Counseling, compassion and Camaros with Rick Howell

May 14, 2026

Rick has been the Executive Director of Samaritan Counseling Services, based in Sarasota, since 1999. A native of Tampa, he earned a master’s in Divinity and a master’s in Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. He was ordained into the ministry in 1986. On this episode, Business Observer Managing Editor Mark Gordon and Rick talked about how and why he got his start in counseling — it was a personal experience of high stress — and how that’s helped him be a better leader. They also talked about why he believes passion is a No. 1 leadership attribute and how looking out for teammates and employees as a leader is never time wasted. And listen for a cool story about his first car — and a teenage trip to London.

3 Takeaways

(11:00) Passion sustains you through hard times
(14:30) You are not solely responsible for the success of your organization
(15:30) If you see a turtle on a fencepost, you know it didn’t get there itself

Timestamps

(00:00) Introducing Rick Howell, executive director, Samaritan Counseling Services
(04:05) What is Samaritan Counseling Services?
(06:00) How did you get into this line of work?
(08:00) Day-to-day role
(09:30) What trends are you seeing in your clients?
(10:45) What characteristic does every leader need to have?
(13:00) Listening versus speaking as a leader
(14:10) What do you wish you knew earlier as a leader?
(15:30) Who are some of your mentors and what did you learn from them?
(17:45) Leading in uncertain times
(19:50) What is coming up for Samaritan Counseling Services?

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