Today, I Returned to the Clinical Space.

I don’t often talk about it—partly out of respect for privacy, partly because I’m cautious about HIPAA and censorship. But today left an imprint on me so deep, I had to write about it.

Lately, it’s felt like all the projects I’ve labored over—my efforts, ideas, deals—just haven’t panned out the way I expected. It’s easy to feel discouraged.

But then today, I witnessed something that brought me back to the core of it all.

I watched a client—my age—take her last breath, while her little ones scampered outside. It was a heartbreaking contrast, the end of a life happening while life continued just beyond the door.

In those 30 minutes, sitting quietly with her nurse and her family, all my supposed failures melted away.

All the randomness in my mind, all the dreams of “blowing up” my ideas... they softened into a whisper from the universe that screamed:“You’re still trying. Keep going.”

If eyes could leap from someone’s face and wrap around you in a hug, those were the eyes of that nurse. I could see it in her expression—“This could be my children.” She was holding it together with every ounce of strength.

I wanted to say something. I stood there, lost for words.But then I remembered all my years of practicing emotional hygiene, holistic care, presence. I remembered that I know how to shift energy, how to raise the frequency of a moment. And so I did. That’s when I realized—I wasn’t just a support. I was also a leader.

Not the kind of leader with a title or superiority.

But the kind who holds space for others.

The kind who brings their presence.

The kind who wraps their arms around a nurse after she’s just wrapped hers around a grieving family.

It hit me that what I do in coaching, in consulting, in supporting others—is no different. This is leadership.

This is service.

This is holistic care.

And then, out of nowhere, I thought about life insurance.

If that had been me today, I would have wanted to know my kids were taken care of.

That the house was paid off.

That I had given them some cushion to grieve without worry.

And I realized—my offerings, even the ones that seem “side hustles,” are deeply rooted in care.

Living a successful life might not mean reaching the pinnacle.

Maybe it means continuing to reach—from a place of love within, toward a place of love for others.

Maybe I haven’t said it all right.

Maybe I haven’t yet arrived.

But I’m proud of the risks I’ve taken. Proud of the decisions I’ve made to follow this path.

And today reminded me—I’ve been working, as best I know how, to elevate healthcare, to honor nurses, and to support the very people who carry the weight of life and death every single day.

My today was this nurse’s every day.

And I pray I live to see the day society truly honors the intangible dignity and value that nurses bring to the most sacred moments of life.

Kasey Pacheco