Central Line: Leadership in Healthcare

Central Line: Leadership in Healthcare

Leading in healthcare is tough, so learn firsthand from today’s successful healthcare leaders on how they got to where they are, lessons learned along the way, and what it takes to thrive.

Episodes

November 26, 2025 41 mins

In this episode, Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah, Co-Director of Policy and Advocacy at Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, shares her path from an early, instinctive feminism to becoming a respected national advocate. She offers a clear look at Action Canada’s work advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in Canada and globally, and why this work remains as urgent as ever.

Debbie breaks down the systemic and political barr...

Mark as Played

Marilyn Wacko, Executive Director of the Alberta Nurses Educational Trust (ANET), discusses her role in advancing nursing through education and research. ANET, a unique charity in Alberta, provides grants for continuing education, research, and scholarships to improve nursing practice and patient care. Marilyn highlights the importance of funding nursing projects with immediate healthcare impacts and shares inspiring stories of ben...

Mark as Played

After leaving a successful advertising career, Kate Grant set out to find work with deeper meaning. That search led her to a hospital in Ethiopia, where she witnessed women suffering from obstetric fistula—a preventable childbirth injury that had left them incontinent, isolated, and forgotten.

Moved to act, Kate joined the Fistula Foundation. What began as support for a single hospital has grown under her leadership into a network...

Mark as Played

Join host Leah as she talks with Hilary, a Labrador Inuk nurse and policy analyst, about her journey in nursing, the importance of community, and advancing cultural safety in healthcare. Hilary shares insights on Indigenous leadership, overcoming challenges, and practical steps for creating more inclusive care. A powerful conversation on reconciliation and making a difference in Canadian health.

 

If you would like to learn more ab...

Mark as Played

In this episode of Central Line Leadership in Healthcare, nurse and healthcare technology manager Claire Phillips shares her journey from a sociology major to a nursing leader. Discussing her passion for systems thinking, Claire highlights how this approach can revolutionize healthcare by addressing complex issues, such as burnout and patient care efficiency. Through her company, Nursing the System, she aims to train 10,000 nurses ...

Mark as Played

In this episode of Central Line: Leadership in Healthcare, host Leah Wuitschik speaks with Bonnie Barnes, co-founder of the DAISY Foundation, which was created to honour extraordinary nurses after the compassionate care her stepson Patrick received before his passing. Since 1999, the DAISY Award has grown into a global movement, recognizing over 230,000 nurses in nearly 7,000 healthcare facilities across 43 countries. Bonnie shares...

Mark as Played
 

In this episode of Central Line: Leadership Between the Lines, host Leah Wuitschik interviews Reverdi Darda, founder and CEO of ATMA CENA. With over three decades in healthcare leadership, Rev shares her inspiring journey of transformation—from her roots as a registered nurse to becoming a trailblazer in psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Rev discusses the innovative approaches her organization is championing, including ket...

Mark as Played
December 12, 2024 41 mins

In this episode of Central Line: Leadership in Healthcare, host Leah Wuitschik speaks with Alain Doucet, outgoing President and CEO of the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL). Alain reflects on his journey leading the organization, highlighting his experiences building a strong organizational culture, navigating challenges like the pandemic, and expanding the understanding of leadership across healthcare roles. They discuss t...

Mark as Played

Join host Leah Wuitschik and guest Rosa Edinga in the latest episode of Central Line: Leadership in Healthcare as they dive into the heart of human-centred leadership. Discover how consistent behaviour builds trust and aligns with core values, and explore the empowering impact of making conscious choices and taking responsibility.

Rosa shares practical insights on creating a safe, judgment-free space where leaders can express thoug...

Mark as Played

In this episode, Leah sits down with two visionary leaders, Sue Bookey-Bassett and Patrick Neumann, who are using virtual modeling to inform a revolutionary approach to the design of healthcare workplaces. Sue, an Assistant Professor at the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, combines her experience as a healthcare leader with her passion for creating supportive environments for nurses and other healthcare professionals...

Mark as Played

Leah sits down with Kat Newport, a passionate Conflict Educator and Coach renowned for her expertise in guiding leaders and teams through tough situations. Kat shares her unique approach to conflict, viewing it not as a hurdle, but as a catalyst for positive growth and creativity in the workplace.

Kat delves into her philosophy of "Smart Conflict," emphasizing the importance of self-awareness in how we han...

Mark as Played

Ila Edgar is the founder of Big Change Inc, a consulting organization that supports organizations, leaders, and teams in building stronger trust in pursuit of achieving amazing things together, and co-host of a podcast dedicated to helping people intentionally design trust in their relationships, Trust on Purpose

Listen as Ila talks about her personal journey of trust, navigating a landscape devoid of fr...

Mark as Played
April 2, 2024 41 mins

In the newest episode of Central Line - the podcast from TallTrees Leadership - Leah sits down with Tim Guest, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Nurses Association, to explore the dynamic landscape of nursing in Canada. With over three decades of experience spanning diverse nursing and leadership roles, Tim shares his insights on the evolving expectations and needs within the profession. His journey embodies a commitment to a...

Mark as Played

In this episode, we delve into the inspiring journey and insights of Dr. Leigh Chapman, Chief Nursing Officer for Canada. With a rich background, including a PhD from the University of Toronto and two decades of frontline and leadership roles, Leigh's dedication to advancing nursing in Canada is undeniable. Leigh shares her experiences working in both frontline clinical healthcare, as well as national policy development and leaders...

Mark as Played

In this month’s episode of The Central Line podcast, Leah sits down with two extraordinary leaders within the Canadian Mental Health Association - Jason Platts and Danny Lang.

We delve head first into the heart of leadership and the profound impact that a daily practice of servant leadership can have on our teams and in our communities. The conversation strips away what you think you know about leadership, and offers thought provok...

Mark as Played

This episode of Central Line features a conversation between Host Leah Wuitschik of TallTrees Leadership and Dr. Kathleen Ross, President of the Canadian Medical Association. It delves into the multifaceted world of healthcare and leadership. In particular, what makes a truly great leader who can affect real change.

True leadership is portrayed as a balance between listening, reflection, inclusiveness, col...

Mark as Played

Canadian health system reform. Is it possible? Your answer to this question might be based on your experiences with the system, your role in it, and whether or not you believe we know and have what it takes to make it happen.

We welcome Canadian Senator Rebecca Patterson to the Central Line podcast to discuss her answer to these questions. You’ll hear about how her experiences in the Canadian military and as a registered nurse and ...

Mark as Played

If you asked 100 people, 99 of them would say that technology has made our world progressively more efficient and productive in almost every facet of modern life. If you asked those same people, they’d also say that healthcare has been one of the industries most impacted by technological advances but that it still needs to be grounded in a high-touch, human approach - something computers can’t do. 

With all of the attempts, some su...

Mark as Played

In this thought-provoking episode of "Central Line: Leadership in Healthcare," your host Leah Wuitschik sits down with Dr. Sid Viner. Dr. Viner is the Vice President & Medical Director for Alberta Health Services.  He has executive-level responsibility for clinical operations in AHS across the province, and a passion for quality improvement, patient safety and health system transformation. Dr. Viner shares valuable insights on ...

Mark as Played

In this episode, we explore the concept of cultivating a thriving healthcare culture and the vital role of leaders in creating a positive emotional environment. Our guest, Jennifer Krippner with the Institute for Healthcare Excellence, shares practical strategies for fostering a culture of positivity and well-being in healthcare organizations. We discuss the connection between a positive emotional environment, improved patient o...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Burden

    The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.

    SmartLess

    "SmartLess" with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity. A nice surprise: in each episode of SmartLess, one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the other two. What ensues is a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the SmartLess mind. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of SmartLess ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.