The Human Side of Leadership

Dr. Pelè
  • 5.0 (29)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

The Human Side of Leadership, hosted by Dr. Pelè, explores what it truly means to lead in today’s complex and rapidly changing world. Through conversations with executives, authors, clinicians, and thought leaders, the podcast examines how leadership is experienced by teams, customers, patients, and organizations in real time. Each episode reveals the human behaviors that build trust, strengthen culture, improve performance, and turn leadership insight into measurable results. In an age increasingly shaped by technology and AI, this podcast brings the focus back to what matters most: how leaders show up, connect with others, and create confidence in the moments that matter.

  1. 1d ago

    301: Predictive Care, Human First, With Dr. Trevor Turner, MD

    What if healthcare could identify disease before symptoms appear? And what if artificial intelligence could help physicians think better, not simply move faster? In this episode of The Human Side of Leadership in Healthcare, Dr. Pelè sits down with Trevor Turner, MD, Co-Founder of Provida Health, to explore the future of predictive, personalized medicine. Drawing from his experience caring for professional athletes, Special Operations personnel, and everyday patients, Trevor explains how genomics, wearables, imaging, and AI-powered clinical intelligence are transforming healthcare from a reactive system into a proactive one. But this conversation goes far beyond technology. Trevor shares his own journey through injury and recovery, explains why movement is foundational to long-term health, and reveals why the most important moments in medicine still require human connection, trust, and compassion. Together, they explore:  Why healthcare remains largely reactive  The difference between information and clinical intelligence  How AI can support physician judgment without replacing it  Why more data does not automatically create better outcomes  The role of emotional intelligence in healthcare leadership  What leaders can do today to move their organizations toward predictive care If you're interested in the future of healthcare, leadership, artificial intelligence, and the human experience of medicine, this conversation is for you. Connect with Dr. Trevor Turner on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-turner-9778733/

    33 min

  2. Jun 15

    300: The Indoor Epidemic: Why Nature Is the Missing Medicine for Burnout, Sleep, and Performance, With John La Puma

    What if burnout isn't simply a workload problem? In this fascinating conversation, Dr. Pelè sits down with physician, chef, regenerative organic farmer, and two-time New York Times bestselling author Dr. John La Puma to explore a surprising idea: many of the health challenges we blame on stress, aging, and burnout may actually be linked to the fact that modern humans spend approximately 93% of their lives indoors. Drawing from more than 2,000 scientific studies and the research behind his new book, Indoor Epidemic, Dr. La Puma explains how natural light, fresh air, distance, movement, and time in nature directly influence sleep, mood, memory, focus, cardiovascular health, and even leadership performance. They discuss: • Why "nature is not a luxury, it's a biological requirement" • The concept of "digital obesity" and pixel overload • How morning light impacts deep sleep and brain health • What healthcare organizations can learn from hospital design research • Why burnout may actually be a symptom of under-restoration • The surprising minimum effective dose of nature for better performance Whether you're a healthcare leader, executive, clinician, or simply someone who spends too much time in front of a screen, this conversation may change the way you think about productivity, wellness, and the environments we create for ourselves and others.

    31 min

  3. Jun 10

    299: The EQ Zone: How Great Leaders Think Clearly Under Pressure, with Dr. Mickey Lebowitz

    Healthcare professionals are some of the smartest people in the world. Yet burnout, frustration, and emotional exhaustion continue to drive talented clinicians away from the work they love. In this episode, Dr. Mickey Lebowitz, physician, emotional intelligence expert, and author of The EQ Prescription, explains why the real challenge in healthcare is not a lack of knowledge. It is learning how to manage ourselves when the pressure is highest. We explore Dr. Mickey's powerful concept of the Emotional Intelligence Zone, why leaders often struggle under stress, and practical techniques for staying grounded when the heat is on. If you've ever wondered why knowing better doesn't always lead to doing better, this conversation is for you. Connect with Dr. Mickey Lebowitz on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickey-lebowitz-2550b2156/

    36 min

  4. Jun 3

    298: The Invisible Work Of Caregiving, With Lynnel Townsend

    When patients leave the hospital, the healthcare journey is far from over. In this episode of The Human Side of Leadership in Healthcare, Dr. Pelè sits down with caregiver advocate and educator Lynnel Townsend to explore one of healthcare's most overlooked challenges: the invisible work of family caregiving. Drawing from years of professional caregiving experience and deeply personal stories, Lynnel explains how family caregivers often become an unseen extension of the healthcare system, providing around-the-clock care with little training, support, or preparation. She shares her concept of Caregiver Robotic Syndrome and highlights the emotional, physical, and psychological toll that caregiving can take when families are left to navigate complex healthcare needs on their own.  Together, they discuss: • Why family caregivers are often the hidden patient in the healthcare continuum  • The warning signs of caregiver burnout  • What happens after a patient is discharged home  • Why education and preparation are critical for caregiver success  • The communication gap between healthcare systems and family caregivers  • How families can share responsibility more effectively  • The role of personalized care plans and support systems in preventing burnout  • Why supporting caregivers ultimately improves patient outcomes and reduces readmissions  This conversation is a powerful reminder that healthcare does not end at discharge. Behind every patient receiving care at home is often a caregiver carrying an invisible burden that deserves recognition, support, and compassion. Lynnel Townsend is on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnel-townsend-73b07828b/

    29 min

  5. May 23

    297: Comfort Always: Why Technology Can’t Replace the Human Art of Healing, With Alan R. Cohen, MD

    After 40 years as a pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Alan Cohen has seen some of medicine’s most extraordinary miracles and most heartbreaking moments. In this episode of The Human Side of Leadership in Healthcare, Dr. Pelè sits down with Dr. Cohen, Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins and author of Comfort Always: Healing in the Age of Technology, to explore a question healthcare must continue asking: As medicine advances, what must we never lose sight of about the human side of healing? Dr. Cohen shares gripping stories from a lifetime of caring for children and families facing the crisis of their lives, and reflects on the emotional realities of medicine that technology can never replace. In this conversation: • Why healing and treatment are not the same thing  • What patients remember long after the technology is forgotten  • How compassion shapes trust under pressure  • The emotional weight physicians carry in high-stakes medicine  • Why AI must never replace the patient-doctor relationship  • The simple human behaviors that patients remember forever One of the most memorable lines from this episode: “Technology treats the disease. Humanity heals the patient.” A powerful conversation about medicine, leadership, compassion, and the forgotten art of healing. Connect with Dr. Alan Cohen on LinkedIn: [ HERE ] Get his book, Comfort Always, on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4fDhUpJ

    22 min

  6. May 21

    296: How Executives And Clinicians Build Real Trust in Healthcare, with Jill Bowen & Elisabeth Fontaine

    Healthcare leadership often struggles when executives and clinicians operate in silos, each seeing the world through different pressures, priorities, and assumptions. In this episode of The Human Side of Leadership in Healthcare, Dr. Pelè sits down with Jill Bowen and Dr. Elisabeth Fontaine, co-founders of Let’s Lead LLC, to explore what it really takes to build trust, emotional intelligence, and alignment across healthcare teams. Drawing from their lived experience as a hospital CEO and physician leader, Jill and Elisabeth unpack why fear, hierarchy, silence, and “staying in your lane” often weaken collaboration, and how team coaching can create the psychological safety, vulnerability, and shared purpose needed for better outcomes. They also discuss emotional intelligence under pressure, why “soft skills” are often the missing infrastructure beneath performance, and how healthcare teams can move beyond chaos to become more human-centered, connected, and effective. In this episode: • why executive-clinician tension often starts long before conflict appears  • the hidden role of fear in healthcare team dynamics  • why vulnerability may be the key to stronger leadership teams  • emotional intelligence as a practical leadership tool, not just theory  • how team coaching helps organizations break silos and improve collaboration  • what patient-centered leadership looks like in a chaotic healthcare system  • real examples of trust, teamwork, and performance improvement in practice Connect with Let's Lead LLC on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/letsleadllc/

    35 min

  7. May 12

    295: Patient First, System Second: Rethinking Healthcare Leadership in a Complex World with Douglas Slakey, MD

    What if healthcare systems have been optimizing the wrong thing? In this episode of The Human Side of Leadership in Healthcare, Dr. Pelè sits down with internationally recognized transplant surgeon, healthcare executive, and author Douglas Slakey to explore why great healthcare outcomes require more than clinical excellence and standardized systems. Drawing from more than 30 years in transplant surgery and healthcare leadership, Dr. Slakey explains why overly rigid processes often fail real people, and why healthcare leaders must begin designing systems that adapt to the realities of individual patients rather than forcing patients to adapt to the system. Together, they discuss: • why healthcare breaks down under pressure despite intelligent leadership  • the hidden limitations of standardization and process rigidity  • how social, economic, spiritual, and environmental realities shape patient outcomes  • why healthcare systems struggle with fragmentation and incentives misalignment  • the role of leadership flexibility in high-reliability organizations  • how AI and technology could enable truly personalized healthcare experiences  • the future of patient-centered healthcare through Dr. Slakey’s new venture, LifePath  • why the ultimate measure of success is not operational efficiency, but whether people can truly live better lives The episode closes with a powerful story from a transplant patient whose life was transformed 25 years after surgery, reminding us that the human side of healthcare leadership is ultimately about helping people live fully beyond the walls of the hospital. Connect with Dr. Douglas Slakey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-slakey-md/

    37 min

  8. May 4

    294: Eradicating Incivility in Healthcare, with Renee Thompson

    We talk with Renee Thompson about why bullying and incivility in healthcare are not just culture issues, but patient safety risks. She shares how leaders unintentionally reinforce disruptive behavior, what actually happens in the moment when conflict is avoided, and how organizations can operationalize respect at scale. • why incivility has always impacted patient outcomes, even when ignored  • the hidden patterns leaders miss, including silence as a strategy  • short-term comfort vs. long-term cultural damage  • why high performers are often protected despite toxic behavior  • a simple in-the-moment technique to stop disruptive behavior immediately  • the role of awareness, scripting, and confidence in leadership action  • the three pillars of the Healthy Workforce Culture Framework™  • scaling culture change through systems, not just intention  • self-awareness as the starting point for any culture transformation Make sure you follow Renee Thompson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rtconnections/

    30 min
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5
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

The Human Side of Leadership, hosted by Dr. Pelè, explores what it truly means to lead in today’s complex and rapidly changing world. Through conversations with executives, authors, clinicians, and thought leaders, the podcast examines how leadership is experienced by teams, customers, patients, and organizations in real time. Each episode reveals the human behaviors that build trust, strengthen culture, improve performance, and turn leadership insight into measurable results. In an age increasingly shaped by technology and AI, this podcast brings the focus back to what matters most: how leaders show up, connect with others, and create confidence in the moments that matter.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Pelè
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    301
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Human Side of Leadership
  • Show Website
    The Human Side of Leadership