Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Pinckney.
Hi Michelle, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey did not begin with a doctorate, a private practice, or a long list of credentials behind my name. It began with a desire to care for people, a willingness to work hard, and the determination to keep moving forward even when I could not see exactly where the journey would lead.
I began my nursing career as a Licensed Practical Nurse after completing my LPN diploma at Trident Technical College in 1992. At the time, I could not have imagined all the places nursing would eventually take me. What I did know was that I wanted to make a difference in the lives of others.
As my career progressed, so did my desire to learn and grow. I continued my education, earning my Associate Degree in Nursing, followed by my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I later earned a Master of Science in Nursing with a focus in education, a post-master’s certificate in Nursing Administration, and ultimately my Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership.
But my education did not stop there.
Over the years, I developed a deep passion for mental health. I saw firsthand how mental illness can affect individuals, families, relationships, careers, and entire communities. I also saw the tremendous difference that compassionate, accessible, and nonjudgmental psychiatric care can make. That passion led me to complete a post-master’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certificate and become a board-certified PMHNP.
A Career of Service and Leadership
My nursing career has now spanned more than three decades, with much of that time dedicated to mental health and leadership. I spent many years serving within the Department of Veterans Affairs, including leadership as a Chief Nurse for Mental Health. Caring for our nation’s Veterans and working alongside dedicated healthcare professionals helped shape me as both a clinician and a leader.
Leadership taught me that making a difference in healthcare requires more than treating one patient at a time. It also requires advocating for better systems, developing healthcare professionals, improving quality, mentoring others, and creating environments where both patients and staff can thrive.
Those experiences helped prepare me for another important part of my journey: becoming an educator.
Today, I have the privilege of educating future nurses and advanced practice nurses. Teaching allows me to take everything I have learned through decades of clinical practice, leadership, successes, challenges, and life experiences and pour that knowledge into the next generation of healthcare providers.
There is something incredibly meaningful about helping a student move from uncertainty to confidence and eventually watching that student become a competent healthcare professional.
Becoming an Entrepreneur
Eventually, I realized that I wanted to create something of my own.
That vision became We Care Healthcare, LLC.
Starting my own healthcare practice required me to step outside of my comfort zone. I was no longer only a nurse practitioner—I became a business owner, decision-maker, marketer, problem-solver, and entrepreneur.
We Care Healthcare represents much more to me than a business. It represents the culmination of years of education, clinical experience, leadership, and my belief that people deserve compassionate and accessible mental healthcare.
Through my practice, I have been able to provide psychiatric evaluations, medication management, ADHD testing, and other mental health services while continuing to expand the ways I can serve individuals and communities.
Entrepreneurship has also taught me an important lesson: you do not have to choose only one path.
I can be a nurse practitioner.
I can be an educator.
I can be a leader.
I can be an entrepreneur.
I can serve my community.
And I can continue learning.
Continuing to Grow
Even after earning a doctorate and becoming established as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, educator, and business owner, I decided that there was still more for me to learn. I began pursuing additional education as a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Some people may wonder why someone who has already accomplished so much would return to school again.
For me, the answer is simple: growth does not have an expiration date.
Expanding my knowledge into family practice gives me an opportunity to better understand and care for the whole person. Mental and physical health are deeply connected, and I want to continue developing the skills that allow me to provide increasingly comprehensive care across the lifespan.
Giving Back
My journey has also taught me that success carries a responsibility to serve others.
That belief extends beyond my professional practice. Through Sharing & Caring, Inc., a nonprofit organization I co-founded, I have worked to support individuals experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable members of the community through food, clothing, shelter assistance, healthcare support, and outreach.
For me, service is not separate from success. It is part of it.
Where I Am Today
Today, I am Dr. Michelle Y. Pinckney, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC—a nurse practitioner, educator, healthcare leader, entrepreneur, and lifelong learner.
But those titles only tell part of my story.
Behind every credential are years of studying while working, accepting new challenges, making difficult decisions, learning from mistakes, taking risks, helping patients, mentoring others, and refusing to become comfortable with where I was when I knew there was still somewhere else I wanted to go.
I did not arrive here overnight.
I arrived here one degree, one patient, one position, one opportunity, one challenge, and one decision at a time.
When I look back at the young woman who started as an LPN in 1992, I realize that every stage of my career prepared me for the next one—even when I did not recognize it at the time.
Nursing gave me my foundation.
Mental health gave me my passion.
Leadership gave me my voice.
Education gave me an opportunity to pour into others.
Entrepreneurship gave me the courage to build something of my own.
Service keeps me connected to my purpose.
And continuing my education reminds me that I am still becoming.
My Story Is Still Being Written
One of the greatest lessons I have learned is that you should never allow where you started to determine how far you can go.
Your first position does not have to be your final position.
Your first degree does not have to be your last degree.
And your current circumstances do not have to define your future.
Sometimes the path will change. Sometimes opportunities will require courage. Sometimes you will have to begin again when everyone else thinks you have already arrived.
Keep going anyway.
I am proud of where I started. I am grateful for where I am today. And I am excited about where I am going next.
This is my story—but it is not the end of my story.
I am still learning. I am still growing. I am still serving. And I am still becoming.
— Michelle Y. Pinckney, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Founder, We Care Healthcare, LLC
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Working while continually advancing my education. I progressed from LPN to ASN, BSN, MSN, post-master’s education, DNP, PMHNP certification, and now to advanced practice education. Sustaining a career while repeatedly returning to school requires significant time, discipline, and sacrifice.
Transitioning from bedside nursing into increasingly demanding leadership roles. Moving into nursing administration and eventually serving as a Chief Nurse for Mental Health meant becoming responsible not only for patients but also for staff, programs, quality outcomes, and organizational expectations.
Building a career in mental health. I have worked with complex psychiatric populations, including individuals with serious mental illness, substance-use disorders, psychotic disorders, and other significant behavioral-health needs.
Leaving familiar roles and starting new chapters. My career has involved major professional transitions—including moving between clinical practice, executive leadership, academia, and entrepreneurship.
Starting and growing We Care Healthcare. Becoming a business owner meant learning responsibilities beyond clinical care—developing services, finding opportunities, marketing, managing the business side of healthcare, and building credibility while continuing your other professional responsibilities.
Balancing multiple roles. At different points, I have simultaneously been a healthcare provider, educator, leader, student, entrepreneur, and community advocate.
Continuing despite already having “made it.” Returning to school and expanding my scope after earning a doctorate and establishing myself professionally means accepting the vulnerability of becoming a student again.
Creating opportunities instead of waiting for them. My private practice, nonprofit involvement, consulting opportunities, academic work, and professional leadership suggest that much of this journey has required initiative rather than simply following a predetermined career path.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about We Care Healthcare, LLC?
About We Care Healthcare, LLC
We Care Healthcare, LLC is more than a healthcare practice—it represents my commitment to making quality mental health care accessible, compassionate, individualized, and free from judgment.
I founded We Care Healthcare with the belief that people deserve a place where they can talk openly about their mental health concerns and feel heard, respected, and involved in their treatment. Mental illness still carries significant stigma, and one of the missions behind We Care Healthcare is to help change that conversation while providing patients with the professional care they need.
What We Do
We Care Healthcare specializes in psychiatric and mental health services. Our services include comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, medication management, follow-up psychiatric care, consultation, and ADHD testing. We provide care through telehealth, which allows us to increase access and provide patients with greater flexibility in receiving mental health services.
My clinical background includes caring for individuals experiencing a wide range of psychiatric conditions, including:
Depression and other mood disorders
Anxiety disorders
ADHD
Bipolar disorder
Psychotic disorders
Substance use disorders and addiction
Serious mental illness
Medication-management needs
Co-occurring and complex psychiatric conditions
We Care Healthcare also provides consultative psychiatric services and works to meet the mental health needs of individuals and organizations within the communities we serve. Our practice currently provides virtual services across multiple states.
What Sets We Care Healthcare Apart
What I believe sets We Care Healthcare apart is the combination of experience, accessibility, compassion, and individualized care.
I bring more than three decades of nursing experience to the practice, with much of my career dedicated to behavioral and mental health. My background has allowed me to experience healthcare from many perspectives—as a nurse, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, executive nursing leader, educator, and healthcare entrepreneur.
That experience influences how I approach every patient.
I do not believe that patients should be reduced to a diagnosis or medication list. I want to understand the person sitting in front of me—their concerns, experiences, challenges, goals, and what they hope to accomplish through treatment.
We Care Healthcare is committed to providing a judgment-free environment where patients can feel comfortable discussing difficult issues. Our goal is not simply to treat symptoms. We want to help people improve their overall quality of life and become active participants in their healthcare. This patient-centered, compassionate philosophy is central to how the practice describes its approach to care.
What We Are Known For
I want We Care Healthcare to be known for one thing above everything else: we genuinely care.
The name was intentional.
“We Care” is not simply a business name or marketing slogan. It represents how I believe healthcare should be delivered. Patients should feel that their provider listens to them, respects them, takes their concerns seriously, educates them about their treatment, and works collaboratively with them.
We are particularly passionate about increasing mental health awareness and helping break the stigma surrounding mental illness. Seeking psychiatric treatment should not be viewed as weakness. Taking care of your mental health is an important part of taking care of your overall health.
What I Am Most Proud of About the Brand
What makes me most proud is that I built We Care Healthcare from a vision into a practice that allows me to serve people in a way that reflects my own values.
When I began my nursing career as an LPN in 1992, I could not have imagined that one day I would own a healthcare practice. Every stage of my career—bedside nursing, mental health nursing, leadership, advanced practice, education, and entrepreneurship—helped prepare me for this chapter.
I am also proud that the brand continues to evolve. We have expanded our services, incorporated telehealth, added ADHD testing, developed partnerships and consultative opportunities, and continued looking for new ways to increase access to mental healthcare.
For me, growth is not simply about making the company bigger. It is about increasing our ability to make a difference.
What I Want People to Know About We Care Healthcare
I want readers to know that there is a real person and a real purpose behind this brand.
We Care Healthcare was built from decades of caring for people, advocating for patients, leading healthcare teams, educating future healthcare professionals, and witnessing firsthand the impact untreated or undertreated mental illness can have on individuals and families.
Whether someone is struggling with anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, substance use, another psychiatric condition, or simply recognizes that something is not right and wants professional help, I want them to know that seeking care is a positive step.
Most importantly, I want people to understand the meaning behind our name:
At We Care Healthcare, caring isn’t just part of what we do—it is the foundation of who we are.
Our goal is to meet people where they are, provide high-quality psychiatric care, decrease barriers to treatment, and help every patient move toward a healthier and more fulfilling life.
We Care Healthcare, LLC
Compassionate Mental Health Care. Individualized Treatment. A Judgment-Free Environment.
Visit We Care Healthcare, LLC
What makes you happy?
What Makes Me Happy and Why
What makes me happiest is knowing that my life and my work have purpose. I find genuine happiness in helping others, whether that means caring for a patient who is struggling with their mental health, encouraging a nursing student who is finding their way, mentoring another professional, serving my community, or simply being there for someone who needs support.
My family and the people I love are also an important source of happiness. As much as I value my professional accomplishments, I understand that success is about more than degrees, titles, positions, or businesses. It is also about having meaningful relationships, creating memories, enjoying life, and appreciating the people who have been part of my journey.
I am happiest when I am growing. I have always believed that there is something else to learn and another level to reach. Education has been a major part of my life because learning challenges me and reminds me that no matter how much I accomplish, I can continue becoming a better version of myself.
I also find happiness in seeing other people succeed. As an educator, there is something special about watching a student gain confidence and eventually become the healthcare professional they once dreamed of becoming. Knowing that I played even a small role in someone’s journey is incredibly rewarding.
We Care Healthcare brings me happiness for a different reason—it is something I built from my own vision. It represents years of nursing experience, education, leadership, sacrifice, and perseverance. When I see the practice growing and helping people receive the mental health services they need, I am reminded that all of those years of preparation had a purpose.
Serving others also brings me joy. I believe that what we accomplish means even more when we use it to help someone else. Whether through healthcare, education, mentorship, community service, or simply encouraging another person, giving back keeps me connected to why I started this journey in the first place.
At this stage of my life, happiness also means having the freedom to be myself, pursue the opportunities that are meaningful to me, and recognize how far I have come.
I have learned that happiness is not always found in the next accomplishment. Sometimes it is found in stopping long enough to appreciate the life I have already built.
What makes me happy is knowing that I am still growing, still helping others, still creating, still dreaming, and still becoming—and that the journey that brought me here has allowed me to make a difference along the way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wecarehealthcarellc.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/we_care_healthcare_llc/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelleypinckney/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-y-pinckney-dnp-aprn-pmhnp-bc-phn-52755722/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wecarehealthcarellc7912
- Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/iFaz0mWzGOSBxGjHXaOZ1Q
