"Tough Conversations" – Monthly Leadership Roundtables for CEOs in Privately-Owned Healthcare Companies
Healthcare CEOs are mission driven, but they feel intense pressure from investors to deliver predictable results.
Join professionally moderated group discussions – with private company CEOs who face the same leadership challenges as you.
We create a safe space to stress test your thinking; get honest feedback from other talented leaders with unique perspectives; and have tough conversations about talent, culture, strategy, and industry evolution.
Format & Takeaways
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Connect with other healthcare CEOs who understand the unique pressures of PE-ownership
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Each month: discuss one urgent, participant-driven leadership dilemma—12 topics per year, anonymized for privacy, 5-10 CEOs per group
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Facilitators with deep experience in leadership and executive education (former Harvard Business School case facilitators)
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Confidential, candid conversations help you refine decisions and express real concerns
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Always confidential, allowing open discussion not possible inside your own company
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Designed for leaders who want practical insight, real perspective, and space to think
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Build a personal board of advisors for ongoing support
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Share best practices for balancing investor demands, corporate mission, clinical standards, and personal values
Meet the Team Leaders
"Tough Conversations" is co-led by Jeffrey Cohn and Dr. Carrie Muchow, and are joined by other governance experts, executive coaches, and thought leaders.
Jeffrey Cohn
Jeffrey is a leadership and private equity expert, and was a former fellow at the CEO Leadership Institute, and case facilitator at the Harvard Business School, where he helped write the very first case study on Apple. He was also a governance expert at Spencer Stuart, Heidrick & Struggles, and Elevate Partners. A few of Jeff's recent articles in the Harvard Business Review: What Public Company Boards can Learn From Private Equity; How Private Equity Firms Hire CEOs; and "Why CEOs Should Model Vulnerability."
Dr. Carrie Muchow
Dr. Carrie Muchow is a sought after executive coach, cognitive behavioral therapist, and professional assessor. Dr. Muchow received her Ph.D. with Honors in psychology, with an emphasis in neuroscience, from Columbia University. She specializes in helping high-potential leaders have difficult conversations and and how to better manage stress, anxiety, and uncertainty in their careers. She has also helped global talent consultancies create proprietary assessment tools.
Sample "Tough" Topics – Not Easy to Talk About with Work Colleagues
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Boardroom conflict or sponsor misalignment
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Making unpopular executive team changes
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Balancing profit, purpose, and investor scrutiny
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Honest conversations about mission, culture, and leadership limits
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Managing personal stress and anxiety
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Navigating increased regulatory scrutiny
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Aligning short-term PE goals with long-term corporate mission and clinical quality
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Integrating acquired practices and managing culture clashes
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Communicating transparently with staff and local communities amid change or negative public perception
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Developing and executing rapid turnaround or growth strategies without eroding trust or core values
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Leading through succession planning or managing founder/legacy transitions post-investment
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Juggling the demands of multiple stakeholders: investors, clinicians, board, and patients