Kyle Griffitts went from playing and coaching football at BYU to running nursing homes and becoming a partner at Nova Health Services.

In this episode, we talk about the surprising similarities between coaching football and leading a nursing home, building great teams, holding people accountable, what makes a great CNA and DSD, and why culture has to come before results. Kyle also shares what he is learning now as he helps build and grow a skilled nursing company.

A fun conversation about leadership, grit, people, and nursing home operations.

Shubam Gautam has one of the most unique paths into nursing home operations I’ve heard. He spent time as a Buddhist monk in the Himalayas, trained as a surgeon, worked in Alzheimer’s research, and eventually became the administrator of a 320-bed nursing home.

We talk about building trust with frontline staff, identifying culture problems, earning the trust of families, what makes a great DON, and why every job in a nursing home matters.

Dr. Mike Wasserman has seen nursing homes as a geriatrician, medical director, quality leader, and CEO of a large California nursing home chain. In this episode, we talk about balancing clinical care with operations and finance, building a stronger relationship with your medical director, and why CNAs, housekeepers, and ombudsmen deserve a real voice in how a nursing home operates.

What does it actually feel like to become a nursing home administrator for the first time?

In this episode, I sit down with Jayk Brooks, who took over my first building after I left. We talk about the steep learning curve of being a new administrator, why no two buildings are the same, what "fake it till you make it" really looks like, and the story of Jayk's first resident council that quickly turned into a dogpile on the new administrator. If you're an administrator, an AIT, or just curious about what it's really like behind the scenes, you'll enjoy this conversation.

In this episode, I sit down with Jake Larson, Regional Vice President of Operations, former administrator, and the person who trained me when I first entered the industry. We talk about his journey from running a single building to overseeing multiple facilities, what he looks for when hiring administrators, and why being a "dog" might be the most important trait a leader can have.

We also dive into some of the craziest phone calls he's received from administrators, the lessons he's learned from years of coaching leaders, and what separates the people who consistently succeed from those who struggle.

If you've ever wondered what great operators do differently, or what a regional is really looking for when they evaluate a building and its leadership, this conversation is for you.

What can a Division I offensive lineman teach us about leadership in nursing homes?

In this episode, Ryan Turley shares how his experience playing football at The University of Arizona shaped his approach to building culture, developing people, and leading high-performing teams. We discuss the lessons he carried from the football field into nursing home operations, why attitude matters, and what separates good teams from great ones.

Whether you're an administrator, department head, AIT, or simply interested in leadership, Ryan offers practical insights from years of building successful teams and creating cultures where people want to succeed.

After 30 years in nursing homes, Rob Zitsman has seen what works, what fails, and what can land a facility in serious trouble.

In this episode, Rob shares lessons from his career as an administrator, operator, and expert witness, including why new administrators need to “be a sponge,” why “nobody has a monopoly on bright ideas,” and the mistakes nursing homes keep making.

The podcast is an exploration of nursing home life, featuring real stories and experiences from administrators, nurses, CNAs, and more. It covers a wide range of topics, from census and staffing to leadership, family, and even conspiracy theories. The show aims to capture the unpredictable nature of working in a nursing home, with its funny stories, gritty moments, and hard-earned lessons.

In the first episode of The Nursing Home Operator, Devan sits down with fellow nursing home administrator Clint Nielson for a funny, honest conversation about what it is really like to run a nursing home.

Clint shares how he got into skilled nursing, what surprised him as a new administrator, and why nursing homes are anything but boring. The conversation covers first-building chaos, growing census, small-town recruiting, morning meeting routines, building culture, and the kind of moments that make administrators wonder what they got themselves into.

And yes, Clint tells the story of how growing census somehow led to him taking home a 14-year-old three-legged dog.

This episode is about the real work, the weird moments, and the hard-earned lessons that come with nursing home life.