B Excellent

Aaron and Josh traveled to Johnson City Medical Center to sit down with JCMC’s new CEO, Rebecca Beck. In their conversation, Rebecca talks about her career journey, her enthusiasm for leading the Johnson City team, and how she and her teams at HVMC and IPCH have incorporated B Excellent principles into their daily workflow. It’s an inspiring episode filled with practical insights and valuable leadership perspective.

Josh sits down with Dr. Matthew Loos, Chief Academic Officer, and Dr. Quincy Byrdsong, Vice President of Research Operations, from Ballad Health’s Research and Academics department. Together, they explore how research and academics support innovation and continuous learning across our organization, helping lay the foundation for our B Excellent journey.

You’ll also hear about their personal career paths, what drew them to the world of academic medicine and research, and how they each find balance and renewal outside of work.

It’s an inspiring look at how curiosity, integrity, and a love of learning can help shape our culture as a whole. 

In the latest episode of the B Excellent Podcast, Josh and Aaron visit Lee County Community Hospital to talk with Paulina Thompson, RN, and nurse manager Savanah Bowen, RN, about the hospital’s remarkable journey since reopening. Paulina and Savanah share how their team has maintained high performance metrics by focusing on quality over quantity and fostering a culture of accountability and care.

They describe how B Excellent principles are actively shaping daily interactions - encouraging intentional communication, positive reinforcement, and teamwork that continue to strengthen both patient outcomes and workplace culture.

 Josh and Aaron sit down with Debbie Dover, Ballad Health’s Senior Vice President of Talent Engagement and Chief Human Resources Officer.

Debbie shares insights from her career journey, the lessons that have shaped her leadership, and why stepping outside of your comfort zone is essential for growth.

She also offers a behind-the-scenes look at how B Excellent is helping transform the culture at Ballad Health

Sheri Phillips, Multi-facility Director of Patient Experience, joins the show to share how she brings the B Excellent mindset into interactions patient and families. She also talks about leading through difficult conversations and staying focused on purpose and compassion.

Josh and Aaron visit Norton Community Hospital to sit down with Jeremy Carlson, Chief Nursing Officer for Ballad Health’s Wise, Dickenson, and Lee County hospitals.

Jeremy shares how he champions the B Excellent culture by helping his teams put its lessons into practical action every day. The conversation explores Jeremy’s journey into healthcare and how his own time as a patient deepened his commitment to delivering compassionate, high-quality care. 

Dr. Lisa Smithgall, Ballad Health’s chief nursing executive, joins Josh and Aaron to share how B Excellent came to life, the impact it’s already having on care and collaboration, and her personal “why” for choosing a career in healthcare.

B Excellent champions Regina Robinson, System Director of Quality, Performance Improvement & Regulatory Affairs, and Melissa Williams, Nurse Manager at Indian Path Medical Center, join Josh and Aaron to share their inspiring journeys into healthcare, reflect on how the B Excellent initiative is helping to shape their leadership approach and spark meaningful change within their roles, and how they see B Excellent being practically applied with their teams.

Josh and Aaron visit Franklin Woods Community Hospital to talk with Kim Jessee, nurse manager for the ICU/PCU. Kim shares her inspiring healthcare journey and discusses how she and her team have embraced the principles of B Excellent - long before the program officially launched.

The conversation also explores how bedside shift reports play a critical role in our goal of becoming a High Reliability Organization, and how those practices align with the overall B Excellent journey.

Dr. Preetham Talari (Vice President, Clinical Transformation & Outcomes Optimization) and Tom Tull (Vice President, Chief Experience Officer) join hosts Josh Smith and Aaron Rice to discuss Ballad Health’s goal to become a High Reliability Organization (HRO) and how it aligns with our B Excellent journey.

Don’t miss their insight into how HRO principles connect with leadership, patient care, and our broader culture of excellence.