You’re Not Crazy—You’re Caring in a System That’s Lost Its Soul

If you’ve ever found yourself crying in your car after a shift, wondering why doing the right thing feels so hard, or feeling like the only one who still cares in a sea of burnout, silence, and bureaucratic noise, you are not broken. You are the lion waking up.

In healthcare, we’ve been told to be polite. To wait our turn. To water down our instincts and speak only when spoken to. We’ve been taught that “being professional” means staying quiet in the face of harm.

But deep down, you know better. You know that love is fierce. That care is active. That leadership is rooted not in credentials, but in courage.

And today, I want to speak directly to the fire inside you…the part that aches for justice, burns for change, and wants to build something beautiful in a broken system.

This blog isn’t just a think piece. It’s a love letter to every changemaker who’s been told they were too much. To every community leader who sees the gaps. To every quiet lion who’s ready to roar.

When Being “Professional” Becomes a Cage

Let’s tell the truth: the word “professionalism” has been weaponized.

In too many clinics and systems, it means “Don’t speak up.” It means “Smile through the dysfunction.” It means “Ignore your gut.”

But here’s what I’ve learned after decades in healthcare and now working on the frontlines of grassroots system transformation:

Silence is not neutrality. It’s surrender.

When we bite our tongues while patients suffer… when we nod in meetings while knowing deep in our bones the model isn’t working… we betray our own wisdom.

And worse, we abandon the communities who rely on us to lead.

But here’s the sacred truth: You were not put on this earth to play small.

Your lived experience matters. Your insights matter. Your frustration matters.

Playing nice might make you liked. But telling the truth? That makes you a leader.

The System Isn’t Broken—It Was Built This Way

This is the part we don’t always want to say out loud:

The system isn’t just flawed. It’s rigged.

It rewards gatekeepers, not givers.
It preserves power, not people.
It funds programs that check boxes, not those that heal hearts.

And if you’ve ever tried to do something truly compassionate, truly rooted in community wisdom, or truly patient-centred…you’ve likely felt the resistance (or worse, called a trouble-maker!).

Why? Because real care doesn’t fit in a spreadsheet.
Because trauma-informed listening can’t be billed in 15-minute slots.
Because love is too big to be boxed in.

But here’s the thing: systems don’t change because someone at the top says so. They change when people at the ground level stop complying with broken norms and start building new ones.

This is what the Community Health Transformation (CHT) model is all about.

We stop waiting. We start listening. We begin leading from within.

Sacred Rage and the Call to Lead

If you feel angry, exhausted, or on the edge of quitting, pause. That rage? That heartbreak? It’s sacred.

Because it means you still care. It means the system hasn’t numbed you. It means your heart is still working, even if the system isn’t.

And when we reframe that rage as rightful response, everything changes.

We begin to see that we don’t have to carry the whole load. We just need to be brave enough to say:

Not here. Not like this. Not anymore.

Healthcare needs truth-tellers now more than ever. People who lead with vision and compassion. People who aren’t here to burn it all down, but to plant something better in the ashes.

You might not have a formal title.
You might feel alone.

But I promise you this: You are not alone. You are not too much. You are the leader your community has been waiting for.

A Different Kind of Power

We’ve been taught that power comes from status, pay grades, or positional authority.

But in the new model…in the model we are building together…power comes from love.

It comes from the mom who speaks up at the band or municipal office.
The nurse who refuses to rush.
The community worker who creates safety where there was once silence.

It comes from small actions, repeated with big heart.

That’s how transformation begins. That’s how we rise.

And that’s what I’m here for.

As the founder of Healthcare Transformation Mastery, I created the CHT model for people just like you. People with vision, empathy, and enough guts to see things differently.

The work isn’t easy. But you don’t have to do it alone.

What Awakening the Lion Really Means

To awaken the lion is not to roar with aggression. It’s to rise with clarity. To walk with dignity. To lead with love.

It means trusting your gut again. It means surrounding yourself with others who are building something new. It means letting go of the idea that the people in charge know best.

They don’t. You do.

You know your people.
You know what healing looks like.
You know what safety feels like.

Now is the time to stop waiting for change. Now is the time to be it.

We’re Not Meant to Do This Alone

I know the system can feel too big to change. I know it’s easy to doubt yourself, especially when you’ve been gaslit by layers of policy and politics.

But I want you to remember:

You are not too sensitive. You are not overreacting. You are awake.

And your community needs that.

So if this blog spoke to you, let it be more than inspiration. Let it be your invitation.

To speak.
To lead.
To connect.

Because you don’t have to build the new system alone. That’s why I’m here.

If you’re ready to stop playing nice and start building something that reflects love, care, and truth…come closer.

Let’s awaken the lion in all of us.

Together, we can make healthcare great again.

CALL TO ACTION:
👉 Share this post with someone who’s quietly furious too.
👉 Listen to the podcast episode that sparked this fire: Why the System Is Rigged—and What We Can Do About It.
👉 Ready to build your own community change initiative? Reach out. I’ll walk with you.

With love and courage,
Diane
Founder, Healthcare Transformation Mastery
Leader of the Lion-Hearted. Listener to the Unheard.