With the right data foundation, hospitals can better support medical staff and improve patient outcomes.

Tony Pastorino, commercial health strategy lead at Resultant, joins Jess Carter to discuss how data-driven insights are transforming hospital efficiency. Tony shares his experiences from overseeing information systems at IU Health. He also highlights the critical role of predictive analytics in improving patient flow and streamlining daily operations.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How predictive models can improve staffing and resource allocation

• The challenges of managing complex healthcare data

• How hospitals can use their existing data to make clearer, more confident operational decisions

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to the episode with Tony Pastorino

(02:06) Breaking down the complexity of healthcare data

(05:12) How hospitals are building data lakes

(10:02) Predictive analytics in health care

(16:45) Improving the patient experience in hospital systems
(21:00) Predictive analytics for nurse staffing and burnout

(24:56) Using AI to create more distraction-free patient interactions

(26:40) How hospitals can start using data today

(29:28) The future of data-driven health care

Tony's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonypastorino/

What can we learn from the leaders shaping the future of tech, health care, and cybersecurity?

In this solo episode, Jess Carter reflects on recent conversations with industry leaders across various fields. Each discussion reveals how mission, people, and structure drive key leadership decisions and strategies. Jess invites listeners to pause and consider their own leadership: How clear is your mission? What support do your teams need? And do your systems align with the way you want to work?

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why a clear mission makes data easier to work with

• The way you support people changes data outcomes

• A simple way to check if your systems help or get in the way
  
  

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to the episode with Jess Carter

(00:51) Why data-driven leadership starts with mission

(03:57) Keeping people at the center of data decisions

(07:36) How structure and culture build sustainability

In today's fast-paced world, organizations can't rely on static, long-term plans. Strategies must continuously evolve to stay relevant.

In this episode, Resultant EVP of Professional Services Mike Hughes shares his insights on leading through rapid change. He discusses how to maintain organizational health, align culture with strategy, and foster clarity and accountability across teams. Mike also offers advice on balancing priorities and keeping teams focused, no matter the challenges.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to assess the health of an organization

• Ways to strengthen culture through clarity and alignment

• What great consultants do differently to add value

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to the episode with Mike Hughes

(02:17) Staying passionate throughout a career in consulting

(06:17) How client expectations are shifting

(10:44) Defining and measuring organizational health
(13:52) The link between culture and results

(17:52) How to manage priorities and implement change

(22:07) Where leaders should start to improve organizational health

Mike's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-hughes-15038b/

AI is everywhere, but it can't succeed without the judgment, creativity, and collaboration of real data science.

In this episode, Jess Carter sits down with Alexa Myers, senior data science manager at Resultant, for a conversation about building successful data science teams. They discuss how isolation can hinder even the most skilled data scientists, and what happens when organizations pursue outcomes without the right structure in place.

Alexa shares field-tested lessons on what works, where teams struggle, and why communication matters as much as technical skill. As AI takes center stage, this conversation highlights the kind of leadership and teamwork needed to make data science and the AI it supports truly effective.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What happens when AI is used without science

• Best practices for building strong data science teams

• How to talk about data science with executives and stakeholders

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to the episode with Alexa Myers
(02:09) What data science is and why it's still misunderstood
(05:07) The impact of AI in data science
(10:12) What to consider when building a data science department
(15:01) How to communicate effectively with stakeholders
(18:24) Why human insight still matters
(22:15) Mentorship and lessons from multi-generational teams
(26:19) The next wave of AI and fixing broken AI solutions

Study Finds AI Models Suffer 'Brain Rot' from Clickbait and Junk Data:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DQKafFME7he/?igsh=MWQ3azRjNzAyNDBpbQ%3D%3D&img_index=1

Alexa's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexa-myers-b29099135/

Organizations are racing toward digital and AI transformation, but the same problem keeps showing up: people aren't ready.

In this replay episode, Jess Carter revisits her conversation with Allison Grayson, Senior Director of Organizational Change Management at Resultant. They explore the fundamentals that ensure change is well implemented in an organization. Allison explains why strategy and technology fall short without sponsorship, communication, and culture. She also emphasizes the importance of early-stage planning and continuous feedback to ensure lasting success.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to make your "case for change" clear and compelling

• The impact of leadership buy-in on the overall success of change initiatives

• The value of continuous feedback loops during change

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to the episode with Allison Grayson
(03:26) Defining Organizational Change Management (OCM) in simple terms
(08:59) How to avoid overwhelming teams with too much change
(15:17) Early budgeting and planning for OCM
(17:09) Building a clear and compelling "case for change"
(18:31) Why training and emails don't lead to adoption
(20:39) Turning resistance and fear into engagement
(27:00) How executive alignment supports transformation

Allison's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-grayson/

Private companies can be mission-driven. And in today's market, they have to be.

Rob Seaman, Chief Product Officer at Slack, joins Jess Carter to discuss how leading with purpose helps build better teams and better products.

Rob shares lessons from Slack's integration with Salesforce, including the importance of staying close to customers, balancing speed with quality, and accepting that product leadership is never really "done." He also reflects on his path from small startups to global enterprises and what it takes to build teams that work with clarity and intent.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How product leaders can stay grounded in customer feedback

• Ways to build teams that deliver both speed and quality

• Why a clear mission helps teams create better products
  
  

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to the episode with Rob Seaman

(02:42) Behind Salesforce and Slack's integration

(05:19) Why products are never truly done

(08:17) Finding mission in private sector product leadership

(10:02) Building Agent Force and learning from customer adoption

(14:38) Advice for stepping into product leadership roles

(18:15) Separating noise from real customer signals

(23:25) Why product teams need customer insight

(28:44) Lessons Rob still values from early startup experiences

Alex Komoroske's "How Organizations Are Like Slime Molds": https://komoroske.com/slime-mold/

Rob's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seamanrob/

From TikTok skits to tech leadership, Kelly Vega shows why project managers are more than task trackers.

As program director at VML and the creator of Not the Worst PM, Kelly has built a following by turning the chaos of project management into relatable, entertaining content. In this episode of Data-Driven Leadership, she joins Jess Carter to share what she's learned leading complex digital projects and building PM teams across industries.

Kelly reflects on her path into the profession, how humor on social media has helped her spotlight the realities of the job, and what separates transactional PMs from effective PMs. She also explains how great project managers influence culture, communication, and outcomes in ways that go far beyond checking boxes.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to recognize the traits of a high-value project manager

• What separates PMs from task managers

• What PMs can do to build trust and credibility with stakeholders

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to the episode with Kelly Vega

(02:07) Social media stories that capture project manager realities

(04:46) Launching long-form PM content

(07:52) What makes a project manager high value

(10:52) Process-driven PMs versus adaptable leaders

(16:17) Lessons from BBC's failed Digital Media Initiative project

(20:10) Avoiding over-engineering and building progress that's measurable

(22:51) How PMs signal urgency and escalate risks effectively

(28:45) Leading diverse teams while navigating politics and expectations

(32:45) Recognizing PM leadership as culture, engagement, and delivery

Kelly's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-suter/

Kelly's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nottheworstpm/

Kelly's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nottheworstpm

A single error in a medical record can change a child's life.

Theresa Meadows has spent her career making sure that doesn't happen.

In this episode, Jess Carter talks with Theresa, who recently transitioned from CIO at Cook Children's Health Care System to a new role at symplr. Theresa recalls her unlikely path from transplant nurse to technology leader and shares how those dual perspectives influenced the way she thinks about data, trust, and patient care.

Their conversation touches on the complexity of pediatric records, the challenges of moving entire hospitals onto electronic systems, and the opportunities she sees for AI to ease the burden on clinicians. Woven through it all are the leadership lessons Theresa carried from the bedside to the boardroom, and now into her work guiding the next generation of healthcare innovation.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why pediatric hospitals face different data challenges than adult care facilities

• How electronic health record conversions can affect patient safety

• What healthcare leaders should prioritize in their first 90 days in a new role

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to the episode with Theresa Meadows

(02:15) Training physicians on early physician order entry systems

(08:16) Career lessons from mentors and moving into Cook Children's

(09:53) Unique data challenges faced in pediatric healthcare

(13:17) Transitioning hospitals to electronic health records successfully

(19:38) Advice for leaders in their first 90 days

(23:41) Where AI and technology are taking healthcare next

(30:50) Why mentorship starts with speaking up about your goals