What does it take to lead healthcare organizations through crisis, rising costs, workforce challenges, and constant pressure without losing sight of the people you serve?

In this episode of Worth the Work with Jason Dana Costa, Jason sits down with behavioral health executive Yonzetta Brook Tillman, PhD to explore the leadership lessons she has gained from decades of working across hospital and community-based healthcare systems.

Yonzetta shares how growing up with a strong sense of community shaped her approach to collaboration and leadership, and how early experiences in behavioral health helped develop her passion for strategic planning and public health.

She also reflects on leading through some of healthcare's most challenging moments, including 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Yonzetta explains why preparation, reliable communication, leadership presence, and trusted relationships are critical when teams are operating under intense pressure.

The conversation also explores the financial realities of healthcare leadership. Yonzetta discusses how organizations can reduce waste, improve workflows, use technology effectively, strengthen workforce planning, and control costs while still protecting the quality and humanity of patient care.

Jason and Yonzetta also discuss recruitment, retention, burnout, resource management, and the importance of keeping the mission at the center of difficult operational decisions.

Ultimately, Yonzetta explains why the work remains worth doing: the moments when patients, families, and communities experience meaningful change because someone showed up to help.

This episode is a conversation about strategic leadership, resilience, operational excellence, and remembering the human impact behind every healthcare decision.

What makes a behavioral health organization truly worth the work?

In this episode of Worth the Work, Jason Dana Costa sits down with Eric Perry, Executive Director and CEO of Avenir Behavioral Health Center, to explore what it takes to lead, rebuild, and grow in one of healthcare’s most demanding environments.

Eric shares how an early fascination with medicine and human behavior led him from clinical work as a therapist into executive leadership. He and Jason discuss the realities of behavioral healthcare, including staff retention, continuity of care, building stronger teams, and the importance of listening to the people closest to the patients.

Eric also explains why he believes a resume only gets someone through the door, how he hires for character and culture, and why some of his greatest leadership lessons came from seeing what not to do.

The conversation dives into difficult organizational decisions, including rebuilding teams, changing psychiatric provider groups, and creating a more collaborative approach to patient care. Eric also shares what Avenir’s upcoming 24-bed expansion means for the organization and the community it serves.

At its core, this episode is about building organizations where people trust each other, employees feel supported, and better operations ultimately lead to better patient care.

What does it take to build an organization that truly stays connected to the people it serves?

In this episode of Worth the Work with Jason Dana Costa, Jason sits down with Abdul-Rahmaan I. Muhammad, Founder of My People Clinical Services and President & CEO of My People Community Services, to talk about leadership, community, fatherhood, trust, and more than two decades of creating impact in Greater Hartford.

Abdul-Rahmaan shares how watching his father work as a social worker shaped his own approach to leadership, teaching him the importance of compassion, connection, and genuinely caring for people. He also reflects on launching My People Clinical Services in 2005 and how what began as a small idea quickly grew to more than 100 staff within its first year.

The conversation explores the philosophy behind the organization’s mission: “To enable My People to help Your People so that Our People will succeed.” Abdul-Rahmaan explains why lasting community impact requires people to work together, remove barriers, and remain connected to the individuals and families they serve.

Jason and Abdul-Rahmaan also discuss the realities of balancing mission and financial sustainability, adapting an organization through changing funding models, building trust in communities that have valid reasons to distrust institutions, and the importance of leaders staying close to the work rather than becoming disconnected from the people they serve.

Abdul-Rahmaan also shares the story behind The Manhood Tree, an initiative designed to create safe spaces where men can talk openly about boyhood, fatherhood, brotherhood, manhood, vulnerability, and personal growth. From Fatherhood Manologues to Brotherhood Check-Ins and the “Speak Life into a Father, Speak Life into a Son” initiative, his work creates opportunities for men to connect, encourage one another, and have conversations that often go unspoken.

The episode also touches on Abdul-Rahmaan’s own resilience through organizational challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic, kidney failure, and major health setbacks, and why he continues to wake up motivated by the belief that individuals, families, and communities can succeed.

It’s a conversation about what leadership looks like when you remain present, build trust, invest in people, and never lose sight of the community behind the mission.

What does it take to scale a healthcare organization without losing sight of the people it serves?

On this episode of Worth the Work with Jason Dana Costa, Jason sits down with Avi Wisotsky, FCAS, CEO and co-founder of RightWay ABA, to explore his journey from actuarial science and corporate consulting to building a rapidly growing ABA organization.

Avi shares the philosophy behind what he calls “scaling with care,” combining strong business operations with clinical leadership to create sustainable growth without putting quality care second. He explains why RightWay ABA has intentionally paused growth at different points to strengthen its foundation, how strategic partnerships have helped the organization expand without overextending, and why understanding what partners truly value is essential to building lasting relationships.

The conversation also explores the realities of leading a fast-growing organization, from managing teams remotely and learning to delegate to protecting culture, navigating cash flow, making difficult hiring decisions, and using data and technology to identify problems before they grow.

For Avi, growth is not simply about getting bigger. The bigger mission is creating an organization capable of providing quality therapy and making a meaningful difference for as many families as possible.

If you’re leading a growing organization, building partnerships, or trying to balance mission with operational discipline, this conversation offers practical lessons on how to grow with intention.

What if the biggest problem in healthcare isn't a lack of money, but how we choose to spend it?

In this episode of Worth the Work with Jason Dana Costa, Jason sits down with Dr. Roger Jansen, CEO and co-founder of Exponential Health, to explore what it takes to challenge a healthcare system that often puts financial performance ahead of the people it serves.

Roger brings a unique perspective as a psychologist, healthcare executive, and entrepreneur who has spent years leading large-scale change. Drawing on lessons from his mother and his experience inside major health systems, he shares why he believes healthcare needs to return to its fundamental purpose: helping people.

Together, Jason and Roger explore how Exponential Health is building an alternative healthcare model designed to make care more affordable, accessible, and focused on better outcomes. Roger explains how direct partnerships with employers, transparent pricing, and a different approach to treatment are helping his organization serve approximately 15,000 people.

But this conversation goes far beyond healthcare costs.

Roger shares his leadership philosophy built around three essential elements: people, place, and purpose. He explains why culture, trust, and shared values matter just as much as financial performance when building an organization.

In one of the episode's most personal moments, Roger reflects on losing a team member to suicide and how that experience changed the way he thinks about leadership. It reinforced the importance of seeing employees as whole people, recognizing their struggles, and making their mental and physical well-being a priority.

Jason and Roger also discuss the influence of family, the limits of financial success, and why meaningful relationships and service to others are at the heart of work that truly matters.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How Roger's upbringing shaped his approach to service and leadership.
• Why he believes traditional healthcare needs a different approach.
• How Exponential Health is working to make healthcare more affordable.
• The importance of balancing financial performance with organizational mission.
• Why people, place, and purpose are essential to building strong teams.
• How personal loss can change a leader's perspective on employee well-being.
• Why relationships, empathy, and purpose matter beyond financial success.

This conversation is a reminder that building an organization worth the work isn't simply about growth, revenue, or operational performance. It's about the people you serve, the people you lead, and the difference you make along the way.

Listen to the full episode of Worth the Work with Jason Dana Costa for a thoughtful conversation on healthcare transformation, purpose-driven leadership, and what it really means to put people first.

What makes an organization truly worth the work? For Lisa James, it comes down to connection: connection to people, teams, clients, and the communities they serve.

In this episode of Worth the Work, Jason Dana Costa sits down with Lisa James, LCSW-C, Vice President of Behavioral Health and Social Work at Chase Brexton Health Care, to explore the experiences that shaped her approach to leadership and community care.

Lisa shares how growing up surrounded by a strong extended family taught her that caring for people is a community effort. She reflects on an early lesson from her track coach that showed her the value of knowing your role, contributing your strengths, and being comfortable working alongside people who may be better than you in different ways.

Their conversation explores how healthcare systems can become more flexible and responsive to the people they serve, from giving patients greater autonomy to addressing gaps in reimbursement, data interoperability, and access to behavioral health services. Lisa also shares how listening, curiosity, and learning to speak across disciplines can help leaders build trust and create meaningful change.
Lisa also opens up about navigating grief and loss while leading, and how seeing her team step forward reinforced the importance of building trust before difficult seasons arrive. Her experience has taught her that sometimes moving slower can ultimately help everyone move forward faster.

Ultimately, Lisa believes organizations become worth the work when they are truly people-centered and connected to the communities they serve. It is not enough to simply operate in a community. Meaningful organizations become part of it.

What does leadership look like when the plan falls apart?

On this episode of Worth the Work with Jason Dana Costa, Jason sits down with David Esposito, CEO of ONL Therapeutics, to explore leadership through success, failure, uncertainty, and organizational change.

David is a healthcare executive, biotech leader, West Point graduate, and combat veteran whose career has included successful company exits as well as bankruptcies, restructurings, and controlled wind-downs. Those experiences have given him a unique perspective on what it takes to lead when the stakes are high and the answers aren't obvious.

David shares how lessons from the military still influence the way he leads today: get clear on the mission, build a plan, and be prepared to adjust when circumstances change. He and Jason discuss why leaders need the humility to admit what they don't know, how trust can be rebuilt when something goes wrong, and why taking responsibility matters even when a problem happens far from the C-suite.

They also explore the often-overlooked importance of remaining calm during a crisis. Leadership isn't about pretending everything is fine. It's about creating enough stability for a team to understand the problem, make good decisions, and move forward.

David also shares one of the simplest lessons that has stayed with him throughout his life. Growing up, his mother would tell him to "keep your chin up." Decades later, that reminder still helps him face difficult moments and rally teams around problems worth solving.

The conversation closes with a look at the future of leadership, including AI and emerging technology. While new tools may make organizations faster and more efficient, David believes the human responsibility of leadership remains: finding purpose, building relationships, rallying people around a mission, and helping teams overcome obstacles.

This is a conversation about resilience, trust, purpose, and what it really means to lead when the work gets difficult.