Episode 170

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Published on:

6th Oct 2021

Patricia Kearns

Patricia Kearns is the President & CEO of QLI, a nationally recognized post-hospital rehabilitation center for individuals with brain and spinal cord injuries. Patricia, a physical therapist by training, joined the clinical team at QLI in 2001, becoming President & CEO in 2011. In the show, Kearns discusses the extensive rehabilitation of the whole person QLI works with and the unique feeling of community the QLI campus provides. Kearns also talks about the culture at QLI and her own journey and experiences as a leader.

Kearns oversees a continuum of services that includes 215 private rooms across five levels of care, 400 employees, and $100 million worth of facilities on a 65-acre campus in Omaha, NE. She and QLI’s talented team have re-created the way rehabilitation is delivered to individuals with neurologic injury. Additionally, QLI has been recognized as a Best Place to Work in Omaha seven times, and the Best Place to Work for the Advancement of Women.  

Avid listeners to this show will recall that on June 14, 2017 Lives broadcast a conversation with Joey Bierman and Jon Schuetz, both clients served by QLI. You can listen back to the podcast of that show to hear them talk about their traumatic spine injuries, life before and after being wheelchair bound, and their courage, resilience, humor and wisdom.

This show is supported in part by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.

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About the Podcast

Lives Radio Show & Podcast with Stuart Chittenden
Every Sunday at 9am on KIOS 91.5FM, Omaha's NPR affiliate, Season Three of Lives will tackle the big questions: What is a good life? Why are we here? How might we feel more connected? These and other big questions about how we live will be explored each week. Through intimate conversations, fascinating guests will share their spiritual, philosophical, artistic, and cultural approaches to exploring the wonders of our human experience. Join me as we delve into the practical and profound possibilities of living well.

As well as listening to this Season Three of Lives being broadcast on KIOS, listen back to Seasons One and Two, featuring fresh voices and diverse perspectives on culture, community, business, and more. From the Midwest and beyond, inspiring guests share compelling stories spanning the fields of politics, business, media, community activism, arts and humanities, philanthropy, and more.

On air since January 2017, Lives Radio Show & Podcast initially broadcast on the community radio station Mind & Soul 101.3FM in north Omaha, housed at the Malcolm X Center, and more recently broadcast with 1st Sky Omaha.

About your host

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stuart chittenden

I believe that conversation enables us to live better and work well by building strong relationships as individuals, teams, and communities.

Driven by that belief, I founded Squishtalks to design and deliver conversation experiences and programs for small to Fortune 500 corporate clients and for a variety of non-profit organizations. I regularly speak and facilitate workshops on the principles of conversation and how their practice enlivens our potential. My belief in the profound power of conversation to awaken our humanity has led to me being selected to speak at three different TEDx events.

I am a British expatriate calling Omaha, Nebraska home since 2004. Before moving to America, I was a London-based lawyer working on major international transactions. In Omaha, as well as founding Squishtalks, I co-founded Gilbert+Chittenden with creativity expert Dan Gilbert, which is a creativity consultancy that helps individuals and organizations realize their best futures and apply design thinking processes to achieve innovative breakthroughs.

Among my community endeavors was the project: a couple of 830 mile long conversations. Inspired by John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, in an RV I adventured for four weeks along side roads and among small towns to talk with Nebraskans. Traveling through conversations, discovering the lives, cultures and stories of people I met, the project was a long hello to Nebraska.