Business Coach for Nurse Entrepreneurs and Nurse Coaches
You didn’t become a nurse to play small
For quietly brilliant nurses building something on the side —and ready to stop getting in their own way.
Most coaches teach you the strategy.
Most mindset coaches work on your limiting beliefs and the who.
I work on both — because one without the other
is exactly why you've been stuck.
"You've invested thousands in business programs. You know your frameworks inside and out."
You've done the mindset work, the certifications, the courses. On paper, you should be thriving.
But when it comes time to actually invite someone to work with you, charge what you're worth, or show up visibly in your business? Something stops you. You freeze. You wait. You tell yourself you just need one more thing before you're ready.
That's not a strategy problem. And it's not a discipline problem.
It's what happens when you're trying to build a business using the same conditioning that made you an excellent nurse — follow the protocol, earn your place, wait for permission, prove yourself before you ask for anything.
Nursing trained you to think that way for good reason. In business, that same conditioning keeps you invisible.
The strategies you've already learned aren't wrong. You just need your identity to catch up with your ambition. That's the gap. And that's exactly what we work on together.
Using CliftonStrengths, trauma-informed coaching, and the Founder Consciousness Matrix — three layers that help you understand how you naturally operate, shift from employee thinking to founder thinking, and rewire the beliefs that keep getting activated every time you try to grow.
Soul-aligned work and sustainable income. Authority without apology. A business that serves your life instead of consuming it.
Hi, I’m Karen Retardo, MA, BSN, RN, ICF-PCC
I spent years doing everything right — certifications, courses, coaches — and still freezing when it was time to actually lead and charge what I was worth. I kept thinking I needed one more credential to feel ready.
Turns out I didn't have a strategy problem. I had an identity problem.
Now I help nurse entrepreneurs, coaches, and consultants close that same gap — using CliftonStrengths, trauma-informed coaching, and the Founder Consciousness Matrix. Not because I read about it. Because I lived it.
NOT SURE WHERE TO STARTLet's figure it out together.
Book a free 45-minute conversation — no pitch, no pressure. Just an honest look at what's been getting in your way and what might actually help.
"The sessions provided me with a newfound sense of confidence — teaching me the importance of listening to my body and embracing my right to make decisions that truly reflect my needs. This experience has been transformative."—Nancy K.
Why does your business feel like another exhausting shift?
Take the FREE Business Vital Signs Audit
It's not because you're doing it wrong. It's because you're still operating from Nurse Brain instead of CEO Brain.
Take the free Business Vital Signs Audit and find out exactly where your foundation needs attention.
A weekly letter for nurse entrepreneurs who are done playing small.
Two letters a week — Mondays for the business side of building as a nurse entrepreneur, Thursdays for the inner work that makes it all sustainable. Written by a nurse who's in it with you.
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