Karen Retardo

Karen Retardo helps nurses and healthcare professionals step into bigger roles without burning out or selling out their values. She works at the pressure point where clinical responsibility, leadership demands, and personal capacity collide, closing the gap between what healthcare asks of people and what their nervous systems can actually sustain. While most organizations push harder and call it development, Karen builds careers, practices, and visibility around natural strengths, clear values, and realistic human limits so growth becomes sustainable, not expensive.

Her edge is a sharp mix of strengths-based coaching, nervous system literacy, and leadership development grounded in real-world healthcare dynamics. Karen listens closely, spots patterns fast, and zeroes in on what is actually driving decision fatigue, communication breakdowns, or stalled careers for nurse coaches, entrepreneurs, and leaders. Through focused 1:1 coaching, group programs, workshops, and facilitated experiences, she helps clients refine their voice, make cleaner decisions, navigate visibility, and design work that fits who they are, not who the system expects them to be, so their next move is both bolder and safer.

When the stakes are high and the margin for error is thin, Karen brings calm precision to complex choices about career direction, leadership, and growth. She operates with clear language, steady pacing, and practical steps that overworked professionals can actually use inside real constraints. Clients walk away with more confidence, stronger communication, and a clear through-line for their careers that they can trust under pressure. Leaders who want their people to grow without burning out are glad when Karen is in the room.