Transcript of Kurt Sowles video:

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Amy Albo: I'm Amy Albo.

Kurt Sowles: My name is Kurt.

Speaker 2: So, we are gonna want some more behind the scenes, but interview. Um, we'll need to mic you up as well.

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Speaker 2: There'll be arrows on the floor and you're gonna turn and then sit in one of the red chairs.

Kurt Sowles: All right.

Speaker 2: Can you follow-

Kurt Sowles: So follow the arrows to a red chair?

Speaker 2: Yeah. You can, you think you got that?

Amy Albo: (laughs)

Kurt Sowles: This is a setup, I'm sure.

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Speaker 5: How would you introduce Kurt?

Brooke Adams: (laughs) Oh, how I would introduce Kurt.

Cicilee Petersen: A cowboy, hippie-

Erin Davies: Pulled from the wild west.

Cicilee Petersen: Dressed up in business casual.

Erin Davies: And thrown into medical.

Cicilee Petersen: With HOKAs on.

Erin Davies: And a mustache that even Tom Selleck would be envious of.

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Monique Hickman: I think I've described him before as probably one of the most authentic people that I've ever known. He, what you see is what you get.

Isabelle Fernandez: When he walks into the room, he's got the most positive attitude always.

Kathleen Blake: He will always try and build ya up. He is dynamic. I called him the patient whisperer.

Brent Kious: He is, you know, really, really passionately devoted to taking care of people who are struggling with depression, suicidal ideation, and trauma.

Roxanne Bartel: In working in this environment, it's, it's, it's hard. (laughs)

Mike Sanchez: He's really good at taking his job serious, but not himself serious. He likes to joke around and it makes our shifts fun.

Brent Kious: He tries to keep things light for the staff and, you know, he's really attuned to morale.

Isabelle Fernandez: One time, just out of nowhere, he just pulls out a steak that's wrapped in a glove. First of all, how does that even fit in there? It's like, "That's the most random thing ever." (laughs)

Kathleen Blake: Well, has anyone said about how he used to take his scrubs and, like, roll them up to his knees?

Mike Sanchez: There's like a 30-day stretch where he said all of his S's with a whistle. Every S, so patients... He'll do things like flip the lights off in the bathroom.

Isabelle Fernandez: Pineapple Wednesday, I don't know if you've heard of that. (laughs).

Roxanne Bartel: There's the pineapple day.

Rosa Morton: Pineapple day, which is Wednesdays.

Brent Kious: It's a pineapple theme.

Isabelle Fernandez: There's pineapples everywhere.

Brent Kious: You're encouraged to wear pineapple themed attire. Yeah, I, I don't know that Kurt initiated Pineapple Wednesday.

Isabelle Fernandez: Years ago, he wore a pineapple shirt. He wore it as a rebellion against the dress nice to work, but I also heard it was like a casual Wednesday thing and he just happened to wear a pineapple shirt.

Mike Sanchez: He's doing this while leading a team of nurses and psych techs through really hard stuff.

Monique Hickman: It was always like just a little added uplift into what was happening.

Mike Sanchez: It really helped me in my career just to like not take ourselves serious, but take our work serious.

Kathleen Blake: And he has like Kurt-isms.

Deb Shurtleff: You know, things that he says that have stuck with us.

Kathleen Blake: He says, "This is the crux of the biscuit."

Deb Shurtleff: Early on, it was slow and steady.

Speaker 5: I was going to ask you about the Golden Era. What, what does he mean when he said that?

Cicilee Petersen: He'd be so disappointed in me to hear me say this, but I have no idea. Just the betterment of the milieu making it... I don't know, Kurt. I don't know what the Golden Era is. Just getting better, I guess. (laughs) He's gonna be so mad. Don't tell him I said that.

Monique Hickman: For him, the Golden Era is getting people together and having excellent patient care and staff that feels supported and, in his words, winning.

Isabelle Fernandez: I remember when we heard that Kurt was applying for the position of manager. Everyone was so excited. Everyone's like, "I hope Kurt gets it. I hope he gets it."

Mike Sanchez: He made that leap, uh, a couple years ago. He has just been an amazing nurse manager.

Monique Hickman: Kurt is always asking, "How am I doing?" Meaning, h- how is he doing?

Cicilee Petersen: Kurt's like a girl asking if he looks good all the time, except it, it's Kurt asking if he's like, "How am I doing?"

Kathleen Blake: Is this going okay? How am I doing?

Mike Sanchez: To this day is always asking for feedback. "How did that call go? How did that meeting go?"

Brent Kious: Oh, I don't know that he ever asked me how he's doing, meaning he just doesn't actually care about my opinion. (laughs)

Cicilee Petersen: He's like not a micromanager. He is such a team player and he wants to teach us as much as he wants to learn from us.

Kathleen Blake: Is it time? Do I do it right now? Okay. Hi, Kurt. I appreciate you because you're a real person, and you are willing to listen to us and you're willing to lead by example.

Roxanne Bartel: I appreciate the lightness that you bring.

Rosa Morton: Hey, Kurt. Thank you so much for everything that you're doing for us. We love you. You have a great leadership.

Brooke Adams: Kurt, uh, I don't even know how to thank you for everything that you've done. Thank you for always building me up, building everybody up.

Erin Davies: Honestly, you make a big difference. All the staff really respect and admire you.

Brent Kious: It's been such an awesome opportunity to work with you for all these years, and I hope that we continue to have many more years together.

Deb Shurtleff: You are, um, the reason I'm still here after all these years. I sincerely love you as a friend.

Jon Sales: Kurt, I just wanna say thank you for your mentorship and your leadership. You have definitely been a huge influence on the, the nurse that I've become.

Mike Sanchez: I look to you and your example daily, and I'm, it's been a privilege to know and work with you for 19 years.

Cicilee Petersen: Thanks for being not just a great boss, but a great friend, Kurt. I appreciate everything you do.

Roxanne Bartel: Kurt, you're doing great.

Mike Sanchez: Kurt, you're doing amazing.

Brooke Adams: You're doing amazing.

Jon Sales: You're doing a great job, so keep it up.

Kathleen Blake: You got this.

Cicilee Petersen: Kurt, you're doing great. Welcome to the Golden Era.

All: (laughs)

Kurt Sowles: Thanks, you guys. I'm choking back the tears.

All: (laughs)

Kurt Sowles: Am I that insecure?

All: (laughs)

Kurt Sowles: To any, to all you guys to come on and say, uh, "You're doing okay. You're okay."

All: (laughs)

Kurt Sowles: You make it easy. I don't do anything without you guys. It's not me. I run around asking for help, so thanks, you guys. Appreciate everything.

All: Yeah.

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