Leadership Unscripted with Pete November, President and CEO of Ochsner Health

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Host: Chris Sosa
Date: December 11, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features a heartfelt and insightful conversation with Pete November, President and CEO of Ochsner Health. Pete shares his unconventional journey from law to healthcare leadership, his guiding philosophies on mentorship, caring for himself and others, finding balance, and taking meaningful risks. The discussion is candid, drawing deeply from Pete’s personal history and unique perspective as both an executive and a person dedicated to service.

Pete November's Background and Unconventional Path to Healthcare

Key Points:

• Unusual Pathway to CEO: Pete began as an accountant, went to law school, practiced healthcare law, and only transitioned into health system leadership after forming connections through legal work and events such as Hurricane Katrina.
  • "I actually got to my role in a very different way than most people...I was an accountant, worked at public accounting and then went to law school and then practiced law in Atlanta for Quite a while." — Pete [00:33]
• Family and Personal Life: Pete credits his family, especially his wife Stephanie and their two adult children, for his grounding, support, and joy outside of work.

Memorable Moment:
After Hurricane Katrina, Pete moved from legal work supporting health organizations to joining Ochsner as general counsel, eventually becoming CFO and ultimately CEO (2012–present).

Early Inspirations and Defining Moments

Key Points:

• Family Influence: Pete’s mother, a nurse who worked at the University of Kentucky, inspired his deep connection to healthcare and caring for others.
  • "My mom didn't care at all about the business or the financial side of health care. She only cared about taking care of people." — Pete [02:24]
• The Power of Encouragement: A friend and client recognized Pete's leadership and people skills, encouraging his career transition.
  • "He goes, Pete, you're a really good lawyer, but I could tell you really have a desire to be part of an organization and to be a leader, and you care a lot about people, and I think you would be great at it..." — Pete [03:17]
• The Role of Mentors: Pete reflects on how external support helped him unlock his own confidence and how he seeks to pay that forward in his leadership.

Lessons From Outside the Industry

Key Points:

• Mentorship from Law:
  • Pete credits his early mentor, John Lowe, for exemplifying leadership that balances high expectations with genuine personal care.
    • "I really do think I learned most of what I know about leadership from John because John taught me that you can be driven and want to be results-oriented, but you can and should also care about people and be kind to people..." — Pete [06:34]
• Applying Legal Perspective:
  • His experience as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer taught him to find common ground among divergent views, a crucial skill in healthcare leadership.
    • "Turns out, in leadership and as being a CEO, that's what you do almost every day..." — Pete [07:40]

Prioritizing Health and Wellbeing as a Leader

Key Points:

• Balancing Demanding Roles and Family:
  • Pete stresses the importance of boundaries, such as limiting evening events to maintain time for family and rest.
  • He works with a physical trainer twice a week and sees a private yoga instructor once a week.
    • "...I've said to my assistant, look, I'll do two events a week, but I'm not going to do five just because I need to go home and spend time with my family and get sleep and be able to relax and get myself refreshed for the next day." — Pete [09:37]
    • "Yoga...was an added component to it that I've really enjoyed...it's an hour where you can just relax your mind." — Pete [11:36]
• Routines for Physical and Mental Health:
  • Regular strength training and yoga are key for his wellbeing; these practices keep him grounded and resilient.

Handling Tough Days, Staying Humble, and Maintaining Perspective

Key Points:

• Seeking Perspective:
  • Pete draws strength from historical perspective, particularly through his passion for World War II history—a photo of Omaha Beach in his office helps him contextualize everyday stressors.
    • "Whatever I'm dealing with is not near as tough as what, you know, those people were dealing with on that day. And I've got to get over it and turn the page." — Pete [14:20]
• Support Networks:
  • He turns to his family, especially his kids, and his trusted colleagues for support. Dropping in on someone’s office for a pick-me-up is part of his routine.
  • "Surround yourself with people who care about you and who you care about, who are willing to support you and you're willing to support them, and that'll make it a whole lot easier to get through the tough stuff." — Pete [15:36]
• The Value of Humility:
  • Yoga, exercise, and working closely with inspirational colleagues serve as reminders for humility and continued growth.

Paying It Forward: Joy in Helping and Developing Others

Key Points:

• Service Orientation:
  • Pete finds deep fulfillment in enabling the work of frontline clinicians and staff, supporting their ability to care for patients.
    • "My greatest joy is watching people that are earlier in their career than I am, who've got amazing talent, ... and just trying to help them achieve whatever they are trying to achieve professionally..." — Pete [17:27]
• Mentoring the Next Generation:
  • Providing support, encouragement, and mentorship, much as he experienced, is now a central theme in his own leadership style.

Taking Risks: The Leap from Law to Healthcare Leadership

Key Points & Notable Quote:

• Pivotal Career Decision:
  • In 2008, Pete left a secure, high-level law firm position after making equity partner to pursue his passion in healthcare, risking professional certainty for personal fulfillment.
    • "When you make it to say, you know what, I'm jumping out of this and I'm jumping over to do something totally different...That was a huge, huge risk...But obviously it was the right thing to do." — Pete [20:08]
• The Importance of Courage and Support:
  • Pete credits his wife Stephanie’s enthusiastic encouragement: "She goes, I know, but we only live once. And you, let's go for something that, you know, I think, you know, you'll really, will really be great for us." — Pete [21:05]
• Message to Others:
  • Take risks in pursuit of what genuinely fulfills you—career paths may not be linear, but meaningful leaps can open doors to unforeseen opportunity.
    • "You do have to just take risk and you got to follow your passion and you've got to recognize that there's something that's really important to you, that's going to make you happy and that you feel like is your calling. It's worth taking a risk to go after that." — Pete [22:01]

Notable Quotes

• On Leadership:

  • "The best leadership is when you combine those two things — being results-oriented, but also caring about people and treating everyone with respect." — Pete [06:52]

• On Perspective:

  • "Perspective is one of those things in life that's so powerful... Get over whatever emotions you're having and get some perspective about how good life is, and then just deal with whatever you're dealing with." — Pete [16:37]

• On Helping Others:

  • "I get such joy out of just the idea that maybe I can provide a little bit of help so that they can help people." — Pete [18:37]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Pete’s Unconventional Career Path: [00:33 – 01:58]
• Early Influences and Mentorship: [02:08 – 04:15]
• Translating Lessons from Law to Healthcare Leadership: [05:43 – 08:08]
• Routines and Self-Care as CEO: [08:47 – 10:40]
• Exploring Yoga and Mental Health: [11:17 – 13:05]
• Handling Tough Days and Gaining Perspective: [13:36 – 16:55]
• Mentoring and Developing Others: [17:16 – 18:01]
• Pivotal Career Risk Taking: [19:49 – 22:35]

Overall Tone

Warm, candid, and reflective—Pete November speaks with humility and authenticity, openly sharing both his personal journey and leadership lessons. The episode offers sincerity, practical advice, and encouragement not just for healthcare professionals, but for anyone aspiring to lead with heart and courage.