In this 2026 edition of Experiencing Healthcare, we open the year with a deceptively simple leadership question: who’s the hardest person to lead? The answer isn’t a teammate—it’s yourself. Through humor, real-world CEO moments, and hard-earned reflection, Matt unpacks why self-leadership is often overlooked, how boundaries are actually discipline in disguise, and why emotional regulation is the foundation for every decision you make—especially in a “heavy” industry like healthcare. The takeaway: if you want to lead others well this year, start by leading you with intention.

As 2025 comes to a close, Jamie sits down with Matt to look ahead to 2026 with honesty, leadership, and momentum. They reflect on habits worth reclaiming, the difference between awareness and action, and what it means to provide stability in uncertain seasons. Matt shares his “One Word” for 2026—Direction—and unpacks how it shapes his leadership, health journey, and commitment to helping teams move past what holds them back. Jamie also shares his own word—Directness—and the courage it takes to lean into discomfort for growth.

In Episode 100, Jamie and Matt reflect on a year that fundamentally reshaped how Matt experiences healthcare—as both a patient and a caregiver. Matt shares an update on his active surveillance prostate cancer journey, including lifestyle changes, monitoring, and learning to live with uncertainty.

The conversation expands beyond Matt’s diagnosis to include the realities of caregiving: navigating a father’s dementia and hospice journey, processing anticipatory grief and loss, supporting a teenage daughter through surgery, and helping a mother recover after a stroke. Matt speaks candidly about caregiver burnout, moments of emotional paralysis, and the importance of asking for help.

Together, Jamie and Matt explore how grief lingers, how recovery often proves harder than the crisis itself, and why healthcare must focus on what happens after discharge. Episode 100 closes with a powerful reminder: it’s okay not to be okay—but it’s not okay to face it alone.

EPISODE NOTES

• Jamie and Matt open the episode with lighthearted holiday banter and personal Christmas traditions.
• This 99th episode marks a milestone far beyond the average podcast lifespan of seven episodes.
• Jamie introduces the shift from typical healthcare culture/policy topics to a deeply personal conversation about patient experience from Matt’s perspective.
• Matt admits he’s more nervous for this episode than almost any other—because it’s personal.
• The conversation acknowledges the hardship of 2024–2025 for both hosts’ families.
• Matt walks through how a wellness check and PSA screening unexpectedly detected something abnormal.
• An MRI experience becomes meaningful thanks to a tech who sensed his anxiety and used music to calm him—highlighting how small patient-experience moments matter.
• The MRI revealed something suspicious, leading to a biopsy.
• Matt received his cancer diagnosis alone in a conference center during a professional event—an emotionally jarring moment.
• He immediately sought clarity and support from a physician colleague, who helped him interpret the results.
• Matt reflects on the shock of seeing “prostate cancer” in writing and how it triggered grief-like emotions.
• He emphasizes the importance of asking for results early so patients can process before appointments.
• His urologist spent over an hour walking through options—an impactful example of patient-centered communication.

KEY POINTS

• Organizational vs. personal purpose — They don’t have to be identical, but they should coexist well.

• Purpose requires focus — You can’t say yes to everything; not every opportunity is yours.

• Boundaries shape clarity — Emotional, professional, and ethical lines protect your ability to serve.

• Delegation is essential — Tasks don’t define identity; leaders must let go to grow.

• Purpose evolves — Organizations and individuals change; your purpose may shift with seasons.

• Fun ≠ meaningful — Great opportunities still have to align with who you’re becoming.

• Gratitude clarifies calling — Noticing what you’re grateful for can reveal purpose.

• Quitting can be healthy — Letting go of roles, tasks, or beliefs creates space for what matters most.

• Reflection is ongoing — Purpose isn’t found once; it’s revisited repeatedly.

• Purpose is clarified through experience and reflection, not just passion.
• Helping others find purpose requires curiosity, coaching, and equipping them with the tools to succeed.
• Distinguishing passion from purpose involves commitment, impact, and skill alignment.
• Gratitude and intentional reflection help maintain focus on what truly matters.
• Leaders can spot misalignment by observing engagement, mood, and energy, but must approach it with curiosity and connection.

• Humility & grace: distinct muscles that work best together
• The no-call/no-show that wasn’t: correcting assumptions with care
• Disagreeing without demeaning: honesty rooted in respect
• Modeling connection: Scott moving furniture in dress shoes; a father’s everyday compassion
• Integrity = what we do when no one’s watching
• Daily habit: know your “bliss,” reset with people, then re-enter the work

Listener reflection: Where can you swap a snap judgment for a curious check-in today?

• What connection means as a leader, parent, clinician, friend
• Residents and families as the real teachers of patient experience
• The “poinsettias in April” lesson: small signals shape big trust
• Why a health-tech conference led with connection (not features)
• Data & AI: accelerants that free us to be more human, not less
• Productive disagreement and patient advocacy across disciplines
• Trust + respect as the ground rules for hard conversations

Listener reflection: What small signal could you fix today to raise trust immediately?