Joni has been a registered nurse for 25 years with experience in the emergency department, outpatient surgery, clinical nursing education, medical surgical floor nursing, cath lab, and cardiac rehab. She served as Fitness Supervisor for Total Health and Total Fitness Aquatics for nine years, managings 20+ employees, community membership, business, and fitness programming. Along with providing group fitness instruction for 16 years and coordinating employee wellness biometric data collection events, she has been a health and wellness educator for nine years, planning and presenting health and wellness programs within the hospital system and throughout the community. As an avid health and wellness promoter, Joni was featured bi-monthly on a local radio program sharing information about optimal well-being for much of 2020 and 2021.
She completed training with the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy in 2020. Then she obtained certifications: Board Certified Nurse Coach through the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation, Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach through the American Medical Board of Examiners, Certified HeartMath Practitioner through the HeartMath Institute, and Board Certified Cardiovascular Nurse. She has further training in End of Life Coaching and Trauma Sensitive Coaching.
Joni started her own nurse coaching practice, Coach Joni O, in January 2021 and currently works with clients one on one, in small groups, and is a presenter and keynote speaker. She also works with a nationwide virtual wellness company providing small-group coaching to hospital employees. Her specialty is Inviting Calm and Managing Overwhelm.
Many people have heard of the fight or flight response but need clarification on the details. She helps people understand both sides of their autonomic nervous system and their power to activate their rest and heal response. When our parasympathetic nervous system is activated, we have a greater ability to be present, aware, and manage our thought processes. Clients learn how to activate their rest and healing response, create an emotional shift and see their brain in a way that separates them from the immediate intensity of their emotions. They learn how thoughts, feelings, and actions interact to create results and gain techniques and strategies to make choices from an authentic place that leads to the results they are seeking. For most people, this includes the desire to feel calm, competent and/or confident in their relationships, work, performance, and life situations. When we feel calm and confident, our ability to lead, interact and connect with others improves tremendously. She works with a wide variety of clients and has helped many people find peace, calm, joy, and success in their lives over the last few years, regardless of their circumstances.
She lives in Stillwater with her husband of 31 years and daughter. She has two grown sons and two fur babies!