The Inspired Healthcare Leader | Healthcare Leadership, Work-Life Balance, Managing Change

When Staff Go Over Your Head: What It Really Means (and How Great Leaders Respond) - Ep. 55

When a staff member goes straight to HR, the union, or higher leadership—without coming to you first—it can feel personal, destabilizing, and deeply discouraging. In this episode, I unpack why staff bypass their leaders, why it’s rarely about disrespect or distrust, and what research on procedural justice reveals about safety, predictability, and escalation in complex healthcare systems. You’ll learn how to respond without defensiveness, how to reduce future bypassing without control or punishment, and how to become the kind of leader people trust as their first stop—even when the conversation is hard. If you’ve ever felt blindsided by an escalation or wondered what it says about your leadership, this episode will give you clarity, language, and a more grounded way forward.
Website: maraergaszabari.com
Take the quiz to help you move forward with more clarity and confidence in your leadership: healthcareleaderquiz.com
 

Stop Self-Sabotaging And Build The Leadership Life You Want - Ep. 54

If you’ve ever set leadership goals you truly care about — delegating more, leading more strategically, protecting your energy — only to find yourself slipping back into the same patterns a few months later, this episode is for you. We’ll explore why leadership self-sabotage isn’t a flaw or lack of discipline, but the result of unconscious patterns that once kept you safe and successful. Drawing on adult development research and real-world healthcare leadership examples, this episode helps you recognize the protective roles you default to under pressure, understand how they quietly undermine your goals, and learn how small, safe experiments can update those patterns without burnout or force. If leadership has started to feel repetitive, heavy, or misaligned, this conversation will help you stop self-sabotaging and begin building a leadership life that actually fits who you are now.
Website: maraergaszabari.com
Take the quiz to help you move forward with more clarity and confidence in your leadership: healthcareleaderquiz.com

The Most Overlooked And Most Powerful Force In Healthcare Leadership - Ep. 53

Want to ignite your leadership? Start with the one thing many leaders overlook – the deep inner game. Leadership grows from the inside out. And as the complexity of your role increases, so does the opportunity to lead with greater clarity, confidence, and ease. In this episode, we explore the dimension of leadership that shapes how steady you feel, how clearly you think, and how intentionally you respond. You’ll learn what knowing yourself actually looks like in real time, from recognizing your default patterns and emotional signals, to separating signal from story, to identifying your current stretch point. This isn’t about navel-gazing or fixing yourself — it’s about deep work as a practical leadership advantage, especially for healthcare leaders navigating constant pressure and change. If you’ve sensed that your next level of leadership isn’t about doing more, this episode will meet you right there.
 
Website: maraergaszabari.com
Leadership clarity quiz:If you’d like a supportive way to understand what’s shaping your leadership right now, you can bookmark the free quiz at healthcareleaderquiz.com

The Confidence Boost Every Healthcare Leader Needs To Thrive - Ep. 52

What if the reason leadership sometimes feels heavy, careful, or stuck isn’t your workload — but the quiet story your mind is telling about what struggle means? In this episode, I explore the powerful difference between fixed and growth mindset and how it shapes confidence, learning, and leadership effectiveness in complex healthcare environments. You’ll discover why capable leaders often shrink instead of stretch, how feedback turns into threat instead of fuel, and how to shift from self-protection into self-trust. With research from Carol Dweck, a real-world healthcare story, and gentle practical experiments you can try immediately, this episode invites you to stop trying to prove yourself and start becoming yourself — right inside the challenges you’re already facing.
 
Website: maraergaszabari.com
Leadership clarity quiz:If you’d like a supportive way to understand what’s shaping your leadership right now, you can bookmark the free quiz at healthcareleaderquiz.com

Start 2026 Strong: Reset From Flat or Heavy to Clear and Energized - Ep. 51

In this episode, I explore why leadership moves in seasons, not straight lines, and how the very moments that feel flat, stuck, heavy, or strangely unsatisfying are often signs you’re standing at the edge of your next level of growth. Drawing on adult development research and a real-world story I unpack why what once worked eventually stops working, how to recognize the season you’re in right now, and what each season of leadership is asking of you. If you’ve been working harder but feeling less energized, oddly uninspired, or ready for your next role, this episode offers a deeply reassuring and practical reset — you’re not doing leadership wrong, you’re in a season, and learning to work with it is the key to your next chapter of clarity, ease, and impact.
 
Website: maraergaszabari.com
Leadership clarity quiz:If you’d like a supportive way to understand what’s shaping your leadership right now, you can bookmark the free quiz at healthcareleaderquiz.com

You’re Not Just Running a Department — You’re Repairing the World - Ep. 50

If you’ve ever wondered whether the small things you do as a leader actually matter, this episode will blow your mind. Through the lens of “Tikkun Olam”—the idea of repairing the world—we unpack how your everyday choices in your department or clinic ripple far beyond schedules, huddles, and workflows. You’ll hear why tiny acts of kindness change team chemistry, why repair conversations shift entire cultures, and why your little corner of healthcare has more influence than you realize.
 
Website: maraergaszabari.com
Leadership clarity quiz:If you’d like a supportive way to understand what’s shaping your leadership right now, you can bookmark the free quiz at healthcareleaderquiz.com

How to Get Your Team to Go the Extra Mile Without Incentives or Pressure - Ep. 49

Why do some healthcare teams go the extra mile—offering ideas, solving problems early, and supporting one another—while others do only what’s required, even with the same staffing and pressure? In this episode, I unpack the hidden force behind high-performing teams: discretionary effort. You’ll learn why extra-mile energy can’t be commanded, incentivized, or pressured into existence—and what actually unlocks it. Grounded in motivation science and real-world leadership stories, this episode shows how small, everyday leadership moments create the conditions where people feel safe enough to think, trusted enough to contribute, and connected enough to care. If your team feels flat, disengaged, or stuck in “bare minimum mode,” this conversation will change how you lead—and how your team shows up.
 
Website: maraergaszabari.com
Leadership clarity quiz:If you’d like a supportive way to understand what’s shaping your leadership right now, you can bookmark the free quiz at healthcareleaderquiz.com

7 Signs You May Be Developing “Hurrying Sickness” - Ep. 48

In this episode, I unpack hurrying sickness, a chronic state of internal urgency that quietly erodes your calm, presence, and leadership effectiveness. Drawing on research, neuroscience, and my personal healthcare leadership experience, I walk you through 7 subtle signs you may be living in urgency mode, from constant multitasking and impatience to feeling uneasy when things finally slow down. This isn’t about doing less or fixing yourself—it’s about noticing how speed is shaping your nervous system, your relationships, and the quality of your leadership. If you’re a frontline healthcare leader who feels rushed and disconnected from your sense of peace, this episode offers a powerful reframe—and simple ways to begin interrupting the cycle of hurry without adding anything to your to-do list.
 
Website: maraergaszabari.com
Leadership clarity quiz:If you’d like a supportive way to understand what’s shaping your leadership right now, you can bookmark the free quiz at healthcareleaderquiz.com
 

How to Worry Less About What People Think of Your Leadership - Ep. 47

If you’ve ever edited an email ten times, softened your words to avoid judgment, or stayed quiet in a meeting even though you knew exactly what needed to be said, this episode will feel like a deep exhale. We’re talking about FOPO — the Fear of People’s Opinions — and how it quietly constricts confidence, clarity, and presence for healthcare leaders. You’ll learn why caring professions are especially vulnerable to this pattern, what the research says about social evaluation threat, and how to lead with grounded truth instead of imagined judgment. If you’re ready to stop tiptoeing, reclaim your voice, and step into the next-level leader your team needs, this episode is your breakthrough moment.
 
Website: maraergaszabari.com
Leadership clarity quiz:If you’d like a supportive way to understand what’s shaping your leadership right now, you can bookmark the free quiz at healthcareleaderquiz.com

Do This To Position Yourself For Bigger Opportunities - Ep. 46

If you’re ready to grow, stretch, and step into bigger opportunities in your leadership journey, this episode will show you exactly how to position yourself for what’s next. Today, I’m walking you through the identity and presence upgrades that help frontline healthcare leaders expand their impact and be seen as ready for broader, more strategic roles. You’ll learn why your next chapter isn’t about doing more, but about showing up in ways that signal clarity, confidence, and next-level thinking. We’ll explore identity research from Herminia Ibarra, the psychology of readiness, and a powerful real-world story illustrating how small, intentional shifts in presence can open doors you’ve been eyeing for a long time. If you’re excited to evolve, eager to grow, and ready to show up as the leader your future roles require, this episode is for you.
 
Website: maraergaszabari.com
Leadership clarity quiz:If you’d like a supportive way to understand what’s shaping your leadership right now, you can bookmark the free quiz at healthcareleaderquiz.com