Intro: The following SHSMD Podcast is a production of
DoctorPodcasting.com.

Bill Klaproth (Host): On this edition of the SHSMD
Podcast, we're going to spark creativity and live with wonder, wisdom and
whimsy. What is he talking about? Maybe he's lost his mind. Hmm. I think that
happened a long time ago. No, we are talking with Brad Montague though, who is
going to teach us how to live with wonder, wisdom and whimsy. He is our opening
keynote speaker at SHSMD Connections 2023, on Sunday, September 10th. You are
going to want to see this keynote presentation and we're going to learn all
about it coming up with Brad starting right ... now!

This is the SHSMD Podcast, rapid insights for healthcare
strategy professionals in planning, business development, marketing,
communications, and public relations. I'm your host Bill Klaproth. In this
episode, we're talking with Brad Montague, creator of the Kid President Series,
and New York times bestselling author, as we discuss his keynote at SHSMD
Connections 2023, Sparking Creativity and How to Live With Wonder, Wisdom and
Whimsy. To attend SHSMD Connections 2023, please register at
shsmd.org/education/annualconference.

Host: So, Brad, give us the Cliff Notes version of
your keynote. What can we expect?

Brad Montague: You're asking for spoilers, Bill.

Host: No spoiler. I no spoilers. I just

Brad Montague: I don't want

Host: to

around. Weave around it. You can do it.

Brad Montague: It's an experience. I'm going to give
them an experience, not just a keynote here. This is an experience of
encouragement and hope. I am really passionate about people and caring for people.
And so to be in a room full of people who care about people, that's, that's,
that's like oxygen for me.

This is, this is going to be so exciting. So, um, I want to
share some things that can remind them and myself, why we all do what we do.
And how, why it matters. Cause it, it hasn't been easy. There's a whole lot of
challenges and, and this is a space where we can be reminded, Hey, you're not
alone. We can do this together.

And there's a joyful vision of something we can create
together, when we really remember that and live as reminders to each other of
it. It's going to be really fun and just good to be with people, people who
care.

Host: You had me at encouragement and hope so. So
when we talk about living with the Wonder, Wisdom and Whimsy, why is that
important to our roles in healthcare?

Brad Montague: Well, you know, it helped that they
all started with the same letter, so put it in the title. But, but, but truly
as I really think about the people that inspired me, that have moved me, the
people I look up to who do the kind of work that moves me, that connects with
me, that resonates; it has a deep wisdom to it and it's rooted in wisdom.
There's this posture of wonder, and the reaction to all of that is whimsy. That
it's not like they're going to force the wisdom. They're not going to, there's
just this joy of being part of that together. And what's interesting is that is
something that I've spent a lot of time with educators thinking about their
work.

That they're wise and, and they're full, they're approaching
subjects with wonder and, and that there's this playful quality to it. And, and
so that's been really beautiful to see that come alive in classrooms and in
healthcare there's, the stakes are so high. The stakes are high when there's
children in a classroom, but the stakes are really high when you know you're,
you're dealing with people's health and their physical lives and, and it's life
or death.

And yet there's something so beautiful that happens when a
team approaches their work with that kind of attitude, where they respond in
awe to the work they get to do with each other, for each other, but there's a
totally different way they show up in a room, in a hallway, as a team, from
caregiver to patient, to all of those spaces become transformed when we show up
with wisdom and wonder and, and there is space for play within that and, and
that, that joy is, is, is contagious and it, it's worth, it's worth working
for.

Host: So will you give us strategies to learn how to
incorporate more wonder and joy in our lives where we can respond in awe of
what we do?

Brad Montague: An official Excel spreadsheet for joy.
You can go through.

Host: Check. Okay. I did that. Check I'm joyful.

Brad Montague: You know what's really great is the
more and more I've worked in the healthcare space, the more I'm finding
incredible exemplars of this, like people who live it out. So I have stories of
really fantastic humans who care about humans, and that their joy creates more
joy, creates more joy. A community built around joy is healing.

It just is. I'd learned that online on YouTube when we
created this web series, Kid President where YouTube was in these early stages.
And there's lots of people building community around division, around anger,
around hate of certain things around all of these divisive spaces and the
YouTube comment section rewarded that, you know of, of having this kind of back
and forth and we created a web series that my hope was not just that people
would watch the thing, but that they would then go do something for the people
around them. So it, it was a community of people who were listening to
children, who were throwing parties and parades for their neighbors. Who were
we, we built shelters for people who were without homes in different cities. It
really grew to be this space of, we called it a joyful rebellion. And we were
able to see this not just happen on a screen, but happen in real life and it
started to exist in classrooms and in healthcare spaces, in universities. It's
taught me a lot about what it looks like to create a culture in which your
posture is one of deep compassion and creativity, and in, in doing so, it, it
leads to really wonderful places.

Host: Well with all the pressure and stress everyone
has in their lives, being led to a wonderful place of compassion and joy; I'm
sure will be very well received. So you said earlier, joy creates more joy,
creates more joy. Let me ask you this, is joy contagious, then.

Brad Montague: Yeah. There's, there's lots of things
we let fuel us sometimes. Like anger can be a fuel and, there's so many ways in
which we can see our language fueled by something. Joy though, has this
generative quality that defies all, all logic in which the more we share it,
the more there is. And I, I'm really fascinated by those things that do that.
And when we see that created in an organization it begins with a culture of, of
people who are going to say we want to be a healthy organization that's fueled
by the things that are rooted in the most lasting places, those joyful, loving,
hope-filled places.

And it's not always easy. It, it takes work and we all live
as reminders to each other to, to do that.

Host: Well, it sounds like one person can make a
difference. You can show up as a joyful person and that can help build that
joyful culture. But you were talking earlier about how there's so much anger
and hate and division around us all the time. People might be listening to this
thinking, man, it takes all I've got just to make it through the day with
everything I've got going on in this crazy world we live in. And you want me to
live with wonder, wisdom and whimsy. What would you say to that person?

Brad Montague: Yeah, that's a fair response. And, and
the thing is, is that those who are working in healthcare are perfectly
positioned to arrive at a space where they're not joyful because they're
ignoring the bad. They're not hopeful because they have no idea of what could
go wrong or those things that, that are not okay. As, Wendel Barry's this poet
from Kentucky and he said, be, be joyful though. You have considered all the
facts and there's, there's something really powerful in a team, in a group of
people and an organization that has a culture of we are going to be operating
from a place of hope and joy and it's not easy.

And yeah, we're acknowledging that there are things that are
hard, but we're still here. Because the truth is nobody on their New Year's
resolution puts sure like to go to the hospital this year, like it'd be great.
I want to go more.

Host: That wasn't on, that wasn't on your resolution?

Brad Montague: Right. I'd really like to be there
more and, and in the healthcare industry realizes, you know that, but there's
something about you acknowledging that and, and showing up and, and caring for
them in that space and, and even in spite of the challenges, providing them
with care.

And a reminder that we're all part of this together. And
there's story after story of really remarkable people doing exactly that. And
it's not easy, but they have done it. And, and I think when we're all reminders
of each other of that then it becomes easier to, on those hard days, to, to
show up anyway.

Host: Well, you've built that culture then where you
all can lean on each other at one point. And then thinking about, I love some
of the words you use, Brad, you talk about deep compassion and joy, culture,
encouragement, hope. When you live your life around those words, it just seems
like what you're talking about also wonder, whim, whimsy, wisdom. Life is just
better then, right?

Brad Montague: Yes. Well, I mean, this is one of the
reasons why I, I've loved spending time with people who are caregivers, who
work in the hospitals, who, who are working with people in need. There's very
few people in the world that stop and listen to a heartbeat. A mother, a dad
does. Your doctor does. Maybe an occasional poet somewhere is doing that. But,
but we, us stopping and listening to a heartbeat is a remarkable thing. And I
believe that, that, that's part of what changes people. You can react to that
with just numbness and well, here we go, another heartbeat. Or you can respond
to it in wonder. And listen to that and let it be a guiding rhythm for how you
show up and listen closely to the needs of the people around you and remind
them what a, an incredible miracle of a person they are. And, and, and, operate
accordingly.

Host: Well, I can tell you just by talking with you,
Brad, this is going to be a very uplifting session, which is going to be
wonderful. So let me ask you this. What drives you to do what you do? Why are
you so passionate about this?

Brad Montague: I love being with people. I grew up on
a farm. My dad as a cotton farmer. My mom as a nurse and has cared for people
in so many different capacities. And it's interesting to kind of grow up around
people who care in such different ways. My dad caring for his crops, my mom
caring for people, and now I'm a writer and I treat my work like a, a garden
and that I'm, I'm getting to plant and, and release things and, and see them
grow.

Host: Nurturing it, right? Watering it. Making it
grow. Right.

Brad Montague: Yes, but doing it as an, as an act of
care.

Host: Right? Yeah. Feeding people with your words and
thoughts. Yeah.

Brad Montague: And let, letting it grow, not forcing
it, Hey, I'm going to make this happen, but instead I believe that the things
we imagine can help create the world we live in. And, and so if we do imagine,
you know, like I work with children a lot and former children as I'll be
speaking to former children. But creating a space where we can actually imagine
the best of what's possible or tell stories of the best of what's possible,
because it's not, it's not hard to look for, here's what's wrong in healthcare.
Here's what's wrong in education. There's a lot of those conversations. But
let's like orbit outside that hair ball for a moment and, and point each other
to the best of what's possible and start to realize it's already happening. And
so, I love seeing people's eyes light up and them realize, Hey, we, something
really good is possible.

Host: Well, I tell you the world would be a better
place if we all approached it with that attitude. Brad, just a couple more
questions and thank you so much for your time. So we've all been to keynotes
in. They're always excellent. And the information is great, but it seems like
as time goes on the information slips away.

When it comes to living our lives with wonder, wisdom and
whimsy, how do we hang on to that for a lifetime?

Brad Montague: There's a wonderful, book. It's
considered a children's book, but it, it's for any age called The Little Prince
and the, the, the writer of that also spoke about leading people and, and
talked about if you want somebody to build a boat, don't just give them
instructions for here's the boat. Instead teach them to long for the sea. That,
that, that longing for going to set sail will, will make them find a way to
build the boat. And so one of the things that I love to be able to do is, is to
create the kind of experience that makes us all long for that thing we're going
to create together. So it's reminders of stories of people that are doing it,
imagining ways in which they could lead.

And, and I, I believe that in in that room where we will be,
is everything we need to transform the communities in which they lead.
Everything we need to truly care for the people in a way that has maybe we, we
haven't seen yet. But creating a space where we long for that is going to be
where we begin to create that. So sometimes it's just putting words to it
together.

Host: Yeah, and that can keep you going then.

Brad Montague: Absolutely.

Host: Yeah, for sure. Well, Brad, again, thank you so
much. Last question, anything else you want to add about your keynote, Sparking
Creativity, How to Live With Wonder, Wisdom and Whimsy? You're going to be
doing the keynote on Sunday, September 10th at SHSMD Connections in Chicago.
Any final thoughts, Brad?

Brad Montague: It's going to be such a thrill to be
together. I, anytime I get to speak, I work really hard to, to make it fit the
space in which I'm in with the people I'm with. And I'm looking forward to
meeting everybody before the talk and, and shifting some things around to speak
to them directly. But I also, I hand write my slides and do little animations.

So like, I want it to feel like this is from a human
speaking to humans. So it's not just here's, I used PowerPoint or Keynote and
just cut and paste it. I hand write them and, and, and share that. And, and we
get to create something in the room together that, that you couldn't do
otherwise. We, we've spent a lot of time doing virtual stuff together, but let's,
let's be in a room and make something really memorable.

Host: Well, that's what we definitely need to do. And
after the keynote, I'm sure you'll be around if people want to come up and say
hi to you.

Brad Montague: Absolutely. I'll, I'll, I'll even look
them in the eyes.

Host: You're a man among men. I love it.

Brad Montague: It's true.

Host: It's very true. That's why you are called Brad
Montague. That's why you're named that way, Prince Brad Montague. Well, Brad,
this has been great. I love it. So looking forward to your keynote at SHSMD
Connections 2023. Thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.

Brad Montague: Thank you. See you soon.

Bill Klaproth (Host): And once again, that is Brad
Montague, our keynote speaker at SHSMD Connections 2023, our annual conference
this year in Chicago. He will discuss this topic at length on Sunday, September
10th. We urge you to attend because it's always beneficial. To register, just
go to shsmd.org. That's S H S M D.org/education/annualconference.

And if you've found this podcast helpful, and of course, how
could you not, please make sure you share it on all of your social channels and
please hit the subscribe or follow button to get every episode. This has been a
production of Dr. Podcasting. I'm Bill Klaproth. See ya.