What if Gen Z’s insistence on purpose, inclusion, and psychological safety isn’t a threat to our systems but a call to return to nursing’s roots as a caring science? What if their boldness to walk away when their values aren’t met is exactly the kind of mirror we need to see the changes required in our leadership, culture, and systems?

Empathy isn’t always easy. It asks us to be present, to be vulnerable, and to offer the most human part of ourselves. But in doing so, we discover a profound truth: empathy is a superpower that transforms not only our patients’ experiences—but also our own.

Keep walking with grace. Keep building beauty beside the ruins. And may each step you take bring you closer to your own breath, your own strength, and your own deep, inner knowing.