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Host: Jarvis T. Gray, The Quality Coaching Co.
Guest: Laura Alessio, Founder of Nurse Coach Alessio

In this Health Biz Spotlight episode, Jarvis sits down with Laura Alessio, a board-certified health and wellness nurse coach and founder of Nurse Coach Alessio. Laura pulls back the curtain on her pathway from sociologist and Peace Corps health educator to an innovative health entrepreneur, blending mindfulness, meditation, and her years of nursing expertise.

Key Topics & Highlights

• Laura’s Journey Into Nurse Coaching
  • Grew up with a calling towards caregiving, inspired by her mother’s recovery from a traumatic brain injury during pregnancy.
  • Experience spans sociology, Peace Corps service, emergency care, and public health nursing before launching her own consulting and coaching business.
• From Legal Nurse Consulting to Mindfulness Coaching
  • Pivoted into legal nurse consulting during the pandemic.
  • A life-changing encounter brought her into the world of nurse coaching and mindfulness facilitation.
  • Recently certified to facilitate Dr. Joe Dispenza’s Back to Balance meditation series.
• Business Mission & Niche
  • Passion for making mindfulness and meditation accessible, especially for high-stress professionals and those facing chronic health issues.
  • Integrates functional medicine training with her personal healing journey to offer a holistic coaching experience.
• Business & Strategy Insights
  • The challenge and opportunity of educating potential clients about the emerging nursing coach profession.
  • Importance of articulating a clear value proposition: identifying and communicating the real problems you solve, not just your credentials.
  • Leveraging frameworks for lead generation, client avatar creation, and offers that truly reflect a transformation.
• Offer Structure & Revenue Models
  • Current offerings: Individual coaching packages (4- and 9-session formats), Stress Less with Mindfulness Facebook group, and plans for a meditation course with group coaching.
  • Guidance on pricing, building signature solutions, and considering B2B (business-to-business) wellness programs for healthcare organizations.
  • Discussion about risk-reversal strategies in coaching offers to make enrolling a “no brainer” for clients.
• Personal Values in Practice
  • Emphasis on creating a safe, confidential, and trusting coaching space.
  • Laura’s commitment to sharing her own struggles and triumphs to help clients feel seen, supported, and empowered.

Resources & Links

• Laura’s Website: nursecoachalessio.com
• Follow Laura on Instagram: @nursecoachalessio
• LinkedIn & Facebook: Laura Alessio
• Join Laura’s free Facebook group: Stress Less with Mindfulness

Calls to Action

• Are you a healthcare or wellness entrepreneur wanting clarity on your growth strategy? Take the free Health Biz Scorecard (link in show notes)!
• Interested in mindfulness, meditation, and improved well-being? Connect with Laura or join her Facebook community.

Is your healthcare organization ready to excel with Lean Six Sigma? Take our quick Readiness Assessment to uncover strengths and improvement opportunities for quality, safety, and efficiency

• Start Now: Lean Six Sigma Readiness Assessment

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Host: Jarvis T. Gray, The Quality Coaching Co.
Guest: Dr. Vanessa Spelman, Psychologist & Entrepreneur

Episode Overview

On this inspiring episode of Excellence In Healthcare, Jarvis T. Gray welcomes Dr. Vanessa Spelman, a self-employed psychologist whose practice weaves together science, spirituality, and lived experience. Dr. Vanessa Spelman opens up about her personal journey of healing, her passion for serving women and families, and the core values that drive her unique approach in mental health and wellness.

Key Highlights

• Lived Experience Meets Clinical Expertise:
  Dr. Vanessa Spelman shares how her life events, like working in foster care, surviving a traumatic birth, and going through divorce, deeply inform her empathetic approach with clients.
• Blending Science and Spirituality:
  From shamanic practices to mindfulness, Dr. Vanessa Spelman explains how she integrates ancient wisdom with traditional psychological methods to help clients heal, reclaim self-love, and live more intentionally.
• Helping Women & Mompreneurs:
  Her mission centers on supporting spiritual women—particularly mothers and entrepreneurs—through trauma, divorce, and the challenges of balancing modern life, parenting, and self-worth.
• Defining Success Beyond Revenue:
  Success for Dr. Vanessa Spelman means achieving time and financial freedom, being present for her daughter, and intentionally shaping her life and business to reflect her deepest values.
• Business Growth Strategies:
  Jarvis T. Gray and Dr. Vanessa Spelman discuss actionable strategies for elevating her practice—everything from building a powerful client avatar to developing lead magnets, group programs, and in-person retreats (with a clever childcare hack!).
• Facing Growth Fears:
  Dr. Vanessa Spelman candidly talks about overcoming her hesitancy to show up on video and how being authentic will help her connect and grow her community.

Featured Resources & Offers

• Free Mini-Course:
  Holidays & Boundaries With Exes – A practical, heart-centered resource to help moms navigate co-parenting during the holidays. Available via Dr. Vanessa Spelman's LinkedIn and Instagram.
• Group Mindfulness for Moms:
  In-person local sessions (YMCA), focusing on conscious parenting and self-care.
• Connect Online:
  • Email: vs@vanessaspelman.com
  • Website: www.vanessaspelmanpsyd.com
  • Instagram: @vanessa.spelman.psyd
  • TikTok: @vanessaspelmanpsyd

Memorable Quotes

Final Thoughts

If you’re a mompreneur on a journey of healing or transformation, Dr. Vanessa Spelman’s story and strategies will leave you empowered and ready to embrace your next chapter with clarity and intention. Connect with her and discover a blend of soulful support, lived wisdom, and ac

Is your healthcare organization ready to excel with Lean Six Sigma? Take our quick Readiness Assessment to uncover strengths and improvement opportunities for quality, safety, and efficiency

• Start Now: Lean Six Sigma Readiness Assessment

Thank you for tuning in! Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast for more insights into achieving healthcare excellence.

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Host: Jarvis T. Gray, The Quality Coaching Co.
Guest: Elaina McAdams – CEO, CAUHEC (College and University Healthcare Education Consortium)

Episode Summary

This inspiring episode features Elaina McAdams, a nurse executive turned entrepreneur and healthcare innovator. Jarvis T. Gray welcomes Dr. McAdams for a deep dive into her impressive 25+ year career journey, her leadership philosophy, and her bold work addressing America’s healthcare workforce crisis by leveraging technology and academia.

• Leadership That Builds Leaders:
  Elaina shares her guiding leadership philosophy—leadership is about creating more leaders, not followers. She discusses the vital need for authentic, disruptive leaders in healthcare and why developing leadership capacity is essential for the future.
• Career Journey & Motivation:
  Dr. McAdams traces her path from nursing assistant to trauma and ICU nurse, through hospital leadership positions, and into entrepreneurship as CEO of CAHEC, a SaaS platform matching healthcare students with preceptors at scale. Her journey showcases adaptability, risk-taking, and a passion for impact.
• Entrepreneurship Insights:
  Dr. McAdams opens up about the risks, challenges, and rewards of leaving a stable healthcare executive role to launch her own tech-enabled solution. She emphasizes the power of relationships, learning from both parents as entrepreneurs, and the importance of continuous education and resilience.
• The Workforce Crisis & Innovation:
  A significant discussion centers on the looming shortage of 3.2 million healthcare workers by 2030. Dr. McAdams discusses scalable solutions, technology and AI, the need for academic-healthcare collaboration, and creating equitable pathways for new talent, especially in underserved communities.
• Generational Change & Patient Experience:
  The pair discuss how younger generations are reshaping expectations around healthcare access and delivery, the need for hospitals to be more collaborative, technology-forward, and community-integrated, and the importance of meeting future workforce where they are.
• Lessons from Setbacks:
  Dr. McAdams reflects on how her greatest leadership growth has come from both positive and negative experiences, emphasizing the value of empathy, servant leadership, and focusing on others' growth.
• Mentors and Inspiration:
  Dr. McAdams pays tribute to her parents and colleagues (notably Jeff Richards) for their mentorship, guidance during tough times, and modeling high emotional intelligence.

Notable Quotes

• “Leadership is about creating more leaders, not followers.”
• "Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint-hearted... but it’s all worth it."
• "You grow further and faster when you help other people get ahead."
• "If you are given the opportunity, try it... Even if you hear 'no,' it can still lead you to the right path."

Connect with Dr. Elaina McAdams/CAHEC:

• LinkedIn: Elaina McAdams
• CAUHEC info: www.cauhec.org

Is your healthcare organization ready to excel with Lean Six Sigma? Take our quick Readiness Assessment to uncover strengths and improvement opportunities for quality, safety, and efficiency

• Start Now: Lean Six Sigma Readiness Assessment

Thank you for tuning in! Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast for more insights into achieving healthcare excellence.