This is the Coleman Associates Innovation Podcast. A Podcast designed to challenge the way you think about how healthcare is delivered. We explore practical solutions and hear about how out of reach results are obtained.
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September 23, 2026Episode 8138 min
#81: Visit the Weeds. Don’t Live There.
What happens when an organization grows faster than its leadership structure? Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers CEO Terri Lacey joins Amanda to talk candidly about growing from two sites to 22—and recognizing that roles, reporting relationships, and decision-making needed to evolve along with the organization. Terri shares what it took to rethink the org chart, get leaders focused on their “Main Thing,” create greater clarity and shared accountability, and navigate the uncomfortable conversations that come with organizational change. If your organization has grown, changed, or simply outgrown the way it has always done things, this episode is for you. Books Mentioned in this Episode: Monday Morning Leadership by David Cottrell Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni Mastering Leadership the Coleman Way by Melissa Stratman Guest: Terri Lacey, CEO Host: Amanda Laramie Thanks for listening! Check us out on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Our Website TikTok Twitter YouTube
September 9, 2026Episode 8047 min
#80: Don't Let Them Fall Off: Getting 'Coverage Ready'
Following the Midterm Elections, policy changes are scheduled to go into effect—and for community health centers, preparing for Medicaid coverage changes can’t wait until December. In this episode of the Coleman Associates Innovation Podcast , COO Allison Dubois and CEO Gralyn Jacques join Amanda to talk about what health centers can do now to help eligible patients stay covered while preparing for the operational and financial impact ahead. In this episode, we'll talk about identifying patients most at risk of losing coverage, using determination and renewal dates to target outreach, leveraging technology and data to support coverage workflow, preparing staff and workflows before changes take effect, and modeling the potential financial impact on your health center Is your health center Coverage Ready for 2027? Guests: Allison Dubois , Executive VP & COO & Gralyn Jacques, MBA, CEO Host: Amanda Laramie Thanks for listening! Check us out on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Our Website TikTok Twitter YouTube
August 27, 2026Episode 7946 min
#79: Human Factors at Work: Fix the System First, Not the People
The Human Factors Episode In this episode, Amanda talks with Laura Barg-Walkow, PhD , a Human Factors Engineer on the Patient Safety Team at Children’s Hospital Colorado, about designing healthcare systems around how people actually work—not how we wish they would work. Laura shares why errors and workarounds are often signs of system design problems, not individual failure. Together, she and Amanda explore the connection between human factors engineering and Coleman Associates’ DPI™ approach , including the importance of observing real work, understanding why decisions make sense in the moment, and removing the friction that affects patients and staff. They discuss: Why “try harder” and “retrain” rarely solve underlying problems What workarounds reveal about broken processes The difference between work as imagined and work as actually performed How observation can uncover challenges that interviews alone may miss How to balance standardization with flexibility Why better flow is about removing friction—not making people work faster It’s a conversation about replacing blame with curiosity and creating safer, more efficient, and more person-centered healthcare systems. Guest: Dr. Laura Barg-Walkow Host: Amanda Laramie Thanks for listening! Check us out on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Our Website TikTok Twitter YouTube
August 12, 2026Episode 7854 min
#78: Quality-Flavored Kool-Aid
What if the biggest indicator of quality care isn't just what happens in the exam room—but how quickly patients can get there? In this episode of the Coleman Podcast entitled Quality-Flavored Kool-Aid (you'll find out why!) Megan DeMaagd-Rodriguez, Nurse Practitioner, draws from her experience at a Michigan Federally Qualified Health Center. Megan explains why meeting patients where they are, caring for them when they need you—not weeks or months later—and removing barriers to care leads to better outcomes, stronger patient relationships, and greater trust. If you've ever wondered how improving access can transform quality, strengthen patient loyalty, and reshape the way your team delivers care, this episode is for you. Megan goes beyond the "why" to share the "how," offering practical insights into the workflows, teamwork, and mindset shifts that helped her team at Catherine's create timely access that truly meets patients where they are. Because quality isn't just about what happens during the visit; it's about making sure the visit happens when it matters most. Books Mentioned in this Episode: Mastering Leadership the Coleman Way by Melissa Stratman Guest : Megan DeMaagd-Rodriquez , NP Host: Amanda Laramie Thanks for listening! Check us out on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Our Website TikTok Twitter YouTube
August 5, 2026Episode 7742 min
#77: If You Are Always Putting Out Fires, You May Be An Arsonist…
If You're Always Putting Out Fires, You May Be An Arsonist... Why do some leaders spend every day reacting to crises while others seem to create calm, capable teams? In this episode, Amanda sits down with Coleman Associates CEO Melissa Stratman to unpack the provocative idea behind the title: many of the fires leaders are constantly extinguishing are unintentionally of their own making. Drawing from the new Coleman book, Mastering Leadership: The Coleman Way , Melissa shares lessons distilled from more than 30 years of coaching healthcare executives, developing leaders, and helping organizations build cultures where people—and performance—thrive. Together, they explore why leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about becoming more intentional, examining the stories we tell ourselves, taking ownership of our reactions, asking better questions, and building the habits that prevent tomorrow's fires instead of simply putting out today's. Whether you lead an organization, a clinic, a department, or a small team, this conversation will challenge the way you think about leadership—and leave you with practical ideas you can apply immediately to become less reactive and more intentional every day. Books Mentioned in this Episode: Mastering Leadership: The Coleman Way — Melissa Stratman, Amanda Laramie & Adrienne Mann Reality-Based Leadership — Cy Wakeman Emotional Intelligence — Daniel Goleman The Reengineering Revolution — Michael Hammer Strong Ground — Brené Brown Unreasonable Hospitality — Will Guidara Guest: Melissa Stratman Host: Amanda Laramie Thanks for listening! Check us out on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Our Website TikTok Twitter YouTube
July 22, 2026Episode 7659 min
#76: First Team First
What happens when leaders stop leading from silos and start leading as a true first team? The First Team is defined by Patrick Lencioni in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team as the team you prioritize over the team you manage. In this episode, Amanda sits down with the leadership team from Catherine's Health Center to explore how intentionally investing in trust, vulnerability, and shared accountability transformed the way they work together. Rather than operating as individual department leaders, they've built a culture where the executive team puts the success of the organization ahead of their individual department's priorities—creating stronger relationships, better decisions, and a healthier workplace for everyone. Together, they discuss the practical habits that have strengthened their leadership team, the challenges they've overcome, and why building a "first team" is foundational to organizational excellence. Whether you're leading a health center, a department, or any mission-driven organization, this conversation offers practical insights into creating a leadership culture where collaboration isn't just encouraged—it's expected. Books Mentioned in This Episode Mastering Leadership the Coleman Way by Melissa Stratman What the Heck is EOS? by Gino Wickman & Tom Bouwer (EOS®) Creativity, Inc . by Ed Catmull The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni Strong Ground by Brené Brown Guests: Megan Erskine, CEO Sara Brooks, COO Dustin Maynes, CFO Mark Contreras, CMO Host: Amanda Laramie Thanks for listening! Check us out on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Our Website TikTok Twitter YouTube
July 8, 2026Episode 7539 min
#75: The Self-Reflective CEO
What does it take to grow an organization by more than 25% during one of the most challenging periods in healthcare? In this episode of the Coleman Associates Innovation Podcast , Amanda Laramie talks with Eloisa Perard, CEO of Gracelight Community Health, about the leadership journey behind Gracelight's remarkable growth. Rather than focusing on expansion alone, Eloisa shares how investing in leaders, embracing accountability, and creating a culture of healthy conflict laid the foundation for lasting success. Eloisa discusses moving beyond what author Patrick Lencioni calls "artificial harmony" to build greater trust, candor, and collaboration across her leadership team. She also offers an honest look at her own evolution as a CEO, sharing lessons on self-reflection, resilience, and the importance of caring for yourself while leading others. Whether you're leading a team, an organization, or your own leadership journey, this episode is filled with practical insights on how investing in people drives sustainable growth. Book Referenced in the Episode: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni Throughout the episode, Eloisa references Patrick Lencioni's concept of artificial harmony —the tendency for teams to avoid difficult conversations in the name of maintaining peace. Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team explores how healthy teams embrace constructive conflict as an essential step toward stronger commitment, accountability, and results. It's an excellent resource for leaders looking to build more effective executive teams and create cultures where honest dialogue strengthens relationships rather than threatens them. If you're interested in developing stronger leaders, building healthier organizational cultures, or creating operational excellence in community health, learn more about Coleman Associates' leadership development programs, including High Impact Management Program (HIMP™) . Coleman's own book on leadership is called "Mastering Leadership the Coleman Way" by Melissa Stratman. Guest: Eloisa Perard, MS Host: Amanda Laramie Thanks for listening! Check us out on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Our Website TikTok Twitter YouTube
June 24, 202651 min
#74: Integration: Impossible?
In this episode of the Coleman Associates Innovation Podcast, Amanda Laramie sits down with four leaders from Cherry Health in Michigan to discuss their organization's journey toward truly integrated, whole-person care. What started as an effort to better connect medical and behavioral health services evolved into a broader transformation of workflows, culture, patient access, and team-based care. Cherry Health shares how they redesigned operations, embedded behavioral health consultants, community health workers, nurse care managers, and other team members into primary care workflows, and created a more coordinated approach to serving patients. The results have been significant. Listen for their No-Show rate reduction improvement, how they organically improved their patients per hour as a result of lower No-Shows, how they expanded integrated care to offer patients more services during one visit, and how that impacted their quality and financial stability too. Throughout the conversation, the Cherry Health team discusses both the operational and cultural changes required to make integration successful, including redesigning workflows, clarifying team roles, creating accountability systems, and moving away from a permission-based culture toward one focused on finding ways to meet patient needs. Guests: Bill Joure , Chief Operating Officer Julee Geib , Director of Practice Operations Cynthia Wagenhofer , Chief Financial Officer Anna Gerard , Director of Behavioral Health Host: Amanda Laramie Resources Mentioned: The 4 Disciplines of Execution Bill Joure references The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling. The book's concepts around focusing on lead measures, creating visible scoreboards, and establishing a cadence of accountability influenced Cherry Health's approach to performance management and operational improvement. Learn more: https://www.4dxbook.com Mastering Leadership the Coleman Way by Melissa Stratman Thanks for listening! Check us out on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Our Website TikTok Twitter YouTube
June 10, 202644 min
#73: Opening the Door to Capacity: The Tactical Nurse Story
What happens when nurses are empowered to practice at the top of their license? In this episode, Amanda sits down with Maria Durazo, RN and Isabelle Lunsford, RN, PHN, MSN, of Open Door Community Health Centers in CA, to discuss how they transformed the nursing role to improve access, support providers, and strengthen patient care in a highly rural environment. Learn how Open Door built a Tactical Nursing model, developed nurse-led flip visits, created career pathways for nurses, and more than doubled the number of patients served through nurse visits through innovative nursing workflows. Whether you're a clinical leader, nurse manager, or healthcare executive, this episode offers practical lessons on change management, workforce development, and maximizing the impact of your nursing team. Guests: Maria Durazo, RN , and Isabelle Lunsford, RN, PHN, MSN Host: Amanda Laramie Thanks for listening! Check us out on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Our Website TikTok Twitter YouTube
May 27, 2026Episode 7227 min
#72: Part 2: Why Mattering Changes Everything with Zach Mercurio
In Part 2 of this powerful conversation, Amanda Laramie sits down with leadership researcher and author Zach Mercurio, PhD , to explore how leaders can create workplaces where people truly feel seen, valued, and connected. Zach shares practical, everyday ways leaders can apply the principles of mattering — not through grand gestures, but through intentional interactions that build trust, belonging, and purpose within teams. Together, they discuss how meaningful leadership impacts engagement, retention, resilience, and organizational culture. Whether you lead a team, support patients, manage operations, or influence workplace culture, this episode offers actionable insights you can immediately apply to strengthen relationships and help people thrive personally and professionally. Zach Mercurio is an author, researcher, and speaker specializing in purposeful leadership, meaningful work, and mattering. His work focuses on helping organizations create cultures where people feel valued and connected so they can thrive personally and professionally. In This Episode: What “mattering” really means in leadership Why small moments of acknowledgment have a lasting impact Practical ways leaders can help employees feel valued How connection influences performance and well-being Building cultures where people thrive Guest: Zach Mercurio Host: Amanda Laramie Thanks for listening! Check us out on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Our Website TikTok Twitter YouTube
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