Welcome, I’m Karen Retardo
HERE'S WHAT I KNOW ABOUT NURSE ENTREPRENEURS, NURSE COACHES AND NURSE CONSULTANTS
You didn't get into this work because you needed something to do.
You got into it because something in you knew — long before you had the certification, long before you had the business plan — that you were meant to help people in a way the hospital system never quite let you.
You are not lacking talent. You are not lacking heart. You are not lacking the ability to create genuine transformation in another person's life.
What you're missing is a business built around you — your actual wiring, your natural strengths, your specific way of seeing and serving people.
That's what I help you build.
The most powerful framework you'll ever follow is the one written in your own heart.
My story
I know what it feels like to do everything right and still feel like something is missing.
I spent years working hard, earning credentials, checking every box — and waiting. Waiting to feel ready. Waiting for permission. Waiting for someone to tell me I'd finally done enough to deserve what I actually wanted.
That waiting led me straight to burnout.
It wasn't until I did the deep work — with coaches who helped me stop looking outside myself for answers — that everything shifted. I stopped chasing external validation and started building from the inside out. From my actual strengths. My real values. My own way of doing things.
That's when the magic started.
I learned to speak my truth without fear. To honor my needs without apology. To stop shrinking and start leading — not by becoming someone else, but by becoming more fully myself.
What cracked it open for me was understanding my strengths through CliftonStrengths — and giving myself permission to experiment, play, fail, create, and try things that weren't in anyone else's blueprint.
Play, by the way, tends to be one of the most underrated business tools there is. And one of the most rare in coaching spaces.
That experience — the burnout, the breakthrough, the rebuilding — is exactly what I bring into the room with every nurse coach, nursepreneur and nurse consultant I work with.
This is coaching built from the ground up for the specific psychological, professional, and personal reality of being a nurse who is trying to build something of her own.
How I work
My approach weaves together CliftonStrengths, trauma-informed coaching, belief work, and somatic and spiritual psychology — not as a checklist of modalities, but as an integrated system built around who you actually are.
Inside the Conscious Nursepreneur Business Blueprint, we work across three layers simultaneously:
Who you are Your strengths, your wiring, your natural authority as a nurse, an entrepreneur and as a leader.
What's in the way The conditioning, the beliefs, the identity patterns that nursing installed in you and that now keep showing up every time you try to grow your business.
How you build The actual strategy, structure, and systems that create consistent clients and sustainable income without burning you out or requiring you to become someone you're not.
This is not generic business coaching with a nursing filter applied.
So, what becomes possible?
My clients have transformed their quietness into a celebrated strength. They've built confidence in their offers, clarity in their messaging, and consistency in their income — without abandoning the values that made them great nurses in the first place.
They've learned to set prices that reflect the actual value of their work. To make invitations without feeling pushy. To show up visibly without waiting until they feel ready.
Most importantly — they've stopped waiting for permission.
And so can you.
What My Clients Are Saying
-
![A woman with dark skin and long, styled dreadlocks smiling outdoors near a body of water with hills in the background, wearing a yellow floral dress and colorful earrings.]()
"What I valued most was the ability to be my authentic self in every session, supported by a coaching style that was engaging, interactive, and nurturing."
Nancy K.
-
![A woman with short black hair, smiling, wearing a navy blue top with ruffled shoulders and a necklace with a circular pendant, standing against a plain light-colored background.]()
What stands out is feeling genuinely heard. Karen's approach — non-judgmental, with active listening and self-reflective questions — helped me regain focus and redirected me toward my true goals whenever I veered off path. A safe space to gain clarity on the balanced life I desire, combining intentional action with faith. It's positively impacted my mindset, confidence, and overall well-being.
Kaye R.
-
![A woman sitting on a stone edge surrounded by colorful tulips in front of a historic building with ornate wooden doors and intricate patterns.]()
"Karen is an exceptional mentor and truly a holistic coach. She has a unique ability to help align your goals with reality, empowering you to be ambitious while staying grounded. As a first generation immigrant, I faced emotional and mental challenges, but Karen helped me navigate my limiting beliefs that were holding me back. Thanks to her coaching, I was able to finish my Doctoral degree, a milestone I almost gave up on.
Jessica B.
A few fun facts about me
I was born and raised in the Philippines. I moved to the U.S. in 1994. Been living in SoCal ever since.
I’m a FRIENDS fanatic. I even had the “Rachel” haircut for three years & hosted a watch party for the series finale.
I’m childfree by circumstance, not by choice. I’ve learned to accept it and actually love it. I’m a dog-momma, and my fur-baby’s name is Rocky. He’s a Jack Russell Schnauzer mix and looks more like a terrier than a schnauzer.
I’m an INFP, Enneagram 4, and Human Design Generator. These facets shape my empathetic and intuitive coaching methods.
I have a partner/bf. I’m blessed to have him. He’s a fantastic man and truly gets me. He accepts me for who I am…all my quirks, flaws, and uniqueness. He’s my greatest fan and No. 1 cheerleader.
I’m also trained in Soul Memory Discovery, Classical Feng Shui, Date Selection, and Chinese astrology but more for personal use.