Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jess Flanagan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jess, thanks for joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

As a nurse practitioner, I graduated and got a job in primary care, like so many do upon leaving school. I thought at the time that it was what I would do for the rest of my life. I was so excited to help people feel better, both physically and mentally. As I worked for 10 years in primary care, I had opportunities to help people do just that, but it was actually much more rare than I had envisioned. Our system is set up in a way that we want to see as many people, as quickly as possible, and treat their symptoms, in almost all cases, with a pharmaceutical drug or a very, very quick run down of lifestyle changes (how to eat better, exercise, etc.). Not only did it start to feel like a pill mill to me, but we didn’t have the time to, not only explain to people why their bodies were changing in these ways to cause these symptoms, but understand what was at the root of them not being able to change these behaviors that could empower them to heal their body the best way for them. Through all of that I had some clients who wanted to take the time to understand what was really going on underneath the surface and who were really ready to transform their lives and make lasting changes. I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity with a start up company to facilitate group coaching sessions for a few of these people over a span of a few months and not only did I see such amazing changes in their lives, but when the program was being changed over to a new facilitator everyone looked at me and said, “we don’t want someone new, we want to work with you.” It was that moment where it all clicked for me; I don’t have to stay in primary care, I don’t have to use my nurse practitioner degree in the traditional sense and there are people out there who are ready to make big life changes and I can help them get there.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Medicine in the US has generally been experienced as a sterile office, with a doctor/provider who’s not paying a lot of attention to you, who tells you what to do, writes you a prescription and moves on to the next patient. That didn’t work for me and honestly made me feel quite burnt out, so I created something new via the coaching world. I believe if people really understand what’s going on in their bodies, how the mind and body both contribute to dis-ease, are willing to understand behaviors on a deeper, subconscious level; they can be empowered to heal their body and mind in the way that works best for them. I’m here to provide education, skills and a whole lot of care and encouragement. The thing I’m most proud of with this career shift is how much more human-centered care can be provided with this new take on healing and how I can make much deeper connections with my clients. also actively practice everything I teach to my clients. I don’t believe we can ask someone to do something we don’t do ourselves or we haven’t tried and experienced. I provide 1:1 coaching sessions for people that include mindfulness based stress reduction (meditation techniques), somatic coaching, hypnosis, breathwork, EFT (tapping) and guided psychedelic experiences.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I knew I had to make a career shift, and really a life shift, when I hit rock bottom. I was completely burnt out at work and quite miserable every day going into my office in primary care. I was completely depressed and suicidal and couldn’t see a way out. I started letting my physical and mental health go. I knew for me, didn’t want to be put back on antidepressants or any medications. Rock bottom for me thankfully turned into a wake up call that I needed a major life transformation. I started working with an incredible empowerment coach and started doing psychedelic therapy and unpacking what was really going on with me deep down. I also started to see that society tells us we need to do things a certain way or be a certain person, especially with a career in traditional western medicine, but that simply wasn’t true. I learned there were so many things I could do with my career and degrees, and I could do something that truly shared my gifts with the world to make that impact I was always striving to make. It’s at the core of my coaching, offering perspective shifts, getting creative and outside of the box in your own life and understanding what you really want deep down. We only get one shot at life, how can we make the most of it!

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I love this question! My initial thought was no, I wouldn’t become a nurse practitioner, I would have gone the coaching route or something more aligned with what I do now, but that’s actually not true. I would do things exactly as they happened because it got me to this is exact moment in my life and I don’t want to be anywhere else or any other version of myself. I bring a unique perspective to coaching because of my years working in a system that often makes people sicker. Without all that knowledge, seeing how things were being done in a way that doesn’t work for most people, I wouldn’t be able to make the impact I do with clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jessflanagancoaching.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess_flanagan_coaching/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-flanagan-08bb54ba/