Healthcare CEO Plans Medical School While Playing in Rock Band

[0:16]  He went from fronting a rock band to leading a 1.2 billion healthcare system, all while raising two set of twins. Um, Christopher, I don't know where you had the time to do all these things, man, but once you stood on a stage with a mic and now you're behind a boardroom table with a mission. When did you actually realize your calling wasn't just music, but it was actually truly medicine?

[0:36]  Yeah. You know, it's it's it was sort of uh not my my life plan at the time. Uh, you know, my my dad was a chemist and a chemical engineer. My mom's a teacher and uh, you know, they kind of pushed me into maybe thinking about one of the STEM fields. uh back when I was growing up, they thought that would create a lot of opportunities for me. And uh I think really when I went to college, I started off as a chemistry major and I think uh I worked my first summer in a lab and it was me and another guy and we would set up something and you know just sort of sit around for waiting for a couple hours and I just realized I was much more a people person and I needed that connection uh to uh to people and I sort of very at the end of college pivoted to thinking about medicine as a way to kind of tie in my education to date and also So, uh, kind of into a field, you know, where where I'm able to be with people and, um, you know, by my my parents when I told them at first, they were like, "Oh my gosh, you're going to ruin your life. Doctors are on call on the weekends and all all this kind of stuff." But, uh, it's just been a fantastic journey and uh, you just able to connect with so many people over my career and uh, it's it's been super rewarding.

[1:48]  So, I ask you, man, there's always something that you learn from your past career and I don't know if it's really your past career. You probably still play music now, but what did what did music teach you?

[1:58]  Yeah, mu music taught me um you know a ton. There's there's so many coralaries between business and leadership and and and music. Uh the first is discipline. In order to play uh music on a high level, you have to do it every single day. You've got to um put in the time and really learn your craft. Um the other is uh you know it it's you have to learn how to listen. uh you know because I think when musicians are first starting out you're you you're concentrating on what you're playing but then as you go in your journey as a musician you realize great musicians are listening to those they're playing with and how they're fitting into that. Um as I was playing jazz is really that conversation and playing back and forth with people and improvising and uh you have to do so much of that as a leader. uh if I'm just the talking head and telling people what to do and I'm not listening and I'm not interacting with others in a truly meaningful way, I'm not going to be as effective as a leader. And then like on the high level, like you you think about playing in a symphony orchestra, uh you could have, you know, 60 fantastic talented musicians, but if that conductor doesn't get everybody playing in sync, it'll sound like a mess. So really, you have to as as sort of the leader, you've got to get all sorts of talented people in different areas all working together and going in the same direction. And and that's not unlike uh you know, conducting a symphony uh or coaching a coaching a team of all stars. You know, it's a very similar thing. It's like you could have great athletes, but if they're not playing together in sync, uh it's you're not going to get the you're not going to get the win.

[3:34]  Correct. Correct. You know, a lot of leaders find something to reset their mind. Minds is plants. I'm a plant dad. So, whenever I just need to relax, let me get into some plants, repot, and I'm good. But is your relaxation, that mindset reset, is it music? Is that what you do when you just want to shut off and kind of get back in tune with yourself? De

[3:53]  definitely it is definitely music. Uh, you know, I I start every day. I, you know, a lot of people go out for a jog or do this or that. My routine is I turn on the news and I, you know, grab an instrument and I'm just, you know, playing for a while and I kind of gets me grounded. And then in the evening too, it's almost like in place of like a meditation for me. It's playing that music just sort of just make sets everything right. I can put away the noise of the day and uh really just ground myself uh back. Uh so it's I always joke I say music is my Prozac, you know, it keeps me sane, keeps me going. But uh but I I couldn't imagine not having that in my life. Yeah.

[4:32]  And you say instruments, what kind of instruments are you playing?

[4:34]  So when I started off, I was a very very serious trumpet player. Uh so that was my main uh instrument really up until about uh five or six years ago when I had a health issue. Um you know, the trumpet you really have to blow very hard and I ended up with like a a hernia in my throat and I had to quit playing. Um, so I had always played several other instruments but not as seriously. But, uh, now I've gravitated. I play a lot of bass. I play a lot of guitar, play some keys. I'm doing a lot of vocals. Uh, so so that's, uh, that's kind of how I've, uh, moved. So I play all sorts of different instruments, but uh, yeah,

[5:10]  you're making me feel like I'm not doing enough. Let me show you something.

[5:16]  I've had this guitar forever and a day and I don't know how to play it, okay? Hey, but I love the sound of the guitar. I've tried to learn and you're telling me you're just here picking up all these instruments. Like, maybe I'm not doing enough. Okay, that's funny.

[5:31]  I I love the color of this guitar. It was gifted to me, so that's why I never give it away. Some broken strings and it's Yeah, it's a beautiful guitar. I broke one already, but I've always wanted to learn. And I'll tell you a funny story. When it comes to music,

[5:42]  I love music. I love to turn on music, not play music. Clearly, I can't play it, but I love to listen to music. that is to me is when I'm cleaning the house, when I'm in my zone, let give me some good music and and and that's it.

[5:54]  Um, but when I was a um I don't even know why I was going to Starbucks music actually. I I'll come back to it cuz I was just telling you about music. I totally forgot why the hell I was going to mention, but no, this is cool, man. And in in doing what you've done, you also got two set of twins, man. Like,

[6:09]  did that make life a little more challenging? And what are some of the things you had to overcome in that stage of your life? you know, you keep thinking it's going to get uh easier as they get older, but it's just new challenges, different different issues. But I I do have to say when they were because they're only three years apart almost to the day. They were born July 3rd and a July 5th. So, uh when we had four in diapers and Oh my gosh, it was it was it was insane the chaos. And and

[6:34]  wait a minute, Chris, you said you had a set of twins July 3rd and another set of twins July.

[6:39]  Three years later. Three years later. Yeah. So I had my but the first set were July 5th and then three years almost. Yeah. So they were almost all share the same birthday. So we've got their birthdays coming up here. Uh but you know we were lucky that I we had a lot of family support and uh friends and and we we were able to get through it. But it it is chaos you know and I I think part of uh you know what it taught me is don't sweat the small stuff, right? I think a lot of people freak out about the small stuff and when you're absolutely overwhelmed you focus on what really matters. Uh and I think that's that's a big thing. And the other thing is I think how I got into operations at you know in my career you know leadership career as starting off was uh you know having four two sets of twins four kids. It's like finding that order out of the chaos. That's what operations is. It's really trying to find order in the chaos and uh getting things working. So, uh, but yeah, it was it's been it's been a crazy journey. Now we're like, uh, you know, my older two are, you know, dating and thinking about driving and, you know, it's it's just different, you know, thinking about colleges and all that that kind of stuff. But, uh, yeah, it's just bigger problems. But,

[7:50]  I'm still stuck that you said both their birthdays or all four of the birthdays are literally two days from each other. Like, you're broke at least that first week of July. Like,

[7:58]  you got birthdays, birthday gifts. Like is there a point where you actually said, "You know what? Let's just celebrate all you guys together." Are you guys doing that?

[8:06]  We we had done that for years. We would have a big kind of Fourth of July party and celebrate all of them, but now they want their own day celebrated, you know, with their own friends. And so we're going through that. My daughter's got a big sweet 16 party we're planning here. And I'm like, "Oh my gosh." So yeah, it's uh it is crazy. When they were little, they they thought the the fireworks were for their birthday. They didn't realize, you know, it would have had a bigger meaning, but yeah,

[8:31]  big celebration. Yeah. No, I kind of go back to that music. I remember the story now, actually, as I was I was you were talking. It was that um the first instrument I ever played was a clarinet and not because I wanted to. It's because because I had other siblings and my sister was playing clarinet. That's what she passed down to me. So, I get into band and my mom said, "Well, take your sister's clarinet." And I only lasted two weeks because I hated the clarinet. I didn't want to play it. And the band instructor caught me running around the band room. I really wanted to play trumpet. I wanted to play drums. My mom, you know, we just wanted a place to afford it. But, uh, yeah, man. That's why I've never got to learn any instruments. I got kicked out of band really early on in my life. So, I got

[9:10]  too late. It's never too late.

[9:13]  What I did do, I was a singer. People don't realize, um, I spent probably four years in chorus. Now, if someone asks me to sing, I'm like, I'm not a singer. But I got friends that used to go to school. If they're like, "Ephra, stop playing, man. You sing." I'm like,

[9:24]  "No, no, no. I don't do that anymore, man. I don't do that anymore."

[9:28]  No, but cool, man. I I love that there were still there's things that you still find love in today. And I think uh we mentioned it offline. This is probably the one of the biggest surprise you mentioned yesterday you you had the ability to actually play with a band, but I'm pretty sure when people see you as a leader and uh you're starting to play this music and you're playing instruments, they're like, "Wait a minute, Chris is actually doing this." And you just

[9:49]  It is funny. A lot of people came up to me yesterday and they didn't realize Yeah. We had a really fun Juneenth celebration and they had a band and I I sat in on a number, played a blues tune and sang and played the guitar and it it was really pretty funny and I I think um what a lot of people don't realize is you know leaders are people too, right? And and I think it just it brings that authentic authenticity and just like I'm just a regular person. I do other things too. It's you know I'm just not this talking head in an office. Yeah. So, uh, it really, I think, grounds grounds that.

[10:22]  Yeah. And I'm like you, man. Outside of this, um, people will be very surprised on the energy I give to wrestling. I'm standing on chairs. I'm I'm screaming. And I had a friend that says, "Aren't you too grown for that?" I'm like, "Man, be quiet." Okay. I love wrestling. Stop judging me. Okay.

[10:38]  That's right. That's right.

[10:40]  But I ask you, man, you could have gone anywhere, but something about Mary Washington Healthcare really pulled at your heart. what what was the uh the soul of the place that spoke to you that leads you still to be doing this um this amount of time?

[10:51]  Yeah, I you know I I love it here. I love the community. I mean I think at at the core and you know a lot of nonprofit hospital systems, you know, they they invest in their community and they have have strong missions and great missions, but here it just was a little bit different. It was truly part of the DNA uh of this health system, this community is really to make sure our entire community has care and and great care. Um and that is what my entire team even long before I got here. But that that was just part of the DNA and it's what drives me every day is how can we provide excellent health care for our entire community regardless of ability to pay, regardless of whatever walk of life uh you know or situation you're in. We want to make sure uh we are here to care for everybody and that that just speaks to to kind of my moral fiber and and kind of you know what drives me. Um the community is is interesting. We're you know we're about an hour south of DC, hour north of Richmond. Uh a lot of history here, Revolutionary War history. Uh Civil War battles uh you know occurred here. But um within a month of of living here, you could just see there were a lot of community folks that cared just very deeply. uh were very involved in, you know, uh charitable organizations and it was just this tight-knit community that that cared and it was uh that I think that's fantastic.

[12:11]  No, 100%, man. To be to be in that kind of community with so much history is always amazing and continue to leave your legacy. I'm pretty sure that's exactly what you're doing at this point. Yeah.

[12:19]  And you also talked about last time leading with empathy and still being visible. Do you remember that time when you had to show up for your team and really no one really expected it?

[12:28]  Yeah. you know, as as a leader, um, you know, I think one of the biggest things of the calling of leadership is the impact you can have on, uh, so many people outside of just your organization, but those who work for you. I mean, we spend so many hours a day at work, uh, you know, and we have team members and we want to make this a fantastic place and, uh, where people feel, uh, called to come and and want to throw themselves in and all of us have issues in our lives. We have family issues. We have, you know, um, all sorts of things, health issues, and you just really want to be an authentic leader that understands, uh, that that my team are people, too, and they deal with these things and be that supportive environment where we can all just support each other and, uh, care for each other and, uh, get through some difficult times on the work side. Uh, healthcare is not an easy business. It's a extremely complicated and and tough business. Uh, and just that supporting each other I think is a big part of it.

[13:26]  Hey, real quick. If you enjoying the podcast, we first want to say thank you. And we also just want to give you a little insight of what we're up to at Francis. Some don't even realize that we're working with organizations to help them use AI to create that real human communication experiences. Whether that's actually supporting your your families, those patients, or the entire community, we're actually creating tech that connects. Check it out. Francis.ai. AI and who do you give kudos to? I mean, you're in the seuite space now, but who first taught you what leadership with um leading with heart actually looked like? Do you remember? Do you recall those individuals that really gave you that?

[14:04]  Well, really, I think it's like three different tiers. Uh you know, first of all, my parents, you know, I I was lucky to grow up in a family where uh a super loving family with two parents who are still a huge part of my life. uh who supported me through everything and provided that example of what being a good person is is and and how to give your all and how to give more than you take. Uh you know so I I started you know really from an early foundation learning from my family. Um you know I grew up in a pretty small town and uh you know as I moved on and go went to college and stuff it's you can kind of get a little bit lost in the shuffle. Uh and um early on I had a music uh professor at at my college who uh you know sort of she was larger than life person you know like she she and she's a connector and and she really helped me find my voice right she pulled me out of my shell and uh and you know she she taught me how to you know kind of give and and not be you know kind of nervous or a wallflower or you know like how to how to just break out of my shell and uh and that really led me on in many different ways. She gave me confidence, I think. And then um as I was making the move from being a practicing physician to uh leadership, which was really a difficult uh decision, and I wasn't sure if I was making the right decision, but uh my first job uh you know, uh the CEO of the the hospital in Pennsylvania, John Moran, he he sort of took me under his wings and you know, I was a newly minted MBA. I had all these great ideas. I knew, you know, the book stuff, right? but to put it in practice and to learn from somebody who had decades of experience and who really took the time to uh um share their experiences uh and and that firsthand uh knowledge to me was super meaningful and uh I think it's allowed me to get to where I am today uh you know and may not have allowed me to make that jump from physician to hospital operations health system operations had I not been for John too so lot of lot of important people Yeah.

[16:08]  Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No. 100%. Um it's always it's always cool to go back and even if we don't talk to those people, it's always cool to just mention their names when whenever we can. Never know they're watching, right? I have I have

[16:20]  I have some leaders myself, man, that I I don't speak to like that, but they were really good in my time where I was this young just head. Oh, man. And I remember these conversations with some of these directors I used to have. But now that I look back, they just had the best interest in heart at heart, you know. Um, but in the moment we we're not thinking like that, you know. We had to really find those people to really talk to us. And what I love is that you mentioned people just making people feel like they want to come to work,

[16:49]  you know. And I feel like as a leader, you see it time and time again where they feel undervalued. And I think that's what really kind of happened in the health care space during the pandemic. people just felt overworked, under, you know, undervalued. And we've seen so many people leave, you know, also they were doing work they probably

[17:05]  didn't want to do, you know, but now we're in a space that I think that technology is is taking on on a lot of those admin tasks, doing a lot of the things that people hate to do and allowing more people to do what they love. Um, are you guys kind of on that wave of implementing AI technology that can actually do that for um your staff and your team?

[17:24]  We are. I'm spending a lot of time uh you know researching and looking at that space. We've implemented a a few things. One of the most difficult things I think for nurses and doctors is the electronic medical record which is uh you spend half your time typing in it hours and hours a day and that time should be focused on the patient and what you were trained to do and caring for people. And if anybody who's been to a doctor appointment just knows how annoying it is as you're trying to talk to your doctor or the nurse and and they're like with their back to you typing into the computer and uh the doctors hate that too. And then they often have two hours of continuing to type stuff in in the evening. So a lot of health systems including ours have implemented this new AI technology where uh it listens to your visit and it populates that note uh for you and it puts the the correct things in the correct places um and it takes away uh all that data entry so that clinicians can get back to uh being with uh with with patients. Um, but it's funny there there's things that I saw demoed uh, you know, a year ago that I was thinking, "Oh, that's it's almost like science fiction." And you're thinking, "Oh, that'll be five ten years from now." And now it's like a year later is is ready for prime time. They have these chat bots that are essentially nurses chat bots that will uh, you know, talk to patients, get them scheduled, make sure they're on the right medications, and if somebody's lonely, just talk to them, you know, about different things. and then the next time it calls you like a month later, it'll remember what you were talking about and where you left off. And it's just astounding to see that that we're at a situation uh like like that. But I agree with you. You know, I think the hope the promise of AI is it's going to take a lot of these uh nonvalue ad uh sort of just custodial tasks that everybody hates to do, take that off of our plates so that we're able to get back to uh our connection with people and our patients. that that's the hope. Um, but you know there there there could be risk out there with super intelligence and everything else too. You know I I grew up watching Terminator and the Matrix like okay

[19:34]  that's why you bring Terminator. Somebody brought up uh I Robot the other day and I was like yeah those all good movies man that uh it's it's happening. It's here. You know, when you think about we are selling or Elon Musk going to start selling robots.

[19:47]  Yeah. You know, I know it's

[19:48]  you can have. So, it's like crazy times, man. Just really

[19:52]  I was in Phoenix a couple months ago and you see these Whimos driving around everywhere without people, you know, like they're just self-driving cabs and you're like, how are It's like it's like some a science fiction movie and I would watch when I was a kid. Yeah. It's crazy. I yell at my friend all the time because he likes to drive his Tesla

[20:08]  and I and I'm talking to him and I can tell that he's not listening because he's doing something but he should be driving, right? And I said, "Sir, what are you doing?" He's like, "I'm editing a video." Sir, if you don't focus on the road, what are you talking about? Right? People are so reliant on this technology. And I think that we're going to have a lot of young leaders that are going to get into this healthcare space and says, "Where the where's the AI?" Right? They're already learning it. Where's the AI here? like we need technology which is a good and a bad thing but it it shows that we have to kind of adapt to the next generation. Um you know when we thought social media wasn't going to take over I mean the internet was going to take over now I mean we can't live without internet and and Wi-Fi so yeah definitely crazy times man but it's cool to see that you guys are in the space of how do we implement AI to make lives easier for us to do the things that we we truly love. So that's actually pretty cool on that sense, man. But thinking about where you're at today, man, what do you what does the next five years look like for you? What are you trying to accomplish? Whether it's a personal, whether it's within the organization.

[21:10]  Yeah. Within the organization, you know, as I've come into the CEO role, you know, we're I'm in the middle of developing that five-year strategic plan, and I I like to think bold, you know, I like I'm I'm trying to think big. Uh so things that we're working on, we're uh first one of the big problems in healthcare is we don't have enough workers. We don't have enough uh doctors, nurses, therapists, pharmacists, you name it, we don't have it uh to serve the the needs of our community. So um we're going to start doing that ourselves. So um I'm in the midst of planning a a medical school. Uh you know, we might be able to tailor in a school of pharmacy. We've uh worked very closely with uh our community college on on nursing program expansion. And so we we are converting from a community health system to an academic health system. That is sort of the the vision of the next five years so that we can and the other things it can do is integrate more sophisticated higherend care. Uh it can integrate hopefully these new technologies. It'll provide the chassis for research development. uh maybe even AI incorporation into into the health care space and then training the next generation of physicians and doctor nurses and and other uh healthcare professionals. So, it's a big investment. It's a big uh move, but uh our community is very very rapidly growing here in in the Northern Virginia area and uh we have to grow with our community to make sure that everybody gets the healthcare they need.

[22:36]  I love it. Yeah. and especially now um I see that you're really growing out for the next 5 years. We're in tough times right now. Uh you know what are some of the challenges that you're seeing? Things that I'm hearing when I think about today's is that people are in fear to go to the hospital now or to go to their doctor's visits not knowing if they're going to get back home or not, right? Um it's it's and it's it's affecting the nonprofit and the health care space, but it's just affecting families in general. What are some of the things that you guys are doing to make sure that you guys help those people that are living in that kind of fear space?

[23:07]  We want to make sure our community knows that we're a we're a safe space. We are the safe space where you can come. Uh we do not want to uh be in a situation where people are not getting life-saving health care uh out of fear of their documentation status or or or or that sort of thing. So we we are not uh you know uh we're not law enforcement uh and law enforcement has important uh job and uh but that that's not what we we do and we certainly have to cooperate but uh we want our community to know that we are a safe space uh you know we there's confidentiality uh when you talk to your health care provider um we're not reporting anybody to anywhere um and you what the last thing we want is somebody to have a bad health health outcome because they're afraid to come to the health system for care when they need it. So,

[23:56]  that's good to hear. That's good to hear.

[23:58]  I don't know that I've spoken to another healthcare leader that's put in that space, you know, in that uh that way of, hey, we're here. It's confidential. We're not just telling your business. So, hey, he's here, come get him type stuff, you know, we're not working with law enforcement to so that's actually good, man. Um, and with you playing so many roles and I would say living so many lives, you're musician, a doctor, a father, a CEO, what's that throughine that's never really changed for you?

[24:25]  Um, you know, I think no matter when you see me or what what aspect of my life, you could see me out playing with my rock band, you could see me here at Hustle, you're always going to get the same person, right? You know, uh, I I'm just uh try to be just me and and try to be authentic and try to be warm and and inviting. Uh, one of the things I just like the most, you know, like I said, I I love people. That's probably what drew me to what I what I do. But I love people from all sorts of diverse backgrounds. They have everybody has a cool story to tell you. You can learn so much from people. And um, you know, so I think you're always going to get the same Chris Newman. No matter where you are, what you're doing, you're going to get the same person. So, and I hope

[25:04]  I love that, Chris.

[25:05]  Yeah.

[25:06]  I love that that you said you're always going to be true, authentic yourself.

[25:09]  Yeah.

[25:10]  Why is that so important as a leader? cuz I I sometimes I come across leaders man and I can see the sense of you're putting on this mask that is not really you but why is it important in a leadership perspective

[25:21]  you know I think a lot of leaders end up doing that it it's based out of insecurity right you know uh you have to have the security to be your authentic self right you have and and that's like I what I said bringing back to Cheryl Boga my music college teacher right she taught me to be just be you you know it's good enough right just be you and uh and broke me out of my shell back when I was you know 18 years old and and uh you know and really gave me that confidence and and you know it it's hard pretending to be somebody you're not. I think that that takes a lot of time and energy and I think it it turns people off. Uh especially those that work for you, they can pick that up really quickly. Um uh those that are around you and those that you're trying to lead, those that you're trying to serve. Uh, so I just really encourage people to be their authentic self and having the courage to be your authentic self.

[26:13]  Yep. It to everyone that's really listening right now, Chris, that probably feels maybe they're late to the game, what would you actually tell them about timing or let them know about timing?

[26:25]  Yeah, it is. It is definitely never too late. you know, I mean, you there's there's all sorts of great stories of people who founded great businesses when they were at the end of their lives or, you know, or certainly were were much older, but you know, I never contemplated leadership in any way. And, uh, you know, I I made that switch and that journey in my 40s. uh you know and on the music side not when I wasn't even trying uh you know I wrote I wrote a song at the age of 50 that got national radio play on SiriusXM right you know so it's like never you know when I was trying to do that in my 20s it didn't happen right and then and then it just happens so it's never too late uh do what you know drives you and passion you know who knows what my next chapter will be right you know I've I've never been in a situation where I've been able to predict where I'd be in five years, you know, like people say, but it's always surprising and it's never what I would have expected. Uh, you know, I would have never expected to be here in this role five years ago. And it's so it's it's it's interesting. I think life's a journey. Just go along with it. And if you want to try something new, just do it. Yeah. Have the courage to do it.

[27:33]  I I would actually kind of add on to that. So, I I know a leader. He was the um he used to work for Subway headquarters. He was his chief development officer. Like you, a rockstar, right? It kind of got him in trouble though. That's where the drugs and alcohol. Now I think he's like 40 years sober. Um, and he retired and now he's back working with some of those same members back at their radio station they once started at when they were really young and now he's a dish jockey and he loves it and he's on the radio now and he's talking about music and he's probably 60 plus years old maybe hitting that 70. But it's just cool man to know it never leaves you. But I got to ask Chris. Yeah. Which one do you love most, man? Is it is it the medical field or is it the rockstar world? Which one? I put you on the hot seat.

[28:19]  You know, I used to say I was a musician or rock star that happened to be a doctor on the side, you know, early on. But, uh, now it is it is so integrated. I mean, I I I am a musician, I am a physician, and I am a leader. They're all I'm all those things. And and you know, it's hard to know where one stops and the other ends. You know, it's just who I am. It's like saying, is my right arm or my left arm more important? you know, it's it it is all who I am and uh um and I love it. You know, I you know, sometimes I'll leave work and go ahead to play a gig and you know, it's just it just keeps you going. It's it's all fun and it's all exciting.

[28:53]  I love it. Well, as a a father, man, um just as a parent in general, we understand that life is not about us. We have kids that are are probably not listening to us, but they're definitely watching us, right? They don't listen good, but they definitely watch everything dad and mom are doing. What what do you want your kids to think about of of Chris when they think Chris and they talk about their dad? What are some of the things that you wish that qualities of yourself you wish that they're seeing when they speak on?

[29:20]  Yeah. I I think I I hope they they see I'm caring being a caring person. Uh really caring about everybody, caring about uh you know I I think in the balance sheet of life you want to give more than you take. Um, you know, I think that's and that's what I hope my kids learn is give of yourself more than than you take throughout your life. Uh, think about others. Uh, put others ahead of yourself. So, I think that's that's probably the the key thing. The other is, you know, life is hard, life's competitive. Uh, you really always have to give 100%. you know, you you really, you know, right now my kids are at the point, you know, I got teenagers and, you know, they're dialing it a little bit at times and I'm trying to keep them uh more diligent and doing your best. I always say do your best. Your best is good enough. You know, that that you just have to do your best. So, I hope I hope I'm my leading by example. You know, it's when I was didn't have kids, I I think I overestimated how uh parents could shape their kids, but they boy, some of the times they pop out of the wounds with their personalities and their ways and you know, there's just a limit to uh parenting. But what I think as I've gone on, as my kids got older, what I think that the thing is creating that that that safe and loving environment where they feel uh um that really they have that safety and that loving family and then uh the example you provide and you just hope that they they follow a path uh that that's authentic to them and uh that you know they really give more than they take.

[30:49]  Any of them into music? Any of them following dad in the rockstar life?

[30:53]  All of them. Yeah, they are all super super into mute music. It's it's funny. Uh

[30:59]  when uh my my three girls uh you know they were they were very very young. It was probably six or seven years ago. And I I heard this beautiful three-part harmony singing, you know, like and they're like five and eight, you know, and I'm coming downstairs. I'm like, "What is that?" I thought it was a recording. And it was the three girls singing in in three-part harmony. And I'm like, "Holy cow." Uh but uh yeah, they play violin, cello, and viola. the three girls, they uh very serious dancers, very serious singers. Uh and then my son is uh he's he's a rocker. He plays electric guitar and uh he loves that. So, uh so they all are very musical and that's a big part of of their lives, too.

[31:39]  I love it, man. I am a wrestling fan, so I wrestle with my kids and one day, hopefully the kids one day, hey, dad, I want to pick up wrestling and I'll be the manager. I'm the hype guy on the back end, man. But um it it's cool, man. It's cool to to see that um you just spread love. You just spread yourself. Um you you're yourself and I think it's always people do business with people as you mentioned when they're their authentic selves and people can read through that.

[32:03]  Um so it's cool that you're teaching your kids that you're teaching your kids be yourself. Love what you love as well. Um always the wrestling, right? It's funny thing. I actually called my friends recently because

[32:15]  I remember them coming to my house and they saying, "You're still watching wrestling? Aren't you too grown for that?" And I'm sitting here like, and then they'll say that it's fake, right? And I'm like, so it's Marvel and any of the DC movies that you're watching are fake. Okay. And I said, "Yeah, man. I love wrestling." So recently, um, cuz I just picked it up like almost a year and a half ago, two years ago, I started to just stream on TikTok. So I built a community around wrestling, people that love wrestling. So I go live, we're all watching wrestling together at our own houses, but we're just here for community and for reactions. And um recently I got paid $5,000 to do what I freaking love from home. And just by posting my reaction. So I called every single friend that said that to me. I said, "Hey, I just want you to know from my house by doing what I love. I just got paid 5,000. I know you didn't get that today." So sometimes, man, you just got to do what you love, man. And the rest will follow. Right. Isn't there a song like that, man? Come on. I'm Chris. You It's a Okay, we're done. We're done.

[33:08]  That is so true. My kids, you know, they're trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives. And I said, "It doesn't matter. You can be s successful as long as you give it all to whatever your calling is. Just give it your all, right? You know, there are successful people doing all sorts of things. So, uh just follow follow your heart, you know, and what and if and you can always change, right? You know, it's you're not locked in right now. So, uh you can always pivot.

[33:32]  I love that, man. I love that. We're kind of coming here to the end, man. But I ask you, if you could leave every leader with one mission that they cannot delegate, because you know, as leaders, we like to delegate everything. What would it be? Um, as as a leader, you got to show up, you know, uh, you can't lead from afar. You've got to show up with your teams. You have to be present. And again, you have to listen. You know, communication is birectional. And, and I, I learned more just talking to my community, talking to, you know, our team, uh, talking to all of our docs, nurses here at the health system. You have, you have to listen, uh, and hear them and try to make things, uh, make things better.

[34:10]  I like that. And if my wife was listening to us today, Christopher, you've said you got to listen so many times. She'd probably be nodding her head like, "Yeah, you got to listen."

[34:19]  My wife says, "I don't listen." I don't know. I think I'm a good listener. But you know, you're married, okay? You know what it looks like.

[34:25]  Same thing.

[34:28]  Listen, man. I put you in the hot seat with the uh blind question. I almost feel like I know the answer to this because you've kind of mentioned it throughout, but um what leadership or life belief has truly stayed rock solid for you even when everything else has changed?

[34:42]  Yeah, I think it just comes back to just being yourself and being uh your authentic self. Uh I don't want to be behind a sheen or pretending to be somebody I'm not, you know? I think that's that that that authenticity is core to just how I live my life and and how I like to lead. And I must say, Christopher, since the first time we met, you were truly authentically yourself. So, I I appreciate it. I seen it without you even having to say it. I knew before we got on to this podcast recording that it was going to be great cuz you were coming up as yourself. And the funny thing is I tell every leader when they say, "How do I plan for this?" or "How do I prep for this?" I don't say, "Take notes." I don't say, "Look at the framework." Cuz I'm going to handle that part, but I say show up as yourself. Raw authentic self. because there's other leaders that are wanting to see us be ourselves and figure out what are we doing in this space of nonprofit or you know uh the medical world but we're also really showing them it is okay to be yourself right some of these people may be new leaders in this space but yeah as you mentioned be yourself it's never too late it's never too late to be yourself

[35:44]  Chris what is your blind question to the next leader we have here on the heart hustle

[35:47]  um I often you know get people who are aspiring to leadership and they ask you know what is the the number one trait uh of a of a of a leader. Um so I would I would ask them like what are maybe the top three uh most important traits of a leader?

[36:03]  I like that, man. I like that. Well, Chris, it's definitely been a pleasure. Um time has flown by. If you guys are still watching this, make sure that you guys do like, comment, and subscribe. Always great from some of our leaders here, especially Christopher Newman. If you guys haven't already, where can they find you? What is your LinkedIn? What is where's the uh social medias to the organization if they wanted to find my information? Yeah. So, uh, dubdubdub mwc mary washingtonhealthcare.com uh is is the, uh, the organization. Uh, I'm on I'm on LinkedIn. I'm on uh, you know, Facebook, Instagram, all that. And, and the band I'm playing with right now is Suspect Down. So, uh, we're on all streaming platforms. Check us out. Our the single that, you know, hit it a couple years ago is Living Life Fast. So, check that out. And

[36:49]  yeah, you can see my

[36:50]  Is there a music video to this? Uh, we did not do a music video yet. I wanted a music video.

[36:56]  I was definitely gonna look for that music video. No, no, I love it, man. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for sharing that, guys. Make sure you guys do go ahead and subscribe. My name is Ephrain. This has been Chris. We'll catch you guys in the next one. Lers.