Tell Us WHY

In this episode of Tell Us Why, hosts Jen Wright and Beth Morgan sit down with Hugh Tappan, South Atlantic Division President at HCA Healthcare and 2026 South Carolina Hospital Association Board Chair, to explore an initiative designed to change how leaders connect with frontline teams: A Walk in Your World.Moving beyond traditional town halls and routine executive rounding, Tappan explains what it really means to listen by experience. By stepping out of the boardroom and spending time alongside clinicians, often in scrubs and bright orange tennis shoes to match the HCA brand, leaders set aside reports and assumptions to better understand the challenges, demands, and meaningful moments that shape a caregiver’s day.Drawing from his own non-clinical path to leadership, Tappan shares why curiosity is one of the most important traits a leader can have and how closing the gap between administrators and staff can lead to stronger culture and real operational improvement.Featured Guest:Hugh Tappan is the South Atlantic Division President for HCA Healthcare, a role he has held since January 2015. The division includes 12 hospitals and more than 200 care sites across Northeast Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Prior to this role, Tappan served as CEO of HCA’s Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas.Moving past the push-communication style of traditional town halls and the drive-by experience standard executive rounding, Tappan unpacks the mechanics of true experiential listening. By stepping out of the boardroom and spending hours shadowing clinicians—often arriving in scrubs and matching tennis shoes—executives set aside dashboard metrics and preconceived notions to grapple with the friction, fatigue, and triumphs that define a caregiver's daily shift.Drawing from his own unconventional, non-clinical path to the C-suite, Tappan shares why genuine curiosity is a leader's most valuable tool and how closing the physical gap between administrators and staff can drive meaningful cultural and operational change.Featured Guest: Hugh Tappan is a Division President with HCA Healthcare, overseeing the South Atlantic Division. Tappan was appointed President of HCA’s South Atlantic Division in January 2015. The South Atlantic Division includes 12 hospitals and more than 200 care sites across Northeast Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Prior to this role, Tappan served as Chief Executive Officer of HCA’s Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas.

The modern healthcare workplace is no longer a monolith. For the first time in history, five distinct generations—from the Silent Generation to Gen Z—are operating under one roof, with Gen Alpha already appearing on the horizon. This isn't just a demographic curiosity; it is a profound management challenge that requires leaders to rethink everything from digital communication to the very definition of professional "fairness."In this episode of Tell Us Why, hosts Jen Wright and Beth Morgan sit down with Dr. Melissa Furman to unpack these complex dynamics. Moving beyond tired clichés about "participation trophies" or "stiff upper lips," the conversation treats generational cohorts as distinct cultures that require intentional translation.Key Takeaways:The Multi-Generational Map: Understanding the unique values and historical contexts of five different eras of workers.Communication as Translation: Why a "simple" email can be interpreted in radically different ways across age groups.Redefining Fairness: How leadership must evolve to meet diverse expectations of work-life balance and professional growth.Beyond the Stereotypes: Moving from generational friction to collaborative synergy in high-stakes environments.Whether you are a veteran administrator or a new clinician, this episode provides a roadmap for leading with empathy and precision in the most diverse workforce we've ever seen.

In the latest episode of "Tell Us WHY," hosts Emily O'Sullivan and Jen Wright talk with Dr. Whitney Marvin and Dr. Alyssa Rheingold of MUSC Health about their health system’s transformative journey on improving healthcare workforce wellbeing.The quartet, having worked together through a recent grant from The Duke Endowment on these issues, primarily focuses on the importance of moving beyond wellness perks to foster real, systemic changes that address the root causes of workforce distress. The conversation also touches on personal motivations and experiences, comprehensive listening strategies, and the significance of leadership in fostering a supportive organizational culture.This will be the final episode of Tell Me WHY to feature Emily, who will be taking on a new role at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare. We wish her the very best!

In this episode of Tell Me WHY, we sit down with Joshua Trout, Chief Executive Officer of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Greenville. A mission-driven healthcare executive, Joshua has built his career on fostering culture-driven leadership and creating environments where caregivers and patients alike can thrive. As CEO, he led the development of the Greenville hospital from the ground up—both structurally and culturally—earning recognition for building high-performing teams and empowering leaders to deliver meaningful results.Joshua is also the author of Transformative Leadership, a compelling book that blends personal experiences with professional insights to show how vulnerability, empathy, and authenticity can redefine leadership. In his writing, Joshua emphasizes that true leadership is not about authority alone, but about humility, openness, and the courage to lead with compassion. His book has been praised for offering practical tools to help leaders build trust, strengthen collaboration, and inspire organizational transformation.In this conversation, Joshua highlights the importance of creating safe and supportive environments for caregivers, recognizing that their emotional well-being directly impacts patient care. He discusses the challenges caregivers face daily—balancing compassion with professional demands—and underscores why healthcare organizations must encourage openness, empathy, and understanding.To learn more about Joshua's book and other pursuits, go to joshuaptrout.com.

In this episode of “Tell Me Why,” hosts Emily O'Sullivan and Jen Wright discuss the role of contingent labor in the healthcare workforce with Mindy Milligan, regional vice president of program management for Qualivis. They explore common myths about travel nurses, the impact of AI on workforce management, and the importance of diversifying staffing solutions. Mindy shares insights on converting travelers to permanent staff, the benefits of internal agency float, and offers advice for healthcare leaders on effectively integrating contingent labor into their staffing strategies.

On this episode of "Tell Me Why," hosts Emily O'Sullivan and Jen Wright chat with Dr. Christina Bowen, Chief Wellbeing Officer at ECU Health, and Dr. Nadia Charguia, a child psychiatrist and the Executive Medical Director for UNC Healthcare’s Integrated Well-Being Program! Dr. Bowen and Dr. Charguia both lead innovative solutions to employee engagement with a focus on addressing administrative burdens and enhancing workforce well-being.We hear about their personal and professional journeys to working in this space, and the conversation delves deeply into human-centered design and new strategies for developing trust, ensuring constructive feedback from frontline staff, and, most importantly, how that feedback leads to meaningful action.For more information on the "Getting Rid of Stupid Stuff" (GROSS) toolkit, click here.

 In the latest episode of Tell Me WHY, we talk to Chief Talent Officer Chantel Greenfield and Senior Healthcare Recruitment Andrea Butler of Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System about their innovative approach to healthcare recruitment.The episode features a robust discussion of how Greenfield and Butler are “ditching the old ways” and embracing cutting-edge strategies that are meeting the modern healthcare workforce needs and demands. Discover how their team uses data insights and creative approaches, from using AI to cultivating an inclusive workplace, to attract and retain top talent and addressing critical workforce challenges.  

In this insightful conversation, Aiken Regional Medical Center's Crystal Mock and Tideland Health's Renee Shore discuss their personal journeys in the healthcare field with Tell Me WHY, emphasizing the importance of mental health awareness and support within the workforce. They also explore the challenges of burnout and stigma and share strategies for creating a supportive culture that prioritizes employee wellbeing. The discussion highlights the implementation of mental health first aid training and the significance of lifelong learning as a protective factor against burnout. Overall, the conversation underscores the need for a holistic approach to health and wellbeing in the healthcare environment.

In this episode of "Tell Me WHY," hosts Emily O'Sullivan and Jen Wright engage with Dr. Heather Farley, Chief Wellbeing Officer at MUSC Health, to discuss the critical importance of workforce well-being in healthcare. Dr. Farley shares her personal journey from emergency physician to CWO, emphasizing the need for a cultural shift in healthcare towards self-compassion and mutual support. The conversation explores the role of CWOs, the significance of listening to employee voices, and the strategic planning processes that lead to actionable initiatives aimed at improving the healthcare workforce experience. Dr. Farley highlights various programs being implemented at MUSC, including stress first aid training and rejuvenation stations, and discusses the future of workforce well-being in healthcare.

In this special “Hospital Week” episode of the Tell Me Why podcast, Jen Wright and Emily O'Sullivan are joined by SCHA communications staffer Kyle Petersen to chat with Andy Lyons, the Director of Corporate Communications and Content Strategy for Roper St. Francis Healthcare.They explore Andy’s journey from journalism to healthcare communications and why he finds such value and purpose in telling the story of the hospital and its staff. Andy also shares his thoughts about the importance of empathy, humanizing the healthcare workforce, and emphasizing mission-driven messaging. The conversation also highlights the need for a sense of purpose and pride among healthcare workers that hospital communications teams can support as part of a larger focus on a healthy and engaged workforce.  

In this episode, Russell Baxley, President and CEO of Beaufort Memorial Hospital, shares his journey in healthcare administration and the innovative strategies his hospital is implementing to address workforce challenges, particularly regarding childcare and housing. He and co-hosts Jen Wright and Emily O'Sullivan also talk about the importance of listening to employee needs and forming partnerships in the community to address affordability and other workforce challenges. 

In this episode of SCHA's "Tell Me Why" podcast, hosts Emily O'Sullivan and Jen Wright chat with Dr. Rachel Brown, a family physician and certified corporate wellness specialist who founded Thriving Workforce Solutions. Dr. Brown shares her own experience with burnout and how she came to launch her company as the trio discuss work-life harmony, psychological safety, and the need for tailored approaches to workforce well-being. 

In the latest episode of Tell Me WHY, Jen and Emily chat with Dr. Teresa “Tese” Stephens, RN, PhD, about her research findings on resilience in the healthcare workforce, touching on her early experience in the field and her work with Holocaust survivors that powered her work.  A recent journal article Dr. Stephens references in the podcast, "Culture Shock: Remote Work in Higher Education" by Teresa M. Stephens, Kristen Poston et al., is available at https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/ijttl/vol1/iss1/2/.

Today's guest is Kristen Dickens MBA, BSN, RN, CENP! Kristen is the Director of Nursing Practice and Innovation at Prisma Health. In this episode we learn how she arrived at nursing via a communications background, her passion for innovation, and how the health system's new virtual nursing program facilitates a better workplace experience for nurses and better care for patients. 

Dr. Carolyn Swinton, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, NCC, ACC, knows a lot and feels a lot about the importance of leadership. When our SC WHY Team decided to launch a podcast to spread big ideas and best practices on leading highly resilient teams, she was one of the first people we wanted to talk to. Over the course of her career, Dr. Swinton has served in numerous clinical leadership roles, including Chief Nurse Executive, Prisma Health; Affiliate Faculty, University of South Carolina College of Nursing; and Clinical Associate Professor, Clemson University School of Nursing. She is currently the Founder and CEO of Reveille Executive Coaching & Consulting Services, LLC, and she has been partnering with SCHA on our "WHY We Lead" training designed to help hospital leaders in mid-level management positions enhance and cultivate skills and qualities necessary to successfully lead their teams, drive teamwork and engagement, and embrace change.As we dug into Dr. Swinton's personal story more deeply, our conversation centered around the importance of empathy, self-awareness, and personal growth for effective leadership in healthcare. Dr. Swinton emphasized mentorship, coaching, and personal development for leaders and highlighted the impact of these practices on leadership effectiveness.Dr. Swinton is a fount of wisdom and left us with some profound thoughts on leadership, including the importance of understanding one's personal values and long-term goals as a leader and the freedom that comes from realizing one doesn't have to be perfect.