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Guest: Dr. Jeff Doucette, SVP & Chief Nursing Officer at Press Ganey

Welcome back to Excellence In Healthcare! In this inspiring episode, Jarvis sits down with Dr. Jeff Doucette for a deeply authentic conversation about leadership, resilience, and driving excellence in healthcare. Together, they dive into Dr. Doucette’s unique career journey, the critical importance of humility, and real-life stories of growth, challenge, and transformation in healthcare leadership.

Key Topics & Takeaways

1. Leadership Mindset & Ego Check

• Dr. Jeff shares his go-to leadership mantra from author Cy Wakeman: “Your ego is not your amigo.”
• The conversation centers on the strength found in humility and how authenticity and confidence, absent of ego, create stronger, more effective leaders.

2. Dr. Jeff Doucette’s Unconventional Path

• Nursing wasn’t Jeff’s original plan—he wanted to be a pilot!
• A childhood experience in a hospital opened his eyes to the power of compassionate care, leading him into various frontline and executive nursing roles, and eventually to Chief Nursing Officer at Press Ganey.
• Emphasis on career flexibility, mentorship, and saying “yes” to opportunities.

3. The Employee-First Revolution

• Top-performing healthcare organizations prioritize employees first.
• Dr. Jeff discusses the importance of separating “accountability” from “availability,” advocating for genuine work-life boundaries—especially for leaders.

4. Lessons in Leadership—Adversity as Growth

• Jeff opens up about a pivotal, tough feedback experience at Duke University that forced him to reflect and develop a more compassionate, humble leadership style.
• The importance of vulnerability, transparency, and how supporting and investing in others creates exponential impact.

5. Challenges & Opportunities in Healthcare Today

• Current political and economic uncertainties pose significant challenges for healthcare delivery, especially for vulnerable populations.
• At the same time, Dr. Jeff expresses hope, seeing resilience and compassion in the next generation of healthcare leaders, especially Gen Z and Millennials who value meaningful work and life outside the job.

Connect with Dr. Jeff Doucette

• LinkedIn: Connect with Jeff
• Press Ganey: Follow the Press Ganey page for insights
• Email: jeff.doucette@pressganey.com

Quotes to Remember

• “Your ego is not your amigo.” – Cy Wakeman
• “Sometimes you have to just go out there and lead with excellence.”
• “You can be accountable for your 24/7 operation, but not be available 24/7.”

Is your healthcare organization ready for excellence? Take the Healthcare Excellence Readiness Assessment and find out! Evaluate your leadership, strategy, and operations.

• Start now: Healthcare Excellence Readiness Assessment

Thank you for tuning in! Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast for more insights into achieving healthcare excellence.

New episodes of the "Excellence In Healthcare" podcast are released every Tuesday at 02:00 a.m. (est). Don't miss out on the latest insights and strategies for Mastering Healthcare Excellence.

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Host: Jarvis T. Gray
Guest: Ellen Smalley, Owner of Creekside Health Coaching

Episode Summary:
Jarvis T. Gray sits down with Ellen Smalley of Creekside Health Coaching to explore best practices for growing a mission-driven health coaching business. Ellen shares her journey from exercise physiology and cardiac rehab to becoming a national board certified health coach. The conversation covers the unique value of health coaching, actionable strategies for business growth, and Ellen’s personal motivation rooted in family and caregiving.

Key Topics & Takeaways

• Ellen’s Origin Story & Motivation
  • Lifelong passion for health and service.
  • Personal experiences (family loss to heart disease) shaped her drive to support clients in lifestyle changes.
• Client Experience: Ellen’s Approach
  • Starts with a vision of the client’s desired life six months out.
  • Incremental weekly tasks, regular check-ins, ongoing tweaks.
  • Programs typically span 3–6 months, emphasizing sustainable change.
• Alignment of Personal and Professional Values
  • Focus on stress management and support for parents/caregivers, especially those with neurodivergent children.
  • Ellen’s personal story as a working mom resonates with her clientele.
• Business Goals & Strategies
  • Ellen’s recent emphasis on business growth (post-board certification).
  • Key business goal: Networking with clinics, therapists, and referral partners.
  • Website improvements (adding referral forms) to streamline collaborations.
  • Importance of setting quarterly, written goals for business focus (finance, faith, family, fitness suggested by Jarvis).
• Lead Generation & Conversion
  • Networking via platforms like Alignable, local events, and direct outreach.
  • Workshop/webinar strategy: Hosting regular events to establish expertise and build traction.
  • Create a detailed client avatar to target marketing and partnership efforts.
  • Joint ventures with relevant service providers (e.g., therapists, diet services, interior organizers).
  • Use of automated systems (CRM/Square) for appointment reminders and touchpoints.
  • The power of personal follow-up calls for conversions—human connection trumps automation.
• Quarterly Goal Setting
  • Structure goals around business growth, lead gen, conversion, and service delivery.
  • Adjust strategies to fit around work and life commitments.

Actions & Advice for Health Coaching Entrepreneurs

• Set clear, quarterly business goals.
• Build repeatable workshop/webinar processes.
• Leverage personal stories—value-driven follow-up is key for conversion.
• Build referral networks across complementary professions.
• Use CRM tools to automate, but always prioritize genuine human connections.
• Develop a detailed client avatar for clarity in marketing and partnerships.

Connect with Ellen Smalley

• Website:

Is your healthcare organization ready for excellence? Take the Healthcare Excellence Readiness Assessment and find out! Evaluate your leadership, strategy, and operations.

• Start now: Healthcare Excellence Readiness Assessment

Thank you for tuning in! Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast for more insights into achieving healthcare excellence.

New episodes of the "Excellence In Healthcare" podcast are released every Tuesday at 02:00 a.m. (est). Don't miss out on the latest insights and strategies for Mastering Healthcare Excellence.

Send us a text

Host: Jarvis T. Gray
Guest: Shlomit Liberty, Founder & Owner, Patient Path NYC

Episode Summary

In this engaging episode of the Excellence In Healthcare podcast, host Jarvis T. Gray spotlights small business innovation in healthcare by interviewing Shlomit Liberty, founder of Patient Path NYC—a unique independent patient advocacy service in New York City. Shlomit delves into her journey from clinical healthcare roles at leading hospitals to building her company focused on helping patients and families navigate complex hospitalizations and transitions.

Key Topics & Highlights

• Shlomit’s Background & Inspiration
  • Decade-plus experience as a medical speech language pathologist in top hospitals in NYC and California.
  • Firsthand experience with families overwhelmed by unexpected hospitalizations inspired her to launch Patient Path NYC (“personal medical crisis manager”).
• Independent Patient Advocacy: What Is It?
  • Board Certified Patient Advocate — how the role differs from traditional hospital-based advocates.
  • The independent advocate works only for the patient and their family (not hospitals/insurance), empowering informed healthcare decisions without giving medical advice.
• Services Offered by Patient Path NYC
  • Bedside support during hospital stays.
  • Medical chart reviews, translation of complex medical language, and direct communication with care teams.
  • Community education: Talks and workshops for the public, caregivers, assisted living staff, and healthcare providers.
• Business Insights & Strategies
  • Challenges: Low public awareness of independent advocacy and timing—families often discover services too late.
  • Marketing advice: Building “customer avatars” to identify and target ideal clients, whether aging individuals or caregivers navigating complex care for loved ones.
  • Recommendations for expanding reach through educational movements, lifestyle integration, partnerships, and potential consulting/licensing models for healthcare organizations.
• Scaling Thoughtfully
  • Shlomit discusses scaling her business while maintaining intimacy and quality of service.
  • Establishing strategic partnerships with elder care lawyers, social workers, and physicians.

Actionable Advice & Takeaways

• Patient Advocacy Is for Everyone
  • Not just for seniors—vital support for younger patients, caregivers, and families through unexpected health crises.
• Build Awareness Early
  • Proactive education can prevent missed opportunities for advocacy.
• Strategic Growth
  • Document partnerships, develop targeted marketing, and consider consulting/lifecycle service models for broader impact.

Connect with Shlomit Liberty & Patient Path NYC

• Website: patientpathnyc.com
• Email: shlomit@PatientPathNYC.com
• LinkedIn:

Is your healthcare organization ready for excellence? Take the Healthcare Excellence Readiness Assessment and find out! Evaluate your leadership, strategy, and operations.

• Start now: Healthcare Excellence Readiness Assessment

Thank you for tuning in! Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast for more insights into achieving healthcare excellence.

New episodes of the "Excellence In Healthcare" podcast are released every Tuesday at 02:00 a.m. (est). Don't miss out on the latest insights and strategies for Mastering Healthcare Excellence.