The Let's Get Comfy Podcast

We sit down with nurse leader Jennifer Eddings to explore how joy, vulnerability, and a therapy dog named Fletcher rebuild trust and morale in stressed hospital teams. From pandemic whiplash to family dynamics at the bedside, we share practical ways to lead with grace.

• origin of “chief spirit officer” and therapy dog Fletcher
• why nursing: people first, supporting a family
• pandemic culture shift and staff mora...

Feeling “off” isn’t a personality trait—it’s data your body is handing you. We sit down with Dr. Oemil Rodriguez, hormonal nutrition specialist and co-founder of Melo Wellness Center, to explore how midlife health can be calmer, clearer, and far more joyful when you align hormones, sleep, and sustainable habits.

We dig into the mindset shift that turns 40 and beyond into an opportunity: optimize hormones, protect brain and...

What happens when survival turns into purpose?

In this deeply moving episode of Let’s Get Comfy, we sit down with Karen McGinnis Vaughn, CRPS, a Tampa native whose life is a testament to resilience, recovery, and redemption. After more than two decades battling substance use disorder, homelessness, incarceration, suicide attempts, and profound personal loss, Karen made a life-altering decision that changed everything.

Her turning poi...

Season three opens with heart, humor, and hard-won wisdom as we sit down with two leaders who live at the intersection of care and creativity: Robin Blyer of RB Health Partners and Dr. Walter Kittle, clinician-turned-international recording artist. We start with gratitude for the community that built this platform, then dig into what actually moves the needle in skilled nursing: culture, continuity, and practical systems that help ...

What changes when women stop asking to fit in and start leading on their own terms? We sat down with three powerhouse voices—a military leader and coach, an immigrant executive and leadership mentor, and a nonprofit director—to unpack how care, clarity, and courage can rewrite the rules at work, at home, and in the public square. The question “What if a woman were President?” becomes a springboard to explore real leadership: thinki...

What does it really take to lead when the room wasn’t built for you? We sit down with three women shaping healthcare and senior living—from a statewide association CEO to a dementia-focused executive director to a nurse development leader—to talk about standards, service, and the stories that forge resilient leadership. No slogans. Just the truth about being quizzed harder than male peers, showing up prepared, and choosing humility...

What does real leadership look like when you strip away the optics and keep the heartbeat? In this episode of the CMC Media Women’s Panel series, Miranda Johnson and Yasmine Gardiner sit down for an honest, energizing conversation about women leading with purpose—building tribes that empower, scaling without burnout, and defining legacy on their own terms.

Miranda Johnson, founder and CEO of Mirajo Collective (https://www.miraj...

What if long-term care wasn’t defined by stigma or red tape, but by dignity, design, and measurable excellence? In this powerful episode of the CMC Media Women’s Panel, moderator Dr. Yvette Guzman, DNP, leads a transformative conversation with Deborah Franklin, MHA, NHA, and Dr. Kelly Smith, PhD, CLSSBB, CPHQ, CDP—three leaders proving that skilled nursing and post-acute care can be both compassionate and high-performing.

💡 Inside ...

Start with the better question: when, not if. That single shift unlocks a charged, deeply practical conversation about women’s leadership, the cultural myths that gatekeep power, and the concrete moves that help people flourish at work and beyond. We sit down with Dr. Shirley Davis and Pamala McCoy to blend lived experience, HR expertise, and entrepreneurial grit into a toolkit you can actually use.

We trace the spark that...

We dive into the world of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) with Dr. Mehra, Osteopathic Medical Director of Evolutionary Healthcare. Recorded live at the Florida Healthcare Conference, this demonstration reveals how OMT effectively treats chronic back pain in ways other specialties often miss.

• Dr. Mehra explains why OMT qualifies as a specialty requiring significant time to master
• Live demonstration of sacru...

A healthcare revolution is brewing in post-acute care facilities, and it starts with understanding the challenges from the inside out. Dr. Hussien Ballout, a Florida geriatrician, noticed something troubling at nursing homes near his hospital. Residents were stuck in a "revolving door" of emergency visits for issues that simple medical oversight could have prevented. After becoming medical director at one such facility in...

Joshua Wagner, Divisional Director at Aviata Health Group and Senior Vice President of the Florida Health Care Association, shares his journey from aspiring physician to healthcare leader and how embracing his purpose transformed his career trajectory.

• Born and raised in Florida, began in pre-med before discovering his calling in health services administration

• Brings over a decade of leadership experience across healthcare o...

Edward Estes, Regional Account Executive at Pruitt Health, shares his journey with the healthcare organization and explains their comprehensive services across multiple states. His passion for healthcare stems from personal experience and a desire to help others, demonstrating how Pruitt Health embodies their family-oriented approach to patient care.

• Pruitt Health began as a pharmacy over 50 years ago and now provides co...

Wound care expert Matt Smith from Gentel reveals how they're transforming senior care through comprehensive staff education and innovative products like collagen-based dressings and honey-based solutions from their new acquisition, ManukaMed.

• Gentel is the leading wound care company in the US and globally, manufacturing and distributing their own complete line of advanced wound care supplies
• Collagen-based pro...

Analytics expert Dov Greenberg, founder of Boosted Analytical, reveals how data management transforms skilled nursing facility operations and improves patient care. Specializing in Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) compliance, Greenberg demonstrates how proper data handling directly impacts star ratings, reimbursement, and ultimately the quality of care provided to residents.

• Processing millions of rows of data to track staffi...

Joy McMillan transforms healthcare compliance from a reactive scramble to a proactive partnership through her firm, JAD Infection Control Experts. As she explains during our engaging conversation at the Florida Healthcare 2025 Annual Conference, her approach helps organizations address regulatory requirements while genuinely improving patient safety and quality outcomes.

With credentials that would make most professionals&...

CHE Behavioral Health Services provides mental health support to seniors in skilled nursing facilities through a holistic, client-centered approach that addresses past trauma and current challenges. Their 31-year expertise helps facilities meet compliance requirements while delivering compassionate care through psychiatry and psychology services.

• Dr. Phyllis Kennedy Howell (National Clinical Director of Psychiatry) and H...

Julie Morris, President of the Florida Healthcare Association Board of Directors and Vice President of Operations for Aston Health, shares her 30-year journey in long-term care and her vision for improving senior care in Florida through advocacy, innovation, and mentorship.

• Worked in long-term care for 30 years with extensive experience in multi-site operations
• Served on the Florida Healthcare Association board for...