Episode Highlights:

• Why the Fourth of July hits different for healthcare professionals
• Growing up in a military family and how it shaped Matt’s values
• Fireworks, peaches, and facility BBQs—holiday traditions in senior care
• Reflections on government involvement in healthcare—what’s working, what’s not
• The impact of Medicaid changes and how value-based care fits in
• Why Disneyland ruined fireworks (and how to reframe your expectations)

Key Takeaways:

• Celebrate your country and challenge the systems that need reform
• Healthcare professionals must have a seat at the policy-making table
• Value-based care isn't perfect—but it's a step in the right direction

Referenced:

• CMS Innovation Center
• Gilbert Peach Festival
• Fort Jackson fireworks
• Katy Perry's “Firework” (unfortunately, also now Matt’s personal performance piece)

Topics Covered:

• The difference between love and trust in leadership
• Why lonely leadership is optional, not inevitable
• How to build an inner circle that challenges and supports you
• The power of personality diversity (DISC framework)
• Why mutual accountability creates real team culture
• Why “trust” must be earned—or preserved
• The danger of hiring people just like you
• Why being uncomfortable might mean you’re on the right path

Takeaways:

1. Audit your inner circle
2. Diversify your perspective
3. Extend radical trust

EPISODE NOTES

• The concept of information asymmetry between patients and providers
• Why clinical expertise isn’t enough without emotional intelligence
• How health literacy and “teach-back” transform patient outcomes
• Why the guide, not the hero, plays the most important role in patient care
• How healthcare can marry evidence-based decisions with patient values
• When too many options become overwhelming—and how to simplify decision-making
• Building systems of collaboration instead of clinical control
• Tools for aligning patient needs with long-term outcomes
• A model for care where understanding is as important as intervention