Nurse Entrepreneur Spotlight: Audrey McCollough
With over a decade of healthcare experience that began in pediatric critical care nursing, Audrey McCollough (RN, ACLS) has transformed her clinical expertise into a dynamic career as a healthcare innovator and growth strategist. After eight impactful years at the bedside across eight different states, Audrey faced the burnout that many nurses experience. Rather than leaving healthcare entirely, she discovered a way to combine her clinical expertise with her entrepreneurial spirit, pioneering new paths in health tech and digital innovation.
As the founder of pivotpath, Audrey draws from her own journey of transformation to help other nurses discover fulfilling careers beyond the bedside. Her authentic understanding of both clinical and business environments makes her a sought-after consultant in the healthcare technology space, where she consistently drives growth while maintaining genuine connections with the healthcare community she serves.
Audrey combines her nursing background with expertise in customer success, digital marketing, and business development. Whether she's leading marketing strategy for health tech startups or mentoring other nurses through career transitions, she brings the same dedication to excellence and person-centered approach that defined her clinical practice.
When she's not helping transform healthcare careers, you'll find Audrey embracing the mountain lifestyle in Park City, Utah, where she's created the work-life balance she always dreamed of. Whether she's hitting the slopes, mountain biking local trails, or camping under the stars, she's living proof that there's life beyond burnout. Her own journey has shown that with the right mindset and support, healthcare professionals can build careers that honor both their expertise and their personal wellbeing.
Can you tell us about your journey as an entrepreneur in the healthcare industry?
When I took a leap into health tech, I discovered my clinical background was incredibly valuable in the business world. And not only that, I already had a lot of fundamental skills that would serve me as an entrepreneur — something I never would have thought!
Once I figured this out, I had to share it with the nursing community. I knew there was a real need for nurses to be exposed to nontraditional career paths, especially post-COVID. So I just started reading, listening, and learning everywhere I could. I honestly was flying by the seat of my pants (and maybe I still am). I was reading Russell Brunson’s “Secrets” books on the way back from my honeymoon, and he urges you to just start. It doesn’t have to be perfect, you just have to start. So I just started.
Since then, it’s been a constant learning process, but I’m more comfortable with not knowing everything (or anything) before I do something. I am now confident in my ability to learn whatever it is I need to learn to do something. Or, if it’s something that’s not a strength, I know where to find the right resources for the job. If you think about it, nursing is like that, too.
What inspired you to start your own venture in this field?
Sharing my own experience with other nurses inspired me to start pivotpath. I found that pieces of my story really resonated with other nurses (ie., not really knowing what other options I had, feeling like I didn’t have the education I needed to pursue something different, imposter syndrome, not knowing what jobs to search for, etc.). I realized that I was a few steps ahead of a lot of nurses who hadn’t yet pivoted, which meant I could share what I knew with them.
So I just started! Having been in their shoes, I love showing nurses how their clinical skills can open doors they never imagined. It’s really exciting to me to see a spark ignite again in a burnt out nurse — that moment when she realizes she can actually have work-life balance, make good money, and make an impact in her career.
What specific problem or challenge in healthcare are you addressing with your business?
Nurses are burnt out! We work in an extremely challenging and demanding environment, and frankly, we are not adequately supported. Nurses feel unsupported, unheard, and undervalued — but they don’t know what their other options are.
I believe that your career should fit into the chapter of life you’re in, rather than forcing the opposite. It makes sense to me that bedside nursing would not fit every chapter of a nurse’s life. So then nurses need to know what else they can do. They need to know that healthcare administration, advanced practice, and typical remote jobs like case management or utilization review are not their only options. They can find a job that energizes them, that appreciates their unique background, and that gives them an opportunity to make an impact in a new way.
And the bedside will always be there! It’s a fantastic safety net that our profession has, which kind of de-risks a pivot. Instead of making nurses think that they need to work bedside for 40 years, we should be encouraging them to get a strong foundation at the bedside, go try something new, innovate, and make an impact at a greater scale. If they’re led back to the bedside, fantastic, but we need to recognize the lifecycle of a nursing career.
How does your company’s service innovate or improve upon existing solutions in the healthcare sector?
I don’t see nurses being educated about their options away from the bedside at scale. There are a few nurses who feel passionately about this like I do and who are reaching their audience, but the rest of the industry seems hell-bent on keeping nurses at the bedside. I understand that we need nurses at the bedside, but we need nurses at the bedside who want to be at the bedside. We know that is better for both nurses and patients.
So instead of trying to force the line, we should encourage nurses to innovate, take nontraditional paths, and follow their passions. Because nurses are passionate. They want to make a difference, and amazing things can happen when you believe in nurses and encourage them to chase their dreams. We would be better off, and more nurses would feel excited about entering the profession at all.
What have been the biggest obstacles you've faced in launching and growing your healthcare business, and how have you overcome them?
Imposter syndrome has honestly been my biggest obstacle. It’s so important to have your circle of supporters when you’re trying to grow your own business — those who make you feel like you can’t fail, or that failures are only learning experiences and bound to happen.
Entrepreneurship can also be isolating. Some people, including friends and family, will think you’re crazy. One of my podcast guests this season, Amanda Kirklin, actually said something I really liked: “Don't take advice from people who aren't willing to do what you're willing to do or go where you're willing to go.” And I think this is really powerful advice as an entrepreneur or even a nurse looking to pivot away from the bedside. You have to remove yourself from those who don’t believe in you, and you’ll start to see your own limiting beliefs fade away.
How do you stay informed about the latest trends, developments, and challenges in the healthcare sector — and how does this inform your business strategy?
I’m still very connected with the nursing community, and I subscribe to industry newsletters like the Nursing Beat. I also make a point to network, stay active on LinkedIn, and I’m always consuming information and different perspectives.
What are your long-term goals and visions for your healthcare business, and how do you plan to achieve them?
My goal is to continue building my email list. Every email is potentially a nurse who I can help make a difference for.