Tell Us WHY Episode 15: Walking in Your World with Hugh Tappan

In this episode of Tell Us Why, hosts Jen Wright and Beth Morgan sit down with Hugh Tappan, South Atlantic Division President at HCA Healthcare and 2026 South Carolina Hospital Association Board Chair, to explore an initiative designed to change how leaders connect with frontline teams: A Walk in Your World.

Moving beyond traditional town halls and routine executive rounding, Tappan explains what it really means to listen by experience. By stepping out of the boardroom and spending time alongside clinicians, often in scrubs and bright orange tennis shoes to match the HCA brand, leaders set aside reports and assumptions to better understand the challenges, demands, and meaningful moments that shape a caregiver’s day.

Drawing from his own non-clinical path to leadership, Tappan shares why curiosity is one of the most important traits a leader can have and how closing the gap between administrators and staff can lead to stronger culture and real operational improvement.

You can find this and all archival episodes of the Tell Us WHY podcast at Podcast — WHY, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Featured Guest:
Hugh Tappan is the South Atlantic Division President for HCA Healthcare, a role he has held since January 2015. The division includes 12 hospitals and more than 200 care sites across Northeast Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Prior to this role, Tappan served as CEO of HCA’s Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas.