Grave to Great with Tracy Wood

On this week's episode of Grave to Great, Tracy sat down with Claire Bidwell Smith to discuss grief, its psychological implications, and how it is treated in mainstream culture.

On this week's episode of Grave to Great, Tracy Wood welcomed author and North Georgia Corporate Counseling (NGCC) President and Founder Tangela Johnson to encourage female leaders to live a purposed life instead of a perfect one. In her line of work, Johnson is focused on helping people “discover their greatness” and realize what they are capable of so that they can walk with confidence. Wood and Johnson also tackled some hot-topic issues in women's leadership.

Fall is upon us, and with it comes the cold and flu season. We had all hoped that the coronavirus pandemic would be behind before we reached this point in the year again. For several months this summer, things appeared to be returning to normal, however, the Delta variant changed that. With the coronavirus pandemic still in full swing, Tracy Wood invited Alleo Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Greg Phelps to help her “Grave to Great” listeners prepare for what's ahead.

This week on Grave to Great, Tracy talked with Kim Shumpert about women in leadership.

On this week's episode of Grave to Great, Tracy Wood answered questions from viewers about being a woman of color in a leadership role. She shared that members of her audience have asked her to address some of the struggles she has faced and how she's learned to work through challenges. Tracy took time to elaborate on some of the personal experiences she's faced throughout her life.

This week on Grave to Great, Tracy talked about community health with Katherlyn Geter.

Kathryn Carr is a Chattanooga, TN native who is 9 months post-op from having her entire stomach removed. She has since started a blog to share her story (https://hard-to-digest.org/) where she processes her medical journey with honesty and humor.

This week on Grave to Great, Tracy sat down with Donna Rosado to talk about the many ways that grief is processed within a family.

This week on Grave to Great, Tracy Wood sat down with attorney Dana Perry of Chambliss Law to discuss end of life planning.

This week's episode of Grave to Great focused on a chaplain's role during a patient's end-of-life journey. Tracy invited Rachel Erickson, who is a hospice chaplain with Alleo Health, to discuss how she helps patients and families spiritually and emotionally through one of the toughest times of their lives. Erickson shared that she has been asked how she does what she does because assisting hurting families is not easy. Remembering that she is not the patient or loved one in this difficult situation helps her stay focused.

On this week's episode of Grave to Great, Tracy Wood invited Dr. Greg Phelps, Alleo Health's Chief Medical Officer, to answer a question she received from listeners about how to talk to a loved one who has received a lift-limiting diagnosis. When a family member receives a difficult diagnosis, it can be hard to come up with the words to say. There is also the thought that the patient may not want to discuss the matter. Dr. Phelps and Tracy explored why this is not true and the best ways to talk with a patient.

In today's podcast, Tracy Wood has a conversation with Dr. Sunita Puri. Dr. Puri is the Medical Director of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care Service at the Keck Hospital and Norris Cancer Center of the University of Southern California. She is also the author of That Good Night, which chronicles her journey to palliative care medicine and her experiences growing up as the daughter of “very spiritual immigrants from India.”

In today's podcast, Tracy spoke with Susan Latta, the Director of Grief Counseling at Alleo Health, about a topic many people like to avoid: death. Everyone knows they will die at some point, but it is not something people like to talk about in a casual conversation. Death plays a major role in Susan's job. She talked with Tracy about why humans have this fear.

As you might remember from previous episodes, Alleo Health RN Juliean Borin's father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and she has been caring for him alongside other family members. In today's episode, Tracy talks with Juliean about caregiver fatigue that she has witnessed professionally and experienced personally.

To wrap up Women's History Month, Tracy is reflecting on a woman that is her biggest inspiration: her mother.

In honor of Women's History Month (March 2021), Tracy Wood shares some women that have inspired her personally and professionally. Rosa Parks While Tracy has never met Rosa Parks personally, Parks's strength and courage have inspired Tracy throughout her life. “It takes courage to be a great leader. Sometimes it takes so much courage that you are risking your livelihood,” said Tracy. Parks took action, and Tracy acknowledges that sometimes as a leader, you have to take action, even when it's difficult. Brené Brown Brené Brown's phrase “Clear is kind” serves as an inspiration for Tracy as she makes difficult decisions in a male-dominated industry as a woman of color. She loves this quote because it shows how standing up for what you believe in a clear and kind way can make a difference. Vice President Kamala Harris For the first time ever, our country has a woman serving as Vice President. “It warms my heart that girls of all colors can see a woman having a seat at the table,” said Tracy. She is encouraged because Vice President Harris shows how far we have come as a country. “I look forward to telling my grandchildren that I got to watch our country's first female Vice-President be inaugurated in January 2021,” said Tracy. Tangela Johnson Tangela is an entrepreneur in the Chattanooga area. “She spends a lot of time coaching leaders and strengthening the presence of diversity and equity,” said Tracy. Some of the other women Tracy shared about as her inspiration were Meghan Markle and Oprah Winfrey, two women of color who have made history in their own spheres of influence. “Women are making a difference,” said Tracy. “Women are advancing in our communities, our country, and it is a great time for dreams to come true. Women moving through history is just another example of going from Grave to Great.”

In an early episode, Tracy Wood talked about how important it is to support team members who “empty their bucket every day.” In today's episode, Tracy revisits this idea and shares her thoughts on how leaders in the hospice and palliative care field can best support the team members that are working with clients, families, and behind the scenes.

On today's podcast, Tracy Wood talks with Susan Latta, the Director of Grief Counseling at Alleo Health, about the role that nostalgia prior to the death of a loved one plays in the grief process.

In today's episode of Grave to Great, Tracy talks with Dr. Phelps about navigating the healthcare system. Dr. Phelps shared his thoughts on how consumers can interact better with the healthcare system and ways to make it work for them.

Joyre Montgomery is the owner of Intentional Healing Empowerment Center. Intentional Healing Empowerment Center opened in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. Joyre is an advocate for mental health, therapy, and self-care, and today she and Tracy Wood talk about some of the types of therapy used at the Intentional Healing Empowerment Center and how Joyre is working to destigmatize therapy, as well as sharing some fun ideas for self-care.

In today's episode, Tracy Wood talks about nursing and end-of-life care with Dr. Martina Harris, Assistant Dean of Nursing and Allied Health and Registered Nursing Program Director. They all about the "death and dying" simulation that Dr. Harris created for the Chattanooga State nursing program and how the program pivoted in the face of the pandemic.

Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit gravetogreat.com.

Host Tracy Wood shares a short message with listeners about her experience this year celebrating the holidays without her father who passed away in 2020. She relates how she has been handling this situation and offers suggestions for how she has been coping with the challenge. Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit gravetogreat.com.

Highlights from this episode include: Managing grief on top of COVID-19 concerns during the holidays this year (1:02) Focus on one holiday at a time and have plans a, b, and c (2:33) If you have children, make them a part of the planning (4:26) Sudden unexpected grief moments (7:20) Honoring the memory of our loved ones who have passed on (11:40) Thank you Susan for sharing some very practical advice for going through the holidays after losing a loved one. We hope the holiday season for our listeners is filled with lots of joy and love. Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit gravetogreat.com.

In this episode of Grave to Great, host Tracy Wood is joined by Susan Latta, director of grief services at Hospice of Chattanooga, and together they discuss dealing with grief around the holidays. Highlights from this episode include: Managing grief on top of COVID-19 concerns during the holidays this year (1:02)Focus on one holiday at a time and have plans a, b, and c (2:33)If you have children, make them a part of the planning (4:26)Sudden unexpected grief moments (7:20)Honoring the memory of our loved ones who have passed on (11:40)Thank you Susan for sharing some very practical advice for going through the holidays after losing a loved one. We hope the holiday season for our listeners is filled with lots of joy and love.Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit gravetogreat.com. 

As a follow up to her conversation with Julie Baumgardner, Grave to Great host Tracy Wood reflects on being a Black woman in leadership in this special message. She encourages young Black women to be proud of who they are, to love what they do and to have a strong faith. Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit gravetogreat.com.

We wish you and yours a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. Here's a special message from our Grave to Great Host, Tracy Wood.Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit gravetogreat.com. 

In this episode of Grave to Great, host Tracy Wood is joined by Julie Baumgardner, the President and CEO of First Things First, a national nonprofit based in Chattanooga designed for helping people to have healthy relationships in all areas of life. Both Tracy and Julie have faced challenges in being women leading large organizations and offer advice from their experience in this conversation. Highlights from the episode include: Overview of Julie’s background (0:40)The challenges of being women in workplace leadership (3:11)What makes leaders great (6:41)Advice for young women looking to take their career to the next level (10:40)Thank you Julie for being on the show and for sharing your experiences. Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit gravetogreat.com. 

In this episode of Grave to Great, host Tracy Wood is joined by Nicole Brown from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. In addition to her faculty role at UTC, Nicole is also a documentary producer and diversity, equity, and inclusion advocate.Highlights from this episode include: Nicole Brown’s role at UTC and working as a documentary producer (0:58)Defining equity and identifying bias in hiring (4:16)Being intentional about your behavior and helping eliminate biases (7:26)How to move our workplaces forward in 2020 in equity and diversity (14:23) Thank you Nicole for joining the show to discuss this very important topic. You can follow Nicole on Twitter @LiveNicoleBrown and Instagram @nbrownlive.Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit gravetogreat.com. 

In this special crossover episode of Grave to Great, Tracy Wood is joined by Erica Ligenza Gwynn, host of the podcast THRIVE and the creator of the website Coming Up Roses. Erica shares the story of her daughter Olivia’s complicated birth and how her family was able to go from grave to great following a 73-day stay in the NICU.In this episode: Starting Coming Up Roses and THRIVE (0:43)Going from a smooth pregnancy to knowing that she would need to have an emergency, premature delivery (3:20)Losing the normal joys of having a baby (8:15)Spending more than two months in the NICU (10:03)Tuning in to the joy of everyday life (18:26)Thank you Erica for sharing your story with us. We are looking forward to continuing our conversation on your podcast.Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit gravetogreat.com. 

In this episode of Grave to Great, host Tracy Wood shares the personal story of unexpectedly losing her father this month. She communicates that with how sad she has been, she still focuses on the blessings of all the wonderful years she had to spend with him and the peace she felt that his wishes were known and honored.In this episode: Death is so hard to talk about (3:24)“It never crossed my mind that my dad was that sick” (6:06)Conversations about his wishes and honoring them (11:13) Thank you for listening to Tracy’s personal story and the touching tribute to her father. We hope that her story is helpful for our listeners who may be experiencing recent loss as well.Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit gravetogreat.com. 

In this episode of Grave to Great, Tracy Wood is joined by Dr. Greg Phelps, Chief Medical Officer for Alleo Health to talk about the logistics of the end of life. The 2020 pandemic has put end-of-life care to the forefront of a lot of people’s minds, but still, many people have not communicated their end-of-life care wishes with their loved ones. Dr. Phelps demonstrates how simple it can be to establish those protocols, especially using the Five Wishes book from Alleo Health.Key points in the conversation include: Differentiating between a will and an advanced directive (1:01)Identifying your health care surrogate (3:10)Advanced care planning is a gift for your family (6:00)2020’s impact on planning for end of life care (8:40)Thank you Dr. Phelps for taking the time to discuss the logistics of end of life care.Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit https://www.gravetogreat.com/. 

In this episode of Grave to Great, Tracy Wood talks with Gwendolyn Jones, a CNA at Alleo Health’s Mountain View Team. Gwendolyn is on the planning committee for the National Day of Remembrance for Pregnancy or Infant Loss, a day that is observed on Oct. 15, 2020. She shares her personal journey of losing one of her twin children in utero and how her family has grappled with that reality.  Finding out about the loss of her son (0:32)Connecting with your spouse after the loss of a child (7:33)Embracing his memory (9:48)Helpful and unhelpful things that people have said, even with good intentions (11:23)Choosing to be joyful (13:02)Thank you Gwendolyn for sharing your story and for helping organize events for National Day of Remembrance for Pregnancy or Infant Loss.Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit https://www.gravetogreat.com/. 

In this episode of Grave to Great, Sally Ensley, a bereavement counselor at Alleo Health has an open conversation about a topic that can be very hard to discuss, dealing with the suicide of a family member or loved one and finding support after. Suicide leaves behind so many questions (0:48)How the grief process gets complicated (3:16)The importance of starting a suicide support group (5:07)Getting involved with a support group (9:29)Thank you Sally for providing your insight and for starting this support group at Alleo Health.Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit https://www.gravetogreat.com/. 

In this episode of Grave to Great, Tracy checks back in with Alleo Health RN Juliean Borin to find out how her father has been doing in his fight with cancer and how she has been handling the situation. Update on Juliean’s dad (0:40)Taking on the role of being his primary caregiver (5:01)Talking about chemo with the oncologists (6:31)Differences in caring for a loved one compared to patients (9:29)Taking care of yourself in this situation (11:39) Thank you Juliean for taking the time to be open with us about this challenging situation. Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit https://www.gravetogreat.com/. 

In this week’s episode of Grave to Great, Tracy Wood talks with Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) about his personal experiences with loss and tragedy.Personal stories of the loss of someone close to you (0:36)Processing father’s death while being a public figure (4:08)The intersection of social media and grieving (6:13)Rebounding after tragedy (7:59)Thank you Congressman for joining us on the show and for your service to the country and our state.Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit https://www.gravetogreat.com/. 

In this episode, Tracy is joined by Susan Latta, Director of Grief Services at Hospice of Chattanooga to discuss end-of-life preparations for you or a loved one. Practical things to do in preparation (1:26)It’s freeing to have your affairs in order (5:14)Emotional steps to take to prepare for end of life (8:05)Thank you Susan for providing these personal and practical suggestions.Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit https://www.gravetogreat.com/.  

In this episode, Tracy is joined by Donna Rosado, a Grief Support Counselor at Hospice of Chattanooga. In light of International Overdose Awareness Day approaching on August 31, Tracy and Donna discussed handling grief when a loved one passes away from an overdose.Their conversation answered questions like:What is International Overdose Awareness Day? (1:14)How are families coping with losing a loved one to an overdose? (5:00)How do people join the grief support group? (8:45)How does one get to a place where they can feel like themselves again after experiencing this kind of loss? (9:43)Thank you Donna for sharing about a topic that is near to your heart.Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit https://www.gravetogreat.com/.  

In this episode, Tracy is again joined by Tim Heath, Chief Strategy Officer at Alleo Health to continue their conversation about misconceptions about hospice care and the financial impact it has on families. Their conversation covered:Tim looks back at his time as a social worker and wishing he had known more about how talking about hospice care was actually delivering good news (1:27)Does Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance cover hospice care (3:12)Hospice is an extra layer of support and expresses compassion (6:36)Providing daily phone calls to check-in and provide the extra touch of care 7:52We’re thankful that Tim found his niche with us and we’re looking forward to even more conversations in the future with him.Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit https://www.gravetogreat.com/.  

In this episode, Tracy is joined by Tim Heath, Chief Strategy Officer at Alleo Health to discuss the obstacles that come up from misunderstandings about the word hospice. Their conversation covered:Myths about hospice care (1:45)How many people wish they had started hospice care sooner (3:46)Tracy’s personal experience with her dad (4:38)Areas of support that can be offered (6:41).We’re thankful that Tim found his niche with us and we’re looking forward to our future conversations with him.Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit https://www.gravetogreat.com/.  

On this episode, Tracy sits down with Dr. Greg Phelps, author of “The Education of a Hospice Doctor.” Tracy and Dr. Phelps talk about going through his mother’s end of life hospice situation and how that experience forced him to go back to school to provide better end of life care.How to determine the difference between hospice or palliative care (2:30)Reframing death as a part of life (8:14)The prevalence of palliative and hospice care throughout the country (12:34)Why hospice is such a rewarding career for caregivers(14:58)Dr. Phelps is an outstanding leader in our space. We’re so thankful for his transparency and willingness to share insights alongside his personal care with end of life experiences. Thank you, Greg! Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care, and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit https://www.gravetogreat.com/. 

On this episode, Tracy sits down with Stacy Lightfoot, President of the Public Education Foundation in Chattanooga, TN. Tracy and Stacy discuss the spiritual impact Stacey’s mother’s illness had on her, and what her experience was acting as the primary caregiver for her mother for 17 years. How Stacey’s upbringing affected her view of end of life care (2:00)Managing non-family caregivers with empathy (9:00)Sharing primary caregiving responsibilities among the family (11:00)Dealing with unequal responsibilities in caregiving (21:00)Thank you so much to Stacy for sharing her story with so much transparency. We’re so thankful for you! Grave to Great is a weekly conversation that seeks to reframe end of life conversations and hospice care, and is hosted by the CEO of Alleo Health, Tracy Wood. For more information, or to subscribe, please visit https://www.gravetogreat.com/. 

In this episode, we sit down with Juliean Borin to talk about her father's recent diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Juliean has been a nurse at Hopsice of Chattanooga for four years. We talk about dealing with hospice care professionally as a nurse to personally as a daughter and how to go from the grave - the fear of the diagnosis and prognosis - to great - the ability to look back with joy over the time with her father.

Welcome to Grave to Great with Tracy Wood. On this podcast, we’ll hold conversations around end of life issues, hospice care, and implications for the families and caregivers. To keep up to date with our future episodes, be sure to head over to www.gravetogreat.com or subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, or the player of your choice. Episode 1 is coming soon!