Fear changes what we hear, how we lead, and what people need from us most.

Geoffrey sits down with Mindy Spigel, nurse, author, researcher, and employee and patient experience expert, to explore what happens when fear shows up in healthcare and how compassion can change the moment. Mindy shares the powerful "snake on my head" metaphor from her book "There's a Snake on My Head!", revealing why patients, families, and healthcare teams often cannot process information when anxiety takes over. 🐍

Together, Geoffrey and Mindy unpack the deep connection between patient experience and employee experience, the importance of involving frontline teams in solving real problems, and why people need to feel informed, safe, and comfortable before they can truly engage. From organizational change to personal caregiving stories, this conversation is a reminder that healthcare is not just patient experience or employee experience. It is human experience.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Mindy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindyspigel

Learn more about Mindy's work: https://mindyspigel.com

Get Mindy's book, "There's a Snake on my Heads!": https://mindyspigel.com/https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B92L1MKN

Visit Mo-Ments of Experience's website: www.mo-mentsofexperience.com

Subscribe to Mo-Ments of Experience on YouTube! https://youtube.com/@mo-mentsofexperience?si=IZAB036xX1mmrn2C

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peopleforward-network

Learn more about PeopleForward Network: https://peopleforwardnetwork.com

Key Takeaways:

• Fear changes how people hear information.
• Patient experience starts with employee experience.
• Frontline teams hold powerful solutions.
• People need safety before engagement.
• Uncertainty can become an empowering blank canvas.

Valerie Choniuk has spent her career across the healthcare continuum, from emergency rooms and acute care hospitals to nursing homes and large medical groups. As a customer experience executive, she has learned that patient experience is not something you layer on top of clinical care. It is the care. In this conversation with Geoffrey, Valerie shares how she came to that realization through years of working at the intersection of patient engagement, employee experience, and clinical operations, and why organizations that treat experience as an add-on will always fall short.

Some of the most powerful moments in this episode come from Valerie's time in long-term care, where she witnessed firsthand how behavior is a signal, not a problem. She tells the story of an angry resident whose outbursts masked deep grief and a total loss of identity, and staff whose apparent indifference was really a system that never gave them space to see beyond that behavior. Valerie makes the case that if we do not intentionally design for dignity, we will unintentionally design against it, and that lesson applies far beyond healthcare.

Additional Resources: Connect with Valerie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeriechoniuk/

Visit Mo-Ments of Experience's website: www.mo-mentsofexperience.com

Subscribe to Mo-Ments of Experience on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@mo-mentsofexperience?si=IZAB036xX1mmrn2C

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peopleforward-network/

Learn more about PeopleForward Network: https://peopleforwardnetwork.com/

Key Takeaways:

• Experience is the core of care, not a layer added on top of clinical delivery
• Behavior is a signal — from patients and staff alike — not a problem to be managed
• You cannot motivate anyone; motivation is intrinsic, but you can inspire people
• The number one predictor of team performance is whether team members feel their colleagues have their back
• Designing for dignity must be intentional, or organizations will unintentionally design against it

Darlene Cunha is a nurse, transformational healthcare executive, author, and caregiver who has spent her career reconnecting healthcare leaders with their healing purpose through Caritas-driven leadership. In this conversation with Geoffrey Smith, Darlene shares how her philosophy of love expressed through action, care expressed through attention, and dignity expressed in everyday moments has shaped the way she leads teams and transforms patient experiences across health systems. Darlene walks through real examples of how leader presence on the floor, relational engagement practices like starting meetings with three good things, and cross-departmental collaboration drove measurable improvements in employee engagement, patient satisfaction scores, and financial outcomes at a two-hospital system in Rhode Island. She also reflects on the formative influence of a nurse named Mary Wakeling, who showed her at age 12 that one moment of authentic presence can change a life forever.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Darlene Cunha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darlenecunha/

Visit Mo-Ments of Experience's website: www.mo-mentsofexperience.com

Subscribe to Mo-Ments of Experience on YouTube! https://youtube.com/@mo-mentsofexperience?si=IZAB036xX1mmrn2C

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peopleforward-network

Learn more about PeopleForward Network: https://peopleforwardnetwork.com

Key Takeaways:

• Leader presence on the floor, not programs or added dollars, is what shifts employee engagement and unit culture in healthcare settings.
• Starting team interactions with relational questions like "tell me three good things" builds trust and connection that drives performance.
• Employee engagement should be measured as a living, dynamic process that changes shift to shift, not as a once-a-year survey event.
• Cross-departmental collaboration between nursing, food service, social work, and psychiatry creates the extraordinary patient experiences that improve outcomes.
• One moment of authentic presence can shape a person's entire career path, as Darlene experienced with nurse Mary Wakeling at age 12.