Episode Details

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 to her original career plans.  Plan A:  Run a Coffee Shop.  Plan B:  Go the Naval Academy and then into military service.  Seven colleges later along with a “bohemian walk about” led her to fall into healthcare sideways.  This is where she fell in love.  Love of serving customers and meeting their needs.  Her career throughline appears to be that of service and continuous exploration of new possibilities.

As Kristin works to support heroes in their healthcare journeys, she considers these key trends:

1. Shifting risk to the healthcare consumer. A worry as it is just too complex for people. This type of risk is as complex as the tax code and Kristin feels it is important to bridge that gap.
2. The important race to new sites of care delivery – telehealth; more care at home; remote monitoring; more virtual care. Kristin believes we should lean in more here.
3. And social determinants of health. Where healthcare payers are being asked to influence and quantify nonclinical interventions.  It remains important to have focus where well-being meets care.

As Kristin discusses some great choices she has made along the way, these include getting her advanced degree, even while working full time and with young children.  She also believes the network she has found professionally with WBL is second to none.

Best professional habits for staying sharp?  Kristin is a huge believer in the power of sleep.  As a recovering over achiever, she has learned to put her energy on the right things which does not mean all things. She finds that she has to continuously work on protecting her time for “deep” work.  Her best advice for others is making sure just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should which has been key to her own growth as a leader.

 

Guest Bio:

Kristin B. Rodriguez

Chief Product Officer, Vitality Group

Kristin Rodriguez is a mission-driven healthcare executive with a 16-yr track record of launching successful products and transforming organizations to solve problems, bring people together,

and create lasting value.  She has a passion for collaborating in pursuit of high-quality outcomes for health care consumers. Kristin has deep experience in change management and has led teams through the disruption of leadership changes and the uncertainty of operationalizing strategic plans and mission-derived aspirations. She also has extensive experience in systems thinking, continuous improvement, as well as product design and strate