What Made This Nurse Walk Away? | Kimberly Overton

For 25 years, Kimberly Overton believed nursing was more than her profession—it was her calling. Then COVID-19 changed everything.

As a critical-care registered nurse, Kimberly found herself confronting pressures within healthcare that she believed violated her professional judgment, personal convictions, and understanding of what nursing was meant to be. Eventually, she faced a decision she never imagined having to make: Could she remain in the profession she loved without compromising her conscience?

In this powerful episode of The UPside Conversations with Marion MacKenzie, Kimberly shares what happened during the pandemic, why she ultimately walked away, and what it cost her to stand by her convictions.

But Kimberly’s story didn’t end when she left traditional nursing. She went on to become an outspoken advocate for nurses and patients, co-founding Remnant Nursing and founding the Nurse Freedom Network, organizations created to support new approaches to healthcare, patient advocacy, and professional freedom.

Whether you agree with every decision Kimberly made or not, her story raises questions that reach far beyond COVID: What happens when your calling and your conscience collide? How much are we willing to risk for our convictions? And what does courage look like when standing your ground may cost you the career you love?

This is a candid conversation about nursing, healthcare, COVID-19, medical freedom, conscience, courage, patient advocacy, faith, and what can happen when one life-changing decision sends you in an entirely new direction.