We were lucky to catch up with Kirby Williams recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kirby, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My business The PMHNP Source, LLC was started because of my own journey as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) that was filled with obstacles, missteps and very limited guidance. I found that about 5 years into my career, I was burned out and contemplated leaving my career because of the lack of direction for those in this field. Everything felt overwhelming for me and though my passion continued to be providing optimal mental health care for others, the lack of direction made me feel like I couldn’t get to fulfilling that purpose in a meaningful way.

In 2016, I decreased my number of hours per week I worked from 40 hours per week to 24 hours per week and spent intentional time in discovering what could help me feel my confident and supported in my role as a PMHNP. During this time, I learned about the importance of networking in the healthcare field, advocating for myself and my role, administrative time, how to set appropriate boundaries in practice, connecting to mentorship, integrating routine self-care practices into my day and opportunities to continue to grow my psychiatric knowledge. Over a 12-month period, I began actively engaging in using and developing my own strategies related to these topics. I began to feel passionate about these strategies because they were helping me successfully navigate the obstacles of being a PMHNP and grow as a mental health provider. And I really began to feel fulfilled again in the work I was doing because there was less overwhelm and distress.

As I spoke with novice PMHNPs and students, I integrated this knowledge of these strategies into our conversations and time together. I received feedback that many found helpfulness in using these skills in their own career; finding better work environments, attending conferences with other colleagues so they could expand their knowledge base and network, negotiating better salary and benefits, and feeling more confident in their practice earlier in their career than I did.

And I wanted more persons in this career field to feel the same way. I wanted psychiatric nurse practitioners to feel empowered, supported and guided at the beginning of their career so this could set them up for long term success and fulfillment in their roles.

And this became the mission of The PMHNP Source, LLC.

Kirby, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I began my career as a nurse in 2006. In my career as a nurse I realized how the impact of mental health affected the physical illnesses and injuries that I treated. This led me to consider what options I might have for my career path. I considered becoming a therapist as I learned about their role in healthcare and patient wellness. My identity was so intertwined with nursing because this is the occupation I was interested in since age 5. I then learned about the option to further my career as a nurse practitioner with a psychiatric mental health certification and this path resonated with what I felt to be fulfilling in the ways in which I wanted to help others.

Since Fall 2011, I have been working as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP). This career path gave me the opportunity to work with persons who struggle with mental health conditions and help support their mental health wellness. I feel so lucky to be working in my passion.

As I continued in my career and grew into more success and confidence in my role, I began to help those PMHNPs who were newer to this role. I provided mentorship, guidance and moral support through the obstacles they encountered. I helped many novice PMHNPs create strategies to support their own mental health in their careers and obtain positions that supported their needs. I began to do this so much in the area I lived, that I became a “go to” person for many of the psychiatric nurse practitioners who were practicing in the area.

I found this work of mentoring, teaching, coaching and consulting new to practice PMHNPs to also be a fulfilling part of my journey. And I wanted to find ways that I could support others who wanted career and professional guidance in their roles. The seed of the idea of my business was planted into my mind in 2019, but it did not flourish into a business until early 2023.

With my business The PMHNP Source, I provide 1:1 services and digital products to help empower, guide and support new to practice psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners. Providing 1:1 services allows me to tailor the approach to the specific needs of the novice PMHNP. Because those in this field work in different settings, I can make specific educational templates and resources that will guide their career and workflows in a more effective way. This also allows each session to be focused on their priority concerns with their career or current job.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Through word of mouth/ referrals and social media.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I chose 2 platforms, LinkedIn and Instagram, and went for it.

Do you want to know what happened next?

People WERE very interested. I received feedback from previous colleagues and people I had never met who resonated with the experiences I shared and were happy that I was sharing parts of my experience being a psychiatric nurse practitioner. I received many messages that people were “so happy” to have found me and used the insights I shared to secure a new job, to advocate for better benefits and to guide them in starting their own private practice.

Within the first 2-3 weeks of sharing on LinkedIn, I secured my first paying client who was a new graduate PMHNP looking for guidance in their current role and managing some of the obstacles in their career.

My LinkedIn and Instagram connections began to grow exponentially as I continued to share daily on both platforms. I focused my content on information that PMHNPs would find helpful who were just beginning their career and for PMHNP students who were soon graduating. My focus was sharing experiences I had over the years, lessons learned, insights gleamed from mistakes/missteps, best resources and opportunities available for those starting their journey as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Many resonated with the fact that this was not information that were receiving from their educational programs, but that they WANTED.

Sharing my knowledge and expertise, also caught the eye of organizations. This enabled me to secure paid consulting opportunities with tech and educational companies. Companies reaching out to me directly… no application and interview process involved.

For anyone interested in growing their social media presence, I recommend starting with 1 or 2 platforms that you resonate with. Start with sharing your experiences about a topic you enjoy and that is related to your company (if you have one). Post consistently, so make sure you engage with your post, other posts that speak to the similar topics and follow/connect with those persons in your similar field. Also remember that the journey in building an audience through social media is “slow and steady”.  

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thepmhnpsource.carrd.co/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/yourpmhnpmentor?igshid=MmJiY2I4NDBkZg==
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kirby-williams-msn-pmhnp-bc-9aa46722