Two Northwestern Medicine leaders, Lisett Bringas and Joanna Casillas, share how their backgrounds in the hospitality industry have molded how they approach their roles in health care today. Lisett is the manager of Support Services, overseeing Environmental Services at Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital, and Joanna is the residency program manager in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. In this episode, they share how they apply hospitality practices to health care to effectively lead their teams.

Daniel O'Donnell, PA-C, is a Northwestern Medicine physician assistant with nearly 20 years of orthopaedic experience. He's one of the first advanced practice providers (APPs) at Northwestern Medicine to manage a team of APPs. In this episode, he talks about his model of everyday leadership and how he grew from a hesitant new leader to managing dozens of APPs across multiple specialties.

R. Kannan Mutharasan, MD, cardiologist and medical director of Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Palos Hospital, shares his leadership journey in integrating cardiovascular care across Chicago's south suburbs.

He emphasizes that leadership is a mindset rooted in relationships, curiosity and service — not titles. Drawing from a range of experiences in medicine, engineering and history, he introduces frameworks like VOICE (Vision, Opportunity, Innovation, Communication, Execution) and advocates for "systems with soul" that prioritize people. His stories highlight the power of noticing, listening and acting to improve patient care. Dr. Mutharasan's approach blends humility, continuous learning and a deep commitment to building compassionate, collaborative healthcare environments.