Follow The Brand Podcast with Host Grant McGaugh

The Inverted Pyramid: Dr. Kimberly Long's Patient-First Leadership

• Grant McGaugh CEO 5 STAR BDM • Season 6 • Episode 33

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Can you imagine rising from the challenges of being a teenage mom in Compton to leading one of the premier nursing leadership organizations in California? Join us as we welcome the inspirational Dr. Kimberly Long, CEO of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, who shares her remarkable journey and the innovative strategies she has championed in healthcare. Discover how her revolutionary inverted pyramid model is transforming traditional healthcare hierarchies by placing patients and frontline staff at the forefront. Dr. Long's journey is a testament to resilience, showing that personal hardships can fuel extraordinary professional achievements.

In this episode, Dr. Long opens up about her groundbreaking approaches to pain management, especially for sickle cell patients, highlighting her strategic use of non-narcotic methods like tiger balm rubs and biofeedback. Her story sheds light on her relentless dedication to reducing hospitalizations and improving patient care. We also explore her ascent to various C-suite roles in major hospital systems, breaking down barriers and overcoming significant challenges, including racial bias. Dr. Long's ability to transform both financial and clinical performances of organizations underscores her exceptional leadership and commitment to healthcare.

Dr. Long further discusses the evolution and mission of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, emphasizing the importance of educating nurses on the business aspects of healthcare, research, and clinical skills. We talk about the critical role of personal branding, loyalty, professionalism, and advocacy in nursing. Dr. Long also shares poignant insights into the power of humility and collective effort in achieving personal and professional growth. Don’t miss the chance to learn about ACNL’s upcoming events, including an exciting annual program at Disneyland in February 2025, which promises a mix of cutting-edge healthcare discussions and engaging social gatherings. This episode is packed with actionable insights and inspiring stories that you won’t want to miss.

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest marketing trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates from us, be sure to follow us at 5starbdm.com. See you next time on Follow The Brand!

Speaker 1:

Welcome to another episode of Follow the Brand.

Speaker 1:

I am your host, grant McGaughan, ceo of 5 Star BDM, a 5 Star personal branding and business development company. I want to take you on a journey that takes another deep dive into the world of personal branding and business development using compelling personal story, business conversations and tips development using compelling personal story, business conversations and tips to improve your personal brand. By listening to the Follow the Brand podcast series, you will be able to differentiate yourself from the competition and allow you to build trust with prospective clients and employers. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Make it one that will set you apart, build trust and reflect who you are. Developing your five-star personal brand is a great way to demonstrate your skills and knowledge. If you have any questions for me or my guests, please email me. At grantmcgaw, spelled M-C-G-A-U-G-H at 5starbdm B for brand, d for development, m for masterscom. Now let's begin with our next five-star episode on Follow the Brand.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to another exciting episode of Follow the Brand Podcast. I am your host, brett McGaugh, ceo of Five Star BDM, where we help you to build a five-star brand that people will follow, and today we shine a spotlight on visionary leaders who are transforming their industry. We have an incredibly special guest whose journey and insights are sure to inspire you. Today, we have the privilege of hearing from Dr Kimberly Long, ceo of the Association of California Nurse Leaders. Dr Long's story is nothing short of extraordinary. From her beginnings as a teenage mom in Compton, california, to becoming a pioneering force in nursing administration, her path is a powerful testament to resilience and visionary leadership. Dr Long is the architect behind the revolutionary inverted pyramid model, a concept that has flipped traditional healthcare hierarchies on their heads. By placing patients and frontline staff at the top, she has sparked a transformative movement in healthcare. In this episode, dr Long shares her groundbreaking leadership approach. She takes us through the creation of an adult single-cell treatment center from the ground up, her implementation of cutting-edge pain management strategies and her unwavering commitment to fostering a culture of empowerment. But that's not all. Dr Long also dwells into game-changing strategies for personal branding, the creation of mission-driven organizations and the importance of continuous growth and learning. Prepare to be moved, motivated and equipped with actionable insights that can catalyze your own journey as a leader and change agent. Your own journey as a leader and change agent. All this and more in our inspiring conversation with the trial-blazing Dr Kimberly Long, right here on the Follow Brand Podcast, where we are building a five-star brand that you can follow.

Speaker 1:

Welcome everybody to the Followuddle Brand Podcast. This is your host, grant Puddle, and today you know I don't always get a chance to do this, but I am doing it today I get to go all the way out to California, all the way out to Northern California in the Sacramento area which I need to visit here pretty soon because I do have family in the area and I get an opportunity to talk to someone who, as they say, has walked the walk not just talked the talk, but has walked the walk in leadership and we want to talk to her about her particular story. We're talking about Dr Kimberly Long, who is a fantastic individual. I love talking to her and we're going to share some things about her story and what she's doing now as part of the Association of California Nurse Leadership and the things that are important to her as we move forward. So I'd like to get her introduced. So, dr Long, would you like to introduce yourself?

Speaker 2:

Yes, hi, as he said, I'm Dr Kimberly Long. I am the current Chief Executive officer for the Association of California Nurse Leaders and a nurse of 37 years, and then some.

Speaker 1:

Oh well, we're going to start right there. How and why did you get involved in nursing at that particular time? What drew you to the profession?

Speaker 2:

It's really kind of interesting. I was a teen parent. I grew up in Compton and I had to figure out a way to take care of my children. I had two children and I was divorced by the time I was 19. And I said I've got to figure out a way to take care of these kids because we are not going to end up in the system and that sort of thing. I was determined at that age that this was not going to happen to my children.

Speaker 2:

So my mom happened to be a rehabilitation counselor and she tested me to see where my propensity was and she found that I had a tremendous love for people. So I had a sister that was a nurse and an aunt that was a nurse and they said well, why don't you go into nursing? Well, that wasn't necessarily what I wanted to do, because there were certain things about nursing that were not appealing to me. But I did decide to go ahead and go into nursing and the impetus or the motivation for it was because I needed to make sure I had a stable environment to take care of my children. I had a boy and a girl and those are the only two children I ever had and we have been hanging. A matter of fact, my son will be 48 years old on Tuesday, and so that's really what got it started.

Speaker 2:

And so that's really what got it started. Once I got into nursing, I found that that love for people could be translated to providing an optimal patient care experience with compassion, recognizing that people don't go in the hospital because they want to spend a weekend in hospital land. They go there because something catastrophic has happened to them and we need to make it less anxiety producing, not more. That mindset not only was the foundation for my direct care nursing, but it was also the foundation for how I executed when I was in executive leadership positions in hospitals. So I hope that answers the question. If not, I can continue.

Speaker 1:

You have answered the point. First of all, that is a great reason why Learning how to take care of not only yourself but your children and have a better future. You were thinking ahead, and that's usually the executive mindset. You have to see three, five, 10 years out what is that going to look like? And then map out a strategy to get there and live that every day and manage that every day. You were doing that at 19 years old. You're like all right, this is how this is going to go. We're going to change this narrative.

Speaker 1:

This story is not going to end up like it could if I don't be intentional about creating my career journey. Now you also and I like how you took an assessment to find out your skill sets, to where you kind of landed, that you can leverage your strengths Very, very important, and I think over time you had to tell the audience this that not only did you start to come into your own as a leader, but others started to see the leadership qualities within you. So you start. Did you start at the bedside and then, from the bedside, did you get into management? Tell us that story.

Speaker 2:

I started out as a neonatal nurse and it came about because our OB instructor in nursing school hired four of us to work in a maternal child department that she had just gotten a directorship and it was myself and three other female nurses from my class, and initially I was going to do L&D. But I found out very quickly that L&D and myself were just not a good match. So I went into the newborn nursery and then my goal was to become a pediatric ICU nurse. So I learned Well, baby. And then I went down to the Samaritan LA and I took a ICU course to learn how to take care of ICU patients and I learned how to take care of intensive care and cardiovascular ICU patients. And then I figured well, you know what I know, well, baby, I know PEDS, I know ICU, so it's time to go into pediatric ICU. So I got hired at Children's Hospital Orange County and I was working in the pediatric ICU department and unfortunately it so happened that there was an outbreak of meningococcinia down there and that is an illness that was impacting a lot of the migrant workers, their children, and by the time it's really understood they're already in the tertiary stages. So I lost about seven babies in a very short period of time and I realized that I did not have, after all that planning and all that strategy.

Speaker 2:

I did not have the coping skills for the death of children, and so I decided I would step away from pediatric ICU and go into adult ICU and I functioned as an ICU cardiovascular ICU nurse, at the bedside as well as other things. I was one of those people that I wanted to have multiple skills so that I could go in whatever direction I needed to go. And being a single parent, you know you usually work more than one job. So I was working full-time as a cardiovascular ICU nurse. I was working part-time in a regular ICU, so I took care full time as a cardiovascular ICU nurse. I was working part time in a regular ICU, so I took care of neural patients and all that. And then I was working per diem as a pediatric infusion nurse, so I would go into people's homes and start PICC lines for children that were getting chemotherapy.

Speaker 1:

This is so interesting. So now I see you, you know full on to your nursing career, but I don't see how you got into nurse leadership and that takes a different skill set. You've got to understand so many other things. Now you're not just doing the work, you're planning, you're getting. You know all the things that you need to do as a nurse leadership from what the things that you need to do as a leadership from the, what the financial budgeting is going to look like and then what the strategy is going to look like, the department is going to look like, the change management, the organization. How did you do all that?

Speaker 2:

You know I'll tell you when you are, since I became a parent pretty much during my formative years. You sort of have to learn how to strategize, to be careful because your resources are limited, trying to get into programs and educational things. You know managing your transportation timing. You know the bus ride to the school and back from the school to make sure that you get home in time for your five year old who's walking home from school so he's not there by himself. All of those things kind of embed in you, sort of a strategic approach to life and a mechanism to to always be efficient with your resources efficient with your resources and so that translated into my work life. So I happened to be promoted to a charge nurse in the CVIC fairly quickly after I got there and things were going very smoothly. And so how did I get into leadership?

Speaker 2:

The CEO of the hospital, who was a sister of the Holy Cross, wanted to start a adult sickle cell treatment center, because there wasn't one and there were a lot of adults that were being cared for in pediatric settings, which wasn't appropriate because this disease manifests itself very differently in adults than it does in children. And so how she heard about me, I have no idea. All I know was I was on break having my scrambled eggs and a cup of coffee and I got a call that Sister Ruth Marie Nixon wanted to talk to me. Well, needless to say, I don't know what I do, sort of thing. I went to talk to Sister Ruth and there was another lady there by the name of Jeannie Cornwell Corpus and she said I've heard about you and what you've done and we want you to start this sickle cell program. Well, I knew nothing about sickle cell, but they wanted me to start the sickle cell program. I said fine. So I became that day the director of the sickle cell treatment center and it was up to me to build it.

Speaker 2:

So I went and I started studying where the adult treatment centers were, where the pediatric treatment centers were. I went to Oakland, I went to this place, I went to USC to learn about this disease. I became a genetic counselor and I studied in detail, went ahead and started this program and granted, you know, when you start programs sometimes you get resources and sometimes you don't. So I was my own secretary, my own filing clerk, my own. It was me, there was. They gave me an office, a computer and me and I had to figure it out. So when you're in that situation you learn other skills and you learn how to make things happen. Long story short, the program was a tremendous success.

Speaker 2:

I went back to them and I told them I'm having difficulty. I'm having difficulty finding providers to take care of the patient because they're very labor intensive. The other thing I noticed was that the providers would give them a lot of narcotics and then get upset and call them drug seekers. So I said we have to break that cycle. I told them if you will send me to school to become a nurse practitioner, I'll take care of myself. And they did so.

Speaker 2:

I became a nurse practitioner. I became their primary care provider for adults with sickle cell disease in the Valley and I had a case over about 200. I had two physician supervisors an internal medicine physician and a hematologist. That would review my charts every quarter to make sure I was caring for people correctly and if there was a complex case I would reach out to them. Or if the patient was hospitalized, we would manage the patient together. And I did that as long as I was there.

Speaker 2:

Sister Ruth again contacted me and said this program has done so well and you have a cardiovascular background. So we are getting ready to build a hospital within a hospital. We want you to head up that project. So that morning I was the director of the adult sickle cell treatment center. That afternoon I was still that but.

Speaker 2:

But I was now directly part of the vascular operations and with the architects working on the blueprints, all of those sorts of things, and I became the person overseeing the construction site, I mean the construction program, the operations and all of that of all of cardiovascular and interventional services and all of that of all of cardiovascular and interventional services. So it just kind of took off from there. During that time we were able to get funding to purchase the first robot in the Valley and we did the first minimally invasive microvalve replacement. We got the Batista procedure, which is a special procedure. That was done. The maze procedure we got that done. We did endovascular AAA repair in the cath lab and a lot of new and innovative type things and we turned the cardiovascular program around. It became a remnant producing program. The volumes went up and all of that. So you want me to keep going.

Speaker 1:

You well, first of all, I'm riveted by this story because that is a true story Talking about you know, pull yourself up by your bootstraps. I mean, you definitely did that and you were giving very little resources and you created such, a, first of all, very much needed service, especially with Sickle Cell that is so it's huge. You understood what the need was and I've heard that a lot of times. You know, sometimes they're confused with drug-seeking type patients in which, no, it's just the situation that they're in and never had sickle cell or in crisis. You would understand. So I really appreciate what you're able to do. And then you had an advocate. I hear that over and over again. Someone has to believe in you, and the sister believed in you and gave you the opportunity and watching her, she said, oh, she did that. Let me give her something else.

Speaker 2:

Now let me tell you something about sickle cell that I neglected to say. One of the things I wanted to do was study this disease and study the individuals with it to see how I could get them out of that cycle of the drug seeking perception. I studied each one of the patients to see how their sickle cell manifested, what system it's it manifested in, what were the catalysts that caused the crisis and taught them what to do to avoid getting there. I also started using non-narcotic pain management strategies. I learned how to do tiger balm rubs, biofeedback, relaxation techniques, pressure point massage and over time what happened was some of the people who were in the cycle were able to get out of the cycle, stop the hospitalizations, go back to work.

Speaker 2:

So it just took really focusing on them and understanding their disease and how it manifested individually with them, and then teach them how to manage that normal. That's their normal. We have to teach them how to manage it within their normal, and what was happening was people were just given a meds, given a meds, given meds, and a lot of times the rebound that in the hospital was related to medication withdrawal rather than the actual sickle cell crisis. But it's hard to tell the difference. So I wanted to say that because, you know, sickle cell is a complex disease, but it's one that can be managed if they have a provider that truly cares about improving their quality of life, and I did.

Speaker 1:

Yes, that is so important. I'm glad you stated that. I know several people with the disease and I've heard them talk about different things because it's not really curable, but what you just said manageable how do you manage it? And that you don't want to be in and out of the hospital. You don't want to get into those situations that you're in crisis, so you try to avoid that and I like how you mentioned that. I think that's so, so important. That became your foundation for your trajectory to the C-suite. Now, as you transition from where you were in the, where the sisters were, and then you went into other, were you just constantly moving up the ladder into different organizations and then different roles within the C-suite and different hospital systems?

Speaker 2:

They had decided that they were going to hire a chief operating officer for the hospital, within a hospital that I was running at the time, and so I applied for that role and they elected to hire somebody else, and when I talked to the COO of the hospital to ask him why that was, and I wanted to know you know, where were the deficits? What? What is it that I needed to have done in order to be considered for that role? Essentially, he said my performance was stellar, the area where that was. He was very direct with me and he said there aren't a lot of leaders of color in this area and I don't think the community is ready for them. I can't do anything about that. If it was performance related, I can always improve my performance and do better, but you know my pigment, I'm proud of it. This is what I have. If that community isn't ready for it, there's nothing I can do about that. So they hired another person and I had asked them not to let that person know. They hired another person and, um, I had asked them not to let that person know that I had been a candidate because I didn't want there to be any issues, but someone chose to tell her, and so she began sort of making sure I knew my place. So I decided that this wasn't the best place for me and I started looking for other things.

Speaker 2:

I got a call about an interim chief nurse position and so I decided to take that because I knew that in order to get into the C-suite I needed to have a C title. So I took the interim. I was in that role for about six months. I got a call from a heart hospital. In the interim I was in that role for about six months, I got a call from a heart hospital in the Valley. I was hired as a VP of clinical services there and I was there for a couple of years and I got recruited to a larger hospital in the same city. At that point I became the CNO over two hospitals in the area and I did that for four or five years. And then I got a call about a system CNO position in the Bay Area and decided to go there and I was there for four or five years.

Speaker 2:

And then you know I will tell you, my movement has not been oh, now I'm tired of this. On both feet I get contact, and the reason why is because I've been successful in turning organizations around as far as their financial performance, their clinical performance and quality. You know, people have their niches and that happens to be mine. There are other areas that maybe I don't do quite so well in, but those areas historically have proven very successful. So I went into this organization. I was there for four or five years and then I was contacted by a health system who needed a chief operating officer and so that was sort of a promotion and so I took that. And then I got a couple of CEO offers offers and I decided to take one of those and I was in that role for about four years.

Speaker 2:

Part of that time I actually had to have open heart surgery and went through a lot of life changes and decided in 2019 that I was going to retire because I thought, medically maybe this was a little bit. You know, I needed to not have that level of stress, right, because I had a pretty extensive heart surgery. I've actually had two heart surgeries so I retired and I was off for about 14 months. In the meantime I just revved up another thing that I've done for years I've been a medical legal consultant and expert witness since 1999, focusing on administration and nursing standards, and so I just started doing more of that. Then Association of California Nurse Leaders came along, and it's an organization that I have been a member of for over 20 years. I served on the board a couple of times. I was a president in 2019, and they had some transition with their CEO and needed some infrastructure stabilization, so I decided to go into that role and do that, and that's what I'm doing now. I'm having a great time.

Speaker 1:

You're doing fantastic. You are the story. Actually, you invited me to speak in front of your group of nurse leaders around personal branding and why that's so important. Your story you just told me embodies all of that. You have to understand who you are and what your capabilities are, where your skill sets lie, and double down on that and then make sure that the organization in which you're working in, you're operating in, needs those skill sets in order to be successful. And I like your transparency when you're talking about.

Speaker 1:

A lot of people have heard of this. You know they call POT Performance, image and Exposure, where you have the performance, but for some odd reason they look at your image and that one particular system says we're not ready for someone who looks like you, even though you can probably do very well Understanding that. This is part of the formula and you can't always control certain images that you are and what you're exposed to. And then you made a pivot. Maybe because you're not doesn't mean everybody did. For some people that can be a very big mental or psychological step on them that they would live with that and then they don't perform. Or you could take your role like you know what I'm going to go ahead and hurdle that particular issue and get to where I need to go and you've gone so much further and along that you know, being a female black woman in the senior executive role, but understanding that I have something to give and that is important because at the end of the road is a patient, and I think you've always understood that I have something to do. And if current leadership is not understanding that and not seeing that, I need to be the seat at the table and I applaud you for doing that.

Speaker 1:

Talk to us a little bit more about the organization, the California Nursing Leadership. Some people may not be aware of it. What exactly does the organization do? Ready to elevate your brand with five-star impact? Welcome to the Firebrand Podcast, your gateway to exceptional personal growth and innovative business strategies. Join me as I unveil the insider strategies of industry pioneers and branding experts. Discover how to supercharge your business development. Harness the power of AI for growth and sculpt a personal brand that stands out in the crowd. Transform ambition into achievement. Explore more at FirestarBDMcom for a wealth of resources. Ignite your journey with our brave brand blueprint and begin crafting your standout Firestar teacher today.

Speaker 2:

The Association of California Nurse Leaders has been around for over 45 years and it started out as a place for chief nursing officers to come together, share ideas, best practices, learn from each other that sort of thing. It's evolved on a now foundation of leadership at all levels. So now we're open to nurses. Registered nurses are members, we have LVNs and students as affiliate members and the goal is to teach nurses about the business of healthcare, about the research of healthcare, about other things, including clinical, but to equip those nurses to transform healthcare, because the nursing nurses are the backbone of healthcare. There are people who would dispute that, but if all the nurses took the day off, healthcare will come to a screeching halt period. We all know that. We don't say it, but we know that. But we tend to be as nurses, pigeonholed as only nursing clinicians who pass meds. And I tell people we are, beyond whittling bibs and making Q-bits coordinators of the care for the patients and we're the ones that identify when the patients are not doing well or when they are doing well, because nurses have been trained to be intuitive to the subtle symptoms that show up. We're there with them 24-7. No one else is. So we want to make sure that we equip nurses with the skills and the knowledge and the educational foundation to be able to be better contributors to health care, nursing and health care policy. So that's what we do.

Speaker 2:

You know, we have virtual finance courses where they teach that. We teach them all about business planning and budgeting and HPPDs and what that means, or productivity and what that means. We teach them about how to write articles and abstracts and all of those sort of things. We teach them about creating a healthy work environment for their staff to function with them, how to change the culture of the organization that they're in through their emulating things that they do. It's very broad.

Speaker 2:

We teach them about legislation, health policy, nursing policy. How can your voice be heard and how can we align the nursing voice so that when we go to the legislators, we're all saying the same thing? How can we partner with our academic partners? Because we're all nurses and we need to function from that perspective. And so ACNL has been very successful and you know we've grown by 400 members under my tenure and a lot of that is creating a product that they want. So it's been really successful. There are a lot of people that did a lot of foundational work before I showed up and I want to give them kudos. I don't take credit for that, it's the members, it's the people that have come before me. But we want to make sure that ACNL continues to serve the nurses and the students and everyone, so that we can all benefit from it and the community can.

Speaker 1:

I appreciate that. I'm sure the entire association there in California, because you're representing the entire state, Correct, and you think about all the different hospital systems and nurses that are out there in California, not even thinking about across the US. They were like, hey, this is what we're talking about, this is what we need. We all need to understand not only our own roles and our own jobs, but what the entire hospital system is doing. The business of health care is so important and that you have a major part and a role in that, and that we're going to have this discussion around personal branding, and personal branding as a definition is not so much what you say about yourself. It's what others say about you.

Speaker 1:

I am thinking about what all those other people were saying about Dr Kimberly Long. Over those 37 years that have self-promoted you. That gave you a platform in order to speak to someone else. Recognize your skill, set, your tool, set your mindset, all the other things that are needed. If you thought you were just a fly in that room and no one knew you were there, what do you think they would be saying in that boardroom? That defines your personal brand.

Speaker 2:

You know that's a hard question to answer. What I can tell you is that I've heard people share my sense of loyalty and commitment. I've heard people share my sense of loyalty and commitment. I've heard people share the level of professionalism. I've also heard people say she is so much of an advocate for nursing and patients, but she doesn't take any meds. I've heard that a lot of times, and part of that is just helping people to represent themselves in the most positive light. I always try to do it. I want people to help me do it, and I also try to help other people From a business perspective innovation and efficiency, you know, figuring out how to get it done with what we have to work with, but also being prepared to call things out when we feel like we're being shortchanged.

Speaker 2:

And then, lastly, I'll say culture, and that is that when I go into an organization, the first thing that I do, whether it's as a CNO or a CEO, is sit in the lobby before they know who I am, and observe, because I want to see what that organization is really about. How do people engage with one another? Do they talk to each other? Do they greet people? What does it smell like? Are things clean or dirty, you know that sort of thing. And then I work with them, I put on my scrubs and I do shifts with the staff so that I can see this is the environment they're working in. What do they need? Because most of the time staff members will they improvise and they you ask them what do you need? They go nothing, they don't think about it. So you have to go in there as an administrator, work with them and see what they see, smell what they smell, hear what they hear, so that you can say you know what. You're having to work a little hard doing that. Let me get you this to make it easier. And because of that they view you very differently.

Speaker 2:

When I go into an organization, my org chart is inverted. In other words, I'm at the bottom, the patient is at the top and the people who are caring for the patient are the ones that I am there to support so that they can take care of the most important person in the building, which is the patient. And because of that it set a different culture. We're not those administrators in the office that don't know what's going on and making decisions that they are unimportant. I also recognize the value and expertise of the people who are executing the activities. They know things, they know the subtle nuances, they know what's going on, things that we're not told, and so I lean on them to inform me as an executive, to make informed decisions and make it comfortable for them to have those conversations with me.

Speaker 2:

I'm one of them, I'm not, and if I used to tell them what they say, they used to call me boss lady and I would say don't call me that awful B word and they start laughing, you know. But I said I am not a boss lady. I'm somebody here to support you in exercising your craft and taking care of those patients. That's my job, to facilitate and make it easier for you. So the mindset of the executive leadership has to be one of service. If you go into executive leadership focused on yourself, your edification, your status, it's not going to serve anyone well. And so I go into it as a humble person who has walked some trails that have not been easy, but who's there to support and uplift other people and help them find where their light shines. That's what I'm here to do, and and I go to sleep at night and I rest well because of that.

Speaker 1:

That is so my definition said oh, this is a hard question. Well, I think you answer that very easily because you know who you are and you know the value that you bring. That is the essence of personal branding. You've got to know who you are, you've got to know the value that you bring've got to know the value that you bring. And that's the value that you bring, not how you value just yourself. But you know those outcomes, and I always love when I hear from other people, and so this actually happened.

Speaker 1:

Just the other day. I was at a group meeting. People were sitting down, they're all having dinner and we all had to introduce ourselves and I introduced myself. Then I sat down. Then afterward, a person I did not know at all came up to me. You know what? You helped me get my last job. I'm like really, I mean, what are you talking about?

Speaker 1:

Yes, you did an interview, just like we're doing an interview right now with Dr Henry Long, and this particular one was the CEO of a healthcare organization in Miami and I did that interview with him. It was great. And he said because you did that interview and I was able to see that recording, I was able to interview very, very well for the position that I was looking for and I got the job, thank you. And I was like so you never know how you're influencing other people, but you've got to get the story out there, because if I don't do these types of things, you don't hear the story.

Speaker 1:

There's somebody here right now sitting right now probably a cop in California, trying to figure it out. I'm 19 years old, I got two kids. I'm not sure what I'm going to do in life. How do I put one foot in front of the other? Dr Kimberly Long has showed that path and those experiences, difficult as they may be, actually form the foundation for future growth. So I like you for telling us that, and I know you're getting ready for an island voyage to F. Like you for telling us that, and I know you're getting ready for an island voyage to Fiji. You told me that, actually.

Speaker 2:

St Lucia. Oh, st Lucia, st Lucia.

Speaker 1:

You have definitely earned that, and before I let you go, I want you to be able to talk to our audience, and there are a lot of nurse leaders that are listening to this. There's a lot of people, a lot of people in information technology that tune in to my show and that will be tuning in when I talk to your organization here pretty soon. Is there anything else that you would definitely like the audience to know before I let you go?

Speaker 2:

You know, the most impactful thing for me was to really be self-aware. One thing was to give myself permission not to be perfect. I'm human and I have sensitivities and I have shortcomings, and I have things about me that I want to improve on, as well as things about me that really shine and it's okay. It's okay, but be aware of all of the things that make your tapestry, your unique tapestry, what it is, and surround yourself with people who complement the areas where you might need to be bolstered up a little bit, and don't be intimidated by people who are smarter than you, because there's so much that can be learned from that.

Speaker 2:

I posted something the other day that said sit me next to a woman that is smarter than me so I can learn from her and grow me, so I can learn from her and grow. And I think that if we can adjust our mindsets to recognize that none of us are perfect, we know that. So let's not walk around projecting as if we are. Let's be humble and be confident in who we are while we continue to grow. Somebody said to me the other day you know and I don't embrace being accomplished, I see it as a blessing but somebody said to me how can somebody as accomplished as you serve people, and I said because the service is who I am, the accomplishment is what I do, and I think that is vital for people to understand.

Speaker 1:

There's a difference and there should be there's a huge difference in understanding that and I think the more that you do that, the more humility takes place. I think anybody that's in the healthcare realm understands whether you are a nurse, you're a clinician, you're a doctor that there are other forces always at play and you're just part of that opportunity to heal somebody. There's so many other things that are taking place and when you're a part of those miracles that occurred, I can just see somebody right now that you were part of that team and that someone that had sickle cell, and now they're doing much, much better and they're so thankful that you were a part of their life and that they can live much better for a longer period of time because you were part of that healing process. So I want to thank you, I want to thank your organization. Before I let you go, let our audience know how they can contact the organization and yourself.

Speaker 2:

Oh, yes, we have a website. It's acnlorg. If they go on that website, they'll be able to send an info email and if they would like to make contact with me, that email will be diverted toward me and I will definitely respond.

Speaker 1:

One other question Do you have to be in California to be a part of the organization?

Speaker 2:

No, we have an affiliate member category where people outside of the state can join as well as they choose.

Speaker 1:

And your meetings, are they virtual and in person, all over the state?

Speaker 2:

We have 15, soon to be 16 chapters throughout California. They do the local work and we support them in that. And then we have our annual program, which is going to actually be at Disneyland in February 2025, where we all get together for three and a half days and just enjoy each other and hear more cutting edge things in nursing and in healthcare, and there's a couple of parties too.

Speaker 1:

That sounds like fun. I hope I can get out there for that. That sounds like a lot of fun. I want to thank you for the invitation to address your audience and talk to them, give us some insight so they can move forward. This has been wonderful. I invite the entire audience to continue to tune in to follow Brand and Five Star BDM. That is the number five. That's Star BDM. That's B for Brand, d for Developmentinfomasterscom. This has been wonderful. Thank you so much for being a part of our show. Thank you.

Speaker 2:

My pleasure.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for joining us on the Follow Brand Podcast. Big thanks to Full Effect Productions for their incredible support on each and every episode. Now the journey continues on our YouTube channel. Follow Brand TV Series. Dive into exclusive interviews, extended content and bonus insights that will fuel your success. Subscribe now and be a part of our growing community sharing and learning together. Explore, engage and elevate at Follow Brand TV Series on YouTube. Stay connected, stay inspired. Till next time, we will continue building a five-star brand that you can follow.