Around the Embers

Mitchell Jeffery, M.A., CDP
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Around the Embers: A Fireside Chat is a candid conversation series for healthcare and behavioral health leaders navigating the complex, human side of running an organization. Hosted by Mitchell Jeffery, Founder of The Ember Collective, each episode pulls up a chair with operators, clinicians, and industry voices to talk about what actually happens behind the scenes — the people decisions, the culture pivots, the compliance landmines, and the leadership lessons that don't make it into the polished case studies. Less PowerPoint, more truth. We dig into how independently owned SUD treatment programs, psychiatric practices, and assisted living facilities are building stronger teams, smarter systems, and healthier workplaces — without losing the human element that drew them to this work in the first place.

Episodes

  1. Oct 15

    Ken Vick: It's Not a Workforce Shortage, It's a Culture Problem

    Ken Vick started out as a behavioral health tech and peer specialist. Then he worked his way up through counselor and clinical supervisor to leading a program. Now he runs Avalon Wellness & Recovery in Lawrence, Kansas, a medical detox and residential treatment center he joined one week after it opened. In this episode of Around the Embers, Mitchell and Ken talk about what it takes to build a treatment program from scratch (a "de novo"). They cover insurance contracting, getting Joint Commission accreditation, and making a brand-new name known in a small town. Ken explains why he builds a team instead of a staff, and why he puts quality of care ahead of productivity numbers. His view is that when a team takes care of itself, clients stay in treatment longer and do better. He also gives a controversial take: behavioral health's workforce shortage is really a leadership and culture problem. He points out he hasn't had a staffing shortage in over a decade. In this episode: The two fires Ken is tending: insurance and billing setup, and preventing burnout on his teamHow a de novo is different from an established program, and why the right leader for months 0–6 may not be the right one after that"You can teach skills, you can't teach attitude": hiring for culture fitMitchell's framework for hiring at three levels: frontline, specialist ("widget makers"), and leadershipCompany values that people actually live, not just talk aboutThe "what car does she drive" problem: knowing your people as human beingsThe hot take: less of a workforce shortage, more of a culture problemWhy HR in behavioral health has gotten stuck on compliance, and why benefits need to catch upWhy Joint Commission surveys aren't as scary as people think: "Just do the right thing."Connect with Ken and Avalon Wellness & Recovery: Phone: 785-340-0300Website: avalonwrc.comLinkedIn: Ken Vick | Avalon Wellness & Recovery

  2. Oct 1

    Brittany Davis: You Can't See an Eating Disorder

    A Yale football player whose heart rate dropped into the 20s. A 24-year-old sent home from the ER because "he's an athlete." Neither one looked like someone with an eating disorder. That's the point. This week Mitchell sits down with Brittany Davis, LPCC-S, around the embers. Brittany has nearly 20 years in eating disorder treatment and is a former senior regional director of multi-site behavioral health operations in Ohio. She explains why BMI keeps failing patients, why men and people in larger bodies are often missed until they're in crisis, and why so many eating disorder and substance use programs send shared patients back and forth instead of treating them. In this episode: Stigma, AI misinformation, and the push to treat mental health as preventive careWhy BMI misses so much, and what "set point" actually meansHow eating disorders go unnoticed in male and larger-bodied patientsThe overlap between SUD and eating disorders, and the gap between the two treatment worldsQuestions every clinician can ask at intake, even without ED expertiseThe risk to clinicians' licenses when misinformation shapes careWhat the field gets wrong: fixating on the primary diagnosis, insurance pressure, and burnoutConnect with Brittany: Brittany Davis Next Level Behavioral Consulting Also on Psychology Today: search "Brittany Davis" Connect with Around the Embers: The Ember Collective | www.embercollectivellc.com | 865-255-8330

  3. Jul 30

    Jen Ramsden: The Industry Scared to Treat Its Own People

    Jen Ramsden built her career from the inside out — she got her start in recovery herself before rising to lead marketing across the behavioral health space. In this episode, she and Mitchell dig into the always-on culture eating away at this industry's workforce, why "wellness time" might be a better fix than sick time, why every SUD company should have a relapse policy in place, and why women's mental health care is still underserved — even by an industry that should know better.

  4. Jul 16

    Amber Nelms: The Clinician Who Said No to Private Equity

    Amber Nelms started Triangle ABA in 2020 as a team of one — today it's grown to 77 people serving families across the Raleigh-Durham area, without ever taking private equity money. In this conversation, she and Mitchell dig into the unglamorous work of scaling a care business: fixing a broken intake pipeline, knowing when a person or process has outgrown its seat, and why she thinks the industry's biggest assumption about clinician-owned companies — that they can't scale — is dead wrong.

  5. Jun 25

    Love Yourself First with Jessica Graham

    Most of us were taught how to treat others — but nobody taught us how to treat ourselves. Jessica Graham, mental health therapist, private practice owner, and children's author, is working to change that from the ground up — literally. She goes into preschool classrooms with a chime and a children's book, teaching kids mindfulness before they even know what the word means. In this conversation, Mitchell and Jessica explore why self-love is a skill, not a personality trait — and why the window to build it is shorter than most parents realize. They get into practical grounding techniques that actually work with resistant teens (hint: ditch the breathing exercises), the neuroscience behind why a sour candy can calm a nervous system, and why therapy doesn't always have to be a years-long commitment. Jessica is also the author of The Love Inside, a children's book centered on self-love and emotional development, born out of a simple question she asked her own kids — and the blank stares she got back. If you work in behavioral health, lead a team, or just find yourself being harder on yourself than you'd ever be on a friend — this one's for you.

  6. Jun 11

    Resetting the Business and Leading Through Complexity

    The conversation delves into the complexities of leadership, the impact of organizational restructuring, changes in behavioral health services, and the role of AI in the industry. Mike Fidgeon shares insights on resetting the business, the CCBHC model, crisis walk-in centers, and building relationships with law enforcement. Mitchell discusses the impact of organizational restructuring on employees and the importance of equipping frontline managers for change. Takeaways Navigating complexity in leadershipImpact of organizational restructuring on employees Chapters 00:00 Navigating Complexity in Leadership07:14 Crisis Walk-in Behavioral Health Centers12:18 Building Relationships with Law Enforcement20:16 Equipping Frontline Managers for Change26:01 The Impact of AI on Behavioral Health Services

  7. May 28

    Second Chances: Candace Thompson on Trauma-Informed Care and Hiring Former Felons

    The conversation with Candace Thompson covers the work of Yeahyoutoo, a community-based organization dedicated to trauma-informed care and support for former convicted female felons. It explores the challenges of helping people, the benefits of hiring convicted felons, considerations for organizations looking to hire this population, and misconceptions about helping others. Takeaways Trauma-informed careSupporting convicted felons Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Yayutoo05:22 Benefits of Hiring Convicted Felons17:36 Misconceptions About Helping Others

  8. May 19

    Burnout, Silent Quitting, and Men's Mental Health with Chris Kourtakis

    The conversation delves into the importance of men's mental health advocacy, the impact of burnout in the workplace, recognizing burnout and silent quitting, addressing burnout and seeking help, the importance of human connection in the workplace, and changing perceptions in high-achieving positions. Takeaways Men's mental health advocacyRecognizing and addressing burnout in the workplace Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background06:01 Impact of Burnout in the Workplace13:00 Addressing Burnout and Seeking Help19:02 Changing Perceptions in High-Achieving Positions

  • 8 Episodes

About

Around the Embers: A Fireside Chat is a candid conversation series for healthcare and behavioral health leaders navigating the complex, human side of running an organization. Hosted by Mitchell Jeffery, Founder of The Ember Collective, each episode pulls up a chair with operators, clinicians, and industry voices to talk about what actually happens behind the scenes — the people decisions, the culture pivots, the compliance landmines, and the leadership lessons that don't make it into the polished case studies. Less PowerPoint, more truth. We dig into how independently owned SUD treatment programs, psychiatric practices, and assisted living facilities are building stronger teams, smarter systems, and healthier workplaces — without losing the human element that drew them to this work in the first place.

Information

  • Creator
    Mitchell Jeffery, M.A., CDP
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mitchell Jeffery, M.A., CDP