Nurse Entrepreneur Spotlight: Lori Schellenberg
After serving 40+ years as a nurse and case manager, Lori Schellenberg bypassed retirement to found Stepping Stone Advocacy Services. Her company matches patients and their families with Patient Advocates (i.e., licensed medical professionals who work with patients and their care teams to help overcome care challenges, find financial resources, and identify other important resources that improve quality of care.)
Lori is also a strong advocate for nurses. In addition to helping patients and their families, Stepping Stone Advocacy Services helps nurses pivot from the bedside by training them as Patient Advocates. The goal of the company’s nurse training platform is to prevent nurse burnout, provide nurses with key business skills, and keep nurses working in healthcare in a fulfilling way.
Can you tell us about your journey as an entrepreneur in the healthcare industry?
My journey began at the bedside, but curiosity led me to a home health role, where I enjoyed new freedom. When a manufacturing plant offered me a temporary role as an occupational health nurse, I hesitated—then took the leap. That decision opened doors I never imagined, giving me experience in worker’s compensation, OSHA regulations, and health program development.
As I moved from one role to another, I discovered how transferable my nursing skills were. I brought clinical insight into business roles, mentoring new case managers, marketing programs, and helping companies grow. Every pivot added new layers to my career, teaching me that uncertainty wasn’t a barrier—it was a chance to evolve.
Building partnerships became essential. When an orthopedic surgeon needed help managing worker’s compensation cases, I guided him and even helped him launch an Independent Medical Exam business. These collaborations showed me that no journey is taken alone; shared goals and trust fuel success.
Later, retirement seemed like the next chapter, but it left me searching for purpose. A friend’s suggestion to explore patient advocacy reignited my passion. I immersed myself in learning, joining professional groups, and building a vision: I could use my expertise not just to help patients, but to mentor nurses looking to pivot away from the bedside. Launching Stepping Stone Advocacy Services became my way of giving back. Through my advocacy, I support patients navigating the healthcare system while mentoring nurses seeking new paths.
What inspired you to start your own venture in this field?
When my parents retired, they moved closer to me so they could play an active role in my children’s lives. My Mom had already had to have cardiac bypass surgery. At that time, I stepped up to provide her with support, communicate her care with my siblings, and care for her post-operatively. I attended appointments to make sure she was getting appropriate care.
My Dad also had many chronic health problems, including sleep apnea for which a trach was inserted (this was prior to CPAP). The procedure cured his apnea but introduced infection after infection, with multiple surgeries and complications. In addition, he eventually went into kidney failure and had to start dialysis. He fought, and we advocated for a kidney transplant, despite his age and comorbidities. He never gave up. I didn’t either! Along the way, we challenged the physicians, the facilities, and the care providers to provide better or new evolving treatments. We called for team meetings and met with CEOs, Directors of Nursing, and Patient Advocates. My Mom watched and learned to advocate for him and for herself. We have become quite the team!
My Dad passed away peacefully. We had advocated to transfer him to Hospice Care, and my family was able to be with him to share his last moments together. Today, my Mom happily lives in a Continuous Care Community in Independent Living. I advocated for her to transition to this new community. Even though I have retired from nursing, I bring these experiences to help patients and their families navigate the complexities of our current healthcare system as a Patient Advocate.
What specific problem or challenge in healthcare are you addressing with your business?
We are an advocacy business! We provide advocacy services for patients, families, and nurses. For individuals and families, the healthcare system is like a maze. I help people navigate the healthcare system by providing services to address the emotional, physical, and environmental challenges that patients and their families face when dealing with an illness or crisis. I do this a Nurse Patient Advocate.
I also act as an advocate for the nurses who serve patients and their families. Nurses at the bedside are burnt out, and we are losing nurses. Some are leaving healthcare altogether. I wanted to find a way to support those nurses so that we don’t lose them from our healthcare system.
How does your company’s service innovate or improve upon existing solutions in the healthcare sector?
Patient advocacy is critical to helping patients and their families navigate the healthcare system. So after stumbling through the development of my company with no business experience, I decided two things. The first thing was that I wanted to share what I learned with other nurses through education and training programs throughout the country. The second was that I wanted to grow my company by hiring and training other nurses so that I could help more people. I am now accomplishing these goals by taking the following actions:
Having identified that many nurses are leaving healthcare altogether after feeling burnt out, I have created a learning platform for nurses. I provide advocacy for nurses in several ways. I recently started a “soft launch” of the platform as I build out the courses.
I have hired experienced nurses who have pivoted to non-bedside roles and are now developing courses for other nurses looking to pivot from the bedside. These courses provide the nuts and bolts of what the nurse needs to pivot, and many of these Nurse Instructors offer a coaching component as well. These Nurse Instructors get to earn a source of passive income, providing some support for those who are nearing retirement.
I also reached out to the small business owners who helped me build my business. Many of my business partners are offering free “mini-business” courses to provide nurses with the initial information that they will need to start a business. These courses provide education on website development, Google business information, legal aspects and contracts, and bookkeeping.
I have tailored these courses to meet the needs of busy nurses, who are working shift work full-time and perhaps raising families. The courses are self-paced and priced below other training programs in the industry to make them affordable for younger nurses.
I will be offering a career corner that utilizes the latest technologies and innovations to help course participants find real jobs!
What have been the biggest obstacles you've faced in launching and growing your healthcare business, and how have you overcome them?
Learning the business side of my venture has been the hardest. Through my experiences over the last two years, I have learned from my mistakes and have been willing to go “back to the drawing board” to explore different business strategies. I learned that you just don’t create a business and a product, and you are done. It takes commitment and flexibility.
Can you share success stories of milestones that your company has achieved in improving healthcare outcomes or patient experiences?
Our clients and their families provide us with very positive reviews about their healthcare experience compared to what they experienced before we were hired. On the other side of things, I believe creating this nurse training platform is a milestone towards keeping nurses working in healthcare and improving outcomes.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to enter the healthcare industry with their own startups?
If you can, give yourself the time to develop a plan that plots out week-by-week what you need to do to turn the lights on for your business.
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 belong to several professional organizations, I am an active participant on LInkedIn, and I am connected with many healthcare providers and industry leaders.
What are your long-term goals and visions for your healthcare business, and how do you plan to achieve them?
I want to continue to grow my territories, putting Nurse Patient Advocates where needed. I also want to continue to offer and grow the training course library to help more nurses who wish to pivot away from the bedside.