Meet Brandi Nichols | BSN, LMFT

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandi Nichols and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandi, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started Hope for Healers as I watched the pandemic unfold with my new found privilege of working from home. I was in a unique position having practiced as a registered nurse and now being a therapist. I was watching the trauma and complicated grief transpire while being very aware of the problems within the healthcare system pre-pandemic. I knew that these doctors and nurses were going to need mental health support, as a result of simply going to work. I thought there has to be someone supporting our healthcare professionals and I began looking online and speaking to colleagues and eventually came up empty handed. I saw the need and having lived expereince, I decided it was me, I would start a nonprofit to support these medical professionals. Being trained in both trauma and grief, I suppose it should have been obvious sooner, but I haven’t looked back since. This month marks one year since I filed the articles of incorporation.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Hope for Healers is about more than building resilience or teaching self care strategies for healthcare workers. It’s about community care and changing the system of healthcare, to address the root of the mental health crisis within healthcare. I am proud to be a culture changer and a truth teller to systems that dehumanize, whether for profit or due to lack of awareness. There are many challenges inherent to the healthcare system and systemic change but together with community and compassion we can allow humanity in our healers and healthcare as a whole.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many options, I would have to make a list and have them choose! If it was all up to me, I would make sure that we visited the beach, with Carlsbad or Oceanside as my top two. I may be biased, but I grew up in North County so I always feel most at home up there. Felix BBQ would be a must have for dining, along with El Indio for the best Mexican food. I would have to go to Little Italy and eat gelato, or Extraordinary Desserts at least once. Sunset Cliffs would be a lovely choice for watching a sunset and Ocean Beach for the most amazing people watching. The San Diego Zoo or the Wild Animal Park would be fun to walk around and see the animals. I would want to hit up a comedy show, depending on the headliner, at the Comedy Store. The theater would be another good option, I would love to see Cats, which I believe is playing there now! Possibly Petco Park for a baseball game, if that was their thing (I don’t really follow the sports). A spa day at Glen Ivy or the Rancho Bernardo Inn would be a perfect ending to a week of playing tourist to quite possibly the best city on earth.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The healthcare workers who have shared their stories with me deserve a special shoutout. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your journey and for trusting me with your pain. I am grateful for your sacrifice and commitment to others. I dedicate this nomination to every medical professional who has ever felt unseen and overworked, may you find the time to tend to your wounds and a soft place to heal.

Website: https://hopeforhealers.com

Instagram: @hope4healers

Linkedin: Brandi Nichols

Facebook: Hope for Healers