Welcome back to The Bossy Nurse Podcast, the show where we spotlight nurse creators, innovators, risk-takers, and the ideas that shape their success. In this episode, we explore how one nurse identified a gap hiding in plain sight and turned it into a thriving private pay business and national training institute.
Today, Marsha Battee speaks with Heather Wilson, RN, founder of Everyday Divinity, the Foot + Nail Institute, and HeatherWilsonRN.com, about building a private pay foot care business rooted in patient safety, autonomy, and sustainable nurse entrepreneurship.
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Key takeaways
- Nursing school struggles and NCLEX setbacks do not predict entrepreneurial failure.
- A simple bedside problem can reveal a powerful business opportunity.
- Assertiveness, communication, and bedside instincts translate directly to business leadership.
- Building a business requires both strategy and mindset work.
Show notes / what you’ll hear in this episode
- Systemic Gap Found: How Heather discovered a systemic foot care gap while working as a cardiovascular charge nurse.
- Reimbursement Bottleneck: Why podiatry reimbursement models left patients waiting and nurses frustrated.
- Resilience Built: What nursing school challenges and NCLEX setbacks taught Heather about resilience.
- Bedside Disconnect: How electronic medical records changed the nurse–patient connection at the bedside.
- Private Pay Choice: Why Heather chose a private pay model instead of insurance-based care.
- No Business Training: The realities of launching a business without formal business education.
- Hard-Won Lessons: Lessons learned from mistakes, fear, and a Board of Nursing investigation.
- Pandemic Proof Point: How the pandemic validated foot care nursing as an essential, ongoing service.
- Scaling Nationally: What it takes to scale from a solo practice to a national nurse training institute.
- Purpose Over Profit: Why passion, not income goals, must drive nurse entrepreneurship.
Resources Mentioned & Where to find Heather online
- Everyday Divinity Website: https://www.footandnailinstitute.com
- Heather’s Foot and Nail Institute for Nurses Website: https://footandnailinstitute.com/
- Heather’s Business Coaching and Support: https://heatherwilsonrn.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/footcarenurse
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fnifootcarenurse
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footandnailinstitute
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Footandnailinstitute
Bio: Heather Wilson, RN
Heather Wilson is a former nurse turned serial entrepreneur. As a nurse, she witnessed the lack of safe, appropriate foot care services available to our senior population. In 2011, she launched Everyday Divinity, a senior footcare company to fulfill this gap within the healthcare system.
Recognizing the national demand for her innovative approach, she expanded her vision in 2021by launching the Foot + Nail Institute. This online training platform empowers nurses to replicate her successful business model nationwide. Through her career, she has been a motivational educator, mentor, and coach guiding countless nurses towards finding personal fulfillment through business ownership. Now, through her latest endeavor, “Heather Wilson, RN,” she is sharing her expertise, proven strategies, and truths in business development to all who are ready to embark on their entrepreneurial journey.
Timestamps (selected highlights)
- 00:00 — The bedside moment that exposed a foot care crisis
- 06:57 — Failing nursing school and finding resilience
- 22:46 — Why podiatrists stopped coming for consults
- 29:55 — Launching a private pay foot care business
- 37:47 — Facing the Board of Nursing—and winning
- 56:03 — From franchise idea to national online institute
- 01:11:04 — Bon Jovi, grit, and entrepreneurial drive
