Bill Klaproth (host): This is a special podcast produced on-site at SHSMD Connections 2025 in Dallas, as we talk with speakers and session leaders direct from the show floor. And today we're joined by one of the most respected voices in healthcare, marketing and communications, Donna Teach, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Nationwide Children's Hospital and the Kids Mental Health Foundation. And Donna is the recipient of SHSMD'S 2025 Leadership Excellence Award.

Donna, welcome.

Donna Teach: Aw, thanks Bill. It's great to be here with you.

Host: Yeah, it's great to see you. And congratulations on the award.

Donna Teach: Thank you.

Host: Very well deserved.

Donna Teach: It's been a very humbling day. Thank you.

Host: Well, we're going to honor you and I know it's been humbling. We're going to continue to honor you today. I love it. So again, congratulations on this great honor. So let's start here. What does receiving the SHSMD Leadership Excellence Award mean to you personally and professionally after nearly 30 years at Nationwide Children's?

Donna Teach: I think I've just been walking around with such a warm feeling today and when I got the news from SHSMD and knowing the folks that that put the effort into this nomination process and to read the nomination, but more importantly, it just is kind of a capstone. It brings together 30 years of just amazing memories here with SHSMD and most importantly, all the wonderful people I've met along the way on the journey. It's just great to be here at the conference and just reconnecting with everyone and it's just been a wonderful, wonderful day. I'm very honored.

Host: Yeah. Well, you're obviously very good at what you do 30 years at one healthcare organization. That alone is quite an accomplishment.

Donna Teach: I am a proud career monogamist.

Host: I love it. And I know Nationwide Children's feels the same way, I'm sure. So throughout your career, you've led transformative initiatives that have shaped how people view Nationwide Children's from branding to community engagement. What guiding principles have shaped your approach to leadership and communication over the years?

Donna Teach: Yeah, I think, it's a head and a heart kind of thing for me. I think that I think anyone who comes into this profession, and these are the kind of people we're looking for, you, you, do come in with your whole heart.

And I take very seriously that every dollar that is spent on what we do as strategy professionals, in my case, marcomm, is dollars that don't go into direct patient care. So, that leads to the head part, which is ensuring that everything that we do is grounded towards helping our organization achieve its mission, achieve its strategic plan.

And in my case, I think one of the keys to our success at Nationwide Children's Hospital has been, we're guided by a very strong strategic plan and a very unified leadership team. So I feel like I am very well supported and I can create very clear line of sight between what my, where my team is spending those, precious dollars towards the strategic initiatives of the hospital.

Host: So do you think that strategic plan really has guided you through these past 30 years, having a, it sounds like you're making a case for having a strong strategic plan.

Donna Teach: You know, people laugh at me, Bill, but I say goals are sexy. Goals are sexy. I think it never feels good to be in a firefighting mode all the time where you are not really sure what's guiding your work of the day except for what fires you're putting out, what you're trying to be responsive to. I think it's very empowering, at least for me, and I feel like for my team, when you can be guided by something that you feel like you have line of sight to and you're contributing towards, it also becomes a contract.

It becomes an agreement when the organization gives you resources, you're coming back with how you're going to deliver against those resources. And I think that creates a virtuous cycle. Where the organization builds confidence in you, it's more willing to make investments and you're not just seen as a cost center.

You're seen as a return on investment in the key initiatives of the organization. Those don't have to all be financial either. So, I'm very happy and I think very honored to work in an organization that has a very clear North star, and that's our strategic plan and our vision.

Host: So, as you said, goals are sexy.

Donna Teach: Goals are sexy.

Host: And this is from a career monogamous.

Donna Teach: And this is a PG rated podcast. So yes are we p Maybe we're GI think we're G, maybe G. We're G. We're G We're definitely a strong G.

Host: We're a strong G. That's strong G. Absolutely.

Donna Teach: Everybody's like, Hmm, what are they going to talk about next?

Host: What are they going to talk about next? Oh my gosh. So when I introduced you, of course, I said, you are also, in charge of the Kids' Mental Health Foundation. Let's talk about that a little bit. As I know that's one of your most impactful achievements, the creation of the Kids' Mental Health Foundation, can you share how that idea came to life and how it has managed to reach more than get ready for it, 24 million parents, teachers, and providers since its founding.

Donna Teach: Yes. And I first want to say, Kids Mental Health Foundation has been a group effort. I was thankfully one of the OGs, one of the original organizers of the movement. But this baby has been raised by a very, very dedicated tribe, of which I'm one proud member.

I'm very honored to represent the marketing and communications and kind of help this, but it's been a, a very strong partnership with our clinical team. The Kids Mental Health Foundation was really born out of a need. We're the largest provider nationwide. Children's Hospital is the largest provider of behavioral health services to children in the country based on our volumes.

And when we were expanding our program, we started this back in 2014, 2015. Our, board had the foresight to say, kids mental health is going to be a crisis. Long before the Surgeon General had identified it as a public health issue, we knew there was a huge need and so we were significantly expanding our programs, building a huge behavioral health pavilion in the center of our campus, which I'm very proud. It's in the center of our clinical campus. And we were looking for a movement that we could partner with that was really focused on this idea of breaking stigmas around kids' mental health and also that there should be no difference between a child's mental health and their physical health.

And that began a, a journey. We started as a campaign to break stigmas as the on our sleeves movement. We launched in 2018. And then this thing called the pandemic happened. Ah, yes. Remember that thing? Oh, yes, yes. And the need escalated. I think homeschooling was a tipping point for parents. Kids' mental health really was started to be clearly identified as a crisis.

And parents and teachers and coaches, they were all looking for ways that we could work upstream to really start to treat mental, kids mental wellness and their physical health as the same thing. That's where we've really come in. Our mission is to deliver free evidence-informed behavioral health resources.

As you said to parents, teachers, coaches, we are launching a new military family curriculum. We're piloting primary care practice curriculum. So all of those resources are available digitally and also with our curriculum products that we're delivering. So yeah, 24 million people. That feels really, really good.

And it's only possible because we've had an incredible number of people who've reached out to help us, to fund us, to support us. So we're just getting started. We got a lot more to do.

Host: I love it. So quite a commendable achievement.

Donna Teach: Wow.

Host: For sure. And I'm sure you are very proud of it. You have to be.

Donna Teach: It is my heart like to see how hard the team is working on this. I mean, it, it, really takes a village to do this. And, also the thing is for our behavioral health providers, to feel seen and to be able to give back in this way. I mean, we're never going to out provider our way out of this mental health crisis. It's not going to happen. So the idea that we can empower parents, we can work upstream to make a difference is really one of the most rewarding things I've gotten to work on in my career. And I've gotten to work on a lot of things.

Host: Yeah. Well, congratulations on that. I can,

Donna Teach: I'll take that back to the team.

Host: How proud you are, about it and, uh, it is quite an accomplishment, so I think that's wonderful. So I looked through some of the nominations and what your nominator said about you. Here comes the, maybe the PG-13 section. No, maybe. No. So your nom, your nominators praise, your ability to quote, frame problems provocatively, unite stakeholders, and mobilize action quickly. So can you give us an example of how that mindset has helped you move an initiative forward when the stakes were high?

Donna Teach: Yeah, I think, the times we're living in right now too whether you look at managing the pandemic or working through the current climate and the headwinds we're facing, I think it's the idea that you can assemble the right team and give that team a clear vision. And not let yourself be overwhelmed.

My CEO gives this, he's one of the best leaders to work with in any kind of complex or challenging situation because he doesn't try to boil the ocean. He always thinks about, he puts people at the center, who's impacted by this, and he always puts our patient families at the center of every situation.

And that creates a true north for us. Like what does this mean for the patients we're serving? And then he doesn't let a circumstance overwhelm him. And I try to lead the same way. I always focus on what is the next best step that we need to make here. And then we reanalyze the situation and we take the next step.

And we try to be nimble. We convene a lot. We love the power of the scrum, right? You can get together in 15 minutes. And if we're not huge fans of big committees we're more about cohorts and collaborations, and I really like that when you're in the weeds on something to focus on that clear next digestible bite.

And again, not let the situation overwhelm you. And always look at things from number one, doing the right thing. Our values guide us very clearly at Nationwide Children's putting patients at the center, and that's helped us navigate through some pretty tricky situations, just by keeping those things in front of us.

And then I think just really being smart and nimble when we manage things.

Host: Well, if that is your North Star, that's something that can always guide you through it. It's something you can always point to. It's kind of tangible. It's right there, yes, right. As you said, don't boil the ocean, and your CEO keeps it people centered.

So if you can always come back to that, if you're trying to make a tough decision, how does the outcome benefit people, right? That's kind of how you approach it?

Donna Teach: And it helps you come from a calm, cool, collected space. I think the energy you put into something is the energy people take out of it in a circumstance like that.

And you're, if you're presenting calm, collected energy that's how the team's going to respond. So.

Host: And then you're consistent. If you're always people centered, you're consistent. Every decision you make is around that factor then. Yeah. So it's very consistent as you're building the organization and this is how we operate, so this is how we're going to decide.

Donna Teach: And because our leadership team has worked together so long, my CEO and I started five months apart from each other, so he's been there even a bit longer than I have 30 plus years. And our, longevity of our leadership team is, is very solid, 15 plus years. And so we know how to navigate things together.

And I think the other thing is we're we have very strong, strong teams under us. So our management team is so solid and they really, really carry the weight of the day. So, keeping those internal stakeholders in mind.

Host: So when you have those teams too, I'm sure you're bringing new people onto the team, not all the time, but over the years of course, you're Oh, you're bringing new people on.

Having them understand that North Star, that guiding principle is this is how we do things. Yeah. So that's how when people leave, new people come on. You still have that principle in place. Right.

Donna Teach: And as organizations grow, I mean, when I started 30 years ago, we were, I think 6,000, 5,000 people. And we're close to 20,000 now.

Yeah. So, with multiple, multiple, multiple offsites, so how you maintain that bedrock and cement that cultural bedrock, and the strategic framework, the, you're absolutely right. That's, that's the foundation you gotta operate from.

Host: Yeah. A strategic bedrock. I like how you said that. So Donna, you've been a SHSMD member for decades and have played a major role in projects like the Bridging Worlds reports and SHSMD's certification courses. How has your involvement in SHSMD shaped your own growth as a leader? And what value do you think SHSMD brings to professionals in our field today?

Donna Teach: Yeah, I would say for everybody out there, it's like an opportunity to be outside your little universe, right? To get to be here at the meeting now and to see the energy in the room. The power of connection, the incredibly brilliant people that are working in this profession. Being able to make connections, to volunteer, be courageous, volunteer, get involved. This is an organization that really, really lets their volunteers get deeply involved.

And I was fortunate enough to, you know, serve on the board for many years. It's just so refreshing to be in a room of people of, I, I call us like the unicorns of our organizations. I mean, in healthcare strategists, our kind of strategists are often unicorns. And it's so great to be in this like, big old herd of unicorns.

And some of my deepest best friendships, yeah, have come outta SHSMD. So, there was a squid hat involved, but I, that's another story I'll have to tell you some other time.

Host: That's the, uh. PG 17. Yeah. That's

Donna Teach: more the or the,

yeah. Well, we'll see what emerges at tonight's little gathering. Oh, okay. I understand there's line dancing and, okay. Alright, so we'll see what shenanigans show up tonight.

Host: We'll, we'll keep you updated on that, everyone. All right.

Donna Teach: One more reason to come to a SHSMD meeting. You don't. That's absolutely right. You don't want to miss that.

Host: I love it. Well, I've been, uh, interviewing, rising star awardees as well. It's so great. So it's great to hear them talk about, I just interviewed one, uh, Nardeep Singh. This is her first SHSMD.

Donna Teach: Oh, great.

Host: Yeah. So really cool to have a, a person who is new, their first conference in their perspective, and then somebody that is, is tenured as you.

Donna Teach: But thank you for that kind tenured language. I remember my first SHSMD meeting. Yeah, it's, it's amazing. Yeah.

Host: Yeah. So it's kind of interesting, but kind of the theme that runs through it, the networking, the people that I meet, the education. That's kind of a consistent.

Donna Teach: Yeah. But you have to invest in Yeah. Right. You can come here and if you don't reach out, engage. People are very good here about reaching out, giving you opportunities, but you gotta, sometimes you gotta take the first step and that can be the hardest.

Host: Yeah. Well, as you say, get involved. Get involved. Be courageous.

Donna Teach: Yes.

Host: Right. You might think, oh, I don't know. I am kinda get out there.

Donna Teach: Yeah. Find your people. But just like when you start in school, right? There's always somebody on the playground that you're going to make friends with, right? And people are, especially if you're sitting in a session, you know, people, that's an instant affinity group. Someone's in there because they're interested in the same kind of stuff you're in. Introduce yourself to the person, to your left. Introduce yourself to the person to the right. Find out where they're from, you know, find out what challenges they're working on. It's really great to make those kinds of connections.

Host: And that is great advice for networking right there. Oh yeah, for sure. So Donna, your colleagues, uh, describe you as someone who uplifts others and celebrates their contributions first. Okay. Another question. What advice would you give to emerging healthcare marketers and communicators about building strong, empathetic leadership cultures which is very important today?

Donna Teach: Wow. It's, again, it goes back to head and heart. Like, I always say jokingly, like, there's a lot of ways to use the skills we have. We could sell underwear, we could sell consumer product goods, but we have this amazing honor to serve people who are facing some of the most difficult times in their lives.

No one wants to go to a hospital and especially who wants to go to a children's hospital. It's one of the most frightening places on the planet if you've never experienced it. Yes. And so there is an honor to serve in this capacity, and I think if you can approach what you do with that sense of honor and connection, connecting to what we get to do and who we get to serve, that makes me grateful every single day, to do what I do and to work with the people who've chosen. It's a choice. It's a choice. And so that grounds me every day and makes me so incredibly grateful to be in this role. And, and it's a special thing. You've gotta have the head and the heart for it though.

Host: Yep. I love how you say that. Talking to you, Donna, it's like a masterclass, happening right here on this podcast, people masterclass. I love it.

Donna Teach: I don't know about that. We've covered, we've covered the, you know, we've covered a lot of terror. I love it. I mean, I'm so excited to see all the young people here. I want to meet the Rising Stars. I haven't met them yet. But, thank you and thank you for being here.

Host: Oh, well, of course. I love being here. Yeah. It's, uh, probably my favorite conference. I go. A lot of it is my favorite.

Donna Teach: It's a good one.

Host: It's the best. It is a good one. Okay, last, last question for you. Any final thoughts? Anything you want to add overlooking your career and this award. Final thoughts?

Donna Teach: As I said this morning, I call them the three Ps. Find your passion. Okay? Be fearless. Okay? Write this down. If this is not your jam, good for you for figuring that out. But be tireless. Do not just settle. You deserve to find your passion.

Then find the place. Find the place that will invest in you and your talents and help you grow in place. You don't have to stay somewhere for 30 years. But find the place where you feel like you fit and that they're going to invest in your unique set of challenges. And then find your people. I mean, we spend a lot of time in our careers. Why not do it with people who bring you joy? And I, I just love the people that I work with. So that's my thing. Passion, place, people.

Host: I love it. Like I said, masterclass people. That's what I got. Masterclass. Okay. Passion, place, people. Write that down. Hopefully you all wrote that down. Donna, thank you so much for stopping by. This has been great.

Donna Teach: Bill. Thank you. This was fun.

Host: Yeah, pleasure talking with you. All right. Thank you. And once again, it is Donna Teach, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Nationwide Children's Hospital and the Kids Mental Health Foundation.

And we hope you enjoyed SHSMD Connections 2025. Of course, as Donna just said, it's, it's the best. And a recording of Donna's recognition and acceptance remarks will be available to members during the SHSMD Connections virtual conference, and if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and please subscribe so you get every episode, chockfull of great healthcare strategists, marketers, topics and solutions, and great people like Donna, who we just talked to. And to access our full podcast library, visit shsmd.org/podcasts.

This has been a production of Doctor Podcasting. Thanks for listening. See ya.