183 - Katrina Nebel Pt 1: I Have a Hard Time Sticking to One Thing…

Join recent graduate and Spokane, Washington native Honored Guest Katrina Nebel as she chats about having two bachelor degrees, man crushes, her first educational journey, being the first in her family to go to college, how her first degree helped her when she went back for her second degree, why she chose nursing as her second career, and more!

Contact us:
thanks@feedingouryoung.org to send a note of appreciation to any of our honored guests - let them know how they touched you - I'll make sure they read your praises!
info@feedingouryoung.org all other inquiries, including having host Eric Miller speak to your nursing students or nurses!
+1 (509) 666-5636 text/voicemail line

Follow us:
@feedingouryoungllc Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube

Many thanks:
Jon Holland (Jomarkho - found on SoundCloud, Spotify, and the like) Music - intro/outro/sting composition
10com Web Development Logo and website design
Jeff Burton (88 Creative) Planting and watering the seeds to start this podcast

Transcript

0:00

Hello and welcome to this episode of the Feeding Our Young® podcast. You know, I don't really want to say it again, but I'm probably gonna. I'm excited. I'm excited for today. I'm excited for you to meet today's Honored Guest because I'm excited to get to know this Honored Guest a little bit more. I have met her, but really don't know her. And so we're going to get to know her together. And what I love about her story is, and what I love about doing this podcast is obviously meeting people. I've said that before. I am the quintessential social butterfly in a room full of people. while my wife is sitting down and intimately talking one-on-one with one or two people throughout the course of the night. But the irony is in a podcast, I have to talk to one or two people over the course of an hour and a half. So I get to be both. get to meet people and I get to just take some time and get to know somebody. And the reason why I'm excited for you to meet today's Honored Guest is because, you know, some honored guests, man, they're going to nursing school straight out of high school. They're really young. There's some that are Gosh, the oldest we've had, she was 75 at the time of recording and had quite the career. Well, today we're gonna go somewhere in the middle. And I got someone who did not go to nursing school straight out of school. I have someone for whom nursing is a second career. And I love trying to find out why and the how and the what and just why. So without further ado, I'll quit flapping my gums. The one, the only Katrina Nebel. Katrina, good morning. How are you, my friend? Good morning, and I am good. Very excited to be here to chat with you and talk about all the many wonderful things you guys talk about on this podcast. I love it. Well, I'm so excited to have you. So let's just cut straight to the chase because you got a lot you want to talk about. There's a lot I want to hear from you and we don't need to hear from me. uh do you have your degree? Did you go to nursing school? And if so, where did you get those degrees from? uh So I actually have two bachelors, my first degree I got from Montana State, go Bobcats, uh is a degree in exercise science. So I got that much closer to out of high school than this one. And then my nursing degree, I have my bachelor's from WSU. Awesome, and you have it meaning you graduated when did you graduate? I graduated in December, so just December 25. I am a new grad and loving having a little break from school. Need that breather. Amen. Hallelujah. Well, that is congratulations to you. For those that are listening, is the recording in late April of 2026. So we're talking four months uh after graduation. So a very fresh perspective and yet a very like a wiser older perspective too. So I'm excited to marry those two and see what that looks like. uh Where is home for you, Katrina? Where are you from? So I was born and raised in Spokane, Washington, and we moved, as I mentioned, my first degree was from Montana State. So I've moved around a bit, but came back to Spokane once we had a family. So I've been back in Spokane for, I have to think how old my child is, 17 years. Yeah, that's how I relate everything, yes. So you got your first degree at about 10 years old because you're not old enough to have a 17 year old. So I don't understand how this works. my gosh! Revelations, scandalous, scandalous. So you started at eight. Okay, whatever. uh I'm doing the math, doing the math. All right, enough of the joking. What are the three words you chose to describe nursing school? So my three words were humbling, empowering, and exhausting. Awesome. And your three favorite songs in life right now. Okay, and this was hard because I honestly listen to when I'm not listening to your podcast, because I'm determined to work it through all of them, not all the way through. I listen to lot of audiobooks, so I don't listen to a ton of music, but I was thinking of songs that when I hear them really speak to me so one and I'm probably going to say this name horribly wrong, but Emily, I want to say Sonde and the song is Wonder. She has an amazing, it's one of those voices that you hear and you just kind of go, ah, it just is beautiful, beautiful voice. Love that song. So that's one I highly recommend listening to if you haven't heard it. My second one is Kit Moore, Hey Pretty Girl. I mean, I like Kit Moore. He actually has a lot of songs that people have never heard. My husband has a man crush on him. So I have heard. I have heard all of his songs through my husband. That's a song that uh my husband will play and I'm kind of like, that's my song. um I love that one. And then this is definitely an I'm also going to um say incorrectly Israel. I'm not even going to try to say his last name. He's the gentleman from Hawaii who actually ended up passing away. He's got a really long last name, but it's the Wonderful World. When he sings that, it's another one of those just really beautiful songs. that just makes me happy when I hear it. So those are my songs. Well, those will get added to the Feeding Our Young® Spotify Honored Guest playlist and I'll share that link with you when I get that added. That is one of the laundry list of things I still need to catch up on. But I laugh because you talked about your husband's man crush. And just this morning, I wake up and it's like, I've been working, I don't know, like I wanna say it's seven, nine, nine out of the last 11 days, either teaching or working bedside. And so it's been a really long stretch and today was like the first morning that I didn't have anything that I had to do to get out of bed for right away. And so I just turned on the sports radio show. I love to listen to Brock and Salk in the morning. Huge shout out to those guys. And I'm listening to them and they're talking to a gentleman about the draft. Just one of the pundits, one of the analysts about the NFL draft. And my wife overhears this playing and she's like, and the guy who's talking, whose voice she's not familiar with, she goes, Is that your man crush? uh No, and she's referring to the Seahawks coach, Mike Macdonald. So, Mike Macdonald is one of my three man crushes, and she's very well, she likes to give me a bad time about that, because man, that guy's just brilliant. So, shout out to your husband, kudos to you, it's okay to have man crushes, bye golly. Now I'm gonna have to listen to Kit Moore, maybe I'll have a fourth man crush, who knows? to listen, but you also have to see him. He's very like, I get the crush. I'll tell you a really funny story. Yeah, let's go. We went, so we've actually, my husband's seen him probably four or five times in concert. Just recently, he was the opener for a concert, which is funny because we actually thought he was the main act uh out at Northern Quest. And we're down standing, like the standing section. I know we had seats, but we were right by the stage. And while the other performers playing, Kitmore walks by, he's got these overalls on. And normally, overalls are not something you find like super sexy. And I'm just like, dang, like he can pull off overalls. And he walks by and I'm like, I'm like telling my husband, I'm like, jump over the fence, like go say hi. But he behaved, he behaved himself. Like that's how much I support the crush. Yeah. my gosh. I don't know. um, yeah, we, you're right, like both of us talked about, we were talking before we started recording about how both of us could squirrel off in these different directions. anyone who's listening, I'm sorry, I'm gonna extend this little squirrel off just for a second. Cause I'm like, I told my wife and everybody knows like I'm not into celebrity. You know what mean? They are people just like us. And I'm like, ah, know, celebrities, whatever. If I saw one in public, wouldn't, you whatever. I'm not gonna be like, you know. So, have you ever seen the show Impractical Jokers? uh Impractical Jokers, it's these four guys who grew up together in New York. And they uh formed this comedy troupe and they do stupid things. And it's really, it's mindless fun. And our family loved, still loves to a certain extent, but one of the four hasn't been part of the group. But one of our, my wife's favorite impractical joker, his name is Murr. And anyone who's seen the show knows exactly who I'm talking about. And we love watching the show. It was one of our anniversaries. We went to the Grand, the Davenport Grand here in town. And it was kind of the last, there's this whole thing about it. Cause it was like, we weren't planning on celebrating. We weren't gonna spend money. We were like, no, we're going to the hotel. We're gonna celebrate today. We're gonna spend one night there. We're gonna, whatever. Anyway, all these comedy of errors to line up to the next morning. We had just seen Impractical Jokers that night, like we do in hotel. We'll watch, you little Impractical Jokers. And that morning, we go to the elevator, the elevator door opens, and Murr walks out of the elevator. We're on the 14th floor. I'll never, like my wife and I, like we're looking at him, and we're looking at each other, and he walks past us, and we kind of turn back, and like. and then he looks back at us like he's acknowledging that we recognize who he is, you know what mean? And this was in 2021. So like, you know, it still kind of that, ooh, do you, you know what I mean? Like the whole six feet and all that. And especially with a guy like him. And so my wife was like, mer? And he's like, yeah. And so there was like, hey, let's, you know, can we get a selfie? And he's like, yeah. I tell you what, Katrina, I kid you not. I could not get two words out of my freaking mouth. I was so starstruck. And I was just like, and this is just some guy who's on like, you know what mean? It's not like, and I just couldn't, I couldn't tell him it was our anniversary. couldn't, my mind could not comprehend that this person who I'd seen on the television is here in Spokane. He was here for a comedy show and a standup comedy show. And we just were both like, my wife was like, we got all done and he walked away. And my wife was like, oh, that was hilarious, dude. Like you, yeah, I don't know, I'm not into celebrities. blah, blah, whatever. Okay. We've spent ten minutes not talking about nursing. Let's spend just a couple minutes more. Let's get little, know a little bit more about you. You already kind of touched on your family, but what else do you want to share about your family? Both human and furry. So I mentioned my husband and then I have my two daughters who are 17 and 19 and they are like my favorite people. Right now a lot of times when I tell people I have teenage girls. that are like, ooh, I'm like, no, I love hanging out with them. uh My one daughter is off in college right now and really miss her, but she is a very independent child, so I'm letting her live that life and uh trying. I try not to text her and do all those things more, but yeah, so. Allowing her to reach out to you, yes? Well, yeah, that doesn't happen very often. People were funny when she went. They're like, have you heard from her? And I was like, no. And if I do, then I worry. um I'm like, if we only check in every two weeks, that's actually normal for her. So yeah, I hear more from her little sister. like, so how's she doing? Because they connect more, but it's fine. You learn to let go. Oh yeah. Yes, yes. and any fur babies in that group? Yes, I have two dogs who are currently locked in my room, so hopefully they don't bark. uh I have my dog, Haley. She's my rescue. She's getting a little old, so she doesn't move very fast. And then Cooper, who is also getting a little older, but the forever puppy. He's 90 pounds of puppy. But love him. Yes, yes. Yep, he's my running. She used to be my running buddy, now he's my running buddy. So, yep. Yep. let's just dive right in here because I want to, like we've already teased kind of your story. Nursing did not come to you at first. So let's talk about the first career life. What is it exactly that you did and why, like why that road and just tell it, let's talk about that road traveled. So, um, I guess it kind of goes back to a little bit of medical. My mom's side, my grandma... when I was still in high school, like over the course of a period, she had four heart attacks. She was very obese and I was just kind of like, ooh, like this is my genetics and I didn't want to go that route. So I focused more, I was the kind of kid like more, I guess now they call it free range, how we all used to grow up. uh So we never talked about exercise or doing those types of things, but as you get older and life change, know, so I started like exercising and then decided, so this is how most people get into like teaching classes because I teach group exercise classes, I do because I'm like you and cannot have more than one job or can't just have one job. So I was taking a class and the instructor was like, hey, what do you, have you ever thought about teaching? And I was like, no, I am actually more like your wife, I'm actually very much an introvert. And so was like, oh, this is for me anyways, ended up going that path. And then I was still in high school and this happened. And then I decided I kind of, I became a personal trainer, all these things and said, you know what, like I'm gonna become a professional in this and get my degree and do it. What I view as the proper way. Everyone has different paths, but so yeah, that's how I got into that. um And... I've taught, been a personal trainer since high school and then got my degree that kind of had some roundabout things to it. um I grew up in a family. I'm the first person in my family to have a degree. um My oldest brother, he's 10 years older. He ended up going back later, but he was a second and we're the only ones out of five kids that have degrees. um And it was hard for me. I had no support as far as what college looks like and I got really sick right into it. So I actually went, I went to Eastern Washington to start, got sick with mono and ended up having to drop out of school. Then went to our, uh when I was like, felt like I was ready, went to our lovely community college, cannot speak higher or cannot speak like. more about the wonderfulness of community colleges, by the way, because I had the best instructors and then I transferred to Montana State later on when we moved. But so it was kind of choppy because I was not prepared. I was not prepared to be a college student. uh Nobody encouraged me. My parents actually it's kind of a weird thing. don't we have one of those families without a relationship, but they actually said college was uh being selfish and greedy because you're trying to like make more money than necessary. I'm like, yeah, I know, very odd, very odd. And I was like, no, you actually kind of need it just to live for a lot of careers now. So it was, was hard. It took me. So I did not get through in the traditional manner with my first degree. I didn't graduate till I was 20. I to say 24, 25. I was actually pregnant with my oldest daughter when I graduated, but it took me a while because I had to learn how to study and how to take tests and all those things that are really important in college. Let me ask you, when doing that for the first time, and as the first person in your family to do that, and with what uh sounds like some, not even not support, but even going a little far the other direction where it's almost like anti-support, you know what mean? Like we're actually trying to detract you from doing this sort of thing. Is it hard to find motivation during that, or was that more of like, did that all kind of just fuel the fire to get this first degree? Oh, I'm gonna say definitely fuel. I'm one of those stubborn people who when somebody's like, you can't do this. I'm like, mm, yeah, I can. And it kind of hurt my, I wanna say it hurt my heart a little bit that I didn't, I wasn't able to do it directly the way I planned because I am stubborn. I'm like, I'm gonna show you. And it was hard. Like, obviously I had to take a few different routes to get there, but now it definitely, and it's something I was very proud of. Like, for anybody, I think regardless of if you're a first generation, college student or just the first time when you get that diploma and you get to wear the gown it just feels I don't know, that's a feeling like none other at least to me. I actually felt, and it's nothing, I think it's wonderful when parents support their kids, because I am that parent now. But knowing that I'd done it on my own, and I won't say fully my own, my husband, were married by the time I graduated, because we met when I was very young. So yeah, so he was there to support me for that, but yeah. And it highlights again, like, because we've talked about before on this podcast, there's just different levels of support. You know what mean? I will forever be indebted to both my parents who divorced when I was really young. I lived with my mom, wasn't, you know, super close to either. I was definitely a mama's boy growing up. That I cannot deny. But as you get older, you know what mean? And it sounds very similar where it's like I didn't have a super close relationship with her in my adulthood. And part of that's on me. Part of that's just life and kind of the things that maybe you don't want to surround yourself with sometimes. ah And then same with my dad. I love my dad and he very much. But uh I saw him twice a year, sometimes three times a year, and then uh only incrementally more so when I moved closer to him. So it wasn't like I came. And yet both were supportive. You know what mean? They both were very like, Eric, you can do anything you set your mind to. You'll be successful and all of that. So I was always grateful for the support, regardless of how close I perceived our relationship. And so we've talked about how any student out there, you know what I mean? We all take for granted. Anyone out there who's got loving parents who love you, support you, and all the things, don't take it for granted because you just never know. You know what I mean? You go back, you listen to Kenna, Kenna Perkins, uh Honored Guest, and she talks about, you know what mean? She definitely did not have that support. The fact that she was able to kind of overcome a lot of the challenges in her life was just absolutely inspiring and ended up having this kind of adoptive parent so much so that she changed her last name to anyway, it's a whole thing. And so just getting that spectrum of, know, I kind of did it on my own. You you had your spouse's support uh and thank God for him for that and all the things, but uh it doesn't necessarily matter how you get there. Everyone, it doesn't matter if you have that support. doesn't matter if you have zero support whatsoever. If you have done the thing called college, first of all, let alone nursing school, you're in the top whatever, you know, I don't know what the current statistic is, but you're in the top certain percentage of people who are able to do that in our country. And I just love that. I love that when people, and not to say if you don't go to college, it's not a, you know what mean? This is not poo-pooing on people who don't. uh My son got his two years. He's good right now. My first daughter is not going to college and that's great. She's got her own little, you know what mean? It doesn't, there's a whole discussion to be had about whether or not you need a degree to survive in today's climate and there are now certain degrees that are being kind of encroached upon by AI and blah blah blah blah blah. So this isn't a poo poo against people who aren't getting their degrees. It's just if you are deciding to do the thing called college, man hats off to you because it ain't easy, right? Katrina as you've just... eloquently pointed out. Yeah. No, yeah, neither of those two things, exactly. Only getting more expensive. Hopefully not getting too much more difficult, but... Well, okay, so you still... Before we move on to nursing, you're still, like you said, you can't hold yourself to one job. So how does that work? Are you finding a nice balance? To what degree are you using this first degree whilst becoming a nurse and being a nurse? Yeah, so I, so I mentioned it and I got, I lived in the exercise science world. um I actually shifted a bit during... A little bit before COVID, I was just ready for something different. I actually ended up, which again, I never, I ended up doing a lot of managerial type roles, which people just ask me to do them. I really don't ever want to be a manager, but somehow they're like, hey, you'd be a good fit for this. Yeah, it's one of those. So I just got really burned out on that. And I actually ended up moving. I was like, I think I need something different. And the medical world I know is always going to be there. I know like the exercise world is changing. There are social media, all of that. And I don't say good or bad, it is what it is, but it's changed things a lot. So there's a lot of people who are now experts that maybe don't have so much education behind them. um And so I started to like look for other things and I actually um worked in cardiac and pulmonary rehab as an exercise physiologist. um So when people would say they had a heart attack or they got stents put in or they had open heart surgery, or if they have COPD, they would come in and I got to do exercise with them, but also educate and to educate them, help them to be able to... live better, make better choices. If it was life choices that got them there. uh And while I was doing that, so there's a lot of overlap in things, there's always a nurse. And the nurses, I loved going to them. There's two different facilities I worked at. And I was like, they know so much. And I was like, I really want to be that person. I have a hard time just settling in life. It might be my forever story. But um So I did that, but at the same time, the place that I worked at previously, I still, I'd been there. Well, I've been there now for 17 years. Um, and I'm one of those people when I make connections, I have a hard time letting those go. And so especially classes that I taught, had to have people that had been with me for over a decade and I wasn't quite ready to let them go. So I'm like, well, I'll just keep one foot in the door. I can do this as my fun thing. And then I'm. move into this other role and then when I decided I wanted to apply to nursing school and I got in I was like Hey, if you guys, so I was still teaching classes and the Cardiac Pummoner rehab, I was like, if you guys want me to be on call, because I know you're sometimes short staffed. So then I had that as like a PRN position while being in school. I literally just gave that position up because like I had it all through nursing school, but because my PRN position was as an exercise physiologist. uh they wouldn't switch it to nursing and I was like well now that I have a degree I got it part ways because I'm not gonna I want my nursing title now that I worked really hard for it and so yeah so now I'm only down to two jobs uh Yay. Yes. Yes. And I'm, I've still, like you talked about working so many days in a row and I'm there right now because I actually got, there was some restructuring that happened and I somehow got pulled back into a managerial role. um because I was like, well I'm gonna have this little break before I start working my first job as a nurse and I don't mind helping you guys out and it'll help me pay off my student loans and then it somehow has still stretched longer. oh So yes, it's fine. My loans are paid off. That's the good thing. I paid off all my student loans. So yeah. on the ledger, which is a miracle. yeah, so it's yeah, it's a little rough because I am still doing the two jobs. I keep saying I'm going to stop one or at least reduce it back down in hours, but I'm really bad at saying now. you I'd love to say, my gosh, like why is that so hard to do? But I mean, it's like I'm staring into a mirror, right? You get these job opportunities or things that show up and you go, gosh, I could see myself maybe doing that. Let's see if I just move this over here and do that. I was telling my wife just last week, because last summer I picked up for, so I teach at Gonzaga, right? During the regular school year. And then last summer for the first time, got to teach for SCC, Spokane Community College, and bringing it back to my alma mater where I first got my first degree. And it was just such a beautiful full circle thing. And I loved teaching for them. And I was like, well, you know, maybe next summer, you know, we'll see what happens. And so these last few weeks have been like, know, mean, earlier this year, I finally went down from full time at the bedside. You know, I went from 0.9 to a 0.75, meaning I worked five 12-hour shifts in a two-week period. for those that are not acquainted with that terminology, instead of six 12-hour shifts in a two-week period, I do five. And it doesn't sound like a big difference, but my gosh, does it free things up? And so I told her, I think this summer, especially after last summer and what we went through just in our personal lives and all the things, I think I just need to step back and just focus on the bedside and let it... eh And sure enough... you know, the SCC opportunities comes up and I'm looking at the sheet and I went, oh, there's not one on the weekend that I have to do. I could do this Thursday slot that is already, Thursdays are slotted for my Gonzaga job. And I'm like, I wouldn't have to change anything. da, da, da. So I reach out to her and she was like, yeah, obviously, like, I knew you were going to do this anyway. And hey, we need the money. So let's go for it. So I picked up a job for the summer. You know what I mean? Like, what are you going to do? It's two jobs. And then there's this thing. which is my unofficial third job. Blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah. Enough about that. ah There's just something to be said though, y'all, about uh when you kind of find your... And maybe you can maybe... Correct me if I'm wrong, Katrina. There's something about when you find your place in this world, and sometimes that takes a while. It took me quite a while to figure out exactly where my place was in this world. But when you find it and you get comfortable on that and you enjoy the things you do... That is when the switch flips and it's easy to add all this extra stuff. Would you say that? I mean, that's an interesting way of thinking of it. I love learning and I feel like every new job, like I was also a nurse tech, so I technically had three jobs while I was in school because I look, there's an opportunity and I know I'm gonna get something amazing out of it. I know I'm gonna meet people and I just, have a hard time. Maybe think back, cause my... getting for my youngest daughter. She's a junior in high school, but they're sending out stuff for the seniors and it made me think of like they vote, you know, people whatever they vote on. I was most involved. That was what I was voted because I can't like I was in like every club. I just have a hard time. sticking to one thing because I life is there's so much in life and I just feel like I want to grab as many opportunities as possible and Who needs sleep apparently so I? Work night shift. don't sleep anyhow, so It's like yeah and that's why you're so inspiring is because it is just that. It's you know what I mean? Again, and I don't want to bring it back to the morbid, but you never know what's going to happen. You know what I mean? In life, you could be gone tomorrow. You could not be able to do this, that or the other tomorrow. Who knows? And so you got to kind of grab life by the horns. you know, speaking for me. You know, there was a stretch there when I was working nights and stuff where I wasn't my best self. I was giving my best self to my patients and to my peers and stuff, but I knew that there was more that I wanted to do, but couldn't find the motivation, the time or the energy to do it. And uh I think, cause a lot of people are like, my, like when I switched to days for the first time, that was for me a big, the first big change was when I switched to postpartum. uh My heart was really lifted up there. And then when I switched to days, both of those were two huge steps in the right direction. And once I switched to days and the last of that like physical drag that was pulling on me was kind of shed. That for me, people are like, how do you do everything you do? And I'm like, don't have an answer. I don't know anything else. can absolutely, like I'm just so excited to now be living these professional dreams and personal dreams that I've long wanted that it's like, I just am hungry for more. And so. Thank you for inspiring us in that way. I'm looking at our time and we haven't even touched on nursing school yet. And so I think that this is a perfect opportunity to maybe convert you to a nice little two-part episode with your permission. So what do you think about that? Katrina, would it be okay if we just right here, right now flipped you into a two-parter? That sounds good to me. I love it, because I feel like you've got enough to talk about nursing that we're going to fill a whole second episode. uh Weird. Tell me how that is, because I don't know. Anyway, everyone, let's just join us for part two of the Katrina Nebel experience. So we'll see you guys on the flip side.