Nursing's Powerhouse: Leanne Meier’s Mission to Transform Healthcare

**Jenn Ohlinger** (0:02)
Hello, and welcome to another empowering episode of Empowered Ease. I'm Jenn Ohlinger, your host and fellow Journey Woman through the complexities of midlife as a woman. I bring you weekly conversations every Monday with women who are making a difference, professionals, caregivers, and changemakers. Together we explore how to listen to our bodies, build our tribe, and do health our way. So tune in and let's challenge the norms, embrace our strength, and our wisdom together.
Welcome back to Empowered Ease. Today, I am beyond excited to introduce you to a woman I deeply admire, Leanne Meier. Leanne is quite simply who I aspire to be, a true force for good in the nursing community and beyond. Leanne's dedication to transforming healthcare and supporting nurses around the globe is nothing short of inspiring. She is a powerhouse in the world of nursing and a true advocate for holistic healthcare. As the host of Once a Nurse, Always a Nurse podcast and a driving force behind Nurses Transforming Healthcare, Leanne is connecting and empowering nurses worldwide to revolutionize patient care. Join us as we explore her decades of experience, her vision for the future of healthcare, and the impact work she's doing to make a difference in the lives of so many. Get ready to be motivated and enlightened as we dive into her journey and learn from her incredible wisdom.

**Leanne Meier** (1:47)
Okay, so yeah, so I'm Leanne Meier. I grew up in Minnesota. I backed into nursing in 1973 because it was the middle of the Vietnam War. I had two brothers that were conscientious objectors. I thought that going to college had warped their minds or something. My dad, it was like our household was sort of like a war zone with my brothers on one side, my parents on the other. And I was sort of the messenger behind enemy lines trying to communicate to each side. And it took me years to figure out I wasn't helping. I was making it worse. They just needed to figure out how to talk to each other. And once I got out of there, they worked it out. So at any rate, I backed into nursing thinking that it was a more protected environment. And I went there thinking, there's no way I'm ever going to be able to make it through this. So I bought the cheapest of everything, shoes, stethoscope, scissor, everything.
And then I discovered, hey, this is kind of really interesting to me. And it's sort of a good match with who I am and my personality. And so I have now been a nurse for almost 50 years.

**Jenn Ohlinger** (3:06)
I love that. The Peacekeeper. You sound like you're the Peacekeeper, the one that wants to always help out. I can relate to that. Always trying to fix things and help everyone out.

**Leanne Meier** (3:14)
That's always been it. And now I understand its personality with Meier's Briggs ENFJ. Building very, very high. So yeah, so it was almost like I can't take credit for it because it's sort of, you know, in my genes.

**Jenn Ohlinger** (3:31)
I love that. I love taking those personalities. I haven't taken that test in probably 15 years, but mine was ENFT, if I remember correctly. I have to retake it and see if it's still the same.

**Leanne Meier** (3:40)
Either J or P, ENFJ or P.

**Jenn Ohlinger** (3:43)
I have to remember that. I thought it was T. Maybe it was P then if the T is coming out. I'll have to look at it.

**Leanne Meier** (3:49)
F and T are on the same scale.

**Jenn Ohlinger** (3:52)
Okay. I'll have to look it up again and then it's C.

**Leanne Meier** (3:54)
Yeah. Okay.

**Jenn Ohlinger** (3:56)
Interesting. I love that. I love taking those tests and understanding a little bit more about it helps me operate in the world. I just took, what was it called? The disc assessment. Have you taken that one before?

**Leanne Meier** (4:07)
Yeah. I just took it recently. I had taken it years ago and then I did it in connection with emotional, what is it? EQ, emotional quantification or whatever. That was with, I've forgotten her name, but that's basically what she's doing now is stuff like that, emotional quotient, I guess it is, IQ, EQ.
And it was very interesting. It came out exactly how most of the tests that I take come out, because I'm very, very clear about those things. And I found out in training for my outbreaks myself, I found out that I am pretty unique. Only 3% of women and 1% of men have my type.

**Jenn Ohlinger** (5:00)
Really? Yeah.