People Worth Caring About

Are we afraid of aging or just unsure how to talk about it? In this lively episode of People Worth Caring About, hosts Jalene and Peter dive into the often-avoided topic of aging, revealing surprising insights from both younger generations and elderly residents at senior living communities. If you’ve ever wondered how perceptions of aging shift from youth to old age, this episode is for you. Peter shares his recent experience interviewing college students and seniors, unearthing enlightening truths about how each group views aging. You’ll discover: • Why many young adults avoid the conversation about aging altogether. • The unexpected overlap in advice shared between seniors and the youth about approaching life and aging. • Insights into the field of gerontology and why understanding aging is crucial for various professions, not just caregiving. This episode isn’t just about sharing stories; it’s about transforming the way we perceive aging and the conversations we need to have. As Peter highlights, avoiding discussions about aging can lead to missed opportunities for deeper connections and understanding. Join us for this compelling exploration that challenges the stigma around aging and ignites curiosity about the inevitable journey we all face. Perfect for anyone looking to rethink their perspective on aging or seeking to foster better dialogue around it. Tune in now and let’s start the conversation! Timestamps 00:01 - Peter and Jalene open the episode. 01:01 - Jalene introduces the negative way people often talk about aging. 01:48 - Peter explains the project’s goal: bringing awareness to gerontology and the fear of discussing aging. 02:43 - Peter describes visiting retirement centers and asking residents what comes to mind when they hear “aging.” 04:08 - Peter shares that many older adults hadn’t thought about aging until arranging long-term care for a parent. 05:33 - Peter describes asking young people what their 80-year-old selves would advise them to do now. 06:19 - Advice from older adults: slow down, worry less, plan financially, and take care of your body. 07:38 - Peter shares why it can help to have difficult conversations about death and dying earlier. 08:39 - Peter explains how studying gerontology can help people understand a population they haven’t experienced yet. 09:30 - Peter discusses the professional value of understanding an aging demographic. 10:42 - Jalene asks about Dr. Julie Masters’ work and the episode closes with a teaser for part two.” Thank you for listening to “People Worth Caring About.” If you found value in this episode, please subscribe and leave a 5-star rating to help others discover these important stories. For more information and to connect with our guests, visit PeopleWorthCaringAbout.com. #HealthcareLeadership #SkilledTrades #PeopleWorthCaringAbout

Keep Going: Alicia Staley on Four-Time Cancer Survivorship, Patient Advocacy, and Building Better Clinical Research Peter Murphy Lewis sits down with Alicia Staley, Chief Patient Officer at Medidata and a four-time cancer survivor, for a conversation about identity, resilience, and why patient experience should shape healthcare technology. Alicia shares how surviving cancer four times changed the way she sees time, work, and purpose, and why she now fully embraces patient advocacy as part of who she is. They also discuss the overlooked roles that make clinical research work, the stubbornly outdated parts of healthcare that still frustrate her, and the simple message she would put on a billboard for anyone facing hard seasons: keep going. KEY TOPICS Alicia’s Four-Time Cancer Survivor Story • Processing what it means to survive cancer four times • Her first diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in college • Learning to embrace survivorship as part of her identity How Personal Experience Shapes Leadership • Connecting an engineering background with patient advocacy • Improving the experience of patients in clinical trials • Putting the right tools in front of patients at the right time The Unseen People Behind Clinical Research • Clinical research site workers • Engineers and product teams • Patient-facing staff whose work often goes unrecognized Why Healthcare Technology Feels Extraordinary • Connecting patient data across systems • Improving access to medical information • Making clinical trial opportunities easier to explore What Still Feels Outdated • Alicia’s frustration with fax machines in healthcare • How outdated communication methods can damage the patient experience Mentorship and Personal Growth • The impact of Alicia’s career coach, Jill • Learning from multiple mentors and relationships • Turning personal experiences into a resource for others A Book Worth Reading • The Magic of Thinking Big • Why Alicia recommends it to her team and others The Message She Would Put on a Billboard • “Keep going” • Resilience, persistence, and taking life one step at a time EPISODE TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Introducing Alicia Staley, four-time cancer survivor and Medidata Chief Patient Officer 01:12 – Wrestling with what it means to survive cancer four times 02:08 – How a college diagnosis reshaped her outlook on time and purpose 04:19 – Why she stopped resisting the cancer survivor identity 06:05 – Bringing an engineer’s mindset into patient advocacy 07:28 – Using technology to improve the patient experience in clinical trials 09:05 – The clinical research roles that rarely get public recognition 10:42 – How Alicia encourages and celebrates her team’s impact 13:00 – Why healthcare data integration is extraordinary 14:23 – How modern patient tools changed access to information 16:11 – Why fax machines still feel shocking in healthcare 17:57 – The value of a career coach and learning from many mentors 20:03 – Why The Magic of Thinking Big is her most recommended book 21:40 – The billboard message she would share with the world: “Keep going” ABOUT PEOPLE WORTH CARING ABOUT Thank you for listening to People Worth Caring About. If you found value in this episode, please follow the podcast and leave a 5-star rating to help others discover these important stories. For more information and to connect with our guests, visit: https://peopleworthcaringabout.com #HealthcareLeadership #PatientAdvocacy #ClinicalResearch #CancerSurvivorship #PeopleWorthCaringAbout

This episode is a personal conversation about how Peter Murphy Lewis’ unusual career path shaped the way he thinks about caregiving. Jalene and Peter discuss listening, observation, emotional resilience, and why hands-on care is one of the hardest and most undervalued kinds of work. We also touch on identity and community through sports mascots and school pride, using Nebraska and Gonzaga as examples of how symbols create connection. Key Topics: In this episode, Peter explains how working more than a hundred unusual jobs taught him to be a better listener and observer, which later translated directly into caregiving. He shares how filming a South America version of Dirty Jobs initially made him too mental and calculated, until he learned to relax and focus on the person in front of him. Peter and Jalene discuss how healthcare and long-term care are hard to “sell” because so much of the work is intangible, unlike visibly celebrated jobs like firefighter, FBI detective, or subway driver. Peter describes one of his earliest filming experiences as a gravedigger, where he moved the remains of an 83-year-old woman, and how that brought up grief about not being present for his own grandparents’ funerals. He explains that the emotional weight of that day, including becoming unable to talk near the end, prepared him for the emotional strain caregivers face. Another formative experience involved filming a woman who did handyman and repair work, then later learning she took her life six months after they became close. Peter reflects on how caregivers can pour everything into supporting someone in deep depression and still not be enough, which is part of the emotional reality of the job. Jalene asks what a full CNA shift would really be like, and Peter says he worked three full shifts during CNA training, running everywhere under a strict supervisor named Robert. He emphasizes that the hardest part of caregiving is being on your feet all day while supporting people who may be combative, confused, or unable to communicate their needs. Peter closes by saying caregiving also teaches life-changing human intangibles that make you a better spouse, parent, community member, church member, or Boy Scout. Timestamps: 00:00 - Why Peter’s unusual jobs matter for caregiving 01:06 - Learning to stop overthinking and just be present 02:39 - “Celebrated” jobs versus invisible caregiving work 05:19 - The gravedigger job that changed his perspective on grief 07:25 - A close connection that ended in tragedy 08:54 - What CNA training and three full shifts were really like 10:23 - The hardest part of being on your feet all day 11:17 - How caregiving makes you better in every part of life 12:25 - Why sports teams use mascots and identity language 13:11 - Nebraska pride as a community signal 14:15 - Why Gonzaga gear still sparks conversation Thank you for listening to “People Worth Caring About.” If you found value in this episode, please subscribe and leave a 5-star rating to help others discover these important stories. For more information and to connect with our guests, visit PeopleWorthCaringAbout.com. #HealthcareLeadership #SkilledTrades #PeopleWorthCaringAbout

This conversation looks at why the people with the most meaningful stories are often the ones least comfortable on camera. Peter and Jalene discuss how trust, relatability, and lower production pressure help surface authentic stories from direct care staff, leaders, and quiet contributors inside organizations.They also break down a practical approach to helping people tell their story, from asking better questions to framing everyday work as valuable, human, and worth caring about. Key topics In this episode, Peter Murphy Lewis and Jalene explore why ego can hurt on-camera resonance, even when someone is polished or “good” on camera. Jalene shares that the most compelling people are often the ones doing genuine work for heartfelt reasons, not for visibility. Peter explains that viewers connect most with relatability, not perfection, and that small human quirks can make someone more trustworthy on screen. Jalene gives the example of “Judy in housekeeping” - a person everyone in the organization knows is special, but who would never raise her hand to be filmed. They discuss how “share your story” is often too vague, especially for direct care staff who may think storytelling requires a grand life event. Peter says the first requirement for getting someone to open up is trust, and that the interviewer should already have a relationship with the person. Jalene emphasizes that the goal must be clear and genuinely altruistic, so the person feels they are sharing for the mission, not being used for content. They suggest making the setting feel safer by reducing production pressure, including fewer people in the room, minimal lighting, and starting with familiar voices. Peter pitches a powerful leadership concept: record executives talking about an important caregiver before revealing that the caregiver is in the room to hear it. They reflect on how long-term care stories often become most meaningful around postmortem care, family presence, gratitude, and forgiveness. Timestamps (00:00) Why the most interesting people often avoid the camera (01:20) Ego, relatability, and what viewers immediately notice (02:40) Finding the quiet storytellers inside an organization (03:51) Why “share your story” is too vague for most people (04:54) Trust first - why the relationship has to come before the recording (05:40) Reducing pressure with fewer people and less production (06:25) Making a camera feel safe for someone who has never been on one (07:21) A leadership video idea that honors an unnamed caregiver (08:13) Revealing the caregiver in the room for a genuine reaction (09:41) Helping leaders and staff discover their “why” through a before-and-after story (11:37) Postmortem care, family presence, and why these stories matter (12:52) The beauty of work that long-term care rarely talks about Thank you for listening to “People Worth Caring About.” If you found value in this episode, please subscribe and leave a 5-star rating to help others discover these important stories. For more information and to connect with our guests, visit PeopleWorthCaringAbout.com. #HealthcareLeadership #SkilledTrades #PeopleWorthCaringAbout

In this episode, Peter Murphy Lewis and Jalene share behind-the-scenes insights from filming a documentary with frontline caregivers at the Capitol, highlighting the power of storytelling in advocacy and leadership. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to filming with frontline caregivers 00:07 The challenge of directing on the run 00:33 Experiencing the Capitol filming journey 01:20 The group's humility and lack of ego 02:03 Capturing organic, emotional moments 03:07 Unexpected insights during interviews 04:22 Pulling footage together around a journey theme 06:10 The physical and emotional journey from Nebraska to DC 07:07 Caregivers' transformation from timid to empowered 08:27 Impactful moments with legislative staff 10:37 Authentic interactions and genuine interest 11:53 Caregivers' understanding of the association's role 12:34 Strategies for sharing the story effectively 14:03 Engaging caregivers through social media and email 15:58 Lessons learned from on-the-fly filming challenges 16:32 Reflections on communication and coordination 17:08 Humor and candid moments on set 19:04 Final thoughts and next steps for advocacy storytelling Thank you for listening to “People Worth Caring About.” If you found value in this episode, please subscribe and leave a 5-star rating to help others discover these important stories. For more information and to connect with our guests, visit PeopleWorthCaringAbout.com. #HealthcareLeadership #SkilledTrades #PeopleWorthCaringAbout