The Compassionate Clinician: Balancing Heart and Healthcare

Welcome to Quixotic Heights, where dreams take flight and where we explore the stories, ideas, and leaders transforming the future. Darlene Cunha, a Nurse Executive Change Coach and Caritas Leader, is working to reshape how we show up for the people who challenge us most. With decades of bedside, leadership, and coaching experience, Darlene advocates for a new model of care—one where compassion and clinical demands don’t compete, but instead coexist to elevate patient outcomes and staff well-being.

In this conversation, we will explore how to navigate difficult patient interactions, support overwhelmed care teams, and build organizational cultures rooted in humanity. Whether you’re a healthcare professional, a leader, or someone who wants to understand what compassionate care really looks like, this episode will stay with you.

Darlene Cunha, MMHC, BSN, CENP-RN, and WCS Caritas Leader | Coach, is a visionary healthcare executive with over four decades of experience leading clinical and operational excellence across diverse healthcare settings. Grounded in her nursing roots and guided by the Caritas principles of loving-kindness, dignity, and human connection, Darlene has served in executive leadership roles, including Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer across academic healthcare systems. Renowned for her ability to lead complex systems through transformational change, she blends strategic insight with a deep commitment to healing and wholeness. Her leadership fosters cultures of compassion, accountability, and collaboration—prioritizing both operational performance and the sacred nature of caregiving. Darlene’s legacy is one of purpose-driven impact: mentoring emerging leaders, stewarding innovation with heart, and elevating the human experience at every level of healthcare delivery. https://www.linkedin.com/in/darlenecunha/