What happens when a teenager who has beaten leukaemia twice sits down with paediatric leaders and quietly rewrites the rules of healthcare?

In this Leadership Insights episode, I reflect on the overwhelming response to Khianna Lucas Young’s story and distil the powerful lessons it offers every healthcare leader. Drawing from Khianna’s lived expertise and four years co-chairing the RCPCH & Young People’s Engagement Committee, she lays out a crystal-clear manifesto for authentic youth partnership that’s grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

What You’ll Learn

- The UNCRC Isn’t Optional: Why every child’s right to be heard isn’t polite add-on language; it’s a legal and moral imperative that makes care safer and more humane.

- Small Choices, Big Impact: How giving young patients even tiny moments of control (from being spoken to directly to choosing a plaster) rebuilds agency and trust.

- From Tokenism to Transformation: Real-world ways to embed youth voice: co-produced pathways, youth advisory panels with actual power, young people’s budgets, and rights-based training for clinicians.

Khianna’s voice, alongside the groundbreaking RCPCH standards, proves that the future of compassionate, equitable healthcare isn’t designed for young people; it’s designed with them.

Connect with Healthcare Leadership Conversations

Instagram: instagram.com/healthleadershipconversations

LinkedIn (Dr. Mo Akindolie): linkedin.com/in/dr-mo-akindolie

Website: healthcareleadershipconversations.com

Episode Resources

unicef.org.uk/what-we-do/un-convention-child-rights/

linkedin.com/in/emma-sparrow-engagement-specialist/

rcpch.ac.uk/resources/engagement-standards

ayph.org.uk/

Healthcare Leadership Conversations is produced by Urban Podcasts.

At just six years old, a leukaemia diagnosis could have dimmed anyone’s light but for Khianna Lucas-Young, it became the spark that lit a lifetime of advocacy, horses, and hope.

In this episode of Leadership Conversations, I welcome the unstoppable Khianna Lucas-Young. Diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at just six, enduring two and a half years of chemotherapy, a heartbreaking relapse at twelve, and emerging as a national equestrian champion, fundraiser, and youth advisor to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Khianna’s story is one of courage, humour, and unfiltered wisdom.

We explore turning personal battles into advocacy, the power of being heard as a young patient, and why mental health support must run alongside physical care.

What You’ll Learn

- Patient-Led Change: How Khianna’s lived experience is reshaping paediatric policies - simpler access, open communication, and parity between physical and mental health.

- Resilience Redefined: From relapse to riding triumphs, why knowing what to expect and feeling in control can transform the hardest journeys.

- Hope in Action: The three big lessons Khianna wants every healthcare professional to hearfrom catching the “mental volcano” early to removing hoops for families in crisis.

Khianna’s voice is a radiant reminder that leadership isn’t about age or title - it’s about turning adversity into advocacy and proving that even the youngest patients can light the way forward.

Connect with Healthcare Leadership Conversations

Instagram: instagram.com/healthleadershipconversations

LinkedIn (Dr. Mo Akindolie): linkedin.com/in/dr-mo-akindolie

Website: healthcareleadershipconversations.com

Healthcare Leadership Conversations is produced by Urban Podcasts.

What happens when healthcare steps out of the hospital and into the timeline?

In this episode of Leadership Insights, I reflect on my conversation with Joyce Omatseye, NHS clinician and digital advocate, to explore the transformative role social media can play in healthcare.

From breaking down stigma to mobilising communities, this conversation dives into the power of digital platforms to connect, educate, and inspire action within and beyond the NHS.

What You’ll Learn

- Digital Influence: How healthcare professionals can use social media to drive positive impact - not just engagement.

- Building Trust Online: The importance of authenticity and clear communication in a noisy digital world.

- Shifting the Narrative: How platforms like X, Instagram and TikTok can be used to challenge stereotypes and change the conversation around health.

This episode is a powerful reminder that leadership doesn’t only happen in boardrooms or clinics - it can also happen in your feed.

Follow Dr. Joyce Omatseye

Instagram: instagram.com/signed.drj

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joyce-omatseye

Aranini Health

Website: araninihealth.com

Instagram: instagram.com/aranini.health

Connect with Healthcare Leadership Conversations

Instagram: instagram.com/healthleadershipconversations

LinkedIn (Dr. Mo Akindolie): linkedin.com/in/dr-mo-akindolie

Website: healthcareleadershipconversations.com

Healthcare Leadership Conversations is produced by Urban Podcasts.

What if a one-off family chat could spark a global movement for women's health?

In this episode, I am joined by Dr Joyce Omatseye, the trailblazing GP, digital health advocate, and founder of Aranini. From her vibrant Lagos childhood in a tight-knit apartment block to frontline NHS shifts during the pandemic, Joyce opens up about her path to medicine, intercalating in business, and turning a personal Instagram journal into a 57,000-strong community.

What You’ll Learn

Self-Care Routines: How Joyce rebuilds her energy with gym sessions, spa days, and solo thinking time after months of community celebrations.

Starting Small: Why her "one-off" Boxing Day event in Lagos exploded into events across London, Accra, Nairobi and how to begin your own ideas without overplanning.

Combating Misinformation: Practical steps like verifying credentials, using NHS-vetted sites, and creating safe spaces for evidence-based health chats.

Joyce’s journey from journal entries to world-spanning events reminds us that bold visions start with a single, courageous step and equip us all to demand better health conversations.

Follow Dr. Joyce Omatseye

Instagram: instagram.com/signed.drj

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joyce-omatseye

Aranini Health

Website: araninihealth.com

Instagram: instagram.com/aranini.health

Connect with Healthcare Leadership Conversations

Instagram: instagram.com/healthleadershipconversations

LinkedIn (Dr. Mo Akindolie): linkedin.com/in/dr-mo-akindolie

Website: healthcareleadershipconversations.com

Healthcare Leadership Conversations is produced by Urban Podcasts.

What happens when clinicians step into the boardroom with the same urgency they bring to the bedside?

In this episode of Leadership Insights, I reflect on my conversation with Dr Mark Ratnarajah, Managing Director at C2-Ai and experienced clinician-entrepreneur, about the evolving intersection between healthcare and business.

From grappling with data complexity to building trust with clinicians and executives alike, I explore why understanding the business of healthcare is no longer optional - it’s essential for meaningful change.

What You’ll Learn

Business Meets Care: How commercial strategy and clinical expertise can work hand-in-hand to improve health outcomes.

Trust and Translation: Why language and communication are critical in bridging the gap between clinical teams and industry.

Driving Innovation: How to navigate systems change in environments designed to resist it.

This is a powerful reminder that transforming healthcare isn’t just about better medicine - it’s about smarter systems, brave leadership, and bridging worlds that too often speak past each other.

Healthcare Leadership Conversations is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Can cutting-edge technology transform healthcare without losing its heart?

In this episode of Leadership Conversations, I sit down with Dr Mark Ratnarajah – a paediatrician turned healthcare innovator whose career spans the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and beyond. From early days in paediatric A&E to working with flying doctors in the Australian outback, Mark has always been fascinated by the interface between medicine and technology. His journey took him through Oxford, into private equity, entrepreneurship, and now into the fast-moving world of AI and health informatics – all while maintaining his clinical practice.

Together we explore how medicine, innovation, and leadership intertwine, and why the future of healthcare depends on both bold ideas and compassionate practice.

What You’ll Learn

- The Power of Early Lessons: How family resilience and childhood values shaped Mark’s purpose-driven approach to healthcare and leadership.

- Medicine Meets Business: Why stepping outside clinical practice gave him the tools to blend medical expertise with entrepreneurship and innovation.

- AI and Equity in Healthcare: The opportunities and challenges of using artificial intelligence responsibly, and why data diversity and accountability matter for fair outcomes.

Mark’s story shows us what’s possible when clinical expertise, leadership, and vision collide. It’s a reminder that healthcare’s future lies not just in technology, but in keeping kindness and humanity at its heart.

Can leading with compassion make us better at making tough decisions?

In this episode of Leadership Insights, I reflect on my conversation with Dr Camilla Kingdon, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, to explore what it means to lead with both strength and empathy in today’s healthcare landscape.

From navigating burnout to creating psychological safety in high-pressure environments, she offers a rare and honest perspective on what true compassionate leadership looks like - not as a buzzword, but as a daily practice.

What You’ll Learn

Compassion in Action: How leading with empathy builds trust and drives more effective teams.

Courageous Leadership: Why compassion doesn’t mean avoiding hard conversations—and how to balance care with clarity.

Culture That Cares: Practical ways to embed compassion in systems, not just slogans.

This conversation is a reminder that leadership isn’t about having all the answers - it’s about showing up, listening deeply, and leading with both head and heart.

Healthcare Leadership Conversations is produced by Urban Podcasts.

What if kindness could transform leadership in medicine?

In the debut episode of Leadership Conversations, I sit down with Dr. Camilla Kingdon, a consultant neonatologist and former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Camilla shares her remarkable journey from her childhood in apartheid-era Cape Town to steering UK paediatrics through the COVID-19 storm. Her story is a masterclass in courage, inclusivity, and the transformative power of empathy in healthcare.

What You’ll Learn

- Kindness as a Leadership Superpower: Discover how empathy builds trust and strengthens teams, especially in challenging times.

- Courage to Lead: Learn to seize opportunities for leadership in crises to drive meaningful change.

- Building Inclusive Communities: Break free from labels like race or age to unlock potential and create harmony.

We explore Camilla’s reflections on South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, her leadership during the pandemic, and her three wishes for a better world: prioritising children, combating climate change, and celebrating diversity.

Camilla’s journey shows that leading with heart and vision can spark lasting change in healthcare and beyond.

Healthcare Leadership Conversations is produced by Urban Podcasts.