Impact Unfiltered

About Impact Unfiltered

Impact Unfiltered is a podcast about bold leadership, real stories, and the ideas shaping the future of healthcare, business, and community. Each episode features candid conversations with changemakers—from health directors and entrepreneurs to tribal leaders and nonprofit innovators—who are making a difference where it matters most. Whether you’re building programs, leading teams, or just care deeply about impact, this show brings practical insight and unfiltered inspiration from the frontlines of meaningful work. Honest dialogue. Practical wisdom. Unfiltered impact.

Publisher

Impact Unfiltered

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 Jun 2025

Latest episode

22 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

29 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Sept 2026

   Humanizing Healthcare Through Culture, Empathy, and Technology with Jason M. Raidbard

   Welcome to another episode of Impact Unfiltered, where we dive deep into honest conversations with leaders creating real change in healthcare and beyond. Host Stuart sits down with Jason M. Raidbard, Executive Administrator for the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Chicago, who works in a dyad with the chair to lead the department's strategy, finance, and operations. A politics major who once planned to be an attorney, Jason came to healthcare through public administration and a chance clinic opportunity in 2003, and traces his why to a childhood spent tongue-tied and in speech therapy. Together, they explore why wellness and engagement sit at the core of leadership, why your people already know how to fix the problems if the culture lets them speak up, and how a leader is defined by the worst moments rather than the best. Jason talks candidly about burnout, the KPIs healthcare got wrong, serving Chicago's most vulnerable communities, and governing AI in what he calls the Wild West. Tune in for an honest look at keeping people at the center of a complex system. 1. Introduction to Impact Unfiltered and Episode Overview Real conversations with leaders driving change in healthcare, business, and community Host Stuart welcomes Jason M. Raidbard, Executive Administrator for Ophthalmology at the University of Chicago Themes: culture, wellness and engagement, burnout, and the thoughtful adoption of AI 2. An Unlikely Path from Politics into Healthcare A politics major who assumed he would become an attorney Came to healthcare through public administration and a chance clinic role in 2003 Nearly 24 years in, now a little over four years as Executive Administrator for Ophthalmology 3. His Why: A Childhood Speech Journey Was born tongue-tied and stayed quiet until it was surgically repaired at seven Two years of speech therapy showed him early how much it matters when people help The healthcare calling took root young but grew only after that 2003 opportunity 4. Defining Impact: Wellness, Engagement, and Connection Names wellness and engagement as his core focus as a leader Insists on genuine connection with everyone, from the C-suite to the EVS staff Pairs acknowledgment and thanks with real accountability for the team 5. Impact at the Macro Level: Culture That Walks the Walk Just completed enterprise-wide engagement surveys and is acting on the scores Credits new mission and values plus strong C-suite leaders for the culture Says the University of Chicago genuinely lives its mission every day 6. Serving the South Side of Chicago Aims to provide care second to none in the Hyde Park neighborhood Serves some of the most vulnerable, impoverished communities in the region Values groundbreaking research and exceptional training alongside patient care 7. Rethinking KPIs and Addressing Burnout Says healthcare focused on the wrong measures too long, with staff paying the price Sees burnout everywhere and stresses building a culture where people speak up Notes labor shortages and the rising cost of replacing staff who leave 8. Handling the Worst Moments Argues everyone hits a breaking point, even with the best resources Says a leader is defined by how they handle the worst moments, not the best Without genuine connection beforehand, it is hard to understand why someone struggles 9. Governing and Using AI Thoughtfully Calls the current AI market the Wild West and expects it to consolidate over time Credits the health system's AI governance committee for vetting what is safe Frames AI as a way to supplement work and expand access, not replace human connection 10. Looking Ahead, Advice, and Where to Connect Is most excited by improvements in care coordination and virtual care that expand access Advises staying true to yourself and letting go of perfectionism, wisdom from a mentor Invites people to connect on LinkedIn, where he shares knowledge freely

2. 

   22 Sept 2026

   Making Patient Access Easier Through Smarter Technology with Kacey Degenhardt

   Welcome to another episode of Impact Unfiltered, where we dive deep into honest conversations with leaders creating real change in healthcare and beyond. Host Stuart sits down with Kayce Degenhardt, Vice President of Clinical Applications at Inova Health System, who oversees roughly 600 applications and a team of about 210 supporting five hospitals and around 300 clinics in the DC area. A former interventional radiology technologist turned health IT leader, Kayce traces her mission back to her mother's cancer journey and a three-week wait for an MRI stuck in a queue. Together, they explore what it looks like when technology accelerates care instead of blocking it, from a waitlist tool that cut imaging waits by six days to ambient AI that saved physicians over 900 hours. Kayce shares how she led a turnaround by meeting all 210 team members first, why culture beats tools, and how the industry can adopt AI safely. Tune in for an honest look at healthcare technology built around the people who deliver care. 1. Introduction to Impact Unfiltered and Episode Overview Real conversations with leaders driving change in healthcare, business, and community Host Stuart welcomes Kayce Degenhardt, VP of Clinical Applications at Inova Health System Themes: patient access, clinician time, culture, and the safe adoption of AI 2. From Interventional Radiology to Health IT Leadership Started clinically in interventional radiology before moving into health IT Now oversees about 600 applications, including the Epic EMR, and a team of roughly 210 Inova spans five hospitals and around 300 clinics across the greater DC area 3. Her Why: A Mother's Cancer Journey and Easier Patient Access Her mother's cancer diagnosis exposed gaps in how patients navigate the system An initial MRI sat in a queue, forcing a three-week wait Her mission became making patient access easier in an over-regulated industry 4. Defining Impact: Measuring Every Project's Outcome Quantifies the outcome of every project taking more than 20 hours A waitlist tool texts opted-in patients earlier slots when others cancel That tool cut advanced imaging waits by an average of six days 5. When Technology Helps Instead of Getting in the Way Tracks pajama time, the hours clinicians spend charting after their workday Ambient listening lets AI document the visit and place orders for sign-off The tool saved physicians over 900 hours in its first couple of months 6. Reducing Cognitive Load with Generative AI Uses generative AI mainly to reduce clinicians' cognitive load Targets administrative tasks so staff can focus on patients Aims to cut clicks, typing, and note length wherever possible 7. Leading a Turnaround: Assess the Team First Believes you cannot pour from an empty cup, so she started with her own team Met all 210 members individually to surface barriers and make quick fixes Spent year one strengthening the team, then turned to serving the organization 8. Finding Champions and Building Culture Identifies passionate change agents and empowers them with real support Argues culture, not tools, is the true differentiator for an organization Credits Inova's CEO for making culture and psychological safety a priority 9. Frontline Adoption and Designing for the Right Thing Comes with receipts: Inova's EHR was named second-best by its nurses Credits informatics partners as the liaisons between tech and clinical worlds Designs software to make it easy to do the right thing, not just add fields 10. Governing AI, Looking Ahead, and Where to Connect Says the industry must govern AI, manage hallucinations, and keep a human in the loop Sees telehealth and lighter administrative loads expanding access and speeding care Advises staying true to yourself and remembering healthcare is about people; connect with her on LinkedIn

3. 

   14 Sept 2026

   Building High-Trust Teams: Victor Bycroft on Critical Access Hospital Leadership

   Welcome to another episode of Impact Unfiltered, where we dive deep into honest conversations with leaders creating real change in healthcare and beyond. Host Philippe sits down with Victor Bycroft, a nurse of about 30 years and a longtime chief nursing officer and chief nurse executive in critical access and rural hospitals. Healthcare was never the plan: the Army offered him a medic role, and that carried him from EMT work into emergency and trauma nursing and on into leadership. Together, they explore why a small rural hospital does not mean lesser care, why supporting the team has to be a leader's first priority, and what meaningful innovation looks like when electronic records and AI so often add work instead of removing it. Victor explains why change fails when staff are never told the why, and shares the culture practices that took his last hospital from a Band-Aid station reputation to the place patients and staff actively chose. Tune in for an honest look at rural healthcare leadership. 1. Introduction to Impact Unfiltered and Episode Overview Host Philippe welcomes guest Victor Bycroft Themes: rural healthcare, team support, innovation, and trust 2. Meet Victor Bycroft: From Army Medic to Nurse Executive Roughly 30 years as a nurse, with 20-plus years as a chief nursing officer and chief nurse executive Army medic and EMT first; emergency and trauma nursing was his first love 24 years in critical access hospitals; now advising and consulting between roles 3. Rural Healthcare: Smaller Does Not Mean Less The common misperception, even inside healthcare, is that a rural hospital means less Resources and volume are limited, but the work is still full-scope hospital care Rural clinicians cover every stage of care while big-system staff handle one piece 4. Setting Priorities: Support the Team First Supporting staff has to come before cost control, innovation, and outcomes Unsupported staff turn over, and turnover is expensive Innovation fails and outcomes suffer when staff do not believe in the plan 5. What Meaningful Innovation Actually Looks Like Innovation has to create efficiency and work for the staff using it Electronic medical records promised better lives but often added time at the desk Victor sees promise in AI but says it is aimed too heavily at providers, not nurses 6. Why Change Succeeds in Some Organizations and Stalls in Others Failure to implement change traces back to a failure of leadership Staff push back when change arrives with no explanation of the why With real buy-in, his last hospital finished 90 percent of its strategic plan in year one 7. Building a High-Trust Culture by Being Present Trust comes from sitting down in every department, not from routine rounding Listen to what people actually face, then fix something He helped wherever hands were needed, including maintenance, dietary, and housekeeping 8. Defining Impact and Changing Hospital Culture Impact means improving lives for staff, patients, and the surrounding community Simple practices: a 10/5 rule, eye contact, and a no-point policy that walks patients where they need to go In two years the hospital went from Band-Aid station to the place people chose 9. Advice for Emerging Leaders and the Lesson No Book Teaches Moving from a large system into rural healthcare is not a step down Expect the community to know your name and where you work Disciplinary action is the hardest leadership work; a leader serves the team, not one person 10. Hope for the Future and Where to Connect Despite the burnout headlines, Victor sees strong people coming up and worth mentoring Find him on LinkedIn under Victor Bycroft His top leadership book is Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Who has been a guest on Impact Unfiltered

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Dr Joseph Nicholas Heinen
• Daniel Boudreaux
• Dr Marty Lofgren
• Wallace Apland
• Morgan Honea

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 26 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

52

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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