Be Where You Are: Leadership, Caregiving, and the Courage to Pause with Carla Davis | Part Two

In Part Two of Be Where You Are: Leadership, Caregiving, and the Courage to Pause, Carla Davis reflects on a transformative year away from executive leadership—one shaped by caregiving, reflection, and rediscovering her deeper purpose.

What began as a pause became a profound reaffirmation of calling.  Carla shares how stepping out of the day-to-day demands of leadership gave her clarity around stewardship, alignment, and the responsibility to use her gifts—leadership and mercy—with intention and courage.

Drawing from her personal experience navigating a fragmented healthcare system while caring for her mother, Carla offers an unfiltered look at the gaps in care coordination—and the urgent opportunity Hospice and end-of-life leaders have to model something better.  Innovation, she argues, isn’t just about big ideas.  It’s about tighter coordination, presence, responsiveness, and getting the fundamentals right—because in Hospice, we only get one chance to do it well.

At the heart of this conversation is a simple yet powerful leadership mandate: Be where You Are.  In a distracted, high-pressure world, Carla reminds healthcare leaders that presence is the ultimate act of service.  Whether leading teams, caring for patients, or mentoring the next generation, the future of Hospice depends on leaders who choose to fill their time with purpose.

5 Key Takeaways

• Clarity Comes in the Pause – Stepping away from leadership can reinforce—not redefine—your purpose and calling.
• Alignment Drives Leadership Effectiveness – Leaders are at their best when their strengths, values, and roles are aligned.
• Healthcare’s Greatest Innovation is Coordination – True transformation in hospice and healthcare begins with connected, responsive care—not just big, disruptive ideas.
• Presence is Leadership – “Be where you are.” The most powerful leadership moments often come from simple, undistracted presence.
• Legacy is Leadership Multiplication – You’re not truly a leader until you’ve developed leaders who develop leaders.

Show Transcript

Our Guest

Carla Davis

 Executive in Residence for Cressey and Company
Biography

Contact Carla
cdavis@cresseyco.com

 

Our Host

Work-Life Harmony Blog

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