Michelle Courtney Berry

05/12/2026

This Nurses Week, I want to say thank you for all you do and for helping me with my doctoral research. Nearly 100 acute care nurses across the United States have already taken 15–20 minutes out of their demanding lives to participate in my doctoral research at LSUS. That means everything to me.

We are halfway to our goal of 200 responses — and every single voice matters.
This research examines toxic workplace environments, servant leadership, and organizational citizenship behavior in acute care settings. It's one of the first studies to bring these three elements together — and it exists because nurses said an enthusiastic yes.

If you are a U.S.-based acute care nurse, or know one, please consider sharing this link: 🔗 https://bit.ly/USnurse
Anonymous. IRB-approved. 15–20 minutes.

To every nurse who has ever shown up exhausted and still showed up with heart — this research and my abiding gratitude is for you.

04/07/2026

Calling All: Acute Care Nurses in the U.S.

My mother’s oldest sister, my Aunt Meg, was an ER nurse. Long before I ever studied leadership or workplace dynamics, I understood—through her—that nursing is not just a profession, it’s a calling that demands everything and then some. Years later, during my graduate work at Cornell, my first research focus was on physician–nurse communication. Even then, I was drawn to the complexity, the pressure, and the often-unseen dynamics nurses navigate every single day.

Then life made it even more real.

I watched nurses care for my mother. I watched nurses care for my son. I witnessed moments of extraordinary compassion, skill, and humanity—often against the odds.

And now my son is in nursing school! 💜

I’m a doctoral candidate at LSUS, and my study is on acute care nurses in the United States—examining workplace environment, leadership, and work effort. This is one of the first studies to bring these elements together in this way.

Now, I need your voice.

If you are an acute care nurse in the U.S., or know someone who is, I would be incredibly grateful if you would take 15–20 minutes to complete this confidential survey. Your experience matters—not just to me, but to the future of how we understand and improve working conditions for the largest population of healthcare professionals in this country.

This is more than a dissertation. It’s a step toward change.

https://bit.ly/USnurse

With deep respect and gratitude,
Michelle
Doctoral Candidate, Leadership Studies, LSUS

01/22/2026

Some exciting news to share! 💜

I was recently featured by The National Society of Leadership and Success in their “Member Spotlight” series, which highlights leaders doing work that creates healthier and more compassionate communities and workplaces.

I’ve been deep in preparation for the oral defense of my first three dissertation chapters, which happens today(!!). That means I haven’t yet posted photos or stories from my January 9 show in partnership with StoryHouse Ithaca and KTC (“Refuge, Refusal, Refueling”) that blast and had a full house! Look for those pics over the weekend!

If you’re interested in what I’ve been studying — and why I believe healthier workplaces are part of how we heal communities — here’s the piece:

🔗 https://www.nsls.org/news-and-events/servant-leader-on-a-mission-to-heal-toxic-workplaces

Thanks for cheering me on through all the chapters of this wild doctoral journey. Show recap coming soon… and wish me luck tomorrow! ✨💪🏽📚

NSLS member Michelle Courtney Berry, Louisiana State University–Shreveport, is on a mission to help transform toxic workplaces into positive spaces for...

01/08/2026

WOOT! WOOT! LIVE THIS FRIDAY! TICKETS GOING FAST! Tix here: https://app.arts-people.com/?show=306059

Beloveds, limited seats remain! THIS Fri. January 9, 8-10 p.m.
Refuge | Refusal | Refueling starring Michelle Courtney Berry - Kitchen Theatre Lobby in downtown Ithaca. One night only!

I’m starting the New Year back at the Kitchen Theatre. This Friday, January 9, 2026, if you’re free please join me — at 8 p.m. sharp for a one-night cabaret blending theatre, poetry, comedy, and song. The evening draws from over 20+ years of my favorite pieces and recent reflections, moving through themes of belonging, resistance, and renewal.

It’s intimate, immediate, and designed as a gathering as much as a performance. I can’t wait to see new, long-time, friends and neighbors. Also autographed books will be on sale!

With love in our shared struggle,
Michelle
xoxo

Refuge Refusal Refueling Fri, Jan 09 8pm An evening of poetry and prose by Michelle Courtney Berry

11/25/2025

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!!- I PASSED MY COMPS!! Grateful for all your notes, texts, well wishes, calls, as well as extra special thanks to my friend and coach Katie who literally was my human flashcard, helping me stay grounded and confident!

This just in from my Dept Chair: “On behalf of the written comprehensive exam committee, copied on this correspondence, I am pleased to inform you that you have successfully completed all sections of the written comprehensive exam given on November 21, 2025. Congratulations! You should talk with your dissertation chair about the next steps to prepare for the defense of the first three chapters of your doctoral dissertation. Good luck as you proceed with your next steps toward scheduling your prospectus defense.”

Thanks Fam, 😘onward.
xo 💜💜🙏🏾💜💜
Michelle
aka The Workplace Doc™

11/14/2025

Feel Good Friday! - https://mailchi.mp/michellecourtneyberry/feel-good-friday Beloveds, here’s the thing - I thought I needed more tools. Deeper insights. More “breakthroughs.” Turns out I already had what I needed. I didn’t need more, I needed less. Less bu****it. Less anxiety. No more toxicity. And permission to say yes and no when it felt right to do so.
You are enough. You always have been. And you always will be. If this resonates, join my mailing list and hop into my FREE Masterclass here: https://bit.ly/toxicfreedom

11/07/2025

Is Your Job Making You Sick—Or Are You Just “Not Trying Hard Enough”?
Let’s be clear:
You’re not “too sensitive.”
You’re not “overreacting.”
You’re not “bad at work.”
You may be working inside a toxic system—and your body knows it.
📊 In my doctoral research, I’ve studied how toxic leadership shows up in the workplace. Here’s what I’ve learned:
❌ It’s not just about rude bosses.
❌ It’s not just “bad vibes.”
❌ It’s not just poor communication.
Toxic leadership alters the emotional climate of an organization, disrupts team cohesion, spikes stress levels, and drives good employees away—often in silence.
And worse?
🏥 It’s making people physically and psychologically ill.
My study found significant connections between toxic work environments and deteriorating mental health, reduced engagement, and withdrawal behaviors that hurt everyone—including the bottom line.
✨ The good news?
Healing is possible.
But first, we have to tell the truth.
🗓️ Join me live on Zoom for:
“Freedom from Toxic Work: Real Talk with Michelle Courtney Berry”
📅 Monday, November 24 @ 12 PM ET
💻 Free masterclass | Limited space | Link in bio/comments
Because what we reveal, we can heal.
And your body shouldn’t have to keep the score.

11/06/2025

🌊 Hey Loves -I’m just out here riding the wave of reinvention.

Because let’s be real:
🌪️ Toxic workplaces
💻 Burnout from endless hustle
📉 Bosses who manage by chaos…

…can feel like you’re balancing on a board in a tsunami.

But here’s the thing:
You don’t have to keep crashing.

✨ I help high-achieving women reset their relationship with work, wellness, and what actually matters.

📍Apply for coaching: https://bit.ly/coachwithmcb
📆 Or join my free masterclass Nov 24: Real Talk About Toxic Work. https://bit.ly/toxicfreedom

11/01/2025

Perfectionism is a real killer of joy and health unfortunately, we condition to believe that this is normal and it isn’t perfectionism procrastination are also tied together find out the science of how telling your toxic story can actually set you free and improve your health. I speak from deep experience. ,