Mindful Chat with Laurie Laugeman Bedside Cardiac Leader & Holistic Health Coach

Mindful Chat with Laurie

Laurie Laugeman BSN, RN, HNB-BC, HWNC-BC.  A bedside leader on a cardiac and neuro unit. Her nursing practice includes coaching and a holistic approach in caring for herself, colleagues, patients, and families. 

Laurie Laugeman  -  Coaching  llaugeman@gmail.com

American Holistic Nursing Western NY Chapter     ahnawny.nursingnetwork.com

Transcript

Unknown: 0:24

Hi, how are you?

Damaris Grossmann: 0:25

This is Dr. Maris Maria Grossman, integrative family nurse practitioner on mindfully integrative podcast and YouTube channel. Thank you for joining us today on this episode, and we have an amazing guest. Her name is Laurie LogMeIn. And she is a leader in the nursing field and the bedside in neuro and cardiac. In addition, she is also a holistic nurse and wellness coach, and she can tell you more about herself, but she definitely lives mindfully each and every day. And Laurie, is Laurie, correct? Yes. Is that correct? All right. Awesome. And tell us more about yourself. And Nice to meet you first. How are you?

Laurie Laugeman: 1:05

Oh, I'm doing so well. And it's nice to meet you. And I am so excited to be here because living a mindful life is what I say that I am a work in progress. So yeah, I'm slowly I'm taking those steps. Every day, I learn more and more about mindfulness, and I incorporate it in my life, with my family, and in my work. And it's such a great blend all around that it's I'm truly blessed to have connected with it. And keep it rolling.

Damaris Grossmann: 1:31

Keep it rolling. So, um, first, you know, let's go into generally, what do people not know about you? Like as a, you know, you're into Integrative Health and mindfulness, but um, kind of what you know what, what is something in your life that, you know, people may not know, that maybe have brought you to where you are or just just a little fun fact.

Unknown: 1:55

Oh, well, interesting that people would not know that I was in the Army Reserves in my early years at the first six years, and I was an army reservist

Damaris Grossmann: 2:04

military, I was also military. So you were in a thank you for your service. And I commend you too. I know, as a woman, as a veteran myself, it's, it's a lot.

Unknown: 2:14

It was a lot. And I actually was one of the lucky ones down in Fort Jackson, South Carolina to train with the men. So at that time, they had just integrated that the men and women would train together. Oh, my, at that time, the men were going to not let a woman be them. And at that time, the woman were I'm not going to let these men beat me. So I think I came out of that as that gi Jane. I can relate all Yeah,

Damaris Grossmann: 2:41

so really, you're tough then. Right?

Unknown: 2:43

Right. It really motivated me. And at that same time my friend went to and I'm not saying anything bad about fort McAllen, but she had a different experience because she trained with just the females. So when we met up in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, I felt that I was gi Jane and about private Benjamin.

Damaris Grossmann: 3:03

Oh, that's hilarious. Um, I, I definitely can imagine the training. I mean, at that, by the time I was a night, we were integrated. So I can only imagine like you kind of were a pioneer in the way of like, kind of getting transitioning, you know, being the voice for women in the military to you know, it's tough. It's Did you what kind of job did you have?

Unknown: 3:24

So at that time, I was 91. Charlie, and so that it was, you know, the I believe if I'm correct, that was the medical assistant.

Damaris Grossmann: 3:33

Oh, so you were in the medical field? And then you transitioned into nursing after that?

Unknown: 3:38

Yeah. So there really probably was my start with nursing. And I was always growing up. And my mother was a nurse. And she told us great stories about working as a nurse. But unfortunately, I said, Oh, I'll never do that. There's so much blood and guts, I could never do that. Right? I didn't want to be a nurse. And somehow I did find myself in the military as a medic. Yeah, I really found out how important it was and to make those connections with people and how you made a difference. And I think from there on, I was sold. I went on through the army paid for my training, and I trained with the army to become an LPN. And then I was an LPN for a long time after I got out of the army, and then I moved on to get my rn. But what really inspired me to get my Rn is I wanted to become a holistic nurse. And to become a holistic nurse, you needed to be an RN,

Damaris Grossmann: 4:29

and what means you kind of like transition to that holistic nurse thing, because that doesn't usually come up for someone regularly. Like for me, it did came up a little earlier, but it was a traumatic event that transition, my pain, you know, so what, what transitioned you to go, I want to be a holistic nurse.

Unknown: 4:45

I was lucky enough in my early days to have, you know, four children and sometimes helpless, and have ear infections and different things. And at that time, I was looking into ways that I could help my children and I stumbled upon herbs and vitamins. And then I stumbled upon reflexology, and I stumbled upon healing touch, and all these great modalities that I was using with my family. I thought, you know, how can I you know, do this as a nurse. You know, that's what I really thought that a holistic nurse was somebody who would use all these modalities. So that was really my inspiration. Go on and get my Rn and to seek this holistic nursing.

Damaris Grossmann: 5:28

That that makes that makes a lot of sense. I mean, and you've kind of were like, I need to figure out a way to like, make people better in a different way and a whole a whole health approach, like we talked about here.

Unknown: 5:40

Yes, yes. And then I had the opportunity that I also did home care. And I took care of, you know, clients who were quadriplegics, and that is a extremely mindful moment to look back on that you were in that moment and to be present with that person in that time, because that's such an important space for them.

Damaris Grossmann: 6:03

Oh, and then the, there they need you like, You're, you're the one person that they need, they need total care. So why for you, you It's exhausting some days. So it's like, you're centering you. And then addition you have to now you have to be there for them to do almost everything. Right.

Unknown: 6:19

Right. I think I love that I had a passion for that, that I was the I guess the barber for the men but the hairdresser, the housekeeper, the coach, for everything. So it truly was that holistic philosophy of being truly there with the patient. Yeah, client. And I thought that's what took me from thinking that I could hang up a shingle and be a holistic nurse and do something to people, to really that holistic nursing was me caring for myself to be in the best place. So I could truly be present with my patients. And I think that's looking back, being present is so mindfully, how I like to be with my patients

Damaris Grossmann: 7:01

No, and that it's just so important because we just like with a busy nurse schedule, or nurse or work in general, we don't always do that, you know, and that's kind of it's just as tough and and now you mean you've already you learned the tools and and how do you like have you considered like things that made you struggle or things that inspired you to like grow from this? Or was it you know, the patients the homecare patients, was it a or was it just an event that

Unknown: 7:31

Oh, always loving my patients and I learned from my patient probably just as much as we learn from each other developing those relationships. My struggles probably was being a nurse. As a nurse, you sometimes lose patients and you provide that awesome care to families and patients who are at end of life. For me though, when my sister was sick, it was so challenging because the holistic nurse, the health care, part of me wanted to help her to get better but the other side of me could say we're not going down that road. So how do you keep promoting get better you're going to get through this as well as preparing for what's coming I think like more on palliative hospice or just looking at it as a

Damaris Grossmann: 8:14

healing like or trying to keep her like what's the word? I'm gonna say palliative but you know, keep her healthy and happy to the end of life or was this an end of life? Did she pass?

Unknown: 8:27

Right right that's what it was. Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry for a long because you wanted to keep fighting for her to get better but you really knew that it was going a different direction. And could we move into that space and we did move into that space one thing she said I think it's beautiful as my mother and I we were all very close and she said I don't know how to do this I've never done this Yeah, and we were able to go through it together and you know she she did very well and of course we miss her but for me those are the struggles of losing those people so close to me

Damaris Grossmann: 9:02

so close I'm so sorry. I mean especially this year was it recent okay, but you still but she means a lot to you I mean any loss No matter if it was recent or years ago, it you know, you don't it doesn't just go away. And and you've been able to use your not just your holistic training, but the way that you are all whole, whole are well rounded, you've been able to kind of center whether it's your faith to I don't know, if you're, you know, you've just been able to kind of center yourself to get through the day and get through the those moments. I can only imagine how hard it is and then can those times be? Would you say the struggles have made you better? Oh,

Unknown: 9:44

I love learning whether it's from good things that happened to me or bad choices. Just always learning. Yes.

Damaris Grossmann: 9:50

Yeah.

Unknown: 9:51

I always hold on.

Damaris Grossmann: 10:01

Hold on. I'll just have to add that. So in reference to, like, Is there anyone in your career or in life that has inspired you to do more with either with your patients or when you were doing your training, like what kind of like who has inspired you throughout your career and life? Oh, it

Unknown: 10:23

may be cliche. But is that Florence Nightingale? Oh, that's

Damaris Grossmann: 10:27

beautiful. Okay, oh, that's that's a good one.

Unknown: 10:30

And just her Florence being the pioneer. And there, she had said 200 years ago that the nurses of today would be the change makers. And her vision, her philosophy and her belief in the nursing profession is, you know, fabulous. And I've taken at nurses week that I dress up as Florence. And yeah, what's up is Florence and visit the nursing unit site before COVID. And I would share information on self care, mindfulness and tools to help nurses with their self care.

Damaris Grossmann: 11:01

Oh, that's so great. Are you implementing a lot of your techniques with your patients to in the at work?

Unknown: 11:08

Yes, I love to be you know, mindful at my job, our floor, we were the love flouride, my unit, three, South, all our colleagues, we love each other, we support each other so much. And those are those mindful moments that we talk about mindful hand washing, that you just, you know, just taking that, you know, 60 seconds to wash your hands, ground your feet. And you know, wash your hands that those are mindful moments. And we talk about being present with our patients that if you go in that room, we do do bedside report, but we also share, you know, that's your time to make eye contact and just truly be present and listen to your patients. I think you know, those are easy ways that we just bring in that mindfulness. And I do try to do that one time I was with a patient. And I came in and I slowly moved in, and I was truly present. And he said to me, oh, you're really busy today out there, aren't you? And I said, Well, I'm right here with you now and everything. He said, Oh, but you're busy. I see you running back and forth. Yeah,

Damaris Grossmann: 12:11

yeah. He was aware. But you were there for him? And was it more challenging? I mean, this wasn't something I was gonna ask. But was it more challenging, of course, because of COVID this year with trying to kind of keep that, you know, cool, or that centeredness within yourself and for your patients? Or did you find because you've had the training and the time that it was the it was even more important?

Unknown: 12:35

I think it's always important. Even more important, I think was the connections with the colleagues, connections are one of those as things were escalating and frustrations on the unit, we could bring it back to say, Okay, let's chill, what's working? How can we help each other? How can we just be in this moment? And to me, those are mindful moments that we can pause and say, okay, what's working? We got this, Do you need anything? And I think if our unit didn't have that mindful philosophy, that we probably would be more, we'd be more upset in the chaos that we have sometimes.

Damaris Grossmann: 13:13

Yeah, I can only imagine, especially this year, you know, it's been, it was a struggle for most individuals and kind of where they were at. And, um, did you go to specific training? Or did like, were you in a specific training that got you to where you're at? Or did you kind of learn on your own through faith and, and just reading

Unknown: 13:34

a little bit of both. So I was introduced to mindfulness. I've, as a holistic nurse, I've had so many opportunities to go to the conferences, which I love. I've taken several sessions on mindfulness for, you know, creating that as a self care for myself.

Damaris Grossmann: 13:49

Yeah, not just mindfulness, but Integrative Health and holistic training, you went to a lot of different trainings for that. Yeah.

Unknown: 13:54

And oh, yeah. So

Damaris Grossmann: 13:55

what's your favorite modality? Let's say, how about that?

Unknown: 13:58

You know, I would I would put my mindfulness as the top because that helps me in all my relationships everywhere. Well, that's tricky. I love my homeopathy.

Damaris Grossmann: 14:07

homeopathy. Yeah.

Unknown: 14:10

I love healing touch, because that's something that I can also offer. Those are great things. And, you know, reflexology is wonderful if you get, you know, my kids in the chair, and I start working on their feet when they were 15 and 16. The stories that they would tell was a little you know, they would get a little relax, and

Damaris Grossmann: 14:30

that's cool. Yeah, I just, I love the different modalities. And it's like, like, you were saying, it's not just the modalities, but it's kind of neat. Everybody has different ones that they use. And I just was wondering, you know, what was something that you kind of drew were drawn to, um, and then overall, like, Do you find that in? You've been mindful, like, mindful ways on every day? Or, like, what kind of would be your teaching moment for someone today? to help them if they were haven't necessarily found a way to be centered? What is your take home for our audience today?

Unknown: 15:10

I think it's challenging when someone would be even myself upset or my children or my patients and oftentimes people will say, Oh, just relax. Just breathe right away. Seems send you the other way.

Damaris Grossmann: 15:26

I have a tip.

Unknown: 15:28

I think it's just being quiet. Um, take just a minute to feel yourself breathe and to maybe close your eyes and disconnect from all that external stuff. Sometimes that's all it takes is that and I also, you know, for me, I have to tell myself, okay, it's okay right now you're okay, right now everything's okay right now. And someone once shared with me his watch. And he showed me and it said Now that everything's okay now. So yeah,

Damaris Grossmann: 16:01

that makes sense. You know, you're okay. Now, you know, this is the moment right now is where you have to be. And that's so it's not the before it's not the after. It's the now that makes sense.

Unknown: 16:11

I'd love it. Yeah. So this chaos at work, just be here. Now we got this chaos at home or Okay.

Damaris Grossmann: 16:20

Do you have anything that is upcoming or that you'd like to share in your business or work that you'd like to tell the audience how they can definitely be reaching you in the social links that I'll have. But is there more that you like to? Do you have a business now or that you add to this or a way that we can reach you?

Unknown: 16:41

Sure, right now I'm doing individual coaching. And that's can reach me through my email, again, as the chapter leader of the Western New York holistic Nurses Association. Actually, next Thursday, I believe the title is replenish yourself before, during and after your shift. And that will be on my website. And then wonderful.

Damaris Grossmann: 17:02

Oh, and we'll have your website links on our show notes. I don't know. What is your website so that we everyone can go to just for if they are not able to see it right away? What's your website that they can go to?

Unknown: 17:15

Sure. It's a H and a WNY? chapter? Oh, no, I'm sorry. That's the wrong one. Sorry.

Damaris Grossmann: 17:23

Oh, no, that's okay. Um, I mean, I'll have them all.

Unknown: 17:26

I can have it in the links. If you if you just looked up holistic nursing in western New York, it'll show up.

Damaris Grossmann: 17:32

Okay, perfect. Yeah, I would love for them to check you out and check out the that event if it's available. So um, thank you so much. And I appreciate you being on the show today. Is there anything additional that you'd like to share with our audience, enter? listeners,

Unknown: 17:49

I just think it's great that you're taking this opportunity to create this podcast to share a little tips. Because I think that's all about learning many moments of how we can care for ourselves in this busy world. Sometimes it's a calm world, sometimes it's chaotic. It's always beautiful. But sometimes, we can't always see it. So I think what you're doing is helping us to all remember how beautiful it is with mindful moments.

Damaris Grossmann: 18:13

Thank you. And I really appreciate you being on the the podcast and the YouTube channel, Marie. So with that, guys, I appreciate you being here on mindfully integrative podcast. And I hope that each and every day you guys find a mindful way to be in the moment. Thanks so much for joining us. And thank you for listening. Thanks so much, Laurie, you have a wonderful day, guys.

Unknown: 18:43

Bye Bye. Thanks.