Blog Post
Blog Post

Narrative Leadership and the Transformational Power of Story: Karista Peabody's Story

April 6, 2023
|
Intend Health Strategies Blog
Narrative Leadership and the Transformational Power of Story: Karista Peabody's Story

Story has impact; it connects and transforms. Stories inspire; they help people understand complex topics, build resilience and connections, and drive collective action. In uncertain and challenging times, stories can help us regain our sense of connection and purpose.

As core Relational Leadership practices, story and Narrative Leadership are foundational to individual transformation, team transformation, and the transformation of the culture of healthcare. This is the first of our Transformational Power of Story series, which explores the relational power of stories to create connection. Through written and video narratives, members of the Relational Leadership community model the practice of Narrative Leadership.

In 2022, Karista Peabody, MSN, shared her origin story — what inspired her to pursue her work — with the Relational Leadership Institute fall learning cohort. An edited version of what she shared is below.

###

I want to tell you a story about clay.

See, these days, in my free time, I am a potter. But my story with clay goes back to my childhood. Really, it begins with the feeling of mud squishing between my fingers and toes as a kid. I remember the feeling of being grounded, free as I ran around barefoot. I felt rooted to the earth, putting the dark brown Montana mud on my cheeks to camouflage myself on the dusty trails of the mountains. What I didn’t know at that time was that, as a kid, I was in tune with the world around me. I was in balance, with my feet and my pudgy toes rooted into the earth.

Fast forward 30 years.

My work was overseeing infection control policies in the middle of a global pandemic for a health system in Colorado. Everything was moving so fast. Everything was chaotic. Everything was a blur. Morning work blended into evenings, which then became more working at night. We were absorbing constant changes of protocols and rules from the CDC, the state health department, and there was always a new-next-something that required my attention every minute of every day. And there was SO much uncertainty. And there was very little clarity, about anything.

In this role, I found myself becoming an imbalanced ball of clay — to use a potter’s metaphor — spinning faster and faster on the wheel of life. I was not living in sync with my values, but even more disconcerting —  I didn’t know it. I didn’t realize it. I couldn’t see it. I had my foot on the pedal of life and my only setting was all-the-way-on. At the time, I just kept taking on more and more and the speed kept increasing faster and faster. I thought I was handling everything. I told myself I was okay.  

But, thankfully, the circumstances of life jarred me from this chaotic-nonstop-work-world.

Because of my grandfather’s health, I had to refocus on helping him in Oregon. This was the only thing that allowed me to take the foot off the pedal of the spinning machine of my work. I remember walking into my boss’s office in Colorado with arms and legs shaking to tell her I was going to take a leave of absence and I hoped the company would support me … but even if they couldn’t, either way, I had to go be with family. Something deep within me just knew that I needed to re-ground myself and this was the way I was going to do it.

It was only when I took this pause that I thought to myself, “I don’t feel good in my body.” I was spinning the wheel so fast there was no integrity to how I was functioning. In that pause, I was able to look at my life, as if I was watching a TV show, and realize that the main character, who was me, wasn’t in balance — spiritually, physically, emotionally, or mentally. When doing pottery, the ball of clay must be centered on the wheel to shape it into whatever form you are trying to make. The same is true of life. And I had lost sight of that needed balance. I knew it as a child. I lost it as an adult.

It is scary to make a different decision, to change course, to slow down. Because, like everyone who goes into healthcare, I want to be of service, and I deeply care about my job and the patients I serve. But I had to recognize the personal need to slow down and re-center. I needed to come back to the childhood joy of squishiness between my fingers and toes. That feeling of being grounded in who I am and what I do. This is what I look for in my work today.

Which isn’t to say I have it totally figured out. But I am happy to report that I have in fact found more balance. Does that mean I don’t push the wheel to go faster at times? Of course, I do. We all do in healthcare. But I have also re-learned the importance of finding my heart’s center. It is a lesson I carry with me.

Thank you for letting me share part of my story with you today.

###

Karista Peabody, MSN, is the director of employee health & infection control at HopeWest. Through her participation with the Relational Leadership Institute at Oregon Health & Science University, Karista continues to be an active member of the Intend Health Strategies community.

Explore related articles:

Story and Narrative Leadership are core Relational Leadership practices and are foundational to individual and team transformation. Read Karista’s Peabody’s story.

View External ResourceDownload PDF

"I have employed and used so much of my Relational Leadership experience and training from Intend Health to work."

Krisda Chaiyachati, MD, MPH, MSHP

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

“Over 100 members of the UNC community have participated in our Relational Leadership Institutes… one word stands out for me in our evaluations — regardless of whether cohorts met in person or via Zoom — and that word is transformative."

Josh Hinson, MSW, LCSW

Assistant Professor University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work

“I participated in RLI [the Relational Leadership Institute]... and my world has not been the same since. The community that I’ve gained at RLI has been extraordinary. Being part of RLI means being connected to a diverse, interdisciplinary community that breaks down the walls that are typical in academic medicine.”

Katie Gradick, MD, MHS

University of Utah

"I think the collaborative work that Intend Health does to recruit bright, energized, resilient, diverse, and compassionate primary care physicians all over the country will be even more impactful. Intend Health's efforts will be a big part of the solution to mend our ailing primary care infrastructure in the coming years."

Peter Meyers, MD, MPH

Family Physician, Minnesota Community Care

“Relational Leadership is what keeps me going. When I feel overwhelmed, stressed, down, I turn to members of the Relational Leadership community for support and resilience. We genuinely care about each other. We put ‘people first,’ truly, in our work together.”

Sarah Smithson, MD, MPH

Assistant Dean for Clinical Education University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine

“A big impact that Intend Health has on me is it makes me more humble, kinder, more intuitive, a better listener, and I’ve been able to teach the skills I’ve learned to others. All of this makes me a better team member, and I think that that's integral to what Intend Health teaches — we need high functioning teams to provide the best care.”

Student Action Network Participant

“Relational skills are particularly important right now because they’re rooted in people, with the fundamental assumption that we are good and have common values. If I can approach with unconditional positive regard and build in psychological safety, who knows what we can accomplish, despite the chaos around us.”

Lexy Kliewer, LCSW

Oregon Health and Science University

“So far, my experience in this Relational Leadership course has been THE highlight of my leadership journey. This program exceeded my expectations. I have been sharing the content with my colleagues who are also inspired by it. Thank you for making the world a better place one Relational Leadership course at a time.”

Relational Leadership for Clinician Leadership Program Participant

OCHIN

"Thank you for inspiring a generation of future docs to become primary care physicians. I definitely felt like I had a community during medical school."

Shani Truong

Family Medicine Resident, UC Davis San Joaquin General Hospital

"This year, there's been so much change with COVID, with work, with everything. But I feel like the PCP Student Action Network has been that constant that I could always just count on. And my favorite part is that no matter how stressful work was, no matter how stressful the year was, whenever it came time for a PCP call or any PCP anything, it's always something that I look forward to."

Student Action Network Coach

"The leadership skills, relationships, and perspective I have gained through my involvement in Intend Health have shaped the clinician, educator, and leader I am today."

Kyle Turner, PharmD

University of Utah

"In a healthcare system fraught with silos and computer screens, we need the human voice — a personal connection — now more than ever. That's the work of Intend Health."

Matt Lewis, PhD

Strategic Consultant

Intend Health People