Launching and Learning: The Evolution of a Podcast for Healthier Minds and Lives

Many people say that the nursing profession is a calling. Diana Fok, BS, BSN, RN, currently enrolled in the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing’s Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program, is a prime example of someone who experienced this calling when she least expected it.

Fok studied psychology at the undergraduate level and aspired to become a therapist. After graduation, she traveled to China for several months and an earthquake struck while she was there.

“I felt compelled to run towards danger and to rescue everyone. I wanted to help, but I didn’t have the skills to assist. I felt so helpless,” Fok shared.

It was in this moment that she realized her true calling was in emergency nursing, specifically a trauma response team. Fok has spent the last year as an Emergency Department nurse at Lankenau Medical Center in Wynnewood, Pa. and previously practiced at other hospitals in Philadelphia.

She attributes her inspiration for becoming an FNP to her past employment at a dermatology clinic where she spoke with an NP and gained a better understanding of advanced practice.

“I never wanted to become an NP. I was quite satisfied as an RN. I was comfortable, knowledgeable, and excelled in my role as an ED RN. I was comfortable, but I was also stagnant. I needed to expand. I was hungry for knowledge and to expand my scope of practice,” Fok emphasized. As an FNP, she says, the options are endless.

She always wanted to create a podcast, but the right idea never fell into place, until one struck amidst her changing professional endeavors.

“I am a testimonial for how shifting perspectives helps one to heal. Having insight on our own mental health encourages us to seek meaning, peace, and clarity in all aspects of our lives. This will eventually lead to self-compassion and lead a meaningful, purposeful life. The podcast reflects my life and my journey of healing, along with several online influencer guests,” Fok added.

In November, she attended FCN’s 2021 M. Louise Fitzpatrick Transformative Leadership Lecture and Award Ceremony, leaving the event with a vision of inspiring people as a transformative leader. In December, she launched her podcast “Oh look, it’s your future” using an app and her phone.

While still a new venture, the feedback for her content, which is supported by research and has touched on burnout, gratitude, inner monologue and manifestations, has been positive and already started many conversations among her healthcare colleagues, according to Fok. “It’s as if I planted a seed where people start to discuss real issues and real matter,” she explains.

As she prioritizes graduate school, Fok is excited and looks forward to the future of this podcast and its content, and the real impact it can have on individuals and the professional world in terms of mental health, finding meaning and achieving purpose.

To others hoping to start a podcast or expand their scope as Fok has done, she advises, “If there’s something you’d like to share, then you should do it. You never know who you may influence.”

With her podcast and in her profession, Fok is creating a space for open conversation about trauma and healing with more to come from this nurse, graduate student, and now podcaster.

Diana Fok’s podcast, “Oh look, it’s your future,” is available to listeners on Spotify.