Meet Jeanette Harrison

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeanette Harrison. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeanette below.

Hi Jeanette, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?

I feel like risk-taking has been an inherent part of my life. I tend to categorize my risks as big and small, but both have shaped who I am today. I’ve been taking risks since childhood, when I entered foster care. Living with complete strangers and knowing no one truly has your back is a risk in itself. I had to make the conscious decision to believe that those people would be kind to me, that I would be safe, and that things would turn out okay. One of the biggest risks I ever took was at nine years old, standing up in court after our biological mother abandoned her four small children, and saying that I wanted to be adopted. I barely knew the people who would become my family, but I made a life-changing decision that affected not only me but also my younger sister.

In school, I continued taking risks. I had a speech disorder, yet I joined debate and speech in high school. I studied words every night, determined to use my voice. To this day, I take that same risk every time I speak publicly or share my thoughts online. I also dared to believe I could go to college, even when people told me it wasn’t possible—that I should settle for being a secretary, that there wasn’t enough money, and that kids like me didn’t make it. Most foster children struggle in school, but I signed up for college-bound coursework anyway. I decided I wasn’t going to be a statistic. Pushing against the grain is always a risk, no matter your age.

At eighteen, I took another risk by reaching out to my biological brothers and inviting them to my high school graduation reception. That was “against the rules” back then, but it mattered to me. We had been separated for ten years, and reconnecting took courage. Later, I took a chance on myself again by going to college, earning a bachelor’s degree, and eventually traveling and working across the country. Looking back, I’m not sure if I was brave or naive—maybe a little of both—but each leap taught me something invaluable: when I take a risk, especially a calculated one, it often pays off. Those challenges could have stopped me, but instead, I used them to propel myself forward.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

If someone had told me 15 years ago that my life would look the way it does now, I would’ve thought they had me mistaken for someone else. I never imagined I’d reach thousands of people through my books, website, and social media. It’s serendipity at its finest.

Before earning my bachelor’s degree, I planned to become an attorney. I majored in history with a minor in political science, took the LSAT, and, believing my scores weren’t good enough, stayed an extra year in undergrad to complete all my education coursework, including student teaching. I later retook the LSAT and the GRE and scored well, but graduate school was financially out of reach. Within months, I found myself homeless—moving from place to place until a friend offered me a home in Kearney, Nebraska. While there, I applied for a job at a local clinic, starting in medical records and later becoming a medical transcriptionist. That experience introduced me to healthcare and sparked a lifelong passion for understanding how the system really works.

I pursued graduate studies in public health after discovering how health, policy, and human behavior intersect. I earned my master’s degree in public health at the University of Iowa, completed a fellowship in healthcare administration, and later worked in hospitals and higher education. But life has never been a straight path for me. I’ve faced unemployment, housing insecurity, and the challenges of PTSD—yet each setback forced me to reinvent myself. In 2017, I published my first book, Cases for Developing Healthcare Leaders, based on classroom simulations I had written for my students. What began as a teaching tool evolved into something much bigger. My blog, How Healthcare Works, which started as a resource for my students, grew into a platform for personal and professional empowerment.

Today, How Healthcare Works, LLC is both my business and my mission. I help people rebuild their lives through self-care, professional growth, and accessible wellness education. My work bridges healthcare, business strategy, and lifestyle coaching—because I believe health is also a form of wealth. I’ve written seven books, built an engaged following, and continue to expand my digital programs. This season, I’m offering my gratitude course, virtual walking program, and my Holiday Burnout Recovery course and guide. I’m also developing my next book, Keep Walking, Keep Moving: How to Keep Going When Life Gets Hard, and continuing to grow my Renew You coaching program. Every part of my journey has been about turning adversity into purpose—and helping others learn that no matter how hard life gets, you can always start again.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

In my graduate school admission essay, I wrote that what makes me unique is my drive, determination, and desire. Those three qualities have shaped my entire life and been the foundation of every success I’ve had. Drive is what fuels you—it’s your vision, your motivation, and your “why.” You have to understand what makes you want something badly enough to keep going after it, even when no one else believes in it. Drive gives you direction; it’s what makes you get up and keep working toward the life you want to live and the goals you’ve set for yourself.

Determination is about showing up every day, even when you don’t feel like it. Walt Disney once called it “stick-to-it-ivity,” and I’ve always loved that term. Determination means staying the course when you feel out of place or uncertain. It’s getting up and going to class even when you think everyone else in the room is smarter than you. It’s having the courage to put your heart on your sleeve and the faith to keep going, trusting that tomorrow will be better. Even when you make mistakes—or feel like you’ve fallen behind—you keep moving forward.

Finally, desire comes from the heart. Some might call it passion, but for me, I always say that “God put it in my heart” to be more than what I was told I could be. Whenever I get down on myself—and it happens more often than I’d like—I hear that small voice reminding me that I’m meant for more. That belief keeps me grounded and hopeful. My desire is to make a meaningful impact in other people’s lives and to live the best life I can. I don’t ever want to look back and say, I wish I had. I want to look back and say, I did.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

I believe that life is synergistic—that everyone in our lives teaches us something and leaves us with something. I’ve been deeply inspired and motivated by people in my life, and I’ve also been deeply wounded by others. It may seem strange, but even the people who hurt me taught me how to become a better version of myself.

Experiencing abuse throughout my life gave me empathy and intuition; I can often sense what someone is feeling without them even saying a word. It also taught me how to protect myself in potentially dangerous situations, which served me well as I lived all over the country in unfamiliar places. At the same time, it made me cautious and untrusting—which, as a friend once told me, can be both endearing and annoying. Most importantly, it taught me to truly value the people who show genuine kindness, generosity, and love. A year after I moved to Idaho, I met someone who embodied that. That person encouraged me, sat with me, and supported me as I reclaimed who I am. Sometimes, that’s what it takes—someone quietly holding your hand as you evolve and change. We remain friends to this day.

I also want to give credit to myself and my therapists. Often, we focus on thanking others, but I’m grateful for my own effort and resilience. I noticed I was experiencing panic attacks and took the time to research and develop a mental health program for myself to get back on track. My book, Bragging About You, grew out of my own journal and became both a teaching tool for my students and a tool for myself. Over the past few years, my therapists have been instrumental in helping me rebuild my life after leaving my ex, tackling past traumas, and recognizing when people weren’t treating me with kindness—something I hadn’t always been able to do. Together, these experiences and relationships—both the painful and the nurturing—have shaped the person I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.howhealthcareworks.net/
• Instagram: @howhealthcareworks
• Facebook: @howhealthcareworks
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanetteharrisonmph/
• Twitter: @jrharrisonmph
• Youtube: @howhealthcareworks2777
• Other: TikTok @howhealthcareworks

Image Credits

All photos were taken by the iphone of Jeanette R. Harrison, MPH, and she is the owner of all of the photos.