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.

Hospice Nurse Penny on "Influencing Death," End-of-Life Myths, and The Difference Between Hospice and Palliative Care

Nov 27, 2025

Does discussing death actually help us live better? In this episode of the The Gritty Nurse Podcast, Host Amie Archibald-Varley sits down with Penny Hawkins Smith—better known to her millions of followers as Hospice Nurse Penny—to find out.

Penny is a certified hospice and palliative care nurse and a "death...

Screaming to be Heard: The Urgent Fight to Save Black Moms and Their Babies (Karrie Jones and Mercedes Wells Horrifying Experinces with Birth in the US)

Nov 20, 2025

Two Black women. Two different states. One shared, terrifying experience: being ignored by the very people sworn to care for them.

Why are Black women in 2025 still screaming to be heard? In this episode of The Gritty Nurse, Amie Archibald-Varley, a former L & D nurse and Maternal Health Expert (Masters in Women's...

Are You A Caregiver in Crisis? Discussing Support & Solutions with Ontario Caregiver Organization CEO Amy Coupal

Nov 13, 2025

In this essential episode of the Gritty Nurse podcast, host Amie Archibald-Varley engages in a critical discussion with Amy Coupal, CEO of the Ontario Caregiver Organization (OCO), about the vital role of caregivers in Ontario.

This conversation illuminates the significant challenges faced by these essential, yet...

When The Nurse Becomes the Patient: Emily Edwards on Her MS Diagnosis and Fighting to Be Heard

Nov 6, 2025

In this compelling and candid episode of The Gritty Nurse Podcast, host Amie Archibald-Varley sits down with a truly inspiring guest: Emily Edwards, RN, founder of Nomad Care Consulting.

Emily, a healthcare expert, shares the deeply personal and often frustrating journey of her own Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis. She...