In episode 234—the launch of a brand-new series CHANGEMAKERS—Molly sits down with Dr. Michael Bartoszek, anesthesiologist and Deputy Commander for Surgical Services at Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, for a candid conversation about what it takes to lead 500+ people through high-stakes, high-stress environments without losing trust along the way.
Mike shares his path from Army scholarship student to trauma surgeon in Afghanistan to civilian hospital leader—and the moment his team earned him the nickname "Rudy," for getting knocked down and getting back up, over and over, as the new kid trying to make the football team. That resilience, he says, has carried him through every hard conversation since.
He opens up about rebuilding his hospital's culture after COVID nearly emptied it of staff, the healthy conflict it took to find a schedule that finally worked for everyone, and the three things he relies on to build trust fast: curiosity, assuming the best, and warmth. He also credits mentors—and reading Say It Skillfully—for turning that same discipline toward the conversations that don't come as naturally as a medical one.
