Founder

• Master of Nursing (MN), University of Calgary – 2024

• Advanced Nursing Certificate I: Innovations in Teaching and Learning, University of Calgary – 2022

• Advanced Nursing Certificate II: Leadership for Healthcare System Transformation, University of Calgary – 2023

• Bachelor of Nursing (BN), University of Calgary – 2012

• Registered Nurse (RN), Current and Practicing with BCCNM

I started maddison paetz | resilient wellness with a clear and heartfelt mission: to be 100% focused on the care of healthcare providers. The truth is, our healthcare system cannot afford to lose more of us. Yet, too often, our personal well-being is overlooked or undervalued in favor of profits and numbers. I’ve seen how this system, while essential, places an enormous burden on those who dedicate their lives to it. Healthcare providers, like you and me, give everything to care for others—but too often, we lose sight of caring for ourselves.

With over a decade of emergency nursing experience across Canada, I have witnessed the profound impact of systemic toxicity in healthcare and how it affects providers’ personal well-being and quality of life. Working in addictions and mental health, I’ve seen how the healthcare environment can reshape a person’s identity, drain their passion, and compromise their overall well-being. I understand that recovery from trauma is difficult and often unsupported by our society. I know firsthand that healthcare providers deserve to live full, balanced lives while maintaining long and healthy careers.

My personal journey is a testament to this reality. I once faced the heavy toll of burnout, which led to a year-long break from work dedicated to rehabilitating my mental health, well-being, and reevaluating my career path. This experience not only deepened my empathy for those struggling in similar circumstances but also reinforced my commitment to helping others reclaim their well-being. Furthermore, it allowed me to develop significant experience and education in CBT, DBT, ACT, mindfulness, and burnout research.

Alongside my own experience with burnout, I have witnessed several phenomenal healthcare providers step away from the profession to prioritize their well-being. While I am inspired by their courage to rebuild their lives and choose themselves over a career that once defined them, I am also saddened that this choice was necessary in the first place. No one should have to sacrifice their well-being simply because they chose a profession rooted in service to others.

With this understanding, I listen to providers' experiences and counsel them through various challenges, such as personal feelings of moral injury, loss of compassion, questioning life outside of healthcare, difficulties with colleagues, concerns about one’s practice, thoughts of furthering education or changing roles, challenges with educational institutions, stress in nursing school, confusion over curriculum, or the fear of becoming a new grad.

Additionally, as both an experienced educator and an experienced healthcare student, I relate to the unique pressures that students face. I listen to their concerns, including fears about transitioning into the profession, the stress of healthcare education, uncertainty about ethical decision-making, and the financial burdens that often accompany their journey. Having been both an undergraduate and graduate healthcare student, I bring a personal understanding of these challenges. You name it—I’ve likely heard it, experienced it, and helped someone navigate it.

I created this space because no healthcare provider should feel alone in their struggles. You deserve to be supported, valued, and empowered in both your career and your life. You deserve to be as important as your patients. You deserve to share your experience, and develop the tools to continue on.

To those of you who have inspired me—maybe now, I can inspire others.

Experience Shapes our World

The experience of healthcare providers, including my own, is one of profound self-sacrifice, often at the expense of our well-being. Both my research and personal experience have shown that working in healthcare is marked by relentless demands, where providers do not simply face stress or burnout—we sacrifice our health and quality of life in service to others. We are not benevolent fictional characters called “heroes”; we are highly trained individuals who, like everyone else, experience emotions, struggles, and vulnerabilities. The healthcare system exposes us to daily trauma, toxic workplace cultures, and chronic stress—forces that gradually shape our identities and erode our well-being.

Healthcare providers enter this field driven by a desire to help others. However, the very system we serve often works against us, hindering our ability to provide care and diminishing our own quality of life. I have learned through both personal experience and research that retention issues are not due to a lack of dedication, but rather a fundamental need to step away for survival because of these challenging conditions. As a result, we now have a workforce of providers who, despite our best efforts, are unable to perform at our full potential due to the environments in which we work.

Research consistently highlights the devastating impact of workplace stress on healthcare providers. High levels of burnout and mental health challenges are driving experienced professionals out of the workforce, contributing to a sharp rise in job vacancies (Maddigan et al., 2023). This issue is not isolated to one or two workplace problems but rather an accumulation of toxic conditions over time. These conditions shape providers' thoughts, behaviors, and identities, ultimately diminishing their quality of life both inside and outside of work.

Despite extensive research on burnout, gaps remain in implementing effective, evidence-based interventions. Studies show that education on burnout prevention and mental health strategies can improve retention and overall well-being (Geuens et al., 2021; Romppanen & Häggman, 2017). By empowering healthcare providers with sustainable knowledge, they can better recognize early warning signs, implement protective strategies, and safeguard their mental health—ultimately reducing the likelihood of leaving the profession (Salyers et al., 2017). Therefore, my goal is to provide counseling and education to enhance healthcare provider health, enabling them to become resilient and long-lasting in their careers, if that is their desire. We do not want them to merely survive.

This work is not about improving job performance—it is about prioritizing the human being inside the healthcare provider. A system full of suffering providers is not only unsafe but also unethical. When healthcare workers are well, patient safety and care improve naturally. But first, we must focus on those who care for us—because if we do not support them, we will one day find ourselves without anyone left to care for us when it matters most.

As a fellow provider who has spent much of my graduate research exploring the impact of the healthcare system on the health of providers, while also working within it and experiencing burnout myself, I understand these struggles firsthand. I have been in the position of needing to step away from healthcare to preserve my well-being. With this understanding, I listen to providers' experiences and counsel them through various challenges, such as personal feelings of moral injury, a loss of compassion, wondering about life outside healthcare, difficulties with colleagues, concerns about one’s practice, thoughts of furthering education or changing roles, challenges with educational institutions, stress in nursing school, confusion over curriculum, or the fear of becoming a new grad.

In addition, with my experience as both an educator and a student in healthcare, I can relate to the unique pressures that students face. I also listen to students' concerns, such as fears about their transition into the profession, the stress of healthcare education, confusion about what is right or wrong, and the financial stress that often accompanies their journey. Having been a healthcare student, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, I bring a personal understanding of these challenges. You name it, I’ve likely heard it, experienced it, and helped someone overcome it.

I also aim to focus on healthcare students, as many are burning out either in school or immediately upon entering the profession. Preventing burnout must start early. Nursing students should be equipped with the tools to navigate and resist toxic workplace culture before they enter the field. Current healthcare providers also need education and support to recognize risks, implement self-protective strategies, and reclaim their well-being.

As Caine et al. (2019) explain, people make sense of their lives through the stories they tell. Allowing providers to reflect on and share their experiences can be a powerful tool for healing, validation, and identity restoration (Holloway & Galvin, 2017; Clandinin & Rosiek, 2007). When we, as providers, feel heard and supported, we are not only able to reframe our past experiences but may also reconnect with the purpose that initially led us to healthcare.

Meaning Making

The challenges you face in the healthcare environment aren’t confined to the workplace—they affect every aspect of your life. By investing in your personal well-being, you empower yourself to enhance your quality of life and become the best version of yourself. Our work together is entirely focused on YOU—the human being who happens to work as a healthcare provider.

It’s about bringing balance to what is considered healthy and normal in a toxic environment where we often adopt skewed perceptions of both. It’s about helping you feel compassion again (if you’ve lost it), reducing your stress, increasing your well-being and happiness, and enriching your life as a whole—for yourself and the people you love. Safeguarding your quality of life is the priority. In turn, your professional practice will naturally improve. But my goal is not to make you a better provider—it’s to care for you as a person, ensuring that you can do what you love for as long as you choose, rather than being forced to leave your career to save yourself.

Healthcare is a high-risk field where the cost of error can be life-altering. Yet the greatest risk lies in neglecting the well-being of those entrusted with our care. When healthcare providers are overwhelmed and unsupported, the entire system suffers—from diminished patient care to the loss of invaluable professionals. When you are supported and empowered, you thrive—not just as a provider, but as a person. Your renewed well-being directly enhances the care you provide to others.

By shifting the culture of healthcare from one of relentless sacrifice to one of self-care and resilience, we can help build a stronger, healthier workforce. When we prioritize the well-being of providers, we are not just investing in individuals—we are investing in the future of healthcare itself.

References:

Caine, V., Estefan, A., & Clandinin, D. J. (2019). Narrative inquiry. In P. Atkinson, S. Delamont, A. Cernat, J. W. Sakshaug, & R. A. Williams (Eds.), SAGE Research Methods Foundations. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526421036771087

Geuens, N., Franck, E., Verheyen, H., De Schepper, S., Roes, L., Vandevijvere, H., Geurden, B., & Van Bogaert, P. (2021). Vulnerability and stressors for burnout within a population of hospital nurses: A qualitative descriptive study. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 53(1), 16–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/0844562119876777

Maddigan, J., Brennan, M., McNaughton, K., White, G., & Snow, N. (2023). The prevalence and predictors of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress in registered nurses in an Eastern Canadian province: A cross-sectional study. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 84, 45621221150297. https://doi.org/10.1177/08445621221150297

Romppanen, J., & Häggman-Laitila, A. (2017). Interventions for nurses’ well-being at work: A quantitative systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 73(7), 1555–1569. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13210

Salyers, M. P., Bonfils, K. A., Luther, L., Firmin, R. L., White, D. A., Adams, E. L., & Rollins, A. L. (2017). The relationship between professional burnout and quality and safety in healthcare: A meta-analysis. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 32(4), 475–482. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-016-3886-9