Why the World Needs Another Podcast

There are currently over 1,000,000 podcasts. We added one to the list last month (let's call it the 1,357,634th podcast) when we launched Humans in Healthcare.

Am I putting my career at risk on some Quixotic quest instead of directing my energy on efforts more directly related to the business? Seriously, why would anyone want to listen to the 1,357,634th podcast when there are already 1,357,633 to listen to? Is it a waste of time to make a new one?

My logic goes like this: there are over 700,000 healthcare companies out there, but that hasn’t stopped Shearwater Health from impacting the healthcare industry.

In the same way that Shearwater doesn’t determine which business lines to operate based on how many companies are already in the space, we chose to launch a podcast without regard to the listening options available to anyone with a speaker or set of headphones. 

The reason is simple: I am convinced that there is value in sharing the unique human stories told on our podcast.

Our business has continuously brought me in contact with people where I left an interaction with them with a conclusion like, “Wow, what this person has done is unusual and fascinating.”

It led me to realize that Shearwater Health, a healthcare services company that expands the size and impact of clinical teams, has served many healthcare organizations that provide transformative care that showcase what humanity is capable of.

At a time where there seems to be so much cause for pessimism about modern life, these organizations, and particularly the people running them, give a reason for optimism.

These personal experiences that make such an impact on our healthcare system need to be heard by others.

This doesn’t mean the podcast is about our customers – in fact, most of our guests in Season 1 (10 episodes released weekly from September 30 until mid November) aren’t. But, they are people who are offering their blood, sweat, and tears to make a difference in healthcare.

Consider our first three guests, each of whom touch on how the COVID-19 pandemic has taken them down distinct, unexpected paths that influenced many people: 

1.      Dr. Claire Zangerle, Chief Nurse Executive at Allegheny Health Network, was focused on not only the provision of PPE, a problem our national healthcare system dealt with, but also on creating an environment that cared for its nurses in order to keep them engaged in providing patient care. Her efforts included arranging meal donations, care packages, creating flexible work schedules to reduce as much friction as possible for nurses going to work, and establishing dedicated “zen” or decompression rooms to help overcome the stress from the pandemic.

2.      Dr. Marc Watkins, CMO of Kroger Health, was on the front lines during the Iraq War as a Navy physician, and again found himself on the frontlines of the pandemic, this time with an organization widely acknowledged as essential to our society. In our conversation, we talked about his role on a task force that mobilized the company to be one of the first to implement many of the COVID-19 changes and precautions that are now standard, months after the start of the pandemic. We also talked about how Kroger Health helped provide drive-thru COVID-19 testing and faster turnaround times for over 150,000 Americans in 19 states. Despite having so many parts of their business threatened by the pandemic, it’s amazing to see Kroger’s response that has such a broad impact on the country.

3.      Vernon Rose, Executive Director of the Nashville General Hospital Foundation, found herself inventing an entirely new service for the foundation’s community. The pandemic closed the doors of many churches and community services that provided food to the poor. Under her leadership, the foundation provided meals for people who couldn’t leave their homes. Temporary at first, the foundation now has an ongoing initiative called Nourish the Heart that didn’t exist prior to the pandemic.

These stories, and many more like them, show what driven, compassionate people can achieve in just a short time to accomplish great things.

As we launch this, my greatest hope is that it will inspire people to think creatively and put their talents to use in unique ways to make a difference with the healthcare problems we face.

The world needs more human potential, and more optimism about our problems.

I’d love for you to come on this journey with us and subscribe to receive updates when we publish episodes at https://humansinhealthcare.show. The podcast is also available on all major streaming platforms.