As a child, Joan experienced illnesses that required hospitalisation and surgery. During this time she came to deeply value the compassion and care shown to her by her paediatrician, which inspired her early aspiration to become one herself.
However, her journey through medical school was marred by negative experiences, ultimately leading her to make the difficult decision to leave the program. After some time away, Joan discovered the field of specialist nursing. She returned to study, and from there, her career began to flourish.
Years later, another defining moment occurred when Joan faced a life-threatening health crisis. As a patient in the Intensive Care Unit, she once again encountered the profound impact of compassionate care—this time from ICU specialists. Moved by this experience, Joan chose to specialise in intensive care nursing, bringing her full circle from patient to caregiver.
After nursing and studying for several years, Joan developed a strong interest in leadership and organizational systems. This passion led her to pursue advanced studies, culminating in a PhD in Human and Organizational Systems and a Master's Degree in Organizational Development. Joan is a leader who brings both heart and wisdom to her work, and her warmth and energy are truly infectious.
Key moments in the podcast:
00:35 Welcome to Forks in the Road Podcast
01:11 Meet Joan Vitello: A Journey in Nursing
02:26 Rapid Fire Questions with Joan
02:46 Joan's Early Life and Career Aspirations
04:19 Challenges in Medical School
05:41 Transition to Nursing
07:46 Pursuing Advanced Studies and Leadership
09:29 Balancing Career and Personal Life
11:01 Leadership and Mentorship
12:57 Joan's Insights on Nursing and Leadership
28:41 The Impact of Mentors and Authentic Leadership
37:57 Global Experiences and Missionary Work
42:08 Final Thoughts and Golden Nuggets
Here is what stays with us from this conversation:
1. Rising Through Adversity: The Power of a Defining Moment
Turning Pain into Purpose: A near-death experience ignited a lifelong commitment to making each day count.
Living with Intention: A profound sense of gratitude became the compass guiding a purpose-driven life and career.
2. Embracing Life’s Forks: Courageous Career Choices
Dreams Reimagined: When the original path closed, resilience opened new doors and deeper possibilities.
Listening to the Inner Call: Boldly navigating unexpected detours to discover a truer, more fulfilling calling.
3. Leading with Heart and Integrity
Grounded in Core Values: Leadership shaped by four unwavering pillars—Caring, Communication, Collaboration, and Commitment.
From Ego to Impact: A powerful shift from striving to be the best in the world to being the best for the world.
Grace Under Pressure: True leadership reveals itself not in ease, but in moments of challenge and change.
4. Growing Through Reflection and Renewal
Learning from Every Step: Each stage of the journey—every success, every setback—offered a lesson and a gift.
The Spirit of Growth: A relentless pursuit of wisdom through reflection, mentorship, and lifelong learning.
5. Championing Equity with Compassion
Global Wisdom, Local Action: Cross-cultural service awakened a deeper responsibility to health equity.
Representation Matters: Belief in a world where every patient is seen, heard, and cared for by someone who truly understands.
6. Wisdom to Light the Way
Lead with Love: People won’t always remember what you know—but they’ll never forget how deeply you cared.
Choose with Courage: At every crossroad, the most powerful path is the one that aligns with your heart, your values, and your purpos
Joan recommended:
‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’, Stephen R Covey
‘Man’s Search for Meaning’, Viktor E Frankl
‘Humans Being: Creating Your Life From the Inside Out’, Lou Ann Daly
‘Kitchen Table Wisdom’, Rachel Naomi Remen
Barbara L. Fredrickson, Ph. D. https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/faculty-profile/barbara-l-fredrickson-phd
David Cooperrider, Founder of Appreciative Inquiry
Connect with Joan Vitello.
Listen to this podcast on Spotify or Apple or subscribe to it on Substack. We would love it if you would leave us a comment, screenshot the episode and tag us on social, and share this episode with your community so that they can better navigate their forks in the road.
This is an original podcast by Flyntrok. We help organisations, communities and individuals change and adapt to a new world. You will find Flyntrok on LinkedIn, Instagram and X.
Hosted by Stephen Berkeley and Anne Boland
Produced by Rajeev Nedumaran of Studior.
Music by Damian Smith of Bespoke Music.
Art work by Ben Tibbin of Mozmo Creative and
Social Media Creations by Alana Rauert of Muse Communications.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this episode were those of the hosts and the guest, not of any entity they work for or with.
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