Host Frances talks with Stu, Director of Nursing and Operations Manager at a rural coastal hospital, about the hospital’s growth, community-led services, and the challenges of seasonal demand.

They discuss kindness in leadership—practical gestures like soup days, mentoring, and wellbeing programs (SEED) developed after bushfires—and reflect on acts of everyday compassion in healthcare.

The episode offers practical advice for new leaders and highlights the importance of self-care, community respect, and simple acts of connection that make a big difference.

This episode shares Stella’s personal family journey with community palliative care as they supported her father at home. It highlights the compassionate care, practical support, and dignity the team provided, and how those acts of kindness helped the whole family, including the children.

Stella reflects on grief, gratitude, and creating community spaces for mourning, including her writing and local gatherings that offer gentle support to others. The conversation emphasises empathy, clear communication, and the importance of being seen and heard during difficult times.

In this episode Frances chats with Caitlyn, a nurse who moved from ICU to community and palliative care. Caitlyn shares her path into nursing, the variety of work in a community health centre, and the skills she brought from inpatient care. They discuss teamwork, visiting patients at home, non-judgmental care, reframing language around patient choices, and practical self-care tips like donating plasma. The episode highlights gratitude, human connection, and simple ways listeners can show kindness to health workers.