Ep.26 'Habits That Keep You Balanced and Beyond "I'm Fine"' with guest Destiny Johnston

Join Sam as she hosts Destiny Johnson, an emergency nurse and volunteer firefighter, as they discuss mental health advocacy, the reality of rural healthcare, and strategies for frontline resilience. Destiny, who also founded the organisation Forward Frontline, shares her experience navigating burnout at age 26 and her efforts to change the "I'm fine" culture in high-stress environments.

Clinical Grounding and Shift Preparation

Destiny utilises sensory grounding techniques to manage the unpredictability of emergency and fire services. Her protocol includes:

• The 5-4-3-2-1 Technique: Identifying five things she can see, four she can touch, three she can hear, 2 sh can smell and 1 she can taste

   

• Physiological Readiness: Prioritising breathwork and ensuring a substantial meal before 12-hour shifts to prevent early-stage burnout.

• External Processing: Writing out negative thoughts or speaking with a supportive partner to clear mental space before starting work or at the end of a shift.

Systemic Friction and Workplace Reality

The discussion highlights a shift in public interactions and institutional strain:

• The "Uber Generation" Effect: Patients and the public increasingly expect instantaneous, perfect service. This leads to verbal abuse toward first responders when response times or care delivery are delayed by systemic issues.

• Rural Staffing Bottlenecks: In North Alberta, rural emergency departments often operate with a single physician. Staffing shortages create "turning stomachs" for nurses before they even enter the building.

• Retention Crisis: Statistics indicate approximately 60% of nurses leave bedside care within their first five years, a trend Destiny attributes to a burdened system and lack of early-career support.

• The "Two In, Two Out" Philosophy

  Drawing from firefighting safety protocols, Destiny applies the "Two In, Two Out" rule to nursing. The core thesis is that no clinician should enter a high-trauma situation or a difficult shift alone. This necessitates:

  • Mandatory Debriefs: Sitting down days after a traumatic event to process emotional impact, not just clinical performance.

  • Active Monitoring: Learning to spot signs of burnout in others, such as jigs/goofiness being replaced by irritability or absenteeism.

  • Shared Responsibility: Rejecting the "people-pleaser" urge to shoulder excessive loads individually.

More about Destiny:

Destiny advocates for moving beyond performative check-ins toward tangible peer support. She is an emergency nurse, volunteer firefighter, nursing student, and advocate dedicated to supporting frontline workers and their mental health. Grounded in her experiences across emergency services, she speaks and builds initiatives focused on peer support, collective mental health, and workplace education. Outside of her career roles, she is a performer, a runner, a pageant titleholder, and an all-around creative soul.

Contact her via her website: www.forwardfrontline.ca