Leading Through Uncertainty: Navigating Healthcare Team Dynamics in Changing Times
Mar 18, 2025"Making space in the workplace for real conversations, personal and professional support...that's different than starting a debate within your team." - Kendall Hagensen
In this thoughtful and timely episode of the Wellness Center Creators Podcast, hosts Anna Rudel and Kendall Hagensen address the challenges of leading healthcare teams through uncertain times. Recording in February 2025, they draw powerful parallels between their experiences leading during the COVID-19 pandemic and navigating the current healthcare landscape following political transitions in the United States.
The hosts begin by acknowledging the heightened anxiety many healthcare providers are experiencing due to potential policy changes affecting healthcare delivery. They compare this moment to the early days of the pandemic, noting important differences in how team dynamics manifest during different types of crises. As Kendall observes, "Covid was very unifying for a lot of teams, but also it was polarizing for certain teams," highlighting how the current situation may reveal even deeper divides within healthcare teams.
A central theme throughout the episode is establishing appropriate boundaries around workplace conversations while still providing necessary emotional support. Kendall articulates this delicate balance: "Making space in the workplace for real conversations, personal and professional support...that's different than starting a debate within your team." Both hosts emphasize the importance of creating structured opportunities for team members to share concerns while keeping the focus on patient care and the immediate work environment.
The episode offers practical strategies for supporting team members through uncertain times, including:
- Increasing flexibility with time off requests
- Encouraging enhanced self-care practices to counteract external stressors
- Helping team members distinguish between factors they can and cannot control
- Maintaining focus on the core mission of healthcare delivery
- Establishing clearer boundaries around what types of conversations are productive in the workplace
Particularly valuable is their candid discussion about leader burnout and sustainability. Kendall shares a powerful reflection about her experience during COVID: "I ended up becoming my team's therapist in addition to seeing all my actual clients...I would drive home every single day sobbing." This leads to a crucial conversation about how leaders can approach the current uncertainty differently, with Anna admitting, "As we enter this new phase, I feel just utterly exhausted by the thought of it. Because if I have to rally in the same way as I had to do in 2020, I'm not sure I have it."
The hosts conclude with encouragement for healthcare leaders to stay grounded in their core values and focus on their immediate communities. As Anna advises, "Stay rooted and grounded in who you are." Kendall adds the importance of "keeping it small" by focusing on tangible impact within one's practice and immediate community rather than becoming overwhelmed by larger societal challenges.
This episode provides essential guidance for healthcare practice owners who are navigating the complexities of team management during societal transitions. The conversation offers a blueprint for maintaining a supportive, productive workplace culture that acknowledges external stressors while preventing them from derailing the essential work of healthcare delivery. Most importantly, it validates the challenges leaders face and provides permission to establish necessary boundaries that protect both leadership sustainability and team cohesion during extended periods of uncertainty.
The hosts invite listeners to email specific questions about challenging team dynamics for future episodes, recognizing that many practice owners are facing similar challenges in this uncertain landscape.
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About Anna Rudel
Anna Rudel, L. Ac is the owner and founder of Lokahi Acupuncture Clinic in San Jose California, founded in 2003. Anna is a master organizer and clinician, and as a Coach she specializes in working with Clinic Owners in the state of California, and Acupuncturists and Acupuncture Clinic Owners, or groups wanting to add Acupuncture worldwide, as well as teams that need support with employee retention and satisfaction. Born in the UK, Anna has traveled extensively in Asia and now has a thriving multi-practitioner clinic in the US!
Anna's Website and Links
- Website: https://lokahiacupuncture.com/
- Learn Group Coaching: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/group-coaching
- For info about Individual Coaching: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/individual-coaching
About Kendall Hagensen
Kendall is a Somatic Mental Health Therapist, Multidisciplinary Clinic Owner and Business Coach. She specializes in, and is passionate about, working with healthcare professionals to create the businesses of their dreams. Big goals always have a psychological component beneath the surface, so Kendall uses her background in Somatic Psychotherapy and EMDR Therapy mixed with Business Coaching tools to help clients develop a healthy relationship with their business and their strength as a leader.
As someone who lives with a chronic illness herself, Kendall feels that health happens best within community, which is why she takes a holistic, integrative, and collaborative wellness approach to her personal and professional life.
Kendall’s Web/Social Links