23.757 --> 00:00:25.625 And I was like, absolutely.
 8
00:00:25.625 --> 00:00:29.329 I started my educational journey while I was in prison,
 9
00:00:29.329 --> 00:00:31.231 sitting in one of those classes.
 10
00:00:31.231 --> 00:00:34.200 So I was like, absolutely, I would love to teach.
 11
00:00:34.200 --> 00:00:36.002 And I went right back
 12
00:00:36.002 --> 00:00:39.005 through the Justice in Education program to teach in Sing Sing.
 13
00:00:39.339 --> 00:00:43.043 So that's the first facility where I had a college class.
 14
00:00:43.309 --> 00:00:46.112 So imagine going back to the same prison
 15
00:00:46.112 --> 00:00:49.115 where I started my educational journey,
 16
00:00:49.249 --> 00:00:51.985 and you know guys knew they were like, oh,
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00:00:51.985 --> 00:00:54.220 he's coming back to teach in the prison.
 18
00:00:54.220 --> 00:00:57.424 And, you know, many of them knew that this is where it started.
 19
00:00:57.457 --> 00:00:58.091 You know, I'm there.
 20
00:00:58.091 --> 00:01:00.827 And I was incarcerated at Sing Sing then I did,
 21
00:01:00.827 --> 00:01:03.563 you know, tour through different prisons and I'm home working.
 22
00:01:03.563 --> 00:01:05.799 So you get to know who people are.
 23
00:01:05.799 --> 00:01:07.267 So he's like, wow.
 24
00:01:07.267 --> 00:01:10.070 Oh, well Doctor Day is coming back to teaching the program.
 25
00:01:10.070 --> 00:01:14.441 So when I went back inside, that to me was the biggest reward
 26
00:01:15.175 --> 00:01:18.178 of having earned the doctorate degree,
 27
00:01:18.344 --> 00:01:21.681 to go back inside, to walk into Sing Sing
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00:01:21.981 --> 00:01:25.218 and to go into a classroom where there were 20 men
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00:01:25.518 --> 00:01:29.756 sitting there hungry for education the way that I was
 30
00:01:29.756 --> 00:01:32.759 when I sat in that classroom 25 years prior.
 31
00:01:33.593 --> 00:01:35.862 And it was just amazing.
 32
00:01:35.862 --> 00:01:38.264 I taught at Sing Sing for a couple of semesters.
 33
00:01:38.264 --> 00:01:42.268 Then I taught at the women's prison, and then I taught also on Rikers Island,
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00:01:42.268 --> 00:01:45.805 where I was initially incarcerated while my case was being adjudicated.
 35
00:01:46.306 --> 00:01:49.209 Like, I was like, I went home feeling
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00:01:49.209 --> 00:01:54.147 so good about doing what I was doing because I knew
 37
00:01:54.614 --> 00:01:58.251 how much education had impacted my life.
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00:01:58.685 --> 00:02:02.155 And I knew that if you take advantage of this while you're inside,
 39
00:02:02.455 --> 00:02:04.023 what the possibilities were.
 40
00:02:04.023 --> 00:02:06.993 And I wanted to be an inspiration for those individuals.
 41
00:02:06.993 --> 00:02:09.429 So to me, that was one of the greatest joys.
 42
00:02:09.429 --> 00:02:09.629 You know,
 43
00:02:09.629 --> 00:02:12.966 if with all of the harm that I've done with all of the mistakes that I've made,
 44
00:02:13.399 --> 00:02:17.837 and then trying to turn things around and to be the beacon of hope
 45
00:02:17.837 --> 00:02:22.837 for some people to go back there was like one of the joys of my life.
 

I served 15 years in New York state prison. I had to grapple with the challenges, negativities, and stigma, both in prison and after being released. I focused on education to pull myself up. It's my mission now to help others like me.

I was very close to my mother who passed away in the middle of my degree program. It's easy to want to give up after that but I knew my mother would want me to continue forward. So I pushed through and continued my education to make her proud.

I oversee programs that help people transition after prison—housing, employment, education, and case management. My day includes checking in with team leads, solving problems, and making sure everyone receives support with dignity. I work to break the cycle of incarceration by building systems that honor people’s potential and help them thrive in the community.

Senior Vice President of Programs & Research

My Greatest Joy

You've had such a fun and maybe even unexpected career path.
 2
00:00:05.238 --> 00:00:09.709 We'd love to, like, hear about that journey to where you are now.
 3
00:00:09.909 --> 00:00:12.579 Did you think you were going to end up doing what you've done?
 4
00:00:13.613 --> 00:00:15.715 You know, as, as
 5
00:00:15.715 --> 00:00:20.020 I've moved around a few times from city to city as I've interacted with people
 6
00:00:20.020 --> 00:00:23.289 in academia and nonprofit and professional
 7
00:00:23.289 --> 00:00:28.289 spheres and law and policy, government, I have found very few people
 8
00:00:28.495 --> 00:00:33.495 that had direct lines like from A to B to C to D, it rarely plays out that way.
 9
00:00:34.868 --> 00:00:37.037 It's an opportunity of an introduction.
 10
00:00:37.037 --> 00:00:39.939 It's meeting somebody that then opens up a door.
 11
00:00:39.939 --> 00:00:43.443 It's failing at something that then allows you,
 12
00:00:43.476 --> 00:00:47.013 or forces you, to pivot and come up with a new plan.
 13
00:00:47.647 --> 00:00:50.183 I really thought I was going to get a PhD.
 14
00:00:50.183 --> 00:00:50.517 You know,
 15
00:00:50.517 --> 00:00:53.987 when I was a junior senior in college, I thought it was going to be academia
 16
00:00:53.987 --> 00:00:56.423 for life, and it didn't play out that way.
 17
00:00:56.423 --> 00:00:57.557 And it's for the better.
 18
00:00:57.557 --> 00:01:02.128 It didn't feel like the right thing to do when I needed to be
 19
00:01:02.128 --> 00:01:05.799 making those choices, or when I felt like I needed to be making those choices.
 20
00:01:05.932 --> 00:01:10.570 But I found joy in what I ended up doing, and it didn't feel like a concession.
 21
00:01:10.570 --> 00:01:12.972 It felt like the next right thing.
 22
00:01:12.972 --> 00:01:15.275 And I am really happy
 23
00:01:15.275 --> 00:01:20.275 with my experience in nonprofits for a couple reasons.
 24
00:01:20.513 --> 00:01:23.716 But one, it is an area where
 25
00:01:24.417 --> 00:01:27.854 people are driven by mission and it is not around
 26
00:01:27.854 --> 00:01:31.558 a particular charismatic personality like politics, right?
 27
00:01:31.558 --> 00:01:36.463 You have a personality that you think can make all the changes happen for their
 28
00:01:36.463 --> 00:01:39.466 district or their state or constituency
 29
00:01:39.766 --> 00:01:42.769 and everything is around them.
 30
00:01:42.936 --> 00:01:45.939 Nonprofit work, in my experience, is mission based.
 31
00:01:46.172 --> 00:01:49.375 There are goals and objectives, and there are visions
 32
00:01:49.375 --> 00:01:54.047 for a future of America that I buy into, that I pour my
 33
00:01:54.814 --> 00:01:58.084 workforce and my life force into because I believe
 34
00:01:58.084 --> 00:02:02.322 that more can be accomplished, through these other avenues.
 35
00:02:02.589 --> 00:02:07.589 And I've encountered time and time again, incredibly passionate, thoughtful people
 36
00:02:08.628 --> 00:02:12.332 that are willing to make personal sacrifices for their work.
 37
00:02:12.499 --> 00:02:16.736 And I say sacrifices in terms of nonprofit leaders don't make what consultants do,
 38
00:02:16.936 --> 00:02:19.939 but it's also a space where there is
 39
00:02:20.039 --> 00:02:22.809 a consistent opportunity for learning and growth.
 40
00:02:22.809 --> 00:02:26.212 And I just feel like it has been a very enriching path.
 

For a role like mine, I'd recommend pursuing an education emphasis in mediation, conflict analysis and resolution, or nonprofit management and leadership.

My days consist of planning, fundraising, stakeholder engagement meetings, media review, and budgeting. I also lead the recruitment of ambassadors to be featured in our content. If I'm lucky, I get to walk the dog or hike, and have dinner with the family.

Executive Director

Choices

Finding The Next Right Thing

You have done so much and you have so much energy.
 2
00:00:04.270 --> 00:00:04.771 And you've
 3
00:00:04.771 --> 00:00:08.441 started and initiated so many things for public service.
 4
00:00:08.575 --> 00:00:09.609 And adaptation.
 5
00:00:09.609 --> 00:00:12.912 And adaptation, 100% being willing to, like, adapt.
 6
00:00:12.912 --> 00:00:17.912 So I'm curious where you get your energy from and like how
 7
00:00:18.718 --> 00:00:23.718 what inspires you to initiate things to found things?
 8
00:00:24.457 --> 00:00:26.526 So it's interesting, a couple of things.
 9
00:00:26.526 --> 00:00:30.597 I think our, our job and it actually takes some work
 10
00:00:30.597 --> 00:00:35.597 and going deeply into silence, is to discover what you were built to do.
 11
00:00:36.436 --> 00:00:38.838 And people will say, oh, follow your bliss and your passion.
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00:00:38.838 --> 00:00:39.906 I agree with that.
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00:00:39.906 --> 00:00:42.275 But actually, I think it takes like it's interesting.
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00:00:42.275 --> 00:00:45.678 I tried to form a book club and we got together.
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00:00:45.712 --> 00:00:48.181 No, you didn't have time to read any books.
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00:00:48.181 --> 00:00:50.984 So we formed we formed a monastery group.
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00:00:50.984 --> 00:00:53.720 The reason I raise is when we go into the silence,
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00:00:55.288 --> 00:00:55.789 we actually.
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00:00:55.789 --> 00:00:58.024 That's where we discover who we are.
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00:00:58.024 --> 00:01:01.027 And then once you discover who you are and what you were built to do.
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00:01:01.961 --> 00:01:03.596 Nothing's stopping you.
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00:01:03.596 --> 00:01:06.800 I haven't worked since I left the law firm.
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00:01:07.300 --> 00:01:09.402 What I do is an extension of my life.
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00:01:09.402 --> 00:01:10.437 It's so liberating.
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00:01:10.437 --> 00:01:12.038 When I was in the law firm,
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00:01:12.038 --> 00:01:15.041 Sunday night would come, sometimes I was in the law firm on Sundays.
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00:01:15.375 --> 00:01:18.378 This dark cloud of gloom would gather.
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00:01:18.478 --> 00:01:21.014 I have to go back into work on Monday morning.
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00:01:21.014 --> 00:01:24.317 Keep six minute increments for my timesheets
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00:01:24.317 --> 00:01:27.320 of representing clients so we got paid.
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00:01:27.687 --> 00:01:29.856 And fundamentally, I just wasn't
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00:01:29.856 --> 00:01:32.859 I, you know, I wasn't built to do that.
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00:01:32.892 --> 00:01:36.763 But once I found my what I was built to do, I never worked again.
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00:01:36.763 --> 00:01:40.900 And I have so much energy and passion and, and the things we're doing
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00:01:40.900 --> 00:01:42.168 are so exciting.
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00:01:42.168 --> 00:01:44.537 That's the, that's I think, our job.
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00:01:44.537 --> 00:01:46.506 Artist. Musician.
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00:01:46.506 --> 00:01:47.640 Policy.
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00:01:47.640 --> 00:01:50.376 Whatever floats your boat. But,
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00:01:51.377 --> 00:01:52.479 your job is to go into the
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00:01:52.479 --> 00:01:55.548 silence and actually figure out why you're here.
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00:01:56.416 --> 00:01:59.486 I think, and once you do, it's so liberating.
 

While working at a law firm, Sunday night would roll around and I'd start dreading going in to work. I just wasn't built to do it. I figured out what I was meant to be doing, made the switch, and now feel like it's not work at all!

Executive Chairman

Individuality

Discover What You Were Built To Do

Is there a particular case or a patient that really stands out to you
 2
00:00:04.137 --> 00:00:06.339 that really helped solidify, like, I'm doing what
 3
00:00:06.339 --> 00:00:08.775 I need to be like, this is where I need to be?
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00:00:08.775 --> 00:00:12.379 Before I started team lead role, I was taking a transplant call.
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00:00:12.479 --> 00:00:16.850 So abdominal transplant encompasses kidney, liver and pancreas.
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00:00:16.950 --> 00:00:20.420 And there was one patient that, I don't know, it just struck home with me
 7
00:00:20.420 --> 00:00:23.423 and very, very scared from the beginning.
 8
00:00:23.490 --> 00:00:25.959 And he said, I'm not going to lie, I'm nervous.
 9
00:00:25.959 --> 00:00:27.827 And I said, it's okay to be nervous, you know?
 10
00:00:27.827 --> 00:00:30.263 And so I stayed with him the whole entire time.
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00:00:30.263 --> 00:00:32.198 Surgery went well. He woke up.
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00:00:32.198 --> 00:00:34.034 He didn't really remember me at that point in time,
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00:00:34.034 --> 00:00:36.870 but the next day, I was like, you know, I'm gonna go to see him.
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00:00:36.870 --> 00:00:39.739 And I walked in the room and his wife was just,
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00:00:39.739 --> 00:00:42.409 all he can say was how you just stayed with him the whole.
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00:00:42.409 --> 00:00:45.145 And so he remember that from that entire surgery.
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00:00:45.145 --> 00:00:48.915 And it just made me feel so blessed that I was able to be there for him and do
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00:00:48.915 --> 00:00:49.649 that for him.
 

As a team lead and circulating nurse in the OR, I make sure surgeries run smoothly—from prepping the room to advocating for patients while they’re under anesthesia. I support the surgical team, coordinate equipment and staffing, and still jump in hands-on when needed. It’s fast-paced, emotional, and deeply rewarding.

Team Lead for General and Transplant Surgery & Perioperative Nurse

A Meaningful Moment In My Nursing Career

What would you say is the most rewarding part of your career right now?
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00:00:02.602 --> 00:00:06.773 Truthfully, being able to go out and help people, in the end, it's a job
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00:00:06.940 --> 00:00:08.608 like everything else.
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00:00:08.608 --> 00:00:12.145 But to be able to do something for somebody and it's sort of
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00:00:12.579 --> 00:00:15.515 you're either sort of ingrained with that helping gene or not.
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00:00:15.515 --> 00:00:18.952 But, it just feels like it's like one of those people that I would always
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00:00:19.352 --> 00:00:23.757 go to a situation and try to help out and it just seemed natural.
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00:00:24.190 --> 00:00:28.461 So, for me, being able to help people on a daily basis, you know, to me,
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00:00:28.461 --> 00:00:32.265 it doesn't matter who it is I've, helped out multimillionaires.
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00:00:32.265 --> 00:00:34.401 I've helped out people that were homeless.
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00:00:34.401 --> 00:00:35.368 It really doesn't matter.
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00:00:35.368 --> 00:00:37.837 I don't have to worry about, anything whether they can pay.
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00:00:37.837 --> 00:00:39.305 You know, that's just not our business.
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00:00:39.305 --> 00:00:40.907 So I get to I just get to,
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00:00:40.907 --> 00:00:43.910 you know, play with cool equipment and take care of patients.
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00:00:44.110 --> 00:00:47.213 And I don't really have to worry about all the other things, you know?
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00:00:47.213 --> 00:00:50.050 And it's just in the end, it's special.
 

To be a flight nurse, you'll need your nursing degree and then you'll need to have five years of level one trauma critical care experience.

After coming into work, briefing with on-duty crews, and checking out the aircraft, we are ready for the unknown, as we never know where we're going and who we're going to take care of during our duty day. I do both inter-facility flights, which are typically flights from a rural ER back to a major hospital, and scene flights, which could be things like car accidents, shootings, stabbings, and falls.

Fulfillment

Advice For A Fulfilling Life

Advice For A Fulfilling Life

Jeff Winton

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