Meet Nailah

Experienced nurse in doctoral program connects with coach to turn failed exam into successful future

As a problem-solving, do-whatever-needs-to-be-done registered nurse for more than 20 years, Nailah Zanders found herself in unfamiliar territory — struggling — when she went back to school to earn her doctorate degree to become a family nurse practitioner. “

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“I had no idea what coaching was about, but I realized after my failure that I could use a coach. So I took a chance and it’s been the best thing I’ve done.” – Nailah Zanders, RN

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After my first exam in pathophysiology, I clicked submit and my world was blown. I did not do well on that exam,” she explains. As someone who had always excelled in school, Nailah had no idea what went wrong. When she received an email from the university a few days later letting her know she was eligible to receive coaching help through the Emergency Coaching Network at her school, she saw it as a sign.“

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I had no idea what it was about, but I realized after my failure that I could use a coach. So I took a chance and it’s been the best thing I’ve done.”

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Connecting with her community

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Nailah is a native of New Orleans, where she lives with her husband and two kids. During her shifts at University Medical Center New Orleans, Nailah takes care of patients who have cancer. “I administer their chemotherapy,” she says. In a leadership position on her unit, she also teaches new nurses how to become part of the hospital culture.

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So what’s driving Nailah to become a family nurse practitioner? “As a nurse in an area with a large African-American population, it’s important for the city of New Orleans and the community in general to have care providers that look like them. So in order for me to give back to my community and to allow them to trust me with their care, it’s important that I get this education and get the knowledge in order to provide them exceptional service.”

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Overcoming anxiety, together

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One of Nailah’s primary goals in beginning her doctorate journey was overcoming anxiety, which she saw as a major hurdle in her return to school. “I’ve been a professional, practicing nurse for a very long time and transitioning from that into the role of a student nurse was something that was unfamiliar to me. It was a daunting experience that I was very anxious about.” And as she would quickly discover, that anxiety showed up during her first big exam.

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That’s where Arwen Foster, long-time InsideTrack coach, came in.

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“Arwen was able to help me take a step back and come to terms with my new reality. She was instrumental in helping me communicate more effectively with my instructors and my employer.” But better communication was just the beginning. “Arwen also helped me gain more confidence in my role as a student and my role as a nurse. I didn’t realize how valuable I was at my current position. Arwen was able to help me advocate for myself — getting a more flexible schedule at work so I could attend the live class sessions, as well as gaining more time off in order to fully focus on my classes and my schedule.”

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Mining “gold” from each coaching session

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Nailah and her coach worked together consistently for roughly a year and a half. During that time, they coined the term “nugget” — as in a golden nugget. As Nailah explains, “at the end of each session, Arwen would ask or I would offer my nugget for that session — something valuable I had gleaned from our interactions.” And, she notes, there was always a nugget.

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Nailah recounted how after she failed her first exam and started working with Arwen, her coach was able to clearly identify the fear that was holding her back. “My mindset,” Nailah said, “was that of a perfectionist. I had always done really well in school. I had always done really well on exams. And what Arwen and I were able to figure out is that I was afraid to fail.”

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“To know that you actually have support — someone who listens and can give you unbiased insight — that’s really invaluable. Coaches give you the kind of insight you need to move forward, along with the tools to help you work through this new experience.” – Nailah Zanders, RN 

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With that, something clicked for Nailah. “Well, I had already failed the test. So it wasn’t life or death. It wasn’t detrimental. I wasn’t going to be kicked out of school. In my mind, those were the really bad things that could have happened in addition to not passing the test.”

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“The reality of me actually being OK in moments of failure and still being able to move forward — that was life-changing for me. When I was able to figure out that I was no longer held by fear and that it was literally just a thing, I was able to really be free and fly and learn and progress throughout my program.” Now that is a milestone nugget!

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Seeing things in a whole new way

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One-on-one, personalized coaching often helps students see things — inside and outside of the classroom — in a new way. As Nailah explained, “I’m able to see things in a different light now because I’m learning new things in school and I’m able to bring them to my practice. Arwen helped me realize what I bring to the table as a valuable member of my work community, and to use that in order to get what I need to take care of myself and achieve my goals.”

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“Every time we talked, I was able to gain something valuable from our conversation — even on days when I didn’t feel like meeting or think I had time to sit down and have a session.” – Nailah Zanders, RN 

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“Put yourself out there.”

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What’s the best piece of advice Nailah would give someone who’s on the fence about coaching? “If you don’t put yourself out there, you’ll never know what opportunities you might be missing. To know that you actually have support — someone who listens and can give you unbiased insight — that’s really invaluable. They give you the kind of insight you need to move forward, along with the tools to help you work through this new experience.”

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And while it may sound counterintuitive, Nailah is grateful her initial exam didn’t go as expected. “I’m so glad I failed my test and found a coach. It was freeing to have that added stress off my shoulders. Coaching added so much value to my school experience. The amount of additional or positive reinforcement it provides in your life is huge.”