The Catalyst Podcast

Rod Robinson has spent more than 40 years in the helping profession, specializing in addiction recovery across Indian country. He has served as a therapist, administrator, educator, and policymaker for private provider groups, tribes, and both state and federal agencies. He led the Indian Alcohol and Drug Abuse office at SAMHSA and most recently directed the Pathway to Wellness Recidivism Reduction Initiative for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He is now leading Lifeline, LLC, which provides coaching, counseling, and consulting.

Highlights:

Dr. Laurel Parnell, founder of the Parnell Institute, teaches a client-centered, attachment-focused, innovative, and culturally sensitive approach to the treatment of trauma using EMDR therapy that includes the whole person—body, mind, heart, and spirit. She specializes in EMDR and has authored seven books on the subject. In this discussion, we cover:

You can find Dr. Parnell's books here: https://shorturl.at/ZYXFs

Joining us on this executive leadership edition of the Catalyst Podcast is Stephen DaRe. The theme of our conversation is how a former Navy musician, recovering CFO (his words), and the CEO of Chimes - a $300 million dollar nonprofit with 3,500 employees serving more than 26 thousand people with disabilities and mental health challenges across Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C - builds trust, develops people, and leads through constant change. We discuss: 

Bonus content for those gearing up for Halloween: Steve shares the terror of crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge,  considered one of the scariest bridges in the country. 

Jake Jacob specializes in the effects of trauma and prevention of trauma through individual and family therapy. He is also an Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant. In this episode of the Catalyst, we focus on reflective practice and supervision. We discuss:   

While Jake shares insights into the challenges of navigating the emotional demands of supporting infants, young children, and families more effectively, the conversation is for anyone who stands to benefit from improving their professional self-awareness. 

On this special executive leadership edition of the Catalyst podcast, we speak with Kevin Drollinger, President and Executive Director of Provident Behavioral Health. 

Based in St. Louis, Provident provides evidence-based counseling and psychiatric services to over 2,000 youth, adults and older adults annually, many of whom could not otherwise afford professional services. We discuss: 

Today’s guest is returning champ, Dr. Michael Dennis, the Chief Research Officer for Chestnut Health Systems’ Lighthouse Institute (LI) and a Senior Research Psychologist, who is making his record-setting fourth appearance on the Catalyst pod. The conversation focuses on a presentation Mike recently gave on "Using AI in Primary Care" for OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington, Illinois. We discuss: 

We take a momentary “doomer-adjacent” detour, but quickly get the conversation back on track. This is a must for anyone in the field looking for a succinct tour d’horizon of the issues to consider in incorporating AI in your practice.

You can download a summary of Mike's presentation here.  It includes a chart listing common AI applications in order of popularity as of this writing. 

Our conversation with Chestnut Health Systems’ CEO Puneet Leekha kicks off our new Executive Leadership series of Catalyst Podcasts - conversations with some of the most innovative and successful leaders in the field, on everything from their evolution as leaders to the unique challenges of leading their organizations in this environment, and what they look for in cultivating the next generation of leaders. 

Puneet begins by explaining why leadership is a particularly important and timely topic, given the multidimensional challenges today's organizations face. He reflects on his evolution as a leader, describing his leadership style as “high trust and high accountability”: give people real autonomy, then be clear about priorities, expectations, and communication. He speaks about three formative influences on his leadership approach: the importance of judgment, intellectual curiosity, and strong people skills. 

The conversation turns to AI’s reach across roles, structure, and decision-making; the positives it can bring in making work more efficient, and concerns about it diminishing the human aspects, which are intrinsic to the work that Chestnut Health Systems does.  He closes by citing the leaders he looks up to: Hubert Joly (purpose, people, and performance), Satya Nadella (building a culture of learning), Warren Buffett (hire well and give people room), and his father, whose hard work, perseverance, and humility shaped him as much as any executive model.

Puneet packs a lot of insight and inspiration in sharing his leadership perspective, experiences, and journey – a perfect way to launch what is sure to be a fascinating series with the most thoughtful, forward-thinking leaders in the field. 

What if the smartest response to addiction, relapse, and repeat court involvement is not harsher punishment, but a highly structured path back to stability? The Honorable Shannon R. Dougherty, a Circuit Judge for Division 6 of the 23rd Judicial Circuit in Jefferson County, Missouri, and  Lori Epley, the Director of Project Access at Chestnut Health Systems, break down how problem-solving courts are helping people stay in recovery, keep families together, and rebuild their lives while protecting public safety.

Judge Dougherty explains how treatment courts work in practice: close monitoring, regular drug testing, team staffing, and individualized responses that mix accountability with support. Lori Epley, Director of Project Access at Chestnut Health Systems, shares how Chestnut's clinician and peer support specialists work alongside the court team to provide therapy, transportation help, resume support, and practical services that participants need to succeed. You'll discover:

Our guests make the case for better education, stronger interagency collaboration, and a future treatment court center where participants can access multiple services in one place. If you care about criminal justice, substance use recovery, family stability, or practical solutions that actually change outcomes, this episode is essential listening.

Michael Castanon is the founder and CEO of Alter Behavioral Health and Care Predictor, and founder of the Behavioral Health Outcomes Consortium. 

After 30 years in banking and predictive analytics, Michael brings an outsider’s eye to behavioral health and makes a case the field can’t ignore: if you can measure the inputs, you can improve the outcomes. He explains how a deeply personal trauma journey led him from private equity and finance into mental health care, and why that intersection of lived experience and data science became the foundation for Care Predictor.

Michael discusses two important concepts  - “relational velocity and relational intelligence” - and how these traits can be measured, scored, and developed. He describes how Care Predictor uses psychometrics and AI to help deliver better care.

We also get into what some are calling the loneliness epidemic, driven by AI “companionship,” remote work, and algorithmic echo chambers. Michael makes the case that when we lost human connection, people lose the friction, challenge, and healthy conflict that build resilience, judgment, and real relationships.

Finally, Michael discusses the upcoming BHOC 26 gathering, where policymakers, health plans, providers, technologists, and researchers will come together to create a more unified outcomes framework for behavioral health (more information is provided below). 

The Behavioral Health Outcomes Consortium (BHOC26) is an outcomes-focused event designed for behavioral health leaders, operators, providers, payers, and partners committed to advancing measurable outcomes across the continuum of care. 

Mental health and substance use disorders are behind a shocking share of pregnancy-related deaths across Missouri – indeed, nationwide - and many of those deaths were preventable. 

Joining us to discuss this are Charisse Montgomery, Family Services Coordinator with Chestnut Health Systems, and Lindsey VonDras, Perinatal Care Coordination Manager for the Missouri Hospital Association. Charisse and Lindsey break down what the data really says about pregnancy, postpartum risk, foster care disruption, and why so many families never get connected to the support they need.

You’ll discover why nearly 40% of pregnancy-related deaths happen after delivery, how stigma and access barriers keep people from asking for help, and why Missouri’s maternity care deserts make the problem even harder to solve. We also get into what actually works: family-centered care, individualized recovery pathways, peer support, doulas, and coordinated wraparound services that keep mom, baby, and family in the picture. 

Charisse shares how Chestnut Health Systems supports parents through pregnancy and postpartum, and Lindsey explains Project STORK, a new Missouri framework promoting real connection, recovery support, and ongoing care.

If you care about maternal health, behavioral health, child welfare, or better systems for families in crisis, this conversation is essential listening.