This is my public declaration of priorities.
Put another way, it’s my answer to “What are you doing now?”
Work:
I’m focused on how I can boost the signal for peer health advice at every level of our health care system.
I’m an advisor to Article 27, Atlas of Caregiving, Before Brands, Ciitizen, and the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at Smithsonian Institution. I serve on the boards of directors for Cambia Health Solutions and Hive Networks. I also maintain virtual office hours for a network of rebels, community data organizers, and action-oriented dreamers. My time is divided pretty evenly between start-ups and legacy companies, playing the role of ambassador and connector.
Reading:
A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO THE END: Practical advice for facing death and living life, by BJ Miller, MD, and Shoshana Berger. When preparing for the birth of my children, I read voraciously, soaking up practical advice. When preparing for the death of my dad, I tried to do the same. I couldn’t find a guide like my birth books. Now I have.
FIGHT LIKE A MOTHER: How a Grassroots Movement Took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women Will Change the World, by Shannon Watts. Watts wrote the book she wished she had when she was starting Moms Demand and it is fantastic. An essential guide for activists of all kinds
THE POWER OF A POSITIVE NO: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes, by William Ury. My sister sent it to me as a way to help me prioritize and balance all the beautiful, difficult work I’m doing, personally and professionally. It is helping immensely. Writing this Now page is a mindfulness exercise, helping me to see what my priorities are (what my Yes is) and now I am acquiring the tools to say No to other requests for my time.
Articles on (essentially) how to be a useful board member and advisor:
- “Board of Directors Role Available — Helmet Required,” by Lisa Suennen.
- “Never Let Anyone Make You a Carrot,” by Lisa Suennen. (Come to think of it, all her posts on boards of directors are a must-read.)
- “Engaging Health System Boards of Trustees in Quality and Safety: Six Must-Know Guidelines,” by Stephen Grossbart, PhD.
Featured image: “Don’t stop believin'” — captured on the campus of Wesleyan University, my alma mater.
Past Now pages: March-May 2019; November 2018-February 2019; September-October 2018; June-August 2018; April-May 2018; Feb-March 2018; January 2018; December 2017; November 2017; September 2017.
Inspiration: The /now page movement, by Derek Sivers.
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