Blog

Heather Rhodes, APRN-BC

lET’S SPEND SOME TIME TOGETHER!

Hi, I’m Heather, nurse practitioner and freelance writer. This site is all for YOU!

The goal of Calm Journey is to help you have the very best life possible. I want to encourage you, share things with you, help you overcome life’s challenges and, possibly, entertain you as well! The stories here are original. The educational information is research based. Let me be your life coach, cheer leader and friend.

Pull up a chair and have some coffee. Relax. Savor. Enjoy.

If you have a moment, I always love hearing from you. You can email me at heatheranne@calmjourney.org.

I will always respond.

  • A Christmas Pause: The Gift We All Forgot to Open
    Christmas has a soundtrack, but the sweetest notes are the quiet ones—silence, presence, and that long exhale of relief after a full year. This season, the greatest gift we can give isn’t something wrapped, but the pause that lets us truly show up for others and ourselves. Merry Christmas from Calm Journey—may your days feel slower, lighter, and filled with the peace of being exactly where you are, held in grace and met with relief.
  • Why Emergency Rooms Are High-Risk Milieus: An Attorney Education Perspective
    Emergency rooms are inherently high-risk clinical environments due to constant high acuity, unpredictable patient presentations, time-critical decision making, frequent handoffs, and chronic overcrowding. These conditions increase the likelihood of missed diagnoses, delayed treatment, communication failures, and documentation gaps—common issues at the center of medical negligence and wrongful death claims. For attorneys, understanding the ER as a high-risk milieu is essential to effective case screening and causation analysis. Most ER cases are not the result of a single error, but a series of small omissions, delayed reassessments, or system-level breakdowns that compound over time. Recognizing these patterns allows legal teams to better evaluate liability, standard-of-care deviations, and the role of nursing and medical decision-making under pressure.
  • How Émile Coué’s Belief in Imagination Transformed Lives
    Émile Coué changed lives with one radical idea: the imagination shapes our reality. Long before modern neuroscience, Coué saw that patients who believed in their healing improved faster than those who doubted. His simple practice of positive autosuggestion—“Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better”—taught people to direct their imagination toward hope, strength, and recovery. Coué proved that healing doesn’t begin with force, but with belief—and that the mind is far more powerful than we often give it credit for.
  • Boundaries and Burnout: What Attorneys Can Learn from Nurses
    Learn how attorneys can apply nursing principles of professional boundaries to prevent burnout, maintain clarity, and build long-term resilience. Written by Heather Rhodes, MSN, APRN-BC, founder of Calm Journey Legal Nurse Consulting.
  • When Healing Hurts: How Medical Trauma Can Trigger PTSD Symptoms
    In personal injury and medical malpractice cases, attorneys often focus on physical outcomes — surgical complications, delayed diagnoses, or permanent disabilities. Yet, behind the chart notes and imaging studies, there … Continue reading When Healing Hurts: How Medical Trauma Can Trigger PTSD Symptoms
  • Mental Health and the Court System: Understanding the Role of a Mental Health Advocate
    Mental Health Advocates in the Court System | Calm Journey Navigating the court system can be especially challenging for individuals with mental health conditions. Learn how mental health advocates support clients through the legal process, ensure their rights are protected, and how you can request one for yourself or a loved one.
  • The Impact of AI on Medical Documentation: What Attorneys Should Know
    Artificial Intelligence is changing the way medical records are created and stored. While AI-driven tools like transcription software and smart templates make documentation faster, they also raise new questions for attorneys. Records may contain hidden errors, “note bloat,” or auto-generated entries that obscure critical details. For personal injury and medical malpractice cases, this means attorneys must go beyond the surface—requesting audit trails, analyzing metadata, and determining what was written by the provider versus the system. At Calm Journey, LLC, we help attorneys uncover these nuances, ensuring that AI-influenced documentation strengthens—not weakens—their case strategy.
  • Embracing Prosdechomai: Welcoming with the Heart
    Prosdechomai means more than waiting—it’s welcoming with eagerness and faith. Learn how this New Testament word reshapes hospitality, hope, and daily faith.
  • Reset and Refresh: Self-Care Activities That Help Kids Regain Balance
    Kids experience stress too — they just don’t always have the words to explain it. Meltdowns, fidgety energy, or withdrawal are often signs that a reset is overdue. By creating calm spaces, encouraging playful movement, and modeling healthy self-care, parents can help children learn to regulate, recharge, and reconnect. These small, everyday practices aren’t about turning kids into “mini wellness experts,” but about giving them lifelong tools to find their balance when life feels overwhelming.
  • Medical PTSD: When Healing Leaves Hidden Scars
    Medical PTSD can develop after surgeries, hospital stays, or traumatic medical events. Learn the symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options for recovery and healing.❤️‍🩹
  • The Healing Power of Earthing: Why Connecting to the Earth Matters
    In our fast-paced, plugged-in world, it’s easy to forget that we are part of nature—not separate from it. Most of us spend our days indoors, surrounded by artificial light and … Continue reading The Healing Power of Earthing: Why Connecting to the Earth Matters
  • Choosing the Right E-Reader: Comparing Kindle, Kobo, Nook & More
    Explore the key differences between top e-readers like Kindle, Kobo, Nook, and Onyx Boox. Compare features, pros and cons, and find the best e-reader for your reading style and budget.
  • Cognitive Distortions:
    Cognitive distortions are irrational thought patterns that reinforce negative feelings and perceptions. Recognizing these distortions, such as all-or-nothing thinking, can help you challenge and reframe negative beliefs. By identifying biased thoughts, questioning their validity, and replacing them with realistic ones, you can reduce harmful thinking and improve your mental well-being. Practicing mindfulness and seeking professional support can further support this process.
  • I am a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. I treat depression and anxiety. I don’t have a secret formula. Here is what I do:
    I talk to people about how their habits shape their mental health. Medications and therapy are important tools, but so are the basic building blocks of well-being—exercise, nutrition, and social … Continue reading I am a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. I treat depression and anxiety. I don’t have a secret formula. Here is what I do:
  • Waiting for news in the hospital can be stressful
    The Power of Presence: Being There When It Matters Most
    Discover why simply being present matters most when someone is going through a tough time. Learn how quiet strength, active listening, and compassionate presence can provide comfort and healing—no perfect words required.
  • The Power of Dressing Well for Success
    Discover how dressing well and simple habits like making your bed can elevate self-esteem, build confidence, and create momentum for success in life.
  • Becky’s Legacy: From Hitchhiking to Kelp Business
    My Cousin Becky hitch-hiked from New York to Alaska as a young woman. She was picked up (as the story goes) three times by the same man. He admonished her … Continue reading Becky’s Legacy: From Hitchhiking to Kelp Business
  • Healing the Distance: Reconnecting After Years of Estrangement or Silence
    Healing doesn’t happen overnight—but every small step matters. If you’ve been estranged from your adult child, there is still hope. This blog post offers compassionate guidance on rebuilding trust through empathy, boundaries, and patience. 💬 👉 Read now and take the first step toward reconnection. #ParentingAdults #FamilyHealing #StrainedRelationships #Empathy #EmotionalRepair #ParentChildReunion #FamilyBoundaries #PatienceIsPower
  • Therabot: The AI-Powered Alternative Changing the Mental Health Landscape
    As mental health challenges continue to rise globally, new solutions are stepping up to meet the need—one of the most promising being Therabot, an AI-powered support tool designed for those facing depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Backed by recent research, Therabot is showing comparable effectiveness to traditional therapy in some areas, offering personalized, 24/7 support in a judgment-free space. Could this digital companion be the key to making mental health care more accessible, affordable, and stigma-free?
  • The Power of Words: Dr. Masaru Emoto’s Water Experiment
    Have you ever wondered if words could affect the physical world around us? Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese scientist and researcher, believed they could. Through his fascinating water crystal experiments, … Continue reading The Power of Words: Dr. Masaru Emoto’s Water Experiment
  • Kansas, with its vast plains and historic towns, is home to numerous haunted locations that intrigue both locals and visitors. Here are five of the most renowned haunted houses in the Sunflower State:
    1. The Sallie House – Atchison, KS Perhaps the most infamous haunted house in Kansas, the Sallie House gained notoriety in the 1990s due to intense poltergeist activity. The haunting … Continue reading Kansas, with its vast plains and historic towns, is home to numerous haunted locations that intrigue both locals and visitors. Here are five of the most renowned haunted houses in the Sunflower State:
  • The Art of a Slow Brunch: Savoring Food, Friends, and the Moment
    There’s something special about a slow brunch on the weekend. It’s a time to hit pause, enjoy good company, and indulge in food that isn’t rushed. Today’s life filled with … Continue reading The Art of a Slow Brunch: Savoring Food, Friends, and the Moment
  • Who Voted for Elon Musk?
    Who Voted for Elon Musk? Elon Musk’s influence on technology, business, and even politics is undeniable. Whether you admire him as a visionary entrepreneur or criticize his unpredictable leadership, one thing is certain—he sparks intense debate. But when people say, “Who voted for Elon Musk?” they aren’t asking about an election. Instead, they’re asking: How did he gain so much power, and who enabled it? The “Vote” of the Market Musk didn’t rise to influence through politics; he ascended through capitalism. Consumers “voted” for him by buying Teslas, subscribing to X (formerly Twitter), investing in SpaceX hype, and fueling his companies’ stock prices. Every Tesla purchase, Starlink satellite contract, and viral tweet reinforced his dominance. Investors and Shareholders Another group that “voted” for Musk consists of investors—both institutional and retail. Tesla’s meteoric rise in the stock market turned Musk into the world’s richest person, largely due to faith in his leadership. Even as his behavior on X caused controversy, investors remained committed because they believed in his long-term vision for AI, space travel, and electric vehicles. His Digital Electorate Musk’s social media following is another form of voting. With millions of followers on X, he holds an unprecedented ability to shape narratives, move markets, and influence public perception in real time. His supporters see him as an anti-establishment figure, a rebel billionaire who speaks his mind without corporate filters. In contrast, his critics argue he wields this influence irresponsibly, amplifying misinformation and making impulsive business decisions. The Government’s Role Ironically, despite Musk’s libertarian-leaning rhetoric, his businesses have benefited heavily from government support. Tesla thrived thanks to EV subsidies, SpaceX relies on NASA and Pentagon contracts, and The Boring Company has received government-backed projects. This means that, in a way, taxpayers also “voted” for Musk—whether they intended to or not. The Unintended Voters Not everyone who “voted” for Musk did so willingly. His dominance in multiple industries means that even his critics sometimes have no choice but to engage with his companies. Need a reliable EV? Tesla might be the best option. Want to launch a satellite? SpaceX is cheaper and more efficient than competitors. Even those who dislike his leadership may find themselves using his products out of necessity. Final Thoughts Elon Musk’s rise to power wasn’t through a traditional election, but through consumer choices, investor confidence, and government contracts. If you’re wondering who voted for Elon Musk, the answer is: all of us, in one way or another. The real question is—how will we “vote” in the future?
  • Trump, Ukraine and Russia; an allegory
    The Merchant and the Wolf In a bustling town by the river, a young woman named Lillian owned a humble bakery. Every morning, she rose before dawn, kneading dough by … Continue reading Trump, Ukraine and Russia; an allegory
  • KC Chiefs: Strong
    The NFL Draft is in approximately two weeks and the KC Chiefs just ended their season. Will Travis Kelce stay? The Kansas City Chiefs have firmly established themselves as a … Continue reading KC Chiefs: Strong