Ep. 26: Built Through the Storm: A CRNA Journey of Purpose, Pain, and Expansive Possibility

In this episode of The Mindful SRNA/RRNA Podcast, I sit down with Amber CRNA for one of the most honest, human conversations we've ever had about the CRNA journey—and what happens when life doesn't wait for your plans.

We talk about the deep connection CRNAs share, the truth that everyone has a story, and how Amber's path to nurse anesthesia wasn't linear: retaking classes, applying to schools, preparing for CRNA school after being out of school for 13 years, and learning how to trust her "why" even when the road got hard.

Just as CRNA school was beginning, Amber's family was hit with a devastating diagnoses. She opens up about how she worked with her program, handled the chaos of school, and what truly carried her through when everything felt overwhelming.

This episode is about more than getting through CRNA school—it's about who you become when life happens, how illness can reshape your purpose, and why the quality of your life is determined by the stories you tell yourself.

Plus we discuss her career pivot and how to avoid the mistakes she made when she made the decision to work from home and step away from anesthesia for a bit.

We talk about:
• How Amber knew she wanted to be a CRNA
• Being out of school for over a decade before starting anesthesia training
• What really got her through the hardest moments
• Why your "why" matters more than your circumstances
• How she chose her first job and her advice for passing the NCE
• Was CRNA school worth it?
• Using CRNA as a stepping stone and making a career pivot
• How she transitioned out of clinical anesthesia into entrepreneurship
• Taking a CRNA gap year: what she'd do differently
• The CRNA skills that transfer into business—and the mindset of always figuring it out

⚠️ Trigger Warning: We discuss miscarriage around the 27:00 mark, as well as becoming a mother later in life.

If you're in CRNA school, thinking about applying, facing personal challenges, or wondering what's possible after graduation—this conversation will remind you: you will be okay when life happens.

Because your journey doesn't have to look like anyone else's to be meaningful.

CONNECT WITH AMBER:

IG @amber_muhlhan

Her Functional Medicine Website: Restore My Vitality

FB Page