The Hidden Superpower of Every Great Leader: Tara Sundem Of Hushabye Nursery On Uncovering the Traits That Separate Good Leaders from Exceptional Ones
An Interview With Cynthia Corsetti
Passion — You must believe in your mission, vision and values. If you can’t, there’s no way you’ll be able to lead your team to achieve your end goals. I have always been passionate about helping babies and their families. Even with the ever-changing care model, my passion has never wavered. It is what keeps me motivated every day!
What is it that makes certain leaders stand out and achieve extraordinary results? Beyond technical skills and strategic thinking, great leaders often possess hidden superpowers — those intangible traits that set them apart. These traits enable them to inspire others, foster trust, and drive innovation even in challenging environments. As part of this series, we are interviewing Tara Sundem.
Tara Sundem, MS, APRN, NNP-BC, has over 30 years of experience in Neonatal Nursing, the last 21 as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. In 2017, she saw the need to improve care for babies with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and co-founded Hushabye Nursery. The nonprofit provides a safe and inclusive space for mothers, family members and babies.
Infants are cared for in quiet, loving, therapeutic environments while they recover from intense withdrawal symptoms secondary to Opioids they were exposed to in the womb. Based in Phoenix, Hushabye Nursery is committed to providing families with the support they need to successfully navigate the road of recovery. This work includes prenatal, postpartum care, and support after discharge for the transition to home.
Hushabye Nursery is the first NAS-focused nursery in the country to integrate health care and social services while prioritizing both keeping infants safe and having the families directly involved in their care and recovery. They have cared for over 880 babies in four years and were recently recognized as one of 10 organizations across the country for the First-Ever Behavioral Health Recovery Innovation Challenge by the Department of Health and Human Services through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). She graduated from Arizona State University with a Master of Science, Neonatal NursePractitioner and completed her undergraduate work at Minnesota State University Mankato.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I am a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner in Phoenix, Ariz. In 2015, we started seeing an increase in the number of babies withdrawing from the substances they were exposed to prenatally. When babies came to the NICU they were really struggling. They would stay at the hospital for up to four months and be treated with morphine. While they were withdrawing, it was like a terrible case of flu combined with a migraine. These sweet little ones were vomiting, had diarrhea and the inability to sleep, along with terrible high-pitched cries. It was so hard to see these beautiful babies going through such a horrible experience.
One night, a father told me he was staying the night (even though we didn’t have a room for him) because he felt like his baby wasn’t making any progress and they were never going to get discharged. He said every night between 2–5 a.m. they give my baby more medication. Sure enough, at 2:30 his baby was screaming, and they wanted to give him more morphine. I picked up the baby and he was sweating, crying and stiff as a board.
I broke the rules and took the baby into my call room, where it was completely dark and took a deep breath and let it out, the baby started to feel my energy and stopped crying for a second. I used my yoga breathing techniques and walked around the small room with the baby in my arms. I could feel myself and the baby relaxing and continued to take deep breaths and bounce with the baby — all of sudden he stopped crying. Just then, his dad knocked on the door and his baby was sleeping in my arms. The baby slept for two hours without medication and that’s when the light bulb went off for me. I knew our babies deserved better.
I co-founded Hushabye Nursery, a nonprofit in Phoenix that offers one-on-one care for opioid-dependent newborns going through the withdrawal process, as well as resources and support for parents working on their own recovery. In just four years, Hushabye Nursery has helped over 880 babies and more than 1,800 parents!
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
I had a mom and dad get connected to Hushabye Nursery by their grandma who lived in another state and saw us on the news. They were expecting a baby and were homeless. They came to us for help and grandma flew to Phoenix to help after delivery. They were one of the first babies we helped, and it was so rewarding to be able to help the baby and parents under the same roof.
The mom and dad were so hungry and tired when they arrived. For the first time in awhile they were able to shower, get food and sleep. For the first few days, they didn’t engage with their baby very much, which is fine, they were exhausted and needed to recover too. But their poor baby was one of the top five toughest babies I’ve ever cared for. He was really struggling, and we did have to start him on some medication. I still remembering hearing him cry in the middle of one night and we all through “Oh no,” but much to our surprise the crying stopped immediately, and when we walked in the room, his mom was up changing his diaper. She hadn’t been involved for three days, but then suddenly, she was ready to be a mom and care for him!
When it came time to leave Hushabye Nursery the Department of Child Safety wasn’t going to release him to his mom and dad since they were homeless. We helped get the parents into a residential treatment facility and connected them with a foster family that would care for their son until they were on their feet again. The day they left Hushabye, the foster mom gave her a big hug and told her to “I’ve got your son, now you go get well!”
Today, that family has their own apartment and are raising two children. The mom says Hushabye gave her hope and she’s forever grateful for that!
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Our company stands out because of our outcomes. What we’re doing is something that’s never been done before for a very vulnerable population that is stigmatized every single day in the community, the medical and mental health community. We meet pregnant and parenting families at their most vulnerable time. They are struggling with substance use, afraid of what might happen to their child and just want to be good parents.
Every 15 minutes a baby in the U.S. is born with NAS (Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome), which affects newborns exposed to opioids in the womb. Hushabye Nursery is the first-of-its-kind NAS nursery in the U.S. providing state-of-the-art care for babies and their families. Our unique model fosters shorter stays, less expensive care costs and increased family reunification.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
The three-character traits that were most instrumental in my success are passion, persistence and faith.
Passion — When I share the story of creating Hushabye Nursery, I am usually able to move people to tears. Our story helps them understand and change their perceptions about people that are struggling with substance use.
Persistence — I am very persistence and won’t take no for an answer. If no is the answer, then my next question is how? I had to be persistent to find a solution when I knew in my heart things could be better and we could get babies to detox safely.
Faith — There were many times I have asked God what the plan is and to give me courage to lead and to know which door to go through and a lot of times the doors that opened weren’t the right doors. But, becoming a neonatal intensive care nurse led me to create Hushabye Nursery and be in a position to help many moms and dads.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. What makes someone exceptional?
I would say being exceptional is being kind, compassionate and ultimately serving or leading with love. Understanding that each and every person that you’re leading wants to make a difference and is trying the best that they can. It’s also important to see the good and know that you can always overcome obstacles and make someone exceptional.
How do exceptional leaders leverage emotional intelligence to inspire and influence their teams?
Emotional intelligence is one of those characteristics that I’m still learning. Every day, I try to read books or articles and listen to podcasts to understand the importance of emotional intelligence. Great leaders have the ability to inspire confidence and encourage someone to reach their goals and full potential. I hope my words help build someone up and have them strive to grow and develop professionally and personally.
What role does humility play in the success of great leaders, and how is it demonstrated in their behavior?
Humility is a characteristic of a great leader. Every day you are presented with challenges or questions you don’t know the answer to, but it’s really humbling to be honest and say, “I don’t know the answer, but I have great people on my team, and we’ll work to find a solution.” Or to be able to admit when you are wrong and learn from it and move forward.
How do exceptional leaders navigate difficult conversations and foster open communication in their organizations?
Being able to navigate difficult conversations is an art. I believe in starting those conversations by asking the person “Are you open to feedback?” and saying things that are objective and helping redirect how to succeed. Most times this path or this presentation seems to help my team understand that I’m there to support them not belittle them. I think fostering open communication helps them grow, learn and ultimately succeed. Difficult conversations can be positive and something where everyone leaves feeling empowered.
What makes adaptability a superpower in leadership, and how do the best leaders exemplify it?
Adaptability is a trait that leaders must possess to reach an end goal. You must understand that there are multiple paths to a goal being achieved. You need to listen to your team and encourage them. I’ve learned that my way isn’t always the right way or the only way. Many times, my team has come to me with an idea, and they end up succeeding my expectations. It’s not always easy to adapt, but it creates resilience, and teamwork is what allows us to achieve our mission every single day!
What are your “Five Traits That Separate Good Leaders from Exceptional Ones”?
1. Passion — You must believe in your mission, vision and values. If you can’t, there’s no way you’ll be able to lead your team to achieve your end goals. I have always been passionate about helping babies and their families. Even with the ever-changing care model, my passion has never wavered. It is what keeps me motivated every day!
2. Persistence — It’s a necessity especially in the creation of a new business. Initially, I set out to ensure that every single baby gets the care that they deserve and to ensure that they’ were able to start their life healthy. Early on, someone said “You’ll never be able to do that.” Of course, it’s hard work, but you can’t give up when something is challenging. When things get hard, I remember those words and take a deep breath, maybe step away for a day to recharge and always come back with that same passion in my heart.
3. Faith — When the idea of starting Hushabye Nursery presented itself with my friend and colleague, I prayed about it. I went to Church and three Sundays in a row the pastor was talking about your path, your journey, your life and every time I would pray and ask for direction. Finally on the third Sunday, they were talking about your journey, being a servant leader and why you were put here to achieve a goal. It hit me that I was supposed to open that door and have faith that it would all work out. To this day, I say pray and ask for guidance whenever I am faced with a tough decision or situation. My husband always reminds me to have faith, and everything will work out.
4. Never say never — I don’t take ‘no’ for an answer, but if the answer really is ‘no’ then the next question is ‘then how?” I get told “no” all the time but it’s important to be open and listen to other’s point of view or reasons why. Sometimes, you just need to educate someone, show them the data or take them on the tour and then they will understand the work we are doing and want to support it. When they see how much peace, kindness and healing is happening at Hushabye they are usually ready to help.
5. Be humble — If you are wrong, say you are sorry. It’s important to own it, take the criticism and learn from it. That can be hard, but it is what is needed. We aren’t always right. Being humble to ask questions and to say, “I don’t know, but I WILL find out.” Grabbing the experts and using them. I think being humble is one of the hardest things to do, especially when you’re used to knowing at all and being viewed as an expert in the field. When I left the neonatal intensive care unit, I was very comfortable in my job. I had a lot of confidence and starting a new business took a lot of guts, but it also taught me to be humble.
How do great leaders balance confidence with vulnerability to create stronger connections with their teams?
I think being real and vulnerable can help you lead better. It helps your team see that you’re a real person, with feelings and that you care deeply about the mission. Being vulnerable can lead to growth and create an ambition to fight for what’s right. Our team is all committed to doing what’s right for the babies and fighting to give them the best chance of a healthy life. Sometimes it takes sharing your heart with your team to grow closer together.
What strategies do exceptional leaders use to consistently recognize and nurture talent within their organizations?
We nurture and recognize talent at Hushabye by living our values and having fun. We celebrate milestones together and we encourage each other to reach their goals and grow with the organization. Many of our staff have had substance use issues in the past and we’re providing them with a place to help others and not be afraid to share their story. We want to do whatever we can to support their professional and personal journey.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
You never know what your idea can trigger. I honestly think that that movement is to be kind. We don’t know anyone’s journey, we have no idea what trauma people have been through, we have no idea what someone’s mourning or what their home life is about. The world would be a better place if people were kind, asked how they could help, smiled or opened a door for someone. A simple act every single day could change someone’s outlook on life and spread positivity throughout the world.
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About the Interviewer: Cynthia Corsetti is an esteemed executive coach with over two decades in corporate leadership and 11 years in executive coaching. Author of the upcoming book, “Dark Drivers,” she guides high-performing professionals and Fortune 500 firms to recognize and manage underlying influences affecting their leadership. Beyond individual coaching, Cynthia offers a 6-month executive transition program and partners with organizations to nurture the next wave of leadership excellence.
