Brian Aquart is a VP of Workforce and Community Education, a Presidential Leadership Scholar, and the Executive Producer and Host of Why I Left Podcast, a program for folks to share their resignation stories. In this episode, Brian and Zhou talk about lifting up emerging leaders in healthcare, coming together and seeing humanity, being a successful podcast host, and practicing the abundance mindset.
Follow and work with Brian:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianaquart/
https://whyileft.co/
https://www.youtube.com/@whyileft
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Episode Transcript
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(00:13):
Hello everyone, welcome to The Intersection, a podcast program
about intersectionality, intersectional identities, and
intersectional journeys, both professional and personal
journeys. And as we all know, they are
always intertwined and interconnected.
And as a reminder, June is a lotof things.
(00:37):
June is Pride month, June is immigrant heritage month, June
is PTSD awareness month, June isalso men's mental health
Wellness month. And of course, we have Father's
Day in June. We have Juneteenth in June.
June is very, very rich and intersectional.
(00:58):
So just want to remind folks to remember to celebrate and to
tell each other how awesome theyare.
So today I have a very, very cool guest, someone who's
extremely intersectional and I had the honor to be on his
program before. And today he has given me his
(01:20):
time graciously. And his name is Brian Accard.
He is the host of Why I Left podcast and he's also AVP of
Workforce and Community education.
And currently he's on his awesome leadership journey.
And I will let Brian to describethat in a little bit.
But welcome, Brian, that's who you are.
(01:43):
Yes, well, thank you Joe for forhaving me on.
I really appreciate it and also loved our conversation on the
show. So yeah, there's, you know, when
you put it like there's so, so alot of titles that I that I have
going on. And I like to sum it up by
saying, you know, I'm, I'm an employment attorney by trade,
healthcare executive by day and a podcaster by night.
(02:04):
And that kind of sums up a lot of the different bubbles that I
have in my life. But yes, day-to-day, I do work
in healthcare where I'm really focused on redefining healthcare
education for, for the youth. And so in My Portfolio, I have
a, a few programs that are really dedicated to that.
And 1, you know, leading our relationship with New York City
(02:26):
public schools. You know, we have a program
there called Future Ready that we've we've been doing for the
past few years. We're actually launching a new
healthcare high school that's going to be coming opening up
soon, which is very exciting. And then I have another program
on Long Island called Mid Voyage, where again, it's very
similar, exposing youth, 11th and 12th graders to all the vast
(02:49):
opportunities that exist in thisspace because, you know, the
shortages are here from a healthcare standpoint.
But but we're, we're doing our best to ensure that we are being
proactive and making sure that those shortages don't impact us.
And so I think I live really further upstream in that
pipeline and ensuring that we have, you know, future
healthcare leaders of tomorrow. And then outside of that, I do
(03:12):
host a show called Why I left, as you mentioned, and that, you
know, you were you were graciousenough to to be a guest on there
and looking forward to your episode airing.
And you know, with this one, I just really truthfully nerded
out on a topic around why peoplewould leave their jobs.
Initially, it was during the pandemic, and so I got my start
(03:33):
during the Great Resignation. I didn't understand why people
would leave stability during a time of instability.
And I really wanted to explore that.
The articles I was reading didn't really satisfy this, this
curiosity that I have. And so I said to myself, you
know what, what if people want to tell their own stories?
And sure enough, they did. And I'm, you know, thankfully in
(03:57):
season 4 right now, this is my evolution season in that we, you
know, great resignation. I'll acknowledge that was a
moment in time. I really did hop on a wave.
But the idea and the premise of the fact that we don't talk
about resignations enough is something that I still think
persists. And this season represents this
(04:17):
evolution of that because now I'm opening it up to people to
talk about their most pivotal career transitions, regardless
of when they occurred. And so that has been phenomenal.
And I think the show is really starting to, you know, catch,
catch some ground because or actually they catch some speed
because now I have people who are reaching out like, I'm not
(04:39):
even sourcing guests right now, but I have people who are
interested who, who essentially pitched me for the show.
And it's a good position to be in.
And I love that because there are folks who feel comfortable
with the platform. I mean, that's my main thing,
right? Like I, I do take care, as you
know, in making sure I tell yourstory the right way.
(05:00):
I'm the facilitator in all this.But you are definitely in
control and people feel comfortable with the platform
that I've provided. And that is, you know,
truthfully, it's an honor to to even to even like, say that
right now because I've been having this over these past few
weeks and having a lot of conversations.
And it's just people are like, yeah, I've never told this
before. And I just feel comfortable like
(05:22):
you, you know, you'd do it the right way.
And that means the world to me. And then separately, like you
mentioned, I'm on this, this, this PLS journey, which is
called the Presidential Leadership Scholars Program.
So I've been selected as that. I've been in this program for
the past six months. We're actually wrapping up on a
few weeks here. We just got back from Module 5.
(05:43):
And it has been truthfully just a wonderful experience.
It it the a little bit of background on the program is
that it's about 57 of us who are, it is 57 of us who really
learn about the leadership styles through the lens of 4
presidential administrations. So you have George HW Bush,
(06:06):
George Bush, President Clinton, as well as Lyndon B Johnson.
And it is a, you know, bipartisan type of program.
But we do have representatives from both sides of the aisle.
And the beauty of it is that, you know, you really get a
chance to see each other's humanity.
(06:27):
And it's so funny. We're talking right now.
I just had something released where I where I talked about, I
got a good question where someone asked, what do you think
people? Who do you think more people
knew? And the fact that some of these
these lines of division are truthfully artificial is
something that I started, you know, talking about.
(06:47):
And I think this program is a great representation of that
because we have had the opportunity to really, you know,
despite our differences, really get down to the core of fill in
the blank issue. And we're not that far off, you
know, like we're, you know, people, you know, people want
people to be kind and people, you know, want prosperity for
(07:09):
their families and their communities, right?
Like we're not that far off of of things.
And so now there's so much division right now that, you
know, to be honest, it's frustrating, but I think this
program has been a great reminder about how about ways
that in which we can come together.
(07:29):
And it's truthfully coming out of time, not only in my personal
life, but you know, obviously myprofessional life where I didn't
realize I needed something like this.
And these are folks that I'm going to be connected with and
you know, truthfully until I'm not, but I enjoy and and love
and respect the bonds that we'rebuilding in this community.
I really appreciate that the reminder of, you know, despite
(07:53):
our differences, we have an opportunity to come together.
And that reminds me of, I don't know who said this, probably
some very wise person a long time ago is we are the ones that
make us and we are also the the ones that make us.
It's all in our hands. Yeah, Yeah.
(08:14):
But we have a choice to make. Absolutely that, that it, it's
so true too. And, and, you know, along those
those lines, I was actually doing a training the other day
and we were talking, we were just talking about like pot,
like organizational policy, right?
And someone had raised the question because I, because I
mentioned that, you know, creating this respectful work
environment is, is really on allof us, right?
(08:37):
It's like all, all of us. And they had mentioned he's
like, well, hey, Brian, isn't that the, isn't that
leadership's responsibility or isn't that the organization's
responsibility? And my response to him was, you
know, but who, who's the organization made-up of?
It's made-up of people. Like the organization,
businesses, companies are this, these entities that are made-up
(09:01):
of people. And people are the ones like, if
you're espousing that your culture is this, that whatever,
it's the people who need to liveup to that, not the organization
itself. Like the organ, what, what is
the organization? It's a thing, right?
But we as people make up the thing.
And I thought that was, I like what you just said.
(09:22):
And it just obviously sparked this for me because a lot of
times, you know, I just, I keep seeing it over and over again.
We tend to lose or forget about like the humanity and all of
this, the humanity and leaders, the humanity and each other.
And I do think it's something that, you know, we really got to
(09:43):
take a step back and, and, and remind ourselves of this, that,
yeah, the organization, quote UNquote, but it's the people who
make that up. So I just thought, yeah, you
just triggered that for me. I really, I, I agree with that
and appreciate that a lot. I think when we talk about
leaders and of course I would love to learn more about your
(10:04):
take on leadership. I think for me when we, when we
think about leaders, they, the conventional, conventional
wisdom is people who have power,people who are in the position
of, you know, controlling or have power over someone.
(10:26):
But I really do think like you said, Brian is leaders are
people like whoever you are, whatever your title is, you are
a person first. So if you cannot be a person who
you aspire to be, then there's there's no leadership like we
don't, we don't person ship 1st and then leadership.
(10:49):
So appreciate that. Yeah, no, I, I agree.
And so you asked about, you know, my take on, on leadership.
You know, when I, when I think about that, it does oftentimes
come back to that as well. This this humanity piece, you
know, leaders can come in a variety of forms.
You know, you'd mentioned, you know, power being, being an
(11:11):
aspect of that. And arguably, yes, there are
obviously there are leaders who have power, right?
But there are also leaders who may not necessarily have power
in, in its traditional sense, but have power and, or influence
or persuasion in another sense. And I think that that is
(11:32):
important as I've kind of gone on through my leadership
journey. You know, I'm not, I'm not one
of those, you know, control and,and you know, do this for me and
all that type of stuff, right? I tend to be a little more and
don't, don't take this as like I, I'm, I'm laxed in my
approach, but I am a bit more like free in my leadership style
(11:56):
and that I love to hear other people's insights on things.
There are people who give me ideas on a lot of things that I
let's just run with that, right?I don't, I don't have to be
right. I don't need all of the credit.
I don't, I don't need that right.
I think, I think if we're movingforward in something, I think
(12:17):
there's a lot of people who can bring some good insight into
this space. Like like a lot of the work that
I do now, you know, I, I'm just,I'm one, I'm one man, right?
So I have, I don't have a team per SE, but I work.
Maybe it's a gift and a curse, but I, I work, I work very well
cross functionally, right. And at my organization, you
(12:42):
know, work working in healthcare, you know, I partner
with, with a few young ladies inanother department who, I mean,
they have wonderful, I mean, they're leading their own
things, right? But we have certain parts of
initiatives. Yeah, I may oversee one thing
overall, but my role doesn't diminish, you know, what they
can bring to this experience. And they've had wonderful ideas
(13:05):
that I'm like, boom, let's let'sdo it right.
And it doesn't need to be a, forme, at least I have to be the
one who came up with the idea and all of that.
No, I think everybody has a lot to bring to, you know, these,
these experiences and it's been just great working with them,
right. And I know I often tell them
that, I mean, every now and thenI get, get in my little like
(13:26):
like emotional bucket where I just want to share my gratitude
with them because I recognize that not only, you know, them,
like, you know, Michelle, Stacy and Caleb, I wouldn't be able to
do a lot of this work without their support, but I also share
that gratitude with the leaders and team members who I partner
with. And I, you know, I sum up, you
(13:48):
know, folks who kind of, you know, I work at Northwell,
right? But folks who kind of work in
the org know that when I wrap upsomething, I do a nice little, I
think it's nice, but it's a nicelittle wrap up e-mail of it.
But I like to give kudos to folks who help this work out
because I'm not one of those folks who it's just it's me, me,
me. This wouldn't happen without me.
No, no, there are. I was actually just doing a
(14:09):
report on something. I got like over two, 250 people
who have partnered with me on this at different sites,
different other hospital locations.
I could do none of this without them.
And so when I think about leadership, I think it's about
building connection. It's about letting people know
(14:30):
that their ideas, not only are they, are they valid, but that
they should raise them right. I don't want people to be silent
in meetings. I don't want them to be sitting
on something that they think is a, a good idea and just let it
go. Let me know if I'm doing
something like, Hey, I think youshould do it this way.
I'm I have no, no problem, you know, you know, getting, I love
(14:53):
getting that type of feedback. And so that's the type of leader
that I am. And I think when we talk about
leadership, it's really about building that connection.
Yeah, that people, that they belong.
I really appreciate that. I think, you know, there's a lot
of, like, takeaways from your talk just now.
And the one thing that I really kind of take notes on is there
(15:15):
is no leader without a team. Yeah, a team makes a leader a
leader. So it's it's kind of like
chicken and egg kind of question.
Yeah, either comes first or teamcomes first.
It's really hard to say. But I think what I take away
(15:36):
from it is you make each other possible.
And I think giving people creditin a way actually gives people
the ownership and agency, what people can do and what people
think they can do, so that it's actually making the team
(15:58):
stronger so that they know, oh, I'm capable of doing this.
I deserve this credit. And then going forward, you know
what? I have that sense of agency.
Actually, I can totally do it. And I can even contribute more
great ideas. And I think that's healthy.
That's healthy leadership and team building there.
(16:19):
Yeah, no, I agree. And you know what, what's funny
and folks who ever work with me like let's listen to this.
There are whenever I work with folks who maybe earlier on early
stage in their career because sometimes folks come in and you
know, maybe a project manager ora coordinator level or things
like that. There are opportunities often
times to present in some of the work that I do because it's
(16:40):
very, you know, visible. And I'll throw them in.
I'm like, hey, you want to, you want to speak at the graduation
or you want to, you know, present this to senior
leadership. And I get the get the eyes wide,
right? Like, oh, like, why would no,
you deserve that, right? You helped, we helped with this
just as much as I did, you know,And so and, and I've had people
go in, yeah, they may have been nervous, but they came in there
(17:01):
and they knocked it out, right. And So what I, what I hope that
then gives them to your point around, you know, giving them
agency and like they feel that they can do this, is that now
that because you know, you know what, you know how it is, you
just need to get one under your belt.
You need to get one under your belt.
And so that the next time this comes up, you know what, I feel
comfortable doing this because man, that Brian put me in that
(17:23):
position and I was not happy about it then, but man, I'm
thinking about it now. And that really helped me
because it's not going to be as serious as what he put me, put
me in front of all these people.But I but look, but I think it's
important that people, and I'm also big on like I do, I do want
other people to shine like, you know, I, I'm one of those like
we can all eat, everybody can win and this type of thing.
(17:46):
So come on. And you want to say something by
all means, you know, you people get a sense of my style as we
work together. And like I said, it does not
have to be all about me. Now, granted, if folks don't
want to do it, I'm happy to stepup and I'll, I'll do a whole
ceremony, right. But I'd love, I'd love for
(18:07):
people to come in, let their voice be heard, you know, maybe
get some good action shots for their LinkedIn if they'd like
it, right? Like we, we can all, we can all
win and we can all eat in this. And so that's that is the type
of leader that I am. I love that, I really do,
because what you just said is anillustration of the abundance
mindset. Yeah, we can all eat, right?
(18:31):
Like I think the scarcity mindset, which is, you know,
everywhere is if you eat, I don't eat, that's scarcity
mindset. Or if you eat more, I eat less,
or there's only one cake. If you get a slice, that means I
get one slice less. That's the mindset.
(18:53):
But what you just said is the opposite.
The abundance mindset is we can all eat.
Everybody can win. That's what you just said.
It's. Yeah, you know, it's there are
more than one cake. And if you eat, it means I can
eat too. We can.
We can have it. We can have a ban cake.
(19:14):
No, I, I, I love that. Yeah.
So I, I do operate from, from that mindset.
And I genuinely, you know, believe it too, because it's, I
think it's important. I think it's important.
And, and, you know, and, and maybe as I think about this now,
I wonder if it's because, you know, there have been times in
my career where I wish I would have had that, that opportunity,
(19:36):
you know? And so you're like, you know,
that was, you know, I could, this could have been done a
little bit differently or man, you know, I wish X thing could
have happened. But then you get that one person
who was like, and that's actually, that's how, that's how
my whole training career started.
This one guy I used to work with, he's like, Hey, you want
(19:58):
to do the training session? And I was like, I might have
been shadowing for the past couple couple times and he just
threw me right in and I was nervous.
I was really nervous. I was at the fire department at
the time. I was super nervous.
But it's what I needed. It's what I needed.
And it helped me, you know, become more comfortable on that
(20:19):
type of stage, talking about a topic that I obviously knew a
lot about or I knew a lot about but just wasn't in that space
yet. And so, you know, it just takes
one person to help you get there.
Yeah, it totally does. In Chinese we have, I'll say
that in Chinese and then translate into English is it
(20:41):
means, yes, there is a wonderfulhorse out there, but it needs
someone to spot it. I like that.
Yes. I like.
That yeah, there's someone superexcellent out there, but it
takes one eye, a good eye to spot it.
(21:03):
Oh, I love that. Can you say it again in Chinese?
Say it again. Bola Shuhama Bola is a person
who's really good at identifyingexcellent horses.
So ma means horse in Chinese. So it means this person, Bola,
has the ability to identify excellent horses.
(21:24):
I love that, yeah. Thank you, thank you, thank you
for sharing that. Thank you for sharing that.
So I think this is a really goodplace for us to talk about
supporting and helping future leaders like immersion leaders
and youth to become the kind of leaders they they want, right.
(21:45):
Like you mentioned earlier is I wish this had happened to before
and I have that feeling all the time is, oh gosh, I wish I had
that kind of guidance. I wish I had that kind of
opportunity before. And now I think maybe you and I
are at a position where we can help younger people get that.
(22:06):
So I'm curious to learn about your practice in supporting
youth and like you mentioned earlier, is to help future
healthcare leaders to become leaders.
Yeah, yeah. So I guess the background on on
that and, and why I'm doing whatI'm doing is that healthcare
(22:27):
overall is this space that, you know, clearly one of the fastest
growing industries in the nation.
And we do have an opportunity for folks to make really have a
solid career in this space as all of us in the nation continue
(22:48):
to live longer, people are getting older and living longer
and driven, living well longer. And I think it's important that
individuals know the different pathways that exist in this type
of industry. And so why I think that's
important is because you know, when you think about healthcare,
everyone thinks about doctors and nurses.
And granted, we do need those folks, absolutely need those
(23:11):
people. But when you think of a large
integrated healthcare system like the one that I work at,
there's so much more that folks can get into in this space that
may not be obviously doctor or nurse pathway, but truly may not
even be clinical, right? And so when we think about
leaders in how I work with the youth in trying to become better
(23:36):
healthcare professionals and better leaders, I often try to
get them to see the big picture and a lot of this work
understand what it is that they're doing and why they're
doing it. Because everyone, not everyone,
but a lot of folks, especially in their generation, are really
into supporting and giving back the communities in which they
(23:58):
come from. We're the largest healthcare
provider in New York. The communities in which we
serve are communities in which these youth come from.
And so when I share with them really the why behind all this,
why it's important, the things that they can do, the
opportunities that exist in thisspace, the industry as a whole,
(24:19):
but selfishly at our organization as well.
That's what I'm starting to talkabout.
The different soft skills that are important, the empathy that
matters, building the connections that matters, you
know, to some extent. And you know, often you don't
want to scare them away, but conflict resolution is a big
thing and, and how you you navigate work because it's
(24:43):
something you have to navigate in life.
And I'm sure they're navigating conflict in their high schools,
right? And so it is one of these things
that I just really try to work with them on really
understanding the name of the game.
And so as we think about what leadership looks like, those are
the things that I talk about with them.
You know, why it's important that when they are.
(25:06):
And it could be little things when you come to a hospital site
that you present yourself in a manner that you, you know, you
are a professional, right? Because not only are you
interfacing with obviously folkswho work here, but you may be
interacting with or walking by patients, right?
Members of the public may see you.
(25:26):
And how you carry yourself, I think is really important.
I also think that's a big part of leadership too.
You know, your your presence, I think is important.
I'm not saying, you know, leaders don't have to be, you
know, boisterous and anything like that.
But I think how you carry yourself, especially when it's
true to form, is really important as a leader.
(25:49):
And so we try to instill those things in them, making sure that
they know that as they enter into this space.
It's a very visible space, but it's a space that is really,
really rewarding. That is so cool.
And I'm curious, you know, when you say helping young leaders,
you mentioned 1213 group 1212 to13 grades or?
(26:14):
11th and 12th so a lot so yeah, in the programs.
So the programs that that that are in My Portfolio, one of them
is a full continuum 9th to 12th grade, right?
Like future ready goes career discovery, workplace challenge.
And then the internship component internship is really
like 11th and 12th grade, the mid voyage program.
(26:37):
One school has a mixture of 11thand 12th.
The other school has 12th graders and so those are the
folks, those are the cohorts that I am typical or the
demographics, I should say that I'm around most of I do some.
I had a couple initiatives that were like young adults, right,
early careers, but those have since kind of sunset.
Gotcha. I wanted to clarify that because
(26:59):
I've, I'm so impressed by the young people like you are high
schoolers and you know, you wantto get into healthcare.
Let me tell you, I am too, OK? I am too.
I I talk about this often with folks who I work with.
I didn't know what I wanted to do in high school.
Me neither. You know, I want, I wanted to
(27:20):
be, you know, first I wanted to be a sports agent.
Then I was thinking about being a policeman or firefighter or
some type of special aid. Like, I was all over the place.
I wanted to play basketball. Like, you know, I didn't know
what was going on, but man, you talk to these these young people
and they are really focused, really focused.
Before I got on this call, I actually just got something sent
(27:44):
to me working with my media teamon a video for the Med voyage
program. And I just happened to watch,
you know, like a one minute reelof these students in their
interviews. And it's like, it gives me so
much joy to hear them say what this program has meant to them
(28:04):
because it means that that I andthe people who work with me, we
are doing the right thing. We're doing this for the right
reasons. We're having an impact.
And you can't, you can't ask forany more than that.
But yeah, they, they are, you know, far and above where I was
at in high school as far as like, thinking about next steps
(28:27):
in your career. What kind?
I'm curious and maybe maybe you need a second or two to think
about it, is what are the questions that left an
impression on you that came up just from young leaders or high
schoolers? What kind of a questions that
you were like? That's a really good question.
(28:49):
Questions, I don't know if it's questions more like statements,
because sometimes they, yeah, the statements, the things that
they say is especially when you're, you know, because it's
different to learn about the, the for respiratory therapy,
like to learn about how you breathe and all of that and
(29:10):
everything with COVID, obviously, you know, the
respiratory therapist was huge. But to read about that, to have
seen it on TV and then to actually go into a site, see a
pig lung inflating, right? Doing that actually, you know,
you know, aspirating a, a, a, a mannequin and doing that
process. It's different when you feel
(29:32):
that. And so the reason I, I give that
example is because what, what the young people say about it is
that I thought I was interested in this before because I had
seen something or heard about itconceptually, I was in, I was
interested. But now physically, actually
going through and doing this, this has solidified my interest
in this space. And, and these aren't scripted.
(29:56):
I mean, these are folks and I, Ido take a chance on this.
I don't know what some of these like I had two students come up
and present for our future readygraduation or celebration event.
I honestly did not know what they were going to say, right?
I knew that they wanted to speak.
I asked them, they were down with it.
I did not know what they were going to say.
So I let it happen organically, which it could be a little
(30:19):
dicey, but I trust them, right? Like I trust this too, a part of
leadership, a part of a part of leadership, and also trusting
trust in that folks are going todo the right thing, right?
So I trusted them. And you know what, Joe?
They went up there and just gavethese beautiful testimonies
around what this program meant. And one young lady was talking
about how the RT program or the RT session really had an impact
(30:43):
on her and solidified that, look, this is what she wanted to
do. And I love that.
Another young lady talked about how, you know, she was
interested in healthcare. She comes from an immigrant
background. You know, she's going further
than her parents may go. And that this program showed her
all the things that she can do. And she talked to her mom and
dad and they were so proud of her.
(31:05):
And I was just like, wow, like, I didn't know that was coming,
right? But, but you hear you let these,
I think a lot of times, you know, now, now we're in that
group, right? US adults don't let the young
people speak and we try to, we try to script them too much or
think that they're going to do whatever.
And you know something, I agree with it, but I, I kind of let
(31:28):
them go. But I think when you do that,
you really get a chance to hear that.
And they're, they're saying somevery impactful things.
And it is something that's not lost on me because, you know,
you often hear that young peopledon't feel as though they're
heard. And I'm trying to, and I'm
(31:50):
probably likely, we know one of many trying to make sure that
their voices are heard by letting them truthfully talk.
Let us know about your experience.
And that's what I love. That's what I love.
You know, even in the, the Med Voyage program last year, it was
the first time we, we launched it.
There was a piece of feedback that we got that I truthfully
highlighted in my executive summary.
And it was around a young woman who said, I really appreciate
(32:14):
this experience. But after going through it, I
realized that Healthcare is not for me.
It's too, it's too intense, right?
And these people are doing greatwork, but I just don't think I'm
cut out for that. And you know what I did I, I
basically put that on a billboard, right?
Because I think that is also great feedback because I think
that's a win too. Not every, this is not cut for
(32:35):
every. Healthcare is not for everybody,
right? But they got to know that they
don't. They don't know that just
sitting in a classroom, they need to experience it.
They need immersion. And that's what some of these
programs do for them. And I'm really, you know, happy
about that. And the running joke, I said,
oh, I just, I saved your parentsa bunch of money.
Which? Probably is also true.
(32:57):
It's also true I. Mean putting a child through a
full program? That's a lot.
Of exactly. So now they know they don't have
to do that, so you're welcome. That's beautiful, really.
I think helping young people explore and learn about
themselves. I think really, if anything,
they can be like, oh, I love healthcare.
Oh, I don't think that's for me.I think at the end of the day,
(33:20):
what they take away from it is they learn something about
themselves and that's so valuable at a young age.
And I mean, it helps me reflect a little bit as well.
Is growing up in China, I was always told to not speak, right?
Like don't speak unless you are asked to.
So like I will, especially as a girl, right?
(33:41):
Like they, they want you to be nice and to behave and to be
quiet. So I actually didn't have my
real first public speaking like to a crowd experience until I
was 30 years old. And and of course I did like
(34:02):
preschool presentations, school projects and dissertation,
etcetera. But like the first real, like
speaking at an event facing morethan 100 people that that
happened when I was 30, you know, like, I don't think that
was too late, right? It was cool.
And that started me as, as a speaker, I feel more confident.
(34:24):
But just imagine, right, if I was able to have that experience
as, I don't know, 16, whatever. And if someone told me, oh, you
can totally do it. Go, go, go get on the stage,
etcetera. Just imagine what could have
happened. But of course, there's no going
back. And I don't regret and I'm very
grateful for the opportunities Ihave, but what you just shared
(34:48):
is just so valuable to young people to discover and to
explore at a younger age. That's so cool.
Yeah, no, great. Thank you.
So I do want to bring it back a little bit to the why I left
program and you kind of shared alittle bit about you started the
program because you are curious whatever was available was
(35:11):
enough for you. So I wanted to kind of like ask
you after Four Seasons where youare with the program and are you
still curious about the why I left question and what's your
vision of it? Yeah, no, I thank.
Thank you for for asking. And so, yeah, after four years,
(35:33):
the curiosity remains the same. I am fascinated by these stories
of transition. And where I think it's going now
is because I've opened it up from the, from the standpoint
around I, I want to know about your, your, your career
(35:53):
transition, regardless of when it occurred.
It's now giving me, I mean, if I, if I didn't have enough, you
know, opportunities before, it'snow giving me this whole plate
of, of potential options where people really want to share
their stories. And so I think where it's going
is continuing to do that. You know, I want, you know, the
(36:16):
main messages around, obviously we don't talk about resignations
enough, but also that you aren'talone in this process.
I think there are many people who are struggling with, and
especially now, right, but struggling with things that are
happening in the workplace. They may feel ostracized for
(36:36):
whatever reason. And they also may feel as though
they're the only ones who are going through this or have gone
through this, and they may not feel comfortable in voicing this
in their normal social circles. And the reason I'm saying this
is because I've had people tell me this right in that the show
then provides them really truthfully, this intimate view
(37:01):
into someone else who has gone through this type of experience
or is going through this type ofexperience and the things that
they learned from it. You know, as you know, when we
spoke, the advice section that you'd give to others is is
really gets a lot of traction. Be looking forward section is is
important, but people people really relate to stories and I
(37:26):
think folks see themselves in some of my guests.
And so where it's going is continuing to tell that.
I also think at some point, you know, I'd love to centralized
some major themes in in, you know, really kind of codifying
that, for lack of a better word,and some form of a book, right
where, where I really share withfolks a lot of these lessons.
(37:50):
You know, at the time we're recording this, 8989 episodes or
88 episodes are out right now, but at the end of this season,
it'll be around like 95 or 96, something like that.
And so there's a lot of rich content there and there are
(38:11):
people who are dropping gems, you know, and I think there's so
much learning that people can take from that.
I want to find a way to synthesize that, you know, tie
it to, you know, my own journey as well and, and really put that
out there to to the world. I mean, now, now I'm in this
space, I'm in this creator space.
(38:32):
And so there's not really much going back.
No. So, but I'm have I'm having a
lot of fun doing it. So that that's, that's where I
think it's it's going and that'smy vision moving forward.
That's a fabulous vision. I mean, if you write a book
about it, I it's going to, it's going to sell.
Yeah, I hope so. I hope so.
You know, but it's because it's,it's one of those things where,
(38:55):
you know, you hear these folks and, and, and what I love about
it is that the stories are raw, they're real, and they're from
all across the globe, right? This isn't a New York thing.
This isn't an American thing. This is a world thing.
You know, I've had folks from Australia, Greece, Turkey, all
(39:15):
these folks, right? I love it.
I love it. And so I want to make sure that
we just continue to get this content out there.
And I'm, I'm hoping it grows. You know, actually, I'm working
on something now. I actually, you know what, Joe,
I do a good job of sharing the content.
Here's who's coming on all that stuff.
(39:35):
I don't do a good job of like garnering like sponsorship for
the show. And I never, I never like I
didn't start this. So like, hey, I'm trying to beat
Joe Rogan and make a bunch of money off this.
No, like I, I didn't start it for those reasons.
But you know, when you self fundsomething like this, you got to
find ways to, you know, keep thelights on, kind of cut some
(39:58):
costs here and there. And so those are those are
things I'm thinking about. I mean, that would be a next
level for sure. I think once you have this
momentum right now, you said people come to you and wanting
to be on the program and then once you get to the sponsorship
level, that's that's just going to be a different story, a
different chapter. So that's very exciting.
(40:18):
I look forward to your updates for sure.
And I also want to call out, youknow, one of the, in my opinion,
leadership qualities that are really important is how do we
take care of people? And I think you do an excellent
job taking care of your guests. You are super organized.
You I was very informed every step of the way.
(40:42):
And I was actually like, huh, I'm actually not doing as a good
job as you are far from it, running my own program.
So I want to just shout out to you, you know, you are an
excellent leader and you take care of your people.
Thank you so much. Yeah, I, you know, and I do
that, you know, intentionally because as as you know that that
(41:05):
there's typically either one reach out for me about, hey, are
you interested or you reach out to me to let me know you're
interested. And then I have like one shot in
the intro call to let you know that I mean, quote UN quote, bit
like I'm, this is a serious thing, you know, like I take
your story seriously, all of that.
So that intro call, I do a lot of planning as you know, to get
(41:26):
us ready for that call, because after that initial call where
we're, you know, I'm kind of teeing up some things.
And I know we're going to talk about a very pivotal time in
your life, sometimes a very emotional time in your life, a
very hard time in your life. That next time we speak is the
actual interview. Yeah.
And so I always like to, I do take a lot of care in making
(41:47):
sure that people feel comfortable with me, with the
platform and the flow so that there's no surprises.
Yes, I, I truly appreciate it. And you kind of like remind me
to continue to do a good job with my work as well because
it's really important the way weshow up to other people.
So thank you for that. And as we wrap up our
(42:11):
conversation, I want to invite you to share, you know you do a
lot of things and where are the good places for people to
connect with you if you are opento it and how to collaborate and
work with you. Yeah, absolutely.
So on LinkedIn is where I'm veryactive.
So my profile there is is Brian a car that's BRIANAQUART.
(42:38):
You can find me on LinkedIn. And then the show why I left is
really whyileft.co. You can find everything you need
there on the show and would lovefor you to you know, like follow
subscribe on YouTube. So definitely that's where you
can find me. And so LinkedIn and and you know
the main shows page and then YouTube are the best places for
(43:01):
my content. Awesome.
Thank you again so much, Brian for spending time with me today.
Thank you for having me, Joe. I appreciate it.
Always good to see you.
Hello everyone, welcome to The Intersection, a podcast program
about intersectionality, intersectional identities, and
intersectional journeys, both professional and personal
journeys. And as we all know, they are
always intertwined and interconnected.
And as a reminder, June is a lotof things.
(00:37):
June is Pride month, June is immigrant heritage month, June
is PTSD awareness month, June isalso men's mental health
Wellness month. And of course, we have Father's
Day in June. We have Juneteenth in June.
June is very, very rich and intersectional.
(00:58):
So just want to remind folks to remember to celebrate and to
tell each other how awesome theyare.
So today I have a very, very cool guest, someone who's
extremely intersectional and I had the honor to be on his
program before. And today he has given me his
(01:20):
time graciously. And his name is Brian Accard.
He is the host of Why I Left podcast and he's also AVP of
Workforce and Community education.
And currently he's on his awesome leadership journey.
And I will let Brian to describethat in a little bit.
But welcome, Brian, that's who you are.
(01:43):
Yes, well, thank you Joe for forhaving me on.
I really appreciate it and also loved our conversation on the
show. So yeah, there's, you know, when
you put it like there's so, so alot of titles that I that I have
going on. And I like to sum it up by
saying, you know, I'm, I'm an employment attorney by trade,
healthcare executive by day and a podcaster by night.
(02:04):
And that kind of sums up a lot of the different bubbles that I
have in my life. But yes, day-to-day, I do work
in healthcare where I'm really focused on redefining healthcare
education for, for the youth. And so in My Portfolio, I have
a, a few programs that are really dedicated to that.
And 1, you know, leading our relationship with New York City
(02:26):
public schools. You know, we have a program
there called Future Ready that we've we've been doing for the
past few years. We're actually launching a new
healthcare high school that's going to be coming opening up
soon, which is very exciting. And then I have another program
on Long Island called Mid Voyage, where again, it's very
similar, exposing youth, 11th and 12th graders to all the vast
(02:49):
opportunities that exist in thisspace because, you know, the
shortages are here from a healthcare standpoint.
But but we're, we're doing our best to ensure that we are being
proactive and making sure that those shortages don't impact us.
And so I think I live really further upstream in that
pipeline and ensuring that we have, you know, future
healthcare leaders of tomorrow. And then outside of that, I do
(03:12):
host a show called Why I left, as you mentioned, and that, you
know, you were you were graciousenough to to be a guest on there
and looking forward to your episode airing.
And you know, with this one, I just really truthfully nerded
out on a topic around why peoplewould leave their jobs.
Initially, it was during the pandemic, and so I got my start
(03:33):
during the Great Resignation. I didn't understand why people
would leave stability during a time of instability.
And I really wanted to explore that.
The articles I was reading didn't really satisfy this, this
curiosity that I have. And so I said to myself, you
know what, what if people want to tell their own stories?
And sure enough, they did. And I'm, you know, thankfully in
(03:57):
season 4 right now, this is my evolution season in that we, you
know, great resignation. I'll acknowledge that was a
moment in time. I really did hop on a wave.
But the idea and the premise of the fact that we don't talk
about resignations enough is something that I still think
persists. And this season represents this
(04:17):
evolution of that because now I'm opening it up to people to
talk about their most pivotal career transitions, regardless
of when they occurred. And so that has been phenomenal.
And I think the show is really starting to, you know, catch,
catch some ground because or actually they catch some speed
because now I have people who are reaching out like, I'm not
(04:39):
even sourcing guests right now, but I have people who are
interested who, who essentially pitched me for the show.
And it's a good position to be in.
And I love that because there are folks who feel comfortable
with the platform. I mean, that's my main thing,
right? Like I, I do take care, as you
know, in making sure I tell yourstory the right way.
(05:00):
I'm the facilitator in all this.But you are definitely in
control and people feel comfortable with the platform
that I've provided. And that is, you know,
truthfully, it's an honor to to even to even like, say that
right now because I've been having this over these past few
weeks and having a lot of conversations.
And it's just people are like, yeah, I've never told this
before. And I just feel comfortable like
(05:22):
you, you know, you'd do it the right way.
And that means the world to me. And then separately, like you
mentioned, I'm on this, this, this PLS journey, which is
called the Presidential Leadership Scholars Program.
So I've been selected as that. I've been in this program for
the past six months. We're actually wrapping up on a
few weeks here. We just got back from Module 5.
(05:43):
And it has been truthfully just a wonderful experience.
It it the a little bit of background on the program is
that it's about 57 of us who are, it is 57 of us who really
learn about the leadership styles through the lens of 4
presidential administrations. So you have George HW Bush,
(06:06):
George Bush, President Clinton, as well as Lyndon B Johnson.
And it is a, you know, bipartisan type of program.
But we do have representatives from both sides of the aisle.
And the beauty of it is that, you know, you really get a
chance to see each other's humanity.
(06:27):
And it's so funny. We're talking right now.
I just had something released where I where I talked about, I
got a good question where someone asked, what do you think
people? Who do you think more people
knew? And the fact that some of these
these lines of division are truthfully artificial is
something that I started, you know, talking about.
(06:47):
And I think this program is a great representation of that
because we have had the opportunity to really, you know,
despite our differences, really get down to the core of fill in
the blank issue. And we're not that far off, you
know, like we're, you know, people, you know, people want
people to be kind and people, you know, want prosperity for
(07:09):
their families and their communities, right?
Like we're not that far off of of things.
And so now there's so much division right now that, you
know, to be honest, it's frustrating, but I think this
program has been a great reminder about how about ways
that in which we can come together.
(07:29):
And it's truthfully coming out of time, not only in my personal
life, but you know, obviously myprofessional life where I didn't
realize I needed something like this.
And these are folks that I'm going to be connected with and
you know, truthfully until I'm not, but I enjoy and and love
and respect the bonds that we'rebuilding in this community.
I really appreciate that the reminder of, you know, despite
(07:53):
our differences, we have an opportunity to come together.
And that reminds me of, I don't know who said this, probably
some very wise person a long time ago is we are the ones that
make us and we are also the the ones that make us.
It's all in our hands. Yeah, Yeah.
(08:14):
But we have a choice to make. Absolutely that, that it, it's
so true too. And, and, you know, along those
those lines, I was actually doing a training the other day
and we were talking, we were just talking about like pot,
like organizational policy, right?
And someone had raised the question because I, because I
mentioned that, you know, creating this respectful work
environment is, is really on allof us, right?
(08:37):
It's like all, all of us. And they had mentioned he's
like, well, hey, Brian, isn't that the, isn't that
leadership's responsibility or isn't that the organization's
responsibility? And my response to him was, you
know, but who, who's the organization made-up of?
It's made-up of people. Like the organization,
businesses, companies are this, these entities that are made-up
(09:01):
of people. And people are the ones like, if
you're espousing that your culture is this, that whatever,
it's the people who need to liveup to that, not the organization
itself. Like the organ, what, what is
the organization? It's a thing, right?
But we as people make up the thing.
And I thought that was, I like what you just said.
(09:22):
And it just obviously sparked this for me because a lot of
times, you know, I just, I keep seeing it over and over again.
We tend to lose or forget about like the humanity and all of
this, the humanity and leaders, the humanity and each other.
And I do think it's something that, you know, we really got to
(09:43):
take a step back and, and, and remind ourselves of this, that,
yeah, the organization, quote UNquote, but it's the people who
make that up. So I just thought, yeah, you
just triggered that for me. I really, I, I agree with that
and appreciate that a lot. I think when we talk about
leaders and of course I would love to learn more about your
(10:04):
take on leadership. I think for me when we, when we
think about leaders, they, the conventional, conventional
wisdom is people who have power,people who are in the position
of, you know, controlling or have power over someone.
(10:26):
But I really do think like you said, Brian is leaders are
people like whoever you are, whatever your title is, you are
a person first. So if you cannot be a person who
you aspire to be, then there's there's no leadership like we
don't, we don't person ship 1st and then leadership.
(10:49):
So appreciate that. Yeah, no, I, I agree.
And so you asked about, you know, my take on, on leadership.
You know, when I, when I think about that, it does oftentimes
come back to that as well. This this humanity piece, you
know, leaders can come in a variety of forms.
You know, you'd mentioned, you know, power being, being an
(11:11):
aspect of that. And arguably, yes, there are
obviously there are leaders who have power, right?
But there are also leaders who may not necessarily have power
in, in its traditional sense, but have power and, or influence
or persuasion in another sense. And I think that that is
(11:32):
important as I've kind of gone on through my leadership
journey. You know, I'm not, I'm not one
of those, you know, control and,and you know, do this for me and
all that type of stuff, right? I tend to be a little more and
don't, don't take this as like I, I'm, I'm laxed in my
approach, but I am a bit more like free in my leadership style
(11:56):
and that I love to hear other people's insights on things.
There are people who give me ideas on a lot of things that I
let's just run with that, right?I don't, I don't have to be
right. I don't need all of the credit.
I don't, I don't need that right.
I think, I think if we're movingforward in something, I think
(12:17):
there's a lot of people who can bring some good insight into
this space. Like like a lot of the work that
I do now, you know, I, I'm just,I'm one, I'm one man, right?
So I have, I don't have a team per SE, but I work.
Maybe it's a gift and a curse, but I, I work, I work very well
cross functionally, right. And at my organization, you
(12:42):
know, work working in healthcare, you know, I partner
with, with a few young ladies inanother department who, I mean,
they have wonderful, I mean, they're leading their own
things, right? But we have certain parts of
initiatives. Yeah, I may oversee one thing
overall, but my role doesn't diminish, you know, what they
can bring to this experience. And they've had wonderful ideas
(13:05):
that I'm like, boom, let's let'sdo it right.
And it doesn't need to be a, forme, at least I have to be the
one who came up with the idea and all of that.
No, I think everybody has a lot to bring to, you know, these,
these experiences and it's been just great working with them,
right. And I know I often tell them
that, I mean, every now and thenI get, get in my little like
(13:26):
like emotional bucket where I just want to share my gratitude
with them because I recognize that not only, you know, them,
like, you know, Michelle, Stacy and Caleb, I wouldn't be able to
do a lot of this work without their support, but I also share
that gratitude with the leaders and team members who I partner
with. And I, you know, I sum up, you
(13:48):
know, folks who kind of, you know, I work at Northwell,
right? But folks who kind of work in
the org know that when I wrap upsomething, I do a nice little, I
think it's nice, but it's a nicelittle wrap up e-mail of it.
But I like to give kudos to folks who help this work out
because I'm not one of those folks who it's just it's me, me,
me. This wouldn't happen without me.
No, no, there are. I was actually just doing a
(14:09):
report on something. I got like over two, 250 people
who have partnered with me on this at different sites,
different other hospital locations.
I could do none of this without them.
And so when I think about leadership, I think it's about
building connection. It's about letting people know
(14:30):
that their ideas, not only are they, are they valid, but that
they should raise them right. I don't want people to be silent
in meetings. I don't want them to be sitting
on something that they think is a, a good idea and just let it
go. Let me know if I'm doing
something like, Hey, I think youshould do it this way.
I'm I have no, no problem, you know, you know, getting, I love
(14:53):
getting that type of feedback. And so that's the type of leader
that I am. And I think when we talk about
leadership, it's really about building that connection.
Yeah, that people, that they belong.
I really appreciate that. I think, you know, there's a lot
of, like, takeaways from your talk just now.
And the one thing that I really kind of take notes on is there
(15:15):
is no leader without a team. Yeah, a team makes a leader a
leader. So it's it's kind of like
chicken and egg kind of question.
Yeah, either comes first or teamcomes first.
It's really hard to say. But I think what I take away
(15:36):
from it is you make each other possible.
And I think giving people creditin a way actually gives people
the ownership and agency, what people can do and what people
think they can do, so that it's actually making the team
(15:58):
stronger so that they know, oh, I'm capable of doing this.
I deserve this credit. And then going forward, you know
what? I have that sense of agency.
Actually, I can totally do it. And I can even contribute more
great ideas. And I think that's healthy.
That's healthy leadership and team building there.
(16:19):
Yeah, no, I agree. And you know what, what's funny
and folks who ever work with me like let's listen to this.
There are whenever I work with folks who maybe earlier on early
stage in their career because sometimes folks come in and you
know, maybe a project manager ora coordinator level or things
like that. There are opportunities often
times to present in some of the work that I do because it's
(16:40):
very, you know, visible. And I'll throw them in.
I'm like, hey, you want to, you want to speak at the graduation
or you want to, you know, present this to senior
leadership. And I get the get the eyes wide,
right? Like, oh, like, why would no,
you deserve that, right? You helped, we helped with this
just as much as I did, you know,And so and, and I've had people
go in, yeah, they may have been nervous, but they came in there
(17:01):
and they knocked it out, right. And So what I, what I hope that
then gives them to your point around, you know, giving them
agency and like they feel that they can do this, is that now
that because you know, you know what, you know how it is, you
just need to get one under your belt.
You need to get one under your belt.
And so that the next time this comes up, you know what, I feel
comfortable doing this because man, that Brian put me in that
(17:23):
position and I was not happy about it then, but man, I'm
thinking about it now. And that really helped me
because it's not going to be as serious as what he put me, put
me in front of all these people.But I but look, but I think it's
important that people, and I'm also big on like I do, I do want
other people to shine like, you know, I, I'm one of those like
we can all eat, everybody can win and this type of thing.
(17:46):
So come on. And you want to say something by
all means, you know, you people get a sense of my style as we
work together. And like I said, it does not
have to be all about me. Now, granted, if folks don't
want to do it, I'm happy to stepup and I'll, I'll do a whole
ceremony, right. But I'd love, I'd love for
(18:07):
people to come in, let their voice be heard, you know, maybe
get some good action shots for their LinkedIn if they'd like
it, right? Like we, we can all, we can all
win and we can all eat in this. And so that's that is the type
of leader that I am. I love that, I really do,
because what you just said is anillustration of the abundance
mindset. Yeah, we can all eat, right?
(18:31):
Like I think the scarcity mindset, which is, you know,
everywhere is if you eat, I don't eat, that's scarcity
mindset. Or if you eat more, I eat less,
or there's only one cake. If you get a slice, that means I
get one slice less. That's the mindset.
(18:53):
But what you just said is the opposite.
The abundance mindset is we can all eat.
Everybody can win. That's what you just said.
It's. Yeah, you know, it's there are
more than one cake. And if you eat, it means I can
eat too. We can.
We can have it. We can have a ban cake.
(19:14):
No, I, I, I love that. Yeah.
So I, I do operate from, from that mindset.
And I genuinely, you know, believe it too, because it's, I
think it's important. I think it's important.
And, and, you know, and, and maybe as I think about this now,
I wonder if it's because, you know, there have been times in
my career where I wish I would have had that, that opportunity,
(19:36):
you know? And so you're like, you know,
that was, you know, I could, this could have been done a
little bit differently or man, you know, I wish X thing could
have happened. But then you get that one person
who was like, and that's actually, that's how, that's how
my whole training career started.
This one guy I used to work with, he's like, Hey, you want
(19:58):
to do the training session? And I was like, I might have
been shadowing for the past couple couple times and he just
threw me right in and I was nervous.
I was really nervous. I was at the fire department at
the time. I was super nervous.
But it's what I needed. It's what I needed.
And it helped me, you know, become more comfortable on that
(20:19):
type of stage, talking about a topic that I obviously knew a
lot about or I knew a lot about but just wasn't in that space
yet. And so, you know, it just takes
one person to help you get there.
Yeah, it totally does. In Chinese we have, I'll say
that in Chinese and then translate into English is it
(20:41):
means, yes, there is a wonderfulhorse out there, but it needs
someone to spot it. I like that.
Yes. I like.
That yeah, there's someone superexcellent out there, but it
takes one eye, a good eye to spot it.
(21:03):
Oh, I love that. Can you say it again in Chinese?
Say it again. Bola Shuhama Bola is a person
who's really good at identifyingexcellent horses.
So ma means horse in Chinese. So it means this person, Bola,
has the ability to identify excellent horses.
(21:24):
I love that, yeah. Thank you, thank you, thank you
for sharing that. Thank you for sharing that.
So I think this is a really goodplace for us to talk about
supporting and helping future leaders like immersion leaders
and youth to become the kind of leaders they they want, right.
(21:45):
Like you mentioned earlier is I wish this had happened to before
and I have that feeling all the time is, oh gosh, I wish I had
that kind of guidance. I wish I had that kind of
opportunity before. And now I think maybe you and I
are at a position where we can help younger people get that.
(22:06):
So I'm curious to learn about your practice in supporting
youth and like you mentioned earlier, is to help future
healthcare leaders to become leaders.
Yeah, yeah. So I guess the background on on
that and, and why I'm doing whatI'm doing is that healthcare
(22:27):
overall is this space that, you know, clearly one of the fastest
growing industries in the nation.
And we do have an opportunity for folks to make really have a
solid career in this space as all of us in the nation continue
(22:48):
to live longer, people are getting older and living longer
and driven, living well longer. And I think it's important that
individuals know the different pathways that exist in this type
of industry. And so why I think that's
important is because you know, when you think about healthcare,
everyone thinks about doctors and nurses.
And granted, we do need those folks, absolutely need those
(23:11):
people. But when you think of a large
integrated healthcare system like the one that I work at,
there's so much more that folks can get into in this space that
may not be obviously doctor or nurse pathway, but truly may not
even be clinical, right? And so when we think about
leaders in how I work with the youth in trying to become better
(23:36):
healthcare professionals and better leaders, I often try to
get them to see the big picture and a lot of this work
understand what it is that they're doing and why they're
doing it. Because everyone, not everyone,
but a lot of folks, especially in their generation, are really
into supporting and giving back the communities in which they
(23:58):
come from. We're the largest healthcare
provider in New York. The communities in which we
serve are communities in which these youth come from.
And so when I share with them really the why behind all this,
why it's important, the things that they can do, the
opportunities that exist in thisspace, the industry as a whole,
(24:19):
but selfishly at our organization as well.
That's what I'm starting to talkabout.
The different soft skills that are important, the empathy that
matters, building the connections that matters, you
know, to some extent. And you know, often you don't
want to scare them away, but conflict resolution is a big
thing and, and how you you navigate work because it's
(24:43):
something you have to navigate in life.
And I'm sure they're navigating conflict in their high schools,
right? And so it is one of these things
that I just really try to work with them on really
understanding the name of the game.
And so as we think about what leadership looks like, those are
the things that I talk about with them.
You know, why it's important that when they are.
(25:06):
And it could be little things when you come to a hospital site
that you present yourself in a manner that you, you know, you
are a professional, right? Because not only are you
interfacing with obviously folkswho work here, but you may be
interacting with or walking by patients, right?
Members of the public may see you.
(25:26):
And how you carry yourself, I think is really important.
I also think that's a big part of leadership too.
You know, your your presence, I think is important.
I'm not saying, you know, leaders don't have to be, you
know, boisterous and anything like that.
But I think how you carry yourself, especially when it's
true to form, is really important as a leader.
(25:49):
And so we try to instill those things in them, making sure that
they know that as they enter into this space.
It's a very visible space, but it's a space that is really,
really rewarding. That is so cool.
And I'm curious, you know, when you say helping young leaders,
you mentioned 1213 group 1212 to13 grades or?
(26:14):
11th and 12th so a lot so yeah, in the programs.
So the programs that that that are in My Portfolio, one of them
is a full continuum 9th to 12th grade, right?
Like future ready goes career discovery, workplace challenge.
And then the internship component internship is really
like 11th and 12th grade, the mid voyage program.
(26:37):
One school has a mixture of 11thand 12th.
The other school has 12th graders and so those are the
folks, those are the cohorts that I am typical or the
demographics, I should say that I'm around most of I do some.
I had a couple initiatives that were like young adults, right,
early careers, but those have since kind of sunset.
Gotcha. I wanted to clarify that because
(26:59):
I've, I'm so impressed by the young people like you are high
schoolers and you know, you wantto get into healthcare.
Let me tell you, I am too, OK? I am too.
I I talk about this often with folks who I work with.
I didn't know what I wanted to do in high school.
Me neither. You know, I want, I wanted to
(27:20):
be, you know, first I wanted to be a sports agent.
Then I was thinking about being a policeman or firefighter or
some type of special aid. Like, I was all over the place.
I wanted to play basketball. Like, you know, I didn't know
what was going on, but man, you talk to these these young people
and they are really focused, really focused.
Before I got on this call, I actually just got something sent
(27:44):
to me working with my media teamon a video for the Med voyage
program. And I just happened to watch,
you know, like a one minute reelof these students in their
interviews. And it's like, it gives me so
much joy to hear them say what this program has meant to them
(28:04):
because it means that that I andthe people who work with me, we
are doing the right thing. We're doing this for the right
reasons. We're having an impact.
And you can't, you can't ask forany more than that.
But yeah, they, they are, you know, far and above where I was
at in high school as far as like, thinking about next steps
(28:27):
in your career. What kind?
I'm curious and maybe maybe you need a second or two to think
about it, is what are the questions that left an
impression on you that came up just from young leaders or high
schoolers? What kind of a questions that
you were like? That's a really good question.
(28:49):
Questions, I don't know if it's questions more like statements,
because sometimes they, yeah, the statements, the things that
they say is especially when you're, you know, because it's
different to learn about the, the for respiratory therapy,
like to learn about how you breathe and all of that and
(29:10):
everything with COVID, obviously, you know, the
respiratory therapist was huge. But to read about that, to have
seen it on TV and then to actually go into a site, see a
pig lung inflating, right? Doing that actually, you know,
you know, aspirating a, a, a, a mannequin and doing that
process. It's different when you feel
(29:32):
that. And so the reason I, I give that
example is because what, what the young people say about it is
that I thought I was interested in this before because I had
seen something or heard about itconceptually, I was in, I was
interested. But now physically, actually
going through and doing this, this has solidified my interest
in this space. And, and these aren't scripted.
(29:56):
I mean, these are folks and I, Ido take a chance on this.
I don't know what some of these like I had two students come up
and present for our future readygraduation or celebration event.
I honestly did not know what they were going to say, right?
I knew that they wanted to speak.
I asked them, they were down with it.
I did not know what they were going to say.
So I let it happen organically, which it could be a little
(30:19):
dicey, but I trust them, right? Like I trust this too, a part of
leadership, a part of a part of leadership, and also trusting
trust in that folks are going todo the right thing, right?
So I trusted them. And you know what, Joe?
They went up there and just gavethese beautiful testimonies
around what this program meant. And one young lady was talking
about how the RT program or the RT session really had an impact
(30:43):
on her and solidified that, look, this is what she wanted to
do. And I love that.
Another young lady talked about how, you know, she was
interested in healthcare. She comes from an immigrant
background. You know, she's going further
than her parents may go. And that this program showed her
all the things that she can do. And she talked to her mom and
dad and they were so proud of her.
(31:05):
And I was just like, wow, like, I didn't know that was coming,
right? But, but you hear you let these,
I think a lot of times, you know, now, now we're in that
group, right? US adults don't let the young
people speak and we try to, we try to script them too much or
think that they're going to do whatever.
And you know something, I agree with it, but I, I kind of let
(31:28):
them go. But I think when you do that,
you really get a chance to hear that.
And they're, they're saying somevery impactful things.
And it is something that's not lost on me because, you know,
you often hear that young peopledon't feel as though they're
heard. And I'm trying to, and I'm
(31:50):
probably likely, we know one of many trying to make sure that
their voices are heard by letting them truthfully talk.
Let us know about your experience.
And that's what I love. That's what I love.
You know, even in the, the Med Voyage program last year, it was
the first time we, we launched it.
There was a piece of feedback that we got that I truthfully
highlighted in my executive summary.
And it was around a young woman who said, I really appreciate
(32:14):
this experience. But after going through it, I
realized that Healthcare is not for me.
It's too, it's too intense, right?
And these people are doing greatwork, but I just don't think I'm
cut out for that. And you know what I did I, I
basically put that on a billboard, right?
Because I think that is also great feedback because I think
that's a win too. Not every, this is not cut for
(32:35):
every. Healthcare is not for everybody,
right? But they got to know that they
don't. They don't know that just
sitting in a classroom, they need to experience it.
They need immersion. And that's what some of these
programs do for them. And I'm really, you know, happy
about that. And the running joke, I said,
oh, I just, I saved your parentsa bunch of money.
Which? Probably is also true.
(32:57):
It's also true I. Mean putting a child through a
full program? That's a lot.
Of exactly. So now they know they don't have
to do that, so you're welcome. That's beautiful, really.
I think helping young people explore and learn about
themselves. I think really, if anything,
they can be like, oh, I love healthcare.
Oh, I don't think that's for me.I think at the end of the day,
(33:20):
what they take away from it is they learn something about
themselves and that's so valuable at a young age.
And I mean, it helps me reflect a little bit as well.
Is growing up in China, I was always told to not speak, right?
Like don't speak unless you are asked to.
So like I will, especially as a girl, right?
(33:41):
Like they, they want you to be nice and to behave and to be
quiet. So I actually didn't have my
real first public speaking like to a crowd experience until I
was 30 years old. And and of course I did like
(34:02):
preschool presentations, school projects and dissertation,
etcetera. But like the first real, like
speaking at an event facing morethan 100 people that that
happened when I was 30, you know, like, I don't think that
was too late, right? It was cool.
And that started me as, as a speaker, I feel more confident.
(34:24):
But just imagine, right, if I was able to have that experience
as, I don't know, 16, whatever. And if someone told me, oh, you
can totally do it. Go, go, go get on the stage,
etcetera. Just imagine what could have
happened. But of course, there's no going
back. And I don't regret and I'm very
grateful for the opportunities Ihave, but what you just shared
(34:48):
is just so valuable to young people to discover and to
explore at a younger age. That's so cool.
Yeah, no, great. Thank you.
So I do want to bring it back a little bit to the why I left
program and you kind of shared alittle bit about you started the
program because you are curious whatever was available was
(35:11):
enough for you. So I wanted to kind of like ask
you after Four Seasons where youare with the program and are you
still curious about the why I left question and what's your
vision of it? Yeah, no, I thank.
Thank you for for asking. And so, yeah, after four years,
(35:33):
the curiosity remains the same. I am fascinated by these stories
of transition. And where I think it's going now
is because I've opened it up from the, from the standpoint
around I, I want to know about your, your, your career
(35:53):
transition, regardless of when it occurred.
It's now giving me, I mean, if I, if I didn't have enough, you
know, opportunities before, it'snow giving me this whole plate
of, of potential options where people really want to share
their stories. And so I think where it's going
is continuing to do that. You know, I want, you know, the
(36:16):
main messages around, obviously we don't talk about resignations
enough, but also that you aren'talone in this process.
I think there are many people who are struggling with, and
especially now, right, but struggling with things that are
happening in the workplace. They may feel ostracized for
(36:36):
whatever reason. And they also may feel as though
they're the only ones who are going through this or have gone
through this, and they may not feel comfortable in voicing this
in their normal social circles. And the reason I'm saying this
is because I've had people tell me this right in that the show
then provides them really truthfully, this intimate view
(37:01):
into someone else who has gone through this type of experience
or is going through this type ofexperience and the things that
they learned from it. You know, as you know, when we
spoke, the advice section that you'd give to others is is
really gets a lot of traction. Be looking forward section is is
important, but people people really relate to stories and I
(37:26):
think folks see themselves in some of my guests.
And so where it's going is continuing to tell that.
I also think at some point, you know, I'd love to centralized
some major themes in in, you know, really kind of codifying
that, for lack of a better word,and some form of a book, right
where, where I really share withfolks a lot of these lessons.
(37:50):
You know, at the time we're recording this, 8989 episodes or
88 episodes are out right now, but at the end of this season,
it'll be around like 95 or 96, something like that.
And so there's a lot of rich content there and there are
(38:11):
people who are dropping gems, you know, and I think there's so
much learning that people can take from that.
I want to find a way to synthesize that, you know, tie
it to, you know, my own journey as well and, and really put that
out there to to the world. I mean, now, now I'm in this
space, I'm in this creator space.
(38:32):
And so there's not really much going back.
No. So, but I'm have I'm having a
lot of fun doing it. So that that's, that's where I
think it's it's going and that'smy vision moving forward.
That's a fabulous vision. I mean, if you write a book
about it, I it's going to, it's going to sell.
Yeah, I hope so. I hope so.
You know, but it's because it's,it's one of those things where,
(38:55):
you know, you hear these folks and, and, and what I love about
it is that the stories are raw, they're real, and they're from
all across the globe, right? This isn't a New York thing.
This isn't an American thing. This is a world thing.
You know, I've had folks from Australia, Greece, Turkey, all
(39:15):
these folks, right? I love it.
I love it. And so I want to make sure that
we just continue to get this content out there.
And I'm, I'm hoping it grows. You know, actually, I'm working
on something now. I actually, you know what, Joe,
I do a good job of sharing the content.
Here's who's coming on all that stuff.
(39:35):
I don't do a good job of like garnering like sponsorship for
the show. And I never, I never like I
didn't start this. So like, hey, I'm trying to beat
Joe Rogan and make a bunch of money off this.
No, like I, I didn't start it for those reasons.
But you know, when you self fundsomething like this, you got to
find ways to, you know, keep thelights on, kind of cut some
(39:58):
costs here and there. And so those are those are
things I'm thinking about. I mean, that would be a next
level for sure. I think once you have this
momentum right now, you said people come to you and wanting
to be on the program and then once you get to the sponsorship
level, that's that's just going to be a different story, a
different chapter. So that's very exciting.
(40:18):
I look forward to your updates for sure.
And I also want to call out, youknow, one of the, in my opinion,
leadership qualities that are really important is how do we
take care of people? And I think you do an excellent
job taking care of your guests. You are super organized.
You I was very informed every step of the way.
(40:42):
And I was actually like, huh, I'm actually not doing as a good
job as you are far from it, running my own program.
So I want to just shout out to you, you know, you are an
excellent leader and you take care of your people.
Thank you so much. Yeah, I, you know, and I do
that, you know, intentionally because as as you know that that
(41:05):
there's typically either one reach out for me about, hey, are
you interested or you reach out to me to let me know you're
interested. And then I have like one shot in
the intro call to let you know that I mean, quote UN quote, bit
like I'm, this is a serious thing, you know, like I take
your story seriously, all of that.
So that intro call, I do a lot of planning as you know, to get
(41:26):
us ready for that call, because after that initial call where
we're, you know, I'm kind of teeing up some things.
And I know we're going to talk about a very pivotal time in
your life, sometimes a very emotional time in your life, a
very hard time in your life. That next time we speak is the
actual interview. Yeah.
And so I always like to, I do take a lot of care in making
(41:47):
sure that people feel comfortable with me, with the
platform and the flow so that there's no surprises.
Yes, I, I truly appreciate it. And you kind of like remind me
to continue to do a good job with my work as well because
it's really important the way weshow up to other people.
So thank you for that. And as we wrap up our
(42:11):
conversation, I want to invite you to share, you know you do a
lot of things and where are the good places for people to
connect with you if you are opento it and how to collaborate and
work with you. Yeah, absolutely.
So on LinkedIn is where I'm veryactive.
So my profile there is is Brian a car that's BRIANAQUART.
(42:38):
You can find me on LinkedIn. And then the show why I left is
really whyileft.co. You can find everything you need
there on the show and would lovefor you to you know, like follow
subscribe on YouTube. So definitely that's where you
can find me. And so LinkedIn and and you know
the main shows page and then YouTube are the best places for
(43:01):
my content. Awesome.
Thank you again so much, Brian for spending time with me today.
Thank you for having me, Joe. I appreciate it.
Always good to see you.
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