Aspen Ideas Health 2026 | Notes on Ecosystem Building, Connection and Purpose

Reflections on my year as the inaugural Ecosystem Builder-in-Residence

I recently spent four days in Aspen, CO in a role that didn’t exist before: Ecosystem Builder in Residence for the Aspen Ideas: Health Fellows program.

The Aspen Ideas Health Summit is hands down one of my absolute favorite events. 10 years ago was the year I first became a Health Fellow and have been going back almost every year since. In 2016, my eyes were opened up to the power of convening large groups of people together for one common purpose.

Here’s the question I kept returning to: what does it actually take for a room full of strangers to become a community by the end of four days, instead of just a list of LinkedIn connections?

ANSWER: community doesn’t start when people arrive. It actually starts before.

What this looked like: prep work consisted of connecting with Fellows ahead of time with insights/resources/office hours, leading an on-site speed networking with themed tables and multiple walk and talks throughout the week helping to clarify leadership goals, brand narratives and career coaching. There was even a Fellows Lounge that allowed for breathers in between sessions and a place to trade notes in real time.

Once we were on the ground, the structure did its job — alongside of the stellar programming at the Summit, there were multiple special guest Q&A opportunities and a closing reception that felt like a reunion instead of an unstructured mixer. But the moments I keep coming back to didn’t happen in any of the sessions that were formally planned. There were so many great stories of vision, sacrifice, overcoming odds and perseverance. A true testament to the caliber of Fellows and their commitment to crafting the future of health.

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This year really cemented for me what has been true for most of my body of work. When I build ecosystems rich with talent and purpose, I do so with a lens toward connection, belonging and acceleration. Once the access piece is figured out, the rest really has to do with just cultivating the right conversations and mirroring back to leaders their "why". This is why I always start with crafting a “why statement” with my executive coaching clients before we get too deep into the work.

Looking back over the years, I’ve realized that this is all central to the work I’ve done and the leaders that I show up for. The narratives, the commitment, the sacrifices and the impact. It all belongs. I left Aspen in a state of “invigorated exhaustion” and with a sense of grounded optimism in not just the future but in the actual people who are building it.

More from me soon on where I’m taking that instinct next.

#WeAllGoUp