34. Supporting Women, Changing Perspectives & Staying True to Yourself

Change starts with everyday actions—right where you are, with what you have.

In this episode of The Nurse’s Breakroom with Jenny Lytle, RN, we continue the conversation from last week’s International Women’s Day discussion. Instead of focusing on the challenges, today’s episode is all about practical ways to accelerate equality—without burnout or guilt.

If you’ve ever felt unsure about how you can make an impact, this episode will give you four simple steps to start taking action right now. We’ll talk about:

✅ Recognizing bias – How to check your own beliefs & broaden your perspective
✅ Getting involved – Finding your passion & using your skills to make a difference
✅ Letting go of the shoulds – Releasing guilt, comparison & outdated identities
✅ Embracing authenticity – Owning your unique strengths & supporting others

Plus, we’ll dive into small but powerful ways to promote equality, from supporting women-owned businesses to amplifying diverse voices.

💡 Takeaways & Action Steps:
🔹 Identify one bias or limiting belief you want to challenge this week.
🔹 Seek out perspectives different from your own—books, podcasts, or conversations.
🔹 Find a cause that aligns with your skills & interests—big or small, your impact matters.
🔹 Let go of the guilt, expectations, and “shoulds” that don’t align with who you truly are.

✨ “Every woman's success should be an inspiration to another. We're strongest when we cheer each other on.” – Serena Williams

📢 Listen now & start making a difference—your way! 🎧

If you're feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or like there’s never enough time, I’ve got something just for you! Head to https://selfcareisntselfish.com to grab your FREE copy of my book, Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: The Compassionate Nurse’s Step-by-Step Guide to Personalized Stress Relief. It’s packed with simple, effective strategies to help you prioritize your needs—without guilt—so you can feel energized, focused, and ready to take on the day. Go to https://selfcareisntselfish.com 

Looking for connection with people who get the stress and self-care struggles of nurses and caregivers? Check out https://thenursesbreakroom.com

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennylytlern/

More ways to connect here: https://linktr.ee/jennylytle

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome & Introduction
• 3:14 Four Steps Toward Equality
• 6:24 Getting Involved Where You Are
• 8:06 Letting Go of Past Identities
• 10:14 Embracing Your Authentic Self
• 12:19 Simple Ways to Support Women

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:51

Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Nurse's Breakroom with Jenny Lytle RN. Today we're continuing our conversation from last week, when I was talking about the International Women's Day presentation that I gave, and I just wanted to highlight some things from that. So last week we talked about domestic violence and just some statistics related to women and gender inequality, and so this week we're going to focus on ways that we can make a difference, and I really struggled with this when I first started it, because I thought I'm not somebody who's going to go to Washington in March. But, as I say that, I guess I can't say that I never would, but that's not something that I've really seen myself doing. But I do think that there are ways that, regardless of how we're wired, regardless of the things that we feel called to do, we can make a difference. And so I think that the way that we do that is we recognize our own worth and we stop comparing ourselves to other people, because there are some people who really want to be at the forefront and at the center of making change, and that's wonderful, but that doesn't mean that our contributions can't be valuable. So, you know, we quit comparing ourselves to them and we embrace our own uniqueness and beauty and individuality and we celebrate the little things that we do.

Speaker 1: 2:36

So I think that there's four steps that any of us can take to figure out how can we accelerate action toward equality. And the first step, I believe, is that we get curious, we question our own biases, and it may be something that is very uncomfortable and it doesn't have to be something that maybe you would verbalize to someone else. Maybe it's those thoughts that you have, however fleeting, when you're in a situation with, maybe, people who don't look like you or act like you, or you know, we can sometimes have some judgments and sometimes it's just those little underlying thoughts and things that have been programmed into us from when we were younger, or certain circumstances or situations, and then we can overgeneralize. So thinking about what are those things and just acknowledging those first, taking the time to question that, realizing that we all have those things and that doesn't make us awful people, but it does give us a place to start from, a way to move forward and move beyond those things. So we can also look around us. Does everyone look like us, vote like us, believe like us? And if so, can we maybe change that Because there's so much power in getting to know individual people, instead of seeing things as us versus them, whoever them are and yes, I realize that should have been they but instead of looking at things as very black and white.

Speaker 1: 4:35

When we get to know people on a personal level, then we realize how much we have in common. So who do we listen to and who do we support? And really, are we creating space for others at the table? Is there room for different opinions, different beliefs, different opinions, different beliefs? And we also need to get to know ourselves a bit better. Like, what really matters to me and who am I is the question that changed my life, and if you've read my book, you know that it kind of starts with that, and it was a long, uncomfortable, sometimes kind of painful journey to answer that question. But it also helped me to get really clear on who I am and who I'm not, and that helped me to let go of a lot of other things. So when we stop trying to be what we think we're supposed to be, then we can step into who we really are, who we're really called to be.

Speaker 1: 5:53

So step two is we get involved. What breaks your heart or what do you feel passionately about? What are some areas of giftedness and skill that you have? And being able to connect with others in a mentor or mentee role, clubs or churches or classes. Reading, joining networking groups. Reading, joining networking groups Some of them are meant specifically for people who are business owners or in a leadership role, but a lot of them are open just to anyone who has something in common. I am part of the local chamber of commerce and the women's business council is a part of that, and it's a wonderful group of strong and encouraging, empowering women, and there's also networking groups that are open to anyone in the business world. And then I'm also a part of a networking group called Gather and Grow, and that is just for women in general. So some of us are business owners, some of us are employees and some of us are maybe not employed somewhere, not working outside of the home, and and that's okay, because we all need that connection and it's a great way to find out about other ways to be able to to come together and support each other and to find out about causes that maybe you didn't even know about.

Speaker 1: 7:30

So step three is we let go of the things that are holding us back of our old identities. I find that when I have bonded with someone, it is hard for me to let go of that relationship. But I love the quote by Brian A Drew Chalker. People come into your life for a reasona season or a lifetime, and as much as I can have difficulty with letting go, I recognize that there are those people and that's okay. Not everybody is meant to be a lifelong friend, and so that's when we need to let go of some of those old connections and let go of guilt, because we've all made mistakes and we're imperfect people. Now make amends if needed and learn from it, but then try to release yourself from it, and I know that that's easier said than done, but there is work that can be done around those kind of things and it may be something that you need to get some help with and letting go of fears.

Speaker 1: 8:43

And one thing I like to do is kind of reframe that because, like last week when I was pitching myself for the keynote and stepping into something that was uncomfortable, the way that I can look at that now is what if I don't act on what I'm feeling called to do? And to me that's scarier than anything that might happen if I do just lean into my intuition. Just lean into my intuition, and that also goes along with letting go of the shoulds. What you are called to do, what you are equipped to do and excited about doing, is probably completely different than what I am, and that's okay, that's even great. That's one of the things that is worth celebrating. And so step four is we embrace our authenticity. So learning who we are and what we love, what we don't so much, is such a freeing thing.

Speaker 1: 9:52

So for me, I enjoy walking and occasionally I enjoy running. But I wanted to run more because I think saying I'm going for a run sounds so much cooler than I'm going for a walk. And so I did do a bit of running and what I discovered is I don't love running. I can do little bits here and there. What I do like to do is to walk and then sometimes, when I'm walking, as fast as I can, sometimes it's easier to run and I like having those little bursts. But just to go running for miles and miles, that's not something that really I enjoy.

Speaker 1: 10:36

I still think it sounds cooler to say I'm going for a run, but I'm at the age and the stage in life where that doesn't matter as much to me as enjoying my time, and so now I focus more of my time and attention on what works for me in this current stage of my life and what aligns with my values and my beliefs and my priorities. And my priorities are things that fluctuate depending on the day, the week, the month. My values are the same, but priorities change depending on what's going on and my schedule. There's a lot going on and sometimes I've got to say no even to good things that I'd love to take part in, because there's only so much time and I do like to have a bit of margin. And there's times when I really get it upside down and then I feel that and I just reassess and kind of reset things and just a few other simple ways that we can accelerate action toward equality we can support women-owned businesses and we can read and listen to diverse perspectives and be open to unlearning some of the harmful stereotypes or biases that we've held. And we can also support domestic violence and mental health initiatives.

Speaker 1: 11:56

And I'll end with this quote by Maya Angelou we may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated. And another one by Serena Williams Every woman's success should be an inspiration to another. We're strongest when we cheer each other on. Until next time, remember self-care isn't selfish. It's essential if we want to continue to care for others and live our best lives. Thanks so much.