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Leading Health | Building a Healthier Kansas

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by Kansas Health Foundation

5.0(8 reviews)

13 episodes

Updated Daily

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Podcast Overview

No state has fallen further than Kansas in America’s Health Rankings. We used to be 8th in 1991. Why did we slip so far down in the rankings? The answer might surprise you; it’s based on a leadership challenge. At the Kansas Health Foundation, our bold vision is to make Kansas the healthiest state in the nation and to do so, this movement must be powered by Kansans in positions of authority and influence to shift Health outcomes. Starting with the launch of the 2025 publication, Leading Health, written by President and CEO of the Kansas Health Foundation, Ed O’Malley, this podcast aims to break down key concepts of this leadership challenge and actionable ways that we can work together to make a real impact on Health in Kansas. In each episode, Ed O’Malley, and Senior Advisor at Kansas Health Foundation, Susan Kang, will highlight a chapter in the book and discuss with Kansans who are actively engaged in expanding our definition of Health. Leading Health is an invitation to move the needle on Health in Kansas, and we invite you to join us in leading the way.

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2/10/2026

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Recent Episodes

July 28, 2026

Part 3: From Diagnosis to Prescription | Understanding Mindsets

In this bonus episode, we’re transitioning from Part Two in the book Leading Health and setting up Part Three, which introduces nine mindsets that the 30,000 need to hold if Kansas is going to lead the nation in health. In Part One, we describe the symptoms of Kansas, ranked #29 at the time of writing this book. In Part Two, listeners learn that the diagnosis isn’t a health challenge, but a leadership challenge. Now, in Part Three, we give the prescription through nine mindsets that help develop the culture we need to get Kansas to #1 in America’s Health Rankings. Highlights <ul><li>Part one covered the health reality in Kansas and introduced the "30,000" — the Kansans in key civic roles who can move the needle.</li><li>Part two revealed that the real issue isn't a health challenge; it's a leadership challenge.</li><li>Part three shifts to nine mindsets (not nine solutions) because closing the health gap is an adaptive challenge, not a simple problem to solve.</li><li>The 30,000 don't need to generate the solutions themselves — communities facing the greatest health disparities often already know what's needed. The job of the 30,000 is to create the conditions for those solutions to emerge.</li><li>The book's three-part structure is explained simply: Part one = symptoms, Part two = diagnosis, Part three = prescription.</li></ul> Chapters 0:00 – Intro1:15 – Recap Parts One and Two2:09 – Why Mindsets, Not Solutions3:59 – Adaptive Challenge and ALICE4:54 – Conditions for Community Solutions7:07 – Mindsets in Practice8:12 – Creating Collaboration9:17 – Symptoms, Diagnosis, Prescription10:16 – Wrap Up and Next Episode Leading Health is an invitation to move the needle on Health in Kansas, and we invite you to join us in leading the way. Don’t have a copy of Leading Health? Claim your copy and learn more about the movement at <a href="http://kansashealth.org/leadinghealth">kansashealth.org/leadinghealth</a> And be sure to subscribe, and drop a comment to let us know what you think.

July 14, 2026

Authority Isn’t Enough

What if the biggest obstacle to improving health in Kansas isn't a lack of resources, knowledge, or will — but a fundamental misunderstanding of what leadership actually is? In this episode of the Leading Health Podcast, we unpack one of the most provocative ideas in the book: having authority and exercising leadership are not the same thing. Fancy titles don't automatically mobilize people. And if Kansas is going to climb the national health rankings, those with power need to understand both what they can uniquely contribute — and what they simply cannot do alone. Teresa Lovelady, President and CEO of HealthCore Clinic in Wichita, joins us again to bring these ideas to life with real-world stories, including a powerful moment during COVID that shows exactly what happens when authority either opens the door — or slams it shut. HIGHLIGHTS • Leadership is an activity, not a title. Exercising leadership means mobilizing others to make progress on tough, adaptive challenges — something a position alone cannot do.• The 30,000 are necessary but not sufficient. Kansas's key civic and institutional leaders must play their part, but no single person or organization has enough authority to close the health gap alone.• Even a governor's authority isn't enough. Adaptive challenges like improving population health require distributed effort across all levels of society.• Authority comes with expectations — and those expectations often work against change. The people who grant authority typically want stability, not disruption. But real progress requires disruption.• People in authority can make change less risky for others. By casting vision, acting as resource brokers, and creating safe spaces to experiment and fail, leaders with authority create conditions where others can lead too.• The framework: protection, direction, and order. Marty Linsky's teaching offers a practical lens — authority's job is not to have the answer, but to protect risk-takers, provide direction, and establish order so others can do the work.• When authority goes wrong, people fall through the cracks. Teresa's COVID vaccine story shows how rigid top-down thinking left 300 homebound seniors unvaccinated — and what it cost the people trying to do the right thing.• Call to action: Build a culture that accepts risk. Members of the 30,000 should examine whether their organizations genuinely create space for risk-taking — because progress on closing the health gap demands it. CHAPTERS 0:00 – Introduction & Episode Overview1:49 – Why Authority Isn't Enough1:55 – Leadership vs. Authority: Fancy Titles Don't Mobilize People3:16 – The 30,000's Role: Necessary but Insufficient to Climb the Health Rankings4:22 – Guest Returns: Teresa Lovelady on Dual Citizenship (30,000 + ALICE)5:55 – Making It Concrete: Teresa's Definition of Exercising Leadership7:07 – COVID as a Case Study: Sharing Leadership Beyond Positions of Power8:57 – What We Need From Authority: Certainty of Process & Casting Vision10:49 – Authority as Resource Broker: Clearing Paths, Connecting Resources, Setting Policy12:44 – No Magic Wand: Wicked Problems, Limited Authority, and Working Together14:42 – The Tension of Real Change: When Leadership Threatens Organizational Survival15:42 – Where Authority Comes From: Expectations, Accountability, and Who Grants Power15:56 – When People Expect "No Chaos": Why Leadership Disrupts16:22 – The Penalty for Change: Trust, Access, and Job Risk17:43 – Authority Isn't Enough: Avoiding Martyrs by Sharing the Work18:50 – Using Authority Well: Direction, Resources, and a Safe Space to Lead20:17 – What "Safe Space" Really Means: Permission to Make Mistakes20:33 – Case Study: The Clinic Expansion "Swimming Pool" and Board Support25:07 – Protection, Direction, Order: A Practical Framework for Authority26:24 – How Authority Goes Wrong: The COVID Vaccine Homebound Gap28:44 – Calls to Action & What's Next in the Series RESOURCES • Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) — <a href="https://kansasleadershipcenter.org">https://kansasleadershipcenter.org</a>• HealthCore Clinic (Teresa Lovelady's organization) — <a href="https://healthcoreclinic.org">https://healthcoreclinic.org</a>• America's Health Rankings — <a href="https://www.americashealthrankings.org">https://www.americashealthrankings.org</a>• ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population framework — <a href="https://www.unitedforalice.org">https://www.unitedforalice.org</a> Leading Health is an invitation to move the needle on Health in Kansas, and we invite you to join us in leading the way. Don’t have a copy of Leading Health? Claim your copy and learn more about the movement at <a href="http://kansashealth.org/leadinghealth">kansashealth.org/leadinghealth</a> And be sure to subscribe, and drop a comment to let us know what you think.

June 30, 2026

It’s Risky

Leadership isn't all kumbaya. The truth is, real leadership, the kind that moves the needle on something as daunting as closing the health gap, is risky. It requires disrupting the status quo, disappointing your own people, and absorbing the discomfort that comes with change. But as this episode makes clear, the cost of avoiding that risk is even higher. In this episode, hosts Ed O'Malley and Susan Kang are joined by returning guest Kenny Wilk to unpack why exercising leadership is inherently risky, what it looks like in practice and why the reward on the other side is worth it. Highlights <ul><li>While many individuals placed in leadership roles believe they’re exercising leadership, it’s actually exceedingly rare. </li><li>Leadership is risky because it’s about disruption, and how it requires disappointing your own people at a rate they can absorb. </li><li>The risk-reward mismatch in health equity: the 30,000 Kansans with the most influence must take risk to benefit the people with the least, such as the ALICE population (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed).</li><li>The remarkable turnaround of the University of Kansas Health System, from one of the worst-rated hospitals in the nation (below the 5th percentile in patient satisfaction) to consistently above the 90th percentile.</li><li>Kenny's personal framework for staying motivated to lead on issues that don't directly benefit him: gratitude, paying it forward and finding deep satisfaction in others' success.</li><li>The "Salad Week" story from the 2002 Kansas legislative budget crisis. A vivid example of leaders forcing uncomfortable conversations their own caucus didn't want to have.</li><li>The Kansas Capitol restoration decision: why Kenny and Senate counterpart Steve Morris refused to defund it even in a financial crisis and why it paid off.</li><li>Examples of risk in what Kansans experience every day, but could deliver a great payoff. </li><li>How embracing the opportunity to challenge one another with different ideas can introduce new ways of thinking. </li></ul>Chapters 1:19 – Review, Preview and Big Picture 2:57 – Introducing Chapter 10: [Leadership] is Risky5:33 – How Leadership Involves Disruption and Loss7:50 – Leadership Requires Disappointing Your Own People9:33 – KHF Strategy as an Example12:21 – Risk vs. Reward in Health Equity14:31 – Kenny on the risks and transformation of the Kansas Health System16:14 – From Worst to Best: Culture Shift19:05 – Metrics and Momentum Wins21:07 – The Risky Turnaround Story23:08 – Pay It Forward Mindset26:19 – Hallmark Promotion Risk27:58 – Post-9/11 Budget Crisis30:14 – Salad Week Disruption32:55 – Capitol Restoration Resolve34:50 – Everyday Risk Examples37:10 – Acceptance and Pushback39:01 – Make Leadership Ubiquitous40:10 – Resources and Final Challenge42:45 – Closing and Next Chapter Resources <ul><li>Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) —<a href="https://www.kansasleadershipcenter.org/"> kansasleadershipcenter.org</a></li><li>Proud but Never Satisfied — book about the transformation of the University of Kansas Health System - <a href="https://www.kansashealthsystem.com/proud-but-never-satisfied">https://www.kansashealthsystem.com/proud-but-never-satisfied</a> </li><li>University of Kansas Health System —<a href="https://www.kansashealthsystem.com/"> kansashealthsystem.com</a></li></ul> Leading Health is an invitation to move the needle on Health in Kansas, and we invite you to join us in leading the way. Don’t have a copy of Leading Health? Claim your copy and learn more about the movement at <a href="http://kansashealth.org/leadinghealth">kansashealth.org/leadinghealth</a> And be sure to subscribe, and drop a comment to let us know what you think.

13 total episodes available

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Frequently asked questions

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What is Leading Health | Building a Healthier Kansas?: No state has fallen further than Kansas in America’s Health Rankings. We used to be 8th in 1991.

Why did we slip so far down in the rankings? The answer might surprise you; it’s based on a leadership challenge.

At the Kansas Health Foundation, our bold vision is to make Kansas the healthiest state in the nation and to do so, this movement must be powered by Kansans in positions of authority and influence to shift Health outcomes.

Starting with the launch of the 2025 publication, Leading Health, written by President and CEO of the Kansas Health Foundation, Ed O’Malley, this podcast aims to break down key concepts of this leadership challenge and actionable ways that we can work together to make a real impact on Health in Kansas.

In each episode, Ed O’Malley, and Senior Advisor at Kansas Health Foundation, Susan Kang, will highlight a chapter in the book and discuss with Kansans who are actively engaged in expanding our definition of Health.

Leading Health is an invitation to move the needle on Health in Kansas, and we invite you to join us in leading the way.
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Information about guest appearances is not available.

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