In this week’s episode of the Growth Edge podcast, I speak with incoming high school senior, Ojas Bhagra. He shares his passion for exploring the richness of humanity through advocacy, community, and a powerful initiative called Stories of Stigma and Strength. Stories of Stigma and Strength is a community initiative that aims to shatter stigma one story at a time. This important work advocates for people; socially marginalized individuals, those who cannot advocate for themselves or are thrust a...
Aug 10, 2020•40 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Most leaders agree that coaching is important, but few adopt the practice of being coached and coachable. In this week's episode, we'll explore what it means to be coachable, how coach ability drives performance, and five attributes of coachable leaders.
Aug 03, 2020•27 min•Season 5Ep. 9
In this week's episode of the Growth Edge podcast, Dr. Sheritta Strong, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Inclusion at the University of Nebraska Medical Center joins me to explore the important topics of quelling fear amid uncertainty, stepping in to tough conversations, being an ally and an upstander. She also shares the four D’s - a model for intervention when you observe racism or marginalization Direct feedback Delay in feedback Distraction Delegation Harvard Project Implici...
Jul 20, 2020•47 min•Season 5Ep. 8
In this week’s Growth Edge podcast episode, I welcome my long time colleague, friend, and co-author, health system CEO Natalie Lamberton to the show. A hospital CEO by age 29, in a community where she was the only person of color, this powerhouse leader has contributed substantially to healthcare as an executive, educator, author, and mentor. Buckle up, as we explore: developing the next generation of leaders the role of mentors + sponsors the practice of mental visualization in leadership maste...
Jul 13, 2020•34 min•Season 5Ep. 7
On this week’s episode of the Growth Edge podcast, I sit down with author, professor, and researcher @David to discuss mentorship, sponsorship, allyship, and advancing equity and inclusion in the workplace. We dig into: psychosocial elements of mentorship that are crucial in times of crisis the unique differences between mentorship, sponsorship, and allyship how to audit our networks and relationships for diversity and inclusivity the benefits of reciprocal mentoring relationships David's websit...
Jul 06, 2020•42 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Stonish Pierce is an accomplished healthcare executive, and long-time colleague who joins me for an important conversation about allyship in action. He shares practical and actionable steps that leaders can consider to leverage their power, their privilege, or their platform to bridge the gap between our current reality and a more diverse and inclusive future. Suggested resources: Diversity on the Executive Path: Wisdom and Insights for Navigating to the Highest Levels of Healthcare Leadership D...
Jun 29, 2020•33 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Dr. Jasmine Marcelin is an infectious disease physician, a leader in her organization, an award winning educator, national speaker and lecturer, and active mentor. In this week's episode, we step into a hard, but important conversation regarding unconscious bias. We: define unconscious bias examine its history and evolution explore the importance of a tribe; social circle, community of safety and support outline practical steps to reduce unconscious bias and increase diversity and inclusion in h...
Jun 22, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Dr. Tiffany Love is a hospital COO, a nurse leader, a healthcare executive, a speaker, educator, and mentor, and a tireless champion for change and excellence. In this week’s Growth Edge podcast episode, we consider where we are as a nation and specifically within healthcare related to racial diversity and disparities, and discuss how we, together, can bring about the change that we seek. We review: the research related to healthcare disparities the importance of advocacy the critical importance...
Jun 15, 2020•40 min•Season 5Ep. 3
In this week’s episode, I chat with Dr. Ronn Johnson about assessing and addressing systemic and structural racism in law enforcement. Dr. Johnson is a clinical psychologist, a Professor in the department of Clinical Psychiatry, and the Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion in Creighton University’s School of Medicine. His scholarly research centers around recruitment and selection of law enforcement officers and culture with agencies and the profession. He has consulted with every major ag...
Jun 08, 2020•33 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Dr. Dan DeBehnke is an emergency care physician who became a health system CEO and now is an advisor to executives of healthcare systems. Needless to say, the last couple of months he’s been monitoring the effects of the COVID pandemic and evaluating how healthcare systems can best respond in this time of decreased profit margins. Dr. DeBehnke believes that, like it or not, the genie is out of the bottle, and telemedicine is here to stay. Though it’s not ideal for every situation, telemarketing ...
Jun 01, 2020•39 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Whether it’s a global pandemic, the loss of a loved one, a devastating clinical outcome, divorce, or other major life stressor, everyone experiences some form of adversity during their lives. It’s really not a matter of if, but when. How you manage adversity impacts not only your well-being and personal relationships, it affects your capacity to perform professionally, and may even have organizational implications if you’re in a position of formal leadership authority. Even when you’re not in a ...
Apr 21, 2020•15 min•Season 4Ep. 15
The theme of communication winds through Dr. Lillian Erdahl’s childhood and adult life. As a child, she loved to perform, act, and deliver messages to a crowd. As an adult, being a surgeon has brought with it roles heavy in communication. Through her various roles, she finds herself engaged in communication not only in the classroom and with patients but in online spaces through social media and podcasting In today’s episode, we discuss means of communication, especially through online channels,...
Apr 13, 2020•35 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Dr. Cortney Baker is a mom, CEO, author, podcaster, and an inspiration to professional women. She had some rough patches early in life, but by taking ownership of her journey, she skipped out on playing the victim, and instead she wrote her own script. Today she’s chairman and CEO of KidsCare, a multimillion dollar healthcare agency in multiple US states, and her influence reaches even farther. In today’s episode, we learn how caring for her needy sister impacted her career choices, about Cortne...
Apr 06, 2020•27 min•Season 4Ep. 13
Dr. Jason Mizell understands first-hand how puzzling and overwhelming finances can be to physicians. After all, in school their courses include very little, if any, business or financial material. When the handsome paychecks start rolling in, along with credit offers, and social expectations, it’s too easy for young doctors to find themselves buried in student loans and other debt. This affects their quality of life, their sense of personal success, their attitudes toward their work... Everyone ...
Mar 30, 2020•35 min•Season 4Ep. 12
When Dr. Qaali Hussein’s family fled war-torn Somalia in the ‘90s, she experienced trauma first-hand. Today as an trauma surgeon, helping patients through life-changing events is what she specializes in. Mending and repairing is what she loves doing. But her path to medical school was full of roadblocks. When a hijab-wearing Muslim girl announces she wants to be a mother and a surgeon, her culture responds, “impossible.” But Dr. Hussein knew herself. She knew her values, and she knew what she wa...
Mar 16, 2020•37 min•Season 4Ep. 11
Christine Spadafor is with us again. This is part two, so if you missed part one last week, make sure you listen to that episode too. This week Christine and I dig into one of her topics of expertise -- gender issues in the workplace. Christine gives us an overview of where gender parity currently stands in the US compared to our European counterparts. We discuss the various systemic, cultural, and personal barriers to women advancing in their careers and how to overcome those barriers. Christin...
Mar 09, 2020•32 min•Season 4Ep. 10
Christine’s career path has taken her from bedside nurse to law school to consultant to the boardroom. She helps businesses and institutions navigate and prepare for change, no matter the source of the disruption -- social, technological, economic, environmental, or political. Today’s episode focuses on the role of the leader during times of change. Change is hard. Adaptive leaders recognize that but are able to see the big, holistic picture, and they don’t shy away from doing what’s in the best...
Mar 02, 2020•27 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Dr. Nii Darko, son of Ghanian immigrants, was inspired to pursue a medical career by TV shows like Doogie Howser and Trapper John, M.D. But his life as a physician felt lacking in comparison to the Hollywood version. He found himself chasing degrees and feeling disappointed by the lack of autonomy and sense of fulfillment that he had hoped for. To get out of a rut, he did locum tenens work, which opened his mind to a world of possibilities. He met fellow doctors who were practicing medicine in w...
Feb 24, 2020•34 min•Season 4Ep. 8
When Dr. Joe Safdieh was interviewing for his medical residency, he knew he wanted to teach, and he was surprised that when he disclosed his aspirations, interviewers would “look at me like I had three heads.” After all, didn’t all doctors want to focus on research or clinical work? Historically, medical education has been viewed as the “leftovers” -- the job that nobody wants. And that mentality is reflected in most medical education systems today. Thankfully, some institutions are giving educa...
Feb 17, 2020•37 min•Season 4Ep. 7
By now, most of us know that the research is conclusive -- organizations and institutions are better all around when they’re diverse, all the way up to the C-suite. Women and minorities are good for the bottom line, for creativity, and for healthier, happier work environments. But how can we encourage men to mentor women in a post #MeToo world? Many men feel that mentoring a junior woman is just too risky...not to mention it can seem uncomfortable. Brad Johnson is an expert in mentorship and in ...
Feb 10, 2020•28 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Dr. Gunisha Kaur works with people who are in vulnerable places. She works as an anesthesiologist, attending patients in the OR during surgical procedures. She also works with forcibly displaced individuals -- refugees, migrants, immigrants, and asylum seekers. She doesn’t remember being a refugee herself, but her family fled ethnic and political violence in her native India when she was young. So working with displaced individuals hits very close to home. As both a physician and a human rights ...
Feb 03, 2020•39 min•Season 4Ep. 5
At a time when physicians and medical clinicians are burdened with higher patient loads, technological changes, increased regulation, and always-on schedules, who has the time and energy for adding empathetic interactions into the mix? Dr. Helen Riess, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical and cofounder of Empathetics, Inc., argues that both physicians and patients will get better outcomes when physicians practice empathy...and that it doesn’t have to add an extra 10 minu...
Jan 27, 2020•33 min•Season 4Ep. 4
You probably don’t know many physicians who were once high-school dropouts, but today you’ll get to know one. Dr. Kane Pryor’s path into medicine is a beautiful, inspiring tale of mentorship done right. Today, the Australian native is an associate professor and the vice chair of academic affairs in the Department of Anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Pryor has a heart for mentorship. Having been a mentee along the way, he is keenly aware of the traits and habits of the best leaders an...
Jan 20, 2020•38 min•Season 4Ep. 3
A native of Ireland, Dr. Geraldine McGinty is a practicing physician and the Chief Strategy and Contracting Officer for the Weill Cornell Physician Organization. She’s also the first woman chair of the board of American College of Radiologists. In today’s episode, Dr. McGinty and I discuss her varied career path -- private practice, academic medicine, community medicine, public policy -- and how she has moved among various sectors within healthcare. We discuss how risk-taking and knowing yoursel...
Jan 13, 2020•31 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Dr. Stephanie Lahr is board certified in internal medicine and clinical informatics, and her career path led her to the intersection of medicine and technology. Today she’s the CIO of Regional Health in South Dakota. Her career path wasn’t strategic but was impacted by a hurricane, an interview, personal goals, and a genuine interest in seeing healthcare advance technologically. It’s a story you don’t want to miss. In today’s episode, Dr. Lahr shares how some honest feedback helped her reevaluat...
Jan 06, 2020•45 min•Season 4Ep. 1
We’re about to welcome a new year, a new decade, and many of us are making plans and setting goals. Which is great. But what happens when life derails those plans? At age 33, with children aged 2, 4, and 6, Ashli was diagnosed with cancer. In today’s episode, Ashli shares how she dealt with her fears and how she managed to embrace the hand life dealt her while squeezing happiness out of everyday choices. Wonder Woman costume for your first chemo treatment and wedding dress for your last? Why not...
Dec 30, 2019•52 min•Season 3Ep. 18
As “Leader Leader” of Greater Omaha Chamber, Lynda has been tasked with creating and guiding all of the chamber’s leadership development offerings. Essentially, she’s been leading leaders for years, and she shares some of her wisdom with us today. Lynda is a skilled relationship builder and connector. Today we cover important topics like diversity and inclusion, avoiding echo chambers (check your social media feeds), and how to build relationships -- especially with those with whom you disagree....
Dec 23, 2019•35 min•Season 3Ep. 17
Tiny town Nebraska natives unite! Yes, my guest today, like your host, is from a no-stop-light tiny Nebraska town. We have a lot in common, beyond our similar roots. Cara is the vice president of Employee Benefits Division at SilverStone Group, the founder of Ignite! Women in Insurance, one of the most ambitious people I know, yet she religiously carves out time for herself and her family. But self-care hasn’t always been easy. There was a time when Cara found herself in a work situation that wa...
Dec 02, 2019•37 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Carrie Koh — Transforming Toxic Environments Carrie Koh, a former Mayo Clinic healthcare executive, changed career paths after working through a family tragedy. During the healing process, priorities came into focus, and today she has a coaching and consulting business dedicated primarily to physicians and healthcare executives. Her expertise is in leadership, performance, and transforming toxic environments. Carrie’s formula for success is mainly centered on focus, ownership, connection, and id...
Nov 25, 2019•44 min•Season 3Ep. 15
The brain is a power center of our very beings. We want it to be as healthy as possible to support us, not only today, but for years and decades to come. Dr. Mary Rensel, neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic, reminds us why time matters and why the time to be concerned about brain health is now -- for us and for our children. You probably knew that nutrition, exercise, sleep, and our emotional state has an impact on brain health. But did you know social connection also plays a role? Dr. Rensel gi...
Nov 04, 2019•30 min•Season 3Ep. 14
