We're joined by Kiara Kuenzler, the newly appointed president and CEO of MHCA, Mental Health Corporations of America. MHCA was created to support CEOs and C-suite executives of behavioral healthcare organizations, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship.  We discuss their mission and how they keep leaders of these organizations on their game and on top of constant change to maximize the impact of their work (including insights on workforce development and avoiding burnout). We discuss the unique challenges in leading a behavioral health organization, the role of technology and AI in advancing mental health care, and MHCA's key initiatives in 2026. 

Several months ago, we were joined by Chuck Ingoglia, the CEO and President of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, for an excellent and informative conversation on the organization’s advocacy work. On this episode, we’re joined by Peter Delia, the Council’s Federal Policy and Advocacy Strategist. Peter was previously Senior Attorney for the FL Senate, and the Assistant Attorney General Florida Office of the Attorney General. 

Peter discusses his journey from state government to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. We delve into the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and its implications for Medicaid, mental health, and substance use disorder care.  The conversation covers the council's advocacy efforts, including action alerts, member surveys, and webinars, aimed at addressing the challenges posed by the new legislation and the strategies being employed to mitigate their effects.

Lou Servizio is the founder/CEO of Wellcast ROI, the leading international provider of analytical tools that calculate the ROI of wellness, behavioral, pharmaceutical, and occupational health programs. One of the more fascinating people we’ve visited with - Lou is also an accomplished scuba diver and marathoner - we discuss his journey from international banking to healthcare informatics and how it led to the formation of Wellcast ROI. 

We talk about the Workplace Outcome Suite (WOS), which was developed by Chestnut Health Systems (CHS), and emerged to become a standard for EAPs to measure the efficacy of their services in five key areas: work absenteeism, work presenteeism, work engagement, workplace distress, and life satisfaction. Lou shares plans to create a new, more modern instrument to align with the evolution of EAPs as they’ve expanded their services and products. Lou also discussed how it will incorporate AI, and how he and the CHS team are planning to make it a more “universal” tool that can be adapted beyond EAP/behavioral health to measure services and programs addressing physical health, and the increased ROI when they’re applied to both (based on “portfolio theory” - you’ll have to listen to the very end to understand how that works!).

A fascinating conversation with a fascinating guy. 

Katherine (Kate) Elkington, PhD, is a Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University and a Research Scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Elkington also serves as the Director of the Center for Behavioral Health and Youth Justice, within the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She has over 15 years of research experience in criminal and juvenile legal settings, with expertise in documenting and understanding correlates of mental illness, substance use/disorders, and HIV risk behaviors in highly vulnerable youth. 

In this episode, Kate discusses the complexities of the juvenile justice system, the importance of understanding the mental health needs of these youth, and the innovative E-Connect screening tools designed to link young people to behavioral health services. Kate also addresses the role of AI in mental health care and the future directions for E-Connect, emphasizing the need for better family involvement in treatment. 

"We have over 100 board members because we feel it’s important to have representation in all of our communities.”

 In this episode of the Catalyst Podcast, we sit down with David Gomel, CEO of Rosecrance Behavioral Health, to explore the evolution of behavioral health care over the past 30 years.  David shares insights into the challenges and triumphs of leading a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive care across multiple states. We discuss the impact of managed care and private equity on the field, the flexibility of their hybrid business model, their ability to pivot as an organization, and the role of AI in therapy. We delve into the complexities and innovations shaping the field today, the many things that make him proud of the work Rosecrance's dedicated staff does in the face of daily challenges, what made him fall in love with the field three decades ago, and how his passion remains undimmed. 

Dennis Watson, Senior Research Scientist with Chestnut Health System, breaks the land-speed record by making an unprecedented third appearance on the Catalyst podcast. We delve into the Recovery Management Checkups (RMC) model, examining its potential to reshape long-term recovery strategies, particularly in primary care settings. We discuss: 

A fascinating, wide-ranging conversation with David Guth, CEO of Centerstone, a nonprofit health system specializing in mental health and substance use disorder treatments. We discuss David’s remarkable journey, from his unlikely beginnings as a math major at his beloved Vanderbilt (yes, we spoke about the equally unlikely success of their football program), to his nearly four-decade stewardship of what has become the largest nonprofit behavioral health provider in the US following the recent merger with Brightli. David sings the praises of incoming CEO, Dr. C.J. Davis, discusses what the merger means for the market, and how it will better serve unmet needs. We also discussed what makes his work so deeply rewarding, the challenges ahead, as well as the (mostly positive) impacts of AI and the irreducible importance of the human connection in therapy.  

In this episode we’re joined by Mark Ishaug, President and CEO of Thresholds, providers of  healthcare, housing, and hope for thousands of persons with mental health and substance use conditions in Illinois each year. Mark shares his inspiring 40 year journey in nonprofit leadership. We discuss the importance of integrated care, as well as the stigma, funding and other challenges in delivering healthcare and housing. Mark then describes what he means by “leading with love,” how he “operationalizes” it, and its transformative impacts on colleagues and clients. 
#MentalHealth #Leadership #CommunitySupport

When most think of mobile health (mHealth) apps, they think of Calm, BetterHelp, Talkspace, etc. They don't typically think of the music streaming or exercise apps we have in our pockets and that we use every day. Dr. Michael Dennis, the Chief Research Officer for Chestnut Health Systems’ Lighthouse Institute (LI) and a Senior Research Psychologist, focuses the conversation on the challenges faced by emerging adults (ages 18-25) with substance use disorders (SUD): emerging adults have the highest rates of SUD, and only 3% of them receive treatment. Mike discusses the potential of mobile health (mHealth) solutions to address these issues. But rather than focus on the "usual" apps, Mike focuses on music and fitness apps that effectively "reroute" emerging adults from unhealthy cravings to positive activities. He discusses the role music and social support play in recovery, and the unique challenges faced by young adults in rural communities. It's an eye-opening examination of the SUD crisis among our nation's emerging adult population, and an enlightening "reframing" of mHealth and its immense potential in addressing the crisis.   

 Dr. Jared C. Rogers, Medical Director at Chestnut Family Health Center, and Dr. Todd Kettering of OSF Healthcare discuss the partnership between the two organizations,  where OSF provides residents and training while Chestnut supplies ambulatory services and infrastructure. They explore how this collaboration delivers integrated care to underserved communities, addressing "medical deserts" that extend beyond rural areas. The conversation covers innovative approaches to making care more visible and accessible to at-risk populations, their efforts to enhance medical education and patient care, and the integration of AI in healthcare—examining its potential to revolutionize diagnostics and treatment while maintaining the irreplaceable value of human connection in medicine.