Civil Discourse & Team Power: Transforming Healthcare from the Inside Out | Jessica Bunin

What does it take to drive meaningful change in healthcare when systems feel broken and institutional betrayal runs deep? Dr. Jessica Bunin, a retired Army Colonel with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, joins Dr. Andrea Austin to discuss her remarkable journey from psychiatrist to critical care physician and senior academic leader. Through compelling stories; including dramatically reducing ICU central line infections by empowering unexpected team members, Jessica reveals how shifting from “extreme ownership” to true team-building, practicing moral courage, and mastering civil discourse can rebuild trust and create healthier healthcare cultures. The conversation explores self-awareness as the foundation of effective leadership, the CLEAR framework for civil discourse, navigating institutional betrayal, and why leadership development must become central to medical education. You’ll hear how they: • Address institutional betrayal and moral injury by focusing on micro-cultures and small-team empowerment • Build high-impact teams by including unexpected voices and shifting from doing things to people to doing things with them • Practice moral courage in everyday healthcare settings, from challenging hierarchy to protecting patient safety • Use the CLEAR framework (Create safety, Listen actively, Establish common ground, Adjust thinking, Respond skillfully) for productive conversations across difference • Develop self-aware leaders who build trust and drive system-level transformation About the Guests “Civil discourse is our way forward.” – Dr. Jessica Bunin Dr. Jessica Bunin is a retired Army Colonel, critical care physician, and former psychiatrist with 23 years of service including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. She has held numerous leadership roles in academic medicine including critical care program director, assistant dean of faculty development, associate dean of DEI and community, and professor of medicine and health professions education. She is the co-founder and Chief Architect of All Levels Leadership, an International Coaching Federation certified executive leadership coach, and the author of the upcoming book From the Inside Out: How Self-Aware Leaders Build Trust and Transform Healthcare. 📍 Connect with Jessica Website: www.allevelsleadership.com (https://www.allevelsleadership.com) Email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) LinkedIn: Jessica Bunin (  / jessica-bunin  ) Instagram: @jess_bunin_all (  / jess_bunin_all  ) 📚 Resources + Mentions • The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown (https://www.amazon.com/Gifts-Imperfec...) • Dare to Lead by Brené Brown (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=dare+to+le...) • Simon Sinek leadership principles • Ira Chaleff – Courageous Followership (https://irachaleffauthor.com/books-th...) • Rushworth Kidder – Moral Courage framework (https://www.amazon.com/Moral-Courage-...) • From the Inside Out: How Self-Aware Leaders Build Trust and Transform Healthcare by Jessica Bunin (coming Fall 2026) 🔑 Top 3 Key Takeaways • Broaden your team: The most valuable solutions often come from unexpected people. Include all stakeholders who touch a process, especially those who are rarely asked. • Self-awareness is the foundation: Great leadership starts with deep inner work; reflection, values clarity, bias awareness, and self-compassion, before trying to change systems. • Master civil discourse: Use the CLEAR framework to have honest, respectful conversations across difference. Legitimize other perspectives without needing to agree, and respond with skill instead of defensiveness. 🩺 About the Host:  Dr. Andrea Austin i...