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Host: Jarvis T. Gray, The Quality Coaching Co.
Guest: Dr. Tracey Schwartz, VP of Operations, Ascension Medical Group Texas

How do you lead with empathy, navigate change, and unlock the full potential of your healthcare team? On this episode of Excellence in Healthcare, host Jarvis T. Gray sits down with Dr. Tracey Schwartz, Vice President of Operations for a major Central Texas health system, to explore the essential mindsets and strategies behind exceptional healthcare leadership.

• Favorite Leadership Quote:
  Dr. Tracey Schwartz shares her guiding leadership quote from Teddy Roosevelt: "Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care," emphasizing empathy and personal connection in healthcare leadership.
• Career Journey & Inspiration:
  Dr. Tracey Schwartz talks through her path from a student athletic trainer and strength & conditioning graduate to VP of Operations overseeing 160 clinics and 2,600 staff. Her journey includes early aspirations in medicine, transitioning from clinical roles to administration.
• The Impact of Sports on Leadership:
  Both Jarvis T. Gray and Dr. Tracey Schwartz discuss how sports and coaching have shaped their leadership styles, particularly the value of discipline, teamwork, and coaching mentality.
• Trends in Healthcare: AI in Clinical Settings:
  Dr. Tracey Schwartz outlines how AI-generated notes are revolutionizing documentation for physicians, improving accuracy, efficiency, and patient interaction—while sharing practical insights on change management and gradual adoption.
• Pivotal Leadership Moments:
  Dr. Tracey Schwartz recounts a transformative conversation with a Zen Buddhist monk that helped her redefine her role: advocating for her staff and organization rather than carrying the responsibility for everyone's happiness.
• Mentorship and Leadership Development:
  The episode dives into the value of mentorship, including Dr. Tracey Schwartz's experience as both mentee and mentor and advice for approaching leaders for guidance. She underscores the importance of mentees being intentional and proactive.
• Workforce Engagement & Retention:
  A primary challenge discussed is staff and provider turnover, with a focus on the importance of career development, purpose, and autonomy for engagement and retention. Dr. Tracey Schwartz shares her organization’s success with a career development passport program and mentoring initiatives.

Key Takeaways

• Empathy and care remain crucial in healthcare leadership.
• Real career progress often starts at the ground level, with openness to learning and growing into new opportunities.
• AI tools in healthcare promise greater efficiency—but successful adoption depends on tailored change management strategies.
• Leaders should distinguish between advocating for staff and carrying responsibility for their happiness.
• Investing in staff development and mentorship is vital for retention and workplace satisfaction.
• Don't lose sight of your authentic self as you transition into higher leadership roles.

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Guest: Pedro Sanchez de Lozada, Founder, Canid
Host: Jarvis T. Gray, The Quality Coaching Co.

In this inspiring episode, Jarvis sits down with Pedro Sanchez de Lozada, founder of Canid, a pediatric vaccine management platform. They dive into Pedro’s journey from building tech solutions for small businesses to solving critical problems in healthcare, focusing on pediatric vaccine management. The conversation explores leadership philosophies, startup challenges, navigating the complex world of healthcare innovation as an "outsider," and the evolving landscape of public health—particularly around vaccine policy and provider burnout.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Leadership Mindset & Philosophy

• Pedro Sanchez de Lozada's guiding leadership mindset: “If you don’t get it done, no one will.” He emphasizes the importance of hands-on leadership, being willing to jump in at all levels no matter the size of the organization.

2. Entering Healthcare as an Outsider

• Pedro describes how his technology background and experience in scaling businesses like Udemy and Merlin prepared him to spot operational challenges in his family’s pediatric practice.
• He shares that being a non-healthcare insider was, at times, a secret weapon, allowing him to view entrenched problems with new eyes and innovate without the cynicism that sometimes pervades the industry.

3. About Canid

• Canid is a vaccine management platform focused on helping pediatricians run their vaccine programs more efficiently. It handles purchasing, billing, operations, and data management, aiming to take administrative burdens off doctors so they can focus on patient care.

4. Breaking Into the Industry

• Extensive discussion on the skepticism and hurdles faced by newcomers in healthcare. Pedro credits his "naivete" for pushing through barriers that might have stopped industry insiders.

5. Navigating Change and Policy Uncertainty

• In light of recent policy shifts—like Florida’s changes to vaccine mandates—Pedro stresses the need for organizations that can help both doctors and patients adapt, maintain scientific integrity, and support public health in uncertain times.

6. Core Business and Leadership Challenges

• Emphasis on sustainability and fundamentals: Pedro recounts how focusing on strong business basics and mission-driven work helped his team weather industry and funding changes.
• The importance of avoiding over-reliance on external investors for mission-critical operations.

7. Healthcare's Biggest Challenges & Opportunities

• Burnout among medical professionals post-COVID is cited as a massive challenge still under-addressed.
• Pedro calls for more solutions focused on provider wellbeing, highlighting a need for technology and business models that genuinely reduce administrative overload.

8. Looking Forward

• The next year’s goals: Help pediatricians navigate mounting uncertainty and expand Canid’s reach, all while keeping quality at scale.

Connect with Pedro & Canid

• Connect with Pedro on LinkedIn
• Email: pedro@canid.io

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Host: Jarvis T. Gray, The Quality Coaching Co.
Guest: Maria Nikol, CEO, Revelar Analytics

Episode Overview:
In this episode, Jarvis T. Gray welcomes Maria Nikol, Founder of Revelar Analytics, to discuss the evolving landscape of price transparency in healthcare, value-based care, and the journey of healthcare entrepreneurship. Maria Nikol shares insights from her 15+ year career, spanning consulting, working with payers, health tech startups, and building a company dedicated to simplifying fair market value for medical services. The conversation dives deep into personal leadership philosophies, industry challenges, and actionable advice for healthcare leaders and entrepreneurs.

Key Topics & Highlights:

• Leadership Mindset:
  Maria Nikol shares her philosophy of "get up and get going," underscoring the importance of loving what you do—especially on Mondays.
• Career Journey & Inspiration:
  Maria Nikol chronicles her path through consulting, payer organizations (CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield), health tech startups (Aledade), and the founding of Revelar Analytics, emphasizing seeing healthcare from many angles.
• Revelar Analytics Origin Story:
  Sparked by a real-world problem—unraveling fair market compensation for a pediatric urologist—Revelar was born as a direct response to confusing price transparency data and the need for clarity in reimbursement rates.
• Price Transparency Explained:
  The episode breaks down regulatory requirements around hospitals and insurers publishing machine-readable price information, drawing analogies to consumer experiences like shopping for burgers. Maria Nikol explains why actual transparency is still limited by healthcare’s complexity.
• Game-Changing Healthcare Trends:
  Maria Nikol points to the acceleration and diversification of value-based care models, stressing the urgent need for financial and operational innovation across the industry.
• Entrepreneurship & Leadership Lessons:
  Maria Nikol opens up about the pivotal moment of going “all in” on her business, the realities of bootstrapping, and the importance of understanding multiple perspectives within the healthcare space.
• Challenges & Opportunities for Leaders:
  The financial squeeze between payers and providers is highlighted as a major barrier—but also a catalyst for creative partnerships, efficiency, and patient-centered value creation.
• Rapid Fire Insights:
  Advice on doing what you love, taking calculated risks ("the plunge"), learning from foundational texts like "To Err is Human," and celebrating milestones with meaningful team connection.
• Looking Ahead:
  Maria Nikol shares excitement about Revelar’s technical leaps, including integrating AI into price transparency analytics, and plans for team-building retreats as the company scales.

Connect & Learn More:

• LinkedIn: Maria Nikol
• Website: revelaranalytics.com

Quote to Remember:
"You can't have your foot in two canoes. If you believe in your vision, take the plunge." – Maria Nikol

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Host: Jarvis T. Gray, The Quality Coaching Co.
Guest: Scott Jacobson, Healthcare Strategist

Professional Journey

• Scott candidly discusses his unconventional path into healthcare, initially deterred by chemistry but later driven by personal family experience (his father’s illness).
• Transitioned from a business background and restaurant management into nursing, then successfully bridged business and clinical roles throughout his career.

Key Roles & Ventures

• Highlights include:
  • Inpatient rehab nurse aide
  • ICU, post-acute care, and risk management within IPA organizations
  • Roles in physician practice management and leadership at HealthSpring, followed by Cigna
  • Recent focus on entrepreneurship and advising healthcare startups

Major Healthcare Trends & Challenges

• Scott identifies AI as a transformative trend, yet notes that healthcare remains highly fragmented and slow to adopt innovations.
• Discusses the challenges presented by the unique structure of healthcare funding, regulation, and the tension between profitability and genuine system improvement.

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

• The importance of small business, startups, and local entrepreneurship in driving solutions to healthcare’s complex challenges.
• Examples of innovative companies:
  • AI-supported laboratory result aggregation for physicians
  • Emerging diagnostics (e.g., nasal swab for lung cancer detection)
  • Therapeutics for patients with chronic respiratory conditions

Leadership Lessons & Influences

• Early sports background instilled resilience, teamwork, and trust in the process.
• Importance of mentorship and being open to difficult conversations.
• Scott emphasizes resilience and continuous learning as keystones in his leadership journey.

Advice for Healthcare Leaders

• The biggest challenge: fragmentation and inconsistency within healthcare.
• The key opportunity: collaboration, reducing silos, and leveraging community assets.
• Encourages leaders to own their health and empower others to innovate.

Rapid Fire (“Two-Minute Drill”)

• Career advice: Write down your goals, build supporting systems, and always keep learning.
• No major regrets in his career; all experiences, good and tough, were vital for growth.
• Recommends leadership assessments (like CliftonStrengths) and group development exercises over any single book or podcast.

Looking Ahead

• Excited about supporting new healthcare startups and helping others succeed.
• Measures success by the positive impact left on healthcare organizations and future leaders.

Connect with Scott Jacobson

• LinkedIn: Scott Jacobson
• Email: scott@jacobsventure.com

Takeaways:
This episode highlights the intersection of clinical insight, business acumen, and a commitment to innovation. Scott Jacobson shares hard-won lessons on leadership resilience and the immense potential for entrepreneurship to address healthcare’s toughest problems. Listeners are encouraged to take ownership of their journey—both as patients an

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Host: Jarvis T. Gray, The Quality Coaching Co.
Guest: Paul Wilder, Executive Director at CommonWell Health Alliance

In this insightful episode, Jarvis T. Gray sits down with Paul Wilder, an expert in health IT and interoperability, to dive deep into the challenges and opportunities facing healthcare leaders today. The conversation covers leadership philosophies, the evolution of patient data access, risk-taking in career decisions, and the crucial importance of data accuracy in healthcare.

Key Topics & Highlights

1. Leadership Mindset

• Paul Wilder
• emphasizes action over overthinking: “A poor plan executed well is still better than the best plan executed poorly.”
• Jarvis T. Gray
• echoes the importance of vision and action for healthcare leaders, preferring to “take action” rather than “pontificate.”

2. Journey into Healthcare

• Paul Wilder
• shares his unique path into healthcare, from declining a coveted MD program to working in biomedical science and health IT.
• The tangible impact and meaningful stories within the industry inspired his continued dedication.

3. Data, Technology & Interoperability

• The shift from doctor-driven decisions to data-driven care is explored, with
• Paul Wilder
• championing interoperability—the seamless exchange of data between providers and patients.
• The next big wave? Empowering patients with access to their own health data and enabling them to engage meaningfully with that information.

4. Patient Data Accuracy

• Paul Wilder
• shares personal anecdotes about data errors and the potential downstream effects, likening health records to financial statements that require regular accuracy checks.
• Jarvis T. Gray
• adds a real-world example of using AI to interpret lab results, showing new ways patients are taking charge of their health.

5. AI, Data Tools & Patient Empowerment

• Real stories demonstrate the value of AI, not just for clinicians but for reassuring and informing patients during stressful moments.
• The use of AI for personalized health decisions is discussed as a growing trend—and game changer—for both patients and providers.

6. Leadership Challenges & Advice

• Paul Wilder
• recounts a pivotal career moment, the importance of aligning with leadership, and taking calculated risks.
• Advice for rising leaders: Take smart risks, seek feedback, and work with those who teach you valuable skills.

7. Trust in Healthcare

• The episode addresses trust as both the biggest challenge and opportunity in healthcare—especially regarding data sharing, patient engagement, and regulatory evolution.

Recommended Resources

• Podcasts: Freakonomics, Planet Money (for broader business and economics insights)

Connect with Guest

Find Paul Wilder on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/paullwilder

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Guest: Jeffrey Simms, Associate Chair for Alumni and External Affairs & Assistant Professor, UNC
Host: Jarvis T. Gray, The Quality Coaching Co.

In this impactful conversation, Jarvis T. Gray sits down with Jeffrey Simms, a “rock star” in healthcare leadership and education, whose journey from North Carolina tobacco fields to academia is both inspiring and deeply insightful. Jeffrey Simms shares his guiding leadership mindset: always strive to leave every interaction better than you found it—a philosophy shaping his work with students, alumni, and healthcare professionals.

Together, they discuss:

• The importance of professional development and connecting alumni with future healthcare leaders
• AI and technology trends, workforce development, and improving access to care
• Real challenges facing rural healthcare organizations, and strategic planning for these providers
• The value of partnerships and not duplicating work—collaboration over competition
• Personal stories about overcoming early career challenges, imposter syndrome, and leading teams as a young professional
• Lessons on vulnerability, the power of lived experience, and always finding/including missing voices in decision-making
• Influences from family and pivotal mentors, and the vital importance of community engagement in healthcare delivery
• The biggest challenges and opportunities for healthcare leaders today, including workforce morale and purpose-driven leadership
• Inspirational advice: keep learning, know your “why”, and don’t forget to celebrate wins (and take vacations!)

Key Highlights

• AI & Workforce Trends: Emphasis on necessity for leaders to engage with AI, even if it feels intimidating, and making workforce retention/safety a top priority.
• Rural Healthcare & Strategic Partnerships: Discussion about supporting rural health organizations through strategic planning and partnerships with academia.
• Early Career Lessons: Navigating leadership roles at a young age, relationship building during difficult decisions, and the importance of including diverse voices.
• Purpose & Resilience: Advice on leading with purpose, staying curious, and remembering that patient care is at the heart of all healthcare work.

Rapid Two-Minute Drill

• Career Advice: Never stop being a student, and always carry a pen and notepad to ask questions and learn.
• If He Could Start Over: He’d prioritize his own wellbeing and take more vacations.
• Recommended Resources: Assembly Required podcast by Abrams, North Carolina Institute of Medicine resources, ACHE publications, and the power of reading fiction for balance.
• Looking Ahead: Excited to celebrate his son’s graduation, upcoming student successes, and innovative problem-solving in the face of healthcare challenges.

Connect with Jeffrey Simms

• LinkedIn: jefferysimms
• Email: jsimms@email.unc.edu

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Guest: Dr. Jeff Doucette, SVP & Chief Nursing Officer at Press Ganey

Welcome back to Excellence In Healthcare! In this inspiring episode, Jarvis sits down with Dr. Jeff Doucette for a deeply authentic conversation about leadership, resilience, and driving excellence in healthcare. Together, they dive into Dr. Doucette’s unique career journey, the critical importance of humility, and real-life stories of growth, challenge, and transformation in healthcare leadership.

Key Topics & Takeaways

1. Leadership Mindset & Ego Check

• Dr. Jeff shares his go-to leadership mantra from author Cy Wakeman: “Your ego is not your amigo.”
• The conversation centers on the strength found in humility and how authenticity and confidence, absent of ego, create stronger, more effective leaders.

2. Dr. Jeff Doucette’s Unconventional Path

• Nursing wasn’t Jeff’s original plan—he wanted to be a pilot!
• A childhood experience in a hospital opened his eyes to the power of compassionate care, leading him into various frontline and executive nursing roles, and eventually to Chief Nursing Officer at Press Ganey.
• Emphasis on career flexibility, mentorship, and saying “yes” to opportunities.

3. The Employee-First Revolution

• Top-performing healthcare organizations prioritize employees first.
• Dr. Jeff discusses the importance of separating “accountability” from “availability,” advocating for genuine work-life boundaries—especially for leaders.

4. Lessons in Leadership—Adversity as Growth

• Jeff opens up about a pivotal, tough feedback experience at Duke University that forced him to reflect and develop a more compassionate, humble leadership style.
• The importance of vulnerability, transparency, and how supporting and investing in others creates exponential impact.

5. Challenges & Opportunities in Healthcare Today

• Current political and economic uncertainties pose significant challenges for healthcare delivery, especially for vulnerable populations.
• At the same time, Dr. Jeff expresses hope, seeing resilience and compassion in the next generation of healthcare leaders, especially Gen Z and Millennials who value meaningful work and life outside the job.

Connect with Dr. Jeff Doucette

• LinkedIn: Connect with Jeff
• Press Ganey: Follow the Press Ganey page for insights
• Email: jeff.doucette@pressganey.com

Quotes to Remember

• “Your ego is not your amigo.” – Cy Wakeman
• “Sometimes you have to just go out there and lead with excellence.”
• “You can be accountable for your 24/7 operation, but not be available 24/7.”

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Host: Jarvis T. Gray
Guest: Ellen Smalley, Owner of Creekside Health Coaching

Episode Summary:
Jarvis T. Gray sits down with Ellen Smalley of Creekside Health Coaching to explore best practices for growing a mission-driven health coaching business. Ellen shares her journey from exercise physiology and cardiac rehab to becoming a national board certified health coach. The conversation covers the unique value of health coaching, actionable strategies for business growth, and Ellen’s personal motivation rooted in family and caregiving.

Key Topics & Takeaways

• Ellen’s Origin Story & Motivation
  • Lifelong passion for health and service.
  • Personal experiences (family loss to heart disease) shaped her drive to support clients in lifestyle changes.
• Client Experience: Ellen’s Approach
  • Starts with a vision of the client’s desired life six months out.
  • Incremental weekly tasks, regular check-ins, ongoing tweaks.
  • Programs typically span 3–6 months, emphasizing sustainable change.
• Alignment of Personal and Professional Values
  • Focus on stress management and support for parents/caregivers, especially those with neurodivergent children.
  • Ellen’s personal story as a working mom resonates with her clientele.
• Business Goals & Strategies
  • Ellen’s recent emphasis on business growth (post-board certification).
  • Key business goal: Networking with clinics, therapists, and referral partners.
  • Website improvements (adding referral forms) to streamline collaborations.
  • Importance of setting quarterly, written goals for business focus (finance, faith, family, fitness suggested by Jarvis).
• Lead Generation & Conversion
  • Networking via platforms like Alignable, local events, and direct outreach.
  • Workshop/webinar strategy: Hosting regular events to establish expertise and build traction.
  • Create a detailed client avatar to target marketing and partnership efforts.
  • Joint ventures with relevant service providers (e.g., therapists, diet services, interior organizers).
  • Use of automated systems (CRM/Square) for appointment reminders and touchpoints.
  • The power of personal follow-up calls for conversions—human connection trumps automation.
• Quarterly Goal Setting
  • Structure goals around business growth, lead gen, conversion, and service delivery.
  • Adjust strategies to fit around work and life commitments.

Actions & Advice for Health Coaching Entrepreneurs

• Set clear, quarterly business goals.
• Build repeatable workshop/webinar processes.
• Leverage personal stories—value-driven follow-up is key for conversion.
• Build referral networks across complementary professions.
• Use CRM tools to automate, but always prioritize genuine human connections.
• Develop a detailed client avatar for clarity in marketing and partnerships.

Connect with Ellen Smalley

• Website: https://www.creeksidehealthcoaching.com/

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