Conflict as a Leadership Competency
Why leaders who cannot hold conflict cannot hold trust — and how the skill is built.
Media
For interviews, podcasts, keynote invitations, media requests, and speaking engagements on leadership, healthcare culture, conflict, and professional well-being.
Speaker Bio
Alana Epstein, LCSW, PCC, CEAP is a psychotherapist, executive coach, and healthcare leader with more than twenty years of experience at the intersection of behavioral health and leadership. She most recently led Emotional Support Services at Children's Hospital Los Angeles for eight years, directing an embedded behavioral health program supporting physicians, senior leaders, and multidisciplinary care teams across one of the largest pediatric academic medical centers in the United States.
A frequent national and international speaker, Alana has delivered invited presentations at institutions including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and the American Conference on Physician Health. Her work spans healthcare, legal, and academic audiences throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, addressing conflict engagement, leadership communication, psychological safety, and professional well-being in high-stakes, complex systems.
Speaking Topics
Signature themes shaped for healthcare systems, leadership teams, legal partnerships, and professional associations.
Why leaders who cannot hold conflict cannot hold trust — and how the skill is built.
Rupture, accountability, and the leadership practice of coming back after it goes wrong.
Building teams where people can bring their full clinical, ethical, and human judgment to work.
Naming what clinicians and mission-driven professionals carry — and what leaders can actually do about it.
Practical frameworks for staying regulated, direct, and humane under interpersonal pressure.
Language, presence, and clarity for leaders operating inside healthcare, legal, and academic institutions.
Publications
A running index of articles, essays, LinkedIn publications, professional journals, and guest contributions.
Article
Article title
Essay
Essay title
LinkedIn publication
Journal
Professional journal contribution
Guest
Guest contribution
Podcasts & Interviews
Podcast appearances, interviews, and long-form conversations will appear here as they publish.
Podcast
Conversations on healthcare culture, moral distress, and the human side of leadership.
Coming soonInterview
Long-form interview on executive presence, conflict, and rebuilding after burnout.
Coming soonMedia
Commentary on clinician well-being and the systems that shape it.
Coming soonGet in touch
For keynote invitations, podcast interviews, media requests, workshops, or organizational consulting, please get in touch. I look forward to hearing from you.
alana@alanaepstein.com