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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 practice roles. We explain why ophthalmology-specific compensation data is so hard to find, what we’re collecting in phase one, and how we plan to expand the survey and share implementation guidance. 

• why ophthalmology pay data often feels too generic to trust 
• what the compensation survey is designed to measure and why scope matters more than titles 
• the phase one focus on top administrators, leadership roles and providers 
• the specific data points we collect to make benchmarking useful such as region and practice size 
• why roles vary so much across practices and how that distorts salary comparisons 
• what future phases will include across departments, subspecialties, experience and certifications 
• how we think about acting on compensation findings through timing, communication and strategy 

Participate in the survey here - https://forms.gle/4fwQhHczFh1orqGPA 

If you have question, reach out to me at [email protected] or through LinkedIn. You can reach Mandy Cansler at [email protected]. 

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This episode is brought to you by Seasoned Advice HR, where I help eye care clinics to hire, retain, and manage better — helping you get Better Results Through People. Learn more at seasoned-advice.com. 

Get my free HR and leadership downloads here: https://www.seasoned-advice.com/signup-for-free-downloads

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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 transparency, titles for skills, and rigid roles for internal gigs. Luke Goetting shares concrete ways to map growth, invite input, and turn ideas into results.

• pandemic pressures and the missing middle in teams
• why digital natives value transparency, speed, and purpose
• the quarterly learning calculus that drives job moves
• designing visible growth paths in small clinics
• 20% time and internal gig marketplaces
• gamification, micro-credentials, and skill maps
• the two-thirds rule for real buy-in
• patient messaging wins, like adding secure texting
• braindates and rapid experiments to surface ideas

Learn more about Luke at https://lukegoetting.com/. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show on your podcast app and share it with someone who would value the content
I also invite you to subscribe to my HR newsletter for Eye Care Leaders. You can find information about that at seasoned-advice.com

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This episode is brought to you by Seasoned Advice HR, where I help eye care clinics to hire, retain, and manage better — helping you get Better Results Through People. Learn more at seasoned-advice.com. 

Get my free HR and leadership downloads here: https://www.seasoned-advice.com/signup-for-free-downloads

Send us Fan Mail

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 to look for when choosing the next leader.

• employee feedback as the first red flag when support is missing
• why manager availability shapes psychological safety and retention
• the "15 direct reports" tipping point and why weekly one-on-ones matter
• the real cost of turnover and how it compares to added management
• manager burnout as a measurable operational risk
• how lack of leadership drags down training and productivity
• culture and trust erosion as a slow moving failure mode
• using team lead and coordinator roles as a low risk stepping stone
• selecting leaders for people skills and emotional intelligence, not just niceness
• why “knowing everything” can hurt leadership and empowerment
• promoting from within to build growth paths and fresh ideas

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show on your podcast app and share it with someone who would value the content. I also invite you to subscribe to my HR newsletter for Eye Care Leaders. You can find information about that at www.seasoned-advice.com.

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This episode is brought to you by Seasoned Advice HR, where I help eye care clinics to hire, retain, and manage better — helping you get Better Results Through People. Learn more at seasoned-advice.com. 

Get my free HR and leadership downloads here: https://www.seasoned-advice.com/signup-for-free-downloads

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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 ophthalmic research is headed.

• defining coordinator, data, and regulatory roles as distinct growth paths
• physician traits that predict success, led by humility and trust
• building profitability by negotiating budgets against protocol time
• sponsor green flags and red flags in communication and turnover
• retention risks, deviations, and protecting institutional knowledge
• motivations that sustain research beyond finances
• emerging trends across retina, presbyopia, IOLs, and myopia control
• shifting workload between ophthalmology and optometry over time

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show on your podcast app and share it with someone who would value the content
I also invite you to subscribe to my HR newsletter for iCare leaders. You can find information about that at seasoned-advice.com

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This episode is brought to you by Seasoned Advice HR, where I help eye care clinics to hire, retain, and manage better — helping you get Better Results Through People. Learn more at seasoned-advice.com. 

Get my free HR and leadership downloads here: https://www.seasoned-advice.com/signup-for-free-downloads

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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 the simple habits that keep leaders on fire.

• patients as purpose and the post‑COVID awakening
• staying in your lane vs stepping into courage
• vulnerability on LinkedIn and the unifying poem
• private messages, shared trauma and dropping masks
• reinvesting in the clinic with tech and design
• gratitude rituals that shape patient experience
• combating burnout by reconnecting to mission
• faith, morning clarity and trusting the process
• children’s books, the Chew Crew and legacy building
• organic podcasting and creating in public

Find more about Dr. Chu at https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiechuod/ or her podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chu-on-this/id1858742440. Her website is https://chuonwhatmatters.com/. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show on your podcast app and share it with someone who would value the content
I also invite you to subscribe to my HR newsletter for iCare Leaders at seasoned‑advice.com

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This episode is brought to you by Seasoned Advice HR, where I help eye care clinics to hire, retain, and manage better — helping you get Better Results Through People. Learn more at seasoned-advice.com. 

Get my free HR and leadership downloads here: https://www.seasoned-advice.com/signup-for-free-downloads

Send us Fan Mail

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.

• defining values and role-critical skills for hiring
• hiring smart instead of hiring slow
• avoiding desperation hires and “okay” performers
• designing 90-day onboarding with cross-training
• building psychological safety and belonging
• using pulse surveys to surface early issues
• acting swiftly and thoroughly on investigations
• anchoring decisions to values and documented process
• measurable payoffs in retention, performance and calm

This show is sponsored by Seasoned Advice HR Services, where I help eye care businesses to make more money and save more money by hiring better, retaining better, and reducing your HR risk
If you would like an HR assessment or ongoing HR support, please reach out to me at seasoned-advice.com
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show on your podcast app and share it with someone who would value the content
I also invite you to subscribe to my HR newsletter for iCare leaders. You can find information about that at seasoned advice.com

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This episode is brought to you by Seasoned Advice HR, where I help eye care clinics to hire, retain, and manage better — helping you get Better Results Through People. Learn more at seasoned-advice.com. 

Get my free HR and leadership downloads here: https://www.seasoned-advice.com/signup-for-free-downloads

Send us Fan Mail

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 measures, EHRs, staffing, and audits.

• what MIPS is and how Medicare ties payment to quality
• why rule changes, benchmarks and practice status shifts matter
• how to pick fewer, better quality measures by subspecialty
• improvement activities that truly improve patient operations
• audits as random checks and how to document for accuracy
• EHR fit, workflow design and risks of paper or bad templates
• training frontline staff for portals, demographics and PI
• the cost of turnover and how to protect measure performance
• building a monthly MIPS calendar to avoid Q4 panic
• MVP pathways and how to prepare for the shift

Contact Jackie and Ashley at [email protected] or on linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-hennes/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-waterhousecot/ 

If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe on your podcast app and share it with someone who would value the content

Subscribe to our HR newsletter for eye care leaders at seasoned‑advice.com

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This episode is brought to you by Seasoned Advice HR, where I help eye care clinics to hire, retain, and manage better — helping you get Better Results Through People. Learn more at seasoned-advice.com. 

Get my free HR and leadership downloads here: https://www.seasoned-advice.com/signup-for-free-downloads

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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 immigrated to the US, where he worked as a researcher and home improvement store janitor, before establishing his medical license and building a huge healthcare business, Pioneer Medical Group, based in Tampa, FL. 

Learn more about Dr Ali at https://irfanalimd.com and connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/s-irfan-ali-md/ 

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This episode is brought to you by Seasoned Advice HR, where I help eye care clinics to hire, retain, and manage better — helping you get Better Results Through People. Learn more at seasoned-advice.com. 

Get my free HR and leadership downloads here: https://www.seasoned-advice.com/signup-for-free-downloads

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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 inward both doable and effective.

• difference between consulting, mentoring and coaching
• why curiosity and silence unlock better answers
• aligning on shared goals before hard talks
• a script for coaching up late physicians
• using empathy without excusing behavior
• handling defensiveness and timing the follow up
• self-coaching prompts to clear bias
• common mindset traps and imposter feelings
• calendar audits and meeting triage to free time
• scaling a coaching culture across the clinic

Contact Savory at https://www.savorycoaching.com/ or https://www.linkedin.com/in/savory-turman/ 

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This episode is brought to you by Seasoned Advice HR, where I help eye care clinics to hire, retain, and manage better — helping you get Better Results Through People. Learn more at seasoned-advice.com. 

Get my free HR and leadership downloads here: https://www.seasoned-advice.com/signup-for-free-downloads

Send us Fan Mail

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 coach struggling managers toward values alignment.

• how good bosses, teams, and culture retain talent
• the 0.5 to 2x salary cost of turnover
• revenue per employee as a growth metric
• moving beyond lip service to weekly culture rituals
• low-cost listening tactics that build trust
• transparency and vulnerability as the base of safety
• coaching misaligned managers with clear values and behaviors
• hiring and firing by values to protect culture
• framing work as us against the obstacle

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show on your podcast app and share it with someone who would value the content
I also invite you to subscribe to my HR newsletter for healthcare leaders. You can find information about that at seasoned advice.com

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This episode is brought to you by Seasoned Advice HR, where I help eye care clinics to hire, retain, and manage better — helping you get Better Results Through People. Learn more at seasoned-advice.com. 

Get my free HR and leadership downloads here: https://www.seasoned-advice.com/signup-for-free-downloads