Lisa Wegley
Episode 146

Narrator: Welcome friends to another episode of the Story & Experience Podcast. Join your host, Japhet De Oliveira with his guest today and discover the moments that shape us, our families and communities.

Japhet De Oliveira: Hey, welcome friends to another episode of the Story & Experience Podcast. I'm here in Roseville, California in the studio with a new guest. I'm excited for you to be able to meet this guest. They're smiling, which is a good sign that this is going to go well.

If you're brand new to the podcast, we have a hundred questions. They become more vulnerable, more open about stories and experiences that shaped this person into the leader that they are today. I'm going to ask the first 10 and then I'm going to hand over to them to choose. Are you ready?

Lisa Wegley: I'm ready.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right, brilliant. Could you tell us your name and does anybody ever mispronounce it?

Lisa Wegley: So my name is Lisa Wegley. Definitely easy to spell Wegley.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

Lisa Wegley: Not always easy-

Japhet De Oliveira: To say?

Lisa Wegley: To say, right. But for the most part it's okay, Wegley, Weegley, Wagley, whatever you want to call me, but I usually say it's Wegley, and give them a chance to say it that way.

Japhet De Oliveira: Do you ever correct them or...?

Lisa Wegley: If they're struggling, you know what I mean? Sometimes people usually pause and so when they pause you can tell they're like, "How am I going to tackle this?" And so I just kind of help them along. I would say Wegley, I've been Wegley for quite some time because I'm married, but before that I used to be Fernandez and I went from F to the early part of the alphabet to the end of the alphabet. So in PE, or in college, all of a sudden you went to the end of the line.

Japhet De Oliveira: The downside.

Lisa Wegley: The downside.

Japhet De Oliveira: Or the plus side? We'll have to see how it is. All right hey Lisa, what do you do for work?

Lisa Wegley: I am so blessed. I get to be the project manager for community health needs assessments for our entire healthcare system. And so what does that mean? Well-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, I'm glad you actually asked that question because I was going to ask the same thing. All right, good.

Lisa Wegley: I know it's kind of crazy. So as a not-for-profit hospital, us all, not-for-profit hospitals are required to do something called a community health needs assessment, which means we go out into the community and we listen to understand the greatest health needs of those communities.

And then, a steering committee is selected and they listen to all of the feedback that we give them. We collect data, primary and secondary data, and we aggregate it and we present it to them. And then, they select the high priority needs for their community to focus on for the next three years. And then, our team comes back, and then we help them build a community health implementation strategy. And so, then we decide how are we, as a community, going to tackle and improve the health needs for this around access to care, mental health, financial stability, it could be physical health, all sorts of things that there are.

Japhet De Oliveira: Now, can I ask you a technical question?

Lisa Wegley: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: How do you get the original data for that?

Lisa Wegley: That's such a great question.

Japhet De Oliveira: Do you have people fill out a survey for a Starbucks card?

Lisa Wegley: Oh, that's a great question. So there's two kinds of data that we collect, secondary data and primary data. Secondary data is the things that you get off of national surveys, national records, like the police send out records or school districts, that's secondary data. And then, there's primary data, and that's through focus groups, through key informant interviews and surveys, yes. So ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. And so, the surveys have been amazing because for the very first time, our healthcare system has launched a survey across the system through all of our hospitals that we're doing CHNAs with. And it's just phenomenal to see the responses of people.

Japhet De Oliveira: Hey, that's fantastic. Then you have the crunch all that data and translate it?

Lisa Wegley: Yeah, exactly. So then we do. We code it. So we actually have a code book, we have a framework, we have a code book. It's very scientific and it is. I am not saying that sarcastically, there's a lot of rigor to it. It's an academic report.

Japhet De Oliveira: There must be for that level, yeah.

Lisa Wegley: Yeah. But how do you take something that's so academic and then hand it to boots-on-ground community benefit organizations to digest it and read it, and then move it forward? So it's an art and we have a great team that finds that balance.

Japhet De Oliveira: How long have you been doing this?

Lisa Wegley: Three years. This is my second CHNA cycle to go through for Adventist Health.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, that's fantastic. Now, have you done this your entire life?

Lisa Wegley: No, not at all.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right, so how did you end up doing this job? Because I know you love it.

Lisa Wegley: I do. God works in mysterious ways. And have worked for healthcare probably for 20 years.

Japhet De Oliveira: Nice.

Lisa Wegley: And started actually in philanthropy, I was an executive director of a foundation way back when. Fast-forward, my husband gets a new job, and so we pick up and move to another space. And so, I worked for another healthcare system and I was on a Blue Zones project. And so anyway, Blue Zones was acquired by Adventist Health at some point.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, it was.

Lisa Wegley: And when you live out and work on a Blue Zones team, you really do believe in the tenets. And one of them is family and faith. And so, I realized I was doing this great, awesome boots on ground community benefit work, but I wasn't near my family. And so, I prayed really hard and I've never done anything so intentional than applying for this job, which sounds kind of crazy.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great.

Lisa Wegley: God has always just thrown things in front of me and I just, "Okay, God, I'll go that way." But in this particular instance, family was at the core. And I got lucky, I got really lucky. Amy Lasher hired me. Thank you Amy.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's fantastic. Well, congratulations, happy. Happy for Adventist Health as well. That's good. Now, are you an early riser or a late night owl?

Lisa Wegley: I am an early riser, Japhet.

Japhet De Oliveira: And what's early?

Lisa Wegley: 4:15.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, yeah.

Lisa Wegley: Is that early?

Japhet De Oliveira: Do you wake up without an alarm or with an alarm?

Lisa Wegley: I wake up without an alarm. Yeah, I do. It's kind of crazy, I know.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, first thought that went through your mind this morning, at 4:15.

Lisa Wegley: Hurry up and get online and book your workout class before you lose your spot.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right, that's good. So you don't have to do it the night before you just do it-

Lisa Wegley: Yeah, you can only do it an hour ahead.

Japhet De Oliveira: An hour?

Lisa Wegley: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh wow, yeah.

Lisa Wegley: You have to get up at 4:15. I mean, I get up anyway.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good. And in the morning, do you have water, coffee, tea, liquid green smoothie. What's your first drink of the day?

Lisa Wegley: Well, water, just because I'm going to go exercise, but after that Japhet, I have my coffee.

Japhet De Oliveira: And how do you have your coffee? Sounds like a moment.

Lisa Wegley: It is. So I ground my little Komodo dragon, which I love, nice and dark. And then I froth my almond macadamia cashew nut milk.

Japhet De Oliveira: Wow, okay.

Lisa Wegley: Yeah, I told you it's a ritual. And when I was in Mendocino not too long ago, they had a spicy Mexican mocha mix and so, I had that now.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, look at that.

Lisa Wegley: I know. It's really good.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's really good. That's fantastic. I am happy for you. Now, personality Lisa, would people say you are an extrovert or an introvert? And would you agree with them?

Lisa Wegley: I am an extrovert aspiring to be an introvert.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, all right. Let me know how that goes for you.

Lisa Wegley: I'm working on it.

Japhet De Oliveira: Trying to become an introvert, why?

Lisa Wegley: Being an extrovert is great because you get to meet people, and make them feel comfortable, and learn from them and just create new friendships. But part of that means I really need to embrace being an introvert, and being silent and listening because when I listen, I learn something.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's true. We all do.

Lisa Wegley: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: I like that. Where were you born?

Lisa Wegley: I was born in Dallas, Texas.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. Small state, great.

Lisa Wegley: That's right.

Japhet De Oliveira: Glad you qualified it. So did you grow up there a little bit?

Lisa Wegley: I did until I was 13.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. So when you were child, young, what did you imagine you wouldn't grow up to be?

Lisa Wegley: I told my dad, who's a minister, by the way, "Daddy, when I grew up. I want to be a go-go dancer."

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

Lisa Wegley: I don't know if anybody knows what a go-go dancer is, but-

Japhet De Oliveira: I don't know what a go-go dancer is.

Lisa Wegley: Go-go dancers were back in the '60s. They were the ones that danced in the bird cages and stuff like that.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, that's great.

Lisa Wegley: Don't ask me why. I wanted the white go-go boots.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. That's actually really funny. That's great. I'm happy for you.

Lisa Wegley: I'm glad I'm bringing you such joy.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, I know this is what happens in life sometimes here. Leadership question here, are you a backseat driver?

Lisa Wegley: That's a really good question. The work that I am blessed to do here means I get to work with leaders. And so, they're very smart people. And so, for the most part, if I have gone down the road with them before CHNA, if you will, I probably am going to say, "Here's my cell phone, it's charged. Call me if you need me and if something comes up." So I won't even get in the car because they're going.

If it's something that's new and never been done before for them, if they've never done it, I probably will sit in the seat next to them as they drive and hold the map, the framework and say, "Look, here's where we need to go. Here's the things that we've got to do in order to get there. And let's go do this together." And listen to them when they say, "You know what? This is not the fastest route. We need to go here." So we adjust.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good. I like that a lot. All right, floor is open. Lisa, where would you like to go? Oh, what number?

Lisa Wegley: All right, I'm going to guess, 33.

Japhet De Oliveira: 33, all right, here we go. Oh, tell us about the best gift you've ever given someone else.

Lisa Wegley: Oh, goodness gracious. You know what, you're going to laugh. My sister asked and I happen to be wearing it, I wear it all the time. It is a ring. And my sister wanted one so we both have one. And so I think this is one of the best gifts I ever gave. And it says, "Remember to Play." We come from, I don't know, we're all thinkers and so we think a lot. And we don't always necessarily play a lot, so I have to remember to play.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's really good.

Lisa Wegley: So she gets to remember to play too. And we're going to go play together soon.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right, that's really good. Fantastic. Family is important, like you said earlier, you made changes and family's critical to that.

Lisa Wegley: It is.

Japhet De Oliveira: It's good.

Lisa Wegley: Absolutely right.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right, that was 33. So where next?

Lisa Wegley: How about 11?

Japhet De Oliveira: 11, tell us about the most adventurous food or meal you've ever eaten.

Lisa Wegley: Oh, my husband surprised me and took me to The Kitchen here in Sacramento. I don't know if you've ever heard of The Kitchen?

Japhet De Oliveira: I've heard of The Kitchen in Colorado. I don't know if it's the same.

Lisa Wegley: I don't know. And it's a culinary experience. And so, I think it was like 22 courses. And the chefs cooked right there in front of you, and it's the kind of intricate meal where you'll have a little shot glass and they'll say, "Okay, this is cream of mushroom soup," and have that one little shot of mushroom soup and you're like full. But there's 23 more courses to go. So it was beautiful because I love presentation. I love the culinary arts. That was so amazing.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's fantastic.

Lisa Wegley: Yeah, yummy.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, I'm going to have to try that out.

Lisa Wegley: Yeah, it is like 6,000 calories in one meal, but hey, that's another time to kill.

Japhet De Oliveira: I'll try it for the month. All right?

Lisa Wegley: That's right.

Japhet De Oliveira: That was 11. So where next?

Lisa Wegley: How about 13?

Japhet De Oliveira: 13, all right. Walk us through the ideal kind of end of your day.

Lisa Wegley: Ideal end of my day. That would probably be coming home and making a really thoughtful dinner and going for a walk after dinner. And then just sitting and enjoying my husband and my dog. And just relaxing and not really necessarily really taking it easy, and taking care of myself, and getting ready for the next day.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good. I like that, I like that a lot. That's nice. Good. All right, where next?

Lisa Wegley: 77.

Japhet De Oliveira: 77, all right, let's go there. Oh, share one of the most cup-filling experiences you've had.

Lisa Wegley: Oh, that's actually a recent one.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah?

Lisa Wegley: Cup-filling experience, yeah. So part of my job is I get to work with various communities and build different kinds of relationships. And in one of our communities we have an American tribe, a Native tribe there. And we were getting ready to go onto tribal land, which was super cool, but we needed to have a land acknowledgement. And so, it was in order for us to write this land acknowledgement, we worked together, worked with the market, worked with our spiritual team here to craft a land acknowledgement that spoke to both our tribal nations and to our faith and what Adventist Health is. And so, if you don't mind, I'm going to tell you just a quick little story.

Japhet De Oliveira: Please do.

Lisa Wegley: I was doing an interview like you. I do can form interviews and the woman happened to be a Native American woman and I said, "Well, I have this land acknowledgement, would you like me to read this for you?" And she said, "Only if you are open to criticism."

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, okay.

Lisa Wegley: Absolutely. So I read it to her and afterwards she said, "that was beautiful." And I said, "Well, it was not the work of one person." It was the most thoughtful piece of literature. I say literature like it's a book, but it's not. But it was written by many people with many lenses around faith, and planet, and forgiveness, and acceptance of who we are and what we strive to be as an organization.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's really good. So community wrote it for a community?

Lisa Wegley: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, I like it a lot.

Lisa Wegley: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, it's good. Oh, thanks for sharing that. Okay, where next?

Lisa Wegley: 12.

Japhet De Oliveira: 12, what's your favorite move or book of all time and why? Oh yeah.

Lisa Wegley: West Side Story.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah?

Lisa Wegley: Easy. Yes. Such an easy one, yeah. So singing, dancing, love, conflict.

Japhet De Oliveira: Drama.

Lisa Wegley: Conflict. Growing up Hispanic in Texas wasn't easy, so seeing how they overcame racism, and understood each other, and through tragedy they decided to start working forward.

Japhet De Oliveira: Is that the remake of Romeo and Juliet?

Lisa Wegley: It is, of course it is. Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: I'm just trying to remember.

Lisa Wegley: Oh, absolutely. And Jerome Robbins was the choreographer and just phenomenal. And so, as a mother of two sons, it was incredibly important for me to know that they had some culture, so they know that movie inside out.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. Oh, that's fantastic. All right, where next then? That was 12.

Lisa Wegley: That was 12. Let's go into the 20s. 27.

Japhet De Oliveira: 27, yeah. Bring us into your kitchen for a special meal, what are you making?

Lisa Wegley: Well...

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes?

Lisa Wegley: If I'm making a special meal for someone and I probably will call them up and say, "What would you like?" So first I ask the person what they want and then, it's more than the meal cooking. I love to cook and I'll cook, but I like to set the table. I like to play the right kind of music. I like to have the right kind of beverage. I like to create the experience.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's pretty cool.

Lisa Wegley: And my son just recently got a new job, so he asked for mole. So I'm making mole rice and beans tonight.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's really cool. That's really good. That's good. It is about an experience, right?

Lisa Wegley: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: To slowly enjoy it, yeah.

Lisa Wegley: Yeah, the right kind of music.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, makes it all. All right, good. Where next?

Lisa Wegley: We haven't done anything in the 80s. 84

Japhet De Oliveira: 84, where do you go to find peace?

Lisa Wegley: Trees.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah?

Lisa Wegley: Trees, yeah. And the river. So I don't live far from the American River, and so if I really need some good peace, I will go do a run and get to the water's edge and stand and do Tai Chi and pray and really center myself there. It's a place of great joy.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's really nice.

Lisa Wegley: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good.

Lisa Wegley: It's really pretty too. We should go walking there sometime.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, you'll have to show me. I'm learning about all the places around here so it's great. All right, where next?

Lisa Wegley: Let's see, have we done anything in the 30s? No?

Japhet De Oliveira: No.

Lisa Wegley: Okay, let's try 38.

Japhet De Oliveira: 38, all right. If you need encouragement, who would you call?

Lisa Wegley: Ghostbusters? No, I'm just kidding.

Japhet De Oliveira: I know.

Lisa Wegley: I would call one of my best friends and that would be my brother.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah? How many siblings do you have?

Lisa Wegley: I have a little sister and a big brother, so I'm the middle child.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

Lisa Wegley: So yeah, my brother... Well, my husband always is the first to know everything.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah sure.

Lisa Wegley: Right so outside of my husband, I should say, I turn to my brother. He gives me a lot of things to think about and he reminds me, not through the words that he says, but through his actions that be at peace, be happy with where you are, and life is good. And so sometimes Japhet, we just really need to remember that. I think as leaders, all of us in our careers, we're always striving. And there's new challenges, and new metrics, and new benchmarks to go. And so, sometimes I think you have to stop and pause and just say, "What benchmark am I chasing now? Or do I just need to be happy?" And I'm not saying don't keep trying.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, no.

Lisa Wegley: That's not what it's, but there's more metaphor. But being happy and content with where you are, and then just refining, and making life easier than going out and always doing something new.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes. So how do you cultivate a culture of gratitude, I guess, what you're saying?

Lisa Wegley: Every morning.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah?

Lisa Wegley: Yeah, I have my little boards that I have on both sides of my mirror. I'm pretty regimented in the morning, actually, truth be told. Can you imagine that?

Japhet De Oliveira: No.

Lisa Wegley: Right. So on one side is list three things that you're grateful for every morning. And so I do that. And in special times when I'm really feeling down it's 10, I'll bump it to 10 things that I'm grateful for. And then, on the other side of that is my prayer and it's a consistent prayer that I pray.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's really good. I like that discipline.

Lisa Wegley: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, it must have a compound effect.

Lisa Wegley: It has. A few years ago, how do you say you're in a dark place? I don't know, dark place, an unhappy place.

Japhet De Oliveira: Sure.

Lisa Wegley: And it kind of goes back to the more you strive for, the more you want, the more driven you become sometimes you lose sight. And so I think, for me, the benchmarks and the goals were so strong that that was all I could focus on rather than my own well and making sure that it was full. And so, I guess, I say that my mornings are very regimented. They're regimented because I realized if I didn't take care of myself first in the morning, I wasn't going to be there for anybody or I wouldn't be there as purposeful.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes. That's really good.

Lisa Wegley: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Good words of wisdom there. All right, a sage. Where next?

Lisa Wegley: Let's see. 87, did we do that one already?

Japhet De Oliveira: No.

Lisa Wegley: How do you remember these numbers? You're not writing them down. Gosh, you're good.

Japhet De Oliveira: I don't always. Sometimes I ask the question I'm like, "Wait a second, I did ask that."

So, all right, 87. When you under incredible stress, what helps to ground you?

Lisa Wegley: God.

Japhet De Oliveira: Have you always been a believer?

Lisa Wegley: My dad's a minister, I didn't have a choice.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. That's one way to put it. Right.

Lisa Wegley: But yeah, I have. And my husband and I have been together since I was 15. We met at youth group and his faith is strong, which is why I think we are still together, always will be.

But my faith is very, very important and I pray daily. And it's important, I think, to help other people know that there is someone out there that cares for you. There is somebody there that loves you for who you are. And I think the only way that we can really tell them those words, Japhet, is through our actions, through what we as Adventist Health do as a corporation for the communities that we serve.

Japhet De Oliveira: I like that. That's brilliant. Fantastic. Thank you.

All right, where next?

Lisa Wegley: Let's go back up to the 20s. 22. Did we do that one already?

Japhet De Oliveira: No. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be? You can say right here.

Lisa Wegley: I know right here with you, Japhet. This is the perfect place. I love this room. I love what you've done with this room.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, sure. All right, thank you.

Lisa Wegley: If I could be anywhere right now, I'd love to be back in Europe.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah?

Lisa Wegley: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Where in Europe?

Lisa Wegley: Well, Spain, but I want to go back to Scotland. We only got to dip our toes into Scotland and they were so friendly.

Japhet De Oliveira: East or west?

Lisa Wegley: Well, we were in England and we crossed over by Hadrian's Walls so I don't know.

Japhet De Oliveira: You go north there. And so, did you go all the way to Edinburgh or...?

Lisa Wegley: No, we literally-

Japhet De Oliveira: Had stopped right there.

Lisa Wegley: We had just gotten over the border because we were staying just on the other side of Hadrian's Wall. And it's such a great memory. This is probably one of the best memories ever. So my oldest son, he wants to play golf. He's in Scotland, so mom and dad do everything that they can. So we go and my husband finds a golf course, so we go in, but it's the middle of the day. And so there's these guys, and they're drinking away, and having a good time, and we say, "Can we play?" And they're like, "No, we're closed." And so, we're standing there and we stand around and then Kevin, who was the bartender, comes around, he goes, "Come this way, come this way." Took my boys out back, gave them a bucket of balls and some clubs and let them just go to town.

Japhet De Oliveira: Wow.

Lisa Wegley: But after that, who was sitting? There were two gentlemen, one was the police chief and another one was the mailman. And we said, "Okay, great. Well, we're going to go to get something to eat, where would you recommend?" And they said, the King's Cross. We said, "All right, and where do you get there?" Blah, blah, blah. And so we're going to, they go, "No, no, no, no. We're going to take you there. We're gonna drive you there."

Japhet De Oliveira: Really?

Lisa Wegley: They drove us there. They introduced us to everybody.

Japhet De Oliveira: Wow. That's beautiful. What a memory.

Lisa Wegley: Hospitable.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

Lisa Wegley: Right?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

Lisa Wegley: I want to go back because-

Japhet De Oliveira: Family.

Lisa Wegley: They were so hospitable. Yeah, they were open arms and Kevin.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's really-

Lisa Wegley: He Facebooks me every now and then.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, that's fantastic. Oh, that's really good. Scotland is beautiful, one of my favorite places too.

Lisa Wegley: Really?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

Lisa Wegley: All right. Well, when I go back, I'm going to ask you.

Japhet De Oliveira: All way up I mean, to Loch Ness, I mean just-

Lisa Wegley: Really?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. It's worth it, the drive. You'll love it.

Lisa Wegley: Okay so drive?

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh yeah, drive it.

Lisa Wegley: I'm taking your advice.

Japhet De Oliveira: It's great. Okay, where next?

Lisa Wegley: 88.

Japhet De Oliveira: 88. Oh, tell us about how your life has been different than what you imagined.

Lisa Wegley: Different than what I imagined?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

Lisa Wegley: Probably because I grew up, well, different than what I imagined. I think I imagined this.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's interesting. That's really great.

Lisa Wegley: I don't think I imagined anything different. Don't forget, I met my husband when I was 15.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, exactly.

Lisa Wegley: So we got to imagine together.

Japhet De Oliveira: Create, yeah.

Lisa Wegley: And create together. So we pretty much created what we wanted together.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's beautiful.

Lisa Wegley: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good.

Lisa Wegley: I'm pretty lucky.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, that is really good. I'm happy for you guys.

Lisa Wegley: Thanks.

Japhet De Oliveira: Right, we have time for two more, the final two.

Lisa Wegley: Okay.

Japhet De Oliveira: Where would you like to go?

Lisa Wegley: Let's go into the 20s. You like how I'm not a chronological person here, right?

Japhet De Oliveira: No, that's great. You actually can go anyway, that's great.

Lisa Wegley: Oh my God, 21. Did we do 21?

Japhet De Oliveira: No, we didn't. Share the best compliment you ever received.

Lisa Wegley: Yeah, I tell people this story all the time. When I was in fund development I was raising money, of course, but we raised money purposefully. So we didn't just do random things. And so, some nurses had said that they wanted to have a certain kind of program within their system for our hospital, but we knew that we can't raise funds unless my VP signs off on it. I go to my CNO and CNOs, they're tough, I mean, they've got a lot on their plate. And this particular CNO was compassionate, so I don't mean tough that way.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, I understand.

Lisa Wegley: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: They're very, very focused. And so I went to her and said, "There's this fundraising opportunity to help educate your nurses. What do you think? And would you like us to raise funds for you?" And she looked at that and she said, "You know, I'm not ready for that right now." And I said, "Okay, not a problem."

So a few months go by and I come back again and I say, "Are you ready yet?" And she said, "No, I'm still not ready." And I said, "Okay, not a problem. Is this a no?" "No, it's not a no. This is not good." "Okay, not a problem."

So I come back a third time and I push the project across her desk ever so slightly. And I said, "Are you ready now?" And she said, "You know what, Lisa? You are patiently persistent." And I said, "I think that's a compliment." She goes, "It is." And I said, "Thank you." And she signed and we did what we needed to do. But it was just kind of this reminder that you can get no, and you can get maybes. And it's just knowing when that door is open and always knocking the right way.

That's good. That's good wisdom there. I like that.

All right, our very last one, Lisa, where would you like to go for your last number?

Lisa Wegley: Let's go into the 90s. Did we do 93?

Japhet De Oliveira: No, we did not. Paint a picture of success for us. Yeah, what does success look like?

Lisa Wegley:

I think success, for me, looks like when it's a really heavy lift and someone's coming at you, and you answer with integrity and you let it go by.

So I do Tai Chi, and it's called passing the dragon. And I don't mean dragon as in... It's just, it means let it pass by. And let the anger that that person might have at you just pass it by. And I think that's success because at the very root, on a daily basis, you have angry drivers that come by, or somebody who's rude in line. And you know what? That's not for me to absorb nor to me to reflect back. So making sure that I spend time passing the dragon...

Japhet De Oliveira: That's really good, yeah.

Lisa Wegley: And letting it go and coming back to center, and be prepared for wonderful people like you.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, that's good. Lisa, that is a pearl of wisdom to end on. No, it's good. I mean, the amount of people, all of us, struggle with complex things. Some of us are conflict avoidant, and so it's really difficult to address the stuff. So to pass it by.

Lisa Wegley: Yeah, it's hard.

Japhet De Oliveira: I liked what you said about not absorbing it, reflecting it.

Lisa Wegley: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

Lisa Wegley: Because I think we do that unintentionally. When someone cuts you off in traffic and you get kind of mad and then, you start saying stuff. And before you realize it, you have that same energy that they were passing by you. And so, I don't need it. And the person that I'm getting ready to meet doesn't need it either.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's right.

Lisa Wegley: I think that's really the older I've gotten, to me, that's more the strength of a leader. People talk about the different kinds of tactics, but I think the strength of a leader really is letting those things go that don't matter, and focusing on what we really need to do together. How is it that we're moving the ball together? You might have an issue with it. Okay, we'll let that go, but how are we going to move forward together? And if I hold onto their negativity, then we're never going to go anywhere.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's really good. Lisa, it's been a privilege to be able to speak to you. Thank you for sharing.

Lisa Wegley: Thank you, Japhet. I want to do this next time, but I want to swap. I want to ask you the questions, although I know Christine probably has dibs on that one, but anyway.

Japhet De Oliveira: We'll see. So I do want to encourage people to do the same thing. Sit down with a friend, ask questions. We all learn about this. We become better beings for it so it's real blessing. So thank you so much for taking the time.

Lisa Wegley: Thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira: Appreciate it. God bless everybody and we will connect again soon.

Narrator: Thank you for joining us for the Story & Experience podcast. We invite you to read, watch, and submit your story and experience at adventisthealth.org/story. The Story & Experience podcast was brought to you by Adventist Health through the Office of Culture.