The Exam Room

What if the qualities we think define our personality—optimism, resilience, adaptability, empathy, and creativity—aren't fixed traits, but skills we can develop?

In the first episode of this four-part series, Dr. Rhiannon Winsor sits down with Emma Sue Prince, author of Seven Skills for the Future, to explore the human skills that help us navigate change, work effectively with others, and respond to challenges.

Emma explains why she deliberately calls these qualities "skills" and how small, intentional behaviors can help us strengthen them over time. The conversation explores micro-habits, the power of pausing before reacting, self-awareness, and why self-care can sometimes mean doing the uncomfortable thing and setting a boundary.

Emma also shares a deeply personal story about overcoming a long-standing fear of dogs and what that experience taught her about limiting beliefs and our ability to change.

The conversation then moves into assumptions, first impressions, body language, presence, and empathy—especially in healthcare. Emma shares a powerful lesson she learned from physicians: sometimes empathy isn't about finding the right words. Sometimes it's simply about being fully present with another person.

This episode is a reminder that we don't have to completely reinvent ourselves to grow. Sometimes change begins with something much smaller—a pause, a moment of awareness, or a different response.

Emma Sue is author of 7 Skills for the Future, published by Pearson Business and translated into 10 languages. She is an experienced trainer and facilitator and holds an MBA from Cranfield School of Management with a particular focus on personal development and personal growth. Emma Sue is a trained bereavement counsellor, mental first aider and level 7 CIPD qualified.

Currently, Emma Sue works on delivering powerful experiential workshops based on her book and on the 7 skills of adaptability, empathy, critical thinking, integrity, being proactive, optimism and resilience. She works with international law firms, NHS trusts and university staff delivering a wide range of sessions both online and in person and has conducted large amounts of research into what makes us adaptable, resilient, proactive, optimistic and what helps us tap into empathy and creative and critical thinking and live with integrity.

Session themes encompass not only the 7 skills but also supporting people to manage stress and overwhelm, work more productively and build better teams. She conducts numerous coaching sessions where often a key component is understanding how people deal with stress, what they struggle with most and what supports them the most. Some of the testimonials and feedback from coaching sessions reflect this support and how it has helped and benefited people, often transforming lives.

Emma Sue continues to work closely with Pearson and currently also delivers several programs in partnership with Pearson and the US media publisher O'Reilly. These are online courses delivered to large groups of several hundred people on a dedicated platform. More recently, she has designed video courses to reach even more people.

The website www.7skillsforthefuture.com named after her book, offers additional resources to individuals (many are free) as well as self-access courses for each of the seven skills. Emma Sue Prince, BA. ELT Dip. PGCE. MBA (Cranfield)

What happens when humor doesn't land?

In the final episode of Permission to Laugh, Kathy Klotz-Guest and Dr. Rhiannon Winsor talk about the importance of timing, context, and knowing when humor simply isn't the right choice.

Kathy explains how to recognize when someone is too upset or overwhelmed to hear humor, why an upset person needs to feel heard before they can laugh, and what to do when a joke misses the mark. Her advice? Own it. Don't blame the audience. Self-awareness goes a long way.

They also explore what it really means to "read the room"—from body language and facial expressions to silence, tone, energy, and the things people aren't saying. In an increasingly virtual workplace, Kathy shares ways we can still pay attention to those cues.

As the conversation comes to a close, the focus expands beyond humor. Kathy talks about joy, playfulness, authenticity, and the importance of giving ourselves permission to bring more of those things into our lives.

Because maybe the goal isn't simply to bring more humor into healthcare.

Maybe it's to create more room to be human.

Kathy Klotz-Guest, MA, MBA is a speaker, author, and comedian who refused to choose between being funny and doing serious work where people thrive. She spent decades performing stand-up, sketch, and improv while leading teams in Silicon Valley. She studies why people hold back—and how leaders can change that. As founder of Keeping it Human®, Kathy works with organizations including Amazon, Kaiser Permanente, Google, and Cisco to help leaders and teams become bolder, healthier communicators and innovators.

Her work sits at the intersection of humor, psychology, and strategy: when laughter lowers fear and rigidity, people speak up, think bigger, and take smarter risks. Her goal is simple—to help leaders build a safety net for ridiculously good ideas and bolder, braver people. Kathy's book, Stop Boring Me!, hit #1 on Amazon, and her work has been featured in Forbes. She has led teams at Excite, Gartner Group, Autodesk, and other Silicon Valley companies. And yes, you can still catch her on comedy stages. http://www.facebook.com/KeepingItHuman

https://www.instagram.com/klotzguest

http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyklotzguest

Her book - Stop Boring me! - https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Boring-Me-Kick-Ass-Marketing/dp/1684191092/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1474674629&sr=8-4&keywords=kathy+klotz-guest

What does it take to create a workplace where people feel safe enough to play, experiment, make mistakes, and be human?

In Episode 2 of Permission to Laugh, Kathy Klotz-Guest joins Dr. Rhiannon Winsor to explore the relationship between humor, play, psychological safety, vulnerability, and leadership.

Kathy explains why leaders need to model the behavior they want to see—not simply tell their teams it's okay to have fun. They discuss how play can encourage experimentation, help teams become more comfortable with mistakes, and create stronger connections in high-pressure environments.

The conversation also turns personal as Kathy shares the story of her mother's final weeks in hospice and how humor became a way for her mother to maintain choice, control, and joy. Her story offers an important reminder for healthcare professionals: listen to the patient, meet them where they are, and let them show you what they need.

Because fear is contagious. So is humor. So is laughter.

Kathy Klotz-Guest, MA, MBA is a speaker, author, and comedian who refused to choose between being funny and doing serious work where people thrive. She spent decades performing stand-up, sketch, and improv while leading teams in Silicon Valley. She studies why people hold back—and how leaders can change that. As founder of Keeping it Human®, Kathy works with organizations including Amazon, Kaiser Permanente, Google, and Cisco to help leaders and teams become bolder, healthier communicators and innovators.

Her work sits at the intersection of humor, psychology, and strategy: when laughter lowers fear and rigidity, people speak up, think bigger, and take smarter risks. Her goal is simple—to help leaders build a safety net for ridiculously good ideas and bolder, braver people. Kathy's book, Stop Boring Me!, hit #1 on Amazon, and her work has been featured in Forbes. She has led teams at Excite, Gartner Group, Autodesk, and other Silicon Valley companies. And yes, you can still catch her on comedy stages.

http://www.facebook.com/KeepingItHuman

https://www.instagram.com/klotzguest

http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyklotzguest

Her book - Stop Boring me! - https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Boring-Me-Kick-Ass-Marketing/dp/1684191092/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1474674629&sr=8-4&keywords=kathy+klotz-guest

What if humor isn't really about being funny?

In the first episode of Permission to Laugh, Kathy Klotz-Guest joins Dr. Rhiannon Winsor to rethink what humor means—especially in healthcare. Kathy shares how her parallel careers in technology and comedy taught her that humor isn't just entertainment. It can be a powerful tool for empathy, connection, communication, stress relief, and authentic leadership.

They explore why healthcare professionals may be especially well served by bringing a little more lightness into their work, how laughter affects us under stress, and why you don't have to be the funniest person in the room to have a sense of humor.

Sometimes humor isn't about making someone laugh. Sometimes it's simply about saying, "I see you. I get it. We're in this together."

To learn more about Kathy:

http://www.facebook.com/KeepingItHuman

https://twitter.com/kathyklotzguest

https://www.instagram.com/klotzguest

http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyklotzguest

Her book - Stop Boring me! - https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Boring-Me-Kick-Ass-Marketing/dp/1684191092/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1474674629&sr=8-4&keywords=kathy+klotz-guest

What happens when the communication between patients and providers doesn't quite line up?

In the final episode of The Exam Room: Beyond the Chart, Dr. Rhiannon Winsor and patient advocate Christina Owen explore the communication gaps that can exist between patients and their healthcare teams—and how advocacy can help bridge them.

Christina explains how advocates can serve as a kind of translator between the language of patients and the language of healthcare professionals. She also shares why understanding what a patient is experiencing at home can be just as important as understanding what's written in their medical record.

The conversation ultimately comes back to one of the central ideas of this series: pause and find out what matters most to the person in front of you.

Christina reflects on what patients have taught her throughout her career, why humility is essential to providing better care, and what gives her hope for the future of healthcare.

She closes with a powerful reminder for patients: you have a voice in the healthcare system.

In Episode 2 of The Exam Room: Beyond the Chart, Dr. Rhiannon Winsor and patient advocate Christina Owen explore how a patient's home environment, health literacy, medications, finances, and support system can dramatically affect their ability to manage their health.

Christina shares what she's learned from visiting patients in their homes, including why someone who appears perfectly healthy in the doctor's office may be facing significant challenges behind the scenes.

The conversation also explores polypharmacy and medication management in older adults, the importance of meeting patients where they are, and why providers should make advance care planning a routine conversation.

At the heart of it all is a simple reminder: you can't treat everyone from the same playbook, because the variable is the patient.

Https://houreleven.org

What happens when we look beyond the medical chart and see the person behind it?

In this episode of The Exam Room, Dr. Rhiannon Winsor talks with registered nurse and patient advocate Christina Owen about the importance of understanding patients as whole people. Christina shares how her work in patients' homes and communities helps uncover the social, personal, and practical factors that can influence their health.

They discuss medication reconciliation, social determinants of health, patient education, healthcare navigation, and the gaps that can exist between what a provider asks of a patient and what that patient is actually able to do.

At the heart of the conversation is a simple but powerful idea: pause, listen, and find out what matters most to the person in front of you.

In the final episode of this special series, Dr. Eric Black explores the connection between oral health and overall health, explaining why what happens in the mouth can affect the rest of the body. He discusses prevention, early intervention, and the important role oral healthcare providers can play in identifying health concerns. Dr. Black also reflects on a message that has become a central theme throughout this series: every person and every interaction matters. As the conversation comes to a close, he shares what gives him hope—the people around him who lead with kindness, compassion, and a commitment to helping others.

What keeps people from getting the care they need?

Sometimes it's cost. Sometimes it's transportation. And sometimes, it's something harder to see—fear, past experiences, or simply not feeling comfortable or welcome when you walk through the door.

In Episode 3 of The Exam Room, Dr. Eric Black explores the barriers that can keep people from accessing oral healthcare and how community-based care can help break them down.

Dr. Black shares how his team's mobile dental program brings comprehensive dental care directly to rural communities and schools, helping patients access care without the added burden of long-distance travel or missed work and school. The mobile dental RV provides everything from exams and cleanings to fillings, extractions, consultations, and referrals.

But this episode is about more than a mobile dental clinic. Dr. Black shares a powerful story about a patient whose past trauma had kept her away from dental care for years. By taking the time to listen, creating a safe environment, and meeting her where she was, the care team helped her begin rebuilding trust—and ultimately return to regular care.

The conversation also explores why prevention is one of the most important tools in oral health and how routine care can help identify problems before they become painful, expensive, or difficult to treat.

Topics include: • Barriers to oral healthcare • Cost and access to care • Transportation and rural healthcare • Mobile dentistry • Bringing dental care to schools • Trauma-informed, compassionate care • Building trust with patients • Prevention and routine oral healthcare • Meeting patients where they are

What if one of the most important tools in healthcare isn't technology—but time?

In Episode 2 of this special series, Dr. Eric Black and Dr. Rhiannon Winsor explore the power of being fully present with patients. They discuss why active listening, empathy, and genuine human connection are essential to delivering exceptional care—even in the busiest clinical environments.

Dr. Black also shares lessons from mentors who shaped his leadership philosophy, including a simple but lasting reminder: when someone needs your help, nothing is more important than being there for them.

The conversation highlights how strong leadership creates a culture where healthcare professionals are empowered to connect with patients, adapt to their needs, and remember why they chose this work in the first place.

Topics include: • Active listening and patient-centered care • Making time for meaningful conversations • Leadership through everyday actions • Building trust with patients • Creating a positive healthcare culture • Why every interaction has the power to make a difference