Chaos as a Catalyst: The Monday Morning That Changed Everything

It wasn’t how I expected my first day to go.

I had just started at a busy family medicine practice in Louisville — a clinic that had recently been acquired by a company called Celsus. Their business model focused on consolidating practices ahead of what they anticipated would be a nationwide shift toward capitated managed care. It was a tense time, and the staff wasn’t exactly welcoming the change.

When I walked in, I quickly realized something was off. Phones were ringing nonstop. The waiting room was full of sick patients. One overwhelmed receptionist was still standing. The rest? Gone. They didn’t just quit — they staged a silent revolt and vanished. Flight, not fight.

I wasn’t in a leadership role. I hadn’t even met the full team. But there was no one else to step in — and no time to freeze. The lobby was packed with sick patients. We had four providers’ schedules fully booked, plus a stream of walk-ins. And to top it off, compliance consultants had just shown up for a regulatory training no one had time for.

So we got to work. Not perfectly, not efficiently — just with focus. We answered calls, managed the flow, and held the line. When the operations manager finally arrived later that day, things were still tense, but functional. I had stayed. And I came back the next day. And the day after that.

Eventually, someone asked if I’d be willing to step in as interim site manager. And with that, a completely unexpected chapter in my career began.

Over the months that followed, I learned by necessity: scheduling, payroll, vendor management, claims workflows, coding audits, credentialing, you name it. I leaned on a small but mighty network of practice managers and tapped into MGMA resources to fill the gaps. Slowly, the clinic stabilized. We hired new providers, expanded services, and eventually moved to a larger space to meet demand.

That experience changed everything. It taught me that leadership isn’t something you wait to be handed — it’s something you grow into by choosing to show up when things are at their messiest. I didn’t have a roadmap, but I had instincts. And every time I leaned into the discomfort instead of backing away from it, something good came of it.

Since then, my career has taken me through many different chapters — payer strategy, operations, compliance, AI integration — but I always come back to that first chaotic Monday. Not because it was dramatic, but because it was defining. It showed me that resilience isn’t loud. Sometimes it’s just staying when you could have walked. Doing what you can with what you’ve got. And showing up the next day.

What about you? Have you had a “first day” that turned into something much bigger? A moment where you didn’t feel ready — but showed up anyway?

Share your story with me in the comments, or tag someone who led through their own kind of chaos. Let’s normalize the unpolished beginnings that often shape who we become.