Follow The Brand Podcast with Host Grant McGaugh

When Leadership Gets Real: Dr. Devita Price on Building Something That Actually Heals

• Grant McGaugh CEO 5 STAR BDM • Season 3 • Episode 33

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What does authentic leadership look like in high-stress healthcare environments? Dr. Devita Price, Director of Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital, reveals the powerful intersection of personal resilience and professional excellence in this candid conversation.

Few healthcare leaders bring the unique perspective Dr. Price offers. With experience spanning maternal health, child hospice, and behavioral health, she's developed a leadership philosophy grounded in compassion and cultural humility. But what truly sets her apart is how she's transformed personal challenges into leadership strengths. As a mother of eight, foster parent, domestic violence survivor, and healthcare executive, Dr. Price embodies the resilience she cultivates in her teams.

Throughout our discussion, Dr. Price shares practical wisdom on creating psychological safety in high-stress environments through open communication and modeling vulnerability. She addresses critical equity gaps in mental healthcare, particularly in maternal mental health, and emphasizes the importance of listening to underserved communities. Her insights on the evolving skill set needed for Chief Nursing Officers—from strategic agility to emotional intelligence—offer valuable guidance for healthcare leaders navigating today's complex landscape.

Perhaps most inspiring is Dr. Price's commitment to authenticity. Currently writing a book about her journey, she views sharing her story as both personal therapy and a way to destigmatize struggles others face. Her message to fellow healthcare leaders resonates deeply: lead with purpose, stay humble, and remember that your impact extends beyond clinical outcomes to building a legacy rooted in compassion, equity, and resilience.

Connect with Dr. Devita Price on LinkedIn or email her at Davida.Price@JHSMiami.org, and discover more episodes of the Follow Brand Podcast at 5StarBDM.com.

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest marketing trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates from us, be sure to follow us at 5starbdm.com. See you next time on Follow The Brand!

Speaker 1:

Hello everybody and welcome to the Follow Rand Podcast. This is your host, grant McGaugh, and I'm here at the Jackson Health System because I love the people at Jackson Health. They've just been such a great host for me, inviting me in talking to a number of different executives about their career journey, what has gotten them involved in the healthcare system and why do they do what they do. Because some of them have very, very difficult jobs and I'm just drawn to that and I want to understand more of that. So we're going to have Dr Devita Price, we're going to talk to her, we're going to have a very good conversation about her and her journey and then what she got out of this particular program that we've been involved in and where she feels she's going to go today. So, before we get started, dr Price, please introduce yourself.

Speaker 2:

Good morning. Thank you so much for having me. My name is Dr Davida Price and I am currently the director of Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital and Jackson Memorial System in Miami Florida.

Speaker 1:

Well, thank you again for being here. And what really got me interested in what you do? You're multidimensional. I mean you have led that leadership across what's called child health, behavioral health, and I want to understand your clinical journey and how that has shaped your approach to leadership.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So my diverse clinical background has taught me the importance of holistic, patient-centered care. Each area that I've worked in maternal health, child hospice, behavioral health they all have their unique challenges, but they all share a common need for compassion and empathy and cultural just humility. These experiences have really shaped my leadership philosophy to prioritize listening and collaboration and just really fostering environments where teams feel valued and empowered to innovate and deliver like the best patient care.

Speaker 1:

This is interesting. Okay Now you went through my program right and you completed the personal brand. You know strategy or boot plant strategy. I want to know what did you learn? You know from yourself, you know as a leader through that experience.

Speaker 2:

I learned some opportunities, and any good leader loves opportunities. You know we always there's always room to grow, but this process was very enlightening and it just really revealed like my core strength, which I feel like lies in my authenticity and my purpose. I learned that leading with integrity and clarity about my values helps to inspire, trust and motivate others. It also reminded me that continuous self-reflection is very paramount and then just understanding my own identity as a leader, which allows me to be better and better serve my team and the community.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I learned a lot from you as well, and I learned a lot about what we call brand essence. You know your particular essence, what you exude, and we found through our mutual conversations that you're about healing systems and empowering leaders and building legacy. What does that mean to you personally and professionally?

Speaker 2:

It's about creating systems that heal not just physically but emotionally and I would say, structurally as well. Empowering leaders it means to cultivate future change makers who can sustain these systems. Building a legacy is about leaving a lasting impact. I feel so empowering the lives today and ensuring that the progress that we make benefits our generations to come today and ensuring that the progress that we make benefits our generations to come.

Speaker 1:

Well, you've done a lot. I learned so much from listening to you as we mutually work together to truly understand your internal assets and then how you lead externally with your particular brand right, it's so, so important. So, as a trauma-informed leader, how do you create psychological safety, especially in your world as high-stress healthcare environments? How do you do that?

Speaker 2:

That's a good question. I prioritize open communication, definitely active listening and validating my team members and their experiences, especially here at Behavioral Health Hospital, where workplace violence is in the uproar. So my safety, the safety of our staff here, is very, very important to me. So I like to create spaces where everyone feels safe to speak up without fear of judgment or retaliation. I feel like that's very essential as a leader. It's also about modeling vulnerability within ourselves and establishing clear, consistent expectations that prioritize the well-being you know and the support of the staff.

Speaker 1:

That's great. Well, your answer was spot on, as they say. You know, it was very, very good. Now, from, let's say, a different lens you talk about a CNO lens, the chief nursing officer lens Would you, I mean, could you give some advice on how nurse leaders that are navigating this kind of change and looking to step into an executive role like a CNO, Can you share some advice around that?

Speaker 2:

Yes. So I would say build strong relationships across disciplines, develop strategic thinking, seek mentorship, in which you have personally helped me with and has been very, very eye-opening and just a great experience overall. You really just need to understand the business side of healthcare if you're trying to grow, as well as the clinical excellence. Be courageous, advocate for yourself and your team and just stay rooted in the core purpose of improving patient care and outcomes. My mother used to always tell me leadership is a marathon, not a sprint.

Speaker 1:

Now you said that just flows off the tongue so easily for you, and I say that because you are a mother of eight, a foster parent and a health executive. How do you stay grounded? How do you manage that kind of time that's constantly pulling at you?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I get that question a lot. It's all about intentionality, prioritizing quality over quantity. I would say I have to establish boundaries, obviously, and then leaning on just strong support systems here at work and in my personal life. Self-care is very crucial, whether it's mindfulness me being a mental health advocate, I'm very big on mindfulness and mental health. I try to exercise or spend time with loved ones. We're just recognizing that I don't have to do everything perfectly. It just allows me to stay centered and resilient.

Speaker 1:

I applaud you. I'm sure all of your children applaud you as well, because you're juggling, but you're doing it so well. You're used to this and it's just who you are as a person and as your essence. You're able to handle it. I so yeah, that's me, I'm. That's my applause are for for you. Now we want to talk about equity, because what you just talked about how you gotta have, you have to have equity in your time management. So, as we talk about equity of of itself now, what are some of the gaps that you see, especially because you live in this world, in the current world, in the mental health care world? How do you see the gap and how do you see it working out?

Speaker 2:

So there are some significant gaps, especially in maternal mental health. Specifically, these include disparities in access, quality of care and a cultural competent service. Services that expand access, support the community partnerships and promote diversity in healthcare workforce. I try to listen to the underserved communities and integrate their voices into the program's design. This is really key. When our patients come in, they know the answers, they know what they need. So really just having that open ear and listening and taking those ideas and transforming them into opportunities.

Speaker 1:

Let's unpack that just a little bit in your own story, right, especially your experience as a survivor, as a mentor, and you've become a source of strength for those two things. Maybe your past experience has been a source of strength and your leadership Help us understand it, because so many people have had certain things happen in their lives. Some people, they turn those into strengths. Other people, potentially, they never get it over them. How has that been a source of strength for you?

Speaker 2:

So my personal experiences have given me empathy and resilience and it reminds me of the power and hope of perseverance. You know I call it my testimony. Mentoring others is huge testimony. Mentoring others is huge. I know that I went through what I went through to help others, especially those who face similar challenges like me. It just fuels my passion to create the change. So sharing my story as a survivor of domestic violence openly helps destigmatize struggles and encourages others to find strength in their journeys as well.

Speaker 1:

That's big. That's big. So many people. They stay in those corners, they don't come out, they don't feel like society is ready to really hear that story. But it's a healing. So it's a process of healing which I'm sure that you know about, because you're dealing with people in behavioral health and you start seeing the root cause of what how they got to where they're at and where that can go. Now, with all that said and the critical skill sets that you possess, what do you think is the most critical skill set today for a chief nursing officer, as opposed to what was emphasized potentially like a decade or 10 years ago?

Speaker 2:

I would say strategic agility and technology fluency, which is you know, that was not at the forefront a decade ago A deep understanding of health care policies, and emotional intelligence, and just the ability to lead through change, especially in times of crisis. And you know, I feel like that's very critical. I feel like CNOs must be visionary leaders who can navigate complexity while maintaining a laser focus on patient care as well as staff well-being.

Speaker 1:

I love that, I love this, I like the guidance and you see the differences over time that are relevant today and I'm going to be a little selfish here because I want to know a little bit more. Or if you could give us, especially if you can lead healthcare leaders today with a core message about your journey and your experiences, what would you tell them?

Speaker 2:

Definitely lead with a purpose and authenticity. I get a lot of respect from my staff because I lead with purpose and I'm very authentic, and it helps to drive change. Remember that your impact extends beyond just clinical outcomes. It's about transforming systems, empowering your teams and building a legacy that's rooted in compassion, equity and resilience. Building a legacy that's rooted in compassion, equity and resilience.

Speaker 1:

Stay humble, be curious and just never lose sight of the human stories at the heart of the healthcare. Now, talking about the human story, are you thinking about writing any kind of book or coming out there or kind of putting your story in print, any kind of book or coming out there or kind of putting your story in print.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I am actually in the process of writing a book. I'm about 75% complete. It is about my journey and my life and my family and my children and just overall throughout healthcare. It will be a great thing. It's very self-soothing to actually put it into words. It's in my brain and just to actually put it on paper and have people read that I hope to empower other people that no matter what you've gone through, that you can still push through and be whoever it is that you want to be. The sky's the limit.

Speaker 1:

As a behavioral health professional. When you wrote this book, did you feel like a release? Did you feel like you just let go of all that past experience? What did that feel like? I did.

Speaker 2:

It's like a therapy now for me. It turned into oh, I'm going to write a book, and then it turned into. Now I'm obsessed with it because I feel a release, I feel that I'm letting it out. And not only that. I know that I was like I said before. I went through what I went through to help others and I know my purpose. So I know that this is a must and I know that this is going to help other women or men, just individuals in general, especially in a professional realm. I feel that there's a stigma sometimes that are put on health care leaders that we're supposed to be perfect, you know, we're supposed to fit in this little box, and it just shows the human side of us and what we go through on the outside, behind these doors, of being at work every single day.

Speaker 1:

I believe that and thank you for being your authentic self and bringing that to the forefront, because people relax and like okay, I can be my whole self. You've I've heard this from a lot of other people I can't be my true self at work. You know, I've got to put on this a facade for certain reason or another. But we all are human. We all have challenges. That's just reality. You know, we don't live in a fictional world, it's very, very real.

Speaker 1:

And what we deal with and how we overcome our challenges is important for other people to hear, because if you've gone through something, and now it's been, you know, a few years and you've kind of gone to the other side of that, somebody else is going up that hill and I'm sure they would be a benefit from some of that information and experience and things that they could try out to help their journey to be better than it would if they just had no idea what they would be able to do. I wanted to ask you this Now we worked together about a month ago. You've gone through my entire process now the brave framework, from your lens, your kind of before and after. What was that experience like for you?

Speaker 2:

It was very, like I said, enlightening, very eye opening. I learned some of my positive sides and some opportunities where I feel that I can grow and be better. I feel like your program not only gave me the opportunities but gave me the specifics to the opportunities and the list of what I need to do to get there. So that was very, very helpful for me. There were some things that I wouldn't have known had I not gone through your program and I feel like it's just going to grow me it already has and it's just going to help elevate me to the next level of where I'm supposed to be.

Speaker 1:

I love it. I love it and before I let you go, you got to tell people what you do, the behavioral health system that you're at. Now you know this stigma out there people like, oh no, I'm not, you know that's not for me. Help us understand and tell people, like you were saying even before, like you've got to understand where you're at or someone that you love is at and they need to get the healing that's going to help them move forward. Talk to them about what the facility is about and what you do there.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so this is a 171-bed inpatient psychiatric hospital, so we get patients that are acutely going through a mental state, most of the time acute psychosis. We also have specialized units we have a child and adolescent unit, we have a geriatric unit and we also have a Miami-Dade forensic unit where those patients stay a little bit longer. So it's all about getting them here, for they usually come in in a crisis mode. We also have a crisis emergency department for child and adolescents, as well as adults, and when they're admitted, you know it's all about stabilizing their medication, getting them the therapy that they need, the resources in the community and then the support thereafter, because it just doesn't stop. They're here for three or four days. That's not going to fix the issue.

Speaker 2:

So we're really big on community outreach. We have an outpatient program that allows our patients to come in every single day. They learn basic skills how to cook. There's a full kitchen, a living room. It teaches them how to clean, just basically how to care for a living room. It teaches them how to clean, just basically how to care for themselves, because a lot of them have to reprogram. You know their mental wiring, so to speak. So it's a fantastic facility. We help a lot of people. We have a detox unit, our health and recovery unit, where we help individuals that struggle with substance abuse. It's just a great facility to work at and we help a lot, a lot of people.

Speaker 1:

I want to thank you for that. I think a lot of people understand that, that you know there's help available if you seek it out, no matter where you're at, because we are spirit, we are mind, we're emotion and we are the physical body you can heal. You got to heal all those different levels right. I want to thank you again for being on the Foddle Brand Podcast. I want to thank you again for being a client of ours. This has been wonderful. So if someone needs to contact you especially, what do you do? And they want to get maybe a peek at that book, what's the best way?

Speaker 2:

and want to get maybe a peek at that book. What's the best way they can reach me? I'm on LinkedIn under Dr Davida Price, but am I able to give my email address? My email address is Davida Price at JHSMiami. That's D-E-V-I-T-A dot P-R-I-C-E. At JHSMiami. Feel free to reach out.

Speaker 1:

I thank you again. Dr Davida Price, I want to thank you. I can hear all your children right now. They're clapping all in the background.

Speaker 2:

I just want to say hi, these are like wonderful.

Speaker 1:

She is killing it. This is great. I want to invite your entire audience to tune into all the episodes of Follow Brand at 5 Star BDM. That is the number five. That five-star BDM. That is the number five. That is star B for brand D for development infomancerscom. I want to thank you again for being on the show.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1:

You're welcome.