What if the key to excellent resident care isn’t just better systems but better support for the people who provide it?

In this episode, you’ll hear how leadership rooted in empathy can transform lives. Join host Chelsey Gheyara as she sits down with Paul Pruitt, CEO of Majestic Care, and Brandi Thompson, Executive Director of Majestic Care of Newburgh. Together, they open up about their own journeys from bedside to leadership and the crucial truth they’ve learned along the way: when we pour into our care team members, they’re empowered to pour into our residents.

This conversation honors the human connection at the heart of long-term care and reminds us all that no role is ever “just” anything when it's excellently led with the heart.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How true leadership starts with listening and showing up
• Why supporting caregivers in their own homes improves their care at work
• What happens when failure is treated as a path to growth

Highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:30) Meet Paul Pruitt & Brandi Thompson

(02:15) Brandi’s inspiration for entering senior care

(03:30) Brandi’s “aha” moment & knowing her purpose

(04:30) Transitioning from therapist to administrator

(06:15) Leading by example: Scrubs on, hands-on care

(07:30) Compassionate leadership at Majestic

(08:15) Becoming an agency-free building

(09:30) Pouring into leaders and changing culture

(14:00) Supporting care team members and their families

(17:30) Learning from failure: Earning your leadership stripes

(20:30) Advice for new administrators in long-term care

(27:15) Standing up for residents’ rights during the survey

(34:00) What excellence in care and leadership really means

Most people think they know what a nursing home is, but they’ve never heard the voices inside.

Welcome to Hearts of Excellence, the podcast that opens the door to real stories of care, compassion, and resilience. Each episode, we share the stories of those who live and work in long-term care, highlighting the human side of healthcare.

Join us as we honor the hearts that make excellence possible every day and explore how community, empathy, and purpose come together to create a better future in healthcare.