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Eye Care Leadership Live
I speak with eye care and healthcare clinical leaders and the experts who help their clinics succeed.
Episodes
63 episodes
HIPAA Safe Marketing That Actually Grows A Clinic
We talk with Carl White about how private practices can beat bigger competitors by leaning into what independence makes possible and by saying it clearly in their marketing. We also dig into HIPAA blind spots that show up in websites, agencies,...
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Smarter Spending For Eye Care Clinics
We talk with Dr. Cynthia Matosian about the leadership moves that keep eye care practices sustainable when costs rise and reimbursements fall. We dig into building patient-first culture, learning the business skills most clinicians never get ta...
Hillary Golden: Lessons in Glaucoma Patient Care [Replay]
In this episode, which originally posted in June 2025, my esteemed guest was Hillary Golden. Hillary is a keynote speaker and advisor on the topic of patient care in ophthalmology with a particular focus (no pun intended) on glaucom...
Clinic Marketing That Actually Works
We talk with Jennifer Church Kilkenny about what actually drives growth for cash-pay services in healthcare, from local search intent to email lists you control. We also get real about social media tactics, staff involvement, paid ads strategy,...
Self Care - Rest That Makes You Better
In this show, I talk about rest as a form of self-care that makes us better leaders, not just better at “getting through” the week. I share practical ways to protect our energy so we can think clearly, support our teams, and improve clinic cult...
So, You Want To Sell Your Clinic?
We talk with Mike Guelcher of Prism Consulting Partners about what really drives an ophthalmology or optometry practice sale and why “value” is not the same thing as the final price. We dig into the human side of transitions, the metrics that k...
Onboarding For Eye Care Technicians with Jane Shuman
We break down why technician turnover stays high in busy eye care clinics and how better hiring and onboarding fixes it. We share practical ways to validate skills, build a consistent training program, and create a culture where new techs feel ...
Legal Traps in Clinics (And How to Avoid Them)
We talk with healthcare attorney Matt Stevens about the real-world legal and operational fights clinics face with insurance reimbursement, audits, and payer clawbacks, plus the steps that keep small problems from turning into career-level crise...
Tales From the Trenches: Harassment Investigations (5/1/26)
A harassment allegation can make even experienced clinic leaders freeze, not because they don’t care, but because every move has consequences. We’ve handled these situations many times, and we break down what actually works when a sexual harass...
If You Don’t Define Culture, It Defines You - with Kurt Defenbaugh
Mike talks with Kurt Defenbaugh about why culture is not a slogan or a perks program, but the lived DNA of a clinic that either gets designed on purpose or assigned by default. We walk through a concrete method for defining core values, then us...
Tales From The Trenches: Hiring (4/24/26)
Hiring shouldn’t feel like a weekly emergency, but in many ophthalmology and optometry clinics it does: outdated job descriptions, endless resumes, interview no-shows, and the temptation to grab the first person who seems “good enough.” I’m try...
Beat Burnout and Build Better Clinics with Dr. Melissa Barnett
We talk with Dr. Melissa Barnett about how a dry eye and specialty contact lens optometrist becomes an ICF credentialed coach and why that work brings her so much joy. We dig into burnout, clarity, and leadership habits that help eye care teams...
Announcement: Compensation Survey
This episode is to announce that Mandy Cansler Consulting and I are launching a free, multi-phase ophthalmology compensation survey so leaders can stop relying on generic healthcare numbers and start benchmarking pay with data that matches real...
Managing Gen Z At Work
My guest for this episode is Luke Goetting, a speaker and advisor on leading Generation Z and across generations. We unpack how digital natives changed the rules of retention and why eye care clinics win when they trade secrecy for ...
If Your Team Can't Find You... It's Time To Add A Leader
In this show, I tackle the real question behind manager overload: when an eye care clinic needs more leadership coverage to protect retention, productivity, and culture. We share clear warning signs, practical alternatives to hiring, and what t...
Launching Clinical Research In Eye Care
We sit down with Amy Ford of Curo Research to map the real-world path to launching and scaling clinical research inside an eye care clinic. We dig into staff growth, budgeting that actually covers the work, sponsor red flags, and where ophthalm...
From Optometry To Authorship: Purpose, Patients, And Personal Courage
We explore how a 30‑year optometrist reconnected with purpose, found her voice through vulnerability, and turned a clinic into a culture powered by gratitude and action. The story spans a viral poem, practice reinvestment, children’s books, and...
Go Fast Or Slow? The Paradox of Hiring (and more)
We unpack the paradox of speed in HR and show how to move quickly without breaking culture. From hiring to onboarding to tough calls, we share practical systems that build confidence, reduce risk, and raise performance across eye care teams.
MIPS Mastery For Eye Care Leaders
We break down how MIPS really works, why the 75‑point threshold matters, and how to stop the year‑end scramble by building a simple plan that fits ophthalmology and medical optometry. Jackie Waterhouse and Ashley Hennis share practical steps on...
Dr. Irfan Ali: The Humility and Humanity of Leadership
Spoke to Dr. Irfan Ali about his journey to creating a large healthcare business and his passion for art, self care, and remaining humble through the struggles of life. Dr. Ali began his career as a physician in Pakistan and immigra...
How Curiosity and Questions Can Transform Your Leadership
We explore how leaders in eye care can stop playing fixer and start coaching in ways that reduce burnout, build real capability, and improve clinic flow. We share scripts, mindset prompts, and time tactics that make coaching up and coaching inw...
Pizza Parties Won’t Fix Your Turnover Problem
Chad Miller and I explore how small and mid-sized ophthalmology businesses can compete for talent and drive profit by building culture into daily behavior, not posters. We unpack the real cost of turnover, low-cost listening tools, and how to c...
Appreciation That Retains Your Best People (Episode 39)
In this episode, I make the business case for appreciation in eye care and show how to turn recognition into a daily leadership habit. From a smarter Employee of the Month to one-on-ones that build trust, I map the moves that keep great people ...
Mastering LinkedIn with Sheikh Ali (Episode 38)
Ever wonder how to get more engagement on LinkedIn? Sheikh Ali is here to debunk the myths of LinkedIn and help you get noticed and grow your presence. We touched onThe best times to post on LinkedInWhy LinkedIn...
Four Leadership Books That Actually Change Teams (Episode 37)
Ever feel like your clinic is working hard but not quite working together? We dig into four leadership books that cut through the noise and give you practical frameworks for trust, culture, feedback, and recognition—tools you can use the same d...