Several years ago, I was nominated for Diabetes Educator of the Year. Being put forward by colleagues I deeply respected and admired was profoundly meaningful—and, honestly, a little overwhelming.
The nomination felt like recognition of decades of clinical work, teaching, mentoring, and advocacy for person-centered diabetes care. After submitting the detailed application, I allowed myself to feel hopeful. I imagined sharing my philosophy of judgment-free diabetes care with audiences across the country, offering a message of healing for both healthcare professionals and the people they serve. I even choreographed my walk-up dance in my head, ready to hit the ground running.
Then the email arrived from the board: I hadn’t been selected.
I won’t pretend it didn’t sting. I was devastated. Awards matter because they symbolize recognition; they affirm that your voice has value. When I wasn’t chosen, I found myself sitting with a familiar response that many healthcare professionals have experienced: a complicated mix of disappointment, sharp self-doubt, and the well-worn instinct to minimize the hurt and simply move on.
But once the initial ache softened, something important came into focus. I realized that while awards can amplify a message and provide a platform for it, they are not the source of the message itself. And my message was still burning—undiminished—inside me.
The Message Wouldn’t Let Me Go
For years, I had been witnessing something under the surface of diabetes care and, more broadly, of healthcare. Earnest and compassionate clinicians were giving their all to provide the best care, but felt they weren’t breaking through or reaching people in ways that led to significant change. Many were questioning their worth, their effectiveness, and even their decision to enter healthcare at all.
I heard it in hallway conferences. In mentoring meetings. In calm moments after lectures when someone would come up to me and say, “I thought it was just me.”
I knew then that the story I was burning to share couldn’t be reduced to a title or an award category. The message I was holding wasn’t just about diabetes education and achieving an A1C of less than 7%. It was about the emotional gift of caring—and the healing strength of connection.
Choosing Impact Over Recognition
Not winning that award forced a reckoning moment: How could I share my message on a bigger stage?
The answer surprised me with its clarity. Write a book.
I wrote Healing through Connection for Healthcare Professionals because this story matters, award or no award.
The lived experiences and emotional well-being of healthcare professionals matter. You can make a bigger impact in the care you provide by taking inventory of your inner dialogue and beliefs.
Working with people living with diabetes can be filled with connection, joy, and revitalization. By leaving judgment at the door and accepting each other as we are – messy, complicated, and beautiful- you can deepen your connection. The unvoiced grief, the unresolved trauma, the silent resilience, can all have a voice at the table. As a healthcare professional, you deserve healing too.
From Disappointment to Direction
Not winning hasn’t stopped me from sharing my message; it motivated me to find a different way to share it.
It pushed me to write honestly about:
- How your personal history walks into the exam room with you.
- How to create a meaningful connection with the people in our care and provide healing that flows both ways.
- How to revitalize your creativity and give yourself permission for self-care.
This book is not a rebuttal to an award committee.
It’s a love letter to healthcare professionals who keep showing up even when recognition is scarce.
The Real Win
Today, when a nurse, pharmacist, dietitian, or physician tells me, “This book made me feel less alone,” I know I chose the right path.
I didn’t win an award, but I found my voice and shared my authentic life story in my book. This book is my commitment transparency with the hopes that it gives you permission to share your truth.
I wrote Healing through Connection so that other healthcare professionals can share their story and create a healing space for themselves and the people in their care.
Because in the end, the greatest legacy is knowing that your message touched the lives of your community and created space for more compassion, for us and those in our care.
Healing through Connection for Healthcare Professionals
Zoom Celebration Gathering
Join Coach Beverly for a Book Celebration on February 20th at 11:30am PST.
Coach Beverly is thrilled to invite you to join this celebration of completing her book and finally getting the Audible and Kindle version up on Amazon.
We will be discussing why this book matters now more than ever. She will share real stories from her clinical practice and ask you to share yours.
Coach Bev will discuss the process involved in writing this book and how she found her voice. We will wrap up with a question-and-answer session. We hope you can join us.
Invite your friends and colleagues too!
