The Backstory

This is Backstory Sessions — a new short-form series recorded live at

Host Anne Hancock Toomey sits down with David Dill, chairman and CEO of Lifepoint Health, to discuss his path from growing up with a basketball-coach father and teacher mother to earning an accounting degree at Murray State and moving to Nashville in 1991. Dill explains how work at Deloitte and a dialysis startup pulled him into healthcare in 1996, leading to nearly two decades at Lifepoint and eight years as CEO. He reflects on how the CEO role demands stewardship of culture and values across 55,000 team members in 34 states, including intentional communication - for example, revamping internal comms through daily videos during COVID.

Dill shares why “always do the right thing, even when no one is watching” guides difficult decisions, outlines strategic bets on diversification and asset-based operating structure, and offers advice on passion, mentorship, coachability, and learning through failure.

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It's a bonus!

In this special edition episode , Anne Hancock Toomey interviews Warner Thomas, president and CEO of Sutter Health.

They start with a note about the first podcast Anne ever hosted - a 2020 conversation with Thomas that reminds us all of how much has changed even as the principles of authentic leadership haven't.

From there, Thomas traces his path from a disciplined, outdoorsy childhood in Vermont to pumping gas, plowing snow, and later studying accounting and computer information systems. Like many guests, Thomas hadn't planned on a healthcare career. He instead started with an eye towards investment banking, training at Ernst & Young before making the leap and heading to. Southern New Hampshire Medical Center. There, an early mentor shaped his leadership perspective and professional experience.

Later on, Thomas spent 24 years at Ochsner Health, rising to CEO leading major growth and innovation and learning to center strategy on patients and purpose through initiatives like “Power of One,” while prioritizing people during Katrina and COVID. Joining Sutter four years ago, he became the system's first outsider CEO in 40 years. He began his tenure with a deep and thoughtful talent assessment, then built a rapid growth strategy including ambulatory expansion. Throughout it all, Thomas has emphasized communication, trust and the key leadership traits of being humble, hungry, smart and curious.

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In the final episode of Season 2, Anne Hancock Toomey

1:40 Midwest Roots

4:22 A Lesson from Camping

06:44 Scholarships Changed Everything

10:52 Finding Sociology

12:18 Stanford And Mills

16:57 The Smithsonian and Storytelling At Scale

22:38 From the Smithsonian To Children’s Health

26:10 First Time CEO Lessons…and Mistakes

31:46 Traits Of Great Leaders

34:52 Lightning Round

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Dr. Patrick Frias is a truly unique leader with a truly unique story. Today, he is wrapping up his tenure as Co-President and Chief Executive Officer of Rady Children’s Health before heading back to his old stomping grounds in Georgia to lead Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

In episode 209 of the Backstory, Anne Hancock Toomey interviews Dr. Frias about how he became who he is today and the way he thinks about leadership. co-CEO of Rady Children’s Health, noting that after their recording he was announced as the next leader of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

He was born in Chile, raised in Gainesville, Fla., and finished college in Nebraska as a theology major before heading off to medical school to become a pediatric cardiologist.

Along the way, he learned from – and was deeply supported by

Today, he leads by focusing on mission and people first, and in this conversation he and Anne talk about:

Chapters:

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Marty Bonick is about as well-known a name as you’ll find when it comes to the National – and Nashville – healthcare scene. Bonick is President

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In Season 2, Episode 7, Anne Hancock Toomey sits down with Lisa Shannon, CEO of Allina Health, to discuss her impressive trajectory from a rural community in Ohio to leading a health system with 12 hospitals and dozens of clinics across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Shannon began her career as a hospital-based dietician, growing and evolving to become a highly respected executive and leader. That success came from the early influence of her grandmother, along with, of course, mentors and leaders along the way. Shannon talks about a devastating medical error that affected her family early in her life. Indeed, one of Shannon’s priorities throughout her leadership career has been the pursuit of zero safety events, which includes creating a culture where anyone and everyone is empowered to speak up.

She also offers insights into balancing work and family and emphasizes the significance of listening to one's instincts in making career choices.

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Rob Allen is CEO of Intermountain Health, one of the nation's largest and most innovative health systems. In this episode, host Anne Hancock Toomey talks with allen Allen about his journey from growing up on a dairy farm in Wyoming to becoming a healthcare CEO at the age of 28. And if you're thinking you've heard the farm-to-CEO story before, you'd be right. Several of Anne's Backstory guests come from a similar background and here, they discuss parts of that life that may point people to careers in executive leadership.

Beyond that, Allen discusses the valuable lessons learned from his rural upbringing, the various roles he undertook in healthcare from nursing homes to hospitals, and his commitment to servant leadership. He delves into his early career challenges, including turnarounds of financially struggling hospitals, the significance of a people-first mindset, and the necessity of addressing the correct problems in leadership.

As he recounts his progression through different roles at Intermountain Health, Rob emphasizes the importance of transparency, hope, and engaging employees to achieve organizational success. He also opens up about balancing his demanding career with family life and offers advice for aspiring leaders. The conversation highlights Rob's visionary approach in simplifying healthcare and expanding proactive care, and the importance of authenticity, purpose, and compassion in leadership.

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Tom Hale is the CEO of health tech company Oura. Producing one of the most prominent wearables out there (The Oura Ring), Oura is working to improve health and wellness through sustainable behavior change. In this episode, Hale and host Anne Hancock Toomey discuss his journey from working as a bike mechanic in Reno, Nevada, to a career spanning some of the most notable tech companies of the past 20+ years: Macromedia, Adobe, Linden Lab (creator of Second Life), HomeAway, and SurveyMonkey. He discusses the transformative impact of Oura's smart ring on his personal health, as well as his professional mission to shift healthcare towards preventative care through technology and AI. Hale also reflects on the lessons learned from his diverse career, emphasizing the importance of human-centric leadership, accountability, and ambition. The conversation offers valuable insights into the future of health tech and the power of mission-driven companies.

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Chris Spencer is a tech entrepreneur and founder of TeamQ, who today is using his decade playing in the NFL as a foundation for helping athletes across the country maximize their potential on the field and in life. In this episode, Spencer and Anne Hancock Toomey discuss his background growing up in Bentonia, Mississippi, transitioning from farm life to football. He wasn't just a football player, though. Spencer had an impressive career at Ole Miss and, following a conversation with Archie Manning, entered the draft...where he was picked in the first round (unheard of for a center) and ended up snapping the ball on the play that instantly became known as BeastQuake.

Here, Spencer shares insights into his dyslexia diagnosis and how football became both a crutch and a tool for his personal development. He digs into the lessons he learned and the needs he observed while playing that led him to his post-NFL career founding TeamQ, a performance intelligence platform aimed at empowering athletes beyond the game. The conversation covers Spencer’s leadership philosophies, the importance of relationships, and AI. Plus, the joy of driving tractors on the farm.

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This week, Anne interviews Chris Bishop about his multifaceted career in healthcare and his transition to leading in the animal health sector as CEO of Veterinary Innovative Partners (VIP). Bishop shares his journey from growing up in Tennessee, working the seafood counter, playing college basketball, working in myriad roles within healthcare and navigating the complexities of corporate leadership. He reframes "sales" as influencing behavior, discusses the importance of mentorship and highlights pivotal moments that shaped his leadership style. He also reflects on the impact of faith and the value of creating a culture of ownership within an organization. As always, stick around for the lightning round.

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