We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Susan Allison-Dean a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Susan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

The idea to create The Nature Nurse came to me during my early days of practicing meditation. I found “The Nature Nurse”, “The Nature Nurse” kept invading my attempts to focus on my breathing and mantra. I shared this with some good friends, and they immediately said, “OMG, you have to do that!” What exactly that was, I had no idea, but I started by creating a website and blogging about nature and holistic health.

I had no business plan, which, at the time, was very unlike me, but I allowed myself to tap into my intuitive side and my love of the natural world. I had also recently experienced several significant family losses, and I found a new relationship with nature as she helped support me and heal from the profound grief.

It was initially challenging because most people didn’t recognize that nurses have a long history of partnering with nature to heal. I was mocked and challenged by some, which was painful at the time, but somehow I just knew this was the right path for me. I also had a tough time in the early years finding other nurses who were entrepreneurs. Nursing entrepreneurship has its own complexity due to the practice requirements of State Boards. I really felt like I was carving my own path through the forest with a machete.

Lucky for me, one of my superpowers is tenacity. Looking back, the combination of being tenacious, passionate about nature and its role in our holistic health, and curious about why I felt called to create this business helped propel me forward.

This year, 2025, The Nature Nurse, PLLC has achieved its ten-year milestone. I can proudly say that it has been impactful for many who are looking to expand their awareness of holistic, healthy lifestyle practices and add tools that they themselves have identified as effective through experiential learning at one of our workshops. We recently underwent a rebranding, and our primary target audience is now women aged 35 and older.

There are so many pearls of wisdom I would have liked to have had along this journey. Some of these may resonate with budding entrepreneurs.

1. There is no one way, or “right way”, to build a business. Be curious, spend quiet time in nature to allow yourself to connect with the divine and receive guidance, and paint your own blank canvas.

2. Identify what you most like to do and find ways to delegate the parts of the business you don’t like to do or you’re not good at.

3. Once you have done enough proof of concept testing of your idea, I strongly recommend you consult with a brand strategist to help you tease out your why, your target audience, your messaging, and more. Having a brand statement that will help guide you and communicate with your team will be essential.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I am a big Sara Blakely fan. Sara was the founder of Spanx and was recognized by Forbes as the youngest self-made billionaire in 2012. She created her brand with just a $5000 initial investment and didn’t take on investment partners. The fact that she created a product that no one ever heard of, footless pantyhose, resonated with me as I also created a novel, “out-of-the-box”, business.

Of all the entrepreneurs, Blakely is the one whom I sought out for advice from. I have listened to interviews she has been part of, I follow her Instagram for her daily tidbits of information and inspiration, and read books that she has recommended, especially those by the late Wayne Dyer.

Finding entrepreneurs who have created something completely new, like AirBnb, for example, and learning about their business story can be very insightful and inspiring, especially if you too are building a new type of business that the culture is previously unaware of.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think being a member of the most trusted profession, nursing, voted by the American Public in the annual Gallup poll for over twenty years, consistently helped provide me with a bedrock of credibility, trust, and knowledge. It took a few years to educate and demonstrate to the public that nature is very much part of our profession, although admittedly, like many, we have lost our way with this connection. Florence Nightingale was famously quoted as saying, “Nature alone heals.” She included the importance of light and fresh air for healing the soldiers in her writings. Mary Seacole used various herbal remedies during her career as a nurse. Nurses like me are now reawakening nature connection practice, and I think we will find that this will be of great benefit to our health and planetary health.

I am proud to serve as the leader of a growing group of nurses doing nature connection work around the globe.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TheNatureNurse.com
• Instagram: @TheNatureNurse
• Facebook: @TheNatureNurse
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/susan-allison-dean-rn-ms-ahn-bc-ccap
• Twitter: @TheNatureNurse
• Youtube: @TheNatureNurse
• Other: Threads @TheNatureNurse