236: Leaders with Heart Care for Their People

Subscribe to the Leadership with Heart Podcast:

Jason serves as the President for SCA, an ASC business. Prior to that he served as the Chief Operating Office for SCA, accountable for operations, sales, and clinical, with a focus on driving growth through talent development and strategic partnerships. Previously he was a Group President leading the Southeast, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and California. Jason originally joined SCA's Finance Department in 2008, supporting SCA's facilities in Southern California before moving into Operations.
Leadership Podcast

Key Takeaways

  • He negotiates for a living, but his daughters always win
  • Jason has spent most of his adult life with SCA
  • Sharing your humanity makes it easier for smooth interactions
  • When you're having a rough morning, or day, be open about with your teams, so they understand where you are coming from
  • It's okay to not always be 'on'
  • Always try to reschedule meetings when you know you are not mentally capable of being your best self

There's a lot of good that can come from just sharing our humanity. - Jason Strauss Share on X

Jason Strauss' Bio

Jason serves as the President for SCA. Prior to that he served as the Chief Operating Office for SCA, accountable for operations, sales, and clinical, with a focus on driving growth through talent development and strategic partnerships. Previously he was a Group President leading the Southeast, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and California. Jason originally joined SCA's Finance Department in 2008, supporting SCA's facilities in Southern California, before moving into Operations. Jason spent six years living in and leading various parts of the West Coast Division and helped lead creating partnerships with Monarch, HealthCare Partners, and MemorialCare. Jason is based in SCA’s Birmingham office. Jason earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from The University of Alabama and a Master’s of Science in Finance from Boston College. Jason and his wife Amelia have been married for 16 years and have three daughters – Sloane (8), Vesper (6), and Hart (6).

The Listening Guide

Create a listening culture that elevates the employee experience with The Listening Guide.

Through this guide, Heather uncovers how you can ensure those you lead feel heard by taking 3 approaches to listening inside an organization.

  • Understand why listening is the key to employee engagement
  • Learn how the Cycle of Listening contributes to strong workplace relationships
  • Get a practical framework for creating a listening culture that is bidirectional, responsive, and supportive

Download it here.


Mentions

Connect with Jason Strauss on LinkedIn

Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts

Listen to the podcast on Spotify

Becoming Unshakeable Podcast

With Heather R. Younger

Becoming Unshakable is the podcast for leaders, creators, and changemakers who know TRUE LEADERSHIP starts from within.

Each episode explores what it takes to lead with resilience, compassion, and purpose while staying human through it all.

Through candid conversations with executives, frontline leaders, coaches, and everyday heroes, Heather uncovers the real stories behind growth, compassion, setbacks, and transformation.

From navigating change to creating emotionally safe cultures, Becoming Unshakable reveals what it really takes to create leaders—and organizations—that can’t be shaken.

Hi, I'm Heather

I've been through every type of
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
you can think of.

Layoffs, reorgs, mergers, acquisitions and major technology shifts. More than 20 years leading teams through high-stakes situations where results mattered, people depended on me, and decisions couldn't wait.

Those years taught me how to lead. But they also showed me the hidden cost of always being the one who holds it all together.

During our second reorg in less than a year, I walked out of a meeting with no say in what was happening, just marching orders. When my team asked how the meeting went, I should have said, “Give me 15 minutes to process this.” But I didn't. Instead, I let them absorb every ounce of my frustration.

Then I saw their faces.

The people who looked to me for stability had just watched me unravel. What was that teaching them about their ability to handle the pressure?

That moment changed how I saw my role as a leader. Leading teams isn't only about grit or resilience. It's about how your presence builds the trust your team needs to function when things get hard.

Today, I help organizations build unshakable leaders, teams, and cultures. Because when leaders become the calm teams can count on, organizations don't just survive change, they come out strong enough to handle what’s next.

Heather Sitting
Heather_Younger_The_Cycle_of_Active_Listening_Guide

The Cycle of Active Listening

Create a listening culture that elevates the workplace experience for everyone.

Through this guide, uncover how to ensure those in your care at work feel heard and valued, resulting in increased loyalty and satisfaction.

  • Understand why listening is the key to improved engagement
  • Learn how the Cycle of Active Listening contributes to strong workplace relationships
  • Get a practical framework for creating a listening culture that is bidirectional, responsive, and supportive

Contact Heather Today!
+1 403-398-8488

Contact
Contact

I'm really interested in...

(select all that apply)*

I can be reached at...

Additional Comments

Contact Heather Today!
+1 403-398-8488

Contact
Contact

I'm really interested in...

(select all that apply)*

I can be reached at...

Additional Comments