Lead Well MD: Transforming Healthcare Through Effective Clinician Leadership
Welcome to Lead Well MD where we dive into the art and science of effective clinician leadership. Through compelling stories and insightful conversations with guests from across healthcare, we explore the intersection between the foundational skills of emotional intelligence and effective clinician leadership. We examine how leaders can drive meaningful change and transform how they care for their teams, their organizations, and their patients.
Join Ashley Wendel, MA—physician leadership consultant, 1:1 advisor, and trusted guide—as she shares practical leadership tips and strategies honed over 17 years of partnering with clinician leaders like you. Each episode is designed to empower you with tools to lead more effectively and inspire change within your teams and organizations.
Our mission is to help you understand yourself and others more deeply while building the critical leadership skills needed to make a lasting impact. Together, let’s equip you to be the most effective leader possible, driving meaningful and transformative change in healthcare.
Tune in and lead well—because your leadership matters more than ever.
Episodes
14 episodes
"Leading with Purpose: How UH Cleveland Is Rewiring Culture, Leadership, and the Future of Care" with Dr. Patrick Runnels
What happens when a psychiatrist trained in homeless outreach decides the real problem isn't the patients - it's the systems supposed to serve them?In this episode, host Ashley Wendel sits down with Dr. Patrick Runnels, Chief Medical ...
.png)
"When Working Harder Isn’t the Answer: How to Reclaim Your Life in Medicine" with Dr. Ben Reinking
What happens when doing everything “right” still leaves you feeling stuck, exhausted, and disconnected from the work you once loved?In this honest and deeply human conversation, Dr. Ben Reinking - a pediatric cardiologist, educator, and ...
.png)
"Leading Beyond the Bedside: From Clinical Expert to System Leader" with Dr. Rob Nordgren
The transition from practicing physician to system leader looks smooth from the outside. Internally, it’s often much more complicated.In this episode, Ashley Wendel talks with Dr. Rob Nordgren, Divisional Chief Medical Officer at Sutt...
.png)
"The High-Performing Woman's Experience in Medicine: Exhausted, Accomplished, and Still Unfulfilled" with Dr. Erica Kreismann
Episode Summary (succinct, with key highlights)In this episode, Ashley sits down with Dr. Erica Kreismann - emergency medicine physician turned executive coach - to explore what it means to be a woman and clinician leader in today...
.png)
"You Don't Have to Have All the Answers: Moving From Expert to Coach-Leader" with Dr. Richard Winters
What if leadership felt less like carrying all the answers - and more like creating the conditions for others to think and act well together?In this episode, Ashley Wendel is joined by Dr. Richard Winters, a practicing emergency m...
"Making Excellence Accessible: How Human Development Drives Culture Change in Healthcare" with Dr. Stephen Beeson
In this episode, Dr. Stephen Beeson and I dive deep into what it truly takes to build, and sustain, a culture of excellence in healthcare.Drawing from his experience leading transformation at Sharp Healthcare and founding Practicing Exce...
.png)
What "The Pitt" Gets Right: An Emergency Medicine Leader's View of Humanity & Teamwork in the ER with Dr. Tony Briningstool
ER physician–turned–healthcare leader Dr. Tony Briningstool joins Lead Well MD to unpack how trust is built when seconds matter - and what the HBO series “The Pitt” gets right about life in the trauma bay. From first-contact beh...
.png)
"The Fearless ICU: Building High Performance Through Psychological Safety" with Dr. Sergio Zanotti
In this episode of Lead Well MD, host Ashley Wendel talks with Dr. Sergio Zanotti, Chief Medical Officer for Critical Care at Sound Physicians and host of the podcast Critical Matters, about what it takes to buil...
"Building High-Trust Teams in High-Stakes Environments: Lessons From The Battlefield" with Randall Wickman, Col. (Ret.) US Army
In this powerful episode of Lead Well MD, we step outside of medicine and into the world of military leadership — but stay firmly rooted in what matters most: building trust in high-stakes, high-pressure environments.Ashley is j...
"Being Real: Balancing Vulnerability, Authenticity, and Professionalism as a Clinician Leader" with Dr. Greg Johnson
How does a clinician leader balance being professional with being an authentic, vulnerable leader that builds trust? In this episode of Lead Well MD, we sit down with Dr. Greg Johnson, the System Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Unit...
"Opting In: How Clinician Leaders Can Reclaim Agency and Drive Change in Healthcare" with Karen Weiner, MD
In healthcare today, change is constant—and emotional fatigue is real. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Karen Weiner to explore what it really takes to lead when clinicians are stretched thin, burned out, and wondering if the work ...
.png)
"From Fixer to Facilitator: A Leader's Journey" with Dr. Holly Beeman
In this open and candid conversation, Dr. Holly Beeman shares her evolution from being a hands-on problem-solver to becoming a more empowering and emotionally intelligent leader. Drawing from her journey as an OBGYN turned senior hea...
"The Power of Love in Healthcare Leadership" with Dr. Apurv Gupta
Healthcare is facing a crisis—not just of resources, but of culture. Burnout, disengagement, and top-down leadership structures are leaving clinicians feeling disconnected from their purpose. But what if we could reimagine ...
Episode 1: "Lessons Learned" with Ashley Wendel, MA, Founder & CEO Physician Leader Group
In the debut episode of LeadWellMD, we discuss the importance of emotionally intelligent clinician leadership. Drawing on her 17 years of experience as a physician leadership coach and consultant, Ashley Wendel, MA, narrates three st...
