Katie's Leadership Lounge

Healthcare is stretched, but your mindset is still a choice. This episode isn’t about pretending things aren’t tough—it’s about the power of noticing how you think, and choosing to lead with clarity and impact anyway. We explore the Abundance Mindset and how it supports stronger, more intentional leadership—even in stretched systems.

Links and Resources

5 qualities of high-impact healthcare leaders

Grateful In April

Gratitude Freebies

Gratitude Practice when you have no time

Appreciative Feedback to Shift Your Culture

There will always be more: overcoming scarcity mindset

Habit Four: Think Win-Win

When a sense of scarcity takes over

Moving from scarcity to gratitude: your leadership choice

What’s a topic you want the lounge to explore, let me know here. 

Behind every episode of The Leadership Lounge is a deeper reason for showing up. Hitting the 50-episode mark felt like the right time to pause and reflect—not just on the podcast, but on the leadership journey itself. Every leadership journey starts somewhere—but what keeps it going? In this episode, I share three key reflections that have shaped both the podcast and my own leadership: getting clear on your why, showing up with persistence (especially on the tough days), and staying adaptable as things around you change.

These aren’t just podcasting lessons—they’re leadership ones. I also revisit the foundation of what we talk about: supporting personal leadership growth, building strong and connected teams, and making healthcare work better through operational excellence. Whether you're leading in complexity, starting to find your feet, or recalibrating your role—this conversation is for you.

Links and Resources

5 qualities of high-impact healthcare leaders

Grit, purpose and hope

Asking for help

Getting started with reflection

How to re-think managing up

Building your professional network

What’s a topic you want the lounge to explore, let me know here. 

Every day, healthcare teams work together—but are they cooperating or collaborating? And does it matter? In this episode, we explore the key differences, when to use each approach, and why shared purpose is the glue that makes both work. Breaking down silos and strengthening connections between leaders and teams is critical to delivering better patient outcomes and creating healthier workplace cultures. Whether you're a new charge nurse leading a team or a seasoned leader looking to foster deeper collaboration, this conversation will give you practical insights to build trust, alignment, and impact.

Links and Resources

Download your guide to finding your team’s purpose

5 qualities of high-impact healthcare leaders

The difference between collaboration and cooperation

The difference between collaboration and cooperation (yes the same title but it’s a different link)

Cooperation, coordination and collaboration

The power of teamwork and collaboration

What’s a topic you want the lounge to explore, let me know here. 

If you are leading leaders, this episode is packed with insights and practical strategies to help you create a solid foundation—one that ensures your new team leaders can handle the fast pace of leadership with confidence and clarity. Plus, check out the show notes for a free Appreciative Feedback mini-course to help embed these practices into your leadership approach.

Links and Resources

5 qualities of high-impact healthcare leaders

19 words to use in providing feedback from the PinkCast

The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle

Radical Candor by Kim Scott

Increase your leadership impact with every 1:1 meeting

Appreciative Feedback 101 - A free course so you can boost morale, increase energy and shift the culture of your team.

Meet me and the kitten over on Instagram

Burning issue, stuck point, or challenge you can’t get any help on - let’s talk about it in the lounge let me know here. 

What if kindness wasn’t just a personal trait but a powerful force for transforming healthcare? I dive into Intelligent Kindness, a concept that shifts kindness from being seen as ‘soft’ to a strategic approach for stronger teams, better patient care, and a healthier system. From tackling self-doubt to building trust and therapeutic alliances, this episode offers a fresh perspective on why kindness—when applied intelligently—is anything but soft.

Links and Resources

5 qualities of high-impact healthcare leaders

Reforming the culture of healthcare: the case for intelligent kindness

Intelligent kindness in practice

Culture, kinship and intelligent kindness

An introduction into intelligent kindness

The Francis Inquiry Report

What’s a topic you want the lounge to explore, let me know here. 

Tackling a challenge can feel overwhelming, but the key is to start right and stay the course. In this short episode, I share a simple yet powerful four-step framework: (1) Understand the issue, (2) Ask questions, (3) Start small, and (4) Keep going. It’s about clarity, curiosity, and the grit to see things through. A short and practical listen for leaders in the thick of it!

Links and Resources

5 Qualities of High Impact Healthcare Leaders

Does healthcare need great managers or great leaders?

Your first two moves when you feel stuck

Humble Enquiry

Getting Started

Grit, Purpose and Hope

Keep going, you’re doing great

What happens when staff are afraid to speak up? Healthcare teams struggle with stress, turnover, and burnout—but when psychological safety is strong, collaboration, learning, and performance thrive. In this episode, we break down what psychological safety is, the stories of where it started and the impacts when you have it, and what happens when you don’t. We look at why hierarchy and fear hold teams back and how the four key domains—willingness to help, inclusion, risk attitude, and open conversations create actionable focus areas for you and your team.

Links and Resources

What is Psychological Safety

Psychological Safety as an Enduring Resource Amid Constraints

The Fearless Organisation Scan

Amy Edmondson

Better Leadership & Learning: A Guide to Psychological Safety

Liz and Mollie Psychological Safety Assessment

The 4 stages of psychological safety

Radical Candor

An introduction to the SCARF model

Say Kia ora on LinkedIn

Join the hundreds of healthcare leaders who get the regular dose of inspiration and encouragement.

Healthcare leaders are being asked to do the impossible. So, how do we make the work achievable? In this episode, we talk about the courage it takes to prioritise, the role of risk conversations in setting boundaries, and how tools like FMEA and Cal Newport’s ideas in Slow Productivity can help us work differently. I also revisit the ‘big rocks’ allegory and why health—our own and our teams’—must be in the jar first. This is about making working and leading in healthcare sustainable.

Links and Resources

Slow Productivity Cal Newport

Be clear on what matters

Rocks, pebbles and sand analogy

Stephen Covey’s Big Rocks video

FMEA from the IHI

Your meetings from a perspective of courage

Nick Petrie on burnout

Your environment influences more than just your workflow—it affects how you feel, how you lead, and even how others perceive you. Rabbit holes aside, an organised and decluttered workspace helps your focus and reduces frustration. Taking some of the hard work of what is often hard work.

In short, your workspace isn’t just where you work—it’s how you work. In this episode, I’m sharing ideas and stories to give you a fresh perspective on how you can support your energy, and effectiveness by looking at the physical environment you are in.

Plus, a challenge: take a fresh look at your space and make changes that set you up for success.

Links and Resources

Get started, get organised and simplify your work life

Joy at Work by Marie Kondo and Scott Sonenshein

Work Smarter, Live Better by Cyril Peupion

Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte

PARA by Tiago Forte

The 15 Step Challenge

Frustration, burnout, feeling like something is off—these emotions don’t just come from the workload or the people around us. Often, they’re a signal of a deeper misalignment with our core values. If you don’t have clarity on what truly matters to you, decision-making becomes harder, confidence wavers, and tough situations feel even heavier. In this episode, I explore how understanding your values gives you the power to make better choices, feel more grounded, and lead with confidence—even in challenging environments. If that sounds like your life right now, download the values workbook to help you get started on defining what truly drives you.

Links and Resources

Download the Personal Values Workbook

Brené Brown Dare to Lead Hub and Living into your values.

Owen Eastwood Belonging and Way of Champions Interview

Gil Sewell

Fiona Michel

Tim Keogh, Kinder Conversations and A Kind Life