Leading with Hearts and Minds

National Clinical Leadership Centre for Nursing and Midwifery
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Monthly

"Leading with Hearts & Minds" Discover the untold stories behind the leaders shaping the future of healthcare. In "Leading with Hearts & Minds, "We bring you intimate, one-to-one conversations with healthcare professionals who have navigated extraordinary challenges and triumphs. Each episode reveals the personal journeys, hard-earned lessons, and human moments that define leadership in one of the world's most demanding fields. Whether you're a healthcare professional, a leader, or simply curious about the heart and mind behind outstanding leadership, this podcast offers inspiration and insight with every story.

  1. May 18

    "Integrity Over Expediency" - Enda Kelly

    What does it take to nurse someone whose privacy is gone, whose environment magnifies every symptom, and whose relationship with the health system has, until now, been broken or absent? Enda Kelly has spent more than three decades finding out. Enda is National Nurse Manager for Operations with the Irish Prison Service, a Fellow of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and is currently a year into a PhD on the intersection of law, ethics, and prison regulation. In this conversation, he speaks to Marie Kilduff about what prison nursing actually involves — clinically, ethically, and personally — and about the leadership practice he's built over a career.

    47 min

  2. Apr 29

    Trial and Review, Not Trial and Error: Morgan Lucey

    What does it take to provide therapy to the people who provide care? Marie Kilduff speaks with Morgan Lucey, Head of National Employee Assistance Services in the HSE's Workplace Health and Wellbeing Unit, about the service that supports more than 100,000 healthcare staff across Ireland. IF YOU NEED SUPPORT. For HSE staff: Phone (national line): 0818 327 327 Email (referrals): eap.referral@hse.ie Online resource hub: www.inspiresupporthub.org/HSE-EAPandME Website: www.hse.ie/EAPandME Credits: Leading with Hearts and Minds is hosted by Marie Kilduff.

    54 min

  3. Apr 14

    Autistic Talent: Adam Harris on Inclusion, Identity and the Future of Healthcare

    In this episode, Marie Kilduff speaks with Adam Harris, CEO of As I Am, Ireland's national autism charity. Adam is autistic himself, and that lived experience shapes everything he does — from founding As I Am over twelve years ago to leading the organisation's work across healthcare, employment, education and community inclusion. Adam speaks candidly about growing up autistic in Ireland in the 1990s, navigating a system that had little awareness of autism, and the isolation he felt as a teenager before finding his voice as a writer and advocate. From that starting point, he built one of Ireland's most respected disability organisations — one that places autistic people at the centre of everything it does. In this episode, Adam and Marie discuss: What it means to move beyond awareness towards genuine acceptance of autistic peopleWhy autism should be understood as an accessibility issue, not a deficitThe barriers autistic people face when accessing healthcare — and how relatively simple changes can make a significant differenceThe policy landscape shaping autism support in Ireland includes the Autism Innovation Strategy and the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People.The Same Chance Report — As I Am's annual state of the community report on autistic life in Ireland Contact As I Am https://asiam.ie 17-21 Temple Road, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, A94 DN40 If you would prefer to contact As I Am by phone to discuss your query, please call (01) 445 3203 Leading with Hearts and Minds is a podcast from the National Clinical Leadership Centre for Nursing and Midwifery.

    27 min

  4. Mar 23

    Like Father, Like Son — The Gallaghers on Legacy, Leadership and Letting Go.

    Two careers. And a conversation recorded at exactly the right moment. Finn Gallagher's career began in a locked ward in Letterkenny in 1953. He retired as Chief Nursing Officer, having helped reshape mental health services in Ireland from the ground up. His son Paul followed in his footsteps into nursing and is currently the Regional Director of Nursing and Midwifery — a role he will leave later this year. In this episode, Marie Kilduff sits down with both of them — together, for the first time on the podcast. What emerges is rarer than a career retrospective. It's a conversation about the decisions that define a life — recorded while Paul is still in post, and Finn can still remember what it felt like to be where his son is now. A young nurse choosing a ward over the Gardaí, guided by a single question from an older man he had rarely met. A father stepping back from his son's first day so the son could find his own footing. A wife's four words that settled a move that felt like emigrating. Paul returns to Leading with Hearts and Minds, having previously shared his own story. This time, Finn is in the room — and what passes between them says as much as anything either man puts into words. For anyone in nursing or healthcare leadership, this episode carries something quietly useful: what influence looks like when it's patient, what mentorship looks like when it asks rather than tells, and what it means to hand something on. In this episode: Why Finn nearly joined the Gardaí — and what stopped himPaul's memory of his father at work, and what it planted in himThe decision to move from Donegal to Limerick — and the conversation that made it possibleWhat both men would say to the next generation of nursing leaders Subscribe to Leading with Hearts and Minds wherever you get your podcasts.

    40 min

  5. Feb 16

    Inclusion, Risk, and Leadership Responsibility, with Síle Walsh

    Inclusive Leadership Is a Leadership Practice, Not a Programme, with Síle Walsh What is the difference between organisational diversity and social diversity, and why does that distinction matter in the workplace? In this episode of Leading with Hearts and Minds, Margaret Williams speaks with inclusive leadership expert and author Síle Walsh about inclusion as a leadership responsibility rather than a checklist or initiative. The conversation begins by distinguishing between organisational diversity and social diversity, before exploring inclusive leadership as a core leadership capability that supports performance, psychological safety, and better outcomes for people and organisations. Drawing on research, professional practice, and lived experience, Síle discusses purpose, co-creation, reasonable accommodation, and why focusing on needs rather than labels leads to more effective workplaces, particularly in complex healthcare environments.

    37 min

  6. Feb 3

    How Can I Help? The Practice of Compassionate Leadership with Professor Michael West

    In this episode of Leading with Hearts and Minds, Marie Kilduff speaks with Professor Michael West about what compassionate leadership really means in healthcare and why it matters now more than ever. Drawing on decades of research, Professor West explains how leadership behaviour shapes organisational culture, staff wellbeing, and patient outcomes. He challenges the idea that compassion is soft or optional, arguing instead that it requires courage, accountability, and a willingness to address difficult issues such as chronic workload, toxic behaviours, and system pressures. The conversation explores the ABC conditions for compassion: human needs, autonomy, belonging, and competence, and how creating the right conditions for staff leads to innovation, psychological safety, and better care. Professor West also reflects on self-compassion, presence, teamwork, and the simple leadership question that can transform cultures: How can I help? This episode offers practical insight for clinicians, managers, and system leaders seeking to build compassionate cultures that support staff and improve patient care. Professor Michael West CBE   Professor of Organisational Psychology, Lancaster University Management School Senior Visiting Fellow, The King’s Fund   Book: West, M. A. (2021). Compassionate Leadership: Sustaining Wisdom, Humanity and Presence in Health and Social Care, published by Swirling Leaf Press.

    46 min

  7. Jan 19

    Shaping Culture on Purpose Joe Ryan on leadership, accountability, and building trust in the HSE

    Shaping Culture on Purpose Joe Ryan on leadership, accountability, and building trust in the HSE In this episode of Leading with Hearts and Minds, Joe Ryan, National Director of Public Involvement, Culture and Risk Management at the Health Service Executive, speaks with Marie Kilduff about leadership, organisational culture, and psychological safety in healthcare. Episode Highlights Leadership and organisational culture in the HSEHow healthcare culture has changed over timeCompassionate leadership and accountability in practicePsychological safety, staff wellbeing, and patient safetyThe impact of workplace incivility on performanceInformal leadership and culture change in healthcare teamsMeasuring culture through staff experience and patient feedback Guest: Joe Ryan, National Director of Public Involvement, Culture and Risk Management, Health Service Executive

    33 min

  8. 12/15/2025

    Positive Health Science in a Fast-Changing World, with Dr Pádraic Dunne

    In this episode of Leading with Hearts & Minds, Marie Kilduff speaks with Dr Pádraic Dunne, Senior Lecturer at the RCSI Centre for Positive Health Sciences and Principal Investigator of the Digital Health Research Group. Pádraic’s background spans immunology, psychotherapy, lifestyle medicine, and health coaching, giving him a unique perspective on what supports human wellbeing in a world that is moving faster than ever. Pádraic explains what positive health science entails, breaking it down into positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and health psychology. He discusses why lasting change is challenging, why quick fixes rarely work, and why awareness, compassion, acceptance, and vulnerability are essential foundations for both personal and professional well-being. This thoughtful conversation offers practical insight for anyone seeking to support their own well-being or that of their teams in a high-pressure healthcare environment. Guest: Dr Pádraic Dunne, Senior Lecturer, RCSI Centre for Positive Health Sciences Host: Marie Kilduff, National Clinical Leadership Centre for Nursing & Midwifery

    28 min
See All (25)

Trailer

About

"Leading with Hearts & Minds" Discover the untold stories behind the leaders shaping the future of healthcare. In "Leading with Hearts & Minds, "We bring you intimate, one-to-one conversations with healthcare professionals who have navigated extraordinary challenges and triumphs. Each episode reveals the personal journeys, hard-earned lessons, and human moments that define leadership in one of the world's most demanding fields. Whether you're a healthcare professional, a leader, or simply curious about the heart and mind behind outstanding leadership, this podcast offers inspiration and insight with every story.

Information

  • Creator
    National Clinical Leadership Centre for Nursing and Midwifery
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 NCHC
  • Show Website
    Leading with Hearts and Minds