Self-Awareness and Trust in Healthcare Leadership

Elaine Belson, LCSW, speaks with Jess Bunin, MD, about self-awareness, trust, and the inner work required for effective healthcare leadership. Jess shares her experience surviving Hodgkin’s disease during residency. The conversation explores perfectionism, shame, self-compassion, boundaries, values, identity, psychological safety, and communication.

Key takeaways

• The difference between adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism
• How shame and exhaustion can undermine leadership
• Why self-compassion supports healthier professional growth
• Setting boundaries without guilt or excessive explanation
• Aligning daily actions with personal and organizational values
• Using mentors, coaches, peers, and feedback partners for reflection
• Understanding identity and difference as strengths within teams
• Creating psychological safety and sharing power
• Replacing assumptions with curiosity and active listening

Timestamps

00:00 - Introducing Jess and her book
01:35 - Jess’s illness during residency
05:44 - Adaptive versus maladaptive perfectionism
09:06 - Shame, exhaustion, and patient safety
10:09 - Practicing self-compassion
15:06 - Boundaries and values-based decisions
21:20 - Speaking up and finding a feedback partner
26:24 - Identity, belonging, and team strength
29:44 - Tactical, strategic, and existential pauses
34:25 - Choosing between therapy, coaching, mentorship, and peer support
36:48 - Psychological safety in teams
38:16 - Civil discourse and ethical influence
49:51 - Why inner work comes before effective leadership
50:40 - Rebuilding trust through shared power

COL(ret) Jessica Bunin, MD, MHPE is Co-Founder and Chief Architect of All Levels Leadership, Certified Executive Coach, and author of Self-Awareness and Trust: Leading Healthcare Teams from the Inside Out. She is passionate about developing future leaders through faculty development, coaching, and mentorship.

A graduate of West Point and Tulane University School of Medicine, Jess completed her residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and served as a Psychiatrist at West Point. Jess has since held leadership roles including Program Director and Associate Dean. She retired in 2023 after 23 years in the Military, deploying to Iraq as a Psychiatrist and Afghanistan as an Intensivist.

Connect with Jess!

Website: www.jessbuninmd.com

Podcasts: https://jessbuninmd.com/media#podcasts

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-bunin/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessica.bunin/

Email: jess@jessbuninmd.com

Book: www.jessbuninmd.com/book

Connect with Elaine!

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/elainebelsonlcsw

Free Discovery Call: https://zcal.co/esbelsonlcswc/15min

Website: https://www.TheSelfAuthorityCoach.com