Our Story

My First Nursing Job

I was hired in 1980 at Staten Island University Hospital during the severe nursing shortage in New York City. Even though I was a new nurse, I started in the Intensive Care Unit. 

I had to learn very quickly how to be an ICU nurse. Some of the nurses there made me learn very quickly because there isn't much time for the nurses to teach a brand-new nurse in an ICU. So I had to learn about my job very quickly. I soon realized that if I taught the other nurses in the hospital how to do things, I would also learn how to be a better nurse. 

The more I taught the other nurses, the more I understood nursing. I found this very rewarding, and I loved helping them. I had developed a reputation as a preceptor and never minded the added responsibilities.

My Passion for Teaching Grows

After teaching other nurses for a few years, I became an expert in many nursing topics. I then realized that nurses were coming to me for information, training, and guidance with new skills. I loved when they sought me out, knowing that they trusted me to help them grow and succeed. 

I developed a strong connection with the nurses and found immense joy in teaching and helping them build their confidence and skills. My passion for nursing and helping other nurses never wore out.

I Get a Formal Teaching Job

In 1984, I moved to Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. There, I became a Staff Development Instructor in the Nursing Education Department. For the first time, my official job was to teach hundreds of nurses. I was also now teaching the entire hospital staff American Heart Association Certification classes in ACLS, BLS, and PALS. 

By 1997, I was the Director of Nursing Education and Research. I would remain there until 2009 - when I moved to Mercy Medical Center on Long Island to become their Director of Nursing Education and Research.

I Meet My Partner

In 1984, I met my husband, Joseph, in Manhattan. He was already an entrepreneur – and was already running his first start-up company on Long Island. We hit it off right away. Joseph has extraordinary management, marketing, and technology skills that have helped make our little company the professional enterprise it is today. He quickly realized the potential of the computer and the internet to support our business and help it grow and improve.

We Learn How to Manage a Training Company

In 1985, a nursing friend told me about a part-time nursing educator job at a nursing staffing company in Brooklyn. It sounded like an excellent way to do more teaching. So, my husband Joe came with me as an assistant instructor. While there, we learned the ins and outs of running and managing an actual training company. 

After a few years, my reputation for training was well-known throughout Brooklyn, Queens, and Nassau (Long Island, New York). We received excellent feedback on the learning experiences we gave them. We were also getting requests to come to medical offices and hospital departments to teach the ACLS, BLS, and PALS. 

We then decided to set up our own little training company. We haven't stopped teaching since then. At first, we were teaching at a few medical offices. But word about us spread quickly. Soon we were teaching classes throughout Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk.

We Bring in Help to Expand 

In 2003, we hired a nursing friend, Christine Molinari, whom I worked with at SIUH, to handle our day-to-day sales and class schedule. As a result, she developed extensive contacts throughout the nursing and medical community here in New York City and Long Island. 

By 2007, we were training the medical staff of over 600 hospitals, medical offices, and surgicenters on Long Island and New York City, the medical staff at a military base, and the student body and faculty of several colleges where students are studying to be RNs and PAs.

We Expand Our Audience

When we started teaching classes in 1984, we had to develop study materials for our students. Not much existed in the marketplace. The study materials that existed weren't very popular or user-friendly. So, we developed study materials for each subject that we were teaching. 

We listened to what our students said about the study material and fine-tuned it over the years. Eventually, word spread about our study guides, and we began getting requests from college professors and hospitals for copies of our guides. Soon, we were getting requests from all over the country. 

So, in 2003, we made our study guides commercially available. We re-designed our study materials to make them commercially viable. We set up our publishing company and began distributing them worldwide.

We Shift Gears:

The Covid Pandemic of 2019/20 and the Loss of Christine

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we stopped having classes for a while. During that time, Joe and I were both infected but recovered quickly. And we lost our dearest friend and colleague, Christine, to cancer. She fought it for two years and then lost the battle on the night of April 21, 2020.

After this, we shifted gears slightly and geographically consolidated our classes to Nassau, Suffolk, and northeast Queens. We had substantial hospital accounts in Manhattan, Westchester, and Brooklyn but decided to concentrate on Long Island. Because we taught in NYC for many years, many of our devoted students in those areas were willing to come to us for the classes.

Expanding Our Impact Through Publishing

Over the years, our passion for teaching has evolved into a deep love for writing and sharing knowledge beyond the classroom. While we cherish the personal connections we make during our classes, we’ve realized that the knowledge and insights we’ve gained over decades of teaching and working with nurses can also help nurses and nursing students worldwide.

Between us, we’ve spent over 40 years listening to nurses’ stories, challenges, and triumphs. We've taught thousands of medical professionals in hospitals, surgicenters, and medical offices. These experiences have given us a well-rounded perspective on what works and what doesn’t in the world of nursing.

As a nurse, my insight and understanding come from more than 45 years of hands-on experience and education in the nursing profession. I understand the challenges and joys of nursing and value the opportunity to connect with and support other nurses. Meanwhile, Joe, as a businessman, offers a complementary perspective. With almost four decades of success in running a medical training business, Joe has cultivated a wealth of knowledge about entrepreneurship, financial independence, and the importance of creating additional sources of income. Together, we bring a unique combination of clinical expertise and business insights to help nurses thrive in their careers.

Joe’s ability to blend innovative technology strategies, thoughtful marketing plans, and practical business management skills with my hands-on nursing experience and teaching skills has played a key role in growing our small business and expanding its impact. From designing study materials to managing operations, we’ve worked together to create resources that are both accessible and genuinely helpful for nurses everywhere.

This combination of teaching, listening, and business success has left us inspired to share more. Writing books has become another way to connect with nurses and nursing students and make an even more significant impact. Our latest book, The Art of Mindful Nursing Primer,is a testament to this passion. It addresses a critical need within the nursing profession and has been warmly received by nurses who see its value in their demanding and ever-changing careers.

We believe that writing allows us to amplify the reach of our mission, giving nurses around the globe access to resources and insights they might not otherwise encounter. It’s also a way to contribute to the profession we love in a lasting and meaningful way.

Although we hope to continue teaching classes for many years, writing gives us another way to share what we’ve learned, inspire nurses, and support them in their journey toward professional and personal excellence.

Our Life’s Mission

What started as a fun way to work together, help nurses, utilize our talents, spend more time with each other, and make a little extra money has grown into something far more significant. It became our life's mission—to help medical providers become better, more productive, and, most importantly, happier in their vital roles.

This shared purpose inspires everything we do, from teaching classes to writing books and beyond. As we look ahead, we are excited to continue evolving and finding new ways to support the nursing profession. Whether through our classes, books, or other projects, we remain dedicated to empowering nurses to thrive in their careers and lives. 

-MGK