Abstract
Firsthand accounts from clients living with mental health challenges deepen provider understanding and offer direct insight into the lives of those with chronic mental illness. There is a gap in the literature surrounding the lived experience of serious mental illness in the professional setting. This narrative outlines the challenges and opportunities for those in healthcare and academia. These high-pressure fields place inordinate demands on faculty and staff, yet there are few organizational supports in place for employees. Despite the push to improve resiliency and ease burnout, healthcare organizations and academic institutions still struggle to identify the best interventions and methods of support for staff. Mental health nurses and nurse coaches are uniquely positioned to ease this burden and help create inclusive workplaces for those with serious mental illness.