What happens when your professional values, personal convictions, and career collide?

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Your Nurse Voice Matters, Wendy Trevarthen sits down with registered nurse Ella King to discuss her extraordinary nursing journey—from securing a graduate position at Queensland Children's Hospital to losing her nursing career during the C%$ID-19 vaccine mandates.

Ella shares her experiences as a passionate patient advocate, a nurse who wasn't afraid to question systems, challenge assumptions, and speak up when she believed something wasn't right. She reflects on the culture of nursing, the importance of critical thinking, and the difficult decisions she faced during one of the most divisive periods in modern healthcare.

Together, Wendy and Ella explore:

• Ella's path into nursing and her early career in paediatric healthcare
• The importance of patient advocacy and trusting your clinical instincts
• The challenges of speaking up in healthcare environments
• The impact of C%$ID-19 on nurses and healthcare systems
• Her personal experience navigating vaccine mandates and employment consequences
• The emotional toll of professional uncertainty
• Workforce shortages and lessons healthcare leaders can learn from the pandemic
• Why communication, transparency, and respect for nurses matter more than ever

Throughout the conversation, Ella offers a candid reflection on resilience, integrity, and staying true to your values—even when the personal cost is high.

Key Takeaway

"Be the nurse that you want looking after you. Be the nurse you would want caring for your family. Have the courage to speak up, trust your judgment, and act with integrity."

About Our Guest

Ella King is a registered nurse with nine years of experience in paediatric healthcare. Passionate about patient advocacy and seeking truth, she spent nearly five years at Queensland Children's Hospital before her employment was impacted by the C%$ID-19 vaccine mandates. Today, she works with the Nurses Professional Association of Australia and continues to advocate for nurses and healthcare professionals across the country.

Listen If You Want To:

✅ Learn about the importance of patient advocacy ✅ Hear a firsthand account of nursing during the C%$ID era ✅ Understand the challenges faced by healthcare workers during times of crisis ✅ Explore the role of integrity, courage, and critical thinking in nursing ✅ Be inspired by a story of resilience and standing firm in your convictions

Quote of the Episode

"The nurses you want in your health system are the ones who ask questions, who challenge what doesn't make sense, and who will stand up for patients when something isn't right."

Connect With Wendy

If you enjoyed this episode of Your Nurse Voice Matters, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a nurse who needs to hear this conversation.

If you know a nurse with a story to tell, contact wendy at wendy@healthyoptionsnow.org

Because every nurse's voice matters. 🎙️💙

In this powerful episode of Your Nurse Voice Matters, Wendy Trevarthen sits down with emergency nurse, paramedic, humanitarian volunteer, and PhD candidate Helen Zahos to explore what it truly means to serve on the front line of global disasters and humanitarian crises.

From the Bali bombings and the Nepal earthquake to refugee camps in Greece, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, and conflict zones in Ukraine and Iraq, Helen shares the raw realities of nursing in some of the world’s most challenging environments. She opens up about the emotional toll of disaster response, the lessons learned from working alongside international teams, and the importance of compassion, cultural respect, and emotional intelligence in nursing practice.

This conversation is both inspiring and eye-opening for nurses at every stage of their career—whether you’re considering humanitarian work, beginning your nursing journey, or reflecting on the impact you want to leave in healthcare.

Helen also discusses her current PhD research focusing on the mental health outcomes of disaster medical teams and offers practical advice for nurses interested in volunteering overseas.

A moving conversation about courage, kindness, resilience, and why every nurse’s voice truly matters.

To contact Helen –

Instagram - Helen_Zahos

LinkedIn www.helenzahos.com

If you know a nurse who has a story to tell, wendy@healthyoptionsnow.org

In this powerful episode of Your Nurse Voice Matters, Wendy sits down with nurse academic, researcher, and advocate Alan Ramsay for a confronting and deeply honest conversation about the realities of modern nursing.

Alan challenges the idea that nurses need more resilience training, wellness workshops, or moral distress lectures to survive healthcare, arguing instead that the real problem is the system itself.

Drawing on decades of experience in trauma, cardiology, education, advocacy, and research, he explores the power imbalances, workplace cultures, and silence that continue to impact nurses and patient safety across the profession.

Together, Wendy and Alan discuss why nurses are often discouraged from speaking up, the emotional toll of unsafe workplaces, the hidden culture of lateral violence and bullying, and why near misses, advocacy, and open conversations matter more than ever.

Alan also shares practical insights for early career nurses on finding their voice, navigating difficult workplace situations, and standing firm in their professional standards.

This episode is thought-provoking, validating, and essential listening for nurses at every stage of their career. And somewhere within this conversation lies a golden nugget about courage, advocacy, and the quiet power of standing beside someone who chooses to speak up.

To contact Alan alan.ramsay@jcu.edu.au

If you know a nurse with a story to tell, contact Wendy wendy@healthoptionsnow.org