HWL Talks

In this episode of HWL Talks, host Tommy Benner sits down with Nancy Bourg, RN, BSHCA, MBA, Executive Vice President of Insourcing and Chief Clinical Officer at HWL, for a candid conversation on the past, present, and future of the nursing workforce.

With decades of experience spanning bedside nursing, agency staffing, and health system leadership, Nancy shares how early efforts to aggregate spend and standardize contracts laid the ...

Season 2 of HWL Talks kicks off with a powerful conversation featuring Kent McMackin, Chief Operating Officer of Syncoro Health LLC, Navy veteran, and healthcare leader with more than four decades of experience spanning clinical care, hospital administration, physician services, and workforce strategy.

Kent shares how his early years in clinical medicine and 23-year Navy career shaped his leadership philosophy, grounding it in servi...

As we close out the year, HWL Talks welcomes a special guest—HWL Co-Founder and President Jonathan Ward—for a candid conversation on the state and future of healthcare staffing.

With more than 30 years of industry experience, Jonathan reflects on the biggest workforce challenges healthcare organizations face today, from ongoing staffing shortages and financial pressure to the growing role of AI, data, and transparency in workforce d...

In this episode of HWL Talks, we sit down with Dr. Akram Boutros, a leader who has spent his career bridging medicine, business, and innovation. Now the founder and CEO of Nexus Bedside, Dr. Boutros is pushing the boundaries of what inpatient care can look like through virtual nursing models and advanced multimodal AI.

Dr. Boutros shares why traditional healthcare leadership often stalls innovation, how fearlessness (not recklessnes...

In Episode 11 of HWL Talks, host Tommy Binner sits down with Shane Jackson—President of Jackson Healthcare, author, philanthropist, and leadership thought leader.

Shane shares insights from his new book, This Is the Thing, and opens up about the challenges and opportunities facing healthcare leaders today. From navigating the rapid rise of AI and its impact on healthcare staffing, to fostering cultures that prioritize retention over...

In this episode of HWL Talks, host Tommy Binner sits down with healthcare pioneer Joane Goodroe—a nurse, administrator, entrepreneur, and national thought leader who has testified before Congress on healthcare cost models.

Joane shares her remarkable journey from the ICU to shaping Medicare pilot programs, pioneering gainsharing, and challenging the long-held belief that lowering costs means lowering quality. Together, Tommy and Joa...

On this episode of HWL Talks, host Amanda Wheeler, VP of Insourcing at HWL, sits down with two powerhouse leaders: Laurie DiMarzio, SVP of Client Services at HWL, and Darlene Souza, SVP & CHRO at South Shore Health. What started as a high-stakes workforce challenge during the height of the pandemic evolved into a true partnership built on trust, transparency, and transformative collaboration.

Together, they explore:

• The “like...

In this episode of HWL Talks, host Tommy Binner sits down with Amanda Wheeler, RN, BSN, MBA — HWL’s Vice President of InSourcing and a fourth-generation nurse — to unpack the complex state of the nursing workforce.

From the lasting impact of burnout to the importance of flexible staffing models, Amanda shares insights drawn from her extensive clinical and executive experience. The conversation explores how healthcare systems can tra...

In this special sponsored episode, produced in collaboration with AONL, Bill Klaproth steps in as host to interview Amanda Wheeler, Vice President of InSourcing at HWL. 

Together, they explore proactive and sustainable strategies for tackling the ongoing nursing workforce crisis—a challenge expected to escalate as more than 600,000 nurses are projected to exit the profession by 2030. Amanda shares innovative approaches that prioriti...

In this episode, Jeff Niles, Chief Revenue Officer at HWL, sits down with Sandro Altherr, Vice President of Provider Recruitment at RWJBarnabas Health, to discuss physician recruitment in one of the most competitive healthcare markets in the U.S.

Recruiting in a Crowded Market: How RWJBarnabas Health sets itself apart amid dense provider competition in the New York metro area.
Culture as a Magnet: The vital role of organization...

In this episode, Trevor Strauss, FACHE, Senior Vice President at HWL, sits down with Carey Goryl, CEO of AAPPR, and Liz Mahan, Director of Professional Development and Solutions at AAPPR, to explore the evolution of physician and provider recruitment and the critical role of professional communities in healthcare.

• Strengthening Recruitment Networks: How AAPPR fosters a community that empowers recruiters to navigate industry chal...

In this episode, Trevor Strauss, FACHE, Senior Vice President at HWL, sits down with Aidan Hettler, MSHCT, CEO of Sedgwick County Health Center, to discuss his extraordinary journey into healthcare leadership and the challenges of leading a rural hospital.

• Breaking Barriers: How Aidan became the youngest hospital CEO in the country at just 22 years old.
• Servant Leadership in Action: His approach to meeting staff where they are an...

In this episode, Trevor Strauss, FACHE, Senior Vice President at HWL, sits down with Dr. Josh Hargraves, MD, FACEP, Divisional President at ApolloMD, for an insightful discussion on the challenges and future of emergency medicine.

• The Reality of Emergency Medicine: Why delivering patient care remains as challenging today as it was 30 years ago.
• Lessons from the Past: A TIME article from the ‘90s highlights ER struggles that still...

Episode Description:

In this episode of HWL Talks, we sit down with Valerie Myers, Senior Physician Recruiter FL Division at Humana, to explore how physician recruiting is evolving in today’s competitive healthcare landscape. With years of experience in recruitment and workforce strategy, Valerie shares how data, AI, and analytics are transforming the way healthcare organizations attract top talent.

Hosted by Trevor Strauss, FACHE, t...

In this insightful episode of HWL Talks, we sit down with Dr. Leigh Hamby, Chief Medical Officer at Piedmont Healthcare, to explore his extraordinary journey from the operating room to the executive boardroom. With decades of experience in healthcare, Dr. Hamby shares his unique perspective on leadership, decision-making, and navigating the challenges of today’s dynamic healthcare environment.

Hosted by Trevor Strauss, FACHE, this c...