In light of International Women's Day, HealthLeaders looks back on the inspiring podcast interviews from the past year with women who serve in the healthcare sector.
March 8 is International Women's Day, a day of global celebration of the achievements of women and an initiative to "forge women's equality."
HealthLeaders is proud to recognize women leaders in the healthcare sector around the nation who have not only achieved so much for themselves and their organizations, they also help lift up other women in the process.
Over the past year, HealthLeaders has interviewed many inspiring healthcare executives who detail their leadership journeys and accomplishments and share advice for women and others who aspire to work in healthcare leadership.
Below you can read inspiring quotes and catch up on all the podcast interviews from the first year of the Women in Healthcare Leadership Podcast.
Read their stories, listen to their words, and be inspired.
Mimi Liu
"One of the pieces of advice that has always stuck with me is to bet on yourself. Moments where I've done that, I've never regretted doing so. Taking a leap of faith and taking a role that you might not see yourself necessarily succeeding in, but orienting towards the change and towards growth, has served me well."
— Mimi Liu, previous CTO of Firefly Health
- Read the interview: Firefly Health CTO on the Rise of Virtual-First Healthcare
- Listen to the podcast episode here
Carladenise Edwards
"My advice to other women is to be courageous, to be brave, but also to have a little bit of fun, and not take yourself too seriously. We only have so few moments on the planet, and so few moments to connect with one another in a meaningful way."
— Carladenise Edwards, PhD, EVP and chief strategy officer, Henry Ford Health System
- Read the interview: Henry Ford Health System CSO Outlines Healthcare Equity Strategies
- Listen to the podcast episode here
Seema Verma
"It's important to always listen to all sides of the story. Those that are positive about the direction that you're going in, but also those people that don't agree. You learn a lot from the naysayers. When I think about my best work, it's when I have been able to listen to the other side and take their viewpoint into the final product."
— Seema Verma, former administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Read the interview: Former CMS Administrator Seema Verma on the Biden Healthcare Agenda
- Listen to the podcast episode here
Roxanna Gapstur
"Be conscious of your own ability to speak up and be confident in yourself and in your leadership. Don't be afraid to take calculated risks and step outside of your comfort zone. Especially if there's a stretch project or something that you feel that you would be good at, but it seems like a scary thing to do."
— Roxanna Gapstur, PhD, RN, president and CEO, WellSpan Health
- Read the interview: WellSpan CEO on Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy and Expanding Care Access in PA
- Listen to the podcast episode here
Annette Walker
"If you're going to build a leadership muscle, the one I would build would be resilience. You will prevail over time—you may not prevail tomorrow—but over time it's going to matter because those are the people that make it to the top."
— Annette Walker, president, City of Hope Orange County
- Read the interview: City of Hope Orange County President on Community Cancer Needs
- Listen to the podcast episode here
Halee Fischer-Wright
"It's crucial that women participate in leadership roles in the healthcare sector … The creativity, innovation, emotional intelligence, and leadership that women can bring to that conversation are crucial for us to be successful in navigating those transitions. I encourage any woman who is willing to pick up the mantle of leadership; I heartily encourage them."
— Halee Fischer-Wright, MD, president and CEO, Medical Group Management Association
- Read the interview: MGMA CEO on Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
- Listen to the podcast episode here
Amy Compton-Phillips
"…We need to be looking around for leadership and asking folks to step up, inviting them in to lead, and not just waiting for people who raise their hands. It's an important way for us to continue to develop leaders that do look outside of what we might have traditionally seen as a leader in the past."
— Amy Compton-Phillips, MD, president of clinical care, Providence
- Read the interview: Improving Healthcare During the Post-COVID Era
- Listen to the podcast episode here
Indu Lew
"Do not be afraid to take a calculated risk. We cannot be afraid to step into a realm that we may not have experiences in. We have to be able to take that risk … It's critical to bring your own unique perceptions, your unique perspective to the conversation, and help shape that strategy."
— Indu Lew, PharmD, EVP and chief pharmacy officer, RWJBarnabas Health
- Read the interview: 'Vaccination is Key' Strategy Against Potential Twindemic
- Listen to the podcast episode here
Amy B. Mansue
"I would say to my colleagues who are women, none of us are ever ready. If somebody taps you on the shoulder and says, "It's time, I think you could do this job," or "I've got this new opportunity for you." Do it. They're not going to put you in a situation you could fail."
— Amy B. Mansue, president, Inspira Health Network
- Read the interview: Inspira CEO: 'Take the Risk'
- Listen to the podcast episode here
Alisahah Jackson
"You are needed. We are needed, as women, in leadership, specifically in healthcare … We are needed in this space; our voice matters. Especially if we're the ones making the decisions anyway for the most part for our families, and even for our communities, we have to own that our voice does matter."
— Alisahah Jackson, MD, SVP of population health innovation and policy, CommonSpirit Health
- Read the interview: 'Our Voice Matters:' CommonSpirit System VP of Population Health Innovation and Policy
- Listen to the podcast episode here
Marna Borgstrom
"The one thing that I feel strongly about is that it's important to have a vision, to know where in the context of this work, you see us going and where we need to go. But don't have an exact plan of how to get there."
— Marna Borgstrom, MPH, CEO, Yale New Haven Health System
- Read the interview: 'It's Important to Have a Vision:' Retiring Yale New Haven Health CEO
- Listen to the podcast episode here
Tanya Blackmon
"…You have to be assertive in your own learning. Sometimes, people just do what's on their job description and they do that well, but you have to be assertive in learning more, understanding more about the business, more about people that you work with."
— Tanya Blackmon, MSW, MBA, EVP and chief diversity, inclusion, and equity officer, Novant Health
- Read the interview: Exec: Think About DEI As a 'Culture Change Strategy'
- Listen to the podcast episode here
Melanie Blackman is a contributing editor for strategy, marketing, and human resources at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.