How Healthcare Works, LLC

How Lack of Reliable Transportation Creates Barriers to Work, Health, and Opportunity Recently, I was transferred to a different work location in my day job. I didn’t feel like the move was optional. But there’s one major problem: I don’t have a car. And while that might sound like an inconvenience to some, in reality, it’s a barrier — one that touches every part of my life and wellbeing. When people say things like, “You should just work from home,” or “Take a closer, lower-paying job,” it may sound like practical advice. But it’s not that simple. Those suggestions ignore the reality that transportation is a social determinant of health — one of the essential conditions that shape how we live, work, and thrive. I had a car accident almost three years ago at Christmas. It put into motion a chain of events that created tremendous stress. My life has been impacted in ways that make daily activities difficult.  Transportation Isn’t a Luxury — It’s a Lifeline Transportation isn’t just ...

When people look at me now, they see an author of two successful books, a business owner, and someone who works full-time while still moving forward with dreams and goals. On the outside, that may look like resilience, stability, or even success. But what most don’t see is the road it took to get here—or the weight I still carry every day. What I have accomplished in the past five years is unheard of from most people… and unlikely for the insurmountable struggles I’ve had to face nearly alone. It’s grit and miracles all in one. I started my life over with absolutely nothing. No safety net. No local support system. No friends or family nearby to lean on when everything felt impossible. Starting from scratch is one thing; doing it with layers of trauma and PTSD on your back is another. Here’s the reality: for most people, research and lived experience show that it often takes seven to ten years to fully rebuild life after starting over with nothing. That timeline assumes you have at leas...

Financial abuse is when money is used as a tool of control, punishment, or humiliation. It can be restricting someone’s access to funds, forcing them to work under unfair conditions, sabotaging their career or ability to earn income, or making them feel guilty for spending even on essentials. It can also look like what I’ve lived: being shamed for the cost of food, being harmed over not having enough, or being told you should be grateful for bare minimum resources because you’re “less deserving.” Psychology tells us that trauma activates the survival brain. Financial trauma does the same thing. It can keep you in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn mode. Making clear decisions, planning ahead, or feeling confident about money can become challenging. It’s not laziness, irresponsibility, or a bad attitude. It’s your brain protecting you from danger — danger that feels real because it is real. For some of us, money isn’t just numbers on a page. It’s safety, survival, and sometimes, the very...

Some people say cruel or antagonistic things and then excuse it as “just trying to see what you think” or “just testing you.” I’ve had people in my life do exactly that—saying no one loved me, telling me I had no worth, or suggesting I should take jobs far below my ability. One even told me to go walk three to five miles in freezing temperatures. Their reasoning? They wanted me to argue back so they could see what I really thought or cared about. Cognitive dissonance and emotional investment can be useful teaching tools. However, they can become emotional manipulation and psychological abuse when used to trigger trauma.  On the surface, this kind of behavior might look like intellectual curiosity. In reality, it is manipulative—and it’s especially harmful to someone who has been psychologically and emotionally abused or who lives with PTSD. And it doesn’t just happen with “friends.” It happens at work, with family, and in all kinds of relationships. To understand why it’s so damagi...

by Jeanette R. Harrison, BA, Sec. Ed., MPH  “ You haven’t used your master’s degree in 30 years.” That’s what someone told me recently. And for a split second, I let it bother me. I was reeling down the rabbit hole. But then I realized — that comment wasn’t about me. It was about their attempt to make me feel less than. I call it lowest common denominator thinking.  Even before I started a business, I have had “haters.” I was told by peers when I first applied to graduate school that I wouldn’t get in. I was told what made me think I could write a walking book. I heard all kinds of negativity throughout my life. I did all of it anyway. Not to spite them. But to achieve my own goals.  Here’s the reality: I have used my degree. In powerful, meaningful, and unconventional ways. * As an  Administrative Fellow, learning how healthcare works from the inside out reporting to the CEO and COO of a seven hospital health system.  * As a Senior Quality Data Coordinator, imp...

By Jeanette R. Harrison Over the past five years, my life has been a relentless struggle—one that many people never see. I’m sharing my story not for pity, but to shed light on what it truly means to fight every day when support is scarce, and cruelty is often the loudest voice. 2020: When My World Fell Apart During the pandemic, my ex kicked me out of our home so his new girlfriend—now his wife—could move in. I arrived in Idaho with nothing but my dog, two suitcases, a few boxes, and $2,400 in palimony—less than 50 cents a day for a 12-year relationship. No furniture, no savings, and no safety net. People didn’t understand that not every state is a community property state like Idaho, and that laws about divorce, common law marriage, and property rights differ widely from state to state. Because of that confusion, many assumed I was lying or misrepresenting my situation. I was treated like it was my fault. I had to survive on small “gifts” from friends—barely enough to get by. For 15 ...