Lean Blog Interviews - Healthcare, Manufacturing, Business, and Leadership
Started in 2006, the ”Lean Blog Interviews” podcast, hosted by Mark Graban, brings you conversations with leading experts, authors, and thought leaders in lean manufacturing and management. As a Lean practitioner, consultant, and author, Mark Graban offers deep insights, real-world experiences, and practical tips for implementing and enhancing Lean practices across various industries. The Podcast Experience Mark Graban engages his guests in a conversational format, covering a wide array of topics related to Lean. Guests come from diverse backgrounds, including healthcare, manufacturing, and service industries, sharing their unique experiences and perspectives on Lean implementation. Core Topics Lean Principles and History: Dive into the foundational aspects of Lean, its history, and core principles. Industry Applications: Explore how Lean is applied in different industries, such as healthcare, manufacturing, and startups. Continuous Improvement: Learn about value stream mapping, process improvement, and culture change. Leadership and Management Systems: Gain insights into the Toyota Production System and related methodologies, focusing on Lean as a culture, philosophy, and management system rather than just a set of tools. Unique Features Focus on Healthcare: Mark Graban, a renowned advocate for Lean in healthcare, frequently features experts who discuss patient safety, quality improvement, and waste reduction in healthcare settings. Hear success stories and practical advice on implementing Lean in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare organizations. Practical Advice and Real-World Examples: Guests share their experiences and insights into what works and what doesn’t in Lean implementation. Overcome common challenges and get inspired by success stories. Inclusivity and Diversity: The podcast features a range of guests from diverse backgrounds, enriching discussions and providing a comprehensive understanding of Lean’s challenges and opportunities. While we don’t talk much about Lean Six Sigma, we hope the podcast is helpful to you anyway. Why Listen? Whether you’re new to Lean or a seasoned practitioner, the ”Lean Blog Interviews” podcast is a valuable resource offering insights, tips, and inspiration for improving your organization’s performance and achieving Lean goals. With its engaging format, practical advice, and diverse range of guests, this podcast is essential for anyone interested in continuous improvement and operational excellence. Connect and Explore More Visit the blog at www.leanblog.org. For feedback, email mark@leanblog.org. Access all past episodes, show notes, and more at www.leancast.org. Subscribe to the ”Lean Blog Interviews” podcast today and join the journey toward Lean mastery and continuous improvement.
Episodes
My guest for Episode #532 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Anne Frewin, a seasoned Lean leader with over 12 years of improvement experience in healthcare, laboratories, and manufacturing.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
Anne's background in finance and healthcare administration provided her with a unique entry point into Lean -- first supporting improvement efforts through data, and then stepping fully into t...
In this bonus episode of Lean Blog Interviews, host Mark Graban welcomes back Patrick Adams, founder of the Lean Solutions team and author of Avoiding the Continuous Appearance Trap—a Shingo Publication Award-winning book. Patrick joins the show to preview the 2025 Lean Solutions Summit, taking place September 23–25 in Detroit, Michigan, at the Westin Detroit Airport.
This year’s theme—“Catalysts of Tomorrow: Shaping Future Leaders...
In this bonus episode of Lean Blog Interviews, host Mark Graban talks with Jared Thatcher, founder of the Global Lean Summit, to preview the upcoming event taking place September 23–25, 2025 in Bloomington, Indiana.
Jared shares the Summit’s origin story—from a virtual event launched during COVID lockdowns to a high-impact in-person gathering that brings together Lean leaders, practitioners, and learners from a wide range of indust...
My guest for Episode #531 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Dr. Melisa Buie, a seasoned operations and engineering leader with decades of experience in high-tech manufacturing.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
Melisa has held senior roles at companies like Lam Research, Applied Materials, and Coherent, where she led large-scale Lean transformations and helped drive cultural change across global operations. With a ...
My guest for Episode #530 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Ken Segel, Co-Founder and Chief Relationship Officer at Value Capture.
Episode page with video and more
With over two decades of experience in healthcare improvement, Ken has been instrumental in guiding Value Capture's mission: helping healthcare organizations pursue habitual excellence by applying principles of safety, transparency, and systems thinking. In this e...
My guest for Episode #529 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Scott Gauvin, CEO of Macresco and co-creator of the Respect for People Roadmap.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
With 30 years of experience leading operational transformations across sectors including biotech, pharma, agriculture, and manufacturing, Scott brings both a systems mindset and a people-first philosophy to his work. His journey into Lean be...
My guest for Episode #528 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Mark Reich, a Senior Lean Coach with the Lean Enterprise Institute and former Toyota leader with over two decades of experience.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
Mark spent six years working in Japan, including helping launch the Lexus brand and later leading Hoshin Kanri strategy processes during Toyota's rapid growth in North America. He also played a ...
My guest for Episode #527 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Dave Fitzpatrick, co-founder of Zenkai Improvement Partners and a 30-year resident of Japan. Dave brings a unique perspective as a Canadian Lean practitioner who has worked extensively in both manufacturing and healthcare, guiding international leaders on immersive study experiences throughout Japan.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
In this episode, Da...
My guest for Episode #526 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Bill Canady, a seasoned global business executive, U.S. Navy veteran, and current CEO of Arrowhead Engineered Products.
Bill has led over 30 operating companies and thousands of employees across the industrial and consumer products landscape. Formerly CEO of OTC Industrial Technologies, he helped drive impressive growth-boosting revenues by 43% and earnings by 78%.
...My guest for Episode #525 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Christopher R. Chapman. He's an experienced agile coach and consultant with a background in software development and agile transformation.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
Since founding Derailleur Consulting in 2010, he has guided teams and leaders in adopting agile frameworks like Scrum and Kanban while integrating applied systems thinking inspired b...
My guest for Episode #524 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is John Willis, an accomplished IT management expert with over 45 years of experience. His extensive body of work includes contributions to Deming's Journey to Profound Knowledge and co-authoring The DevOps Handbook.
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Hosts a podcast that I was recently on, "Profound."
John focuses his current research on DevOps, DevSecOps, IT risk, mo...
My guest for Episode #523 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Mike Eisenberg. He's been a filmmaker since 2010 with his production company, Tall Tale Productions, after completing his B.A. in Journalism at Marietta College in Ohio.
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Mike’s father, Dr. John Eisenberg, was a leader in national patient safety efforts as the director of the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality ...
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My guest for Episode #522 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jacquie Maupin.
She joins the podcast to discuss her upcoming workshop at the Healthcare Systems Process Improvement Conference (HSPI) hosted by the Society for Health Systems. She and her co-presenter, Lauren Todd from HCA Healthcare, will lead a session titled "From Analysis to Action: Bridging the Gap with Effective...
Here's a musical holiday treat for my regular Lean Blog readers and podcast listeners, a song parody, originally released in 2009... remastered a bit in 2022.
https://www.leanblog.org/2022/12/gemba-claus-comin-town-song/
Gemba Claus is Comin' to TownLyrics by Mark Graban Performance by Steve Sholtes
Oh, you'd better watch out You'd better kaizen You'd better not pout, I'm tellin' ya then Gemba Claus is comin' to town
Welcome to this bonus session of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast, originally recorded as a LinkedIn Live event! In this conversation, I partnered with Rebecca Michalik from AME Australia to discuss my upcoming workshops in Australia and New Zealand in March 2025.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
We’ll dive into key themes like psychological safety as a foundation for continuous improvement and how to make smarter u...
My guest for Episode #521 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is José R. Ferro, PhD, a Senior Advisor with the Lean Enterprise Institute and the Founder and President, Lean Institute Brasil.
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By founding Lean Institute Brasil in 1999 to disseminate the principles and practices of lean thinking to Brazilian companies, Ferro helped catalyze a global movement to establish lean institute...
My guest for Episode #520 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Bill Remy, CEO of TBM Consulting.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
Bill is both an accomplished business executive and leader who is frequently called upon for his credible voice, honesty, and pragmatism — and for his ability to leverage operational excellence and continuous improvement for long-term profitable growth.
As former president of Thayer...
My guest for Episode #519 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jarvis Gray, the Managing Director of The Quality Coaching Co. He offers more than 16 years of strategic planning, quality improvement, and operations leadership experience in the healthcare industry.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
Through his firm, The Quality Coaching Co., Jarvis and his associates help healthcare organizations foster cultures of ...
My guest for Episode #518 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jerry Wright, author of the new book The Insanity Trap: What Your MRP Consultant Won't Tell You.
Jerry M. Wright, PE, MBA, is an accomplished operations executive and teaching professional with over 39 years of experience in the manufacturing and service sectors.
His extensive career spans various industries, including aerospace, consumer goods, healthcare, medi...
My guest for this bonus episode of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Bruce Hamilton, who is joining me on the show for the first time. Bruce is a renowned figure in the Lean world, serving as the President of GBMP Consulting Group and Director Emeritus for the Shingo Institute.
As a senior examiner and certified workshop facilitator for the Shingo Prize, Bruce brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. He is also a past reci...
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