Before I was a hospital CEO, I was a nurse. And before that, I was an 11-year-old girl standing beside the hospital bed of my 34-year-old father, looking at more tubes and lines than I could count.

He had just undergone emergency heart surgery. I remember the fear, the hushed voices, and especially the nurses. They moved through that fear with a steadiness I had never seen. They explained things gently. They noticed when my mother needed a hand to hold before she asked. They made an unbearable day feel survivable.

Watching them, I knew what I wanted to do. I turned to my mother and told her I wanted to be a nurse.

That moment never left me.

When people see the title CEO, they often see the position before they see the person. But my story doesn't begin in a boardroom. It begins in that hospital room, watching a healthcare team hold my family together.

More than 20 years ago, I walked into a new hospital in Bentonville as a nurse leader, never imagining that one day I would return to lead it as CEO. Along the way, I was fortunate to find a mentor who saw something in me before I saw it in myself. She encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone and taught me something I still believe today: leading well is simply another way of caring for people.

Nursing taught me lessons no leadership book ever could: how to sit with a frightened patient, support a family on one of the hardest days of their lives, and work beside a team when everyone is tired but someone still needs us. I may spend more time in boardrooms today, but I still see healthcare and people through the eyes of a nurse.

My own experiences as a patient shaped me, too. My journey with endometriosis and infertility taught me what it feels like to search for answers and simply want someone to listen. It made me a better advocate, a better listener and, ultimately, a better leader.

I believe deeply in empowering women in their careers and in their healthcare decisions. Too often, women learn to defer, wait for permission or downplay what they know to be true. I want women to know their voices carry weight, whether they are sitting at a leadership table or talking with a physician about their own health.

Outside the hospital, I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend and someone who believes deeply in relationships. I love bringing people together, celebrating the people I care about and finding reasons to enjoy life along the way. Healthcare has taught me how precious time is, and I try not to take the people or the moments in my life for granted.

I've also learned that resilience isn't about never struggling. It's about continuing to show up when the path is difficult. Some of the greatest opportunities in my life came when I was willing to say yes before I felt completely ready. Growth really does live outside our comfort zones.

Northwest Arkansas isn't an abstract market to me. It's home. The people receiving care here are my friends, my family, my neighbors and people I see in everyday life. That changes the weight of every decision I make. As our region grows, making sure our community has healthcare it can count on is personal to me. It's part of the legacy I'm still building.

To young women beginning their own journeys: don't give up, and say yes to what scares you. Believe that your voice belongs in the room. Where there's a will, there's a way.

The CEO title is part of my story. It isn't the whole story. At my core, I am still that girl who watched a healthcare team hold her family together, and I still believe caring for people is the most meaningful work we'll ever do.