The Accidental Clinic Manager

Francesca “Jewels” Montgomery

If you were promoted into clinic leadership without formal training and now feel the weight of responsibility more than you expected, this podcast is for you.
I’m Jewels, a clinic manager with 28 years of experience who was once handed the title without the training or playbook.
Each week, we talk about what no one prepares new and accidental clinic managers for: team tension, workflow chaos, compliance stress, difficult conversations, and leading with confidence, clarity, and calm.
This is grounded mentorship in your ear.

Play

Open in

21 episodes
weekly
Avg 12 min
English

Episodes 21

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

S6 · E4
Today · 13 min
Caught Between Your Boss and Your Staff
Ever feel like you're walking a tightrope between your boss and your staff? When your team brings you a complaint and your boss sees things differently, it's easy to feel responsible for keeping everybody happy. In this episode, I share a real disagreement from my clinic and how I learned to advocate without automatically taking sides. You'll learn why understanding the full picture matters, how to choose which battles deserve your energy, and how to communicate with confidence. Your free tool: Carry the Picture Get it here: (https://truenorth808.beehiiv.com/products/carry-the-picture-the-three-p-s) Don't carry the complaint. Carry the picture. #AccidentalClinicManager #TrueNorth808
S6 · E3
October 26 · 15 min
My Employee Keeps Coming in Late. What Do I Do?
Your employee is late. Again. You've had the conversation, but nothing seems to stick. And you're afraid of losing someone your short-staffed clinic desperately needs. Here's what you may be missing: the cost of waiting is already being paid by somebody else. Jewels shares a leadership lesson that will change how you look at repeated tardiness—and a five-minute exercise to help you decide what to do next. 🎁 Get your free Who's Already Paying? — The Five-Minute Accountability Receipt: Who's Already Paying? — The Five-Minute Accountability Receipt | Francesca's Newsletter#ClinicManager #HealthcareLeadership #EmployeeAccountability
S6 · E2
October 19 · 13 min
When an Employee Doesn't Respect You as the New Clinic Manager
You got promoted to clinic manager. Congratulations! But what happens when a longtime employee refuses to accept you as the boss? She questions your decisions, pushes back on changes, and makes sure everyone knows she's unhappy. I've been there. And believe me, getting the title was the easy part! In this episode, I share a story from my first management position and the lesson that changed how I responded to employees who challenged my authority. You'll learn Behavior, Not Verdict, a practical way to separate what an employee does from what you assume it means about you. FREE LEADERSHIP GUIDE Dealing with employee pushback? Download When an Employee Challenges Your Authority for practical steps to handle the conversation, set expectations, and follow through. https://truenorth808.beehiiv.com/products/when-an-employee-challenges-your-
S6 · E1
October 12 · 15 min
Everything Feels Urgent. Where Do I Start?
You're a new clinic manager, and everybody needs something from you. Your own work is piling up, and you can't figure out what deserves your attention first. Sound familiar? In this episode of The Accidental Clinic Manager, Jewels shares a practical way to sort through competing demands, make decisions with greater confidence, and stop taking ownership of every problem that comes through your door. Listen now and discover where to begin.
October 5 · 13 min
Why Does My Staff Bring Every Problem to Me?
If every little problem in your clinic somehow ends up on your desk, this episode is for you. In this season finale of Unbreakable Woman, I share what happened when my team caught a staffing problem before I even realized it existed — and why that moment changed the way I think about stepping in. If you became the clinic manager because you were the capable one, it’s easy to become the person who fixes everything. But over time, that strength can quietly teach your team to wait for you instead of thinking things through themselves. I’ll show you the small habit I’m practicing now — The Gap Pause — and how thirty seconds of restraint can reveal whether your team actually needs you... or whether they’re already working on the solution. If you’re tired of being the answer to every question, the fixer for every problem, and the person everybody waits for, this episode will help you see what leadership can look like when your team starts thinking without you. Free resources for new and accidental clinic managers: TrueNorth808.com
S5 · E5
September 28 · 12 min
How Do I Fix Inefficient Workflows in My Medical Clinic?
A patient walked into our clinic with a $5 statement. That tiny balance sent me down a much bigger leadership rabbit hole. Why were we still doing it this way? And more importantly, was the problem really the employee following the process — or the process itself? In this episode of Unbreakable Woman, I share what that moment taught me about outdated clinic procedures, leadership responsibility, and the danger of correcting people before examining the system they were trained to follow. If you've ever looked at something happening in your clinic and thought, “Why are we still doing this?” this episode is for you. TrueNorth808.com
S5 · E4
September 21 · 13 min
How to Say the Hard Thing Without Making It Messier
Hard conversations rarely get easier when we dump everything into them at once — the facts, the frustration, the history, the assumptions, and everything we wish the other person understood. In this episode of Unbreakable Woman, Jewels shares a simple way to bring more clarity to difficult conversations without becoming cold, vague, or overly emotional. You’ll learn the 3-Bucket Framework: Facts — What actually happened? Feelings — What did it bring up in you? Ask — What needs to happen next? Because sometimes the conversation isn’t hard because you don’t know what to say. It’s hard because you’re trying to say everything. Learn more and grab The First Five Moves of an Unbreakable Leader at TrueNorth808.com.
S5 · E3
September 15 · 7 min
Responsibility Is Not Involvement
Being responsible for everything in your clinic does not mean you need to be involved in everything that happens there. In this episode, Jewels shares a real leadership lesson from the clinic floor: when escalation turns into surrendering ownership, managers become the default destination for problems that never needed to become theirs. You’ll hear how one leaking ceiling exposed the difference between visibility and takeover, and how a simple toner problem revealed something even more important — sometimes managers accidentally train people to depend on them. This episode is about knowing what actually needs your leadership, what needs a clearer owner, and what needs a better system.
S5 · E2
September 7 · 9 min
Before You Fix It, Find Out What Actually Happened
“The patient is furious.” “Billing refuses to help us.” “Everybody is upset.” After 28 years of clinic management, I’ve learned that by the time a difficult conversation reaches the manager, you’re rarely hearing a recording. You’re hearing a version. And when you’re new to management, it’s easy to take that version and immediately go to work fixing it. In this episode of Unbreakable Woman, I’m sharing a simple leadership habit I call Check and Verify — how to separate what actually happened from the meaning that got attached to it, move the conversation toward the outcome you want, and decide who really owns the next move. Because taking a concern seriously doesn’t mean automatically taking ownership of it. If somebody handed you a clinic management title without much of a playbook, download The First Five Moves of an Unbreakable Leader free at TrueNorth808.com. Stand and deliver on what’s true.
S5 · E1
August 31 · 9 min
Everything Feels Important
When every request feels urgent, your attention gets pulled in every direction. In this episode of Unbreakable Woman, Jewels shares a deeply personal moment from the clinic that exposed a hard truth: the things demanding your attention are not always the things that deserve it most. If you’re a new or accidental clinic manager who feels like your whole day belongs to whoever gets to you first, this episode will help you recognize the difference between being responsive and actually leading. You’ll hear why loud, new, and emotional problems can hijack your focus, and why leadership starts with deciding what matters most right now. If this episode makes you think of another clinic manager carrying too much, send it to her. And if you want more structure for how you lead, download The First Five Moves of an Unbreakable Leader at TrueNorth808.com.
S4 · E7
August 24 · 13 min
Why Does Every Problem Still End Up on Your Desk?
If every question, decision, and problem still finds its way back to you, this episode is for you. In the Season 4 finale, I share the moment one of our PAs solved a problem without bringing it to me first — and why that win came with a little grief. We talk about what happens when your team begins to think for themselves, use judgment, and stop needing you in the same way. You’ll also get a practical tool called the What Still Depends on Me? Tracker to help you notice what is still landing on your desk, why it keeps coming to you, and what your team may be ready to carry next. Because the goal is not to become the person nobody can function without. The goal is to build people who can think, act, and carry the work forward. Find more practical leadership tools for new and accidental clinic managers at TrueNorth808.com.
S4 · E6
August 17 · 12 min
Still Carrying the Whole Team? Stop Being the Only One Who Notices
Are you the one who notices everything? Who hasn’t eaten. Who’s overwhelmed. Who needs coverage. Who needs a break. Who is about to hit their limit. That may feel like good leadership — until you realize the entire team has learned to depend on you to notice first. In this episode, Jewels shares what happened when the culture inside her clinic began to change. Her team started stepping in for one another without waiting for her to orchestrate it — and after twenty-eight years of Jewels reminding everyone else to eat, rest, and take a break, one of her nurses finally turned the tables on her. The lesson: a strong team doesn’t need one permanent protector. They learn to notice. They learn to respond. And they learn how to carry the load together. You’ll also learn the Notice and Relief Check — two simple questions to help you stop automatically becoming the answer and start building a team that knows how to support one another. If you’re a new or accidental clinic manager who feels like everything still runs through you, this episode is for you. TrueNorth808.com
S2 · E4
August 10 · 8 min
They Had It Handled
When the receptionist was out, Jewels always stepped in. Then her nurses began stopping her. “No. We got this. Go back to your desk.” What seemed like a simple staffing moment became a deeper lesson about team maturity, trust, and the identity many accidental managers build around being needed everywhere. In this episode, Jewels explains why the most visible need is not always the manager’s need to fill, how constantly stepping in can keep your team dependent, and how to use the Most-Needed Check before taking over another task. The goal is not to stop helping. The goal is to stop assuming every gap automatically belongs to you. Download the free First Five Moves of an Unbreakable Leader at TrueNorth808.com.
S4 · E5
August 10 · 14 min
When Your Team Finally Starts Solving Problems Without You
For years, Jewels’s infusion nurses administered medications using gravity tubing. Then a pharmaceutical change required an unfamiliar infusion pump — without adequate training arriving alongside it. One nurse took ownership. She contacted the manufacturer, worked with the distributor, found training resources, troubleshot the equipment, and persisted until the new process became part of the clinic’s normal workflow. The bigger lesson wasn’t about learning a machine. It was realizing she no longer looked to her manager before taking every next step. In this episode, Jewels explores how managers unintentionally create dependence, what real employee discernment looks like, and how to recognize when your role is to provide support rather than take over. Featured tool: The First-Look Check.
S4 · E2
August 3 · 9 min
The Space I Never Walked Into
What happens when an important clinic decision has to be made in a room you have never seen? When the lease for our outer-island clinic was ending, two nurses and our physician assistant inspected a possible new suite without me. In the past, I would have flown over, opened every cabinet, checked the refrigerator, measured the storage, and made sure nothing was missed. This time, I stayed in Honolulu. The lease is not signed yet, and several operational details still need to be resolved. But the part I entrusted to my team is complete—and they handled it well. In this episode, I share what that experience taught me about earned trust, the pressure accidental clinic managers feel to personally check everything, and the difference between staying responsible and putting your hands on every part of the work. Because a strong team does not simply complete tasks while the manager is away. They carry the standard.
July 27 · 1 min
When Grace Becomes Avoidance
You keep giving one more chance because you don't want to be the bad guy. But somewhere between grace and avoidance, your team starts paying the price for your hesitation. This week Jewels tells the story of a difficult relationship that tested every boundary in her clinic — and the two-door conversation that changed how she leads for good.
S3 · E7
July 21 · 24 min
How to Stop Doing Everything as a Clinic Manager
Does your clinic team wait for you to answer every question, solve every problem, and keep every recurring task moving? In this Season 3 finale, Jewels shares how three nurses quietly took ownership of work she had carried for years, including the Honolulu nursing rotation and the Hilo and Kauai travel schedule. Through these lived clinic stories, Jewels explores why capable employees sometimes continue waiting for their manager, how clear guardrails create ownership, and why delegation is not the same as abandoning your team. You will also learn the two-layer Approval Test, a practical leadership tool that helps you uncover whether a recurring task is still on your desk because the team needs more training, clearer boundaries, greater trust, or simply the opportunity to try. This episode is for overwhelmed, new, and accidental clinic managers who want to stop carrying everything alone, develop a dependable team, and move from creating every task to approving work their people are ready to own.
July 13 · 14 min
Do You Still Want Me to Go?
What happens when something goes wrong on a day you cannot be there to fix it? In this episode, Jewels shares a COVID-era clinic story from one of her team’s inter-island infusion trips to Kauai, when a nurse was stuck at the Honolulu airport for three hours because her travel QR code would not clear. The patients were already scheduled, the medication was already on island, and the other nurse had to start the infusion day without her. This story is not about a manager swooping in to save the day. It is about what happens when the plan breaks and the culture holds. If you are an accidental clinic manager learning how to trust your team, build ownership, and stop carrying every problem alone, this episode will remind you that crisis does not create culture. Crisis reveals culture. Stand and deliver on resolve.
S3 · E5
July 6 · 11 min
Perfect Was Never the Job
Every clinic manager dreads the moment before they know if it's a disaster. That pocket of silence where your stomach drops and your face is doing its best impression of calm while everything underneath is absolutely not. In this episode, Jewels shares the moment an expensive mistake almost reached a patient — and what cracked open inside her in the sixty seconds after her team member told her the truth. If you have ever believed that a mistake on your team means you failed as a leader, this episode is going to sit with you. You will walk away with three moves for handling the moment something goes wrong — without destroying your team's trust, their ownership, or your own peace in the process. Because a team that hides mistakes is far more dangerous than a team that admits them. 🎙 The Unbreakable Woman's Journey — for the new and accidental clinic manager who got handed a title and zero training, and showed up anyway.
June 29 · 13 min
Why Can't I Trust Anyone to Do This as Well as Me?
You've been the one holding it all together for so long, letting go doesn't feel like leadership — it feels like losing control. This week on The Unbreakable Woman's Journey, Jewels tells the story of the one task she refused to hand off for twenty-five years — and what happened the very first time she did. Spoiler: $1,435.01 went missing, and it taught her more about trust than two decades of doing it herself ever could. If you're the accidental manager who can't get through lunch without somebody needing a decision, this episode is for you. Jewels walks through the three things real delegation requires — the keys, the map, and the guardrails — so you can finally start building a team that runs without you hovering over every detail. Nobody handed you a manual. So let's keep building one together. New episodes every week. Follow The Unbreakable Woman's Journey wherever you listen.

Showing 1–20 of 21 episodes