Leading Through Crisis: The Human Side of Healthcare with Anahiz Correa

In this conversation, I sit down with Anahiz Correa, a first-generation Mexican American leader whose path in healthcare began at age five when her aunt in Mexico let her listen to a heartbeat through a stethoscope.Anahiz grew from ICU bedside nurse to charge nurse to ICU manager, and today serves as Senior Director for Critical Care Services at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital. We talk about what leading through the pandemic actually demanded, why “resilience” felt like a throwaway word, and how grit, vulnerability, and true psychological safety helped teams keep caring when everything hurt.She also reflects on how cultural roots, self-awareness, and the courage to be vulnerable reshaped her leadership, and her life. This episode is an honest look at what sustains healers, and how leaders can hold both the human and the work.What You’ll LearnWhy “resilience” rang hollow and how grit plus real support sustains careThe shift from task-driven to human-centered leadership in crisisHow vulnerability at work asks us to practice it at home, tooPsychological safety and emotional support as essentials, not extrasICU vs. telemetry vs. acute care—what each setting actually meansThe unseen toll of workplace violence and system limitationsManaging imposter thoughts and taking up space as a first-gen leaderWhy self-awareness creates the pause between trigger and choiceThree Core InsightsCare is the point, and also the pain. When people shut down to survive, leaders must notice and respond so teams can keep caring without losing themselves.Resilience without solutions is empty. Grit matters, and it has to be matched with structural support, clear communication, and psychological safety.Self-awareness changes outcomes. The pause to notice what is happening inside you creates new choices in how you lead, love, and work.Guest: Anahiz CorreaAnahiz Correa is the Senior Director of Critical Care Services at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, where she oversees the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Clinical Observation Area, and the soon-to-open EmPATH Unit.A dedicated nurse leader with over a decade of experience in emergency and acute care settings, Anahiz champions initiatives that improve patient outcomes, advance health equity, and support frontline healthcare workers. She is passionate about workforce development, patient safety, and advocating for policies that strengthen the nursing profession and enhance care for underserved communities.Anahiz is a Registered Nurse by background, specializing in Intensive Care. She earned her Master’s in Public Health with an emphasis on Health Policy and Management from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UCLA.Resources MentionedClarifying care settings: ICU, telemetry, acute careRespiratory therapy’s role in intubation and ventilator managementConcepts: psychological safety, self-care, therapy, and mentorshipLet’s ConnectFollow me on Instagram @selfmasterywithjenniferFollow the podcast on Instagram @healyourpartFind me on TikTok @iamjenniferherrera🧠 Take the Quiz: What’s Your Money Mirror? (New)📺 YouTube | Instagram | TikTok🌐 Explore my work | Book a ConversationSubscribe & Spread the WordIf this episode moved something in you, please share it.We grow by word of mouth, one person, one insight at a time.Leave a review. Send it to a friend. Share it on your socials.This work isn’t just personal, it’s collective. And we need it now more than ever.Thank you for being part of the shift.Final NoteYour presence matters.Your energy, your healing, your expansion, it all makes a difference.When you heal your part, you help heal the whole.