Guest Blog Post: Allison Shuttleworth & ExpeditionEd are Building Resilient Nurses One Tropical Destination at a Time.
Note from Sarah @ New Thing Nurse: The following guest blog post is from my mentor & New Thing Friend, Allison Shuttleworth, who is the founder & owner of ExpeditionEd, a new company that is providing small batch destination education for the adventurous nurse. I will be teaching in fabulous Mazatlan, Mexico 1/21-1/27/2018 with ExpeditionED & cannot wait!! If you're interested in finding out how to join us, check out the ExpeditionED website & sign up!!
ExpeditionEd- http://www.expedition-ed.com/
Well, it's 2018 and my New Thing(s) are in full swing!
Last year I decided to reach for the stars and really change things up a bit. After 25 years in nursing, I wanted to travel and experience different cultures around the world but felt tied to my job. Four weeks of vacation? That's it? No, there had to be a better way....
So I put my brain to work imagining what my dream job would be.
I knew I wanted to help nurses build resiliency, but I didn't know what that looked like. I wondered, "what's the New Thing that will meet my personal aspirations and still serve my community in a way I can be proud of?"
I'd always known that nurses are incredibly talented people with a diverse set of skills and knowledge- both from the classroom and from some serious real-life experiences at the bedside. We can critically think, trouble shoot, negotiate, cooperate, organize, goal-set, and streamline the heck out of just about anything - and all with a hearty dose of compassion, humor and empathy! Our skills translate in to so many aspects of life, I began to wonder what it would look like if I took those skills and used them to start my own business. I love nursing, I love hosting and I love teaching, surely I could combine my passion with my talents and fill a niche.
It was then, in the early months of 2017, that ExpeditionEd was born!
I decided to use my experience to teach others in a retreat-like setting, infuse a hefty dose of wellness and networking and help nurses get in touch with caregiving- for themselves! I was excited to get started- this was a dream come true!
Well here I am, nearly a year later and my first class is fast approaching!
I'm excited to say it's been a wonderful adventure already. I've learned to start a small business, network with others and market my brand. While there have been some struggles along the way- getting the word out about my classes being the most challenging aspect so far- I wouldn't change a thing. Every day I learn new things about being a business owner from taxes and profit and loss statements to regulatory requirements to just plain old organizing my time. I love that I'm learning every day and that the company I work for (ME!) represents my own personal values in a way that I can be proud of.
I believe that by supporting nurses, ExpeditionEd can have a greater impact on the wellness of our communities. Educated, rested, self-actualized nurses contribute to the overall health of our patients, their families and ultimately the world .
And that's My New Thing!
- Allison Shuttleworth, Owner @ ExpeditionEd
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM - @NEWTHINGNURSE
