Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw

After losing both her sister and a close friend to cancer in the same year, Carissa Rollins knew she couldn’t stay where she was. As CIO of UnitedHealthcare, she had scale and power, but not proximity to the technology that might have changed those outcomes. So when the call came from Illumina, a company pioneering genomic sequencing, she listened. And then she leapt.

In this episode of Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw, Carissa shares how grief reshaped her career and how purpose—not title—has always been her compass. She talks candidly about what it means to wal...

Sophia Kim has spent her career breaking molds, and building better models for leadership and care delivery.

From her early start navigating journalism and consulting to leading high-growth teams in healthcare, Sophia’s path has been shaped by adaptability, ambition, and a commitment to creating change that matters.

In this episode of Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw, Sophia shares her journey from balancing a demanding consulting career with raising two young children to finding her footing in healthcare leadership - without a clinical background, but with a deep understanding of people, systems, and what real in...

What happens when the system meant to care for everyone, doesn’t?

Healthcare equity isn’t theoretical. It’s about who lives, who dies, and who gets a chance. For Rita Johnson-Mills, this isn’t abstract. It’s the work of a lifetime.

As a former Medicaid executive, CEO, and now board leader, she has spent decades fighting to ensure Black and Brown communities receive the care, dignity, and leadership they deserve.

Rita’s not just breaking glass ceilings. She’s questioning who built the ceiling in the first plac...

When a diagnosis is shared, the questions come fast: What happened? How can I help?

For families in crisis, support is critical—but often chaotic. Without a structure to manage communication or coordinate care, caregivers are left to navigate emotional overwhelm and logistical complexity at the same time.

That’s where CaringBridge steps in.

In this episode of Inspiring Women, CEO Tia Newcomer joins Laurie McGraw to talk about what it takes to bring real support into the healthcare experience—not as a nice-to-have, but as...

Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, the sixth president of Morehouse School of Medicine and first woman to lead as president and CEO, cuts through the noise with her refreshingly direct approach to diversifying healthcare.

"If Morehouse School of Medicine is not part of the DEI story, I don't know what the DEI story is," Dr. Rice says, refusing to back down from her mission despite today's challenging climate. She brings receipts too—showing exactly how diversity in medicine delivers measurable benefits in economic impact, patient satisfaction, and health outcomes.

Dr. Ri...

Art school isn’t the typical starting point for a tech industry leader, but for Jessica Neal, former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix, it was the first step in an extraordinary career. In this episode, Jessica shares how she transitioned from an aspiring artist to headhunter to leading Netflix’s talent strategy during its explosive growth.

Jessica emphasizes the critical importance of providing clear direction and context when it comes to leadership. “If you don’t give the right context and your team isn’t doing well, guess whose fault it is? Yours.” Jessica doesn’t suga...

“We need to be more ambitious….”

Margaret “Peggy” O’Kane transformed healthcare quality measurement in America when she created NCQA 35 years ago. As she reflects on what it has meant to create the foundations for quality measurement, she is also clear that the complex state of healthcare requires leaders across payers, health systems, employers, and providers to do more. Disruption is required.

In this revealing conversation with Laurie McGraw, O’Kane reflects on her journey from respiratory therapist to healthcare quality pioneer, the development of HEDIS® as the nation’s most widely used quality meas...

Human Resources is NOT the next obvious step if you began your career as a nutritionist. Yet for Colleen Bowman, VP of HR at IAC, her unconventional path took her exactly there. And when you hear Colleen’s story, it really does all make sense.

Colleen started as an athlete. So being competitive and working as a team came naturally. She always had high expectations – of herself and of others. Key skills needed for leadership – building trust, having empathy, having confidence in yourself – these are core to who Colleen is. Nutrition is where she started...

Spoiler alert: trust is declining – in government, established institutions, and in media. For 25 years Edelman has been studying trust given its importance as the ultimate currency of a business with its stakeholders. In this Inspiring Women episode, Laurie is speaking with Courtney Gray Haupt, the Global Health Chair and US Co-Chair of Health from Edelman.

In discussing the Edelman Trust Barometer, Courtney underscores several key issues impacting women. Key among them are heightened concerns about healthcare affordability (20 points higher than men) which makes sense when you consider the critical role women play in family he...

She is a Latina. She is a leader. She is a visible member of her community. She is a daughter. She is a servant leader. And Brenda Munoz is also, so much more than all of that.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, Laurie McGraw speaks with Brenda Munoz, Associate Benefits Director at the Laborers Funds Administrative Office of Northern California, Inc. From a temporary administrative analyst to a key leadership role, Brenda’s journey is nothing short of remarkable. Brenda’s story reminds us of the progress made and the work still needed...

Growing up, Rae McMahan’s parents had plans for their daughter on what it meant to be a good girl. But then, life took a different turn. Facing a life-threatening illness, receiving great care, and even then realizing that not everyone had the same access that she did, Rae decided she wanted a different path. She changed the definition of what it meant to be a good girl.

Rae McMahan, a senior executive at Prescryptive, shares her inspiring journey, from battling Hodgkin’s disease as a teen to revolutionizing medication access. She describes how Pres...

Discover how Gina Jacobson, a stage 4 cancer survivor, is revolutionizing workplace support for cancer patients. In this powerful episode of Inspiring Women, Gina shares her personal battle with colon cancer while managing a high-stakes career. Learn about the Working With Cancer initiative and how its breaking down stigmas, fostering organizational empathy, and creating supportive work environments.

Gain valuable insights on:

Can a million peer supporters transform mental health care for children and adolescents in America?

Obi Felten, CEO and founder of Flourish Labs, believes it’s possible. In this eye-opening episode of Inspiring Women, host Laurie McGraw delves into Felton’s groundbreaking approach to solving the mental health crisis for youth.

Felten, a former Google X executive, shares her journey from developing moonshot technologies to tackling one of healthcare’s most pressing challenges. Learn how Flourish Labs is revolutionizing mental health support by training young adults with lived experiences to become peer suppor...

Discover how AI is revolutionizing hospital operations with Bree Bush, GM of Command Center at GE HealthCare. In this eye-opening episode, Bree shares her journey from mechanical engineer to healthcare innovator, revealing how GE HealthCare’s AI-driven command centers are transforming patient care and hospital efficiency.

Key takeaways:

No issue unified women across the U.S. more than what was at stake in the 2024 election – that is, whether the freedom to manage our own bodies and health continue to be stripped away. Women were on the ballot and women healthcare executives aimed to do something about it.

In the fall of 2024, during a heated presidential election cycle… Six women healthcare leaders came together around three key issues. The preservation of reproductive freedom, Medicare & Medicaid preservation, and having affordable health insurance. From there another 550 women executives signed their names openly to suppo...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Ellen DaSilva, CEO and Founder of Summer Health which aims to increase the supply of pediatric care to care for the 75M children in the United States who need healthcare. Laurie and Ellen spoke at the HLTH 2024 conference.

Ellen lives, eats and breathes Summer Health ever since she, someone with access and means – was UNABLE to get the care she needed for her child. Ellen quickly understood the magnitude of the problem – a decreasing supply of pediatricians to support the 75M kids in this country. A third of children who live...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Dr. Jenny Schneider and her Home[ward] Grown mentee, Nathalie Gouailhardou, co-founder of Neurode — a wearable headband that can track and treat ADHD symptoms.

This episode rounds out a full year of the Home[ward] Grown Mentorship series where every quarter, Dr. Jenny Schneider selects a CEO/Founder into this mentorship program. Now if you are in healthcare, and as long as you haven’t been living under a rock, then you know Jenny – mom, physician, athlete, and accomplished serial entrepreneur and leader. And busy!!! So very busy. AND STILL, Jenny...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Leslie Snavely, CEO of CHG Healthcare, the largest physician and clinician staffing organization in the U.S. Leslie shares her journey of rising through the ranks over 14 years at CHG, transitioning from roles in marketing and sales to leadership and eventually CEO. She credits her success to continuous learning, a strong work ethic, and a willingness to take risks when opportunities arose, such as stepping into a leadership role in technology despite it being outside her comfort zone.

Key Insights:

1. Career Growth: Leslie emphasizes the importance of finding...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Deborah Di Sanzo, President of Best Buy Health.

Deborah grew up in technology. Decades of technology, healthcare, business, executive leadership. She understood the potential of technology when she watched her systems at work in the surgery theater. She is a professor who teaches AI at Harvard. She knows how complicated all of the connected systems can be. What excites Deborah? Taking all of the complex and making it easy and simple. Bringing technology to the home, connected to other systems, bringing the human back to care. Deborah describes the great...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Dr. Abbey Vandersall, VP of Quality and Clinical Services at AMSURG. The path to medicine and quality began in …. the hospitality business. The “how did I get here” story for Dr. Vandersall is not your typical path. An early degree in nutrition is what turned her onto medicine. Seeing the graph of outcomes and the ties to nutrition was a light bulb moment. Management consulting at Bain was something she absolutely loved – using data, optimizing, business implications, and actually impacting outcomes. But her love for healthcare and innovation drew her back to medicine...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with the Inspiring Women pioneers of public radio Breeze Richardson and Marty Durlin. These special interviews were aired on KGNU’s It’s the Economy and highlight the importance of public radio. Both Marty and Breeze provide their reasons for coming into public radio – the true town square, the opportunity for storytelling and creative expression and the ability for anyone and any walk of life to tell their stories that are relevant and speak to the concerns and triumphs of people in the community.

The world of social media, podcasting, and digital media has lo...

Speaking with Miriam Paramore, a Nashville executive powerhouse, Founder and CEO of RxUtility – a new company that aims to cut through the confusing medication costs and bring LOWEST cost medicine to you! Miriam’s smarts, energy, and passion suggests she can do it!!  She also is the Founding OG of Women Healthcare Leaders for Progress.  Now 500 plus women executives strong… WHLP supports PUBLICLY Kamala Harris for the White House.  Why?  Reproductive rights!!! Protecting Medicare And Medicaid.  AND the Affordable Care Act… Healthcare is on the ballot. Women are on the ballot. Miriam is all about rolling up her sleeves and digging in!! ...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman US Congresswoman and Democratic Whip Katherine Clark. Whip Clark is one of the 28% of women to hold office in the United States Congress, she is the second woman to ever hold the position of Whip (second only to Nancy Pelosi), she is a key member of the leadership of the House and she wants you to know: Women on are on the ballot. And your voice matters. Reproductive freedom is at stake, more so than ever. Women’s rights are at stake, Healthcare is at stake. And your voice has never been mo...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Dr. Geeta Nayyar, nationally recognized chief medical officer and author of Dead Wrong: Diagnosing and Treating Healthcare’s Misinformation Illness. We are dropping this episode at HLTH2024 where Dr. Nayyar provides both the diagnosis and the treatment for misinformation illness and how this can impact the entire system and ultimately the patients being served.

About Dr. Nayyar:

Geeta Nayyar, MD, MBA, is a globally recognized chief medical officer, technologist, and bestselling author who helps leaders leverage a human approach to innovation, including rapid advances in AI, to achieve bett...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Rebecca Darr, CEO of Wings, the largest organization in Illinois focused on breaking the cycle of domestic violence. Wings provides housing, integrated services, education and advocacy to end domestic violence with tremendous success when people seek help.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. The definition of domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. And you may be surprised to know how prevalent it is.<...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Rebecca Darr, CEO of Wings, the largest organization in Illinois focused on breaking the cycle of domestic violence. Wings provides housing, integrated services, education and advocacy to end domestic violence with tremendous success when people seek help.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. The definition of domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. And you may be surprised to know how...

Join Inspiring Women Host Laurie McGraw as she sits down with Dr. Karen Knudsen, the groundbreaking first female CEO of the American Cancer Society. In this episode, Karen shares her journey from oncology researcher to leading one of the most influential organizations in cancer care. She sheds light on the staggering statistics that show one in two men and one in three women will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, and discusses the ACS’s mission to improve the lives of cancer patients and their families.

Karen reflects on her transformative leadership at the ACS, moving th...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Jessica McGlory, CEO and Founder at Guaranteed, a care company that focuses on end of life care.

And we start by talking about death. Jessica shares her deeply personal journey that led to the creation of Guaranteed, when she was suddenly and unexpectedly thrown into becoming the primary caregiver for her father during a very emotional and confusing time as he needed to go into hospice. Losing a loved one is difficult. Couple this with needing to make important decisions at a time when people are likely fe...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Rebekah Swain, Vice President of Managed Health Strategy, Planning, and Membership Performance at Advocate Health.

Rebekah began her career in healthcare early, an original candy striper volunteer as a teenager and progressing through various roles in healthcare management. Her passion for healthcare stems from witnessing firsthand the impact hospitals have on their communities.

Today Rebekah oversees a complex portfolio involving over 600 managed care contracts across six states and a vast network of care delivery sites. Her role focuses on optimizing payer contracts and enhancing membership engagement strategies. She...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Michelle Fitz-Henley, Group Human Resources Manager at Jamaica Broilers Group.

Michelle shares her journey from aspiring lawyer to impactful HR leader. Despite initially aiming for a legal career, Michelle found her calling in HR at Jamaica Broilers, where she manages human resources across diverse locations and oversees the company’s commitment to employee well- being and development.

Michelle discusses her role in fostering a culture of civility and inclusion within the organization, emphasizing the importance of treating employees with kindness and respect. She details initiatives such as strategic re...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Camille Wright, Director of Human Resources at American Health Marketplace.

Camille oversees HR for a health insurance marketplace firm which spans 28 states. She shares her path from early days when she wanted to be a university dean to finding her calling in HR through unexpected opportunities.

Joining American Health Marketplace when it lacked a formal HR department, Camille took charge and built it from the ground up as the company grew 5x in just a few short years. Her proactive approach and commitment to personal and professional development...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Tiffany Gamblin, Director of HR Business Services at Paycom.

Tiffany shares her journey into HR, initially considering a career in veterinary medicine but pivoting into HR under the guidance of her mother-in-law. She describes her role at Paycom overseeing HR business partners, employee relations, compliance, and more. Tiffany emphasizes the importance of a culture of support and development, aiming to create a workplace where employees thrive.

Regarding leadership, Tiffany reflects on her transition from benefits into management, driven by her passion for developing people and fostering a positive...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Dr. Kayla Randolph. Managing Director of Human Resources at IDEA Public Schools, as part of the Women Who Inspire: HR Leaders Series – A collaboration between Transcarent and the Inspiring Women Podcast with Laurie McGraw.

Kayla oversees HR for 11,000 employees across multiple states, emphasizing values like respect, dignity, and integrity. Kayla discussed challenges in education, such as teacher retention, and highlighted IDEA’s focus on comprehensive employee benefits to support their workforce.

Starting in HR unexpectedly, Kayla’s career evolved through roles like recruitment and Title IX coordination, advocating for em...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Lana Krasnyansky, Senior Manager of HR Transition at TriNet, as part of the Women Who Inspire: HR Leaders Series – A collaboration between Transcarent and the Inspiring Women Podcast with Laurie McGraw

Lana shares her journey and insights into leadership. Her diverse career path started with a passion for creativity and the arts. From launching a dance studio in her kitchen at 13 to managing HR at a prominent PEO, Lana emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and resilience in achieving professional success.

Throughout the discussion, Lana hig...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Women Drs. Marjorie Rallins and Holly Miller who are experts in the space of data standards setting and the landscape of interoperability.  

Both Marjorie and Holly have devoted their expertise and careers towards building the infrastructure and plumbing that fuels the clinical data information highway so that clinical data is trustworthy, useful and actionable.  They share the progress made over the past few decades and the opportunity in front of us with the adoption of TEFCA (Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement). They emphasize the complexities of standards and terminologies governing healt...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Melissa Bell, long time health tech executive ad CCO of Enliven Health. For Melissa, working hard was obvious and natural. She was always one to raise her hand for the next challenging assignment which gave her the reputation of being the company’s go to person for the most visible difficult projects. One of Melissa’s “fun facts” includes a lot of prison time…. having led a multiyear implementation at the nation’s largest correctional corporation. Another major project meant leaving her Midwest roots and relocating to California. This is home today having met h...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Dr. Jenny Schneider about the new Home[ward] Grown program to elevate women founders and leaders that was launched last year. Dr. Sipra Laddha, CoFounder and CEO of Luna Joy discusses her experience with the program. Jenny is very vested in female founders and believes that the worn battle scars are useful to others. She has particular affinity to founders who are also physicians. And with Sipra, not only are they both doctors, but being Mom first is key to them both. You have to do it all and...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Jami Youmans, President and CEO of HealthEco.

Jami is an athlete and expected to be seven feet tall when she grew up and likely playing professional basketball.  It was her sincere curiosity that led her to healthcare and building her company HealthEco.

In this 2024 WBL (Women Business Leaders) Series finale, Jami talks about her early stage career as a healthcare administrator which gave her tremendous experience understanding the front lines of healthcare while also needing to be operationally efficient.  Her curiosity and love for innovation led...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Denielle deWynter, CFO and SVP of Hearst Health.  Denielle has spent twenty years in finance and half of them in various Hearst businesses.  It’s the mission driven focus that Denielle finds so meaningful, making this her best position so far.

In this 2024 WBL (Women Business Leaders) Series, Denielle describes her natural curiosity growing up in rural Canada which led her to travel the world.  She credits her ability to think broadly and strategically from having worked in five different countries where she needed to learn an...

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Kristin Rodriguez.  Kristin is many things, and one of those things is that Kristin is funny.  Don’t confuse her quick wit and humorous approach to career trajectory (a winding path indeed!) with anything less than her seriousness in how she expects to help Heroes.  Who are the Heroes?  The people who are trying to improve their health while often taking on more financial risk, navigating new places to receive care, and sorting through a complicated system.

In this 2024 WBL (Women Business Leaders) Series, Kristin gives us a view t...