“I hate self-promotion. It feels like an endless sales pitch.”

Those first four words definitely made me realize this level of seething conviction wasn’t some kind of throwaway complaint. This was a belief — one that had been insidiously shaping every decision about what to share, when to speak up and whether to step into rooms where their perspective was not just welcome, but needed.

Here’s the thing: I understood it completely. And I think most of you reading this do too. And if I can be honest? I sometimes still have some of the same thoughts, even after being online for most of my career!

If you’re someone who builds in mission-driven spaces — health/care, social impact, community development — there’s a good chance you carry a version of this tension. You’re doing meaningful work. You’re seeing patterns others miss. You even know how to connect dots across disparate systems that most people experience in isolation. And yet, the idea of “putting yourself out there” feels awkward at best (and maybe sometimes downright disingenuous). I get it, you want to just focus on the work and the results from your superpowers.

So let’s reframe the situation, shall we?

The Narrator, Not the Subject

What if showing up with a visible presence and platform wasn’t about promoting yourself at all?

What if it was more about becoming the narrator of the things you care about most — the trends you’re tracking, the tensions you’re watching unfold (and want to rectify) or even the possibilities you see forming at the edges of your work?

This is the shift I walked through with that client and it changed the entire energy of the conversation. The moment we stopped talking about “self-promotion” and started embracing this concept of narration, the resistance quickly began to dissolve. What we made it about instead was their ability to distill complex frameworks, curate insights, connect various threads and eventually put a perspective out into the world that other people could learn from.

Because narration isn’t ego. It’s being in service.

Think about the people whose work you follow. The dedicated people who help you see your industry more clearly. They’re not standing on a stage saying “look at me.” They’re saying “look at this and this is why it matters.” Even those who pose a question to their colleagues to chime in on a perspective they have. They’re assembling patterns from disparate sources and offering a lens that makes the complexity more navigable. They’re doing the thinking in public so that the rest of us can build on it.

That’s not self-promotion. That’s leadership with a sense of responsibility.

The Cost of Staying Quiet

There’s a line I come back to often in my coaching work: your perspective and insights will always matter to those ones who need to hear it.

When you don’t externalize your perspective — when you keep your thoughts going on a laundry spin cycle internally, processing and re-processing without an outlet — two things happen.

First, you stall. Not because you lack ability or credibility, but because ideas that never meet the outside world tend to loop. They get spun around to the point of paralysis and then, most likely irrelevance. The brilliant framework you pulled together on a post-it note. The pattern you spotted six months ago never gets shared with the people who needed it most (like that colleague prepping for a keynote who could have been inspired!). You end up carrying the weight of insight without the relief of having put it somewhere useful.

Second, and more importantly, you become less visible in conversations where your voice actually matters. The rooms where strategic narratives get shaped and where the direction of your industry gets decided — those rooms aren’t filled by just the loudest voices but by people who have made their thinking findable. People whose perspectives are on the record somewhere, creating a trail that leads back to them when the right opportunity, collaboration, or conversation emerges.

This is the clearest argument in my opinion against the “promotion feels like a sales pitch” way of thinking. It’s really more about just showing up and giving yourself permission. More on that soon.

From Spotlight to Ecosystem

Here’s where the reframe gets practical and where I think it becomes especially relevant for people working in mission-driven spaces.

When you position yourself as a narrator and curator rather than a self-promoter, something interesting happens: you start building an ecosystem instead of simply an audience to speak at.

An audience watches. An ecosystem participates.

When you share your perspective on an aspect of improving healthcare such as orchestrating more dignity within the system as Jewel Jones just launched, you’re not performing — you’re creating a point of contact. Someone reads it and thinks, “I’ve been seeing the same thing. Let me figure out how to dig deeper.” Now you have a collaborator. Someone else reads it and thinks, “I hadn’t considered that angle.” Now you’ve expanded how they approach their work. Another leader reads it and thinks, “This is exactly the lens my team needs right now. Let me reach out to them.” Now you have a professional opportunity that came from the trail of thinking you left behind.

Back in 2016, I had the honor of being an Aspen Ideas Fellow for their Health programming. Three years later in 2019, I had a moment with the incredible leaders pictured below, who would shape the future of the company I built, Onboard Health. Our tagline “We All Go Up” was coined by Ivelyse Andino (on my left) and this adventure of us climbing a mountain and truly having a deep connective moment, would not have happened if it wasn’t for me speaking up, sharing my experience as a Fellow and bringing others along with me. I’ve been going back multiple times since, continuing to create a community.

This is what I mean when I talk about intentional ecosystem building. It’s not networking in the transactional sense. It’s the act of making your perspective visible so that the right people — the ones who share your values, who are working on adjacent problems, who need exactly what you bring — can actually find you.

Your platform then becomes an invitational beacon and most certainly not a promotional ad to simply sell something.

Permission as the Real Bottleneck

Yep, I told you we’d come back to this. In my experience, the thing standing between most impact-minded leaders and a more visible presence isn’t strategy. It’s permission.

Not permission from anyone else — permission from themselves. Yikes! You knew I was going to take it there.

The leaders, executives and founders I work with don’t lack credibility by any stretch of the imagination. They don’t lack perspective. What they often lack is the internal green light to trust that their point of view is worth sharing publicly. They’ve spent careers building trust by supporting others, by being the person in the room who elevates the team rather than themselves. And that’s a genuinely valuable instinct. But it becomes limiting when it turns into a pattern of deferring your own voice indefinitely.

Also, if you’ve been a leader who has been working within the confines of rigorous areas such as academia or research, giving yourself permission to narrate — to share what you see/think and where you believe things are headed — feels like alarms will go off. We’re not talking about sharing trade secrets here. We’re talking about creating a mindset shift that allows you to show up as an act of generosity. It’s deciding that the patterns you’re noticing and the questions you’re sitting with are too valuable to keep to yourself. This builds trust, community and opportunities in the most organic way possible.

The most important trust being built here though...is with yourself.

What This Looks Like in Practice

If this resonates but still feels a little abstract, here’s what the shift from “self-promotion” to “narration” can look like in practice:

Instead of: “I should post about my accomplishments on LinkedIn.”

Try: “What trend am I watching right now that my network would benefit from understanding?”

Instead of: “I know I need to build my personal brand!”

Try: “What’s the throughline across my work that I want to be known for narrating?”

Instead of: “I don’t want to be one of those people who’s always talking about themselves.”

Try: “What would it look like to be someone who helps others see the bigger picture?”

Do you see how this shifts your thinking from “me” to the work? Ironically, that’s exactly what makes people pay attention to you — not because you demanded it, but because you offered something worth their time.

The Belonging You Didn’t Expect

Listen, leadership in any capacity can be isolating. Coaching has helped me become a better listener and trust me, being able to tap into a circle is one of the things I hear about quite a bit (I actually wrote about the importance of this). When you build a platform rooted in narration rather than promotion, you don’t just attract professional opportunities. You create a sense of belonging that extends beyond the work itself.

You find your people. Not just collaborators and customers/clients, but the broader community of thinkers who care about the same things you care about. The ones who are wrestling with the same systemic questions. The ones who will challenge your thinking and sharpen your perspective. The ones who make you feel less alone in the work.

For those of you building within thorny spaces like healthcare and social impact — where the problems are complex, the progress is slow and the emotional weight is real (especially these days)— that sense of belonging isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s fuel.

Your platform isn’t about you. It’s about the world you’re trying to help build and the people you’ll meet along the way because you had the courage to narrate it out loud.

Did this resonate with you? I'd love to hear from you: If you gave yourself full permission to narrate — to share your perspective publicly without it feeling like a sales pitch — what would you talk about first? Reply to this email or drop a comment. I'm genuinely curious what's been sitting in your head that the rest of us need to hear.

I’m a girl dad. My daughter is insatiably curious, already bold and full of ideas about how the world could be different. Watching her switch gears from a deeply thoughtful student, a protective friend and an active interest in politics (!!), I think constantly about what it means to build for her future. It’s not lost on me that in just a few years I’ve been able to see how she shows up as a leader in multiple situations.

I also have the privilege of coaching some of the most dynamic women leaders I’ve encountered — executives and founders in healthcare and social impact who are navigating real complexity, challenging systems of oppression and doing it often with less margin for error than their peers. They’ve taught me so much.

The work they are leading and the things they’ve built? Not done alone. Every one of them points to a community — a mentor who opened a door, a peer who stayed on the phone through the tough times, a sponsor who said her name in rooms she wasn’t in yet. Ecosystem isn’t abstract. It’s what saves you when the road gets hard and amplifies you when you’re ready to move.

I recently came across this post on LinkedIn from Anna McMaster — Founder of Amie (tackling pelvic floor PT) — on her feature in an upcoming photography exhibit created by Erika Bahr. She essentially shares that Erika saw a need for visibility of female founders and is using artistic expression to make it happen. I loved this because of the community/being seen aspect but also the medium of going beyond another “top list” and really showcasing women in powerful visual ways.

So today I’m thinking about the leaders who deserve real community, not just applause. And about my daughter, who deserves a world where she doesn’t have to think twice about what she can accomplish.

Let’s keep building.

🌟 Sponsored Spotlight

The Launch of HealthLeader.AI — Signal Through the Noise

Dr. Ashwin Patel has built something healthcare leaders have been quietly desperate for — a research team that works while you sleep. HealthLeader.AI tackles a tension every executive in the space knows: AI is reshaping healthcare faster than most can track it, yet staying informed feels like a second full-time job.

The platform’s flagship offering, the 3-2-1 AI Newsletter, sources weekly—journals, regulatory filings, vendor announcements, press releases—then distills findings into three market signals, two research studies, and one key insight. The promise here? You’ll get up to speed in under five minutes.

Behind each Friday briefing is someone who understands that healthcare leaders don’t need more information; they need the right information at the right time.

The AI Content Library offers searchable archives organized by topic, solving the “I know I read something about that” problem. And the forthcoming Conference Navigator maps 128+ healthcare conferences, helping leaders decide where their teams need to show up and why—turning event strategy from reactive to intentional.

Feel free to drop Ashwin a line and let him know you subscribed!

Explore HealthLeader.AI at healthleader.ai

In the Know

McKinsey Health Institute Maps the Intervention Paradox | McKinsey & Company
Workplace health could unlock $11.7 trillion in annual economic value, yet most employers don’t know where to start. McKinsey Health Institute analyzed 115 workplace interventions to reveal a pattern: the highest-impact programs don’t fix what’s broken—they make work itself healthier. The research exposes critical gaps, including underinvestment in social and spiritual health despite their strong links to engagement and retention.

Cambridge Innovation Center Chronicles Inclusive Innovation’s Early Shoots | CIC Blog
The 2025 Massachusetts Social Impact Program Report surfaces a tension at the heart of innovation ecosystems. The report also identifies four domains where inclusive innovation is already happening—local organizations training youth, corporates funding science projects, startups solving hyperlocal challenges—but much of it operates in isolation, beneath the radar, without scaffolding to scale. The opportunity: transform a world-class cluster into an integrated ecosystem where innovation benefits the many, not just the few.

Cedars-Sinai and Caltech Formalize What Science Has Always Needed | Cedars-Sinai Newsroom
The new partnership between Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University and Caltech combines clinical insight with engineering precision through joint translational discovery grants, co-hosted symposia, shared training opportunities, and joint faculty appointments. The pilot grant program will fund up to four one-year projects split between investigators at both institutions, catalyzing research that unites clinical insight, engineering, and fundamental biological discovery.

Roles Worth Exploring

March of Dimes, Vice President of Marketing | View on LinkedIn
Lead marketing strategy for the organization advancing maternal and infant health equity nationwide. This role shapes narrative and engagement for a mission that directly confronts America’s maternal mortality crisis.

Humanity AI, Inaugural Executive Director | View Opportunity
Define the founding leadership vision for an initiative at the intersection of artificial intelligence and human welfare. Ground-floor opportunity to establish governance structures and strategic direction.

Aledade, Clinical Population Health Manager | View on Lever
Manage population health initiatives for a company transforming primary care through value-based models. Drive clinical strategy that aligns quality outcomes with financial sustainability.

Catapult Design, Executive Director | Learn More
Lead an organization pioneering human-centered design for global health and development challenges. Shape strategy for design-driven solutions that center the communities they serve.

John A Hartford Foundation, Vice President of Program & Strategy | View Details
Direct grantmaking strategy for the nation’s leading philanthropy dedicated to improving care for older adults. Influence systemic approaches to age-friendly health systems.

Spotlights & Opportunities

Halle Tecco Releases Healthcare Innovation Roadmap | Massively Better Healthcare
One of my longtime friends and collaborators has launched an INCREDIBLE book. Tecco’s new book bridges Silicon Valley dynamism with healthcare’s evidence-based approach, offering frameworks for identifying opportunities and building solutions that align profit with purpose. She doesn’t shy from regulatory hurdles and misaligned incentives—instead, she reframes obstacles as competitive advantages. The book equips entrepreneurs with tools to succeed while acknowledging the system’s resistance to change. On tour now—grab it before it sells out again.

CTIA Wireless Foundation’s Catalyst Program | Apply Here
Accelerator supporting nonprofits leveraging wireless technology to address social challenges. Bridges the connectivity gap with organizations solving real community needs.

Women’s Health Horizons - 2026 Innovation Summit | Register
Convening advancing women’s health innovation at a moment when the field is finally attracting serious capital and attention. Connect with leaders closing the research and funding gap.

Square One’s Startup School Pre-Accelerator Program | Apply Now
Early-stage support for founders navigating the earliest stages of company building. Structured learning for those just beginning the entrepreneurial journey.

Organon’s Women’s Health Innovation Accelerator | Learn More
Pharmaceutical-backed accelerator advancing solutions in women’s health. Access to clinical expertise and commercialization pathways.

MassChallenge x Groundwater Institute Health Equity Program | Details
Collaboration targeting health equity challenges through entrepreneurship. Combines MassChallenge’s acceleration expertise with Groundwater’s equity focus.

AbbVie Foundation x MATTER Health Equity Accelerator | Applications Open
Accelerator supporting startups addressing health disparities. Corporate partnership providing capital and validation for equity-focused innovations in healthcare.

As always, I’m curious what resonates, what you’re building, and what questions these resources spark for you. Let’s keep learning together.

Back in 2011, I co-organized the first FastForward Health film festival at the West End Cinema in Washington, DC. My fellow collaborators David Haddad and Aman Bhandari called it an “un-conference” (shouts to Mark Scrimshire for being an integral part of that movement!) - a more relaxed, entertaining counterpoint to the larger conferences that were happening across town that same week. While thousands of public health professionals were sitting in conference halls looking at data and presentations, we gathered physicians, entrepreneurs, students, activists, and community members in a movie theater to watch stories.

We screened films about school children trying to cook nutritious meals for under a dollar a day. Doctors finding new ways to treat rare health problems in rural areas. The protagonist of 73 Cents, Regina Holliday, a patient advocate who painted her story on the walls. Kaiser Permanente’s Everybody Walks mini documentary, which reimagined how communities could be designed for daily movement. Each film used humor, animation, music, bright visuals - and most importantly, they featured strong characters navigating real challenges in healthcare and wellness.

Amidst the nerves of starting something new involving people we deeply admired, what struck me that night was the quality of the conversations throughout the event (and even afterwards!). Ted Eytan, a family physician and leading voice around innovation at Kaiser Permanente at the time, reminded us that only about 10 percent of a person’s health needs are met through medical care. Then he said something that has stayed with me for over a decade: having an impact on public health issues is “not just about statistics and data. It’s about bringing whatever talent you have to the conversation.”

Over the next few years, our storytelling project showed up inside of companies, bigger events and more theaters. The films worked because they were compelling narratives. They weren’t just informing people - they were helping people see themselves differently. The audience began to connect their own stories to what they were seeing on the screen. They were asking: What role am I playing in this larger story? What could I bring?

I’ve carried this reflective insight through every partnership I’ve built, every coaching conversation I’ve had and how I built the Onboard Health ecosystem: the stories we tell ourselves and others, shape everything.

As we close out 2025, most reflection exercises will ask you to list accomplishments, measure against goals, identify gaps. Those have their place, of course. But what if instead, you approached this moment with a lens of storytelling? What if you looked back at 2025 and asked: What kind of story arc did I live? Who were the key characters? What were the plot points that changed everything? And what story do I want to be living - and telling - in 2026?

Main character energy, as the kids say, is the name of the game here. The way you narrate your year reveals who you’ve become and where you’re headed. More importantly, it helps you move from passive participant to intentional protagonist - from someone things happened to, to someone who made things happen, often with the help of others who also believed in your story.

Finding Your Plot Points

Start with the story you told yourself in January.

What narrative were you carrying into 2025? Maybe you told yourself this would be the year you finally launched that new concept that would accelerate your company’s impact. Or do a better job of sharing your ideas and perspectives as part of your own branding.

This opening narrative matters because it reveals your mindset, your expectations, your hopes and fears. Write it down. Not what you accomplished, but what you believed was possible at the start of the year.

Then identify the turning points.

What were the moments that shifted things?

• A conversation that reframed how you saw your body of work?

• An unexpected loss that forced you to rebuild differently?

• A moment where you chose between safety and growth?

• A powerful introduction that changed your career trajectory?

Also, sometimes the most significant turns are quiet - a gradual realization, a pattern you finally noticed, a question someone asked that you couldn’t stop thinking about.

Look for the character development.

What did this year require you to become that you weren’t at the start of the year? Did you have to learn to set boundaries, ask for help, let go of an identity that no longer fit (this is a tough one), or speak up where you used to stay quiet?

Find the through-line.

When you step back and look at your plot points together, you often see a pattern you couldn’t see while living it. Maybe it’s about learning to trust timing. Or the power of saying no. Or discovering that your impact comes through connection and showing up, not simply perfection.

The through-line isn’t something you force. It emerges when you’re honest about what actually happened.

Who Showed Up in Your Story?

No protagonist acts alone. Every compelling narrative includes supporting characters, mentors, allies (or a Fellowship - we all know Frodo Baggins couldn’t have accomplished what he did without his crew) - people who shape the story by being part of it.

I’ve written before about the power of a trusted circle - that small group of people who know your work, believe in your potential and invest in your growth without needing anything in return. End-of-year reflection is the perfect time to assess who that circle actually is, not who you wish it were.

Ask yourself the deeper questions:

Who challenged you to think bigger? Not the people who simply cheered you on, but who pushed back on your self-imposed limits?

Who didn’t let you settle for less? Who held you accountable in a way that reminded you of your own standards?

Who shared your name in rooms when you didn’t ask? Who advocated for you when you weren’t there? Who made introductions or opened doors because they genuinely believed you belonged?

Who brought opportunities because they understood your strengths? Not generic “I thought of you” moments, but specific opportunities that revealed someone had been paying attention to your skills, values, and trajectory.

Who did you show up for in ways that mattered? Where did you invest your time, energy, credibility, or advocacy this year? Whose name did you share? Whose work did you amplify?

Who fell away - and was that intentional or accidental? Some relationships naturally run their course. Others drift. Were there people you meant to stay connected to but didn’t? People who used to be central who are no longer present - and how do you feel about that?

Who is missing from your circle that you need in 2026? Based on what 2025 revealed - who do you need to meet? What perspectives, expertise, or networks would expand your impact?

Weaving It All Together

Here’s what happens when you reflect on both your plot points and the people who showed up: you start to see that your story was never just about you. And since you’re reading this, I know that you are one of the leaders, changemakers, founders and instigators who actually cares about how you build the future — I know this is an important concept to grab onto. The reflections that we do for ourselves directly creates impact beyond ourselves.

The milestones you reached, the pivots you made, the resilience you found - almost all of them involved other people. Someone believed in you and submitted your name for an event. Someone challenged you. Someone made space for you and allowed your idea to flourish.

And the same is true in reverse: your presence, your advocacy, your willingness to show up - those shaped other people’s stories too.

This is the tapestry. It’s the interweaving of your growth, their investment, and the insights and opportunities that emerged because of that combination. This is the power of ecosystem building that I have seen first hand over the last several years!

From reflection to intention:

What story do you want to be telling yourself in 2026? Not a goal or metric. A narrative. What’s the character arc? What are you becoming? What kind of protagonist do you want to be - reactive or intentional, isolated or connected?

What story do you want others to be telling about you? When people think of you, what do you want them to be clear about? If you can’t answer that, it’s hard for your trusted circle to advocate for you effectively.

Who deserves more intentional investment? Based on who showed up in 2025 - who do you need to prioritize? Who’s in your trusted circle that you’ve been taking for granted?

What principles or patterns do you want to carry forward? Your plot points revealed something. Maybe you do your best work when collaborating. Maybe the opportunities that energized you most came from unexpected places. These aren’t resolutions - they’re principles that emerge from lived experience.

Your Narrative is the Sum of Your Choices

At that first FastForward Health film festival in 2011, the audience didn’t just learn concepts about the impact of food/water, technology and the built environment on our health. They saw themselves in the stories.

You weren’t a passive participant in 2025. You were the protagonist. And as you move into 2026, you get to be the scriptwriter for the story you’re stepping into. That is what being an Intentional Innovator is all about, right?

So take the time. Ask the questions. Write down the plot points. Name the people who showed up. And remember the times you showed up for yourself.

Because the story you tell yourself about 2025 will shape the story you live in 2026.

I’m proud of you.

#WeAllGoUp

In the Know

A Drug Story podcast launches — Thomas Goetz, former Executive Editor at WIRED, is launching a podcast that examines a critical tension in modern healthcare: drugs treat symptoms, but rarely address root causes. Each episode will use a single prescription drug as a lens to explore the broader business of disease. This matters because it surfaces questions about how we’ve structured healthcare around management rather than prevention, and whether pharmaceutical solutions are obscuring the systemic changes we need to create lasting health. Launches January 6, 2026.

Inside Pivotal Ventures’ $5 Billion Bet On Women’s Futures — Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures recently announced 80+ organizations receiving between $1-5 million through its $250 million Action for Women’s Health global open call. This represents a fundamental reframing of philanthropic capital deployment: rather than invitation-only decision-making, Pivotal used an open call with peer review to identify organizations historically excluded from major funding. The approach signals that addressing women’s health gaps requires not just more funding, but fundamentally different funding mechanisms that center equity and proximity to the problem.

How SiriusXM Saved Over $2 Million While Improving Family-Building Care — Carrot Fertility’s case study with SiriusXM demonstrates something that benefits leaders often struggle to articulate: comprehensive fertility benefits can simultaneously improve outcomes and reduce costs. Through clinical engagement that steers members toward appropriate alternatives to IVF when possible, promotes single-embryo transfers, and supports genetic testing, SiriusXM achieved a 24% increase in pregnancy rates while avoiding $2.15 million in downstream costs. The data reveals an often-overlooked insight about employer healthcare strategy: preventive, specialized care that meets people earlier in their journey can avert the expensive complications that emerge from fragmented, reactive approaches.

Roles Worth Exploring

Director, Global Health Equity & Delivery (Americas), Johnson & Johnson — Hybrid, New Jersey

Chief of Staff, Everycure — Philadelphia

Chief People and Culture Officer, Make a Wish Foundation — Remote

Head of Communications, Omidyar Network — San Francisco

Spotlights & Opportunities

Alerje’s Autoinjector Platform Acquired by Sempresto — my longtime friend and collaborator, Javier Evelyn, CEO of Alerje, recently announced that his company’s smartphone-integrated autoinjector platform has been acquired by medical device company Sempresto. The acquisition is significant because it addresses a persistent gap in emergency allergy care: nearly two-thirds of severe allergy patients arriving at emergency departments haven’t used their epinephrine autoinjector, often because traditional devices are bulky and easy to forget. By integrating with smartphones—the one device people rarely leave behind—this technology could fundamentally shift emergency preparedness.

Kismet Health Acquired by Kooth — Co-founders Cierra Gromoff and Christie Sander built Kismet Health from a shared conviction that virtual care platforms needed to be designed for healthcare, not repurposed from business tools. Their acquisition by Kooth, an international mental health leader serving millions through state and government programs globally, represents validation that developmentally appropriate, provider-centered telehealth can scale without sacrificing quality. With Kooth’s global infrastructure, the platform can now reach international scale at a moment when mental health demand is surging while provider availability declines.

How Ashley Boyd Reached Nearly 1 Million Women Through Reddit — another longtime friend and collaborator in digital health, Ashley Boyd, who leads marketing at DiabetesSisters, partnered with the DECIDE Study and maternal-fetal medicine expert Dr. Kartik Venkatesh to host a Reddit AMA about gestational diabetes. The campaign reached nearly 1 million women and significantly outperformed health outreach benchmarks—demonstrating that meeting people where they already gather, with expert-led discussions in anonymous spaces, can drive meaningful engagement around stigmatized health topics. Boyd’s case study offers practical insights for organizations seeking to reach women affected by conditions that are common but often feel isolating.

What I’m Reading

I’ve started reading Manifesto for a Moral Revolution by Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO of Acumen Fund. Years ago while I was living in Washington DC, I read her book The Blue Sweater, which immersed me into the world of social impact and global needs. Novogratz challenges conventional approaches to solving poverty and inequality, arguing for a shift from transactional charity to patient capital and moral leadership that centers dignity and accompaniment. Her framework—built from decades deploying investment capital in overlooked markets—offers a compelling counter-narrative to both traditional aid models and purely profit-driven impact investing. As I’m building at the intersection of health, social impact and capital, this has become a timely read.

As always, I’m curious: What’s catching your attention? What are you working on? What opportunities or insights have crossed your path lately that deserve more attention?

Let’s keep the conversation going.

In the Know

Bloomberg investigation reveals AI chatbot delusion crisis | Bloomberg
Hundreds of millions use chatbots for emotional support, research, and connection. But new reporting shows a darker pattern: users experiencing psychosis, delusions, and dangerous breaks from reality after extended chatbot interactions. As AI becomes embedded in daily life, this investigation forces a critical question — where’s the line between helpful and harmful, and who decides when it’s crossed?

Instacart responds to SNAP funding crisis with $5M relief effort | Instacart
When government systems fail, private companies step in — for better or worse. Instacart’s offering 50% off groceries for SNAP users and expanding food bank support to 300 partners. It’s immediate relief meeting systemic breakdown, and it raises uncomfortable questions about who we expect to solve hunger when public infrastructure falters.

51& launches member-driven network for women’s health funding | PR Newswire
New platform unites the 51% whose health has been systematically underfunded (women) — pooling $100 annual memberships to fund research, advocacy, and innovation while creating real value for members through education and economic power. It’s collective action meeting structural change.

Roles Worth Exploring

Kapor Foundation | Chief People Officer | View role

Children First | Executive Director | View role

MacArthur Foundation | Director, AI Opportunity | View role

Obama Foundation | Director of Social Media | View role

Open Philanthropy | Multiple Roles | View roles

Omidyar Network | Director, Programs & Policy (CA based) | View role

BME Strategies | Managing Consultant, Workforce Development (Public Health) | View role

VISA | Senior Manager, Corporate Responsibility | View role

Spotlights & Opportunities

Susannah Fox Talks About the Rebel Revolution Happening in Healthcare | Watch
She has been able to “map the movement led by patients, survivors, and caregivers - and to show how tapping into their power isn’t just the right thing to do.”

DiabetesSisters on the power of self-care for World Diabetes Day | Read
Evidence shows peer connection reduces burnout, strengthens mental health, and sustains healthy behaviors longer. Self-care isn’t selfish; it’s strategic.

Daya Ventures Accelerator Startup Advisory Board | Application
Applications open for advisory board members supporting diverse entrepreneurs.

Elektra Health founder on closing the midlife care gap | Read
Jannine Versi built Elektra after experiencing the healthcare void between fertility and aging firsthand. Her virtual menopause clinic tackles the stigma, the silence, and the systematic neglect of women’s midlife health — proving that addressing what’s been invisible for decades starts with making it impossible to ignore.

Workplace Culture Expert Rocki Howard Launches The Humanity Practice | LinkedIn
Rocki Howard has been building in the People and Culture landscape for over 20 years and is launching an operating system to sustainably build the right frameworks in organizations wanting to create a more human workplace.

MassChallenge opens HEBA 2026 applications for health equity startups | MassChallenge
The fifth year of Blue Cross Blue Shield MA’s Health Equity Business Accelerator brings $50K grants, mentorship, and direct access to payer operations. What makes this work: practical support that bridges startup energy with institutional integration — the same friction point where most health equity innovations stall.

Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. If something here sparked an idea, raised a question, or feels like your next move — let’s talk about it. And if you’re seeing trends or opportunities I should be highlighting, I want to hear about them. This curated lens only gets sharper when we’re learning together.

Before anything is even sketched out for something new, you have one thing helping you set up the next direction: how you show up.

Let’s face it, we are living through some chaotic times right now. In a time when careers are nonlinear and purpose can’t be completely captured in a job description, presence becomes the truest signal. Not presence as performance, but presence as a way to quickly and authentically create alignment.

Showing Up Before the Script

Recently, I’ve found myself in conversations with mission-driven executives and founders that don’t start with a job title or a specific ask. They start with a vibe. A resonance — that sense of aligned values and complementary energy that makes collaboration of any sort feel inevitable. Someone might say:

“I don’t know what this will turn into yet, but I feel like we need to build something together.”

That only happens when who you are and how you’ve shown up throughout the course of your body of work, precedes what you do — when your energy, your ethics, your ecosystem mindset arrive before your receipts.

For leaders who’ve been operating in the space of impact, innovation, or transformation for a while, this becomes a quiet superpower. Your body of work isn’t just what’s on your CV—it’s in your consistent presence.

Trust Unlocks Relationship Building

Here’s the thing about being consistent in how you show up: over time, people start to carry your presence with them. It might sound a little woo-woo, but stick with me for a minute.

You’re not just in the room — your reputation is. The way you listen. The way you move ideas forward. How you respond with generosity and conviction. The way you hold purpose alongside execution.

That kind of presence doesn’t just earn trust, it amplifies/accelerates it into a safe space for exploration.

And trust, in this context, becomes an actual key to unlock core memories for those you want to engage with in your network and ecosystem. It helps to bypass the often sigh-inducing “tell me about yourself” intro and awakens a nearly instant “aha!” moment of connection since you’ve been showing up on your platform, in your work and in conversations consistently.

When someone says:
“I think you’d be perfect for this… I don’t have the full scope yet, but I know you’d bring the right energy.” — that’s trust talking.

As I mentioned earlier, this trust/consistency in how you show up dynamic, shortens the distance between you and the opportunity. It means they’re not asking you to prove your value from scratch — they’re inviting you to co-create it. You get to skip the audition phase. You get to start where it matters: in the conversation about what’s possible.

When Presence Preceded the Project

Last year, I got a call from a colleague who I’d collaborated with almost a decade ago on a completely unrelated initiative. We had kept tabs on what each other had been working on through the years — with the occasional comment on each other’s Linkedin posts.

The message was simple: “I’m getting involved in something new. Don’t have the full picture yet, but I know I want you involved. Can we talk?”

No job description. No scope document. Just an invitation based on how they remembered me showing up years ago: as someone who was energized about creating people-powered solutions, who was willing to make powerful introductions to other innovators and who actually cared about building the future of health.

That conversation turned into a board nomination and strategic engagement that’s become one of the most energizing collaborations I’ve had in quite some time. But here’s the highlight for you — I didn’t get that opportunity because of my CV. I got it because of how I showed up with authenticity as an ecosystem builder and problem solver who actually paid attention to people.

The trust was already banked. The presence had already done its work. All we had to do was figure out the structure.

Translating Value Without Performing

When we’re between chapters — shifting into advisory work, fractional roles, joining a mission-driven board — one of the most exhausting parts is the constant explaining. The “here’s what I do now,” the polished pitch, the trying to fit your multi-hyphenate identity into a clean little box (because yes, we know how to do a lot of things!).

But when trust is already there, your presence/reputation/brand becomes a shortcut. People get it faster. This is where resonance is created.

They’ve seen how you lead with clarity. How you create alignment. How you build from 0 to 1. They don’t need the pitch deck — they need the possibility space.

When was the last time you asked yourself “what’s possible here?” instead of frantically overanalyzing your skillsets. The ability to create options and opportunities is the name of the game right now and that’s a level of ownership that will serve you for years to come.

How you show up in the ambiguous, in the informal, in the unstructured moments — that’s where your next era often finds you. This how your focus on your Resonance Principle.

And when your presence is clear, consistent, and connected to purpose…opportunities begin to introduce themselves to you.

One of my all time favorite quotes is by Sir Francis Bacon that I’ll modify a bit here — essentially “a wise person creates more opportunities than they find.”

Intentional Prompts

1. How would someone describe your presence in a room you’ve just left? That answer is often more revealing than any bio or portfolio.

2. When was the last time someone reached out not because of your title, but because of how you make things happen? Or how you made them feel during an engagement? Those moments are signals — track them. Then repeat them.

3. What does it look like to cultivate presence as a practice, not a performance? Consider how your energy, values, and clarity show up before your credentials.

In the Know

Penultimate Capital debuts “Full Spectrum Health” investment thesis | Penultimate Capital
A new healthcare fund tackles the system’s paradox - it’s growing but delivering less value. Their approach: invest at the edges where innovation can integrate with existing systems through “pod-based” support that turns early traction into institutional readiness.

51& launches member-driven network for women’s health funding | PR Newswire
New platform unites the 51% whose health has been systematically underfunded (women) - pooling $100 annual memberships to fund research, advocacy, and innovation while creating real value for members through education and economic power.

Lisa Suennen interview on venture strategy in health tech | STAT News
Managing Director of the American Heart Association’s Venture Fund - Lisa Suennen - shares insights on navigating the current health tech investment landscape and what’s driving value in AHA Ventures’ portfolio.

Luminary Labs reveals open innovation outcomes | Luminary Labs
Well-designed challenges don’t just identify solutions, they catalyze lasting innovation ecosystems when paired with the right support. The team at Luminary Labs who have led these innovation challenges for several years, sheds light on impact.

Digital Medicine Society releases AI implementation playbook | DiMe
Your practical blueprint for responsible AI in healthcare - from identifying the right problems to sourcing tools and scaling across systems. Addresses why 70% of AI pilots fail (hint: it’s people and process, not technology).

CVS Ventures building post-GLP-1 economy | Forbes
As the weight loss drug market shifts and the GLP-1 gold rush quickly wanes, CVS Ventures is positioning for what’s next in metabolic health innovation.

Roles Worth Exploring

Southern AIDS Coalition | Executive Director
View role

eBay Foundation | Senior Manager, Partnerships
View role

Kiva | Director of Impact Philanthropy
View role

Neighborhood Funders Group | VP, Finance & Operations
View role

Spotlights & Opportunities

Food is Medicine: Clinical to Community | American University
Virtual convening exploring the intersection of healthcare and food access.

Slauson & Co’s 2026 Friends and Family Cohort
Applications open for consumer-facing startups seeking early-stage support and community.

How to Build Trust and Resilience with Stakeholders in the Community | Podcast
Simone Hardeman-Jones (Executive Director, Greenlight Fund) shares insights on authentic community engagement.

Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. If something here sparked an idea, raised a question, or feels like your next move - let’s talk about it. And if you’re seeing trends or opportunities I should be highlighting, I want to hear about them. This curated lens only gets sharper when we’re learning together.

Cups of morning coffee clanked down onto the table of the conference room. Backpacks dropped down on adjacent chairs, followed by the simultaneous “we made it” exhale sigh sounds as laptops were placed to the side. A meeting room monitor hummed at us awaiting the magic of some sort of Bluetooth-like connection to be made and the promise of two large whiteboards beckoned for scribbling.

There is something to be said about reconnecting with a long-time colleague and friend, after not seeing them for several years. Video calls can’t compare to the anticipation of catching upon on life — the wins, the challenges and the new ideas. We both were highly visible early social media voices — each with a blog tackling fresh thinking and system change in our respective fields. I was writing on the crossroads of innovation, digital strategy and population health, while he was capturing the changing tides of philanthropy and the social impact sector with a similar lens on innovation. It was indeed a golden era.

Today we were meeting up at a coworking space to see each other (after probably 7+ years from the last time), catch up and collaborate on how we showed up next in our careers. As pioneering voices and changemakers in the business of making the world a better place, we were ridiculously happy to not just reconnect but to create purposeful realignment. This was going to be 2 days of vulnerability, honesty, strategy and hopefully clarity wrapped in mutual trust and respect. That last part around trust and respect can usually only be honed through time and intentional relationship building — now we were positioned to hit the gas on things that really mattered.

That Familiar Groove

By the second hour, something clicked. The rhythm of our exchange felt like the early days of our blogs — when ideas were raw, scrappy, and full of conviction. We started mapping not just projects, but patterns. What themes had been constant in our work over the years? What values had quietly guided our decisions — even the detours? Who were we then versus who were right now?

That’s the thing about long-term colleagues who’ve walked parallel paths: they’ve seen your seasons. They remember the version of you who started before the titles and those incredible speaking invitations, and in our case, before “ecosystem building” and “impact investing” became buzzwords. That shared history gives permission to skip the performance and go straight to the truth about what comes next.

In that coworking space, we weren’t pitching or posturing. We were remembering, aligning and rebuilding.

The Trusted Transition

As leaders focused on systems change and impact, we are usually in a perpetual state of transition and growing. Whether that is in the role we’re currently in, being on the job hunt or even making decisions to grow our networks, leadership capabilities or into a new sector of impact. Periods of transition/growth often feel like free fall. You’ve left one set of identities behind but haven’t quite landed in the next. In those moments, having a trusted circle isn’t just helpful — it’s essential. This is a core aspect of being an intentional innovator. You take the time to think about how to leverage your body of work — nothing starts from scratch at this point for you.

As I’ve touched on before, a trusted circle is different from your professional network. Networks help you find opportunities. Trusted circles help you find clarity. They’re the people who know the through-line in your story — even when you’ve possibly forgotten it yourself.

As we both talked in that conference room, we realized we weren’t just defining our next roles; we were refining our next eras. This time, deeply focused on bringing our authentic selves to the table. Our mutual relationships, our ability to break things down and our often-buried creativity. Our conversation turned from job titles to purpose statements, from what we wanted to do to how we wanted to create with intention. That kind of exploration only happens when safety and respect are already baked into the relationship.

The Layers of Relationship

Strong ecosystems depend on multilayered relationships — connections that evolve with you. Some people first meet you as a collaborator, later become co-conspirators, and eventually turn into the kind of friends who text you just to say, “Still rooting for you.”

Those layers matter. They let you show up not just as a professional operator, but as a full human navigating seasons of growth and uncertainty. When trust is built over time, you can share unfinished ideas without fear they’ll be judged as unpolished. You can admit when you’re tired, or when you’re ready to dream bigger again.

We often talk about innovation as the process of building new things. But sometimes the most transformative innovation happens when we rebuild old connections with new clarity.

Leaving that coworking space, I felt the same kind of creative exhaustion that comes after a good studio session — the kind that signals something meaningful is taking shape. Not only did we find some clarity on our next steps, we deepened our ability to be in each other’s corner. It was about remembering how good it feels to be in sync with someone who’s been walking beside you — quietly, consistently — across the years.

If you’re in a season of transition or growth, consider this a gentle nudge to reconnect with the people who know your work and your why. Those who have seen your evolution are often the ones best equipped to help you see what comes next.

As you navigate your own season of building or recalibrating, take a few moments this week to reflect on the relationships that can anchor and accelerate your next era:

1. Who in your circle truly understands both your work and your “why”?

2. What kind of conversations leave you feeling more aligned than accomplished?

3. If you invited someone into your next era of building, what shared history or trust would make that collaboration feel effortless?

Was this helpful? Let me know in the comments!

In the Know

BHT Impact launches to accelerate youth behavioral health innovation | BHT Impact
A new national platform led by Solome Tibebu and Anjlee Joshi (backed by Pivotal Ventures) aims to help innovators navigate Medicaid, measure impact, and scale youth mental health solutions - with young people as co-designers, not just users. Want more context? Here is Solome’s Linkedin announcement.

Yale introduces case-based health innovation course | Yale School of Public Health
Students tackle real-world dilemmas from health leaders using emerging tech, new funding models, and novel strategies - preparing the next generation to navigate innovation thoughtfully. KP Yelpaala is leading this course and he is a long time friend, colleague and innovator.

Unified Youth debuts The Wonder Fund for creative youth mental health | Healthcare Today
Led by Headspace’s former Chief Purpose Officer, Dr. Wizdom Powell, this first-of-its-kind fund treats creativity as essential infrastructure for youth wellbeing - not an extracurricular.

Josh Nesbit on relational tech and community building | LinkedIn
Medic Mobile founder shares insights on building technology that strengthens community connections.

Milken Institute spotlight on women’s health innovation | LinkedIn
Key trends and opportunities emerging in the women’s health tech space.

Roles Worth Exploring

Johnson & Johnson | Director, Employee Engagement for Social Impact
View role

ZERO Prostate Cancer | Vice President, Community Outreach & Engagement
View role

United Way - National Capital Area | Vice-President, Community Impact & Engagement
View role

Spotlights & Opportunities

GovCIO Media Health IT Summit 2025 - Congrats Stephen Konya!
Big congratulations to Stephen Konya, Chief of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at HHS on his well deserved award as this year’s Health IT Innovation Champion!

Voqal Fellowship
$30K award + health stipend for social impact innovators, plus access to mentors and three in-person gatherings.

IGNITE National application open
Opportunity to join this political leadership program for young women.

Dria Ventures raises $8M
New fund focused on backing diverse founders in tech and innovation.

Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. If something here sparked an idea, raised a question, or feels like your next move - let’s talk about it. And if you’re seeing trends or opportunities I should be highlighting, I want to hear about them. This curated lens only gets sharper when we’re learning together.

Not every yes is created equal, though. They can lead to financial growth, career momentum, or widespread visibility. Others, however, can quietly drain your time, money, and energy. Without a filter, it’s easy to fall back into the trap of overcommitment. See how this all works together?

Those pesky habits of making decisions based on guilt, ego, or fear of missing out are still there.

The good news: your yes can become just as intentional as your no. That’s where a helpful framework comes in.

The Cost of an Unfiltered Yes

We’ve all been there -- accepting the coffee meeting “just in case,” joining an advisory board because “it might look good,” or taking on a job or consulting client who isn’t really aligned because “well, it’s something.” Those yeses come with hidden costs: lost hours, diluted focus, and sometimes even resentment.

The danger zone comes into play when too many unfiltered yeses keep you from having the energy and bandwidth for the opportunities that could genuinely move the needle toward your goals.

Many years ago, when I launched Pulse + Signal (my digital strategy consultancy working with healthcare orgs and startups at the dawn of the Health 2.0 era) I had to learn some hard lessons about this. I wanted to prove myself as a value add to companies I worked with but also to push through imposter syndrome from the things I wrote about via the company blog.

The way I saw it, if I said yes to most of the opportunities that came my way, it would show that I indeed could be of service (I’m supposed to be here! I’m legit!) and that I was the right person for the opportunity. The result: overcommitting, dropping the ball and being consistently exhausted. I essentially had no real clear sense of what was an energizing opportunity or FOMO-driven drainer.

The Six-Point Yes Rubric

Here’s a framework you can use to screen new opportunities before you get your yes ready to go. Think of it like a personal filter: when something comes your way, run it through these questions.

1. Season of Growth
   Does this align with where I am right now or where I might want to be in five years?
   

2. Strengths & Stretch
   Does this opportunity allow me to use my core strengths—or stretch me in a way I actually want to grow?
   

3. Visibility & Platform Building
   Does this strategically increase my visibility in the spaces I want to influence (press, media, thought leadership, community reach)? I remember those days of having a blogger pass to access events, ah nostalgia.
   

4. Impact & Legacy
   Will this yes help me move closer to the outcomes I care most about in my work and the people I serve?
   

5. Financial Alignment
   Does the compensation (financial or otherwise) support my current needs and goals? Or will it create unnecessary strain?

6. Future Seeds
   Does this open doors for future aligned opportunities, or is it a dead-end distraction?
   

Yes, with Intention → Change Everything

Story time! Back in 2019, I wrote about why I started Onboard Health (my executive search firm dedicated to building a more inclusive workforce in healthcare innovation) and it absolutely exploded. In the early days, I was driven by this vision for sure but what really changed the game was when Dr. Aletha Maybank read my article and out of the blue, asked if I could help her build her team as she had recently began a leadership role at the American Medical Association. I didn’t have multiple years under my belt as an executive recruiter but her belief in the ecosystem I built already in the space and my dedication to equity which was aligned with her own vision, led to the success I created with the company.

It stretched me, gave me visibility in a new space, and the doors it opened ended up shaping a big part of my career. To this day, the people I connected with while building Onboard Health continue to have a powerful effect on how I show up.

In contrast, I’ve also said yes without a rubric—usually because I felt guilty saying no and I was a card carrying member of the Hustle Culture that swept so many of us up in a tangled web of self importance, trying to do good and an always-on variety of platforms. Those yeses turned into time drains, with little return on energy, impact, or even joy.

The difference is night and day.

Time to Make Better Yeses

Your yeses should build your life, not just fill your calendar (or the deep recesses of your mind). Take ten minutes today and draft your Personal Yes Rubric. Pick three or four filters from above that resonate most with you and keep them handy when new opportunities show up.

Reflection Prompt: What do you want your yeses to build this season?

I’d love to hear from you: What filter would you add to your own Yes Framework?

Would a Yes Rubric worksheet be useful to have on hand? If so, drop a comment in here and I’ll get one over to you!

For those of us who grew up with a sense of self-worth engineered through accomplishments and people-pleasing, the act of saying no is consistently a battle.

Remember that time when you got a stellar grade on a group project that show cased your leadership skills and your teacher went above and beyond to share their happiness with you? Or the time you stood out at a middle school theater play and parents showered you with applause/accolade? Ah, the amazing feeling of being recognized, valuable and of use…

Despite writing about it in various forms, reading self-improvement books and even with my own coaching practice — I still realize the ongoing journey of balancing the desire to be a kind person, be a valuable contributor and living a human existence that has limits (which neither of us should want to test the boundaries of anymore). What I’ve learned over the years is that sometimes there is an incredible amount of mental marathons that take place in our minds when we are juggling obligations, things we know we should be pursuing and the celebrated inbound request.

Now this can be in the form of a:

• speaking engagement

• advisory/consulting request

• recruiter pitching you a new role

• invitation to join a podcast

Each of these things are in itself a great thing, don’t get me wrong. You’ve done the hard work of building your body of work, sharing your insights in a number of ways and have cultivated relationships in meaningful circles. Kudos!

Let’s Retire These Unhealthy Mental Gymnastics

These are the 3 main struggles that I’ve come across and might feel familiar to you.

Forget Me Not

As I mentioned, you’ve done the hard work of building a body of work that resonates with impact and even have the receipts to show for it. However, there is that nagging voice in the back of your head wondering if you won’t be relevant anymore if you pass on this request. In a world of out of sight out of mind, will saying no to this opportunity throw you into a deep graveyard of leaders who let their field down? Will someone else take this and have an overnight success run?

More is Better

Sometimes we feel that the more plates we have spinning, the better outcomes will be for whatever we want to achieve, right? Not everything can be a gem, so you’ll just have to keep saying yes to find the gems? The booked and busy phenomenon can be great for some people but have you even stopped to think about what is truly aligned with your goals? Do you have a rubric for what is a high-yield opportunity as opposed to not? The Booked & Burnt Out t-shirt is not a good look…

The Classic Mean Person

This is where -- to be completely honest -- if you haven’t started a journey around healing from the need to be a people pleaser, it’s going to be rough. One of the hardest parts about saying no isn’t the missed opportunity — it’s the internal dialogue that follows. The voice that whispers, “You’re letting them down.” Or worse, “They won’t be talking to you anymore because they think you’re too good for them.”

This is the legacy of being conditioned to believe our worth is tied to how helpful, agreeable, and accommodating we are. Especially for those of us raised to be the dependable one, the leader, the overachiever (whew!) — saying no can feel like a betrayal of identity.

Here’s the truth: you’re not a unkind person for honoring your capacity. Do I need to say that again? You’re not selfish for choosing discernment. In fact, the kindest thing you can do — for both yourself and the other person — is to show up with clarity. A resentful or overwhelmed yes is far less generous than a loving, honest no.

Transparency: I’ve dropped the ball many times around this concept of clear responses. It does not end well and it jeopardizes relationships.

Share The Intentional Innovator

The Training Routine

Here are some tactical ways to get some reps in.

The Timeblocker: Making Use of Your Calendar

If you’re willing, go ahead and set up some time on your calendar specifically for people to ask you questions, pick your brain or be a sounding board in general. I’ve called these timeblocks my “office hours” and it essentially helps you to create a container for the requests that have a finite amount of slots. You can easily create the office hours time block via Calendly or whatever scheduling tool you prefer. Set aside an hour or two on a Friday for example -- chop up the time slots in 15 or 20 minute designations and then use the corresponding schedule link to send out to folks where you still want to help but at a high level.

The Bandwidth Artist: Thanks But Unfortunately…

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, the answer really is no — no matter how worthy the ask is or how much you like the person. This is where you channel your inner Bandwidth Artist: someone who can politely decline without guilt, and do it in a way that communicates boundaries and preserves the relationship.

You don’t need to over-explain. Have you heard the phrase that no is a complete sentence? You don’t need to list every other thing on your plate. You don’t owe anyone a deep dive into your mental load. What you do need is a gentle but firm script you can remix as needed. Here's a starting point:

“Thanks so much for thinking of me — I’m genuinely honored. Right now, I’m at capacity and not able to take this on. Please do keep me in mind for future opportunities — I always appreciate being in the loop.”

Done. Gracious, clear, and respectful to yourself most of all (this is important to keep in mind -- a healthy internal narrative). Keep a few of these templates in a Notes app or Google Doc for when your people-pleaser reflex starts kicking in.

As a matter of fact, if you comment here on whether this resonated, I’ll reach out and send you my “No” Scripts that I’ve sent to colleagues in the past!

The Resourceful Responder: Sorry…But Resources!

Saying no doesn’t mean you have to slam the door. One of the most generous things you can do is redirect with value. If you’re not the right person or the right time, you can still be helpful — just in a way that protects your energy.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to do this:

• Forward a relevant article or podcast episode

• Make a warm intro to someone in your network

• Sharing a past newsletter or framework you’ve already written some place -- maybe on Linkedin?

Here’s a quick response template to keep in your back pocket:

“I’m so glad you reached out. While I’m not able to say yes to this right now, I wanted to share a couple resources that might be helpful. [Insert links or names]. Wishing you the best with this — and let’s definitely stay connected!”

It keeps the door open without making you the resource. Remember: generosity doesn’t have to equal availability.

The Wrap Up

This week, I invite you to notice where your “yes” is coming from. Is it fear of missing out? A need to prove? Or genuine alignment with your values and goals?

In the next issue of The Intentional Innovator, I’ll be sharing a simple but powerful rubric for deciding which opportunities deserve your energy — especially as you're building a thoughtful brand and a meaningful network.

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It’s been a while. If you’re new here, welcome to The Intentional Innovator. And if you’ve been here since the early days — thank you. Your presence in this community means more than you know.

After taking a step back from writing, I’ve spent the last few months reflecting on what I want this space to be — and more importantly, how I want it to be a resource for you.

There’s been so much turbulence and change in our world these past few years — let’s be honest, it’s almost like each week has some sort of unfathomable yet here-we-are situation. But one thing has stayed consistent: my belief in the power of thoughtful, courageous, intentional leadership of people who decide to show up. And showing up these days means taking the initiative to follow through on something that you feel could impact lives — and you can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve never been more passionate about helping innovators and changemakers tell their story, build their own meaningful networks, and connect their vision to opportunities with clarity and impact.

So here’s what you can expect from me moving forward.

Every Sunday, I’ll be sharing:

• Practical ways to build and nurture a powerful, authentic network

• Strategies to get out of your own way and keep building

• Tips on personal brand storytelling (without the cringe)

• Curated resources — books, articles, job openings — that help you keep momentum

• Stories spanning my 15+ years in the health innovation and social impact space, from my adventures connecting and equipping dynamic leaders (e.g. a recent trip to the Aspen Ideas Festival has had things percolating for me that I’ll share soon)

My goal is to make each issue a valuable, energizing nudge forward — whether you’re leading a team, launching something new, or navigating your next chapter.

A quick favor — I’d love to hear from you. What’s one challenge or question you’re sitting with right now when it comes to your own career moves, leadership development, network building, or visibility? Or even if you just want to share a win with me! Hit reply — I read every message.

The next issue drops soon. Until then, I’m glad to be back — and I’m so grateful to be on this journey with you.

With intention,
André

There are many articles out about how loneliness and isolation are at all time highs in our society. I’m sure there are several ways to slice that narrative, but one of the things I’ve been thinking a lot about is how to best categorize the people you spend time with.

One of my long time colleagues and fellow UMD Terp, Zvi Band, is a serial entrepreneur who for the better part of the last decade or so has had a deep interest in visualizing and staying in touch with your network. In an earlier version of his current company Relatable, there was an activity (but really a game scenario) in which you could quickly categorize the people that you have connected with via email. You could create your own buckets and act accordingly, but the genius behind this was that it helped you think beyond the basics of acquaintance, friend, colleague or family. Context is everything.

Here’s how I break things down for myself (and I use the term ecosystem quite a bit too):

• Ecosystem: the aggregate of people you’ve come across over the course of your career that you’ve interacted with in some way (your network, explained below) AND those maybe 1-2 degrees separated outside of these people. Thanks to algorithms and “suggested” influences — someone working in medicine with an interest in tech and health equity might learn about me via a post on Linkedin or through a colleague connected to me with similar interests. Their backgrounds can be varied but can be pulled in based on intent. Yay, ripple effects!

• Network: the aggregate of people that you’ve come across over the course of your career that you have some varying degree of touchpoints with (e.g. you can message them on Linkedin, they’d recognize you at a conference, there is a mutual understanding of what you do). There is usually some sort of aligned context here.

• Circle: these are the people that you have and continue to spend intentional time with — and can absolutely cross over into professional alignment (often does with adulthood). Apart from the spending time piece, there are layers of vulnerability, goals-sharing and proactive engagement that make up this group. These are the people that you can count on for a number of things.

Your circle is a critical aspect of how you navigate new phases of your life/career, how you might make important decisions and how you maintain a level of self awareness through it all. Investing in the people here often times has a compounding positive effect and from my experiences, can be a big part of how you successfully (and authentically) show up. Here’s how:

You Have a Mirror: these people are helpful in reflecting back to you who you actually are versus the often over-critical, self-defeating narratives in your mind. Whew, accountability!

You Get Challenged: to accomplish more outside of your comfort zone (by-product of first point). Sure, there are seasons of rest and figuring things out. However, you as a game-changer with a vision to create sustainable impact will eventually be called back to the playing field. “Playing small benefits no one.” ~ one of my wise mentors 

You Get Encouraged: to be more holistically IN your life (rest, go travel, attend that friends brunch, do that creative project you keep putting off). This is a key aspect — a circle who wants you to be happy and fulfilled in life. Remember, #NoMartyrs. Notice above me talking about sustainable impact. We need you here and healthy. Your circle realizes this.

You Feel a Sense of Belonging: a true sense of feeling like a core group of people who consistently understand you is something I believe strongly about. This is where investing in this group prevents the transactional nature of “networking” (more on that in another post). Authenticity is so important — now more than ever.

Do you have a story of how your circle helped keep you on track, amplified your wins (even when you might not know it) in rooms and reminded you that your impact/presence is felt and truly valued? Let me know.

Get Plugged In

• I’m one of the judges again for the Heart of Healthcare Grant (led by my friend/collaborator Halle Tecco) — check out the semi-finalists and vote for the grand prizer winner!

• Know a frontline health worker who wears scrubs? Let ‘em know about Luminary Scrubs (Black-woman owned, nurse-owned) which just launched.

• Master the Art of Getting Hired — The Journey podcast episode with Morgan DeBaun (CEO of Blavity) has some gems.

• Omari Richins of The Public Health Millennial is hiring for a Podcast Producer to help take things up a notch. Know anyone?

Did a specific part of what you read today resonate with you? I’d love to hear it!

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” ~ Helen Keller

Frodo Baggins. King T’Challa. Katniss Everdeen. What do these storied characters have in common?

Their squad.

Each of them had a big job to do and got it done – but not without input from their group of trusted advisors and collaborators.

Here’s the thing about embarking on a journey to change things for the better: you’re not alone. While there will most definitely be periods of time when you have to just put your head down and do the work based on your own vision, many core components of what you’re building as an innovator have been tackled by others. Here are some examples:

• The fundamentals of a strategic plan to go from idea to reality

• How to spread the word about your venture and connect with community

• How to raise funding for your concept

• How to develop a resilient mindset to get over hurdles

Several years ago, I came across small business coach and brilliant community builder, Pamela Slim. In that time, Pam has taught me an incredible amount on leadership, building community (there are a few of us still connected just because of her — aka the #Pamily), overcoming obstacles in business and getting things done. In one of our conversations (and what she mentions quite a bit to the innovators & entrepreneurs she works with) is the power of having your own Jedi High Council.

Now for those of you who aren’t Star Wars fans and don’t know who the Jedi are, let me break this down a bit more: as someone who is working hard on changing the future of health (or climate change, education, etc.), you’re going to want to have advisors that help you make it successfully to your destination. Now, to be clear, this personal advisory board is different than putting together a team that works on your venture directly with you. These are people that are committed to your personal growth while also being aligned with the important work you’re doing.

Here are 4 ways to make it happen:

1. Get Clear on 1-2 Areas of Growth: the clearer you are on how you want help from your advisors, the better off you’ll be. This helps you get started mapping out the growth areas to the work you’re doing and in turn, will make the selection process more effective. Whether these areas are around mindset, career coaching, balancing family or networking — make sure to have a clear way of describing what you’re working on as well. This will help you to help them understand how to best support you. This is always a winning plan when connecting with often busy leaders who genuinely want to help.

2. Quality vs Quantity: if there is one important thing that I’ve learned over the years, it’s that it will be a lot harder for you to execute on your goals when you have too many things to do. Often times it is a self inflicted (toxic) busyness ethos that moves us in this direction. Take it from someone who consistently thought being busy and constantly ambitious was not only a badge of honor but also my identity (yeah I see you nodding your head, whew!). This means saying yes to things that are not mission critical or having too many people giving you advice. When gathering an advisory team to bolster your momentum, you want to keep it to a handful of people but also that these people have the life experiences to pull from. They have been through the ups and downs of building something and have successfully made it to the other side. Remember, if less is more, you want to make sure each person has something of high quality to offer that will push your growth forward & help you to avoid missteps. Which leads us to the next point.

3. Diversify Your Portfolio: while you’re solving a pain point on a specific issue or in a field that you have established yourself in (for me it’s healthcare/public health), the people you look to for advice do not all need to belong in that space. As a matter of fact, I would highly encourage you to select members from outside of the circles you are used to being in. By diversifying your personal advisory board, you get the benefit of fresh ideas and insights that can totally give you a new perspective on your work. Don’t be afraid to mix it up.

4. Dig Into Your Network: with platforms like LinkedIn and Slack communities, it’s gotten much easier to visualize the people you’ve connected with in the professional world. Are you looking to get smarter at business execution? See if you’re linked with an executive that has the experiences you’re looking for. Is global health something you’re zeroing in on with your work? Find someone who has worked in various countries. Often times with your advisory board, these won’t be cold introductions (aka you have some degree of connection) so let that work in your favor.

There you have it! Now is the perfect time to start the ball rolling on this. Start making those leaps and bounds with the right rocket boosters by your side. Don’t forget to also think about sending out updates to them (maybe once a quarter) alongside of one-on-one catch ups.

Here are some book recommendations that can help on this journey:

Body of Work and The Widest Net — Pamela Slim

What Got You Here Won’t Get You There — Marshall Goldsmith

Four Thousand Weeks — Oliver Burkeman

Have any success stories of building your own personal advisory board? Have specific questions? Helpful? Chime in and let me know.

This year for me has been a rollercoaster of sorts, across all different parts of my life. One of the things that brought me comfort came from my readings around Stoicism and essentially realizing that we aren’t really in control of many things but how we respond/react to things is in fact usually in our control. This is what got me thinking about the upcoming year and what truly allows for a more expansive view of change in our lives — having intentions instead of resolutions. I won’t get into the debate on how long resolutions last, how they are usually surface level, etc. but what I will mention is that after having a number of conversations with close friends/colleagues in the last few months, it’s evident that many of us are taking a look at our lives in radically different ways.

From our work impact, to our health (both physical and mental) as well as the joyous experiences we want to have in our lives — things are a-changin’. But with that comes something else: the unknown. That murky fog of “am I doing this right?” has honestly gotten the best of me for longer than I care to admit and in this last year, I came to face it more closely than ever before. And so I’m planning to start that rolling state I mentioned for 2023 with setting intentions instead of hard resolutions — here’s why:

1. I don’t know what I don’t know — here is that murky fog of the unknown. There are countless things that can happen this year that prevent me from going to the gym 3 times a week but with an intention around improving my physical health that incorporates consistency, accountability partners and (gasp!) having fun with it, changes the game. There can be the gym, outdoor running/walking, boxing and trying out a fencing class. All falls under the same umbrella.

2. I’m more tapped into my emotional state — this is important. In the past, my goal setting was really coming from a state of fear, anxiety, inadequacy and check-listing based on what I thought I should be doing. This year I learned to step outside of my mind and into my body way more often. Turns out, paying attention to how you feel can do quite a bit for successfully and consistently improving your life. Mindfulness practice helped with that a lot.

3. Being open to abundance in the process — like I mentioned before, setting intentions keeps the door open for more expansive results. Saying “hey, I think I might try out that yoga class” may lead to new friends, adventures and insights way beyond just you bending in seemingly awkward ways. But because you were open to different while pursuing your intention, boom, a whole new chapter of your life journey may have opened up.

4. The game has changed — lastly, ever since I turned 40 this year, certain things just don’t look the same anymore. The rubric of success and things I used to strive for have definitely changed. I think that’s how life usually happens anyway. But these last few years have taught me how easy it is to fall prey to the trap of external validation seeking with the promise of aha moments, happiness and clarity. Turns out it’s important to intentionally take time for yourself and practice creating the life you want — from small choices (hey, learning how to say no is critical) to the big ones (book that flight!). Fatherhood has also shown me a lot of what’s important and what’s not.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you set your intentions for the year:

• when did I feel the most energized this past year?

• what did I not get enough of this past year that I want to make space for?

• how do I make space for those things?

• who are the people and relationships that I want to build deeper with?

• how full is my cup going into the new year? (this can create intentions around physical/mental health as a focus during the early part of the year)

• what types of accountability will I need to keep on track with these intentions and who can be part of it?

So with all this said — my phrase for 2023 is “manageable but consistent”

And the intention buckets I’m focusing on are: health, work & connection

Let me know if this was helpful as you think about how you’re keeping things rolling into 2023!

I’m what you can call an early digital adopter. I jumped into enjoying online/digital/social media life early on — getting a blog started that essentially gave me the tools and platform to make a name for myself in the health innovation landscape. After years of being immersed in the rapidly evolving timeline of social media, tech’s meteoric rise, data manipulation/aggregation, “breaking” news and the cult of productivity — I’ve realized that I’ve become fatigued.

And not just in the sense of being physically tired but in the way that it has become increasingly difficult to focus on one task, complete it and move onto the next without significant friction and/or resistance. It’s funny — you’d think that it would be easier after all these years to have a consistent set of habits where this isn’t much of a problem. At least I think should. In other words, connecting the dots from intention to action to completion is out of whack. I’m actually thoroughly impressed with myself for sitting down and writing this (after scribbling it in a new journal I got just for getting back to a writing practice).

You see, I think that my own abilities to see context in everything — something that once served me really well during the height of The Digital Transformation, has now been used so much that now analysis paralysis is almost a default state. That’s weird to admit out loud.

Don’t get me wrong — I still do a lot of things well and can execute, but the paralysis seems to now increase in relation to the immediacy of consequences of whatever task is at hand. For example, I’ve needed to clean the floor in the kitchen for weeks now. I have the required tools to do it. But, is my floor going to one day open up and swallow me in a fit of dirty rage? Probably not. Am I able to still walk on it? Yep.

I figure there are two things going on:

1. willpower is shot in a lot of ways (burnout)

2. I think that I’ll have a burst of cleaning/productive energy at a time in the future (never comes)

So with all this stream of consciousness, I understand even more the concept of making your bed in the mornings as the first task you get done and why creating a cascade of action by telling your brain that if I can do this, I might as well keep the pattern of successful action going. Habits!

And it trickles upward. At least that is what I’m telling myself right now. I’ll probably re-read James Clear’s Atomic Habits again with a different perspective now — not just from a productivity lens but from a mental health lens.

So as I finish up here, I’ve come to the conclusion that it really isn’t about singular focus but about momentum-creating habits that almost compel you to keep going.

Who’s trying this out with me?

p.s. this article on WIRED about issues that might happen post-Information Age made me laugh in reflection on what I’ve been experiencing.

One of my favorite parts of The Dark Knight Rises movie was the comparison moment of Bruce Wayne and Bane’s first fight. Bane let Bruce know that he wasn’t merely responding to a pain but actually shaped and formed by the dark. This was a clarity defining moment for these two characters, but mainly for Bruce Wayne. He became uncertain. He questioned his experiences. Eventually he was literally broken and fell into a deep pit. Apparent defeat.

This scenario now hits different for me as over the last year, I’ve realized how incredibly important it is to be decisive in your life. To commit to a specific choice and direction — turning any of your falls into fuel. You can be paralyzed by the uncertainty or you can impose your will.

In the end, Bruce went all in on his decision — making up his mind on what he wanted to achieve — and was able to go HAM on bringing justice back to Gotham as well as those who believed in the same vision. He turned his fall, his defeat, his uncertainty into fuel to create his outcome.

Be decisive. Get yourself a vision. Execute.

Just a few words that sum up the last 15 or so hours for me as I continue to process the passing of actor (and so much more), Chadwick Boseman.

Here’s the thing that we often forget about life: no one knows how much time we have left. And that can either frighten you into living the most sanitized, risk-averse way possible or it can embolden you to ask yourself — what am I building towards? The latter is where I’ve really been living since waking up this morning.

This year has devastated many of us. Many of our friends and loved ones have felt some sort of dismal impact in one way or another. However, I am thoroughly convinced that now more than ever is the time to ask yourself that question above and take the first step in figuring it out.

For me, it’s realizing that having relentless clarity around what I can control — in work and in life — is essential to feeling grounded and purposeful in my actions. Because at the end of the day, one thing is for sure: tomorrow is never, ever promised.

Chadwick Boseman knew what purpose was all about. Battling cancer quietly while he committed himself to his art that he knew would change hearts and minds around the world.

Press on with Pride. Press on with Purpose. ~ Chadwick Boseman

You may have heard the phrase “what is your why?” pretty much made popular by a gentleman named Simon Sinek who wrote the book Start With Why. This has got to be one of my favorite reads (and if you want to see the TED Talk, here you go) about getting clear on building anything.

What I love about the book is how Simon boils down the framework of inspired leadership and communication to his Golden Circle illustration. We’re often preoccupied with the what piece of anything we’re doing but less so of the why. This is where any goals, tasks, and priorities have a core meaning/purpose to align with. The same with what you’re focusing on how you show up in the world with your brand.

These days many of us are trying to figure out the next steps during some difficult, often unclear times. The way I’m choosing to show up each day is with these 2 questions:

1. What is my why and has it changed?

2. What am I doing today that is aligned with that

What do you believe? What do you want people to know? What do you want people to feel? I promise once you start doing the work to clarify your why, you’ll begin to understand what your priorities are — and how to effectively craft meaning into your brand building.

Feel free to share with me what YOUR why is or why you might be a little stuck.