I Am Not A Hipster…

Posted on May 3, 2011 by admin

I’m not a hipster. I have no Indie cred. I live in the suburbs and have no idea who the Shins are; a big night for me is sipping a glass of wine with Bob and Teresa. Could I have anything in common with a creative hipster? Maybe. I’m intrigued by their use of language, intuitiveness, and unique communicability. Interestingly, the use of social media provides some of the same appeal – the means to communicate a unique message and story to a target community. For example, there is an increasing number of healthcare thought leaders contributing to social media conversations, addressing the pain points of the industry. Chances are, you will not see this same group mixing with Charlie Sheen. These thought leaders know what they bring to the table, what they stand for, and use their voice.

I would guess that ‘time’ and fear of a large learning curve have kept some from jumping into the ring. I suggest that the use of social media tools is like implementing any other strategy – ask yourself, what it is that you want to accomplish by expressing your point of view.

It helps to not approach social media as if learning a completely different language – even, if it’s been some time since you expressed yourself other than as an employee. Take some time to find your voice. If communicating your own personal brand were easy, you would already be a millionaire and have written several books. Author, Amy Tan said that, “I thought I was clever enough to write as well as these people and I didn’t realize that there is something called originality and your own voice.“

It could be that you will meet yourself through your social media writing. Your authenticity will fuel your social media currency, and that it all begins with one thought at a time. It’s time to unleash your voice, achieve your potential and make a difference. And one last word for all those content farms out there…find your own voice, hon.

* Recognize the clock? You are right, it’s the clock from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. It’s known as a portal to one of the most beautiful cities of the world. Not just a clock. And your voice is just not another voice.

A Consumer Perspective On Healthy Mindedness

Posted on April 16, 2011 by admin

Have you ever wondered what healthy mindedness looks like? Perhaps it looks like someone who takes their personal potential and lifestyle choices to heart. In my interview with JoAnna Brogdon, the ultimate fitness and energy ambassador, I asked what the tipping point was that made her health a priority. JoAnna shared that she was determined to change her life during her early school years, after feeling like an outsider. She has continued to adopt a daily discipline of fitness and motivates others to think differently about their health. “…wellness comes from the other areas of our life, including, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.”

What strikes me, when reviewing this interview is that passion, empowerment and energy appear to be a result of being mindful, as well as the mindset. While JoAnna climbs a mountain every year, participates in marathons and triathlons, she shares
how important it is to start out with an accountability partner and finding the right tools to stay engaged. She highly recommends checking out The Energy Project as a starting place for those who know that they need to do something different – or want a better life!

I hope that you enjoyed our discussion today!

New Business Models Means New Target Markets

Posted on April 5, 2011 by admin

Before stoking your social media bonfire you need to have a strategy in place, if you want to be successful. It’s an exciting time to be in healthcare because the landscape is changing due to the emergence of new business models, entrepreneurs and innovators. There is also a groundswell of activity focused on casting wide social media nets in order to build a presence and extend brands online. Strategically speaking, what is this best way to leverage the timing of this market and the tools of social media for those who find themselves in new territory? The answer is to draw on the experience of those entrepreneurs and influencers with extremely successful track records. This week I interview Ken Rosen, the managing partner of Performance Works, on the importance of understanding the basics of how to identify a target market before launching a social media strategy.

While social media begins with, the who, and not the what, the ultimate goal for entrepreneurs is to be successful, and Ken provides insight on how to build a foundation to discover the challenges, industry pains and ultimately, buying triggers of potential clients. We also discuss how to approach clients in existing markets, as well as, new markets. You’ll enjoy this unedited podcast as Ken (@Ken_Rosen) shares over 20 years experience in sales, marketing and strategy development, including executive roles in both start-ups and industry-leading companies. Join us!

Your Senses, Savoring, and Sleep…

Posted on March 31, 2011 by admin

Taking the time to savor may be the key to becoming more
healthy minded. Today, I had the privilege of interviewing
Dr. Stuart Seale, MD and Dr. Virginia Gurley, MD, on lifestyle health choices, diet and fitness. One of the benefits of speaking with physicians who believe in what they are doing, is that they inspire change at a completely different level – Passion! You’ll enjoy this BlogTalkRadio episode as both physicians discuss the importance of savoring the dining experience, the importance of sleep, and staying fit to become a more healthy minded consumer. For those of you who are interested in Lifestyle Medicine, they conclude by explaining why this emerging field is rewarding for both patients and physicians. I invite you to listen & enjoy! I’ll ask you my
favorite question again, are you healthyminded?

O for a life of Sensations rather than of Thoughts! Keats, 1817

Healthcare Innovation is Social

Posted on March 22, 2011 by admin

Is social media the first step to testing the healthcare appetite for open innovation? In other words, what is the likelihood of those in the healthcare industry to look beyond collaboration and engage with external resources to develop new products and services? After reading A Guide To Open Innovation and Crowdsourcing, edited by Paul Sloane, I was challenged to think about the mindset for shaking things up and how to creatively reach across industry segments to generate ideas.

Open Innovation (OI), is described in the book as a concept developed by Henry Chesbrough, as a step beyond collaboration, where external resources are harnessed to work alongside a team to develop new products and services. Crowdsourcing as an extrapolation of OI, where a challenge is presented to a group of people, known or unknown, to solicit their ideas and solutions. Contributor, Renee Hopkins, takes a deep dive into the definition and models of crowdsourcing and emphasizes that if done right, the benefits are “unparalleled” and speaks to “it’s power to disrupt.”

Healthcare may be the perfect environment for crowdsourcing and OI, because, as the GAO indicates, we are on an ‘unsustainable path’. Running out of time and money is a fairly significant incentive to test our capacity to innovate and willingness to reach out. I do believe that we are seeing the rise of physician entrepreneurs, mHealth innovators, and focused startup companies during this time of market transition and uncertainty – and who better to lead the way, than those who look through the lens of real people, in the real world, where good ideas come from. These visionaries, could indeed, be laying the foundation for our next generation of healthcare solutions, and they are, engaging with one another online, sharing ideas and forming tribes.

But, there are companies that need and want to evolve and for those, Braden Kelley, in his chapter, The Importance of a Strategic Approach to Open Innovation, reminds us that “innovation is social” and that “great innovators make connections to other industries and other disciplines to help create the great insights that inspire great solutions.” At the end of the day, innovation will come from those thought leaders that are thinking differently about how to lower costs, drive quality and satisfaction. Over the next few weeks, I hope that you will join me as we speak to some of the contributors of this book…stay tuned!

Mobile Health and The Consumer

Posted on March 11, 2011 by admin

Dr. Virginia Gurley, M.D., MPH, Founder and President of AuraViva, and Lea Carey, TheHealthMaven, discuss the insightful PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Health Research Institute survey on mobile health, within the context of consumer adoption. This is the first in a series of three podcasts focusing on the mHealth industry as related to the HRI report and the survey topics covered in this first episode:

Half of consumers surveyed said they would buy mobile technology for their health, of those 20% would use it to monitor fitness or wellbeing and 18% want their doctors to monitor their health conditions.
While 40% of respondents would be willing to pay for a monthly mobile phone service or device that could send information to their doctor, they would prefer to pay less than $10 for the monthly mobile phone service and less than $75 for the devices.
Even though surveys show women make most health decisions for the family, the HRI survey showed that men are twice as likely as women to use their cell phone to get health related reminders.
Even though most Americans are insured through group health policies, the survey showed that individual policy holders were more likely to buy mobile health applications and to pay out of pocket for electronic visits with physicians.

Please join us for our next episode when we discuss Mobile Health and Physicians, so stay tuned, Lea

The Language of Engagement

Posted on March 1, 2011 by admin

I believe that Nietzsche had it wrong when he said, ” the world itself is the will to power – and nothing else! And you yourself are the will to power - and nothing else!” I would guess, that he was hanging in the wrong circles. Perhaps, his outlook would have been different had he been on Twitter, engaging with the tweeps and thought leaders that I encounter on a daily basis. Or, maybe, he was just exhausted by trying to out flank or speak louder than his contemporaries…one thing is for certain, he did not speak the language of social media.

Social media is the language of engagement, exploring answers, building allies online, a focused purpose, passion or cause – at least, it is for many of us. I am involved in a chat on Thursdays at noon, #innochat and everyone knows not to call or disturb me during that delightful hour. The like minded humor and idea exchange is rapidly gaining the attention of the Twitterverse, because we speak the same language, whether a fabulous internet PR firm,author, management consultant, or innovator, we seem to be rather skilled at pulling out creative thoughts from one another.

What has been interesting, from the healthcare perspective, is the benefit of crossing market barriers and learning from other industries. Can I quantify the benefit of interacting on Twitter, probably, but, let’s just for the moment, look at the intangible of thinking and approaching challenges with a new mindset. There is an ROI, somewhere, trust me.

Case in point, the March issue of Forbes, features Clayton Christensen, as he shares his experience of being told by care givers and insurers that his theories did not apply to the complex healthcare industry. I am happy to point out that his books on innovation have been game changers in healthcare – clearly, he ignored the language of power. The collaborative nature of online communities has helped me look at the healthcare world differently; on a regular basis, my thinking is challenged to remain relevant, competitive and innovative. Those of you in healthcare can tap into #innochat as well, because healthcare still has a learning curve… Thanks Drew, Ken, Renee, Cathryn, Andrea, Bo, Chris, Gwen, Paulo, Julian. and all the other #innochat warriors…

Who Is In Your Tribe?

Posted on December 16, 2010 by admin

In matters of health, women are ”not where they should be” according to Dr. Michelle Berlin, an associate
professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine in this newly released study. Here are a few facts that will disappoint you; I encourage you to read and share this report::

More women are binge drinking, saying that they have downed five or more drinks at a single occasion in the past month.
Fewer are being screened for cervical cancer and more women are testing positive for chlamydia.
Obesity continues to be a problem with 26.4 percent women considered to be obese (24 percent in 2007).

I could not agree more with Judy Waxman, the vice president of health and reproductive rights at the National Women’s Law Center, who spoke to the new health care provisions potential to improve health, and I will be the first to applaud a drop in these numbers. I have to ask, what else are we missing?

I shared this report with most of my girlfriends who were not only disappointed, but, asked the same questions: how did we get here and who are we hanging with?

I immediately thought of my good friend, JoAnna, who particularly inspires because she climbs a mountain every year-every single year she inserts a real adventure into her life. When I think back over the years of conversations, she has been my biggest cheerleader to get and stay healthy. What is really interesting, is that my daughter respects her..she wants to follow this lifestyle, as well. Work to live, explore and push yourself. While accomplished, JoAnna has never been obsessed with work, she’s obsessed with mastering her obstacles and challenges. Think about it, two different generations of women admiring a woman who has never stopped dreaming big and bizarre. Have I reciprocated all the times that she has encouraged me in my journey as a mother, fake gourmet cook, wife, and most importantly, as a friend? Must I look into the mirror again? Who is in your life? Are they encouraging you to be more healthyminded? Do you need to borrow my girlfriends?

Where Do The Emotions Go?

Posted on November 5, 2010 by admin

I was at my desk wrapping up a project when one of my old girlfriends from high school announced in big bold letters via Facebook that she was cancer free. I immediately thought of another dear friend who received the same good news this year and noted that I had the same overwhelming reaction of relief, peace, and most of all thankfulness for both them. I also wondered if I had done enough…

I smiled as I remembered my high school friend being crowned as one of our beauties and laughed out loud at the memory of pulling each others hair in elementary school…wait, hold on…that was just yesterday! This flood of memories started me thinking about where emotions go, where do they finally end up..what new feelings must one be prepared to deal with after receiving a bill of good health? I looked at a few websites like www.livestrong.com, where they address paying attention to new feelings and the importance of maintaining good relationships with friends and family. I would imagine that very few of us pay enough attention to our feelings, and I am very guilty in not asking those very special cancer survivors how they are doing! Course correction time!

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