ACNL in Action: Lessons in Nursing Leadership

Great nursing leadership isn't defined by a title. It's built through curiosity, courage, connection, and a commitment to excellence.

In this episode of ACNL in Action, host Charlene Platon sits down with Dr. Rhonda Foster-Smith, President of The Foster Smith Group, to explore what it truly takes to lead meaningful change in healthcare.

Drawing from decades of experience as a nurse executive, leadership coach, and consultant, Dr. Foster-Smith shares the early lessons that shaped her leadership philosophy, the importance of maintaining high standards, and why today's nurse leaders need more than good intentions to create lasting change.

Together, they discuss the challenges of leading increasingly complex healthcare teams, the role of curiosity in driving innovation, and why organizational alignment must translate into shared understanding and consistent practice.

Dr. Foster-Smith also offers valuable insights into building a sustainable culture of nursing excellence beyond Magnet recognition, empowering nurses through professional governance, and developing the confidence and relationships needed to succeed in leadership.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How early mentors shape strong nursing leadership.
• Why curiosity is essential to leading organizational change.
• The difference between alignment and true agreement.
• How to build a lasting culture of nursing excellence beyond Magnet designation.
• Why feedback, professional governance, and collaboration matter.
• How mentorship, executive coaching, and trusted relationships help emerging nurse leaders grow.

Whether you're an experienced nurse executive or preparing for your first leadership role, this conversation offers practical lessons on leading with purpose, investing in your growth, and creating environments where nurses and patients can thrive.

Because great leadership isn't just about managing change. It's about creating a culture where excellence becomes the standard.

ACNL in Action is brought to you by the Association of California Nurse Leaders (ACNL).

Nurse turnover is one of the most persistent challenges in healthcare leadership, and one of the clearest signals an organization sends about its culture. So how do you build a culture nurses don't want to leave?

In this episode, Charlene talks with Cheryl Reinking, Chief Nursing Officer at El Camino Health, which recently earned its fifth Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, placing it among fewer than 2% of hospitals nationwide. Cheryl has spent nearly four decades at El Camino, and she walks through what 20 years of sustained Magnet excellence actually looks like at the manager and frontline level, including how the organization brought its post-COVID turnover rate from a peak of 12.7% back below 5%.

We also get into the business case: how Cheryl uses her hospital foundation to fund retention pilots, what she puts in an ROI plan, and what kinds of recognition actually move the needle versus the kinds that don't.

What's covered:

(00:58) What it takes to sustain Magnet designation over 20 years

(02:59) What Magnet looks like in practice at the manager and frontline level

(07:30) A nurse manager's typical Tuesday morning at El Camino

(09:25) Software platforms and the role of a dedicated nurse retention specialist

(14:00) How El Camino brought turnover back below 5% after the pandemic

(17:15) Building the business case for retention investments

(21:18) Recognition that moves the needle vs. recognition that doesn't

(23:30) What Cheryl wishes she'd known earlier about retention

Host:

Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton)

Guest:

Cheryl Reinking, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, DipACLM — Chief Nursing Officer, El Camino Health
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylreinking/

About the show:

ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month.

Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Advanced practice nurses are trained to fill critical gaps in care, from rural surgery to behavioral health to primary care. But many health systems don't fully understand what APRNs can do, where they can practice, or how to support them effectively.

In this episode, Charlene talks with Surani Hayre-Kwan, Sheree Scott, and Elizabeth Pulatie, three advanced practice nurses from across different specialties. They talk about what APRNs actually do, the barriers limiting their practice, what's in the legislative pipeline, and what nurse leaders can do right now to better support their APRN colleagues.

Host:
Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Guests:
Surani Hayre-Kwan, DNP, MBA, FNP-BC, FACHE, FAANP
Sheree Scott, PhD, RN, AGCNS-BC, CMSRN
Elizabeth Pulatie, DHA, MSN, BSN, CRNA

About the show:
ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month.

Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Artificial intelligence is already changing nursing workflows, but many healthcare systems are making decisions without nursing leadership at the table.

In this episode, Charlene talks with Nerissa Ambers and Carlene Lugtu, Director and Manager, respectively, of the Health Informatics Transformation Team at Stanford Medicine. They talk about why nursing leadership matters in the AI space and how nurses can help shape technology that supports patient care.

Host:

Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Guests:

Nerissa Ambers (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nerissa-ambers-0510486/)
Carlene Lugtu MCiM, RN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlene-lugtu/)

About the show:

ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month.

Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Dr. Shannon Whittington, a nurse consultant and
LGBTQ+ expert who helps educate healthcare organizations to better understand their patients and employees. They discuss some of the invisible barriers to healthcare that LGBTQ+ folks face, how lack of LGBTQ+ competence on the part of healthcare workers can affect patient trust, disclosure, and ultimately health outcomes, and what nurse leaders can do to create healthy environments for LGBTQ+ patients and staff.

Host:

Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Guest: Dr. Shannon Whittington, DNP, MSN, RN, CCM (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonwhittington/)

About the show:

ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month.

Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Drs. Surani Hayre-Kwan and Alice Martanegara, members of ACNL's Health Policy Committee. They've been following all the most important healthcare legislation this year, both at the state level in California as well as nationally, and to give an update on what's been happening and what to keep an eye on in 2026.

Host:

Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Guests:
Surani Hayre-Kwan, DNP, MBA, FNP-BC, FAANP, FACHE (https://www.suranihayrekwan.com/)

Alice Martanegara, DNP, RN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-martanegara-3b586216/)

About the show:

ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month.

Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Jessica Cheverie, MSN, RN, and Mark Reed, MBA, CHPA. Jessica is Director of Clinical Services at TRL Systems, a leading fire and life safety and security systems integrator in Southern California. Mark is Executive Director of Campus Support Operations at City of Hope, responsible for the planning, direction, and coordination of support
activities, including security, all throughout the hospital campus. Mark was
previously the Senior Manager of Enterprise Security Operations at City of
Hope. Jessica and Mark are both uniquely knowledgeable about hospital security operations, making them the perfect people to talk to about the different facets of gun safety in healthcare settings.

Host:

Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Guests:
Jessica Cheverie, MSN, RN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacheverie/)

Mark Reed, MBA, CHPA (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-t-reed/)

About the show:

ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Kat Ascencio-Holmes RN, CNOR, BSN, MHA, Chief Nursing Officer for Sutter Health. Kat is responsible for executive nursing leadership and workforce development for over 16,000 nurses throughout Sutter's dozens of hospitals and clinics, making her the perfect person to talk to about workforce development and the leadership pipeline.

Host:

Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Guest:
Kat Ascencio-Holmes RN, CNOR, BSN, MHA (https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-ascencio-holmes-rn-cnor-bsn-mha-62a679139/)

About the show:

ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Nikaella Mariano, a nursing student at the University of San Francisco, who recently presented at ACNL’s annual conference on strategies for revitalizing rural nursing. Nikaella is here to talk about the situation with rural nursing, why this topic is so important to our communities, and how we might improve things.

Host:

Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠)

Guest:

Nikaella Mariano

About the show:

ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Dr. Shiloh Williams, Assistant Professor at San Diego State University School of Nursing and National Rural Health Association Fellow. Dr. Williams shares her journey from bedside nursing to health policy advocacy, sparked by her frustration with repeatedly putting "band-aids" on systemic healthcare problems in her rural community. She discusses how she overcame the intimidation of health policy by joining ACNL's Health Policy Committee and attending policy meetings in Washington, D.C. Charlene and Dr. Williams explore why nurses' voices and patient stories are crucial in policy decisions, how different nursing roles prepare professionals for advocacy work, and practical ways nurses can get involved in health policy at local, state, and national levels.

Host:

Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠)

Guest:

Shiloh Williams, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, CNE (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-shiloh-williams-4b903b7b/)

About the show:

ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Molly Rodriguez, Senior Program Manager at Stanford Health Care. Molly recently presented at the ACNL Annual Conference in February on a succession planning tool she and her team developed to identify future leaders. The assessment tool was designed to be able to be completed in just ten minutes and could serve as a model for other organizations looking to improve their own succession planning. Charlene and Molly talk about why succession planning matters, how to identify future nurse leaders, and Molly's advice for other organizations.

Host:

Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠@charleneplaton⁠)

Guest:

Molly Rodriguez, DNP, RN, CNS, AGCNS-BC, Caritas Coach© (https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-rodriguez-dnp-rn-cns-agcns-bc-caritas-coach%C2%A9-164955237/)

About the show:

ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠acnl.org⁠.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Tim Darling, Co-Founder of Laudio and President of Laudio Insights.
Laudio is a staff relationship management platform that has been instrumental for thousands of nurse leaders in tracking and automating routine management tasks. With so much data on how leaders relate to their staff, Laudio has been able to glean some insights they’ve published into a book, Leader Inspired Work. Tim’s here to talk about what they’ve learned share
some quick wins for nurse leaders.

Host:
Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton)
Guest:
Tim Darling (https://laudio.com/laudio-insights-leader-inspired-work)

About the show:
ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Anne Herleth, Vice President of Member Insights at the Health Management Academy, which put out a recent report on the results of a survey on frontline perspectives on safe staffing. It’s a must read for anyone in a nurse management role that needs to contend with the often competing priorities of maintaining staff satisfaction while meeting budgets.

Host:
Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton)
Guest:
Anne Herleth (https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-herleth-ba735555)

About the show:
ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Pam Allen, MSN, RN, CEN, and Alice Martanegara, DNP, RN, about the host of new healthcare legislation taking effect this year. They discuss AB 977, AB2975, SB963, SB1385, AB1316, and AB 2319. It's a packed episode with lots of important information for healthcare workers, so lock in.
Host:
Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton)
Guest:
Pam Allen, MSN, RN, CEN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pam-allen-30795429/)
Alice Martanegara, DNP, RN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-martanegara-3b586216/)

About the show:
ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: http://bit.ly/cog-podcast . Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Bonnie Clipper DNP, MA, MBA, RN, CENP, FACHE, FAAN, founder of the Virtual Nursing Academy, a self-directed online program designed to help organizations build, launch, and optimize their virtual care delivery models. Dr. Clipper is a nurse futurist and was among the first to recognize the usefulness and importance of virtual nursing as a care model.
Host:
Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton)
Guest:
Bonnie Clipper DNP, MA, MBA, RN, CENP, FACHE, FAAN (@bonnieclipper)
About the show:
ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: http://bit.ly/cog-podcast . Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Marla Poston, Director of Patient Care Services at Sharp Healthcare. AB977 and AB2975 are two recently signed bills that address the problem of workplace violence in hospitals. The ACNL Health Policy Committee has been following these bills closely, and Marla is here to talk about the current state of workplace violence and what changes these new bills will bring.

We're running a survey to better understand our listeners and what topics you'd like to hear about. It would really help us out if you took just a couple minutes to fill it out. Click here to take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WSHVM8M

Host:
Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton)
Guest:
Marla Poston MSN, RN, CEN, NE-BC (@marlapostonmsn)
About the show:
ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: http://bit.ly/cog-podcast . Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Nancy Blake, chair of ACNL’s Healthy Work Environment committee and Chief Nursing Officer at the Los Angeles General Medical Center, formerly known as the Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center. Dr. Blake was recently a panelist at the Healthcare in the Age of Personalization Summit, discussing what nursing can teach physicians and CEOs about leadership. She and Charlene discuss the benefits of listening to and acting on staff ideas, the importance of collaboration in decision-making, and the power of accessibility and in-person leadership.

We're running a survey to better understand our listeners and what topics you'd like to hear about. It would really help us out if you took just a couple minutes to fill it out. Click here to take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WSHVM8M

Host:
Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton)
Guest:
Nancy Blake, PhD, RN, CCRN-K, NHDP-BC, NEA-BC, FACHE, FAONL, FAAN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nablake/)
About the show:
ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: http://bit.ly/cog-podcast . Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Sylvain Trepanier, System Chief Nursing Officer at Providence. Sylvain oversees a team of tens of thousands of nurses across a 51-hospital system, making him ideally suited to talk about all the things that go into staffing and recruitment. Charlene and Syl talk about skill mix when building a team, solutions to address the nursing shortage, and technology innovations that can help take the burden off overworked nurses.

We're running a survey to better understand our listeners and what topics you'd like to hear about. It would really help us out if you took just a couple minutes to fill it out. Click here to take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WSHVM8M

Host:
Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton)
Guest:
Sylvain Trepanier, DNP, RN, CENP, FAONL, FAAN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvain-trepanier-dnp-rn-cenp-faonl-faan-79751412)
About the show:
ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: http://bit.ly/cog-podcast . Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Dr. Tanya Scott Cannady. Tanya is the Clinical Services Director for Kaiser Permanente in Oakland and is also an executive board member and treasurer for the American Cannabis Nurses Association, advocating for the integration of cannabis therapeutics into patient care. Charlene and Tanya talk about the safety and regulatory issues involved in cannabis nursing, as well as the state of research and evidence-based practice in cannabis nursing.

We're running a survey to better understand our listeners and what topics you'd like to hear about. It would really help us out if you took just a couple minutes to fill it out. Click here to take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WSHVM8M

Host:
Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton)
Guest:
Tanya Scott Cannady, DNP, MHR, RN, NEA-BC, CPHIMS (tanyascottcannady.com)
About the show:
ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: http://bit.ly/cog-podcast . Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Janette Moreno, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, NPD- BC, author of the new book Human Caring Through Healing Haiku. Janette has served in some of the top nursing leadership roles at hospitals like Cedars-Sinai and Stanford Children’s Health, in addition to serving on ACNL’s Board of Directors representing our South region. Her new book combines the gentle power of haiku with concepts found in Jean Watson’s Caring Science and Caritas Processes. Charlene and Janette talk about the Caritas Processes and why mindfulness is so important for nurse leaders.

Host:
Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton)
Guest:
Janette Moreno, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, NPD- BC (janettemoreno.com)
About the show:
ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: http://bit.ly/cog-podcast . Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.