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The Gritty Nurse

The Gritty Nurse is back, and NO TOPIC is off-limits! Launching in September 2025 with host Amie Archibald Varley, this podcast is dedicated to amplifying the voices of nurses and others who work in healthcare to explore the most pressing issues they face. Join Amie as she continues to take a deep dive into powerful and often uncomfortable topics. Though shared experriences, storytelling and the discussions surrounding the intersection of power, we will navigate the challenges facing healthcare nationally and internationally--as of course--challenge the status quo. The show's core belief remains unwavering: that compassion is the through understanding diverse narratives and perspectives is KEY. Amie will continue to explore hot-button issues like mental health, social justice, women's health, and the daily challenges within the nursing profession. The Gritty Nurse is more than just a podcast—it's a community where nurses and healthcare workers can feel heard, empowered, and recognized as the community leaders they truly are. Change is HERE.

Jul 30, 2020

Amie and Sara talk about how the world has changed and our personal stories since the pandemic started in March 2020. 

We discuss hotspots, our personal experience with schools and business shutting down, working from home, random supply shortages. We chat about anti-maskers and dealing with people whose comfort level...


Jul 23, 2020

In this episode, we take a dive into politics and healthcare with Natalia Kusendova, who is a nurse turned politician, and Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in Ontario representing Mississauga Centre. 

We ask Natalia about her journey to becoming a politician, and Bill 124 which caps the wages of 1.2 million public...


Jul 9, 2020

Amie and Sara chat with Matt, who identifies as a gay black male nurse.

We talk about why he got into nursing, what it's like working with women and what he can "get away" with. 

We discuss recent political and racial issues, discrimination, and white fragility. Matt shares personal stories of stereotyping, harassment,...


Jul 2, 2020

In this episode Amie and Sara take a look into what it's like to be a male nurse. Robert Vaughan is a nurse practitioner, US Navy veteran, and creator of #meninnursing, a Twitter page dedicated to supporting and promoting men in nursing.

They discuss his journey to becoming a nurse, experience in nursing school, and...