Default to Yes: Think Like a Nurse is for women over 40 who are ready to get curious about their health, question the noise, and let go of the pressure to get everything exactly right.
So you can stop spending so much of your life trying to fix yourself—and get about the business of what you are meant to be about.
Juli Reynolds—a nurse, nurse coach, and lifelong believer in asking better questions - learned that clarity rarely comes from having more information. It comes from knowing how to make sense of the information you already have.
Here, we take the critical thinking, curiosity, science, and whole-person perspective of nursing and apply it to the health and wellness questions women are navigating every day.
Instead of telling you what to think, I’ll help you learn how to think about it.
Together, we’ll Notice, Narrate, Nurture, and Navigate—looking at the evidence, understanding what it can and cannot tell us, asking better questions, and considering what actually makes sense for you.
Because Default to Yes is ultimately about saying yes to your extraordinary self.
Less second-guessing. Less self-judgment. Less energy spent trying to do health perfectly.
More curiosity. More clarity. More creativity. More trust in your ability to learn, adapt, and make informed decisions.
So you can stop spending so much of your life trying to fix yourself—and get about the business of what you are meant to be about.
Stay curious. Think like a nurse. And Default to Yes.
Each episode delivers:
Science-backed strategies for nervous system regulation, brain health, resilience, and sustainable performance in healthcare
Holistic practices like aromatherapy, breathwork, and lifestyle medicine designed specifically for real nursing life
Stories, reflection, and coaching questions that build courage, boundaries, confidence, and clarity in your day-to-day work and life
If you’re ready to move beyond surviving shifts and start saying YES— YES to your calling YES to your health YES to ethical boundaries YES to your extraordinary self
This show will guide you—step by step—from regulation to reinvention.
The timeless advice, often credited to Eleanor Roosevelt, "do one thing every day that scares you" resonates deeply with the human experience. By confronting our fears and embracing new challenges, we unlock the door to personal growth, resilience, and fulfillment. Through science-backed strategies and intentional action, we can incorporate this wisdom into our daily lives, cultivating a mindset of curiosity, courage, and continuous learning. As we navigate the complexities of life, let us remember that true growth lies beyond the confines of our comfort zones.
What would it be like to do that thing that you have been telling yourself that you cannot do? To stop talking yourself out of bravely stepping out, making your voice heard... What would it be like to have that conversation? Change jobs? Take that trip? Try that thing - paint? dance? yoga? What would it be like to make that proposal? That call? Start that business? Launch that course?
Let me know what you are doing today that is new, that thing that makes you a little uncomfortable: VOICE MESSAGE
When you are ready, there are a few ways we can connect—each designed to meet you where you are:
CLICK HERE and get The Default to Yes newsletter, where I share weekly mindset shifts, simple nervous-system rituals, scripture-anchored reflections, practical tools for regulated living as a nurse. No overwhelm. No pressure. Just steady encouragement to keep moving forward - aligned and grounded.
If you’re looking for a steady place to land between episodes, you’re welcome to join our free Facebook community, The Regulated Nurse. -a private space for nurses and health care professionals focused on nervous system regulation, inner clarity, and sustainable practices that help you trust yourself again—one steady step at a time.
If this episode stirred something in you and you’d like a quiet space to talk it through, you’re welcome to schedule a short 20 minute clarity call. It’s a conversation by phone or Zoom—no pressure, no fixing—just space for what is coming up, and what you want more (or less) of. NO REGRETS Discovery Call
Let me know what it looks like when you default to YES! VOICE MESSAGE.
hello everyone. It's time to default to, yes. Your extraordinary self. I'm Julie Reynolds. And I'm your host on the journey with you? This week I read a quote. Again, it's a quote that I'm familiar with and I thought I would talk, let's talk about something fun. I'm going to issue a little challenge, a little experiment for us to take on together. This is all inspired by a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. So I'm curious. Is there something that you have wanted to do or wanting to do, but you're afraid to take it on. Is there something that you would really like to be good at, but you just think it's going to take too long to learn it or. Something that you would do if you were good at it. Maybe it's something physical, maybe it's playing a sport or skiing. Yoga, uh, taking a class, maybe it's painting or singing or learning a new language. Maybe it's speaking in public or taking on a new responsibility, changing a job, changing your hair. What is it for you that you would say kind of scares you a little bit? if you have something to that, either thinking I don't do that because I'm not good at it. There's fear there. So this week, We're going to lean into that. I have a journal sitting on my table and the journal was given to me when I met a big goal and it was meant to just inspire me to keep going. And the journals called Do one thing every day, that scares you. And it's inspired by a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt and in the book that I'm reading called passion struck. this quote is shared. Early on in the book. And Eleanor Roosevelt said this do one thing every day. That scares you. You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop. And look fear in the face. You were able to say to yourself, I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along. You must do the thing that you think you cannot do. I wear a bracelet on my wrist, actually. That is one of those beaded bracelets that is a Morse code for different messages. And my, the message on my bracelet is beautiful girl. You can do hard things. And as a reminder to me that I can do hard things. So as I take on a big goal, there are obviously going to be a little steps along the way that I have to complete and not all of those things are easy things. Some of them are scary. Things are hard, things are things I haven't done before. And then just having to put myself out there and try. Some of those things are letting go of things that I, that maybe I love, or I think I love that don't just don't serve me well. And those are hard things. So this just reminds me that I have the power to do hard things. And so when I ran across this quote and just really thinking through it, I wanted to Walk this out a little bit. As far as embracing fear and being that pathway to wellbeing. So with that quote, By Eleanor Roosevelt in mind, those words, they encapsulate that profound truth, right? About human nature and personal growth. When we step out of our comfort zones, we have to face fears, head on sometimes. And embracing those new challenges. Aren't always exhilarating experiences. But they're essential for our overall wellbeing and science supports that notion as well. Revealing to us, how pushing our boundaries and learning something new every day can profoundly impact our mental and emotional health. Now at the core of this quote. Lies that recognition that growth and fulfillment stem from confronting our fears. And when we challenge ourselves, we activate that brain's reward system, releasing neurotransmitters, like dopamine and endorphins, which are associated with pleasure and satisfaction. We've talked about that before, and that's not new knowledge to you, but it's always, to me, this dopamine and endorphins trigger is a lot of times what can I do to get that dopamine hit that I want, let's say. It's. Let's just use the example of food. So let's say I re what I really want. Is a piece of that cake that somebody brought in today. But what I know I get from that is dopamine and that's probably it, right? Because the sugar and the fat and the delicious taste that. Okay. The enjoyment of the delicious taste is only gonna last a moment. And then I'm going to have maybe a dopamine hit from that as well. But what could I do? Instead to get the same dopamine hit without the consequence to my physical health. Looking at all of that. I had a conversation with one of my accountability partners today is like, how can we manufacture that same dopamine hit? And what does that feeling when I want to eat something? That I could replace that dopamine hit with, and I know going for a walk or exercising is going to give me that. But regardless of what that is, where you go for that, the biological response. Just reinforces that willingness to tackle new challenges in the face when you face beers and you get that dopamine and endorphins release. It reinforces that willingness to tackle new challenges and just fosters that sense of accomplishment. And self-confidence. And this is why I will intentionally, sometimes assign or challenge my clients. Tasks to do or challenge them to take on something. Just for the purpose of facing fears. So I, my, I have been known to ask someone to video message me back when they accomplish their goal. So they'll set their goal and they'll say, this is how you'll know. And I will tell you when I complete this, I'm going to reach out and let you know that I've completed it. And that allows us to celebrate together. That also creates that a little bit of accountability. That's how I know they're going to be successful. And I have been known to say, I want you to video message me about this. Send me a little video and tell me about the experience. It's not because I want to watch a video or that's a better way to communicate. It's more, just another little challenge, because I know that's going to introduce a little bit of that, that challenge or that resistance to face a fear And many times these are entrepreneurs who are wanting to get more comfortable with their voice. I'm getting their voice out in the world and I've seen this happen over months, even weeks that people get more comfortable hearing their voice, seeing their face on video and all of those things break down. Some of those barriers break down. And it becomes more comfortable. So it becomes a low risk challenge for a big reward so that you don't think that I'm just cruel to my clients. Again, it's a biological response when we do things like that. That reinforces that willingness to tackle other things and just fosters that simplest sense of accomplishment. And self-confidence. Now. More than that. Stepping into unknown cultivates resilience. By exposing ourselves to unfamiliar situations, we train our minds to adapt and overcome obstacles. Research and psychology suggests that regular confronting our fears can reduce anxiety over time. Because desensitizes us to those perceived threats. We learn. That we're in safer territory. Our brains don't send out all of the alarms. Like they may, like it may have before and we build up that resilience. So facing our fears, just rewires our brain. We're training our brains to cooperate with us so that we can show up in the world in the way that we really want to. We rewire some of that to perceive challenges and as opportunities for growth. Rather than threats to be avoided. Now learning something new each day is another crucial component of personal development. The brain is remarkably plastic. We hear a lot today about neuroplasticity because we're learning more and more. We maybe used to. Used to be the feeling that you couldn't, maybe as you get older, you couldn't learn as well. We couldn't change personality, his traits or things that in our personality, there was a little bit more of teaching on fix. But now we hear a lot about neuro-plasticity and how we can make significant changes to the way we show up and the way we behave in the ways. Maybe they serve us better than some of the other. Conditionings or habits that we had formed in the past. So we are capable of forming those new neural connections throughout our life. Engaging in novel experiences taking on new things that stimulates that neuro-plasticity enhances cognitive function and memory retention. So studies have shown. That individuals who regularly engage in lifelong learning activities have lower rates of cognitive decline and a reduced risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. And this is also another really solid reason to say it is never too late to go back to school or to change courses. How good it would be for our brains to embrace that. we can really do a lot of good things for our brain by changing that narrative. Learning new skills also fosters that sense of purpose and fulfillment, which is another key to longevity and for health and wellbeing. To have that sense of purpose and fulfillment. So whether it's mastering a musical instrument acquiring a new language. I recently one of my friends at work. Shared with me. App for learning any language. And so I'm really trained to learn Spanish. So whether it's that musical instrument acquiring a new language, exploring a new hobby, that process of learning provides us that continuous source of motivation and satisfaction. As we expand our knowledge and expertise, we also gain an understanding of ourselves and the world around us, and that leads to greater self-awareness. And that self-awareness is key to. Personal growth and us being at our best and being able to really show up every day and default to extraordinary. So incorporating Eleanor Roosevelt's wisdom into our daily life requires that deliberate and structured approach. And one effective framework that is, is in this arena is fear setting. And this is a technique that was popularized by Tim Ferris. It involves identifying and confronting our fears and breaking them down into manageable steps. By systematically addressing our apprehensions and visualizing potential outcomes. We can develop that clear perspective and alleviate the anxiety. And if you want to know more about that, just Google it. It's fear setting by Tim Ferris. So additionally adopting that growth mindset is crucial for embracing and cultivating resilience and a psychologist. Carol Dweck's research highlights that importance of believing in our capacity. For growth and viewing those setbacks as opportunities for learning and improvement. And reframing our perceptions of failure and embracing that mindset of continuous development. And just being open and curious. I am on a mission to really get good at authentic curiosity. And this is where we can just empower ourselves to overcome obstacles and achieve our goals. When we get curious and when we stay open and keep learning. Again, going back to that curiosity and exploration in our daily lives, we can facilitate learning and personal development that way. And. we do that is just being intentional to. Marking out time allocating that time. To pursue new interests, whether it's through reading or online courses or hands-on experiences. Now, if you're someone who struggles with taking too many courses, you just, you enjoy learning. And so you take courses, certifications. There's always some new shiny object. Something else to learn maybe books to read groups, to join, if that's you. Then doing something that scares you, it's not going to be around learning something new. It's going to probably be around taking action on something that you have already learned. Sorry. But surround yourself with individuals who inspire you and challenge you, fostering that. Supportive environment for growth and innovation. So adopting a growth mindset, taking on those things, creating that culture of curiosity. And then finally, of course, it's essential to practice self-compassion and celebrate progress. However, small. This is where embracing fear and pursuing that personal growth is not about perfection, but it's about the journey towards becoming the best version of yourself. So when I asked my clients to send me a video message, I'm not looking for perfect lighting or perfect positioning or the perfect sound. I'm not looking for no stuttering or no. No awkward pauses in the recording. I'm not looking for anything except for that. They do it. And that they put themselves out there and just in that striving to be that best version of themselves. They usually, these are people who aspire to be leaders or speakers, or are struggling with getting out on social media and really putting themselves out there. And. Finding their voice. Because that's a way to find your voice. I had a life coach do that to me, and it was very effective. I hated every second of it. I, it took me a much longer to reply to her because I was aware of how I looked on video and how I was positioning the camera, all of that. I got it all caught up in that. But once I got past that, it was really easy to that go live on Facebook or Instagram or any of the things that I needed to do to get the word out about what I was offering and how I show up in the world. So acknowledging our efforts and acknowledging that those achievements. That's important too. So if you do something. Tough. And you do something hard or you do something new. Celebrate that give yourself a high five, give, tell somebody else and high five with somebody else ever just accomplishing that. And it really doesn't matter what it is. I'm going to share a little, a couple of the things in the journal that kind of give you an idea of what I'm talking about is that I'll just flip, open the journal here. Let's see. Oh, so this is a simple one. Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery. My curiosity today, and then there's a blank there to Fill in what you get curious about. Let's see. You must stir it and stump it and blow your own trumpet or trust me, you, you haven't a chance. That was my Ws Gilbert of that's one page. And then there's the space. This is today. I dared to blow my own trumpet about. Whatever it is that you choose to blow your own trumpet about, but that can be scary. Right? So maybe there's something that you would really like to share with somebody that you did that you're proud of. To have that boldness and that courage to, to share it and blow your own trumpet today. Okay. The price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change. That was a quote by bill Clinton. And then on the challenge, it says the same old thing. So maybe it's something that you do the same every day and how I changed it today. And then changing something that you do the same. And maybe something as simple as go a different route to work, go a different route home. What is it that you do the same every single day that you can do a little differently? Okay, let's try a couple more. This is, this is a fun one. Clothes and courage have much to do with each other that's clothing and courage. Have much to do with each other. And then the challenge is to bravely wear something that maybe. A bold color or something that you maybe wouldn't normally wear something that brings you joy. And you're just not sure. Maybe you don't want to stick out or you feel like it's too bold of a choice or. Whatever it is. So. Go ahead and wear that outfit that you love. And is just a little bit scary. Let's see, Here's a quote by GK Chesterton. About this challenge, there should be a burnish tablet. Into the ground on the spot where some courageous man. It Stilton cheese and survived. And then it says today I've ventured outside my dining comfort. Zone by eating. Whatever it is. So let's say you've never had Giros or you haven't ever tried a Vietnamese cuisine. Whatever it is, maybe there's something out there that you have never tried and you could try it today. You don't have to like it. You just have to try it. And then of course there's the English proverb, nothing, ventured, nothing gained. Venture out today, it doesn't necessarily have to scare you. Just try something new, try something that you've been intimidated by try something that you shy away from. I'm sure that you have five things right now. But let's try to write one thing down that you will maybe try that's new. And then let me know. I put a voice recorder in my show notes. I'd love to hear from you. So if you go in this week and you try something new, or you try something that intimidated, you do something that scares you. And shared with me that experience. I'd love to hear it. And if I get a couple of them, I might even share them on the show. If I do that, I'll send you a gift. And as long as you're going to take my little challenge this week, share this with a friend. Share the podcast with a friend, have him take a listen, have them participate to. We can create a great big community of. people who go out there and default to extraordinary. Trying new things. Facing down fears adds just making the world a better place. So again, Eleanor Roosevelt's quotes. Do one thing every day, that scares you. That is at the heart of our human experience and the joy that we can find by confronting our fears and embracing new challenges. that is how we unlock the door to personal growth and resilience and fulfillment. And we just make things fun. we can apply some science backed strategies and intentional action and incorporate that wisdom into your daily life. Cultivating a mindset of curiosity and courage and continuous learning. As we navigate the complexities of this life. remember that true growth. And all the magic happens outside of the comfort zone. As you get up every day and default to your extraordinary self.
